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La scorsa settimana abbiamo pubblicato una breve analisi della MDW 2024 e oggi concludiamo con il best of dei progetti esposti a Milano. Una selezione di arredi e mostre che vale la pena condividere. (Immagine copertina Isola Design Gallery, MDW 2024, ph. Anwyn Howarth)

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Catifa Carta, Lievore Altherr Molina for Arper, ph. Salva Lopez
Catifa Carta, Lievore Altherr Molina for Arper, ph. Salva Lopez

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Una delle sedute che ci ha emozionato di più è stata una riedizione di Arper: Catifa Carta, la nuova versione di Catifa 53, progettata nel 2001 da Lievore Altherr Molina. La seduta presenta una scocca in PaperShell, nuovo materiale derivato da fonti responsabili e dall’uso esclusivo di residui della produzione di legno svedese. Catifa Carta è composta da 29 fogli di carta accoppiati attraverso un legante di resina naturale: alla fine del suo ciclo di vita, la scocca può essere sottoposta a pirolisi, un processo di combustione che avviene a bassa temperatura e impedisce il rilascio di CO2. Attraverso quest’ultimo, PaperShell viene convertito in biochar, un tipo di carbone vegetale, composto da una percentuale di carbonio che può arrivare fino al 90%, che ha la capacità di trattenere efficacemente la CO2.

Zaven, dopo l’elegante divano Za:Za per Zanotta (2022), guarda al divano letto con Mate per Bolzan. Il risultato è un prodotto che soddisfa entrambe le funzioni garantendo comfort, ma anche eleganza per la zona living. Una struttura in tubolare d’acciaio cilindrico disegna tutto il perimetro creando il sostegno per due grandi elementi imbottiti – lo schienale e la seduta – e due cuscini sottili che si adagiano e ricadono lungo il fianco formando i braccioli. Alla base del divano, una rete a pettine estensibile permette di raddoppiare la superficie per posizionare gli imbottiti come materasso. Semplice, funzionale e adatto a tutti gli interni.

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Mate, Zaven for Bolzan, ph. Omar Sartor
Mate, Zaven for Bolzan, ph. Omar Sartor

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Lispi, tra le novità di quest’anno, ha presentato Velario di Giuseppe Arezzi e Serafino di Mario Scairato – il primo letto senza baldacchino del marchio. Velario, che prende il nome dalle antiche tettoie utilizzate negli anfiteatri romani per riparare gli spettatori dal sole, prevede una tenda in lino arricchita da un motivo geometrico a griglia in colori tenui. La struttura reinterpreta la tradizionale tecnica del ferro battuto, già presente nel DNA dell’azienda, lasciato a vista per esaltarne la matericità. Un letto dalle dimensioni importanti che rimane leggero ed elegante, e porta negli ambienti interni l’estetica e le suggestioni della vita en plein air. Serafino, invece, presenta una struttura in ferro, completata da una testiera realizzata completamente in midollino intrecciato a mano. Le linee razionali della base in ferro del letto si uniscono con grazia ai profili morbidi e leggeri del rattan di cui è composta la testiera.

Con About Marble, Lorenzo Damiani ci mostra ancora una volta cosa vuol dire fare design: non solo creare nuovi oggetti e arredi ma lavorare con la materia, esplorarne le possibilità e agire in maniera etica, sorprendendo con l’utilizzo ragionato di tagli, spessori e incastri. About Marble è stata una mostra alla Fabbrica del Vapore all’insegna dell’essenziale, nella forma e nei contenuti. La panca Foglio, i vasi Boboli, la serie Ibridi, il lavabo Doppio Pensiero, una rassegna di oggetti e arredi in marmo smontati e rimontati per visualizzarne le modalità costruttive e il processo. Una progettazione (e una mostra) che usa la minore quantità possibile di materiali restituendo tutta la forza del design.

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Velario, Giuseppe Arezzi for Lispi, ph. Francesca Ferrari
Boboli vases, Lorenzo Damiani, ph. Wevux

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Dopo quasi 30 anni dalla chiusura, al Fuorisalone 2024 riapre il Cinema Casoretto per ARTESANOS Manufactura Peruana. Sin dalla sua fondazione l’obiettivo del progetto è stato quello di fornire sostegno ma anche dare lavoro e dignità alle persone svantaggiate delle comunità andine, fondando vere e proprie scuole artigianali. Nel 2021 è iniziato un processo di rinnovamento del marchio e della collezione esistente ad opera dei curatori Luisa Bertoldo e Davide Fabio Colaci. La prima nuova collezione, presentata la scorsa settimana, si chiama ADB24 e recupera e rielabora alcuni arredi dell’ufficio stile di Chacas (Headquarter di ARTESANOS a 4000m sulle Ande) e dei suoi talleres sparsi per il Perù. A questi arredi si sommano i primi progetti dei designer Maddalena Casadei, Giulio Iachetti e il duo Zaven, primi protagonisti di questo rinnovamento.

Tra gli aggiornamenti di progetto c’è da citare Stone Waste is Bliss, la nuova ricerca di Agne Kucerenkaite – presentata poche settimana fa su WeVux e parte della Materials Design Map – sulla pietra naturale. In collaborazione con l’azienda lituana Akmenstata la designer sta sviluppando una serie di oggetti e applicazioni che combinano gli scarti di pietra con la ceramica senza l’utilizzo delle convenzionali soluzioni sintetiche ma sviluppando un nuovo metodo innovativo.

Un altro aggiornamento è quello di Alara Ertenü Studio, già presente su WeVux con Lampunto e Packioli. Alara ha recentemente fondato la startup Naturelink Innovation con l’obbiettivo di guidare un cambiamento verso la circolarità nella progettazione di materiali e prodotti. Nello specifico, Naturelink utilizza gli scarti del mais agricolo per creare un composito 100% bio-based pensato per imballaggi rigidi nei settori della cosmesi e della cura della persona. Lo scopo è quello di riuscire ad integrare in modo economicamente vantaggioso la compostabilità nella catena del valore degli imballaggi, in linea con le richieste di volumi elevati del settore.

La collezione più simpatica della Milano Design Week 2024 è Blow Up di Home Studyo, brand di design con sede a Ghent fondato da Mathieu Van Damme (Case Studyo) ed Esther Noben (Toykyo). Il marchio crea giocosi oggetti in ceramica per la casa che hanno come obiettivo quello di colmare il divario tra il design da collezione esclusivo e una produzione di massa impersonale. Il risultato sono oggetti e accessori eccentrici in grado di caratterizzare fortemente gli spazi interni donando colore e anche un sorriso.

Da menzionare anche le mostre di Dropcity, in particolare:

  • Elements: Unique details of the 20th Century Architecture and Interior, curata da Adam Štěch e presentata da Okolo Creative Collective. Un viaggio attraverso migliaia di fotografie di lampade, sedute, tavoli, balaustre, ringhiere, finestre ed elementi decorativi e funzionali che celebrano l’idea modernista del Gesamtkunstwerk (in tedesco “opera d’arte totale”).
  • We Mediterranean, di Paola Carimati con Matilde Cassani Studio, Francesca Lanzavecchia, Sex & The City, Studio Ossidiana, Piovenefabi in collaborazione con We Design Beirut. Un progetto in corso, libero e migrante, che vive e si arricchisce delle esperienze e degli incontri che matura nei luoghi in cui arriva: Milano è stata la prima tappa di un grand tour lungo le coste del nostro mare che aiuterà a contribuire alla costruzione di un’idea di architettura intesa come casa comune.

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About Marble, Lorenzo Damiani, MDW 2024, ph. Wevux
About Marble, Lorenzo Damiani, MDW 2024, ph. Wevux
Blow Up, Home Studyo, ph. Wevux
Stone Waste is Bliss, Agne Kucerenkaite, ph. Wevux
Naturelink Innovation, ph. courtesy
Naturelink Innovation, ph. courtesy
We Mediterranean, Dropcity, MDW 2024, ph. Wevux
Elements, Dropcity, MDW 2024, ph. Wevux

Last week we published a brief analysis of MDW 2024 and today we conclude with the best of the projects exhibited in Milan. A selection of furniture, products and exhibitions. (Cover image Isola Design Gallery, MDW 2024, ph. Anwyn Howarth)

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Catifa Carta, Lievore Altherr Molina for Arper, ph. Salva Lopez
Catifa Carta, Lievore Altherr Molina for Arper, ph. Salva Lopez

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One of the chairs that excited us the most was a re-edition by Arper: Catifa Carta, the new version of Catifa 53, designed in 2001 by Lievore Altherr Molina. The seat features a shell made of PaperShell, a new material derived from responsible sources and the exclusive use of residues from Swedish wood production. Catifa Carta is composed of 29 sheets of paper bonded through a natural resin binder: at the end of its life cycle, the shell can be subjected to pyrolysis, a combustion process that takes place at low temperature and prevents the release of CO2. Through the latter, PaperShell is converted into biochar, a type of vegetable charcoal, composed of up to 90% carbon, which has the ability to effectively retain CO2.

Zaven, after the elegant Za:Za sofa for Zanotta (2022), looks to the sofa bed with Mate for Bolzan. The result is a product that fulfils both functions guaranteeing comfort, but also elegance for the living area. A cylindrical tubular steel frame outlines the entire perimeter, creating the support for two large upholstered elements – the backrest and seat – and two thin cushions that lie and fall along the side, forming the armrests. At the base of the sofa, an extensible comb net allows the surface to be doubled to position the upholstered elements that become a mattress. Simple, functional and suitable for all interiors.

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Mate, Zaven for Bolzan, ph. Omar Sartor
Mate, Zaven for Bolzan, ph. Omar Sartor

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Lispi, among this year’s novelties, presented Velario by Giuseppe Arezzi and Serafino by Mario Scairato. Velario, named after the ancient canopies used in Roman amphitheatres to shelter spectators from the sun, features a linen curtain enriched with a geometric grid pattern in soft colours. The structure reinterprets the traditional technique of wrought iron, already present in the company’s DNA, left exposed to enhance its materiality. A bed with important dimensions that remains light and elegant, and brings the aesthetics and suggestions of life en plein air into interior spaces. Serafino, on the other hand, features an iron frame, complemented by a headboard made entirely of hand-woven wicker. The rational lines of the bed’s iron base combine gracefully with the soft, light profiles of the rattan of which the headboard is composed.

With About Marble, once again Lorenzo Damiani shows us what it means to design: not only to create new objects and furnishings but to work with the material, explore its possibilities and act ethically, surprising us with the clever use of cuts, thicknesses and joints. About Marble was an exhibition at the Fabbrica del Vapore under the banner of the essentiality, in form and content. The Foglio bench, the Boboli vases, the Ibridi series, the Doppio Pensiero washbasin, a review of marble objects and furnishings disassembled and reassembled to visualise their construction methods and process. A design (and an exhibition) that uses as few materials as possible, restoring all the strength of the design.

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Velario, Giuseppe Arezzi for Lispi, ph. Francesca Ferrari
Boboli vases, Lorenzo Damiani, ph. Wevux

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After almost 30 years since its closure, the Casoretto Cinema reopens at Fuorisalone 2024 for ARTESANOS Manufactura Peruana. Since its foundation, the project‘s aim has been to provide support but also to give work and dignity to disadvantaged people in Andean communities, founding real craft schools. In 2021, a process of renewal of the brand and the existing collection began by curators Luisa Bertoldo and Davide Fabio Colaci. The first new collection, presented last week, is called ADB24 and recovers and reworks some of the furnishings from the style office in Chacas (ARTESANOS Headquarters at 4000m in the Andes) and its talleres scattered throughout Peru. These furnishings are joined by the first projects of designers Maddalena Casadei, Giulio Iachetti and the Zaven duo, the first protagonists of this renovation.

Among the project updates is Stone Waste is Bliss, Agne Kucerenkaite‘s – presented a few weeks ago on WeVux and part of the Materials Design Map – new research on natural stone. In collaboration with the Lithuanian company Akmenstata, the designer is developing a series of objects and applications that combine stone waste with ceramics without using conventional synthetic solutions but developing a new innovative method.

Another update is that of Alara Ertenü Studio, already featured on WeVux with Lampunto and Packioli. Alara recently founded the start-up Naturelink Innovation with the aim of driving a change towards circularity in material and product design. Specifically, Naturelink uses agricultural maize waste to create a 100% bio-based composite designed for rigid packaging in the cosmetics and personal care sectors. The aim is to cost-effectively integrate compostability into the packaging value chain, in line with the high-volume demands of the sector.

The cutest collection of Milan Design Week 2024 is Blow Up by Home Studyo, a Ghent-based design brand founded by Mathieu Van Damme (Case Studyo) and Esther Noben (Toykyo). The brand creates playful ceramic objects for the home that aim to bridge the gap between exclusive collectible design and impersonal mass production. The result is eccentric objects and accessories that can strongly characterise interior spaces by bringing colour and even a smile.

Also worth mentioning are the Dropcity exhibitions, in particular:

  • Elements: Unique Details of the 20th Century Architecture and Interior, curated by Adam Štěch and presented by Okolo Creative Collective. A journey through thousands of photographs of lamps, seats, tables, handrails, windows and decorative and functional elements celebrating the modernist idea of the Gesamtkunstwerk (German for ‘total work of art’).
  • We Mediterranean, by Paola Carimati with Matilde Cassani Studio, Francesca Lanzavecchia, Sex & The City, Studio Ossidiana, Piovenefabi in collaboration with We Design Beirut. An ongoing project, free and migrant, that lives and is enriched by the experiences and encounters it matures in the places where it arrives: Milan was the first stage of a grand tour along the coasts of our sea that will help to contribute to the construction of an idea of architecture seen as a common home.

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About Marble, Lorenzo Damiani, MDW 2024, ph. Wevux
About Marble, Lorenzo Damiani, MDW 2024, ph. Wevux
Blow Up, Home Studyo, ph. Wevux
Stone Waste is Bliss, Agne Kucerenkaite, ph. Wevux
Naturelink Innovation, ph. courtesy
Naturelink Innovation, ph. courtesy
We Mediterranean, Dropcity, MDW 2024, ph. Wevux
Elements, Dropcity, MDW 2024, ph. Wevux

Come per l’edizione del 2023, Wevux conclude questa Milano Design Week 2024 con una breve analisi e qualche domanda, cosa ci racconta la settimana del design di quest’anno e quali sono i temi che emergono? Cosa ci aspetterà nel 2025? (Immagine copertina A-N-D, Alcova, ph. Piergiorgio Sorgetti)

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Artemide, Alcova, ph. Piergiorgio Sorgetti
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Ronan Bouroullec for Mutina, Milano Design Week 2024, ph. Wevux

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Sostenibilità, che confusione

Rispetto agli anni scorsi, alcuni progetti della Milano Design Week 2024 pongono un’attenzione maggiore verso i temi legati all’impatto ambientale e alla responsabilità sociale. Nonostante questo aspetto positivo però ci sono ancora alcune contraddizioni:

  • Gadgets e tote bags diventano oggetti da collezione. Quanti volantini, poster e materiale di comunicazione è stato stampato e prodotto per questa settimana?
  • Si parla di produzioni sostenibili e nuovi materiali, ma sono ancora pochi i progetti che parlano del ciclo di vita del prodotto, della gestione di rifiuti e scarti dati dalla produzione, dell’energia utilizzata per il processo. Qualcuno in più dell’anno scorso, ma non ancora abbastanza.
  • Il punto 2 ci porta ad un altro tema: la trasparenza. Non basta usare la plastica riciclata (ancora) o creare nuovi materiali, come non basta dire “è progettato per durare”. Come vengono riciclate queste soluzioni? Quanta energia richiederà dismettere certi prodotti e materiali? È ora che il design inizi a considerare l’intero ciclo di vita di un progetto.
  • Gli allestimenti sono ancora una volta riutilizzabili, ma che fine fanno? Quante aziende e designer riescono veramente a dimostrare il riutilizzo dei propri allestimenti?

Trend dei nuovi materiali

Quest’anno quasi ogni location ha una selezione di campioni e nuovi materiali. Se da un lato è un aspetto molto positivo per la diffusione di una sensibilità maggiore verso questi progetti, ci sono ancora alcune riflessioni da fare:

  • La vera sfida che si presenta ora è se e come applicare questi campioni alla produzione industriale – per fortuna alcuni brand e designer stanno facendo qualche passo avanti, ne parleremo in maniera approfondita la prossima settimana.
  • Che senso ha creare un materiale da scarti e rifiuti se il materiale stesso diventa un problema nel momento in cui deve essere gettato?
  • Ammesso che un nuovo materiale possa durare “per sempre”, perché viene utilizzato per creare sculture e oggetti decorativi invece che applicazioni utili che resistano nel tempo?

(continua)

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ECAL x Freitag, Milano Design Week 2024, ph. Wevux
Isola Design, ph. WeVux

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Design ma anche arte e moda

Come negli ultimi anni, la presenza dei grandi brand del fashion – e dell’effetto wow – è ormai data per scontata (Bottega Veneta, Prada, Gucci, Balenciaga, Moncler, Loro Piana, Zegna, Dolce&Gabbana, Miu Miu, per citarne alcuni) ma quest’anno i veri protagonisti sono stati l’arte e i pezzi collectible – senza contare la sovrapposizione di inaugurazioni nel weekend del Miart e l’apertura della Biennale di Venezia durante la manifestazione milanese. Come già raccontato in precedenza, il collectible design nasce da una necessità commerciale e potrebbe aiutare a dare un nuovo significato alla parola artigianato, forse l’unico problema è vedere tanti artisti/designer che si focalizzano sulla propria produzione senza fare ricerca, portando inevitabilmente collezioni e serie limitate simili (se non identiche) ad altri prodotti già esistenti.

Location e accessibilità

Sempre più lontano, questo sembra il claim di alcuni distretti ed eventi che preferiscono uscire dal centro per esplorare nuove aree della città di Milano e della provincia. Questa tendenza, unita alle code infinite e sempre più presenti anche da metà settimana, rende molto complesso trovare il tempo di vedere i progetti e poterli approfondire.

A questo si aggiunge il continuo aumentare dei prezzi degli spazi per esporre: come abbiamo raccontato qui, ogni anno, a parità di servizi, presentare il proprio progetto alla Milano Design Week è sempre più costoso e questo porta un problema di accessibilità per i giovani progettisti e i piccoli brand. Citando una riflessione di Margriet Vollenberg (Ventura Lambrate) sulla MDW di qualche anno fa – oggi ancora attuale: come posso garantire alle piccole e medie aziende la visibilità di un grande brand? Allo stesso modo, come diversifico l’offerta di ciò che espongo?

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Elsa Foulon Studio, Baranzate Ateliers, ph. Wevux
Baranzate Ateliers, ph. Wevux

As with the 2023 edition, Wevux concludes this Milano Design Week 2024 with a brief analysis and a few questions. What does this year’s design week tell us and what themes emerge? What will be waiting for us in 2025? (Cover image A-N-D, Alcova, ph. Piergiorgio Sorgetti)

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Artemide, Alcova, ph. Piergiorgio Sorgetti
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Ronan Bouroullec for Mutina, Milano Design Week 2024, ph. Wevux

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Confusion over sustainability

Compared to previous years, some projects of the Milan Design Week 2024 pay more attention to issues of environmental impact and social responsibility. Despite this positive aspect, however, there are still some contradictions:

  • Gadgets and tote bags become collector’s items. How many flyers, posters and communication material was printed and produced this week?
  • There are still few projects that talk about the product life cycle, the management of production waste and energy. A few more than last year, but still not enough.
  • Point 2 brings us to another topic: transparency. It is not enough to use recycled plastic (again) or to create new materials, just as it is not enough to say ‘it is designed to last’. How are these solutions recycled? How much energy will it take to dispose of certain products and materials? It is time for design to start considering the whole life cycle of a project.
  • Exhibits are once again reusable, but what happens to them? How many companies and designers really succeed in demonstrating the reuse of their fittings?

New materials

This year almost every location has a selection of samples and new materials. While this is a very positive aspect in terms of spreading a greater awareness of these projects, there are still some reflections to be made:

  • The real challenge now is whether and how to apply these samples to industrial production – fortunately some brands and designers are making some progress, we will talk about this in depth next week.
  • What is the point of creating a material from waste if the material itself becomes a problem the moment it has to be discarded?
  • Assuming that a new material can last ‘forever’, why is it used to create sculptures and decorative objects instead of useful applications that must endure?

(continue)

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ECAL x Freitag, Milano Design Week 2024, ph. Wevux
Isola Design, ph. WeVux

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Design but also art and fashion

As in the last few years, the presence of the big fashion brands – and the wow effect – is now taken for granted (Bottega Veneta, Prada, Gucci, Balenciaga, Moncler, Loro Piana, Zegna, Dolce&Gabbana, Miu Miu, to name a few), this year the real protagonists were art and collectible pieces – not to mention the overlapping of openings on the Miart weekend and the one of Venice Biennale during the Milan event. As previously mentioned, collectible design was born out of a commercial necessity and could help give new meaning to the word craftsmanship, perhaps the only problem is seeing so many artists/designers focusing on their own production without doing research, inevitably leading to collections and limited series that are similar (if not identical) to other existing products.

Venues and accessibility

Further and further afield, this seems to be the claim of some districts and events that prefer to leave the centre to explore new areas of Milan and its province. This tendency, combined with the endless queues, which are increasingly present even midweek, makes it very complex to find the time to see the projects and explore them in depth.

Added to this is the ever-increasing price of exhibition spaces: as we have recounted here, every year, for the same services, presenting one’s project at Milano Design Week is increasingly expensive, and this brings a problem of accessibility for young designers and small brands. Quoting a reflection by Margriet Vollenberg (Ventura Lambrate) on MDW a few years ago – still relevant today: how do I guarantee small and medium-sized companies the visibility of a big brand? Similarly, how do I diversify the offer of what I exhibit?

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Elsa Foulon Studio, Baranzate Ateliers, ph. Wevux
Baranzate Ateliers, ph. Wevux

A few months ago we presented the School of Phyto-centered Design, the 2023 summer program curated by d-o-t-s – Laura Drouet and Olivier Lacrouts – for the Design Campus at Pillnitz Palace and Park in Dresden, Germany. From 22 September at Vienna Design Week it will be possible to see Room for Change, an installation which, in addition to presenting the works produced by the participants of the summer school, invites us to change perspective: question harmful agricultural practices and look at plants as allies for militant and poetic design scenarios. (cover image The Avocado Legacy, ph. Benedikt Trojer)

Showcasing material experiments, fashion items, products, performances as well as videos and photos, Room For Change highlights the design and narrative potential of plants and reveals stories of interdependence, empowerment, resilience, but also exploitation, overconsumption, and colonization.

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Plant Circus (installation shot), ph. Leonie Hochstrasser
The Avocado Legacy, The School of Phyto-centred Design, ph. Benedikt Trojer

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The Avocado Legacy

Among the works on show is the research conducted by Kareem Goshan, Katherine Lopez, Benedikt Trojer directed by the Mexican designer Fernando Laposse, which explores the potential of design as a tool to trigger new social and environmental debates starting from the avocado.

Taking the current global obsession for this fruit as the starting point for their research, the group has developed a collection of artefacts that transform avocado waste (peels, seeds) into new biomaterials and natural dyes. While highlighting the manifold creative applications that the plant enables, the project wishes also to encourage the public to reflect further on the ecological and social repercussions that consumption-driven lifestyles produce. The cultivation of the plant is one of the biggest driving forces behind deforestation, biodiversity loss and violence towards vulnerable communities in Mexico. The Avocado Legacy reminds us that in a highly connected world, our choices as consumers always have an impact.

The collection also tries to draw parallels – in a critical but ironic way – with events that occurred in the past such as colonialism: the aesthetics of the artefacts recalls that of 17th century objects which exploited precious and exotic materials for the creation of products linked to myths and esoteric beliefs, far from the original cultural use of the material.

The Harvest

Another of the projects that will be possible to see at Room for Change is The Harvest, a fashion collection that celebrates plants, seasonality and decay, born from the collaboration between eight international creative designers – Davide Balda, Jaqueline Lobodda, Deborah Egger, Sahra Jajarmikhayat, Ano Jishkariani, Chi Tran, Sujia Wang, Dana Zoutman – under the artistic direction of the French designer Emma Bruschi, winner of the 19M Prix des Métiers d’Art de CHANEL at the 35t Festival International Fashion, Photography, and Fashion Accessories – Hyères 2020.

Inspired by the surrounding nature, the designers have reinterpreted natural fibers and materials of plant origin and traditional techniques – such as weaving, weaving, spinning, using crochet – with a contemporary language. The result is six experimental and poetic “looks” that celebrate the concepts of reciprocity and symbiosis with nature. The collection highlights the creative and narrative potential of the plant world, rediscovering the history and technical possibilities of plants in textile production and fashion.

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The Avocado Legacy, The School of Phyto-centred Design, ph. Benedikt Trojer
The Harvest, The School of Phyto-centred Design, ph. Sahra Jajarmikhayat

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Other projects from the Room For Change installation

Among the other works on show is a selection of material experiments and prototypes – developed during the 2023 edition of the School of Utopias – which reveals part of the research process behind the objects protagonists of the installation. The Manifesto of Phyto-centred Design by do-t-s, in collaboration with Matthieu Visentin (graphic design), which questions the dominant anthropocentric vision of the Western world and invites creatives to reframe their relationship with non-human beings and especially plants. We Are All Lichens, a textile flag, the result of Natalia Cerda Milla‘s research. Chita’ Anyaman, braiding tales by Evey Kwong, a collection of palm-woven wearables. The film Plant Circus by Katharina Mludek, Katrin Schwarz, Julia Sulikowska which portrays a typical day at Pillnitz Palace and Park, between fiction and reality.

For the spirit and format of the Room for Change installation, a conscious choice was made not to buy new plants but to temporarily host existing ones, lent by Katharina and Thomas’s Vienna-based design studio mischer’traxler. The plants will return at their home after the end of Vienna Design Week.

Don’t miss Room For Change and the results of the School of Phyto-centered Design curated by d-o-t-s, visit the installation at the Festival Headquarters, Prater 2, Laufbergergasse 12 and follow the studio on Instagram!

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We Are All Lichens, ph. Leonie Hochstrasser
Plant Circus (still from film), The School of Phyto-centred Design, image © Katharina Mludek, Katrin Schwarz, Julia Sulikowska
Chita’ Anyaman, ph. Leonie Hochstrasser
The Avocado Legacy, The School of Phyto-centred Design, ph. Olly Cruise
The Avocado Legacy, The School of Phyto-centred Design, ph. Benedikt Trojer
The Harvest, The School of Phyto-centred Design, ph. Sahra Jajarmikhayat
The Harvest, The School of Phyto-centred Design, ph. Sahra Jajarmikhayat
The Harvest, The School of Phyto-centred Design, ph. Sahra Jajarmikhayat

Qualche mese fa abbiamo lanciato la call per la School of Phyto-centered Design, il programma estivo 2023 curato da d-o-t-s – Laura Drouet e Olivier Lacrouts – per il Design Campus al Pillnitz Palace and Park di Dresda, in Germania. Dal 22 settembre alla Vienna Design Week sarà possibile vedere Room for Change, un’installazione che, oltre a presentare i lavori prodotti dai partecipanti della summer school, invita a cambiare prospettiva: mettere in discussione le pratiche agricole dannose e guardare alle piante come alleate per scenari di design militanti e poetici. (immagine copertina The Avocado Legacy, ph. Benedikt Trojer)

Attraverso esperimenti con i materiali, prodotti, performance, ma anche articoli di moda, video e foto, Room for Change evidenzia il potenziale progettuale e narrativo delle piante e rivela storie di interdipendenza, empowerment, resilienza, ma anche sfruttamento, consumo eccessivo e colonizzazione. A seguire alcuni dei progetti in mostra.

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Plant Circus (installation shot), ph. Leonie Hochstrasser
The Avocado Legacy, The School of Phyto-centred Design, ph. Benedikt Trojer

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The Avocado Legacy

Tra i lavori presenti c’è la ricerca condotta da Kareem Goshan, Katherine Lopez, Benedikt Trojer diretti dal designer messicano Fernando Laposse che esplora il potenziale del design come strumento per innescare nuovi dibattiti sociali e ambientali partendo dall’avocado.

Prendendo l’attuale ossessione globale per questo frutto come punto di partenza per la ricerca, il gruppo ha sviluppato una collezione di manufatti che trasformano gli scarti dell’avocado (bucce e semi) in nuovi biomateriali e coloranti naturali. Oltre a evidenziarne le molteplici applicazioni creative, il progetto desidera anche incoraggiare il pubblico a riflettere ulteriormente sulle ripercussioni ecologiche e sociali che producono i nostri stili di vita. L’aumento della richiesta in occidente di questo frutto ha portato deforestazione, perdita di biodiversità e violenza nei confronti delle comunità vulnerabili in Messico. The Avocado Legacy ci ricorda che in un mondo altamente connesso, le nostre scelte come consumatori hanno sempre un impatto.

La collezione cerca anche di tracciare parallelismi – in maniera critica ma ironica – con eventi accaduti nel passato come il colonialismo: l’estetica dei manufatti riprende quella degli oggetti del XVII secolo che sfruttavano materiali preziosi ed esotici per la creazione di prodotti legati a miti e credenze esoteriche, lontane dall’utilizzo culturale originale del materiale.

The Harvest

Un altro dei progetti che sarà possibile vedere presso Room for Change è The Harvest, una collezione di moda che celebra le piante, la stagionalità e il decadimento, nata dalla collaborazione tra otto designer creativi internazionali – Davide Balda, Jaqueline Lobodda, Deborah Egger, Sahra Jajarmikhayat, Ano Jishkariani, Chi Tran, Sujia Wang, Dana Zoutman – sotto la direzione artistica della designer francese Emma Bruschi, vincitrice del 19M Prix des Métiers d’Art de CHANEL al 35t Festival International Fashion, Photography, and Fashion Accessories – Hyères 2020.

Ispirati dalla natura circostante, i designer hanno reinterpretato fibre e materiali naturali di origine vegetale e tecniche tradizionali – come intrecciare, tessere, filare, usare l’uncinetto – con un linguaggio contemporaneo. Il risultato sono sei “look” sperimentali e poetici che celebrano i concetti di reciprocità e simbiosi con la natura. La collezione evidenzia il potenziale creativo e narrativo del mondo vegetale, riscoprendo la storia e le possibilità tecniche delle piante nella produzione tessile e nella moda.

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The Avocado Legacy, The School of Phyto-centred Design, ph. Benedikt Trojer
The Harvest, The School of Phyto-centred Design, ph. Sahra Jajarmikhayat

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Gli altri progetti esposti a Room For Change

Tra gli altri lavori sarà possibile vedere una selezione di sperimentazioni materiali e prototipi – sviluppati durante l’edizione 2023 della School of Utopias – che rivelano parte del processo di ricerca dietro gli oggetti protagonisti dell’installazione. Il Manifesto del Phyto-centred Design di do-t-s, in collaborazione con Matthieu Visentin (design grafico), che mette in discussione la visione antropocentrica dominante del mondo occidentale e invita i creativi a riformulare la propria relazione con gli esseri non umani e in particolare con le piante. We Are All Lichens, una bandiera tessile, risultato della ricerca di Natalia Cerda Milla. Chita’ Anyaman, braiding tales di Evey Kwong, una collezione di indumenti indossabili intrecciati con le foglie di palma. Il film Plant Circus di Katharina Mludek, Katrin Schwarz, Julia Sulikowska che ritrae una giornata tipo al Palazzo e Parco di Pillnitz, tra finzione e realtà.

Per lo spirito e il formato dell’installazione Room for Change, è stata fatta la scelta consapevole di non acquistare nuove piante ma di ospitare temporaneamente quelle esistenti, prestate dallo studio di design mischer’traxler di Katharina e Thomas con sede a Vienna, che torneranno nella loro sede dopo la fine della Vienna Design Week.

Non perdete Room For Change e i risultati della School of Phyto-centered Design curata da d-o-t-s, visitate l’installazione presso il Festival Headquarters, Prater 2, Laufbergergasse 12 e seguite lo studio su Instagram!

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We Are All Lichens, ph. Leonie Hochstrasser
Plant Circus (still from film), The School of Phyto-centred Design, image © Katharina Mludek, Katrin Schwarz, Julia Sulikowska
Chita’ Anyaman, ph. Leonie Hochstrasser
The Avocado Legacy, The School of Phyto-centred Design, ph. Olly Cruise
The Avocado Legacy, The School of Phyto-centred Design, ph. Benedikt Trojer
The Harvest, The School of Phyto-centred Design, ph. Sahra Jajarmikhayat
The Harvest, The School of Phyto-centred Design, ph. Sahra Jajarmikhayat
The Harvest, The School of Phyto-centred Design, ph. Sahra Jajarmikhayat

Dal 21 al 29 ottobre 2023, torna la Dutch Design Week a Eindhoven! Da sempre impegnato a catalogare e presentare il design del futuro e il futuro del design, da quest’anno il festival introduce una novità: dieci tematiche per aiutare tutte le diverse tipologie di designer e la grande diversità di visitatori a orientarsi in città. Questi temi consistono in varie “missions” e “prospettive di progettazione” che declinano tutto il programma e le attività dell’evento. Come sempre, la DDW accoglie anche mostre collettive, scuole e archivi. (Immagine copertina, DDW 22, Envisions, ph. Britt Roelse)

I temi della Dutch Design Week 2023

Per dare un’idea di quello che sarà possibile vedere abbiamo associato ad ogni tematica uno dei tanti eventi da visitare. Le Missions, cioè le principali sfide a cui stanno lavorando i designer, sono:

  • Raggiungere una società egualitaria. Per farlo, dobbiamo (ri)progettare sistemi e interazioni che valorizzino tutti. Sicurezza, inclusività e connessione sono fondamentali. In centro città al Van Abbemuseum sarà possibile vedere The space between us – Chi o cosa determina la funzione di un oggetto? La mostra mette in discussione la funzione del design e il ruolo del museo.
  • Aumentare la nostra salute e il nostro benessere. Progetti che migliorano strutturalmente la nostra qualità della vita e della salute, dal cibo che mangiamo all’assistenza sanitaria e al benessere personale. Sempre in centro, presso l’Albert van Abbehuis ci sarà A Bite of Void – Questa mostra invita i visitatori a contemplare le proprie mancanze e come sarebbe veramente un “futuro migliore”.
  • Futuro digitale. Esplorazioni dai mondi virtuali all’intelligenza artificiale e dalle piattaforme globali alle esperienze individuali. Nella zona Strijp-S | Manifestations presenta Art Tech Fun AI Robots eGirls – 50 artisti del futuro mostrano un’eccentrica analisi delle (errate) corrispondenze tra persone e tecnologia.
  • Creare il nostro ambiente, la mobilità e i materiali che utilizziamo va di pari passo con la definizione della nostra qualità di vita. Presso Hallenweg, con From grass to green, Blankfish presenta una visione ecologica delle auto elettriche e delle stazioni di servizio defunte riconvertite in fattorie urbane.
  • Consentire al nostro pianeta di fiorire. Per un pianeta sano, il design deve valorizzare la potenza della natura, o almeno non ostacolarla. Alla Stazione di Eindhoven sarà possibile vedere Will Water Want, mostra che indaga la volontà e la voce del fiume Dommel attraverso una serie di oggetti che interagiscono con il flusso dell’acqua.

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DDW 22, Sunne by Marjan Van Aubel, ph. Max Kneefel
DDW 22, Retro Future at Evoluon, ph. About Today

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Le Design Perspectives della Dutch Design Foundation (che organizza la DDW) vogliono indagare i diversi aspetti della professione del designer:

  • Speculative e social design. Nella zona ovest di Eindhoven Next Nature e Evoluon portano Spacefarming, una mostra sul futuro del cibo e su come nutrire 10 miliardi di persone nel 2050.
  • Product design e artigianato. Nella zona del canale, Kiki & Joost con Perpetuum Mobile mettono in mostra la bellezza poetica della creazione e la natura dinamica dei lavori in corso.
  • Service & Innovative design. Location Strijp-S, Klokgebouw. Con Kiwi – Ending painful sex, Nienke Helder e Ohnut condividono la loro progettazione e ricerca sulla salute pelvica.
  • Design indipendente e critico. Sempre nella zona del canale con Lichtspiel Zalán Szakács invita il visitatore a scendere nel seminterrato di Koelhuis Eindhoven per un’esperienza tra misticismo e tecnologia.
  • Firme e Collectible design. Nel nuovissimo quartiere di Woensel ci sarà In the Works: una raccolta di esperimenti dal laboratorio dell’Atelier Max Lipsey.

Quest’anno la DDW sperimenta per la prima volta questo nuovo metodo di registrazione e studia la possibilità di collegare determinati temi a luoghi specifici. Quello che è certo è che i dieci temi del programma costituiranno la base per percorsi, incontri, eventi, tour e ogni tipo di altra attività durante la DDW per i prossimi tre anni. Ciò dovrebbe creare maggiore chiarezza nel programma generale, nell’orientamento e nella presentazione del lavoro complessivo.

Non mancheranno gli eventi che rispondono a più tematiche, come le due mostre di Isola, che torna per il quinto anno consecutivo alla DDW: Nothing Happens If Nothing Happens presso la Schellens Fabriek, un ex spazio industriale nel centro di Eindhoven, vicino al famoso Van Abbemuseum, e Tools&Crafts in Fuutlaan 12c.

Come menzionato in precedenza, questa è solo un’anticipazione, per vedere il programma completo visitate il sito ufficiale e seguite la Dutch Design Week su Instagram!

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DDW 22, Retro Future at Evoluon, ph. About Today
DDW22, The Collection is… at Van Abbemuseum, ph. About Today
DDW 22, DAE Graduation Show, ph. Max Kneefel
DDW 23, Nothing Happens if Nothing Happens, Isola preview

Dutch Design Week is back and will take place from 21 to 29 October 2023 in Eindhoven! Always committed to cataloging and presenting the design of the future and the future of design, this year the festival introduces something new: ten programme themes to help all the different types of designers and the great diversity of visitors navigate through the festival. These themes consist of various ‘missions’ and ‘design perspectives’ that shape the entire program and activities of the event. As always, DDW also welcomes group exhibitions, schools and archives. (Cover image, DDW 22, Envisions, ph. Britt Roelse)

The programme themes of Dutch Design Week 2023

To give an idea of the new programme, each theme is associated to one of the many events to visit. Based on what is going on in the design community and within society, DDF has distilled the following missions:

  • Achieving our equal society. To achieve equality in society, we must (re)design systems and interactions that value everyone. Safety, inclusiveness and connection are key here. In the city center at the Van Abbemuseum it will be possible to see The space between us – Who or what determines the function of an object? Van Abbemuseum’s exhibition questions the function of design and the role of the museum.
  • Boosting our health & well-being. Designs that structurally improve our quality of life – from the food we eat to healthcare and personal well-being – and that contribute to the most precious thing we have: our health. At the Albert van Abbehuis will take place A Bite of Void – this exhibition invites visitors to contemplate the potholes of their lives and what a ‘better future’ would truly look like.
  • Challenging our digital future. Our digital realities and future are being explored to the full and influenced by designers, from virtual worlds to artificial intelligence and from global platforms to individual experiences. In the Strijp-S area | Manifestations presents Art Tech Fun AI Robots eGirls – 50 artists of the future show an eccentric examination of the (mis)matches between people and technology.
  • Creating our living environment. Designing our living environment, mobility and the materials we use to create them goes hand-in-hand with shaping our own quality of life. At Hallenweg, with From grass to green, Blank Fish presents a green vision of electric cars and defunct gas stations repurposed as urban farms.
  • Enabling our thriving planet. For a healthy planet, design must enhance the power of nature, or at the very least not stand in its way. At the Station it will be possible to see Will Water Want, an exhibition that investigates the will and voice of the Dommel river through a series of objects that interact with the flow of water.

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DDW 22, Sunne by Marjan Van Aubel, ph. Max Kneefel
DDW 22, Retro Future at Evoluon (c) about.today IVE

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The Design Perspectives of the Dutch Design Foundation (which organizes the DDW) aims to investigate the different aspects of the designer’s profession:

  • Speculative and social design. In the west of Eindhoven Next Nature and Evoluon present Spacefarming, an exhibition on the future of food and how we can feed 10 billion people in 2050.
  • Product & craft design. In the canal zone, with Perpetuum Mobile Kiki & Joost showcase the poetic beauty of creation and the dynamic nature of works in progress
  • Service & Innovative design. Location Strijp-S, Klokgebouw. With Kiwi – Ending painful sex, Nienke Helder and Ohnut share their design and research into pelvic health.
  • Independent & critical design. Also in the canal area, with Lichtspiel Zalán Szakács invites visitors to descend into the basement of Koelhuis Eindhoven for an embodied experience on the intersection of mysticism and technology.
  • Signature & Collectible design. In the Works will take place in the brand-new area of Woensel. It showcases a collection of experiments from the workshop of Atelier Max Lipsey.

DDW is experimenting with this registration method for the first time this year and is researching the possibilities of linking certain themes to specific locations. What is certain, is that the ten programme themes will form the basis for routes, meet-ups, events, tours and all kinds of other activities during DDW for the next three years. This should create more clarity in the overarching programme, the wayfinding and the presentation of what is often an overwhelming amount of work.

There will be no shortage of events that respond to multiple themes, such as the two exhibitions by Isola (back to the DDW for the fifth consecutive year): Nothing Happens If Nothing Happens at the Schellens Fabriek, a former factory space in Eindhoven’s city center, close to the well-known Van Abbemuseum, and Tools&Crafts in Fuutlaan 12c.

As previously mentioned, this is just a preview, to see the full program visit the official website and follow Dutch Design Week on Instagram!

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DDW 22, Retro Future at Evoluon, ph. About Today
DDW22, The Collection is… at Van Abbemuseum, ph. About Today
DDW 22, DAE Graduation Show, ph. Max Kneefel
DDW 23, Nothing Happens if Nothing Happens, Isola preview

We talked about the best exhibitions and products of the Milano Design Week, but what does this 2023 edition tell us? What are the themes that emerge and what awaits us next year?
Cover image Stantec, A Valuable Collection of Things, ph. Agnese Bedini, Piercarlo Quecchia, dsl studio

Half-baked sustainability 

We can say that – both because of the trend and common sense – many companies and studios have started to create more and more environmentally friendly and demountable stands and installations. Natural and recycled materials are the protagonists, both in some spaces at the fair and in the settings of the Fuorisalone. Perhaps the slightly less healthy aspect is the use of plants and flowers which every few days, to avoid a funereal effect, as soon as they begin to fade and wither are thrown away and bought back.

Arriving at the exhibition/installation space, the problem remains – at times – the need to give the visitor gadgets and communication material: tote bags, catalogues, posters… Shouldn’t we start proposing new environmentally friendly solutions from this point of view too? Possibly avoiding paradoxes such as the water bottle wrapped in plastic or the synthetic fabric tote bag.

From the point of view of the product, however, there are a few environmentally friendly solutions. It’s difficult to make one’s production method sustainable at just a year’s notice. Some companies are trying to, updating components or re-editing pieces already on the market.

The main problem is that everyone necessarily wants to be sustainable. This is the reason why some of the projects exhibited at the Salone and at the Fuorisalone lacked in transparency: for example, a sofa can be covered with a recyclable fabric, but what is the upholstery like? How much energy is used to produce a piece? What is the life span of the product and, above all, how are the components disposed of at the end of this time? The same goes for searches for new materials. The time has come to address these questions more seriously, but above all in a transparent way.

As we saw with the products mentioned a couple of days ago, sustainability must be 360 degrees: the choice of raw materials, the energy for processing and for transport, the packaging, the possibility of disassembling and repairing components, the product disposal, the choice of merchandising… These are all equally important issues that can no longer be neglected.

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GROHE SPA Health Through Water, Milano Design Week 2023

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Style Design

Let’s stay on sustainability to talk about a trend that has been going on for years now: we decided to call it Style Design to differentiate it from Design, the real one, which made us fall in love with the Masters and Made in Italy companies a few decades ago.

Probably due to the innumerable crises of recent years, the main tendency of companies is not so much to produce new products as new product variations. From historic pieces to more contemporary pieces, we are increasingly seeing the emergence of new variations in finishes. So we continue to see the best-selling furnishings in all guises: new materials, new shells, new fabrics, new textures. Sometimes an extra pair of armrests or a new outdoor version.

It is a trend that is caused by several factors: there is the need to continue selling products trying to reach as many targets as possible and minimizing production costs – the same chair finished in leather instead of fabric might appeal to a different customer than the first version. It is not a wrong practice but it certainly impoverishes the offer of new ideas presented during design weeks and sector fairs.

As anticipated, there have been several crises – pandemic, economic and military – which have led to serious consequences as regards energy costs for production, the procurement of raw materials, delays in deliveries… It is simply one of the possible solutions to the problems of recent years (such as the re-edition of historical products by brands).

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Alcova 2018, ph. Space Caviar and Studio Vedet

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Spaces for the Milano Design Week, spaces taken away from the city

As always, the event opened exceptional spaces to the public: the former slaughterhouse of Porta Vittoria, the beautiful Palazzo Orsini in via Borgonuovo, Palazzo Borromeo d’Adda, Università Statale di Milano… A new location is added every year, perfect for the Wow effect, but how much does it cost the city?

If we start from a few years ago, more precisely from Ventura Projects in the Lambrate Design District, the words of Margriet Vollenberg, founder of Organization in Design and Ventura Projects, make us understand the relationship between the event and Milan. Recounting why Ventura Lambrate had been cancelled, she said: “Some of the spaces that we have used for several years are now no longer available because they are rented out on a long-term basis, which is a natural process of course, but we have also seen that they have become more expensive. At one point it became impossible for the type of exhibitors we wanted to bring to Ventura Lambrate.”
The event attracted such attention in the neighborhood that the real estate market raised its prices, thus losing one of the reasons why it was absolutely necessary to go to Lambrate, Ventura and its exhibitors: schools and young designers.

Let’s take a look at Alcova, then. Also famous for its ability to open abandoned places not normally accessible to the public, “Alcova takes place into a wider context of real estate speculation”, as Andrea Bagnato writes for The Architect’s Newspaper.. The article highlights how the event is often linked to privately financed investments. It took place for two editions (until 2019) in a former pastry shop in the north-eastern part of the city, an area occupied by abandoned industrial buildings (former panettone factory) where an urban “regeneration” project has been underway since 2021 for the creation of a new residential complex. In 2021 and 2022 the event moves to the former military hospital of Baggio: in 2018 there was a first attempt by the government to sell the space, which failed. In January 2023, a few months after Design Week, they tried again.

This year Alcova took place inside the former public slaughterhouse in the Calvairate district. The space is part of a “regeneration” project which, according to the technical report of the plan, will see the construction of 35 new buildings up to 8 floors high, for a total of approximately 120,000 square meters of new built area, plus 1,400 underground parking spaces. Perhaps the strangest thing for an event that wants to create culture was defining this location as new and exciting when, a few hundred meters away, there was the self-managed space of Macao, which paid for its regeneration with an eviction. Here is the full article for more information.

Last but not least, the Brera Academy and the beautiful protest of the students, “Fuorisalone out from our education”, which saw a series of yellow ducks fly from the balconies to “the water surface installation”, in the courtyard of the Academy. As they write on social media, the installation – targeted by ducks – would be a slap in the face to students who use the spaces for training. During the week they have no classrooms available where they can eat and there is only one classroom free where to study (for 5,000 students).

What remains of this Milano Design Week?

While on the one hand there is an increasingly widespread attempt to approach sustainability, on the other it is still not enough and indeed, there is a need for a greater critical point of view and figures who can support professionals in the sector. Next year we will see who will be able to really recycle their space and/or materials.

In general, there is a big problem related to the costs of the spaces (here you can find the prices for 2023) and to the offer of the Milano Design Week. Let’s go back to what Margriet Vollenberg said: if I don’t have a suitable proposal for young designers, how can I give them the opportunity to exhibit? When the prices of spaces and locations continue to rise, how can I guarantee small and medium-sized companies the visibility of a big brand? Likewise, how do I diversify the offer of what I exhibit?

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Ingo Maurer installation at Caselli di Porta Nuova, Milano Design Week 2023. ph. Giuliano Koren

Abbiamo parlato delle migliori mostre e prodotti della Milano Design Week, ma cosa ci racconta questa edizione 2023? Quali sono i temi che emergono e cosa ci aspetterà l’anno prossimo?
Cover image Stantec, A Valuable Collection of Things, ph. Agnese Bedini, Piercarlo Quecchia, dsl studio

Sostenibilità a metà

Possiamo dire che – sia per via della tendenza che del buon senso – molte aziende e studi hanno iniziato a creare sempre più stand e allestimenti rispettosi dell’ambiente e riutilizzabili. Così materiali naturali e riciclati sono i protagonisti, sia in alcuni spazi in fiera sia in allestimenti del Fuorisalone. L’aspetto forse un po’ meno green è l’utilizzo di piante e fiori che, per evitare un effetto funereo, appena iniziano a sfiorire e appassire vengono gettati e ricomprati ogni pochi giorni.

Arrivati allo spazio espositivo/installazione, il problema rimane – a volte – la necessità di voler dare al visitatore gadgets e materiale di comunicazione: le tote bag, i cataloghi, i poster… Non bisognerebbe iniziare a proporre nuove soluzioni rispettose dell’ambiente anche da questo punto di vista? Possibilmente evitando proposte come la borraccia impacchettata con la plastica o la tote bag in tessuto sintentico.

Dal punto di vista del prodotto invece ci sono meno soluzioni veramente rispettose dell’ambiente anche perché è oggettivamente difficile cambiare il proprio metodo di produzione per renderlo sostenibile da un anno all’altro. Alcune aziende ci stanno provando, aggiornando componenti o rieditando pezzi già in commercio.

Il problema principale è che tutti vogliono essere per forza sostenibili. Ed è così che in alcuni dei progetti esposti al Salone e al Fuorisalone mancava la trasparenza: per esempio, un divano può essere foderato con un tessuto riciclabile, ma com’è fatta l’imbottitura? Quanta energia viene utilizzata per la produzione di un pezzo? Qual è la durata di vita del prodotto e, soprattutto, come vengono smaltite le componenti al termine di questo tempo? Lo stesso vale per le ricerche di nuovi materiali. È arrivato il momento di affrontare queste questioni in maniera più seria, ma soprattutto trasparente.

Come abbiamo visto con i prodotti citati un paio di giorni fa, la sostenibilità dev’essere a 360gradi: la scelta delle materie prime, l’energia per la lavorazione e per il trasporto, il packaging, la possibilità di smontare e riparare componenti, lo smaltimento del prodotto, la scelta del merchandising… Sono tutte tematiche ugualmente importanti che non possono essere più trascurate. Cambiare può essere un processo lungo, ma essere trasparenti può essere il primo passo per dimostrare la propria volontà.

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GROHE SPA Health Through Water, Milan Design Week 2023

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Style Design

Rimaniamo sulla sostenibilità per parlare di una tendenza che va avanti ormai da anni: abbiamo deciso di chiamarla Style Design per differenziarla dal Design di Progetto, quello originale, che ci ha fatto innamorare dei Maestri e delle aziende del Made in Italy qualche decennio fa.

Probabilmente a causa delle innumerevoli crisi di questi ultimi anni, la tendenza principale delle aziende non è tanto produrre nuovi pezzi quanto nuove variazioni di prodotto. Dagli arredi storici ai più contemporanei, vediamo sempre di più la comparsa di nuove variazioni nelle finiture. Così continuiamo a vedere gli arredi più venduti in tutte le salse: nuovi materiali, nuove scocche, nuovi tessuti, nuove texture. A volte un paio di braccioli in più o una nuova versione outdoor.

Si tratta di una tendenza che è causata da diversi fattori: c’è la necessità di continuare a vendere i prodotti cercando di raggiungere più target possibili e, allo stesso tempo, minimizzando i costi di produzione – la stessa sedia rifinita in pelle invece che in tessuto potrebbe piacere a un cliente diverso rispetto la prima versione. Non è una pratica sbagliata ma di sicuro impoverisce l’offerta di nuove idee da presentare durante le design week e le fiere di settore. 

Come anticipato ci sono state diverse crisi – pandemica, economica e militare – che hanno portato a gravi conseguenze per quello che riguarda i costi dell’energia per la produzione, il reperimento delle materie prime, i ritardi nelle consegne… Si tratta semplicemente di una delle possibili soluzioni ai problemi degli ultimi anni (come la riedizione dei prodotti storici da parte dei brand).

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Alcova 2018, ph. Space Caviar and Studio Vedet

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Spazi per la Milano Design Week, spazi tolti alla città

Come sempre l’evento ha aperto al pubblico degli spazi eccezionali: l’Ex-Macello di Porta Vittoria, il bellissimo Palazzo Orsini in via Borgonuovo, Palazzo Borromeo d’Adda, l’Università Statale di Milano… Ogni anno si aggiunge una nuova location, perfetta per l’effetto Wow, ma quanto costa alla città?

Se partiamo da qualche anno fa, più precisamente da Ventura Projects al Lambrate Design District, le parole di Margriet Vollenberg, fondatrice di Organisation in Design e Ventura Projects, fanno capire la relazione tra l’evento e Milano. Raccontando il motivo per cui Ventura Lambrate era stato cancellato, disse: “Alcuni degli spazi che abbiamo utilizzato per diversi anni, ora non sono più disponibili perché vengono affittati a lungo termine, il che è un processo naturale ovviamente, ma abbiamo anche visto che sono diventati più costosi. A un certo punto è diventato impossibile per il tipo di espositori che volevamo portare a Ventura Lambrate.”
L’evento ha attirato attenzione nel quartiere a tal punto che il mercato immobiliare ha alzato i prezzi, perdendo così uno dei motivi per cui bisognava assolutamente passare a Lambrate, Ventura e i propri espositori: scuole e giovani designer.

Passiamo ad Alcova. Famosa anche per la capacità di aprire luoghi abbandonati e non fruibili normalmente dal pubblico, “si inserisce in un contesto più ampio di speculazione immobiliare”, come scrive Andrea Bagnato per The Architect’s Newspaper. Si è svolto per due edizioni (fino al 2019) in un ex-pasticceria nella parte nord-est della città, un’area occupata da fabbricati industriali dismessi (ex fabbrica di panettoni) in cui dal 2021 è in corso un progetto di “rigenerazione urbana” per la creazione di un nuovo complesso residenziale. Nel 2021 e nel 2022 l’evento si sposta nell’ex ospedale militare di Baggio: nel 2018 ci fu un primo tentativo del governo di vendere lo spazio, fallito. Nel gennaio 2023 un secondo – qualche mese dopo la Design Week.

Quest’anno Alcova si è svolto all’interno dell’Ex-mattatoio pubblico nel quartiere di Calvairate. Lo spazio è parte di un progetto di “rigenerazione” che, secondo la relazione tecnica del piano, vedrà la costruzione di 35 nuovi edifici alti fino a 8 piani, per un totale di circa 120.000 metri quadrati di nuova area edificata, più 1.400 posti auto interrati. Forse la cosa più strana per un evento che vuole fare cultura è stato definire questa location come nuova ed entusiasmante dal momento che, a poche centinaia di metri si trovava lo spazio autogestito di Macao, che ha pagato la rigenerazione con lo sgombero. Qui l’articolo completo per approfondire.

Ultimo ma non meno importante, l’Accademia di Brera e la bellissima protesta degli studenti, “Fuori il Fuorisalone dalla nostra istruzione”, che ha visto una serie di paperelle gialle volare dai balconi fino alla grande vasca di un famoso brand di rubinetteria, nella corte dell’Accademia. Come scrivono sui social, l’installazione sarebbe uno schiaffo agli studenti che usano gli spazi per la formazione. Durante la settimana non hanno aule a disposizione per mangiare e c’è una sola aula libera per studiare (per 5000 studenti).

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Cosa rimane di questa Milano Design Week?

Se da un lato c’è un tentativo sempre più diffuso di approcciarsi alla sostenibilità, dall’altro non è ancora abbastanza e anzi, c’è bisogno di un punto di vista critico maggiore e figure che possano affiancare i professionisti del settore. Vedremo il prossimo anno chi riuscirà a riciclare veramente il proprio spazio e/o i propri materiali.

In generale c’è un grosso problema legato ai costi degli spazi (qui trovate i prezzi del 2023) e all’offerta. Tornando su quello che diceva Margriet Vollenberg: se non ho una proposta adatta ai giovani progettisti, come posso dare loro modo di esporre? Nel momento in cui i prezzi di spazi e location continuano ad alzarsi, come posso garantire alle piccole e medie aziende la visibilità di un grande brand? Allo stesso modo, come diversifico l’offerta di ciò che espongo?

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Ingo Maurer installation at Caselli di Porta Nuova, Milano Design Week 2023. ph. Giuliano Koren

The most important week for design and for Milan ended four days ago and it’s time to analyze what
happened and tell you about the most beautiful events we have seen. Today we talk about the exhibitions, next Monday we will see the products. (Cover image Alcova, ph. Agnese Bedini, Piercarlo Quecchia, dsl studio)

The most evocative exhibitions of the 2023 Fuorisalone

Among all the events visited, we decided to select only five, not only for the contents but also for the setup. The ones that impressed us the most were:

  • The Elephant in the Room organized by Byborre in collaboration with partners The Woolmark Company, Santoni, Groz-Beckert, Mayer & Cie and Südwolle Group, and the furniture design brands Montis, Arco and Lensvelt. In the beautiful “Sala della Balla” which houses the twelve Trivulzio Tapestries of the Castello Sforzesco Museums, the exhibition sought to give a greater understanding of the complexities and challenges of the textile sector. An insight into methods and production chains with the aim of increasing visitor (and customer) awareness.

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Ph. Andrea Martiradonna, courtesy BYBORRE
Ph. Andrea Martiradonna, courtesy BYBORRE

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  • Alessi brings the beautiful Ars Metallica to Palazzo Borromeo d’Adda: from the rediscovered roots with Il Tornitore Matto – Alberto Alessi and Giulio Iacchetti involved eight authors for as many interpretations, Anastassiades, Zupanc, Angi, Branzi, De Lucchi, Ulian, Fukasawa , Charpin and Iacchetti himself – to the desire to amaze with new ideas: we’re talking about Conversational Objects by Virgil Abloh, and rediscovered projects, such as the collaboration with Dalì – resumed 70 years after the first production. Of course, the contribution of Philippe Starck with the Poêle collection should also be mentioned, in which metal seems to lie like a precious fabric gently dropped on brown-stained beech wood.
  • In Alcova, which we will naturally return to in the next few days to talk about the spaces, the Habitare Materials exhibition is worth mentioning: the temporary library of Habitare Fair organized by Nemo Architects, a real Finnish sustainable materials library. The presence of schools with IED and NABA is also interesting – the latter with the exhibition L’Alunno, a real dialogue between the projects of students and alumni of the Design Area and those of the designers, teachers at NABA.
  • This year the Salone del Mobile.Milano presented its cultural program in the Euroluce 2023 pavilions, a bold choice but at the same time capable of completing the new offer: the pavilions dedicated to light in fact also saw a new layout exhibition, able to give a different solution than the typical network of trade fairs. A first attempt that paves the way for new experiments. As anticipated, the exhibitions conceived by Beppe Finessi were very interesting, especially “Nature, time and architecture”, curated and set up by Massimo Curzi, who proposed a selection of shots by Hélène Binet on the theme of the relationship between light and architecture, nature and time.
  • The Isola Design Festival with Circolare – The Circular Village, Isola Design Gallery and more than 40 exhibitions and installations managed to bring – in part – an interesting point of view on sustainability with emerging designers and studios but also young foreign companies.

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Alessi, Ars Metallica
Alessi, Ars Metallica, Il Tornitore Matto. Design Paolo Ulian

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Also noteworthy is the presence – perhaps less strong than in previous years – of collectible design exhibitions and artworks which, in the wake of Milan Art Week, the Milanese cultural week dedicated to art, inaugurate on Saturday positioning themselves exactly halfway between two events (Milan Art and Milan Design week), between Art and Design. A marketing strategy or the desire to be exclusive? We will see next year if it becomes a trend or not.

As always, there was no shortage of Instagrammable exhibitions and installations, devoid of a real meaning but a fundamental means for the like on Instagram, which we will avoid talking about.

We conclude by saying that, although some companies have focused more on the Salone del Mobile, even the showrooms have been able to present very interesting spaces and installations, able to compete with those of the Fuorisalone, with interesting product innovations and new inspirations for the domestic spaces. We will look into these aspects in detail next week.

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Ph. Andrea Mariani
Ph. Andrea Mariani
Naba, Alcova, ph. Agnese Bedini, Piercarlo Quecchia, dsl studio
Alcova, ph. Agnese Bedini, Piercarlo Quecchia, dsl studio
Alcova, ph. Agnese Bedini, Piercarlo Quecchia, dsl studio
Alcova, ph. Agnese Bedini, Piercarlo Quecchia, dsl studio
IED, Alcova, ph. Agnese Bedini, Piercarlo Quecchia, dsl studio

La settimana più importante per il design e per Milano si è conclusa da quattro giorni ed è arrivato il momento di analizzare un po’ cosa è successo e raccontarvi gli eventi più belli che abbiamo visto. Oggi parliamo delle mostre, lunedì prossimo vedremo le novità di prodotto. (Cover image Alcova, ph. Agnese Bedini, Piercarlo Quecchia, dsl studio)

Le mostre più suggestive del Fuorisalone 2023

Tra tutti gli eventi visitati, abbiamo deciso di selezionarne solo cinque, non solo per i contenuti ma anche per gli allestimenti. Quelli che ci hanno emozionato di più sono stati:

  • The Elephant in the Room organizzata da Byborre in collaborazione con i partner The Woolmark Company, Santoni, Groz-Beckert, Mayer & Cie e Südwolle Group, e i design brand di arredo Montis, Arco e Lensvelt. Nella bellissima “Sala della Balla” che ospita i dodici Arazzi Trivulzio dei Musei del Castello Sforzesco, la mostra ha cercato di dare una maggiore comprensione delle complessità e delle sfide del settore tessile. Un approfondimento sui metodi e sulle catene di produzione con l’obbiettivo di aumentare la consapevolezza del visitatore (e cliente).

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Ph. Andrea Martiradonna, courtesy BYBORRE
Ph. Andrea Martiradonna, courtesy BYBORRE

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  • Alessi porta la bellissima Ars Metallica a Palazzo Borromeo d’Adda: dalle radici riscoperte con Il Tornitore Matto – Alberto Alessi e Giulio Iacchetti hanno coinvolto otto autori per altrettante interpretazioni, Anastassiades, Zupanc, Angi, Branzi, De Lucchi, Ulian, Fukasawa, Charpin e Iacchetti stesso – alla voglia di stupire con nuove idee, parliamo di Conversational Objects di Virgil Abloh, e progetti riscoperti, come la collaborazione con Dalì ripresa 70anni dopo la prima produzione. Da citare naturalmente anche il contributo di Philippe Starck con la collezione Poêle, in cui il metallo sembra adagiato come un tessuto prezioso sul legno di faggio tinto marrone
  • Ad Alcova, su cui naturalmente torneremo nei prossimi giorni per parlare degli spazi, da segnalare la mostra Habitare Materials: la temporary library di Habitare Fair organizzata da Nemo Architects, una vera e propria materioteca sostenibile finlandese. Interessante anche la presenza delle scuole con IED e NABA – quest’ultima con la mostra L’Alunno, un vero e proprio dialogo tra i progetti di studenti e alumni dell’Area Design e quelli dei designer, docenti in NABA.  
  • Quest’anno il Salone del Mobile.Milano ha presentato il proprio programma culturale presso i padiglioni di Euroluce 2023, una scelta audace ma allo stesso tempo in grado di completare la nuova offerta: i padiglioni dedicati alla luce infatti hanno visto anche un nuovo layout espositivo, capace di dare una soluzione diversa rispetto al tipico reticolato delle fiere. Un primo tentativo che apre la strada a nuove sperimentazioni. Come anticipato, molto interessanti le mostre pensate da Beppe Finessi, soprattutto “Natura, tempo e architettura”, curata e allestita da Massimo Curzi, che ha proposto una selezione di scatti di Hélène Binet con tema la relazione tra luce e architettura, natura e tempo.
  • L’Isola Design Festival con Circolare – The Circular Village, Isola Design Gallery e più di 40 mostre e installazioni è riuscita a portare – in parte – un punto di vista interessante sulla sostenibilità con designer e studi emergenti ma anche giovani aziende straniere.

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Alessi, Ars Metallica
Alessi, Ars Metallica, Il Tornitore Matto. Design Paolo Ulian

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Da notare anche la presenza – forse meno forte rispetto gli anni precedenti – di mostre di collectible design e opere che, sulla scia della Milano Art Week, la settimana culturale milanese dedicata all’arte, inaugurano il sabato e si posizionano esattamente a metà tra i due eventi (Milano Art e Milano Design week), tra Arte e Design. Una strategia di marketing o la voglia di essere esclusivi? Vedremo l’anno prossimo se diventerà una tendenza o no.

Come sempre non sono mancate le mostre e le installazioni instagrammabili, prive di un vero significato ma mezzo fondamentale per il like su Instagram, di cui abbiamo scelto proprio per queste motivazioni di non parlare.

Concludiamo dicendo che, nonostante alcune aziende abbiano puntato maggiormente sul Salone del Mobile, anche gli showroom sono stati in grado di presentare spazi e allestimenti molto interessanti, in grado di competere con quelli del Fuorisalone, con novità di prodotto interessanti e nuove ispirazioni per gli spazi domestici. La prossima settimana approfondiremo questi aspetti.

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Ph. Andrea Mariani
Ph. Andrea Mariani
Naba, Alcova, ph. Agnese Bedini, Piercarlo Quecchia, dsl studio
Alcova, ph. Agnese Bedini, Piercarlo Quecchia, dsl studio
Alcova, ph. Agnese Bedini, Piercarlo Quecchia, dsl studio
Alcova, ph. Agnese Bedini, Piercarlo Quecchia, dsl studio
IED, Alcova, ph. Agnese Bedini, Piercarlo Quecchia, dsl studio

What to see at the Fuorisalone? There is exactly one week left for the most awaited international design event of the year, the Milan Design Week. What is worth visiting? We’ve gathered here a selection of events and districts you can’t miss. Open the map and mark:

DUOMO

Design Variations
In addition to the traditional streets full of design brand showrooms – via Larga, corso Monforte, via Durini, via Visconti di Modrone – and the projects in the cloisters of the Università degli Studi, the 2023 edition of Design Variations should be mentioned. The event will address the different perspectives of the project and the theme of how design can improve our future through three exhibitions:

  • At the Circolo Filologico Milanese there is the Breath exhibition, where you can see the project Intorno al Fuoco by Francesco Faccin for Bufalini Marmi with the artistic direction of Paolo Ulian, who will investigate the relationship between stone and fire in the design of a brazier. The facade of the building will host a site-specific work by the Zaven studio.
  • Palazzo Visconti will propose a journey to discover the use of natural and durable materials in the world of design with Material Variations.
  • Inside the Marchiondi Spagliardi Institute, a brutalist work by the architect Vittoriano Viganò – for the first time open to the public – from 20 to 22 April 2023 there will be Reforming Future, an exhibition that brings together the projects of the master’s course by Michele De Lucchi and Andrea Branzi, at the School of Design of the Politecnico di Milano.

Masterly – The Dutch in Milano
Another unmissable downtown event is Masterly-The Dutch in Milano, which returns to Milan for its seventh edition. For this occasion, Masterly has moved its headquarters to a magnificent new historic building, Palazzo Giureconsulti, located in Piazza Mercanti a few steps from the Duomo.

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Castello Sforzesco

The Elephant in the Room, from 17 to 23 April, will have the aim of celebrating the production chain of the textile sector and opening a dialogue on the importance of a fair supply chain. The exhibition is presented by BYBORRE – previously on WeVux – in collaboration with supply chain partners The Woolmark Company, Santoni, Groz-Beckert, Mayer & Cie and Südwolle Group, and furniture design brands Montis, Arco and Lensvelt.

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Triennale Milano

At the Triennale Milano, in the Cadorna area, we point out:

  • The new Museo del Design Italiano layout, curated by Marco Sammicheli
  • The exhibition “Droog30. Design or Non-design?”, co-produced with Het Nieuwe Instituut and curated by Maria Cristina Didero and Richard Hutten
  • “Lisa Ponti. Disegni e voci”, curated by Salvatore Licitra e Damiano Gullì

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marmo, braciere, fuoco
Intorno al Fuoco, Francesco Faccin, ph. Veronica Camera

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5Vie Art + Design

Doppia Firma
Let’s go back towards the Duomo area and go to Palazzo Litta, in Corso Magenta. The location will host the seventh edition of Doppia Firma, curated by the Michelangelo Foundation, Fondazione Cologni and Living Corriere della Sera: a selection of projects born from creative partnerships between designers, artists and craftsmen. 24 couples with as many stories to discover.

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Brera Design District

Between showrooms and new installations by design brands and international studios, the district always proves to be one of the richest in events. Precisely for this reason we suggest a walk in the Brera district during the Design Week: via Solferino, via Palermo, via Pontaccio, the Pinacoteca di Brera and the Botanical Garden cannot be missed.

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Isola Design Festival

In its seventh edition, this year’s Isola Design Festival wants to explore the theme of regeneration and has the slogan “Nothing Happens if Nothing Happens” as its concept. Once again this year the district will present a series of exhibitions and temporary installations by institutions, academies, collectives, studios and designers. Among the many events we single out Bestiario at ZonaK, which will present a collection of 16 wooden animals made in the KeepLife material and the talk Material Education: Designers “for” change, also organized by KeepLife.

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ADI Design Museum

If you are in Milan for Design you cannot miss the ADI Design Museum, in Piazza Compasso d’Oro 1, with the permanent collection and the new “Presente Permanente” concept curated by Francesca Balena Arista, Giovanni Comoglio, Maite García Sanchis, and Italy: A New Collective Landscape, produced by ADI Design Museum with the curatorship of Angela Rui with Elisabetta Donati de Conti and Matilde Losi, the graphic project by Alice Zani with Paola Bombelli and the installation by the Parasite 2.0 studio.

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ALCOVA

Alcova will open to the public on 17 April, in a new location: the monumental and articulated spaces of the former slaughterhouse of Porta Vittoria, in the east of the city. The event will host over 70 projects that explore different and complementary directions of design practice. Worth noting is the exhibition This is Denmark within the Alcova and the participation of The New Raw with the Knotty project.

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DOPO?

Dopo?, in Via Carlo Boncompagni, 51/10, proposes a Slow Design Week from 18 to 23 April that aims to encourage discussion, exchange and dialogue. Among the three exhibitions proposed there will be “Fuori Contesto”: focused on Italian collectible design, you will find projects by Millim Studio, Tellurico, TIPSTUDIO, Ilaria Bianchi and many others. The exhibition is created in collaboration with 5Vie Art + Design and Adorno Design. Until the 20th a special project will be proposed, a Food Corner with Fratelli Burgio, At Tavola, Temperanza Objects. The event will be accompanied by a Public Program, presentations, performances and open studios from 18 to 22 April. Follow DOPO? for more details

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Salone del Mobile.Milano 2023

This year the fair will have three great innovations: the single exhibition level, the new layout of Euroluce inspired by a city – no longer a banal path between stands – and the cultural component, exhibitions and talks in the pavilions, starring Gaetano Pesce, Shigeru Ban, Nao Tamura, MAD Architects, Snøhetta and many others. Do not forget the free SaloneSatellite. If you love design, it’s worth going to Rho Fiera.

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If these events are not enough for you yet, you could also visit the Zona Tortona, near the Navigli, or the Porta Venezia District. At the Magazzini Raccordati of the Central Station is Dropcity Convention 2023, while moving north-west there is the Fabbrica del Vapore and the Repubblica del Design district in the Dergano, Bovisa area. Cover Isola Design Festival 2023, Belgian Pavilion. Studio PART – Stories table, ph. Amber Vanbossel

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DOPO?, ph. Carlotta Franco
Alcova, ph. Federico Floriani
Alcova, ph. Federico Floriani
Salone del Mobile.Milano 2023 Press Conference, ph. Andrea Mariani
Salone del Mobile.Milano 2023 Press Conference, ph. Andrea Mariani

Cosa vedere al Fuorisalone? Manca esattamente una settimana all’evento internazionale più atteso dell’anno per il settore design, la Milano Design Week. Cosa vale la pena visitare? Abbiamo raccolto qui una selezione di eventi e distretti da non perdere. Aprite la mappa e segnate:

Zona Centro

Design Variations
Oltre alle tradizionali vie ricche di showroom di brand di design – via Larga, corso Monforte, via Durini, via Visconti di Modrone – e ai progetti nei chiostri dell’Università Statale, è da segnalare l’edizione 2023 di Design Variations: l’evento affronterà le diverse prospettive del progetto e il tema di come il design può migliorare il nostro futuro attraverso tre mostre. Ci sarà:

  • Al Circolo Filologico Milanese c’è la mostra Breath, dove potrete vedere il progetto Intorno al Fuoco di Francesco Faccin per Bufalini Marmi con la direzione artistica di Paolo Ulian, che indagherà il rapporto tra pietra e fuoco nella progettazione di un braciere. La facciata del palazzo ospiterà un’opera site-specific dello studio Zaven.
  • Palazzo Visconti proporrà un percorso alla scoperta dell’uso di materiali naturali e durevoli nel mondo del design con Material Variations
  • All’interno dell’Istituto Marchiondi Spagliardi, opera brutalista dell’architetto Vittoriano Viganò – per la prima volta aperta al pubblico – dal 20 al 22 aprile 2023 ci sarà Reforming Future, mostra che raccoglie i progetti del corso magistrale di Michele De Lucchi e Andrea Branzi, alla Scuola del Design del Politecnico di Milano.

Masterly – The Dutch in Milano
Altro evento in centro da non perdere è Masterly-The Dutch in Milano, che torna a Milano per la sua settima edizione. Per questa occasione, la manifestazione ha trasferito la propria sede in un nuovo magnifico edificio storico, Palazzo Giureconsulti, situato in Piazza Mercanti a pochi passi dal Duomo.

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Castello Sforzesco

The Elephant in the Room, dal 17 al 23 aprile, avrà l’obbiettivo di celebrare la catena di produzione del settore tessile e aprire un dialogo sull’importanza di una filiera equa. La mostra è presentata da BYBORRE – precedentemente su WeVux – in collaborazione con i partner della catena di fornitura The Woolmark Company, Santoni, Groz-Beckert, Mayer & Cie e Südwolle Group, e i design brand di arredo Montis, Arco e Lensvelt.

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Triennale Milano

Alla Triennale Milano, in zona Cadorna, segnaliamo:

  • il nuovo allestimento del Museo del Design Italiano, a cura di Marco Sammicheli
  • la mostra “Droog30. Design or Non-design?”, coprodotta con Het Nieuwe Instituut e curata da Maria Cristina Didero e Richard Hutten
  • “Lisa Ponti. Disegni e voci”, a cura di Salvatore Licitra e Damiano Gullì

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marmo, braciere, fuoco
Intorno al Fuoco, Francesco Faccin, ph. Veronica Camera

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5Vie Art + Design

Doppia Firma
Torniamo verso la zona del Duomo e andiamo in Corso Magenta a Palazzo Litta. La location ospiterà la settima edizione di Doppia Firma, curata da Michelangelo Foundation, Fondazione Cologni e Living Corriere della Sera: una selezione di progetti nati da connubi creativi tra designer, artisti e artigiani. 24 coppie con altrettante storie da scoprire.

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Brera Design District

Tra showroom e nuove installazioni di design brand e studi internazionali, il quartiere si rivela sempre uno dei più ricchi di eventi. Proprio per questo suggeriamo una passeggiata nel quartiere Brera durante la Design Week: non possono mancare via Solferino, via Palermo, via Pontaccio, la Pinacoteca di Brera e l’Orto Botanico.

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Isola Design Festival

Alla settima edizione, l’Isola Design Festival di quest’anno vuole approfondire il tema della rigenerazione e ha come concept lo slogan “Nothing Happens if Nothing Happens”. Anche quest’anno il quartiere presenterà una serie di mostre e installazioni temporanee di istituzioni, accademie, collettivi, studi e designer. Tra i tanti eventi segnaliamo Bestiario a ZonaK, che presenterà una collezione di 16 animali in legno realizzati nel nuovo materiale KeepLife e la talk Educazione Materica: Designers “for” change, sempre organizzata da KeepLife.

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ADI Design Museum

Se siete a Milano per il Design non potete perdere l’ADI Design Museum, in Piazza Compasso d’Oro 1, con la collezione permanente e il nuovo concept “Presente Permanente” curato da Francesca Balena Arista, Giovanni Comoglio, Maite García Sanchis, e Italy: A New Collective Landscape, prodotta da ADI Design Museum con la curatela di Angela Rui con Elisabetta Donati de Conti e Matilde Losi, il progetto grafico di Alice Zani con Paola Bombelli e l’allestimento dello studio Parasite 2.0.

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ALCOVA

Il 17 aprile aprirà al pubblico Alcova, in una nuova location: i monumentali e articolati spazi dell’Ex-Macello di Porta Vittoria, nella zona est della città. L’evento ospiterà oltre 70 progetti che esplorano direzioni diverse e complementari della pratica del design. Da segnalare all’interno di Alcova la mostra This is Denmark e la partecipazione di The New Raw con il progetto Knotty.

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DOPO?

Dopo?, in Via Carlo Boncompagni, 51/10, propone dal 18 al 23 aprile una Slow Design Week che vuole favorire la discussione, lo scambio, il dialogo. Tra le tre mostre proposte ci sarà “Fuori contesto”: incentrata sul collectible design italiano, potrete trovare i progetti di Millim Studio, Tellurico, TIPSTUDIO, Ilaria Bianchi e molti altri. La mostra è creata in collaborazione con 5Vie Art + Design e Adorno Design. Fino 20 sarà proposto un progetto speciale, un Food Corner con Fratelli Burgio, At Tavola, Temperanza Objects. L’evento sarà accompagnato da un Public Program, presentazioni, performance e open studio dal 18 al 22 aprile. Seguite Dopo? per maggiori dettagli

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Salone del Mobile.Milano 2023

La fiera quest’anno avrà tre grandi novità: l’unico livello espositivo, il nuovo layout di Euroluce ispirato ad una città – non più un banale percorso tra stand – e la componente culturale, mostre e talk nei padiglioni, con protagonisti Gaetano Pesce, Shigeru Ban, Nao Tamura, MAD Architects, Snøhetta e tanti altri. Da non dimenticare il SaloneSatellite, gratuito. Se siete amanti del design vale la pena andare fino a Rho Fiera.

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Se non vi bastano ancora questi eventi e siete in giro per Milano potreste visitare anche la Zona Tortona, vicino ai Navigli, o il Porta Venezia District a nord-est. Ai Magazzini Raccordati della Stazione Centrale si trova Dropcity Convention 2023, mentre spostandosi verso nord-ovest c’è la Fabbrica del Vapore e il distretto la Repubblica del Design in zona Dergano, Bovisa. Cover Isola Design Festival 2023, Belgian Pavilion. Studio PART – Stories table, ph. Amber Vanbossel

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DOPO?, ph. Carlotta Franco
Alcova, ph. Federico Floriani
Alcova, ph. Federico Floriani
Salone del Mobile.Milano 2023 Press Conference, ph. Andrea Mariani
Salone del Mobile.Milano 2023 Press Conference, ph. Andrea Mariani

On the occasion of the Design Week República Dominicana, Galerie Philia – previously on WeVux – presents Montesino, an exhibition that invites visitors to immerse themselves in Latin American design and forge links with the colonial history of the island.

Ygaël Attali, Founder of Galerie Philia says: “We are honoured to be participating in the Design Week Dominican Republic for the first time. With this exhibition, we hope to provide a compelling insight into the extreme beauty, intricacies and richness behind the craft and cultural heritage that emerges from Mexico, the Dominican Republic, the Caribbeans and Latin America, celebrating this fascinating blend of cultures within the world of design.”

Staged in one of the city’s historical emblematic landmarks, the Monumento a Fray Antonio de Montesino – an historical gift from the Mexican government to the people of the Dominican Republic – the exhibition features creations by emerging and established artists and designers, hailing from Mexico, the Dominican Republic, Argentina, Peru and Venezuela and celebrates design as a medium to transcend societal, cultural and geographical boundaries.

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Envisioned as an ode to the historic Spanish Dominican friars – Antonio Montesino and Bartolome de Las Casas – who are recognized by scholars as defenders of the rights and protection of the indigenous people of the Caribbean, the curated display signed by Ygaël Attali from Galerie Philia invites visitors to establish a connection with the colonial history of the country.

To celebrate the historical ties between Mexico and the Dominican Republic, in particular their richness and cultural diversity, Montesino foregrounds works by native designers who are committed to preserving their country’s artisanal heritage. Highlights include ceramic objects from Casa Alfarera Santo Domingo, a stoneware workshop founded by ceramicist Ysabela Molini with the aim of keeping the pottery craft alive in the Dominican Republic and Carmen, a bar cabinet handcrafted in solid Huanacaxtle wood from Mexico with woven sisal legs by Comité de Proyectos, a duo of Mexican women designers. The piece is part of their Centinelas collection inspired by the bravery of the Zapatista, indigenous women of Chiapas.

Also on display are Atalaya, a light sculpture composed of small spheres in white onyx from the Andes by Argentinian designer Cristián Mohaded, an offbeat sculptural chair Ignis Ossium by Mexican multidisciplinary design studio ACOOCOORO, sand-casted in bronze by foundry Fundición Artística Galindo and a pointed and elongated shaped lamp by Mexican French artist Alina Rotzinger. As well as exquisite new furniture pieces in copper by Mexican designer Manu Bañó and River and Wetland, two monumental artisanal compositions by Peruvian design practice Estudio Rafael Freyre, known for its expertise in the traditional artistic practices of its country of origin.

Further highlights alludes to the historic rituals of indigenous people: such as Half Moon Towers, a series of sculptures in the shape of totems carved from natural Parota wood by Mexican designer Daniel Orozco, a clear travertine Tori stool by Argentinian design studio Ries Estudio and brand-new stone pieces by Mexican star designer Andrés Monnier. Smaller decorative objects including elegant candles by Dominican multidisciplinary artist Raylin Diaz complete this panorama.

To learn more about the exhibition visit Galerie Philia’s website and follow it on Instagram!
The Design Week República Dominicana program here

All images are courtesy of Galerie Philia and photo credit Maison Mouton Noir

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In occasione della Design Week República Dominicana, aperta fino al 19 marzo, Galerie Philia – precedentemente su WeVux – presenta Montesino, una mostra che invita i visitatori a tuffarsi nel design latinoamericano e stabilire legami con la storia coloniale dell’isola.

Ygaël Attali, fondatore di Galerie Philia, afferma: “Siamo onorati di partecipare per la prima volta alla Design Week República Dominicana. Con questa mostra, speriamo di fornire una visione convincente dell’estrema bellezza, complessità e ricchezza dietro il patrimonio artigianale e culturale che emerge dal Messico, dalla Repubblica Dominicana, dai Caraibi e dall’America Latina, celebrando questa affascinante miscela di culture all’interno del mondo di progetto.”

Allestita in uno dei monumenti storici simbolo della città, il Monumento a Fray Antonio de Montesino – un dono del governo messicano al popolo della Repubblica Dominicana – la mostra presenta le opere di artisti e designer emergenti e affermati provenienti da Messico, Repubblica Dominicana, Argentina, Perù e Venezuela e celebra il design come mezzo per trascendere i confini sociali, culturali e geografici.

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La selezione curata e firmata da Ygaël Attali di Galerie Philia, invita il visitatore a entrare in relazione con la storia coloniale dell’isola. Il nome e il concept della mostra sono un inno agli storici frati domenicani spagnoli, Antonio Montesino e Bartolome de Las Casas, riconosciuti dagli studiosi come difensori dei diritti e promotori della tutela delle popolazioni indigene dei Caraibi.

Per celebrare i legami storici tra il Messico e la Repubblica Dominicana, in particolare la loro ricchezza e diversità culturale, Montesino mette in primo piano le opere di designer nativi che si impegnano a preservare il patrimonio artigianale del loro paese. Tra questi troviamo gli oggetti in ceramica di Casa Alfarera Santo Domingo, un laboratorio di gres fondato dalla ceramista Ysabela Molini con l’obiettivo di mantenere vivo l’artigianato della ceramica nella Repubblica Dominicana e Carmen, un mobile bar realizzato a mano in legno massello di Huanacaxtle proveniente dal Messico con gambe in sisal intrecciate, realizzato da Comité de Proyectos, un duo di stiliste messicane. Il pezzo fa parte della loro collezione Centinelas ispirata al coraggio delle zapatiste, donne indigene del Chiapas.

In mostra anche Atalaya, scultura luminosa composta da piccole sfere in onice bianco delle Ande del designer argentino Cristián Mohaded, una sedia scultorea Ignis Ossium dello studio di design multidisciplinare messicano ACOOCOORO, fusa in bronzo dalla fonderia Fundición Artística Galindo e una lampada dalla forma appuntita e allungata dell’artista francese messicana Alina Rotzinger. I nuovi arredi in rame del designer messicano Manu Bañó e due monumentali composizioni artigianali dello studio di design peruviano Estudio Rafael Freyre esperto nelle pratiche artistiche tradizionali peruviane.

Un altro spunto arriva dai rituali storici delle popolazioni indigene come Half Moon Towers, una serie di sculture a forma di totem scolpite nel legno naturale Parota dal designer messicano Daniel Orozco, uno sgabello Tori in travertino trasparente dello studio di design argentino Ries Estudio e nuovissimi pezzi in pietra del famoso designer messicano Andrés Monnier. Oggetti decorativi più piccoli, tra cui le eleganti candele dell’artista multidisciplinare domenicano Raylin Diaz, completano questo panorama.

Per saperne di più visitate il sito di Galerie Philia e seguite la pagina Instagram!
Per il programma della Design Week República Dominicana cliccate qui

All images are courtesy of Galerie Philia and photo credit Maison Mouton Noir

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From 6 to 12 June 2022, BASE presented the second edition of We Will Design: designers from all over the world, schools, universities, international institutions and young students gather in an experimental laboratory of imagination and inclusion, in which design practices and experiences become a tool to read – and, sometimes, solve – the many contradictions of our present, between upcoming visions, ideals of everyday life and micro-utopias.

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Kaya, Kim van den Belt, ph. Giorgio Tonicello

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Among the designers on display it was possible to find Sophia Schullan with her project Playfulness, previously on WeVux. Tecnológico de Monterrey presented a collection of sculptural vases, inspired by everyday life in Mexico City, while Kim van den Belt a series of filters that absorb CO2 and transform it into oxygen through the process of photosynthesis, named Kaya. NID – Nuovo Istituto di Design di Perugia presented Deruta Revolution, a project by the students of the Product Design course that proposes the reinterpretation of the Alberello, a container used in the past to store spices and medicines in old pharmacies.

The other participating designers and schools at BASE were: Abadir, Analogique, Anna Baldocchi, University of Borås, Giulio Bordonaro, Joppe Broers, Goliath Dyèvre, Thibault Dupille, Nicoletta Gomboli, Eun Hi Kyung, IED Milano, Matthieu Henry, Valentine Maurice, Adarsh Nellore, FestivalDivercity, NOI Libreria, PARASITE 2.0, Johanna Reymann, Rebecca Schedler, studio.traccia, Francesca Tambussi.

Visit the officiale website of Base Milano to know more about We Will Design!
Cover image, Tecnológico de Monterrey, ph. Giorgio Tonicello

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Tecnológico de Monterrey, ph. Giorgio Tonicello
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Ph. Giorgio Tonicello
Plyfulness, Sophia Schullan, ph. Giorgio Tonicello
IED, ph. Giorgio Tonicello
NID, ph. Giorgio Tonicello
IED, ph. Giorgio Tonicello

Tomorrow will start Furoisalone 2019 and today WeVux published two “small” guides for our readers: Part 1 – Triennale, Bovisa-Dergano, Centrale, NoLo, Isola, Lambrate and Porta Venezia. Part 2 – Montenapoleone, Università degli Studi, 5 Vie, Brera, Tortona and Parenti.

From 9 to 13 April the Quadrilatero della moda will be the Quadrilatero of design. The district will host design objects in the shop windows and an exhibition dedicated to the reconstruction of Milan in the post-World War II period set up along Via Montenapoleone: “Milan l’è on gran Milan” (Milan from reconstruction to the economic boom) collecting twenty photographs by the artist and photographer Maurizio Montagna.

At Università degli Studi di Milano, Interni will present “Human Spaces”, which is inspired by this Oscar Niemeyer statement: “Life is more important than architecture”. The project will be a stimulus, on multiple scales and project dimensions, to put human beings and their vital needs back at the center of design.

5vie district 2019 edition is dedicated to the architect and designer Ugo La Pietra. In the headquarter courtyard in Via Cesare Correnti 14, the master presents the exhibition Territorial Design, Genius Loci: a sort of mapping of techniques and traditions, part of our heritage, from the mosaic of Spilimbergo to Carrara marbles. / Among the 100 events not to be missed are the sensory installation by Sara Ricciardi for Serge Ferrari (in via Santa Marta 21) / the Stanza sul Cortile by Eligo Studio(in via Nerino 8) / the Boudaries project by Camp Design Gallery with Matteo Pellegrino and Gobbetto (in via Santa Marta 18) / and the new hotel The Sister Hotel by Six in via Scaldasole 7. On Wednesday 10 April, from 6.00 pm the meeting point is in Piazza Castello (corner of via Minghetti) for Seletti’s Design Pride, the pop procession that will involve IED students.

There are already 150 events confirmed for now in the Brera Design District, which this year celebrates 10 years. The choice of the theme for the 2019 Fuorisalone of Brera Design District is “Design Your Life”. In brera this year the spotlight will be on sustainability which will be faced from various points of view thanks to the involvement of ten “ambassadors”, including names such as Mario Cucinella with his SOS School of Sustainability, Daniel and Markus Freitag considered to be pioneers of the circular economy, the Pretziada for their way of doing culture starting from a specific territory or, again, Ben Sheppard of McKinsey with his research aimed at showing the value of design from an economic point of view. Among the protagonists of the district, the designer Cristina Celestino will realize the new layout of the Brera Design Apartment. / From Tortona area Moooi moves to via Moscova in the spaces of the Mediateca Santa Teresa. / Fantini and Bisazza will open new showrooms / Salvatori will host the Hidden Rooms project (with works by John Pawson, Piero Lissoni and Elisa Ossino in via Solferino 11). / At Palazzo di Brera there will be Unifor with a project by Ron Gilad / L ‘Objet Haas Brothers at Dilmos / and Carlo Ratti at the Botanical Garden.

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  • © Giovanna Giuliano
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As the latest years, one of the engines of Tortona area is Superstudio, with installations of great impact around technology and innovation such as the one of studio Rhizomatiks for Lexus. / Aldo Cibic will be one of Tortona protagonist, with a retrospective about the aesthetics of vitality behind his projects, at the Savona 18 Suites in via Savona 18. / This year BASE Milano started a collaboration with Ventura Future, with an exhibition dedicated to visions of the world that will be. / Armani/Silos, in via Bergognone 40, will present a retrospective dedicated to Tadao Ando, created in collaboration with the Center Pompidou. / Ikea will return to Tortona, presenting the new SYMPHONISK collection, a sound element for the smart home, which will be unveiled as a world preview in Torneria’s post-industrial spaces. / Sony returns to Spazio Zegna to present its vision on the future of the relationship between man and robotics. / In Tortona we will also find Nendo studio with a special project for Daikin.

This year another new area opens to design: the Parenti District, a project born from an idea by Andrée Ruth Shammah and developed, in this first edition, with Domus, media partner of the project and Galleria Continua, Mosca Partners and Galleria Jean Blanchaert, Intesa Sanpaolo and Associazione Pier Lombardo. The headquarters will host “Immersione Libera”, a project by Marina Nissim, curated by Giovanni Paolin in collaboration with Galleria Continua. “Immersione Libera” will be a collective exhibition by twelve young artists, active in Italy, among the most interesting and innovative emerging voices of the contemporary international scene. / In the outdoor areas of the pool Bagni Misteriosi, the installations will be curated by MoscaPartners who will present “Around the water”. The Swedish architecture and design magazine Rum, together with the design schools of the Konstfack University of Fine Arts, Crafts and Design and Malmstens Linköping University, will return to Milan Design Week, hosted by Bagni Misteriosi. / You will also find Eros exhibition, which will present the works by Politecnico di Milano students, led by Michele de Lucchi, Francesca Balena Arista and Mario Greco.

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  • © Roger Hutchings
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  • © Maurizio Montagna
  • Model by Maja Kopanja, Virginia Morassutti, Serena Pirovano, Giulia Razzini
  • Eros models

Credits stated on the photos

Last edition of Fuorisalone counted over 1,200 events attracting 434 thousand visitors from 188 countries. Tomorrow will start the 2019 edition and today WeVux will publish two “small” guides divided by districts: Part 1 – Triennale, Bovisa-Dergano, Centrale, NoLo, Isola, Lambrate and Porta Venezia. Part 2 – Montenapoleone, Università degli Studi, 5 Vie, Brera, Tortona and Parenti.

Triennale Milano is not a design district but we must mention an important event: directed by Joseph Grima, today officially opens the Italian Design Museum (permanent museum), with over 200 objects by great masters of design.

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The Bovisa-Dergano district will host The Republic of Design: projects, exhibitions, installations, a program born for Fuorisalone 2019, but with the ambition to last 365 days a year, proposing itself as a redemption engine for the neighborhood.

Ventura Projects returns to Central Station, in the spaces of the former Magazzini Raccordati – you will find it also in Tortona (wait for Part 2). In 2019 there will be 16 rooms for exhibitions and installations. Among these, a project by the Dutch Maarten Baas (I think therefore I was), which will involve visitors, as well as Tell me more by the American Rapt Studio. The artist Jiro Yonezawa created Emergence of Forms for Agc, an installation with which he explores new fields for the processing of ceramics and glass.

At Nolo, district north of Piazzale Loreto, the locations will be the Municipal Market in Viale Monza, at the corner with Via Crespi and the disused and semi-abandoned Giovanni Cova factory, in Via Popoli Uniti 11. For the second year Alcova returns, hosting forty international designers, artists and performers. After last edition’s success, Alcova expanded to Isola District, occupying a perfectly preserved factory of the 1930s (via Sassetti 31). You can find more about Isola Design District here.

At Lambrate, the circular economy and sustainable design will be the common thread of the entire event. The new partnership between Lambrate and NYCxDesign will create a program full of exhibitions, installations and seminars made in New York. / In via Conte Rosso 34, you will find the Upcycling Lab. / The Scandinavian brands are the protagonists of the Via Ventura 2 workshop, with S (WE) Design. / The collective exhibition from Din – Design In returns for the seventh consecutive year, between via Massimiano 6 and via Sbodio 9. / The gallery Subalterno 1, v. Conte Rosso 22, will present “Politics, design political artifacts”, a collection of modern and contemporary political artifacts by well-known designers such as Giulio Iacchetti, Denis Guidone, Lorenzo Palmeri, among others.

Porta Venezia, the Liberty architecture district opens up to the city with temporary events hosted in the elegant buildings. At Villa Mozart for example, via Mozart 9, you will find DoppiaFirma, dialogues between the protagonists of design thinking and high craftsmanship, a Fondazione Cologni dei mestieri d’arti project. / Doors open also in professional offices: Park Associati, in Via Garofalo 31, hosts the exhibition Insecure: Public Space in the Age of Big Data, curated by Virginio Briatore. / Google presents A Space for Being at Spazio Maiocchi. In a multiroom installation, A Space for Being will explore the field of neuroaesthetics and how different aesthetic experiences have the potential to impact our biology and well-being.

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  • © Ansa

Established as a city in 1835, Melbourne is a young city with ancient heritage, already host to the Kulin alliance of five Indigenous nations each with a distinct language. The juxtaposition of these histories was confronted at one of the first events of the 2018 Melbourne Design Week with the launch of the book Colony to accompany two National Gallery of Victoria (NGV) exhibitions “Colony: Australia 1770-1861” and “Colony: Frontier Wars”. The book explores Australia’s settler colonial past and the art and design that emerged from this period; the launch acknowledges that the relationships between settlers and the Indigenous people had lasting effects on the culture and design practices of the emergent nation.

 

 

With a program of events, workshops, site visits, talks, and exhibitions, the 2018 Melbourne Design Week explored the production of Australian identity in a postcolonial context, proposing new directions for the practice of design. At a “Design Effects” forum staged by the NGV, Stephen Gilchrist argued a new analytic language is needed to decolonise design, as conventional terms reinforce a European worldview and promote destructive tendencies.

The process of decolonising design also challenges stereotypes about renowned design traditions. Indigenous architect and Director of Indigenous Architecture and Design Victoria, Jefa Greenaway, believes that Indigenous designers are starting to assert their specific perspectives, “I think there is a bit of a reaction globally around the homogenized global construct of design which could belong anywhere”, he says. During Melbourne Design Week, Indigenous Architecture and Design Victoria launched the International Indigenous Design Charter, to provide a protocol for engagements with Indigenous designers or which intend to use their motifs or totems or imagery.  “People have seldom interfaced with Indigenous culture directly,” says Greenaway, “While there is a desire to find meaningful ways to engage this culture, people struggle with setting up a strategy to ensure its done well”.

One project “Victoria Amazonica”, illustrates successful collaboration between Indigenous and non-Indigenous designers. When asked to collaborate with the NGV, Studio Campana from Brazil proposed a project that would celebrate crafts, engaging different actors. A success both technically and stylistically, “Victoria Amazonica” installation became a natural meeting and discussion place at the entrance to the NGV. With motifs referencing the importance of waterways, it animates the surroundings with life and colours.

In the exhibition “Decoding Design”, there is a sense of confidence playing and joking with different cultural traditions, as designers from three nationalities redesign traditional objects from each other’s cultures: the Jewish menorah, the German cuckoo clock and the Chinese pagoda.

In these ways, Melbourne Design Week questions our assumptions about design as means of reinforcing European culture. As a platform to showcase these unique ideas and projects, it represents Melbourne as a crossroad of different cultural approaches. These Indigenous, settler-colonial and immigrant approaches intersect, contest and combine in new ways, providing new directions in design.

 

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(via domus)

Global Grad Show is a different exhibition: the projects on show come from different fields, there are products intended for infants and for the elderly, for athletes, fruit vendors, families displaced by war, physical and virtual. Highlights from the degree shows of the most innovative technology and design programs in the world.

The 2017 edition, the largest ever, took place at Dubai Design Week, from 14-18 November 2017. 200 groundbreaking projects from 92 universities in 43 countries were brought together in a single space and presented to the public by the designers themselves. The exhibition was created to open the field of design to participants from as many places as possible. The goal is to make it clear that design is a vital part of life, relevant to everyone and in need of contributions from every different fields.

Visit the official page to discover all the projects!

 

Dutch Design Week 2017 presented various exhibitions and projects exploring the connections and dysfunctions between information and design, between virtual and physical. At the festival venues, visitors find various studies of the wrinkles and distortions that the “digital layers” generate in human environments, gestures and habits. The projects on show were dealing with numerous different scales: from the governance of the smart city (and society) to the production of individual objects.

 

 

With MINED, the Design Academy Graduation Show in Eindhoven, the relation between information and design explored one of the most fascinating and interesting lines of research. Freed from having to become a consumer product, the experiments presented at the show clearly reveal how the gap between man and machine is being closed on both sides. The more than 170 graduation projects include many video installations and performances – reflecting the DAE’s very broad conception of design – as well as analogue transpositions of digital reality.

 

 

“Materialising the Internet” at the MU gallery brought together works by twenty internationally known artists and explored the aesthetics of digital material, with virtual and physical now two interlocking spheres. This augmented, complex and stratified reality is still in its early stages. We are at the very beginning of a new geological era: the Digicene. The works exhibited share two fundamental features: they are a critical analysis of our time and seek to imagine a future that is impossible to foresee.

 

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Agnese Pellino is an Italian architect, interested in many different forms of art. After studying three years between Italy and Spain, she took her degree in Architecture and she worked for a retail design firm.

Few months later she moved to the Netherlands, where she is currently attending a Master in Interior Design. Since she was very young, her passion for travelling led her to look at things in many different ways. Through the years, framing these perspectives would become her main hobby. Also inspired by the artist Franco Fontana, her love for photography has been developing until now, when she considers it a very enjoyable profession besides her design practice.

She shared with WeVux part of her visit at Dutch Design Week 2016 and in the future she will update us with new events and exhibitions! In the gallery you will find photos mainly from the Van Abbemuseum location and the Design Academy Eindhoven Graduation Show 2016. Follow Agnese on Instagram and Behance!

 

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Please seek permission before using.

Taking place from 22 to 30 October 2016 in Eindhoven, Dutch Design Week 2016 will focus on the creative process under the theme The Making Of. WeVux suggests you three exciting exhibitions:

 

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“In Need Of…” is the 2016 Design Academy Eindhoven graduates show that will present the visions of 171 designer for a better world. The themes include war, peace, surveillance, privacy and gender and the show is curated by Studio Formafantasma. Production processes and methods are also challenged through new material innovations and technologies. In Need Of… at De Witte Dame, Emmasingel 14

 

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“Products in Process Part 2” is an exhibition from a group of designers who came together to showcase the unseen steps of the research process in Milan. The colourful, material-focused show presents playful designs related to colour, materials and techniques. Each is intended to trigger a dialogue between designers, clients and manufacturers by presenting everything but the end product. Envisions Products in Process Part 2, VDMA, Vestdijk 25-27.

 

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At “For Play” 30 designers explore the contemporary culture of eroticism, gratification, lust and desire. The exhibition includes products, installations and performances covering a vast array of intimacy-related issues, including problematic sex, the prevention of sexual displeasure, and instant sexual gratification through the use of sex toys and porn. For Play, MU, Torenallee 40-06.

 

(via dezeen)

The Barcelona Design Week is part of the Barcelona Design Festival, this year was held the 10th edition of the event that has established itself as a meeting point of design and business in Barcelona, and as one of the major design weeks on the international calendar. The Design Week is the annual meeting of design, innovation and entrepreneurship, this year it included 70 different activities: conferences, exhibitions, workshops, presentations and circuits. The Disseny Hub Barcelona held the exhibition “Timeless Massimo Vignelli“, a collective tribute to his work of international prestige. One of the activities of the Week was to bring people to design like at the Design Circuit Poblenou: participants in this tour had the opportunity to investigate some issues in the studios of some designers and architects. More about the Barcelona Design Week here!

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A really interesting Design Week is the one that takes place in Rovaniemi, administrative capital of Lapland, Finland.

“Arctic Design Week is all about promoting and supporting culture, well-being and enterprise, with a sensitivity to the region’s unique challenges.” The event will take place for the 8th time on the Arctic Circle in February 2016.

2015 theme was Transparency, to explore the role of design in the creative development of the Arctic. The theme was chosen because of the obvious reference to the ice aesthetic, as well as the idea of openness and responsibility. Content ranged from textile design, clothing design, industrial design to service design, graphic design and photography. Many of the exhibitions were influenced by arctic design, with a special contrast provided by an exhibition from Shanghai’s Tongjin University, dealing with Urban changes.

 

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(via laplandmag)

Vienna Design Week is “Austria’s biggest design festival and it bridges the gap between the specialist and the broad-based public. It is a showcase for national and international projects, formations, creative and production processes, also experimental approaches in architecture and of course design in all its facets – graphic, product, furniture, industrial and social design. Most of the contributions are commissioned by the Festival and created especially for the Vienna Design Week.” This year in collaboration with museums, manufacturers and designers from all over the world, the festival offered more than 150 events, exhibitions, installations, guided tours and numerous parties. 2015’s Vienna Design Week presented as host country France. Theater of important initiatives is the district Favoriten (10th district), where there is headquarters of the festival with Info Point, Pop-Up Café and laboratory. The central event of the Vienna Design Week was the “Passionswege”, the paths of passion: some Austrian and International designers selected were invited to collaborate with experimental and playful Viennese shops or with the oldest Vienna’s companies, the aim was to rediscover and enliven local production facilities.

 

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Images © annablau

The fifth annual Paris Design Week was scheduled in September 2015 to overlap with Maison&Object Paris.

“Paris Design Week is an itinerary uniting 300 participants that all proudly promote first-rate design in Paris. At a time when new collections are popping up in stores and the new concepts for the autumn season are being launched, the event brings together the talents and forces of retailers, galleries, showrooms, hotels and restaurants for eight days to share their experience in design and creation with the public… This latest edition intends to forge even stronger and broader ties between those involved in Parisian design… ” Paris is usually divided in 5 districts: Les Docks – Cité de la Mode et du Design, Barbès / Stalingrad, Opéra / Concorde / Étoile, Saint-Germain-des-Prés and Marais / Bastille. Visitors can find furniture, fashion, food, architecture, design and exhibitions and installations hosted in museums and citizens landmark. 2015 edition hosted also now! Le Off, exhibition of talents and emerging brands from around the world.

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The 11th edition of Budapest Design Week started in September 2015 with “Home sweet home’, a special exhibition at the Museum of Applied Art that presented a selection of works by young hungarian talents investigating themes such as: environmentalism, multiculturalism, the sharing economy, the revolution of technology and gastronomy etc.

The Design Week was launched by the Hungarian Design Council with the aim of promoting the role design plays in the economy and society of our times, increasing trust in design, while offering a platform of communication for actors of the field. The festival offers a wide range of informative programs for the general audience, and organises events for the design profession for networking, presentations, education and knowledge exchange.

Have a look on the previous edition program to discover more!

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2015 is also the year of the first Dubai Design Week edition, held in partnership with Dubai Design District (d3), under the Patronage of Her Highness Sheikha Latifa bint Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum, Vice-Chairman of Dubai Culture & Arts Authority. The Design Week was also supported by both the Dubai Culture and Arts Authority (DCAA), and the Dubai Design and Fashion Council (DDFC).

“Creating a point of time that encourages the growth of the design industry in Dubai, Dubai Design Week not only established the city as the regional capital for design, but also as a global meeting point for the international design community. Design-dedicated events, activities and projects within d3 and across the city helped to celebrate the best in design both regionally and internationally.” The Italian design was represented by brand like Kartell, Moroso, Serralunga, Gufram and more. Dubai Design District (d3) has eleven buildings and a network of open spaces, it was the main theater of the event with exhibitions, talks and the pavilions of ABWAB dedicated to young designers. The only indipendent designers exhibiton was at Drak15, an area of garages, depots and warehouses far from the Dubai Design District.

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In September 2015 Bologna hosted the first edition of Bologna Design Week, a cultural event that brings together cultural creative and productive excellences of the surroundings in an integrated communication project. With 35000 visitors, the event was divided in 8 different experiences, crossover art, design food, design school, design spot, design store, incredibol, design made in Bologna and Bologna su misura and spread in 4 different locations, Galleria Cavour, Campogrande Concept, ex Atelier Corradi and Corte Isolani. The BDW is organized by Youtool //design out of the box with the help of EXPO Milano 2015, Triennale Design Museum, Regione Emilia Romagna, Bologna City Council and CERSAIE. The design brands that have collaborated were Cappellini, Cassina, Ducati, Geberit, Kartell, Molteni & C, Dada, Oikos, Veneta Cucine, Vitra, Zanotta and more!

Have a look on the official website and on the Facebook page while waiting for the 2016 edition!

 

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If you don’t know what Dutch Design Week is, you should read the first part of this post. Yesterday we describe the festival without a specific focus on design, today WeVUX will talk more about the design and the products. Don’t miss the third part of the post, it will be about the Design Academy Eindhoven Graduation Show.

This year DDW expected more than 2400 exhibitors and if you walk around the city you will discover several interesting design spots (from the installation in SissyBoy clothes shop to the Usine Cafè, a restaurant created in an ex factory). In the exhibitions around Eindhoven you can find Cor Unum products, a new generation of ceramic designer, that this year collaborated with the Italian master designer Alessandro Mendini; the projects of designers graduated from the Utrecht School of the Arts (HKU) and from Willem De Kooning Academie (Rotterdam). WeVUX has also been impressed by Bas Vellekoop and Renate Vos products, highly specialized crafts products. ABN AMRO, main sponsor for the event, wanted to give young designers a stage. The bank has teamed up with Van Eijk & Van der Lubbe and has set up ABN AMRO hotspots in the city of Eindhoven, where designers will be able to present themselves. A permanent platform has been designed for the central lobby of ABN AMRO’s office on Vestdijk, also in Eindhoven. The giant, one-metre high wing nut that adorns the hotspots symbolises the joining of forces and setting things in motion, which ties in nicely with the goals of the hotspots: bringing young, talented designers into contact with other parties. The presence of young designers is massive and we like to see how in the Netherlands young people has a place next to the great masters. Visiting DDW 2015 you will find several crafts products, an important and massive material research and the development of technology and innovation, from 3d printing to augmented reality, everything perfectly mixed with crafts.

Don’t miss the 3rd part of the post with the Design Academy Graduation Show!

All Rights Reserved to WeVUX

The 14th Dutch Design Week 2015 #ddw15 is taking place in Eindhoven until Sunday 25 October. WeVUX will follow it: this post is the first part of three about DDW.

“What if…” is the theme for this DDW edition, the organisation wants to celebrate and highlight designers’ power of imagination. The campaign to support the theme is made in cooperation with the design agency Fabrique. Martijn Paulen, DDW director, said about the theme: “Posing the right questions is the motor for the imagination. Designers think about how we will live and live together in the future. They dare to question everything, dream of a different answer and shape it. This is how they lay the basis for the innovations of the future.” The festival is reinforced this year by the introduction of DDW Music, a collaboration between DDW, the Effenaar and the booking agency Friendly Fire. During the week, there will be live performances at various venues around town, free for anyone with a DDW go-as-you-please ticket. DDW ticket is a personal wristband that offers you nine days of unlimited access to the locations. Out of Eindhoven Station you will find an Infopoint for ticket, maps, gadgets. The shop space is divided with a coffe bar literally full of green, do not miss it! The highlights of DDW 2015 are regulars such as the Design Academy’s Graduation Show, the presentation of the annual Dutch Design Awards, the presentation by Dutch Invertuals and the exhibitions in the Klokgebouw (art directors Guus Kusters and Maarten Kolk). Amongst these the Volvo Design Challenge, with young designers and the exhibition ‘Mind the Step’ (by the Eindhoven, Delft and Twente universities of technology) shows design and technology of the future.

In the gallery you will find a first point of view of DDW, do not miss the following parts to know more about the projects and the design!

 

Info, eventi, progetti, idee, materiali, finiture, interviste. Anche quest’anno WeVux apre il suo speciale sulla design week milanese!

Ancora poche ore ed i suoi “Design Advisors” saranno sguinzagliati nelle strade meneghine alla ricerca di storie da raccontare e da vivere.

Per oggi segnaliamo:

Ore 18.00 – 21.00, AGATA DELLA TORRE ospita FERRERO47  – Cocktail di inaugurazione
, Via Cerva, 16

Ore 18.00 – 21.00, BONOTTO EDITIONS – Presentazione nuova collezione – Cocktail su Invito  – Press Preview, Via Durini 24

Ore 18.00 – 23.00, NODUS, ALCHYMIA – Party di inaugurazione, Chiostro Facoltà Teologica Italia Settentrionale , piazza Paolo VI, Brera

In occasione della Milano Design Week 2024, ID.Exe – il primo distretto diffuso creato da D.O.S. Design Open Spaces – giunge alla quarta edizione e si presenta con il tema “Shaped by Design”. Parte della rassegna è Design Periferico, che inaugura oggi, mostra diffusa curata dall’editor di WeVux Teo Sandigliano con l’allestimento di Milo Mussini, che vede l’attivazione, in collaborazione con il Comune di Milano, di 4 spazi periferici nella zona Nord della città attraverso altrettante chiavi di lettura. Ogni location presenta un tema diverso legato ad una progettualità “periferica”, intesa come non direttamente collegata al mondo dell’arredo e dei complementi, protagonisti storici della Milano Design Week. (Immagine copertina, gentile concessione di MaDe Trans Lab, Politecnico di Milano)

I contenuti di Design Periferico, in linea con il tema del distretto e anche del Fuorisalone – “Materia Natura” – hanno l’obiettivo di mostrare come il settore sta cambiando, seguendo le nuove necessità della contemporaneità che stiamo vivendo (un design più sostenibile, un utilizzo consapevole delle materie prime, la riduzione di emissioni di carbonio…). I protagonisti della mostra sono designer, studi, brand, studenti e laboratori universitari che attraverso ricerche, sperimentazioni e prodotti in commercio ci mostrano che direzione sta prendendo il mondo del progetto. Grazie a DOS, tutti i partecipanti sono stati invitati gratuitamente, senza nessun costo di iscrizione.

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Monoferments
Human Material Loop

Design Periferico vuole ricordare a tutti che l’evento MDW è un’occasione per attivare discussioni e scambi inerenti al futuro del progetto e conoscere i designer e brand del domani. I temi affrontati rispecchiano questo obiettivo: Scarti per l’Architettura, Nuovi Materiali, Fashion & Textile, Design e Natura.

Scarti per l’Architettura – Spazio Palmanova (Via Palmanova 59 B)
MONOFERMENTS è un laboratorio indipendente di design che ricerca nuovi materiali per spazi abitativi più salutari. Essere più critici nei confronti della relazione tra interior design ed estrazione della materia prima è fondamentale per il futuro di questo settore. Con Transizioni Inesplorate il lab indaga gli scarti della vigna: gli oggetti e i materiali dell’installazione sono realizzati con terra naturale e scarti del processo di vinificazione, reinventati per ripensare alla relazione tra gli interni, lo spazio naturale che li circonda e l’essere umano, in un esercizio sul concetto stesso di scarto.

Fashion & Textile – Spazio Palmanova (Via Palmanova 59 A)
Una serie di progetti legati al mondo della moda e all’arte del tessere. Da un lato brand sostenibili con nuove soluzioni materiche e di prodotto responsabili e attenti all’ambiente portano una selezione delle proprie collezioni. Potremo trovare Verabuccia®, Human Material Loop, MUSA Intimates. Dall’altro una serie di prodotti legati all’arte del tessere, dalle tecniche del passato alle nuove tecnologie, passando anche per le sperimentazioni digitali. In questa sezione troveremo i lavori di Giuseppe Arezzi, Francesco Forcellini e Laura Civetti con Juanda Cabrera.

Nuovi Materiali – Spazio Bengasi (Via Bengasi 1)
Una mostra che ripercorre i 10 anni di sperimentazioni del laboratorio del Politecnico di Milano MaDe Trans, focalizzato sulla ricerca materica. Dalla coltivazione di batteri e funghi, fino all’utilizzo di nuovi processi e tecnologie, affrontando tematiche attuali quali il design sostenibile e la circolarità. Ad accompagnare i lavori degli studenti ci sarà l’architetta Selenia Marinelli con la nuova collezione di materiali SeaCrete, creati a partire dagli scarti di molluschi e cozze.

Design e Natura – Spazio Passerini (Via Passerini 18)
Una selezione di progetti ci mostra un modo di fare design in linea con l’ambiente che ci circonda: GUPU, dello scultore e designer Genesio Pistidda, reinterpreta l’attingitoio per l’acqua, di uso comune e condiviso nelle società agropastorali della Sardegna. Podere101 invece, giovane azienda agricola, attraverso il progetto Biodiversità ci mostra cosa vuole dire salvaguardare l’ambiente, dalla riforestazione al benessere animale.

SAVE THE DATE – Mercoledì 17 aprile dalle ore 17.30 alle ore 19.00 presso la Sala Testori di Palazzo Lombardia, ci sarà una talk legata a Design Periferico in cui sarà possibile approfondire l’approccio e il metodo dei designer in mostra.

Design Periferico, dal 15 al 21 aprile
Dalle 10.00 alle 18.30
Spazi: Via Passerini 18, Via Bengasi 1, Via Palmanova 59A, Via Palmanova 59B

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Podere101
Verabuccia®
Stir by Francesco Forcellini
Stir by Francesco Forcellini

On the occasion of the Milan Design Week 2024, ID.Exe – the first diffuse district created by D.O.S. Design Open Spaces – reaches its fourth edition and presents itself with the theme ‘Shaped by Design’. Part of the event is Peripheral Design, which opens today, a diffuse exhibition curated by Wevux’s editor Teo Sandigliano, with setup by Milo Mussini, which sees the activation, in collaboration with the Milan City Council, of 4 peripheral spaces in the northern part of the city through as many keys to interpretation. Each location presents a different theme linked to ‘peripheral’ design, understood as not directly connected to the world of furniture and accessories, the historical protagonists of the Milan Design Week. (cover image, courtesy MaDe Trans Lab, Politecnico di Milano)

The contents of Peripheral Design, in line with the theme of the district and also of the Fuorisalone – “Materia Natura” – aim to show how the sector is changing, following the new contemporary needs we are experiencing (a more sustainable design, a conscious use of raw materials, the reduction of carbon emissions…). The protagonists of the exhibition are designers, studios, brands, students and university laboratories that through research, experimentation and products on the market show us what direction the design world is taking. Thanks to DOS, all participants were invited free of charge, with no registration fee.

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Monoferments
Human Material Loop

Peripheral Design wants to remind everyone that the MDW event is an opportunity to activate discussions and thoughts concerning the future of design and to meet the designers and brands of tomorrow. The themes addressed reflect this objective: Waste for Architecture, New Materials, Fashion & Textile, Design and Nature.

Waste for Architecture – Palmanova Space (Via Palmanova 59 B)
MONOFERMENTS is an independent design laboratory researching new materials for healthier living spaces. Being more critical of the relationship between interior design and raw material extraction is crucial for the future of this sector. With Unexplored Transitions the lab investigates the vineyard: the objects and materials in the installation are made from natural soil and waste from the winemaking process, reinvented to rethink the relationship between interiors, the natural space that surrounds them and the human being, in an exercise on the very concept of waste.

Fashion & Textile – Palmanova Space (Via Palmanova 59 A)
A series of projects linked to the world of fashion and the art of weaving. On the one hand, sustainable brands with new responsible and environmentally aware material and product solutions bring a selection of their own collections. We can find Verabuccia®, Human Material Loop, MUSA Intimates. On the other hand, a series of products related to the art of weaving, from the techniques of the past to new technologies, including digital experiments. In this section we will find the works of Giuseppe Arezzi, Francesco Forcellini and Laura Civetti with Juanda Cabrera.

New Materials – Bengasi Space (Via Bengasi 1)
An exhibition tracing the 10 years of experimentation of the MaDeTrans lab of the Politecnico di Milano, focused on materials research. From the cultivation of bacteria and fungi to the use of new processes and technologies, addressing current issues such as sustainable design and circularity. Accompanying the students’ work will be architect Selenia Marinelli with her new material collection, SeaCrete, created from the waste of molluscs and mussels.

Design and Nature – Passerini Space (Via Passerini 18)
Here, A selection of projects showing a way of doing design in line with the environment that surrounds us: GUPU, by sculptor and designer Genesio Pistidda, reinterprets the water dipper, an object of common and shared use in the agro-pastoral societies of Sardinia. Podere101, a young farm, through its Biodiversity project, shows us what it means to safeguard the environment, from reforestation to animal welfare.

SAVE THE DATE – On Wednesday 17 April from 5.30 to 7 p.m. in the Sala Testori at Palazzo Lombardia, there will be a talk related to Peripheral Design in which the approach and method of the designers in the exhibition will be explored.

Peripheral Design, 15-21 April
From 10 a.m. to 6.30 p.m.
Locations: Via Passerini 18, Via Bengasi 1, Via Palmanova 59A, Via Palmanova 59B

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Podere101
Verabuccia®
Stir by Francesco Forcellini
Stir by Francesco Forcellini

Now in its seventh edition, this year’s Isola Design Festival – from 18 to 23 April, during Milan Design Week 2023 – is titled “Nothing Happens if Nothing Happens” and aims to explore the theme of regeneration. Specifically, the festival sets for itself a very high goal, as the manifesto concludes “… We must define new guidelines for the design industry, rethinking production processes and systems, revitalizing natural resources and waste and remedying the damage that we have done to our planet. The next step must be done now, because Nothing Happens if Nothing Happens”. Cover: Isola Design Gallery, set up preview © IAMMI Studio

For the 2023 edition, with more than 40 exhibitions and installations, events and a series of talks involving nearly 300 international designers, design studios, creators and producers, Isola expands beyond the natural boundaries of its district, reaching as far as the Certosa District to the north and Tortona to the south – an operation also performed on the brand which, over the years, from Isola Design District has simply become Isola, explained Gabriele Cavallaro (founder and CEO).

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Circolare – The Circular Village. Alara Ertenü Studio, Lampunto, photo Ersan Çeliktaş

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Going into detail, the exhibitions will be:

  • Hosted in the scenic 4.000 m2 covered square of the Regione Lombardia, Circolare – The Circular Village showcases natural raw materials, biomaterials, and products made with natural resources or industrial waste, with minimum environmental impact in terms of production. The layout of the space, designed by Amsterdam based Studio MAST in collaboration among the others, with Fiction Factory, Interface, and The Good Plastic Company, is completely zero waste, giving new life to discarded furniture materials, which have been reused as displays, bases, and dividers that will have a third life once the exhibition comes to a close. Participating designers and design studios include: AAMA Design; Aastha Poddar; Agro Biomaterials; Alara Ertenü Studio; Anett Papp; Atelier Anna Arpa; Basque Biodesign; Betonlab; Caterina Fratino; COMU Labs; Ebe Collective; Fengfan Yang; Flaked; Frank Chou Design Studio; Giubotti; Hidde Tuinte; Igreen gadgets; IOUS Studio; Irena Uebler Lda; iva-n; Markos Georgiou; Matter Matters; Mesure Studio; Miki Lin; Mina Mahouti; Mireille Steinhage; Monostudio Associati; monyo_leafprint; Myceen; Natelier; Odette & Mas Uso; PAN- PROJECTS; Paula Camiña; Pepijn De Greef; pulpas studio; Red Room Studio; Revive; Riya Kuvavala; Rowena Liangru Lu; Rub Objects; SAY.Research Team; Simone Massinelli; studio VivÈrdie; Tidhar Zagagi; vanPlestik x Lisa Vlamings; Vivian Tamm; WKND Lab; ZANELLOG Studio.
  • Tools & Crafts, at Fondazione Riccardo Catella, hosts young talents and a new generation of artisans that combine traditional expertise with innovative and experimental techniques to create contemporary and collectible design pieces. Participating designers and design studios are: Alice Crepaldi; Anna Jožová; Caspar Fischer; GUNIA Project; Haeun Kim; Joana Moura Ceramics; Kick Veldman; Lea Studios; Lebanto; MiDA-Lab; Nareg; Oodd studio; Sameo; Senzaquadro; Studio Maximilian Beck; Studio Naomi Remijn; Viktor Tabiš; Woven Memories.
  • Take Care! Of your mind, body, and environment, curated by the design studio Tellurico, at Stecca3, is an immersive show exhibiting projects focused on tackling contemporary issues that cover both social and individual spheres, to highlight individual and collective wellness, stated in all its meanings. Participating designers and design studios include the following:  Ana Koruga; Andre de Chirico; Astrid Luglio; Bionicrafts; Diana Pang; Frank Chou Design Studio; Giacomo De Paoli; Jennifer Keusgen; Lea Studios; lorolori.studio; Marco Cagnoni; Michela Panizza; Noppi; Post Industrial Crafts; Sweet Scope; Team aaa.
  • The 4th edition of Isola Design Gallery, at Via Pastrengo 14, celebrates collectible design that tells a story. Thanks to the collaboration between Isola’s creative director, Elif Resitoglu, and Stephanie Blanchard, co-founder of IAMMI studio, the scenery space, inspired by Giorgio De Chirico’s work, will bring visitors into a metaphysics landscape. Included within the exhibition is The Dutch Corner, curated by Wisse Trooster and supported by the Netherlands consulate-general in Milan, presenting a selection of Dutch talents and established design studios. Participating designers and design studios include the following: 9+1; Adarsh Nellore; André Restelli & Diego Gutiérrez; Aura Carpio; Baldur Haraldsson; Cose in corso; Daniel Orozco Estudio; Dirk Duif; Erika Cross; Federica Paglia; Federico Fiermonte; Heger Et Demumieux; Iammi; Idaaf Architects; Iris Megens; Jens Van Deursen; Jihyun Kim; Simiæn; Konos Studio; Margaux De Penfentenyo; Mavoix; Mo Man Tai; Nils Nystrom; Paul Ketz Studio; Pepita Design; Retablo; Ryoji Takahashi; Ruben de Haas; Sander Nevejans; Selma Lazrak; Sood Studio; Stijn van Aardenne & Lucas Zito; STUDIO BL; Studio De Schutter; Studio Marfa; Studio Thier & Van Daalen; Studio Zoran Strijbosch; Taftique; Testatonda; Teun Zwets; Wisse Trooster; WKND Lab; ÝAKIN; Yoyo Chien; Yueyun Song
  • Under Design Lebanon, curated by Ghassan Salameh and hosted by the association VIAFARINI at via Farini 35, shows a realistic mapping and projection on the currently still functioning bodies under the exceptional conjunction of social, political and economic crises that Lebanon is undergoing. The exhibition encourages abandoning the commodity aspect of design by reasoning instead on the systemic and economic one: small and medium-sized enterprises linked to design, craftsmanship and commerce remain the main sources of income for many families and an important factor in local micro-economies. This selection will be presented on a 3D printed recycled-plastic structure designed and produced by Post Industrial Crafts.  Participating exhibitors include the following: American University of Beirut (AUB) Architecture and Design Department (ArD); Babylon; Badguer; Beirut Makers; Damj Design; Diwan of Culture, Design & Innovation (DCD); Dongola Books Architecture Series; Exil; Fabraca Studios; Khanzine; L’Artisan Du Liban; Mashghal; Minjara; Warche.
  • For this year’s edition of Rising Talents, Isola is hosting, at Via Confalonieri 21, a selection of five young alumni from Design Academy Eindhoven. With the curation of Wisse Trooster, they are bringing their unique crafts to Milan. The participating designers are: 1-6m2, Brogen Berwick, Jiin Yoon, Pepe Valenti, and Studio Kloumi.
  • As aforementioned, Isola enlarges its borders reaching a new area of Milan, the Certosa District: here, in collaboration with Designtech and DesignWanted, it co-curates Innovation for Living, an exhibition dedicated to design technology. The set-up has been designed by the Italian leading design studio Pininfarina with the goal of revolutionizing the rigidity of the space, to make it fluid, flexible and harmonious with the artworks. Participating designers and design studios include the following: Daniela de Luca; Designak; Estudio Latino; Gabriel Zanier; Greco; Krill Design; Maria Songel; Maria Tsilogianni; MDD Poland; Mush; Pininfarina; React; Reiten Cheng; Tony Elkington.

Also not to be missed are the temporary exhibitions and installations of institutions, academies, collectives and design studios that will involve visitors with numerous interventions distributed throughout the Isola Design District and beyond!

  • Among others KeepLife Bestiario, at ZonaK, presents a collection of 16 wooden animals, which serves both as games and animal-shaped desk products, made in the new KeepLife material. Among the designers involved: Matali Crasset, Marialaura Irvine, Marta Laudani, Giulio Iacchetti, Matteo Ragni, Studio Algoritmo, Luigi Petrillo, Ilaria Spagnuolo and Pietro Petrillo.

Check out the entire Festival programme, including exhibitions, installations and talks, visit the digital platform and to stay up to date, follow Isola on Instagram!

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isola, exhibition, wevux
Tools&Crafts. Nareg Krikorian, Gaar, ph. courtesy Nareg Krikorian
isola, exhibition, wevux
Tools&Crafts. Haeun Kim, Craft 2.0, ph. courtesy Haeun Kim
isola, exhibition, wevux
Rising Talents. Amy Lewis, Samurai Spirit, ph. courtesy Amy Lewis
isola, exhibition, wevux
Belgian Pavilion. Dries Truyers, Kurk KruK, ph. Katoo Peeters
isola, exhibition, wevux
Isola Design Gallery. Sood Studio, miki furniture, ph. courtesy Sood Studio
isola, exhibition, wevux
Isola Design Gallery. Aura Carpio, Estero, ph. courtesy Aura Carpio
isola, exhibition, wevux
Circolare – The Circular Village. Monostudio, Brutti ma buoni tiles, ph. Mario Teli
isola, exhibition, wevux
Circolare – The Circular Village. Fengfan Yang, Light on Lives, ph. courtesy Fengfan Yang
isola, design, wevux
Photo Fabiola Catalano

Ormai alla sua settima edizione, l’Isola Design Festival di quest’anno – dal 18 al 23 aprile, durante la Milan Design Week 2023 – ha come titolo “Nothing Happens if Nothing Happens” e vuole approfondire il tema della rigenerazione. Nello specifico, il festival si pone un obbiettivo veramente molto alto, come cita la conclusione del manifesto “…Dobbiamo definire nuove linee guida per l’industria del design, ripensando i processi e i sistemi di produzione, rivitalizzando le risorse naturali e i rifiuti e rimediando ai danni che abbiamo fatto al nostro pianeta. Il prossimo passo deve essere fatto ora, perché Nothing Happens if Nothing Happens.” Cover: Isola Design Gallery, set up preview © IAMMI Studio

Per l’edizione 2023, oltre 40 tra mostre e installazioni, eventi e una serie di talk che coinvolgeranno quasi 300 designer, studi di design, creatori e produttori internazionali, Isola si espande oltre i confini naturali del proprio distretto, arrivando fino al Certosa District a nord e Tortona a sud. Anche il brand stesso, nel corso degli anni, da Isola Design District è diventato semplicemente Isola, ha spiegato Gabriele Cavallaro (founder e CEO).

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Circolare – The Circular Village. Alara Ertenü Studio, Lampunto, photo Ersan Çeliktaş

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Entrando nel dettaglio delle mostre, ci sarà:

  • Circolare – The Circular Village, ospitata nei 4.000 mq della piazza coperta di Regione Lombardia, che porterà materie prime grezze, biomateriali e prodotti realizzati con risorse naturali o scarti industriali che hanno un impatto ambientale minimo. L’allestimento dello spazio, progettato dallo Studio MAST di Amsterdam in collaborazione tra gli altri con Fiction Factory, Interface e The Good Plastic Company, sarà interamente realizzato con un approccio zero waste: “una volta conclusa la mostra, i materiali d’arredo dismessi riutilizzati per creare espositori, basi e divisori, avranno una terza vita.” I designer selezionati presenteranno prodotti che superano processi di produzione e consumo obsoleti e che seguono un approccio circolare al design. Tra i progettisti e gli studi di design partecipanti figurano: AAMA Design; Aastha Poddar; Agro Biomaterials; Alara Ertenü Studio; Anett Papp; Atelier Anna Arpa; Basque Biodesign; Betonlab; Caterina Fratino; COMU Labs; Ebe Collective; Fengfan Yang; Flaked; Frank Chou Design Studio; Giubotti; Hidde Tuinte; Igreen gadgets; IOUS Studio; Irena Uebler Lda; iva-n; Markos Georgiou; Matter Matters; Mesure Studio; Miki Lin; Mina Mahouti; Mireille Steinhage; Monostudio Associati; monyo_leafprint; Myceen; Natelier; Odette & Mas Uso; PAN- PROJECTS; Paula Camiña; Pepijn De Greef; pulpas studio; Red Room Studio; Revive; Riya Kuvavala; Rowena Liangru Lu; Rub Objects; SAY.Research Team; Simone Massinelli; studio VivÈrdie; Tidhar Zagagi; vanPlestik x Lisa Vlamings; Vivian Tamm; WKND Lab; ZANELLOG Studio.
  • Tools & Crafts, alla Fondazione Riccardo Catella, ospiterà una nuova generazione di artigiani che uniscono competenze tradizionali con tecniche sperimentali per creare pezzi di design contemporanei e da collezione. Tra i progettisti e gli studi di design partecipanti ci saranno: Alice Crepaldi; Anna Jožová; Caspar Fischer; GUNIA Project; Haeun Kim; Joana Moura Ceramics; Kick Veldman; Lea Studios; Lebanto; MiDA-Lab; Nareg; Oodd studio; Sameo; Senzaquadro; Studio Maximilian Beck; Studio Naomi Remijn; Viktor Tabiš; Woven Memories.
  • Take Care! Of your mind, body, and environment, alla Stecca3, a cura dello studio Tellurico, è una mostra immersiva che espone progetti incentrati su tematiche che riguardano sia la sfera sociale che quella personale. Tra i progettisti e gli studi di design partecipanti figurano: Ana Koruga; Andre de Chirico; Astrid Luglio; Bionicrafts; Diana Pang; Frank Chou Design Studio; Giacomo De Paoli; Jennifer Keusgen; Lea Studios; lorolori.studio; Marco Cagnoni; Michela Panizza; Noppi; Post Industrial Crafts; Sweet Scope; Team aaa.
  • La quarta edizione di Isola Design Gallery, in via Pastrengo 14, celebrerà oggetti di design da collezione in grado di raccontare una storia. Grazie alla collaborazione tra la direttrice creativa di Isola, Elif Resitoglu e Stephanie Blanchard, co-fondatrice dello studio IAMMI, lo spazio scenografico della mostra, ispirato all’opera di Giorgio De Chirico, trasporterà i visitatori in un paesaggio metafisico. La galleria presenterà anche una selezione di progetti realizzati da talenti olandesi e studi di design affermati, The Dutch Corner, curata da Wisse Trooster e sostenuta dal consolato generale dei Paesi Bassi a Milano. Tra i progettisti e gli studi di design: 9+1; Adarsh Nellore; André Restelli & Diego Gutiérrez; Aura Carpio; Baldur Haraldsson; Cose in corso; Daniel Orozco Estudio; Dirk Duif; Erika Cross; Federica Paglia; Federico Fiermonte; Heger Et Demumieux; Iammi; Idaaf Architects; Iris Megens; Jens Van Deursen; Jihyun Kim; Simiæn; Konos Studio; Margaux De Penfentenyo; Mavoix; Mo Man Tai; Nils Nystrom; Paul Ketz Studio; Pepita Design; Retablo; Ryoji Takahashi; Ruben de Haas; Sander Nevejans; Selma Lazrak; Sood Studio; Stijn van Aardenne & Lucas Zito; STUDIO BL; Studio De Schutter; Studio Marfa; Studio Thier & Van Daalen; Studio Zoran Strijbosch; Taftique; Testatonda; Teun Zwets; Wisse Trooster; WKND Lab; ÝAKIN; Yoyo Chien; Yueyun Song
  • Ospitata dall’associazione VIAFARINI in via Farini 35 e curata da Ghassan Salameh, Under Design Lebanon esporrà una mappatura realistica degli organismi attualmente ancora funzionanti in Libano in un momento di crisi sociali, politiche ed economiche. La mostra spinge ad abbandonare l’aspetto merceologico del design ragionando invece su quello sistemico ed economico: le piccole e medie imprese legate al design, all’artigianato e al commercio rimangono le principali fonti di reddito per molte famiglie e un fattore importante di microeconomie locali. Questa mappatura sarà presentata su una struttura in plastica riciclata stampata in 3D, progettata e prodotta da Post Industrial Crafts. Tra gli espositori figurano: American University of Beirut (AUB) Architecture and Design Department (ArD); Babylon; Badguer; Beirut Makers; Damj Design; Diwan of Culture, Design & Innovation (DCD); Dongola Books Architecture Series; Exil; Fabra- ca Studios; Khanzine; L’Artisan Du Liban; Mashghal; Minjara; Warche.
  • Per l’edizione 2023 di Rising Talents, Isola ospita in Via Confalonieri 21, una selezione curata da Wisse Trooster di cinque giovani ex allievi della Design Academy di Eindhoven. I progettisti presenteranno a Milano opere dalle tecniche peculiari. I partecipanti sono: 1-6m2, Brogen Berwick, Jiin Yoon, Pepe Valenti, and Studio Kloumi.
  • Come anticipato, con la mostra Innovation for Living, Isola estende i suoi confini fino al Certosa District. In collaborazione con Designtech e DesignWanted, Innovation for Living sarà dedicata alla tecnologia applicata al design. L’allestimento è stato progettato dallo studio italiano Pininfarina con l’obiettivo di rivoluzionare la rigidità dello spazio, per renderlo fluido, flessibile e in armonia con le opere. Tra i progettisti e gli studi di design partecipanti figurano: Daniela de Luca; Designak; Estudio Latino; Gabriel Zanier; Greco; Krill Design; Maria Songel; Maria Tsilogianni; MDD Poland; Mush; Pininfarina; React; Reiten Cheng; Tony Elkington.

Da non perdere anche le mostre e installazioni temporanee di istituzioni, accademie, collettivi e studi di design coinvolgeranno i visitatori con numerosi interventi distribuiti in tutto l’Isola Design District e non solo!

  • Tra gli altri Bestiario di KeepLife, a ZonaK – di cui avevamo lanciato la call – presenta una collezione di 16 animali in legno, che sono sia un gioco che un prodotto da scrivania a forma di animale, realizzati nel nuovo materiale KeepLife. Tra i designer selezionati ci saranno: Matali Crasset, Marialaura Irvine, Marta Laudani, Giulio Iacchetti, Matteo Ragni, Studio Algoritmo, Luigi Petrillo, Ilaria Spagnuolo e Pietro Petrillo.

Per scoprire l’intero programma del Festival, tra mostre, installazioni e talk, visitate la piattaforma digitale e per rimanere sempre aggiornati seguite Isola su Instagram!

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isola, exhibition, wevux
Tools&Crafts. Nareg Krikorian, Gaar, ph. courtesy Nareg Krikorian
isola, exhibition, wevux
Tools&Crafts. Haeun Kim, Craft 2.0, ph. courtesy Haeun Kim
isola, exhibition, wevux
Rising Talents. Amy Lewis, Samurai Spirit, ph. courtesy Amy Lewis
isola, exhibition, wevux
Belgian Pavilion. Dries Truyers, Kurk KruK, ph. Katoo Peeters
isola, exhibition, wevux
Isola Design Gallery. Sood Studio, miki furniture, ph. courtesy Sood Studio
isola, exhibition, wevux
Isola Design Gallery. Aura Carpio, Estero, ph. courtesy Aura Carpio
isola, exhibition, wevux
Circolare – The Circular Village. Monostudio, Brutti ma buoni tiles, ph. Mario Teli
isola, exhibition, wevux
Circolare – The Circular Village. Fengfan Yang, Light on Lives, ph. courtesy Fengfan Yang
isola, design, wevux
Photo Fabiola Catalano

Today we continue the preview coverage of Milan Design Week 2023 with the installation exhibition This is Denmark, a design playlist that will take place at Alcova’s new location – which we have already mentioned here – from April 17 to 23.

Curated by Elena Cattaneo and Laura Traldi, design journalists and industry experts, with installation by Matteo Ragni Studio, This is Denmark will showcase the essence of Danish design through 15 products, each representing the design spirit of as many companies selected for the event.

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Notes of Colour
&Tradition, Flowerpot VP7

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The installation is designed to take visitors on a journey of discovery through Denmark: inspired by a natural Danish landscape, whose protagonists are wood and water, the installation will consist of a walkway that (ideally) floats on water and an archipelago of islets that will allow visitors to discover, through audio captions, the products of the 15 selected companies. An all-Danish design playlist.

The pieces were chosen based on the story they can tell. Each, in fact, represents a different way of relating to the essence of Danish design: the relationship with heritage, the search for circularity, the actualization of house living style, which is increasingly technological, flexible and multifunctional, and the creation of environments with a high emotional impact.

Acting as a common thread throughout the exhibition will be landscape and sound. The ‘playlist’ concept expressed in the title stems from the desire to showcase 15 elements that are different but together give a unique perception of what Danish design is today. In addition to the voice captions then, to accompany the exhibition, there will also be an actual soundtrack composed by sound designer Alessandro Pedretti and built using the sounds of object production and self-generating software.

This is Denmark – with curatorship by Elena Cattaneo and Laura Traldi and installation by Matteo Ragni Studio – is a project of the Royal Embassy of Denmark in collaboration with The Confederation of Danish Industry and Creative Denmark. To learn more follow @thisis.denmark on Instagram!

The 15 Danish companies that will participate in the event are: AYTM, 101 COPENHAGEN, SKOVBY, FREDERICIA, &TRADITION, ASTEP, HOUE – MyTrash, HOUSE OF FINN JUHL, KAY BOJESEN, KVADRAT, MERNØE, NOTES OF COLOUR, ROYAL COPENHAGEN, STUDIO ROSO, CARLSBERG

Cover image, photo Christian Faber

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Kvadrat, drawing by Ronan Bouroullec
Notes of Colour
&Tradition, Flowerpot VP9
This is Denmark

Oggi continuiamo il racconto delle anteprime della Milano Design Week 2023 con la mostra installazione This is Denmark, a design playlist che avrà luogo nella nuova location di Alcova – di cui abbiamo già parlato qui – dal 17 al 23 aprile.

Curata da Elena Cattaneo e Laura Traldi, giornaliste di design ed esperte del settore, con l’allestimento di Matteo Ragni Studio, This is Denmark metterà in scena l’essenza del design danese attraverso 15 prodotti, ognuno a rappresentazione dello spirito progettuale delle altrettante aziende selezionate per l’evento.

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Notes of Colour
&Tradition, Flowerpot VP7

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L’installazione è stata pensata per accompagnare il visitatore in un viaggio alla scoperta della Danimarca: ispirato a un paesaggio naturale danese, i cui protagonisti sono legno e acqua, l’allestimento sarà composto da una passerella che (idealmente) galleggia sull’acqua e un arcipelago di isolotti che permetterà ai visitatori di scoprire, attraverso didascalie sonore, i prodotti delle 15 aziende selezionate. Una design playlist tutta danese.

I pezzi sono stati scelti in base alla storia che sono in grado di raccontare. Ognuno, infatti, rappresenta un modo diverso di relazionarsi all’essenza del design danese: il rapporto con l’heritage, la ricerca di circolarità, l’attualizzazione dello stile abitativo, sempre più tecnologico, flessibile e multifunzione, la creazione di ambienti ad alto impatto emotivo.

A fare da filo conduttore dell’intera mostra ci saranno il paesaggio e il suono. Il concetto di ‘playlist’ espresso nel titolo nasce dalla volontà di mettere in scena 15 elementi diversi ma che, insieme, danno una percezione unica di cos’è il design danese oggi. Oltre alle didascalie vocali quindi, a fare da corollario alla mostra, ci sarà anche una vera e propria colonna sonora composta dal sound designer Alessandro Pedretti e costruita utilizzando i suoni di produzione degli oggetti e software autogenerativi.

This is Denmark – con la curatela di Elena Cattaneo e Laura Traldi e l’allestimento di Matteo Ragni Studio – è un progetto della Reale Ambasciata di Danimarca in collaborazione con The Confederation of Danish Industry e Creative Denmark. Per saperne di più seguite @thisis.denmark su Instagram!

Le 15 aziende danesi che parteciperanno all’evento sono: AYTM, 101 COPENHAGEN, SKOVBY, FREDERICIA, &TRADITION, ASTEP, HOUE – MyTrash, HOUSE OF FINN JUHL, KAY BOJESEN, KVADRAT, MERNØE, NOTES OF COLOUR, ROYAL COPENHAGEN, STUDIO ROSO, CARLSBERG

Cover image, photo Christian Faber

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Kvadrat, drawing by Ronan Bouroullec
Notes of Colour
&Tradition, Flowerpot VP9
This is Denmark

After the 2023 Open Calls, here are the unmissable events, a selection of festivals and design weeks to mark on your calendar. To help you, we decided to divide the list by month:

JANUARY 2023

  • Jan. 19-23, MAISON&OBJECT. In Paris there’s Maison & Object, from January 19 to 23, 2023. The theme of this year’s edition will be “Take Care!”. In addition to the exhibition, it will be possible to participate in a series of events and displays around the city. For more information visit Maison & Object.
  • Jan 20-29, DesignTO Festival. In Toronto, Canada, DesignTO Festival brings people together to design a better, more sustainable, equitable and joyful future. The Festival takes place online and in person at different locations scattered around the city of Toronto. Most events and exhibitions are free, but some require RSVP or ticket purchase. The DesignTO Festival program here.

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FEBRUARY 2023

  • Feb 6-12, STOCKHOLM DESIGN WEEK. Stockholm is hosting Stockholm Design Week from Feb. 6 to 12 – born as an initiative of the Stockholm Furniture Fair – one of the largest furniture fairs in Northern Europe. Scattered throughout the city center and beyond, industry insiders and the public are invited to participate in showrooms, design events, exhibitions, open studios and lectures. Check out the program here.
  • Feb 7 – Apr 9, MADRID DESIGN FESTIVAL. The Madrid Design Festival is a citywide event that becomes the best tool to democratize design and convey the importance of a discipline that transforms our daily lives. More information and event programming here.

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MARCH 2023

  • Mar 18-21 and 28-31, CIFF GUANGZHOU. Launched in 1998 with 384 exhibitors, an exhibition space of 45,000 square meters and the participation of more than 20,000 buyers, CIFF, China International Furniture Fair returns for its 51st edition – for now the event is confirmed despite the status of the epidemic in China. All updates here.

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APRIL 2023

  • Apr 18-23, MILAN DESIGN WEEK. The most important event in the Design world, the Salone del Mobile and Fuorisalone, is back. A week of events, exhibitions and talks that animate the city of Milan and report on the state of the art of the field. You can find here the schedule of the Salone del Mobile and Fuorisalone events in the city.
  • Apr 25-29, BOGOTÀ DESIGN FESTIVAL. The Bogota Design Festival aims to serve as a platform to generate connections with the cultural and creative sector. For four days, innovation and design come together to promote both the industry and craft sector. For more information visit the website.

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SaloneSatellite 2022, Salone del Mobile.Milano, ph. Ludovica Mangini

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MAY 2023

  • May 18-28, MELBOURNE DESIGN WEEK. Melbourne Design Week returns to brighten the winter months of Australia’s capital city. The goal is to celebrate design with an 11-day program of lectures, tours, exhibitions, launches, installations and workshops. More details here.
  • May 20 – Nov 26, BIENNALE DI VENEZIA, International Architecture Exhibition. This year’s Architecture Biennale will be curated by architect, architecture lecturer and writer Lesley Lokko,
    who commented: “We architects have a unique opportunity to propose ambitious and creative ideas that will help us imagine a more equitable and optimistic future together.” To learn more visit the official website.
  • May 21-23, ICFF + WantedDesign Manhattan. ICFF and WantedDesign Manhattan bring together more than 300 established and emerging design brands from more than 25 countries. In addition to the exhibition, attendees will also have the opportunity to find inspiration through the ICFF + WantedDesign Manhattan Talks. Find out more here.
  • May 23-25, CLERKENWELL DESIGN WEEK. Clerkenwell Design Week returns in May, a showcase for leading brands and companies presented through a series of showroom events, exhibitions and special installations taking place throughout the area. Here is the schedule.

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JUNE 2023

  • Jun 7-9, 3DAYSOFDESIGN, Copenhagen. 3daysofdesign offers a unique stage to showcase new products, brands and collectible design. The audience includes international buyers, designers, press, architects and design lovers. More information on the official website.
  • Jun 15-18, ART BASEL. Art Basel showcases art of the 20th and 21st centuries and is one of the leading exhibitions in the international art market: about 250 selected galleries from all corners of the globe exhibit outstanding modern and contemporary works. Here is the official website.

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SEPTEMBER 2023

  • TBA, EDIT NAPOLI. Curated by Domitilla Dardi and Emilia Petruccelli, EDIT Napoli is the design exhibition created to support, promote and celebrate a new generation of designers, the designer.makers. For more information, visit the official website.

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OCTOBER 2023

  • Oct 4-8, DESIGNBLOK, Prague International Design Festival. Designblok, Prague International Design Festival is the largest design and fashion exhibition in Central Europe. It was founded in 1999 and each year presents new products from designers and manufacturers with an emphasis on Czech design and creations from Central European regions. Here is the program.
  • TBA, DESIGN WEEK MEXICO. The goal of Design Week Mexico is to share and empower socially responsible design as an agent of economic, social and cultural change that improves the quality of life by promoting innovation and healthy competition. To stay updated, visit the official website.

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NOVEMBER 2023

Cover WHY NOW? by Spotti, curated by Mr. Lawrence Studio, ph. Sean Davidson

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EDIT Napoli 2022, ph. Serena Eller Vainicher

Dopo le Open Call del 2023 ecco qui gli eventi da non perdere divisi per mese. Una selezione di festival e design week internazionali da segnare a calendario.

GENNAIO 2023

  • Dal 19 al 23, MAISON&OBJECT. A Parigi c’è Maison & Object, dal 19 al 23 gennaio 2023. Il tema dell’edizione di quest’anno sarà “Take Care!”. Oltre alla fiera sarà possibile partecipare ad una serie di eventi e mostre in città. Per maggiori informazioni visitate Maison & Object.
  • Dal 20 al 29, DesignTO Festival. A Torono, Canada, DesignTO Festival riunisce le persone per progettare un futuro migliore, più sostenibile, giusto e gioioso. Il Festival si svolge online e di persona nelle diverse location sparse per la città di Toronto. La maggior parte degli eventi e delle mostre sono gratuiti, ma alcuni richiedono RSVP o l’acquisto di un biglietto. Qui il programma DesignTO Festival.

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FEBBRAIO 2023

  • Dal 6 al 12, STOCKHOLM DESIGN WEEK. A Stoccolma dal 6 al 12 febbraio si tiene la Stockholm Design Week – nata come iniziativa della Stockholm Furniture Fair – una delle più grandi fiere del mobile del Nord Europa. Sparsi nel centro della città e oltre, gli addetti ai lavori e il pubblico sono invitati a partecipare a showroom, eventi di design, mostre, studi aperti e conferenze. Guarda il programma qui.
  • Dal 7 febbraio al 9 aprile, MADRID DESIGN FESTIVAL. Il Madrid Design Festival è un evento diffuso in tutta la città, che diventa lo strumento migliore per democratizzare il design e trasmettere l’importanza di una disciplina che trasforma le nostre vite quotidiane. Qui maggiori informazioni e la programmazione eventi.

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MARZO 2023

  • Dal 18 al 21 e dal 28 al 31, CIFF Guangzhou. Lanciata nel 1998 con 384 espositori, uno spazio espositivo di 45.000 mq e la partecipazione di oltre 20.000 buyer, CIFF, China International Furniture Fair torna per la 51esima edizione – per ora l’evento è confermato nonostante lo stato dell’epidemia in Cina. Qui tutto gli aggiornamenti.

 

APRILE 2023

  • Dal 18 al 23, MILAN DESIGN WEEK. Torna l’evento più importante per il mondo del Design, il Salone del Mobile e il Fuorisalone. Una settimana di eventi, mostre e talks che animano la città di Milano e fanno il punto sullo stato dell’arte del settore. Qui potete trovare il programma del Salone del Mobile e degli eventi in città di Fuorisalone.
  • Dal 25 al 29, BOGOTÀ DESIGN FESTIVAL. Il Bogotà Design Festival vuole porsi come una piattaforma per generare connessioni con il settore culturale e creativo. Per 4 giorni, innovazione e design si incontrano per promuovere il settore sia in ambito industriale che artigianale. Per maggiori informazioni visitate il sito.

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SaloneSatellite 2022, Salone del Mobile.Milano, ph. Ludovica Mangini

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MAGGIO 2023

  • Dal 18 al 28, MELBOURNE DESIGN WEEK. La Melbourne Design Week torna per animare i mesi invernali della capitale australiana. L’obbiettivo è celebrare il design con un programma di 11 giorni di conferenze, tour, mostre, lanci, installazioni e workshop. Qui maggiori dettagli.
  • Dal 20 maggio fino al 26 novembre, BIENNALE DI VENEZIA, Mostra Internazionale di Architettura. La Biennale di Architettura di quest’anno sarà curata dall’architetta, docente di architettura e scrittrice Lesley Lokko, che ha commentato: “Noi architetti abbiamo un’occasione unica per proporre idee ambiziose e creative che ci aiutino a immaginare un più equo e ottimistico futuro in comune”. Per saperne di più visitate il sito ufficiale.
  • Dal 21 al 23, ICFF + WantedDesign Manhattan. L’ICFF e WantedDesign Manhattan riuniscono oltre 300 marchi di design affermati ed emergenti provenienti da più di 25 paesi. Oltre alla fiera, i partecipanti avranno anche l’opportunità di trovare ispirazione attraverso ICFF + WantedDesign Manhattan Talks. Scoprite di più qui.
  • Dal 23 al 25, CLERKENWELL DESIGN WEEK. A maggio torna la Clerkenwell Design Week, una vetrina per brand e aziende leader del settore presentate attraverso una serie di eventi in showroom, mostre e installazioni speciali che si svolgono in tutta l’area. Qui il programma.

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GIUGNO 2023

  • Dal 7 al 9, 3DAYSOFDESIGN, Copenhagen. 3daysofdesign offre un palcoscenico unico per mostrare nuovi prodotti, brand e collectible design. Il pubblico comprende buyer internazionali, stilisti, stampa, architetti e amanti del design. Maggiori informazioni sul sito ufficiale.
  • Dal 15 al 18, ART BASEL. Art Basel mette in mostra l’arte del XX e XXI secolo ed è una delle principali fiere del mercato internazionale dell’arte: circa 250 gallerie selezionate, provenienti da ogni angolo del pianeta, espongono opere moderne e contemporanee di grandissima qualità. Qui il sito ufficiale.

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SETTEMBRE 2023

  • Data da definire, EDIT NAPOLI. Curata da Domitilla Dardi e Emilia Petruccelli, EDIT Napoli è la fiera del design nata per sostenere, promuovere e celebrare una nuova generazione di progettisti, i designer-maker. Per maggiori informazioni visitate il sito ufficiale.

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OTTOBRE 2023

  • Dal 4 all’8, DESIGNBLOK, Prague International Design Festival. Designblok, Prague International Design Festival è la più grande fiera di design e moda dell’Europa centrale. È stata fondata nel 1999 e ogni anno presenta nuovi prodotti di designer e produttori con un’enfasi particolare sul design ceco e le creazioni dalle regioni dell’Europa centrale. Qui il programma.
  • Data da definire, DESIGN WEEK MEXICO. L’obbiettivo della Design Week Mexico è condividere e potenziare il design socialmente responsabile come agente di cambiamento economico, sociale e culturale che migliora la qualità della vita promuovendo innovazione e sana concorrenza. Per rimanere aggiornati visitate il sito ufficiale.

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NOVEMBRE 2023

Cover WHY NOW? by Spotti, curated by Mr. Lawrence Studio, ph. Sean Davidson

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EDIT Napoli 2022, ph. Serena Eller Vainicher

With its third edition, Isola design district presents itself again as a place of discoveries for Fuorisalone 2019, from the 9th to the 14th of April. The aim is to establish itself as a community of emerging designers and students, Italians and international, with a focus on innovation and research. The theme of this year, Unlimited Design, wants to come as a provocation. The goal is clear, celebrate design in all of its forms, a very current subject at the moment.
«We want the locations in the Isola district, during Milan Design Week, to be always more open to experimentation and the contamination of different knowledge and disciplines. – explains Gabriele Cavallaro, co-founder of Blank and project manager of the event – We want to push the product and it’s function, continuing the story that has characterized the event from the first edition.»

The 2019 Design Week will see a widespread presence in the heart of the Fuorisalone of the technologies born out of 3M™ Science. 3M will be, in fact, the main partner of the event and the protagonist of Stecca 3.0, presenting also a suggestive installation by the architect Paola Silvia Coronel, Global Consultant of 3M. Located in Via de Castillia 26, the location will also host a true and proper Design Village, showcasing, amongst others, Belgian designer Lien Van Deuren, Campidarte, Gard Hagen and Jonas Carlsen with a project curated by StudentDesign. Visitors will be able to taste drinks from the first 3D-printed bar designed by Caracol Studio (previously on WeVux), printed with a robotic arm system. It will all be illuminated by Delta Light’s Superloop lamps; Loom’s poufs and chairs will furnish the area. The space will also host daily events, during day and night, starting with Unlimited Design Talks; six days of lectures, talks and workshops.

For their first exhibition in Europe, the Australian DesignByThem chooses the residence for artist VIAFARINI, via Farini 35, as location. In the space Key Gallery in via Borsieri 12, Fioroni will present their collection of products designed by Italian and Swiss architects and designers, amongst them act_romegialli, CCRZ, Studio Guscetti, Pasquini Tranfa architects. Also Galleria Giovanni Bonelli Gallery opens the doors of its space to the world of design, hosting the installations of the designer Alessandro Zambelli. Another new entry, Studio Apeiron, will show, in a location in via Pepe 36, their new line of eco friendly experimental furniture.

From Northern Europe arrive two design academies: in v. Pastrengo 7 there will be a group of masters students from the Royal Danish Academy of Fine Arts, Architecture, Design and Conservation (KADK) and in Studio Vundes, Via Confalonieri 11, the exhibition organised by the students of the University of Lapland, Faculty of Art and Design.

The presence of local craftsmen is also strong this year, among which stands out the name of Pietro Algranti, with his Algranti LAB. Among others, in Isola you will be also able to find projects by FRATTINIFRILLI, German studio Kumi Mood, STUDIO OINK, April Key, Maurizio Nazzaretto, Sanne Visser and more.

Like every year, the Opening Day is set for Tuesday, with events in all the main locations of the district.

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On the occasion of Fuorisalone 2018, House Design Group and Lombrello presented #MyTravelHome: a collection of objects created by Italian designers and artists who love tradition set in our contemporary life.

“We live on a continuous journey between online and offline accompanied by the desire to return home and then leave again. Purchases made on the web are related to the curiosity of discovering new places as well as new materials, shapes, lights and colors able to tell stories related to the national tradition and craftsmanship.”

 

House Design Group selects objects that tell a unique history of what we find among our territories and that brings us the experiences of the multitude of cultures that crowds this country. During Milan Design Week 2018, Lombrello re-proposed the successful format of Design Week 2017: sponsored by the City of Milan, “Il Carretto 2018” expanded its selection of objects in collaboration with House Design Group.

Designers & Artists: Irene Balia, Ilaria Bianchi, Matteo Cugnasca, Martina Di Paolo, Eva Failla, Roberto Fanari, Cristian Loddo, Matilde Losi, Astrid Luglio, Studio Mandalaki, Isato Prugger, Enoc Side, Giulia Soldati

Visit Lombrello to know more about House Design Group collection!

 

All Rights Reserved to House Design Group and Lombrello

For the upcoming 2018th Milan Design Week, Isola Design District is coming back: young designers, artisans and emerging brands will be part of the Isola neighbourhood with exhibitions, installations, workshops and events from the 17th to the 22nd April.

Playing with “Isola” (island) meaning, Zup Design, in collaboration with the award-winning designer and creative director Marco Williams Fagioli, got inspiration from the iconographic tradition of piracy, to create a strong and recognizable brand identity represented by a crusader flag. The brand new image wants to communicate the spirit of a young and rebel district, marked for its strong experimental footprint and opened to welcome young designers and innovative projects. The common thread among the expositions will be the theme, defined in two words, Rethinking Materials. The goal of the organization is, indeed, to showcase projects that have highlighted the versatility of certain materials: using them for the first time in this field, with an application different from the traditional one or in projects with a focus on environmental sustainability. Compared to last year, the local activities and symbolic places of the neighborhood involved will increase, expanding the district perimeter.

The headquarter of Isola Design District 2018 will be Stecca 3.0 completed by a main info point and a press lounge set by RivaViva. The ground floor will include Latinoamerican design exhibition organized by eiDesign in collaboration with Lacod.org and a team of 10 Latin American designers. In the outdoor area of Stecca 3.0, just in the shade of Vertical Forest Skyscraper, visitors will find couple installations: URBAN CLUB, a project that aims to evaluate possible future scenarios of public space: a collection of contemporary furnishings for public spaces completely renewed. The other installation will be a 3D Printed Playground – project by Caracol Studio – which proposes the live creation of a playground for children, whose components will be printed in 3D by a robotic arm using 100% recycled and recyclable materials.

 

 

For the first time this year, Palazzo Lombardia will take part to the Milan Design Week. This amazing location will welcome several projects, among them Glimpses of German Design Trends, a project realized by Camera Di Commercio Italo-Germanica and sponsor of the event. Furthermore, the 39th floor of Palazzo Lombardia will be opened all week long and will host the Design Answer exposition, organized in collaboration with ADI Lombardia. The show will involve a selection of prize-winning design pieces won through different editions of Compasso d’Oro.

At Spazio Maraniello on Viale Stelvio 66, Brut, a group of six emerging designers from Belgium, will make his debut in Milan Design Week with Bold Movements & Emotions Beyond Functionality. The components of the collective Ben Storms, Bram Vanderbeke, Cedric Etienne, Charlotte Jonckheer, Linde Freya Tangelder and Nel Verbeke chose coal as the main element of the exhibition. At Giuseppe Pero Gallery, on Via Porro Lambertenghi 3, visitors will find another collective, this time Italian-Brazilian: Giorgio Bonaguro, Ronald Scliar Sasson and Gustavo Martini, who just won the Next Generation Designer of the Year by Wallpaper * and Officine Panerai. Here the main material will be marble.

At Spazio RivaViva, in addition to the exclusive woodwork furniture designed by the historical brand, the furniture created by the designers of “Scuola di Sarajevo”- signed by characters such as Salih Teskeredzic and Mustafa Cohadizic – will challenge for the first “RivaViva Eco Awards”, a prize to assign to the best ecological furniture. An event where design, health and sustainability are put into competition. Source, which has already been one of the protagonists last year, this edition will be in a new location, ZonaK, on Via Spalato 11. Here Source will present Lovely Waste, an exhibitive event on circular economy, sustainability (product and process) and technology, which will have as main protagonist a project on the recovery of waste production developed for the Tuscan company WooClass, manufacturer of wood glasses. With recycled materials has been produced also the bottle of Vodka AnestasiA, designed by the eclectic New York-based designer Karim Rashid, which will be exhibited in the Headquarter’s lounge area. Of course you can also try the vodka, thanks to the drinks made by our bartenders and the dedicated event on Friday 20th, with DJ Set by AFTERJESUS B2B.

The aforementioned events are just a selection and among these, the first one you cannot miss is the Opening Day expected for Tuesday, April 17th: all the locations around the district will stay opened until, at least, 9pm. The Headquarter will officially open its doors to visitors with two speeches, welcome drinks, two live concerts and two DJ sets until midnight. On the same day, you will be able to visit the Palazzo della Regione, including its Belvedere, from 6pm to 10pm, to discover all the dedicated installations.

 

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Are you ready for Milan Design Week 2018?! WeVux already introduced the new Ventura Future and the second edition of Ventura Centrale and now it’s Brera Design District time. From 17 to 22 April, during Fuorisalone 2018, the theme of events, cultural initiatives and projects organized in Brera will be “Be Human: designing with empathy”. Empathy is the ability to identify and understand needs, basic and essential in the work of a designer.

Do not miss “Brazilian design, from modernism to today”, in Via Maroncelli. The title is also the main concept of the Brazilian Pavillion during Milan Design Week. 65 designers and companies describe how Brazilian design has been sophisticated and creative over time. Lago presents in its Appartamento, Via Brera 30, “Never stop looking Beyond”  the exhibition curated by Italianism: 40 patterns created by young Italian talents dress up the space. At Eataly Milano Smeraldo there is Mi.Orto, an off-ground urban architecture project that aims to bring agriculture closer to the city.And finally Hidden Garden: a secret garden by Pierattelli Architetture that leads to Piazza Gae Aulenti.

“The Brera Design District fits in the broader picture set forth by the Administration to bring the liveliness and creativity of the Design Week to all the city districts, confident that these are not just opportunities for operatives and professionals to exhibit their work or meet with each other, but rather occasions to offer the city and its inhabitants the opportunity to discover new creative languages and young talents in harmony with the many artisans and businesses present in the neighbourhood, ”Cristina Tajani, Councillor for Employment Policies, Manufacturing Activities, Fashion and Design, explains. “The Design Week continues to grow in the city as well as throughout the entire metropolitan area of Milan. The gatherings and the liveliness in the areas of design are increasingly attractive. A result obtained thanks to the choral work between the City of Milan and the various professionals united by the desire to promote Milan in the name of creativity and innovation.”

 

(via domus)

Workbays Village is the result of a collaboration between Vitra and ECAL/Ecole Cantonale d’Art de Lausanne. Master Product Design students hack the modular office system Workbays, designed by Ronan and Erwan Bouroullec. Consisting of wall elements made out of pressed polyester felt and held together by slim aluminium profiles, the office system was launched by Vitra in 2012.

Led by Camille Blin and Erwan Bouroullec himself, the students reinterpretate the system and propose adaptions to address contemporary needs. “The ECAL students suggested we devised new typologies for these working environments, adding novel features and supplying them with new accessories”, says Camille Blin.

 

 

The complete “village” is composed by nine bays and seven objects devised by the students. On display at Port des Créateurs during Design Parade Toulon, the exhibition is open to the public until September 24th 2017.

Circuit Carpet by Sara Regal: “Made of two separate layers of grooved rubber and felt, this carpet allows the electric cabling to run discreetly throughout the workspace.”

Bluetooth Speaker by Hugo Chaffiotte: “This Bluetooth speaker can be clipped on to the Workbays walls directly or set on the work surfaces as required.”

Bar Bay by Sara de Campos: “Relying on the Workbays assembly principle, this new bar typology enables office staff to cook and have lunch within a single compact space.”

In & Out Bin by Yeyeon Park: “As it is directly fitted into the Workbays felt walls, this bin system saves on floor space and allows the user to access the bin from either inside or outside the unit.”

Capsule Bay by Antoine Chauvin: “Modelled on the famous capsule hotels that can be found in Tokyo this raised Workbay offers two single bedrooms for napping or even sleeping at your place of work.”

Divider Bay by Hiroyuki Morita: “These partitions rely on the various Workbays component elements to create a simple, lightweight typology.”

Standing Help by Christian Holweck: “This high stool is ergonomically designed while remaining simple and elegant.”

Farm Bay, Paula Cermeno: “Like a small plant oasis bursting forth in an often impersonal working environment, this new Workbays typology includes a trellis for office flora to bloom.”

Hacking Bay by Aleksandra Szewc: “A few straightforward additions to the Workbays felt wall provide bicycle-parking, coat-hanging and toolsorting facilities.”

XS Bay & Pins by Sumegha Mantri: “This desk wall makes use of the various Workbays component elements to provide a customisable and coherent way to break down large worktables. Different accessories such as drawing pins and vases are added to this wall.”

Plug & Tray by Maxime Augay: “This multisocket cleverly conceals the unsightly wire tangles under a built-in tray.”

Stadium Bay by Adrien Cugulliere: “Four lamps modelled on stadium floodlights have been integrated into the Workbays as an extension to the aluminium profiles. They produce uniform lighting over the whole working area.”

Leather Bag by Nicolas de Vismes: “Once it’s opened out, this leather bag becomes a desk pad and customizes any user’s workspace.”

Workout Bay by Paul Louda: “Fitted on to the Workbays structure, various pieces of apparatus allow office staff to work out at their place of work.”

Magnetic Lamp by Yen-Hao Chu: “Running along the grooves that punctuate the Workbays felt walls, this small lamp slides sideways to provide extra lighting where it is needed.”

Nap Bay by Yasunori Morinaga: “With the addition of a curtain system and a mattress, this Workbay provides some privacy within a shared space in the form of a daybed.”

 

All rights reserved to ECAL/Ecole Cantonale d’Art de Lausanne.

“The Factory 4.0 is considered as one of the greatest challenges we will see in the coming years, a new way to design and produce that has as its key concepts the digital manufacturing, intelligent and distributed.”

Caracol Design Studio team – previously on WeVux –  exhibited during Milan Design Week ’17 their latest project focused on post-industrial design: two installations, one at BASE Milano and one at Isola Design district to challenge the approach to design through the help of a new way of looking at the potential of technology. An interesting approach “on the interactions between man and object, between man and machine. We are carrying out an operation of relocation, industrial machine leaves the factory and mass production to become a spontaneous and natural extension of the human gesture, necessary and dictated by the evolution of technique.”

 

 

The installation at Isola Design District wanted to present the creative process to realize “unique clay artifacts through an additive manufacturing process executed by a 6-axis robotic arm.” The final pieces have been post-produced live by Jelena Djakonovic, artist and designer from Belgrad, to connect the two different modus operandi, apparently opposite but “deeply connected and able to cross the line between art and design…The rhythm established by a continuous digital/analog alternating transports the audience into a narrative that brings to light the more human and fascinating aspects of digital fabrication, a process that begins with the man, passes through the machine and ends in the hands of the artist.”

At BASE Milano, in the spaces managed by CNA – National Confederation of Handicrafts – Caracol participated with their project, carried along with Wemake: ROBOTRIP. Thanks to it they explore further applications of robots to find new way of use. ” The research is focused on the creative use of robotics technology in new application for art and design”. The model exhibited was Kuka Robot, “an industrial robotic arm that became a creative tool that does not crush the handicraft, but helps it to get into the new industrial revolution.”

Visit their page to know more and see all their projects!

 

All Rights Reserved to WeVux and Caracol Design Studio

Images by Caracol Design Studio and Giovanni Aponte

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WeVux was born in Milan and this year we have been visiting the Milan Design Week for the 6th consecutive edition because it’s one of the best event in the design world and it offers a huge range of projects and inspirations. Unfortunately since the latest years we are witnesses of a dangerous trend spreading all over the city and no one is talking about it:  how did Fuorisalone change in relation to design and business? We decided to ask this question to Margriet Vollenberg, the founder of Ventura Projects – a healthy example of how design can help a city.

“The Milan design week and Fuorisalone is and it has always been huge communication operation. Designers, design schools and companies come to Milan  to present their projects, take contacts and start commercial relations. Making money through design and forgetting technologies and innovation at the same time is not and should not be the aim of the Milan  design week. Years ago everything became design, just for marketing purposes, design became an expedient to sell any product, but this is not what the Milan design week does and this is not its value,  even if there are of course some companies which attempts to do it and to ride this wave…

Ventura Projects are curated exhibitions because they present designers who have good ideas, valuable projects and know that  innovation, technologies, style are the milestones of the work and business of a design studio or of a design company.

Maybe this is a purist vision of design but it is also a quality guarantee…”

A positive example of what design and business can do comes from Ventura Projects itself: the district has contributed to the urban regeneration of Lambrate, former industrial area; every year emerging designers, academies, design collectives and companies choose the district to present their best projects to the world. Moreover, the 2017 edition saw the collaboration with established designers in Ventura Centrale. Margriet told us: “Ventura Lambrate is a lively and very “democratic” design festival, while with Centrale we were looking for a more sophisticated and “protected” environment.” This project is located under the Stazione Centrale’s rails, inside five 300-square-meter warehouses, abandoned for years and previously used as rails deposits. Exactly as Lambrate, Ventura opens the doors to another part of the city, part of Milan identity.

We have to remember the role of design and its potential during big events such as Fuorisalone to protect the authenticity of them and their contents. We hope that Milan Design Week will survive as it is and will help more the city. In the gallery you will find a selection of photos focused on the spaces of Fuorisalone.

Images by WeVux, Ventura Projects and Touring Club

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This year Brera Design District took inspiration from Bruno Munari for its theme, “to design is a game and to play is a project” – quote that refers to his universe related to the Milan designers.

Among the others, the not-to-be-missed events were the one by Timberland which was presenting its new Boat Shoe, designed with Matteo Cibic; Gea installation designed by dotdotdot in collaboration with Opendot. An interesting retrospective on Aldo Rossi, Aldo Rossi e Milano 1955-1995 at Fondazione Ordine degli Architetti PPC di Milano in Via Solferino, and in Via Palermo Agape and Agapecasa with The Orange Line and Counterbalance: the Design Poetry of Angelo Mangiarotti. “White in the City” filled the Pinacoteca di Brera courtyard and arcades of installations by architects such as Giulio Cappellini, David Chipperfield, Daniel Libeskind, Patricia Urquiola, Stefano Boeri, Marco Piva and Zaha Hadid.

 

Images by WeVux, Icon, Collateral

For XXI Triennale International Exhibition Milan 2016, Yoichi Nakamuta and Tim Power, respectively indipendent curator and founder of Studio Power, were asked to show the “Made in Asia by Asian Designers”.”The 12 selected designers have ‘a voice’ coming from Asia and they’re strenuously expressing an original creativity.” Alamak! is an exclamation that you may hear in South-East Asia and Japan and it can be translated as “Oh my God!” or “What a surprise!”. In using this word we tend to express astonishment to what happens around us. To know more, visit the official website!

All Rights Reserved to alamak!project

Milano Design Award is the official prize for Fuorisalone events, from this year the project was shared and promoted by the Milan Fuorisalone Committee. This prize is given according to four categories: concept, technology, storytelling, engagement (and not product or designer).

The 2016 edition winners are: “Shit Evolution” with the official prize, from the Museo della Merda, Luca Cipelletti. The best concept prize went to a Boring Collection di Lensvelt Contract; best technology to a Data Orchestra – Jelle Mastenbroek; best storytelling a The Nature of Motion, Nike; best engagement to Imagine new days – Aisin and chosen by the public KUKAN for Panasonic.

 

Bas Vellekoop is a designer we met at Dutch Design Week 2015, in Eindhoven. His products stricts and beautiful surprised us so we decided to interview him.

-Hi Bas! Tell us something about you.

I’m a The Hague-based designer and interior architect (1985), I graduated in 2010 from the Royal Academy of Arts in The Hague. I worked with several offices as an interior architect/designer and since I was young I had a constant fascination for design and architecture. Even when I was strolling through the city with my grandparents I was staring at buildings I thought were pretty.

-What is your approach to a new product?

I always want to add something. Mostly that’s about finding new exciting ways of working with materials, machines and people. I use craftmanship and state-of-the-art, hard and software and combine these two in new products. The structural parts are usually exposed, creating a defining element of the aesthetics and the rest of the design. Even the smallest detail should add something to the whole concept or design.

-Where do you usually get your inspiration? 

I get a lot of inspiration from real craftsmanship, like a woodworker or stonemasons. I love how they are able to work with materials and machines, I work with them, I translate their knowledge and I challenge them to apply it in new ways. Besides that, a big inspiration are designers that create simple but clever design products.

-Why you create FOLD? What inspired you?

Fold is created for the personal need of a new table and a constant desire to design and explore new fabrication ways. It’s hard to phocus on one thing that inspired me for this table, there are a lot of factors involved in creating it and letting it evolve to what it is now. You could say its inspired by the intelligent simplicity that you can see in Dieter Rams’ and Prouvé’s design.

-What is the process you followed to develop FOLD?

It’s a process of getting to know different ways of fabrication and see how I can apply them. Beside that, there’s also a study about shape, function and usability. It’s always a struggle to explore what you have to add or get rid off in your design, and keep what’s essential. The table has a role but it shouldn’t dominate the space.

Thank You Bas! Good luck!

 

If you are inspired by Bas’ design don’t forget to check his website!

All Rights Reserved to WeVUX

All Images © Bas Vellekoop

Ormai alla sua sesta edizione, l’evento comprende la zona che va dai Bastioni di Porta Nuova a via Broletto, da via Legnano fino a via Montenapoleone, nella precedente edizione del Fuorisalone ha totalizzato più di 136 eventi con un passaggio di 140mila persone, oltre a 50.000 visite sul sito www.breradesigndistrict.it per un totale di 170mila visualizzazioni, 1.348 tweet e 4.200 immagini instagram con #breradesigndistrict.

Il tema del 2015 è “Progetto Forma Identità” e si basa sul concetto di riconoscibilità: è necessario investire sulla formazione per mettere delle basi, queste saranno l’inizio di un percorso per sviluppare una capacità progettuale. Non c’è identità senza progetto e quel che unisce le due espressioni sono la formazione, l’apprendimento, la conoscenza.

Per vedere come è stato sviluppato il concetto alla base del Brera Design District 2015 non c’è cosa migliore che recarsi sul posto! Qui una piccola preview di quello che potrete trovare!

Superstudiopiù Group festeggia i suoi 15 anni con una mostra di circa 10mila metri quadrati, il SuperDesign Show.

Negli spazi di via Tortona 27 dal 13 al 19 aprile sarà possibile ammirare un Temporary Museum, con sculture da tutte le parti del mondo, molti allestimenti tra cui un’installazione di Marcel Wanders per LG Hausys, una scultura cinetica di Reuben Margolin per Hyundai. Ci saranno spazi dedicati ai grandi brand internazionali del design come Red Star Macalline, Former, Asahi Glass, altri dedicati agli arredi per bambini, concentrati nella zona KID.S., ai tessuti nell’area SuperTextile, ai materiali per l’edilizia e gli interni con la mostra Material Connection.

Ecco qui un piccolo assaggio di quello che troverete andando lì di persona!

 

 

La settimana del design è passata e ora siamo invasi di volantini e biglietti da visita di cui ci ricordiamo a malapena l’occasione in cui li abbiamo presi e il  perchè sono finiti proprio nella nostra borsa. E facendo ordine proprio tra tuttao ciò, ho ritrovato il depliant di Droog Design. Questo famoso nome del design ha aperto le porte di un luogo meraviglioso nel quartiere di San Gregorio per il Fuorisalone, facendo bella vista di un progetto tutto particolare (e forse un po’ chic). Parlo del “Rijksmuseum: Rijksstudio m2”, ovvero la trasposizione delle opere del famoso museo di Amsterdam su oggetti di design fino a comporre un appartamento poco sobrio ma molto divertente. Troviamo così un vero e proprio studio, piccolo appartamento in cui la ricchezza della collezione del museo risuona dal pavimento al soffitto. I mobili, in se per abbastanza neutri e minimal, vengono messi in forte contrasto con lo spazio corcostante, decoratissimo e colorato. Tutto ricalca qualche dettaglio di un quadro, dalla vasca da bagno alla finta tappezzeria sui muri.  

Che aggiungere, tanta fantasia ma anche molta semplicità ,la storia dell’arte in un design contemporaneo.

Per saperne di più andate sul sito .

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The Salone and Fuorisalone from our young-designers perspective!

Milan Design Week is approaching and there are more and more events to attend (perhaps even too many for a seven-day experience). In this Milanese week – which goes beyond the city boundaries with Alcova at Villa Borsani and Villa Bagatti Valsecchi in Varedo – it is easy to get lost in Instagrammable installations and exhibitions without quality content. Precisely for these reasons, WeVux proposes a list of events you can’t miss during this edition of Fuorisalone. (Cover Isola Design Festival 2024)

Starting from the southern part of the city, there will be DOPO? space (Subway M3 line, Porto di Mare stop) presenting the project RUNAWAYS: through exhibitions, experimental spatial practices and a dedicated public program, the space will address the effects of Design Week on the ongoing housing crisis in Milan – one of the themes we talked about last year. Four designers will create temporary structures that will be inhabited by a community of runaways. The group, selected through an open call and coming from different disciplines, will receive hospitality in exchange for contributions or activities based on their skills and interests.

BASE Milano (Tortona area, M2 line, Porta Genova stop) will also investigate the same urgent theme of the housing crisis with a parallel project. The space will in fact present “The Convivial Laboratory – Camp”, a collective experiment that will propose a temporary cohabitation for a group of 20 participants in the cultural centre’s terrace from 12 to 23 April. BASE and DOPO? will propose an exchange of practices and moments of shared discussion on the topic. From 15 to 21 April 2024, We Will Design also returns to BASE Milano, the experimental laboratory platform that since 2021 has welcomed and promoted projects by designers from all over the world, schools, universities and international institutions.

Not far from BASE Milano, more precisely in the Darsena area, there will be Design Variations 2024, which will have as its new venue a 3,000-square-metre garage, an icon of modern architecture, located in the historic area of Milan. The installation is curated by Park Associati with a creative design of modular hemp-cement bricks that will be reused after the event.

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Dopo? Space, MDW 2023, ph. Francesco Stelitano

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In the southern part of the city, in Piazza Olivetti (M3 line, Lodi stop), it will be possible to see the project ‘Linee d’Ombra – vivere la piazza’ by Alessandra Mauri and Giuliana Zoppis of Best UP, with the patronage of the Ministry for the Environment and Energy Security, the Municipality of Milan and ADI – Lombardy Delegation. The project aims to answer the question: “Why is shading vital in today’s cities?”, and it does so concretely by choosing a square in Milan – Piazza Olivetti – and through an event for the city with a functioning market, workshop-performances and moments of conviviality, scheduled from Friday 19 to Sunday 21 April.

Not far from Piazza Olivetti, at the Fondazione ICA space, Formafantasma will present La Casa Dentro, an exhibition comprising a series of furniture and light objects that explore themes of personal identity and collective memory. The works critically address the canons of Modernism, highlighting its gendered nature and rootedness in a conservative conception of masculinity.

Returning to the theme of living, The Glith Camp is a free campsite that will be set up in the football pitch of the ‘Enrico Cappelli Savorelli’ Sports Centre (Tibaldi area). Thanks to the collaboration with the Municipality of Milan and Milanosport, the Istituto Europeo di Design (IED) will contribute to making the Fuorisalone week accessible to young people from all over the world. The campsite will host up to 100 people and will be equipped with Ferrino tents, each one with a “perfect sleep kit” by Ikea Italia which, for the occasion, will provide everything needed to make rest and stay more comfortable.

TERRASZA, the new phygital platform exclusively dedicated to Outdoor Design presents the first edition of TERRASZA MILANO at the evocative Giardino di Alik Cavaliere (via E. De Amicis 17). An itinerant and international project to create a circuit of showrooms and events among the leading brands in the furnishing sector.

In the city centre, at Palazzo Clerici, Porsche presents the ‘Lines of Flight’ installation by the Numen/For Use design collective, a large suspended net to be climbed, a monumental interactive artwork inspired by the iconic houndstooth motif.

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Linee d’Ombra, ph. courtesy

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At the Museo Bagatti Valsecchi (Via Gesù, M3 line, Montenapoleone stop) Formafantasma return together with Prada with the third edition of Prada Frames, from 14 to 16 April. “Being Home” examines the living environment as a framework to address contemporary challenges. The home is not merely a source of comfort; it acts as a shelter and an infrastructure of services. This constantly evolving space is also where socio-economic norms have historically been shaped. 

Isola Design Festival returns to the Fuorisalone with installations, events, workshops, live performances and talks hosted in over 40 locations, including 3 main hubs: Lampo Milano, WAO PL7 and Stecca 3.0 – and five exhibitions curated by Isola’s creative team led by Elif Resitoglu (creative director of Isola Design Group) and other guest curators. With the aim of connecting different cultures and countries, Isola Design Festival will also present at Galleria Bonelli (via Luigi Porro Lambertenghi 6) collaborations with partners from Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates, through the exhibition “Routes to Roots” conceived for Tanween (Ithra Creativity Conference) and “Anatolia” presented for the first time at Downtown Dubai – which we talked about here.

Other events at the Isola Design Festival include: KeepLife (via Confalonieri 21), which is back with the third call for “Bestiario”, a collection of furnishing accessories in the shape of animals (real or imaginary) created by designers from all over the world – here is the project – and the Around the table installation by Masquespacio (via Luigi Porro Lambertenghi 3).

Also worth mentioning is ID.exe, the Fuorisalone diffuse district by DOS Design Open Space, which will explore the theme “Shaped by Design” through a selection of projects, prototypes, and interactive installations. The event will not only be an exhibition, but also a platform for dialogue and learning, with workshops, conferences and meetings that will allow the public to interact directly with designers and experts from each sector. Also part of the programme is the diffuse exhibition ‘Peripheral Design‘, which will showcase some of the protagonists of WeVux’s Materials Design Map.

Other locations not to be missed at Fuorisalone 2024 will be: Dropcity – with exhibitions, installations, lectures, workshops and initiatives related to the theme of process in Architecture and Design; the Casa degli Artisti – with a collective exhibition bringing together designers, studios, universities, brands and galleries from all over Switzerland; the second edition of the LABÒ project, curated by The Design Blender, in the Barona district; and for light enthusiasts there is Brokis, which will present three new collections at the Eurostyling showroom (via Locatelli 6).

To discover the various locations and exhibitions of Fuorisalone 2024, follow WeVux on Instagram!

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Dopo? Space, MDW 2023, ph. Louis de Belle

Come ogni anno si avvicina la Milano Design Week e gli eventi a cui partecipare sono sempre di più (forse anche un po’ troppi in 7 giorni di manifestazione). In questa settimana Milanese – che si spinge oltre i confini della città con Alcova presso Villa Borsani e Villa Bagatti Valsecchi, a Varedo – è facile perdersi in installazioni instagrammabili e mostre senza contenuti di qualità. Proprio per queste ragioni, WeVux propone una lista di eventi da non perdere durante questa edizione del Fuorisalone. (Copertina Isola Design Festival 2024)

Partendo dalla zona sud della città ci sarà DOPO? space (Linea M3, fermata Porto di Mare) che presenta il progetto RUNAWAYS: attraverso mostre, un public program e pratiche spaziali sperimentali, lo spazio vuole indagare gli effetti della Design Week sulla crisi abitativa in corso a Milano – uno dei temi di cui abbiamo parlato l’anno scorso. Quattro designer, italiani e internazionali, realizzeranno delle strutture temporanee che saranno abitate da una comunità di runaways. Questi ultimi, selezionati tramite open call e provenienti da diverse discipline, ricevono ospitalità in cambio di contributi o prestazioni sulla base delle loro competenze e interessi.

Anche BASE Milano (zona Tortona, Linea M2, fermata Porta Genova) indagherà con un progetto parallelo lo stesso urgente tema della crisi dell’abitare. Lo spazio presenterà infatti “The Convivial Laboratory – Camp”, un esperimento collettivo che proporrà una convivenza temporanea per un gruppo di 20 partecipanti che abiteranno la terrazza del centro culturale dal 12 al 23 aprile. BASE e DOPO? proporranno uno scambio di pratiche e momenti di discussione condivisa sul tema. Dal 15 al 21 aprile 2024 torna a BASE Milano anche We Will Design, la piattaforma-laboratorio sperimentale che dal 2021 accoglie e promuove progetti di designer da tutto il mondo, scuole, università e istituzioni internazionali.

Poco distante da BASE Milano, più precisamente in zona Darsena, ci sarà Design Variations 2024 che avrà come nuova sede un garage di 3.000 metri quadrati, icona dell’architettura moderna, situato nella storica zona di Milano. L’allestimento è curato da Park Associati con un progetto creativo di mattoni modulari in canapa-cemento che saranno riutilizzati dopo l’evento.

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Dopo? Space, MDW 2023, ph. Francesco Stelitano

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Sempre a sud, in Piazza Olivetti (Linea M3, fermata Lodi), sarà possibile vedere il progetto “Linee d’Ombra – vivere la piazza”, progetto di Alessandra Mauri e Giuliana Zoppis di Best UP, con il patrocinio di Ministero dell’Ambiente e della Sicurezza Energetica, Comune di Milano e di ADI – Delegazione Lombardia. Il progetto si propone di rispondere alla domanda: “Perché ombreggiare è di vitale importanza nelle città odierne?”, e lo fa concretamente scegliendo una piazza a Milano – Piazza Olivetti appunto – e attraverso un evento per la città con mercato funzionante, workshop-performance e momenti di convivialità, in programma da venerdì 19 a domenica 21 aprile.

Poco distante da Piazza Olivetti, presso lo spazio di Fondazione ICA, Formafantasma presenterà La Casa Dentro, una mostra che comprende una serie di mobili e oggetti luminosi che esplorano i temi dell’identità personale e della memoria collettiva. Le opere affrontano criticamente i canoni del Modernismo, evidenziandone la natura di genere e il radicamento in una concezione conservatrice della mascolinità.

Tornando al tema dell’abitare, The Glith Camp è un campeggio gratuito che verrà allestito nel campo da calcio del Centro Sportivo “Enrico Cappelli Savorelli” (zona Tibaldi). Grazie alla collaborazione con il Comune di Milano e Milanosport, l’Istituto Europeo di Design (IED) contribuirà a rendere accessibile la settimana del Fuorisalone a giovani di provenienza internazionale. Il campeggio ospiterà fino a 100 persone e sarà equipaggiato da tende Ferrino, ciascuna equipaggiata da un “kit per il sonno perfetto” a cura di Ikea Italia che, per l’occasione, predisporrà tutto l’occorrente per rendere più confortevole il riposo e il soggiorno.

TERRASZA, la nuova piattaforma phygital esclusivamente dedicata all’Exterior Design presenta la prima edizione di TERRASZA MILANO presso il suggestivo Giardino di Alik Cavaliere (via E. De Amicis 17). Un progetto inedito, itinerante e internazionale, nato per creare un circuito di showroom ed eventi tra i principali brand del settore dell’arredo.

In zona centro, a Palazzo Clerici, Porsche presenta l’installazione “Lines of Flight”, del collettivo di designer Numen/For Use, una grande rete sospesa da scalare, un’opera d’arte interattiva monumentale ispirata al motivo iconico del pied-de-poule pepita.

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Linee d’Ombra, ph. courtesy

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Presso il Museo Bagatti Valsecchi (Via Gesù, Linea M3, fermata Montenapoleone) tornano i Formafantasma insieme a Prada con la terza edizione di Prada Frames, dal 14 al 16 aprile. “Being Home” esamina la casa come riferimento per affrontare le sfide contemporanee: non solo una fonte di comfort, ma un rifugio e un’infrastruttura di servizi. Questo spazio in costante evoluzione è anche il luogo in cui storicamente si sono formate le norme socioeconomiche.

Isola Design Festival torna al Fuorisalone con installazioni, eventi, workshop, live performance e talk ospitati in oltre 40 location, inclusi 3 hub principali: Lampo Milano, WAO PL7 e Stecca 3.0 – e cinque mostre curate dal team creativo di Isola guidato da Elif Resitoglu (direttrice creativa di Isola Design Group) e da altri guest curator. Con l’obiettivo di mettere in connessione culture e paesi diversi, Isola Design Festival presenterà presso la Galleria Bonelli (via Luigi Porro Lambertenghi 6) anche le collaborazioni con partner dell’Arabia Saudita e degli Emirati Arabi Uniti, attraverso la mostra “Routes to Roots” concepita per Tanween (Ithra Creativity Conference) e “Anatolia” presentata per la prima volta a Downtown Dubai – di cui abbiamo parlato qui.

Tra gli altri eventi di Isola Design Festival segnaliamo: KeepLife (via Confalonieri 21) che torna con la terza call di “Bestiario”, una collezione di complementi d’arredo a forma di animale (reale o fantastico) progettati da designer provenienti da tutte le parti del mondo – qui il progetto – e l’installazione Around the table di Masquespacio (via Luigi Porro Lambertenghi 3).

Da menzionare anche ID.exe, il distretto diffuso del Fuorisalone firmato DOS Design Open Space, che esplorerà il tema “Shaped by Design” attraverso una selezione di progetti, prototipi, e installazioni interattive. L’evento non sarà solo un’esposizione, ma anche una piattaforma di dialogo e apprendimento, con workshop, conferenze e incontri che permetteranno al pubblico di interagire direttamente con i designer e gli esperti di ogni settore. Parte del programma anche la mostra diffusa “Design Periferico” che vedrà esposti alcuni dei protagonisti della Materials Design Map di WeVux.

Altre location da non perdere al Fuorisalone 2024 saranno: Dropcity – con mostre, installazioni, conferenze, workshop e iniziative legate al tema del processo in Architettura e Design; la Casa degli Artisti – con una mostra collettiva che riunisce designer, studi, università, brand e gallerie da tutta la Svizzera; la seconda edizione del progetto LABÒ, a cura di The Design Blender, nel quartiere di Barona; per gli appassionati di luce c’è Brokis che presenterà tre nuove collezioni presso lo showroom Eurostyling (via Locatelli 6).

Per scoprire le varie location e mostre del Fuorisalone 2024 seguite WeVux su Instagram!

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Dopo? Space, MDW 2023, ph. Louis de Belle

As in 2021 and 2023, this year, we have again analyzed the participation costs of Milan’s various design districts during one of the most eagerly awaited design weeks, Fuorisalone 2024. The concept is slowly being surpassed in favor of more diffuse and decentralized events and the creation of formats for foreign countries. We will not go into the details about the names, but we will examine the various offers district by district, in the same order as in 2023, so the increase from one year to the next will be clear. (Cover image Isola Design Festival 2023, Isola Design Gallery, ph. Gabriele Correddu)

Let’s start from the district just south of the centre. If last year the cost to enter the circuit was 250 euros, this year the price is 600. To all the costs we will see, VAT must be added. The package includes:

  • press conference
  • mention in the general press release + press office support
  • sharing exhibitor’s pree kit with journalists
  • mention on the paper and digital map of the district
  • promotion at info point + placeholder flag
  • page “exhibition” and profile page with links
  • One post on Instagram and one mention in a newsletter article

Space rental is, of course, excluded from the offer, and any added operation (from the request for an extra post to the design district placeholder flag) has a separate cost. Compared to 2023, the district offers fewer social posts but has not increased the offer: it has deleted the first price bracket corresponding to 250 euros, the most affordable one.

From the area south of Piazza del Duomo, we go north, still in one of the districts in the center. The basic package of 1600 euros, increased by 100 euros compared to last year, includes:

  • mention on the events guide map and digital map
  • visibility on the foldable map and printed guide
  • placeholder flag
  • 1 event post on Facebook
  • mention in press material and CS + press conference
  • online presence of the event in the district route
  • event card | brand card | designer card

As anticipated, the cost of this district has increased, but the services have changed slightly: the social output option to choose between Facebook and Instagram has been removed, but the creation of the placeholder flag for one’s event has been added.

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Villa Bagatti Valsecchi, ph. Alcova

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To the north of this design district, we find one of the most complex offerings: what do you want to exhibit? One product, a small collection (2 different products or two versions of the same one), or a collection (3 different products)? In a group exhibition or a dedicated space? With the basic options, i.e., exhibiting one product in a group exhibition, the price starts at 550 euros and I have:

  • a spot in the exhibition
  • mention in the printed and digital event materials
  • mention on the press release with + a dedicated folder in the press kit
  • project highlighted on isola.design during MDW 2024
  • AR display of one product in the AR app
  • label with designer and project information
  • 1 guaranteed story on social channels, before during or after the event (at the district’s discretion)

Services not included are no longer indicated, but if you want to book after the deadline, 20 February, the entry fee is increased by 20%. In any case, if in 2023 the offer was divided by square meters (1m2 350€, 3m2 900€, 5m2 1450€), the 2024 division marks a price increase (1 product 550€, small collection 1200€, collection 1900€).

This year, the district will be outside Milan in the province of Monza and Brianza. Despite the new location, it follows the prices of previous years without any apparent increase (except that it moves outside the Milanese circuit of Fuorisalone 2024).

It is worth noting an increase in entry costs in almost all locations, at the expense of social visibility. We will see the Instagram profiles of the districts more curated and attentive to what they share. As last year, we repeat that to these costs must be added any services, the communication of one’s project, the travel, a significant investment that does not always provide a return – especially due to the amount of events and installations present during that week. Perhaps we should also consider the other 51 weeks of the year for events and exhibitions, the costs are lower and the visibility can also be greater. Fashion is doing this and perhaps design will also follow this path.

Another concept that should always be remembered, without content (work and designer) there is no container (exhibition, district, installation). Rising prices create a problem of accessibility: unless there is a sponsor, students and young designers struggle to show their ideas and decide to invest in other events (from Edit Napoli to the Lake Como Design Festival).

If you have the opportunity to exhibit during Fuorisalone 2024, always ask the district you are interested in for more information on the price list and services offered!

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Isola Design Festival 2023, Rising Talents, ph. Gabriele Correddu

Tra i nuovi mercati del design europeo, oltre all’India e all’Australia, ci sono anche quelli mediorientali – l’Arabia Saudita con la fetta più ampia, ma fanno la loro parte anche Emirati Arabi, Kuwait, Qatar, Bahrain e Oman. Per questo continuano le iniziative legate alla mondo creativo: un esempio recente è la sesta edizione della conferenza annuale sulla creatività, Tanween 2023, ideata dal King Abdulaziz Center for World Culture – Ithra – tenutasi dall’1 al 4 novembre 2023 presso Ithra in Arabia Saudita (Dhahran).

Quest’anno l’evento ha esplorato il processo creativo attraverso il tema Scale: “La scala nella progettazione non significa solo misurare e quantificare; è un concetto dinamico che spazia dal macro al micro, comprendendo rapporti, dimensioni e relazioni tra i vari elementi“, possiamo leggere sul sito ufficiale. (Immagine copertina Anatolia exhibition, Figure – Elibelinde Rug – Roots collection, courtesy Figure and Soner Ataş)

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Tanween 2023, ph. Ahmed Al-Thani
Tanween 2023, ph. Ahmed Al-Thani

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Isola a Ithra per Tanween 2023

Tra i partecipanti c’era anche Isola Design: i fondatori Gabriele Cavallaro ed Elif Resitoglu sono stati invitati a curare la prima mostra dedicata alla design community di Isola per il programma ufficiale di Tanween. Intitolata Routes to Roots, la mostra è un viaggio nel potere della scala come strumento di misura e comparazione nel mondo del design e racconta come le dimensioni fisiche di un’entità non ne determinino necessariamente l’impatto sul nostro pianeta.

I prodotti esposti evidenziano un approccio eco-consapevole al design, integrando biomateriali, risorse naturali, rifiuti domestici e industriali e fondendo metodi tradizionali e tecniche innovative per realizzare pezzi di design contemporaneo. Una selezione di designer, studi di design e produttori appartenenti alla piattaforma di Isola ha dialogato con la community saudita per mostrare come i talenti emergenti possano dare nuova vita al panorama del design. Tra i 20 partecipanti troviamo: Aseel Al Yaqoub, Beton Lab, Haeun Kim, Honoka Lab, IAMMI, Kiliim, Manahel Al Qassem, MushLume Lighting, Naifactory Lab, Newcraft, OODD Studios, Roula Salamoun, Seungtae Jang, Shailesh Rajput Studio, Shell Homage, Simon Frend, Tellurico, Wisse Trooster x Studio mo man tai, WKND lab, e Yellowdot.

Ma Isola non si ferma qui… (continua)

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Tanween 2023, ph. Ahmed Al-Thani
Isola at Dubai Design Week 2023, Anatolia. Abrahamm Creative Studio © İbrahim YILDIZBAŞ – Tonguç Veysel ÖZDEMİR

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Isola alla Dubai Design Week

Dopo Ithra infatti parteciperà per il secondo anno consecutivo, dal 7 al 12 novembre, alla Dubai Design Week con tre mostre: Anatolia, Nothing Happens if Nothing Happens e Materialized.

Ideata dal team curatoriale di Isola in collaborazione con Grob Design e parte di Downtown Design, Anatolia è una mostra collettiva ispirata ai grandi crocevia della civiltà antica. Sotto i riflettori, i caratteri del design anatolico e un’atmosfera che ricorderà la Via della Seta, l’antica via commerciale che collegava Oriente e Occidente. Oltre 25 designer, studi di design e brand provenienti da Turchia e Medio Oriente presenteranno i loro progetti, prodotti e ricerche. Ecco i nomi: Abrahamm Creative Studio, Alpaq Studio, Atelier Terra Madre, Bakir Istanbul, CLZ ATELIER, Creande, Ekin Varon, Elham Nejati, FEZA DSGN, Figure, Geza Ceramic Studio, Grob Design, Hakan Helvacıoglu Design, Hala Yousif, Insulavivere, Letter29, Macaroni Event, OD ART & DESIGN, Sema Topaloglu, Studio Lugo, Studio Monsoleil, Studio TimTim, The Keep, Tomas Atelier, Tugba, Cebecioglu, YellowDot, Yet Design Studio, Zade Design, ZEYNEP BOYAN.

A Dubai tornerà anche la mostra curatoriale itinerante Nothing Happens if Nothing Happens, una collettiva di prodotti circolari e pezzi di design da collezione. Il nome, ripreso dal tema dell’Isola Design Festival di quest’anno, vuole essere un invito a tutti i designer ad attuare un cambiamento concreto nel loro modus operandi, avvicinandoli così alle varie forme del concetto di rigenerazione

Nell’ambito di una collaborazione più ampia che comprende il London Design Festival e la Dutch Design Week sull’importanza della ricerca sui materiali innovativi, Colab, la prima biblioteca di materiali degli Emirati Arabi Uniti, ospiterà la mostra Materialized (Dubai edition) all’interno del suo showroom nel Dubai Design District. La mostra presenterà campioni di materiali tratti dall’ampia biblioteca di Colab, al fianco di prodotti pronti per essere commercializzati, realizzati con risorse naturali, biomateriali e rifiuti industriali, accuratamente selezionati dal team curatoriale di Isola.

Per maggiori informazioni visitate la piattaforma digitale di Isola e seguite il canale Instagram!

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Isola at Dubai Design Week 2023, Materialized. Colab spaces
Isola at Dubai Design Week 2023, Materialized. Colab, DATEFORM © courtesy DATEFORM
Isola at Dubai Design Week 2023, Anatolia. Studio Lugo, Salon Chair © courtesy Studio Lugo
Isola at Dubai Design Week 2023, Anatolia. Grob Design © courtesy Grob Design
Isola at Dubai Design Week 2023, Nothing Happens if Nothing Happens. BANG, Collection Lop © BANG – Thanh Truong
Isola at Dubai Design Week 2023, Anatolia. Studio Bazazo, Mistral Coffee Table © Mansour Dib

Among the new markets of European design, in addition to India and Australia, there are also the Middle Eastern ones – Saudi Arabia has the largest share, but also the United Arab Emirates, Kuwait, Qatar, Bahrain and Oman play their part. This is why creativity-related initiatives continues: an example is the sixth edition of the annual Creativity Conference, Tanween 2023, conceived and created by The King Abdulaziz Center for World Culture – Ithra.

Held from 1st to 4th November 2023 at Ithra in Saudi Arabia (Dhahran), the event explored the creative process through the theme Scale: “Scale in design isn’t just about measuring and quantifying; it’s a dynamic concept that spans from macro to micro, encompassing ratios, sizes, and relationships among various elements”, we can read on Tanween official website. (Cover image Anatolia exhibition, Figure – Elibelinde Rug – Roots collection, courtesy Figure and Soner Ataş)

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Tanween 2023, ph. Ahmed Al-Thani
Tanween 2023, ph. Ahmed Al-Thani

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ISOLA in Ithra for Tanween 2023

Among the participants there was also Isola Design: founders Gabriele Cavallaro and Elif Resitoglu have been invited to curate the first exhibition dedicated to Isola’s design community which will be part of the official program of Tanween. Titled Routes to Roots, the exhibition is a journey through the power of scaling in the realm of design and tells how the physical size of an entity does not necessarily dictate its impact on our planet.

The exhibited projects are functional objects that highlight an eco-conscious approach to design, integrating biomaterials, natural resources, household and industrial waste, and blending traditional methods with innovation to craft modern design pieces. A selection of designers, design studios, and manufacturers part of Isola’s platform will dialogue with the Saudi Arabian community to demonstrate how emerging talents can breathe fresh life into the design landscape. Among the 20 designers are: Aseel Al Yaqoub, Beton Lab, Haeun Kim, Honoka Lab, IAMMI, Kiliim, Manahel Al Qassem, MushLume Lighting, Naifactory Lab, Newcraft, OODD Studios, Roula Salamoun, Seungtae Jang, Shailesh Rajput Studio, Shell Homage, Simon Frend, Tellurico, Wisse Trooster x Studio mo man tai, WKND lab, and Yellowdot.

But Isola doesn’t stop here… (continue)

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Tanween 2023, Ithra, ph. Ahmed Al-Thani
Isola at Dubai Design Week 2023, Anatolia. Abrahamm Creative Studio © İbrahim YILDIZBAŞ – Tonguç Veysel ÖZDEMİR

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Isola at Dubai Design Week

After Ithra in fact, from 7 to 12 November, it will participate for the second consecutive year in the Dubai Design Week with three exhibitions: Anatolia, Nothing Happens if Nothing Happens and Materialized.

Conceived by Isola’s curatorial team in collaboration with Grob Design and part of Downtown Design fair, Anatolia is a collective exhibition, inspired by the great crossroads of ancient civilizations. The show will highlight Anatolian design and will have an atmosphere reminiscent of the Silk Road, a historic trade route that linked the East and the West. More than 25 Turkish and Middle Eastern designers, design studios, and brands will present their projects and research within the Anatolia exhibition. Among the participants: Abrahamm Creative Studio, Alpaq Studio, Atelier Terra Madre, Bakir Istanbul, CLZ ATELIER, Creande, Ekin Varon, Elham Nejati, FEZA DSGN, Figure, Geza Ceramic Studio, Grob Design, Hakan Helvacıoglu Design, Hala Yousif, Insulavivere, Letter29, Macaroni Event, OD ART & DESIGN, Sema Topaloglu, Studio Lugo, Studio Monsoleil, Studio TimTim, The Keep, Tomas Atelier, Tugba, Cebecioglu, YellowDot, Yet Design Studio, Zade Design, ZEYNEP BOYAN.

In Dubai the traveling curatorial exhibition Nothing Happens if Nothing Happens will be back, a collective show featuring circular products and collectible design pieces. The name, taken from Isola Design Festival’s theme for this year, serves as a call for all designers and studios to implement a concrete change in their modus operandi, bringing them closer to the concept of regeneration in its various forms.

As part of a broader project that includes the London Design Festival and Dutch Design Week, Colab, the first purpose-built material library in the United Arab Emirates-based in Dubai, will open its doors for the well-known exhibition Materialized (Dubai edition). This collaboration aims to bring a fresh perspective to design and creativity through the exploration of innovative materials. The exhibition will present market-ready products realized with natural raw resources, biomaterials, and industrial waste selected by Isola’s curatorial team and a diverse array of materials samples sourced in Colab’s extensive library.

For more information visit Isola digital platform and follow it on Instagram!

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Isola at Dubai Design Week 2023, Materialized. Colab spaces
Isola at Dubai Design Week 2023, Materialized. Colab, DATEFORM © courtesy DATEFORM
Isola at Dubai Design Week 2023, Anatolia. Studio Lugo, Salon Chair © courtesy Studio Lugo
Isola at Dubai Design Week 2023, Anatolia. Grob Design © courtesy Grob Design
Isola at Dubai Design Week 2023, Nothing Happens if Nothing Happens. BANG, Collection Lop © BANG – Thanh Truong
Isola at Dubai Design Week 2023, Anatolia. Studio Bazazo, Mistral Coffee Table © Mansour Dib

Inaugurato il 12 ottobre e aperto fino al 22, DOPO? presenta “Rooting/Radicarsi”, un festival di design e arti urbane concepito come dispositivo di relazione tra il centro culturale e il quartiere che lo ospita, Corvetto, situato nella periferia sud est di Milano. Tra le diverse attività del festival troviamo una mostra, una residenza d’artista, talk, proiezioni, concerti e dj set, incursioni urbane e reading di poesie: ognuna delle azioni di “R/R” è pensata per dialogare con Corvetto – uscendo dagli spazi di DOPO? – o attraverso la collaborazione tra il centro e le differenti realtà che animano il quartiere.

Come la mostra appena conclusa Fatto Bene, di cui WeVux è stato media partner, il festival si svolge a sei mesi esatti dalla Milano Design Week. Una distanza critica che aiuta a ragionare e discutere, senza la pressione esercitata da quella settimana.

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La mostra Musica d’arredamento, curata da Mr. Lawrence e Salvatore Peluso, presenta il lavoro del designer spagnolo Lucas Muñoz Muñoz che sperimenta superando il concetto tradizionale di artigianato e industria. I suoi progetti sono caratterizzati dall’esplorazione di ibridazioni, dal recupero e riuso creativo di materiali di scarto. Suggestiva la reinterpretazione di Tizio attraverso la costruzione di una copia identica all’originale, creata dai “materiali di scarto” che il cliente riceve all’acquisto del prodotto: il packaging di cartone, il polistirene per imballare il prodotto e la benzina (che simboleggia il trasporto, utilizzata dal designer come solvente per il polistirene). In mostra tra i suoi Domestic Objects anche le sperimentazioni sonore e musicali, come High Fidelity Goat, la cassa fatta di pelle di capra. DOPO? ospita la prima personale di Lucas a Milano che ripercorre una carriera ormai ultradecennale.

Lucas sarà anche il designer in residenza durante le giornate del festival. Sarà impegnato nella costruzione di un nuovo sound system per DOPO?. La produzione stessa dell’oggetto è pensata come uno strumento di relazione, perché coinvolgerà artigiani e  associazioni locali.

Il primo week end del festival è stato dedicato alla parola, con diverse conferenze, tavole rotonde, confronti e un’assemblea aperta che ha coinvolto diverse realtà culturali che operano nel quartiere Corvetto. Molto interessante la conversazione aperta Cuginə di Campagna a cura di AAA Milano, che ha visto gli studi di architettura Captcha e Zarcola raccontare cosa significa progettare in campagna oggi.

In occasione del party di sabato 21 ottobre verranno inaugurati i nuovi spazi del centro culturale. Questo nuovo ambiente di circa 100 mq ospiterà la redazione di Scomodo, un mensile d’informazione indipendente, gratuito e completamente autofinanziato. Evento conclusivo del festival – il 22 ottobre dalle 16 – sarà un’incursione negli spazi pubblici del quartiere Corvetto. Chullu Agency curerà un programma di letture e performance musicali all’interno del Parco Boncompagni, un’area verde caratterizzata dalla presenza di un anfiteatro nascosto.

Per maggiori informazioni sul festival seguite DOPO? space su Instagram!
Ph. credits Francesco Stelitano

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Rooting/Radicarsi è un progetto di: DOPO? space
Guest curator: Mr.Lawrence
Sponsor: Living Divani, Quadro Design, Holding Terra Moretti
Partner istituzionali: Abadir Academy, IE School of Architecture and Design, Syracuse University
Con il supporto di: AC/E Cultura, Culture Moves Europe, Goethe Institut, Fondazione Cariplo
In collaborazione con: Reading Room, Vectorealism, Villa Clea, Zero, Galleria Rossana Orlandi

Sempre più designer e scuole si stanno focalizzando su progetti più attenti all’ambiente, non solo dal punto di vista del ciclo di vita e della produzione, ma anche delle materie prime. L’idea principale dietro questa tendenza, soprattutto quando parliamo di “nuovi” materiali, è quella di sperimentare sempre di più con quelli che definiamo “rifiuti” per poter dar loro una nuova funzione. Così lo scarto di una lavorazione agricola diventa materiale per un nuovo packaging sostenibile, i residui delle lavorazioni industriali generano nuovi materiali, un cambio di paradigma – non solo formale ma anche estetico – in cui ciò che viene scartato diventa nuova risorsa. (cover di Marvin Merkel)

Philippe Malouin è uno dei progettisti che sta affrontando il tema: nel 2021 alla galleria The Breeder, Atene, ha presentato la collezione Steel works, creata partendo esclusivamente da materiale proveniente da due discariche, una nella capitale greca e una a Brighton (UK). Durante la Milano Design Week 2023 il designer, con la mostra Junkyard Diving, è tornato sul tema, questa volta insieme agli studenti del Bachelor in Industrial Design di ECAL/University of Art and Design Lausanne.

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Photo Marvin Merkel
Photo Jasmine Deporta

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Sotto la guida del designer di origini canadesi, gli studenti ECAL con Junkyard Diving hanno voluto mettere in discussione le nostre abitudini di consumo, il ruolo dei designer e il mondo di domani. La scarsità di energia e risorse che molti paesi stanno attualmente vivendo, o prevedendo, solleva interrogativi sulle alternative di approvvigionamento e sulle modalità che abbiamo per limitare i consumi. Per esempio secondo alcuni studi, il numero cumulativo di metalli da produrre nei prossimi anni supererebbe la quantità cumulativa prodotta dall’antichità ai giorni nostri.

Durante un workshop di una settimana con il designer Philippe Malouin, gli studenti di Industrial Design hanno ribaltato la massima attribuita all’architetto modernista Louis Sullivan “La forma segue la funzione”, cercando nuove funzioni ispirate alle forme trovate in un centro di riciclaggio dei metalli. Questo processo permette di fare associazioni e scoperte inaspettate, generando un nuovo vocabolario di arredi.

“Con la diminuzione delle risorse, è essenziale sfidare il modo in cui generiamo nuove idee: combinare o alterare forme ed elementi esistenti può portare a nuove scoperte nel design del prodotto. La spazzatura degli altri può sicuramente essere il nostro tesoro creativo”, afferma Philippe Malouin. Junkyard Diving evidenzia le opportunità esistenti, ma poco sfruttate, che il design fornisce. Nascono nuove forme ed estetiche, tra scultura e arredo, in cui le proporzioni vengono messe in discussione e la decorazione diventa anche funzionale.

Presentato alla House of Switzerland, Junkyard Diving è stata parte della mostra collettiva Urgent Legacy, che proponeva risposte progettuali svizzere innovative e sostenibili alle sfide urgenti del presente, in collaborazione con la fondazione svizzera per la cultura Pro Helvetia e Présence Suisse. Per maggiori informazioni sui prodotti esposti visitate la pagine della mostra e seguite ECAL Design su Instagram!

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Photo Marvin Merkel
Photo Marvin Merkel
Photo Jasmine Deporta
Photo Jasmine Deporta

More and more designers and schools are focusing on environmentally conscious projects, not only from the point of view of the life cycle and production, but also of raw materials. The main idea behind this trend, especially when we talk about “new” materials, is to experiment more and more with what we call “waste” in order to give them a new function. As an example, the waste from agricultural processing becomes material for a new sustainable packaging, the residues of industrial processes generate new materials, a paradigm shift – not only formal but also aesthetic – in which what is discarded becomes a new resource. (cover by Marvin Merkel)

Philippe Malouin is one of the designers who is tackling the theme: in 2021 at The Breeder gallery in Athens he presented the Steel works collection, created starting exclusively from materials from two landfills, one in the Greek capital and one in Brighton (UK). During Milan Design Week 2023, the designer returned to the theme with the exhibition Junkyard Diving, this time together with the students of the Bachelor in Industrial Design di ECAL/University of Art and Design Lausanne.

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Photo Marvin Merkel
Photo Jasmine Deporta

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Under the guidance of the designer Philippe Malouin, ECAL’s Bachelor students in Industrial Design invite us to question our consumption habits, the role of designers and the world of tomorrow. The shortage of energy and resources that many countries are currently experiencing or anticipa­ting, raises several questions about supply alternatives and ways of limiting consumption. According to studies, the cumulative number of metals to be produced in the coming years would exceed the cumulative amount produced since antiquity to the present day.

During a week-long workshop with designer Philippe Malouin, the students have overturned the maxim attributed to the modernist architect Louis Sullivan “Form follows function”, seeking new functions inspired by forms found in a metal recycling center. Throgh this process, unexpected associations and discoveries are made, generating a new vocabulary of forms.

“With resources dwindling, it is essential to challenge the way we generate new ideas: combining or altering existing forms and elements can lead to new discoveries in product design. Other people’s trash can definitely be our creative treasure“, says Philippe Malouin. Junkyard Diving highlighted the existing – yet under-exploited – opportunities for recycling that design provides. Products with new proportions, decorations with one or more functions, new forms and aesthetics between sculpture and furniture.

Presented at the House of Switzerland, Junkyard Diving is part of the group exhibition Urgent Legacy, which proposes innovative and sustainable Swiss design responses to the urgent challenges of the present, in collaboration with the Swiss Arts Council Pro Helvetia and Présence Suisse. Visit the exhibition page for more information on the products on display and follow ECAL Design on Instagram!!

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Photo Marvin Merkel
Photo Marvin Merkel
Photo Jasmine Deporta
Photo Jasmine Deporta

After talking about some of the most interesting exhibitions at Milan Design Week 2023, let’s continue with a selection of the most evocative and sustainable products on show at the Fuorisalone and the Salone del Mobile 2023. Not only furniture already on the market but also university researches and projects. (Cover image, Liiu, Vantot for Luceplan, ph. courtesy)

Truly sustainable products at Fuorisalone 2023

OTO Chair, Alessandro Stabile and Martinelli Venezia
At Alcova we saw a project exhibited and created that we talked about 2 years ago, the Chair 1:1 by Alessandro Stabile and Martinelli Venezia. Officially marketed as the OTO Chair on the One to One Objects website, the chair is produced with a single mold and packaged in recycled and recyclable cellulose pulp packaging. The designers have optimized the size of the mold and thus the speed of the production process, minimizing waste. In addition, by selling the disassembled chair, numerous operations are skipped, leaving the completion of the process to the buyer (hyper-seriality). The cost for this innovative furniture? 99 euros and you can buy it here.

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OTO Chair, Alessandro Stabile e Martinelli Venezia, ph. courtesy
Peel Chair, ph. Noah Webb

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Peel chair, Prowl Studio
At the Ex-Macello di Porta Vittoria, the new Alcova location, we also saw the Peel Chair by Prowl Studio, presented with the installation Expect Death: a visual journey through the life cycle of the product. The chair is mono-material, made with PLA (derived from corn) and hemp fiber which, under the right conditions, can dissolve in the environment in about six months. Even the frame is recyclable, made through a mix of PLA – bioplastic – and coarse hemp fibers, accumulated during the processing of the plant, developed by M4 Factory.

Frantoio Sociale
In Alcova there was also the Frantoio Sociale, a project that aims to promote alternative practices of transformation and recycling of materials through workshops, events and dialogues. The protagonist of the project is the Crunchy Crusher transportable machine, capable of transforming waste material into new raw material for a wide range of uses. On the occasion of Alcova 2023, Frantoio Sociale presented itself to the public as a meeting space in which to discuss circularity, material flows, waste, raw materials and much more.

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Frantoio Sociale, ph. courtesy
Sensbiom II, ph. Adam Sakovy

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Sensbiom II, crafting plastics! and DumoLab
The project is an ecologically active biocomposite and is intended to reveal some invisible threats to humans. The research was presented with an installation in the corridors of Alcova: a suspended structure composed of a series of biopolymer lattices sensitive to exposure to UV rays and pollution. The membranes changed color signaling the variations in Milan’s solar radiation in real time. A project that aims to help us understand the invisible and climate change, with the aim of bringing us closer to nature and giving us a new tool to read it.

Material researches and experiments
Also worth mentioning are some of the material experiments we saw at the Isola Design Festival such as Lampunto by Alara Ertenu Studio – which we talked about here – Monoferments, a project by Monostudio Associati to experiment with a new, more circular and sustainable way of designing. Experimenting through the reuse of valuable waste, Elisa Evaso and Luca Guglieri work on a palette of natural, biophilic and circular materials for interiors. Also interesting is the project by Jack Brandsma, Material Magic, another research on the potential of hemp fibers as a material for furniture and seating.

Giacomo Moor for LiveinSlums – products that enrich the community
Also worth mentioning is the collection created by Giacomo Moor in collaboration with the NGO LiveinSlums, exhibited at Assab One with the “Design for communities” exhibition. For years, the organization has been carrying out urban regeneration work with the community of the Mathare slums, one of the largest in Nairobi. The goal is to involve the inhabitants, especially children and teenagers, making them protagonists of change for “lasting human growth”. The collaboration saw Giacomo Moor travel to Mathare to create the prototypes of the furnishings for the refectory and dormitory of the Why Not Academy. The designer has focused on a “productive simplification”: a formal synthesis of the furniture, not only from an aesthetic point of view, eliminating any decoration, but also from a constructive point of view. The stability of the family of furnishings – table, bench and beds – is given by the sequence of joints between the various components and the project requires a chisel, set square and pencil as the only tools for constructing the pieces. All this also allows everyone to replace the individual elements damaged by time or atmospheric agents.

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Giacomo Moor for LiveinSlums, bed, ph. Omar Sartor
Design for Communities, Assab One, ph. Omar Sartor

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The selected products presented by the brands at the Salone del Mobile 2023

Liiu, Vantot for Luceplan
The result not only of sophisticated technological but also formal research, Luceplan presented Liiu, designed by Vantot. A real refined and customizable suspension lighting system that comes in various shapes and is suitable for different environments and functions. The LED light becomes a delicate sculpture able to characterize the space in an elegant and unique way. The simple linear structure but studied in detail and the soft diffused light of the luminaire make Liiu a delicate, original but already iconic product.

Adrenalina’s Passepartout
As a stand at the Salone del Mobile 2023, Adrenalina brings a real grid in which to get lost and imagine the infinite combinations generated by the furnishings on display. The emblem of this concept is the new Passepartout collection, designed by Debonademeo (Luca De Bona and Dario De Meo – also artistic directors of the brand): it is a system made up of seats and modular accessories that generate infinite combinations. Passepartout is not just the name of the collection, but a new design challenge for the brand to follow a more rational and versatile design, in line with our times but connected to the history of the brand.

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Liiu, Vantot for Luceplan, ph. courtesy
Adrenalina at Salone del Mobile.Milano 2023, ph.courtesy

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Prakash floor lamp, Atelier Ferraro
Awarded in 2022 with +1.5 Celsius, Atelier Ferraro returns to SaloneSatellite 2023 with Prakasch, (Sanskrit for light), a floor lamp that was born under the slogan “We ship design not weight”. Hundreds of thousands of goods are shipped every day and Atelier Ferraro delves into the challenges of reducing the resources required for this operation. In fact, for the transport of Prakasch, the structure is disassembled into elements that form a compact package ready for shipment. The base was created to be filled by the user with the material he can find: stones, seeds, sand or water, whatever resource he has at hand. This operation makes the lamp stable and usable.

Monolìte and Sinestesia, TipStudio for De Castelli
Also worth mentioning are TipStudio‘s projects with the De Castelli company – an almost natural collaboration given the main material treated by both. Monolìte and Sinestesia was born: the first is a vertical element made up of two symmetrical and concave brass metal sheets that join together at the back. Inside, a light source fills the gap between the two slabs, illuminating the internal rough and irregular texture, in stark contrast with the brushed, shiny and reflective exterior. The second is instead a console that takes up the game of contrasting surfaces but also plays with the positive and negative space of the structure. A solid shape characterized by solids and voids, which celebrates brass and shows all its expressive potential.

This is just a selection of some of the most interesting projects and research from Salone and Fuorisalone 2023. In a couple of days we will delve into further aspects of the Milan Design Week: from the spaces used to the problem of style design, from the dubious sustainability of few projects on display – to the economic aspects of the event.

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Sinestesia and Monolìte, TipStudio for De Castelli, ph. Wevux
Prakash, Atelier Ferraro, ph. courtesy
OTO Chair, Alessandro Stabile e Martinelli Venezia, ph. courtesy
Expect Death installation, Peel Chair, ph. Noah Webb
Peel Chair, ph. Noah Webb
Sensbiom II, ph. Adam Sakovy
Frantoio Sociale, ph. courtesy
Giacomo Moor for LiveinSlums, bench, ph. Omar Sartor
Monoferments, Monostudio Associati, ph. courtesy
Liiu, Vantot for Luceplan, ph. courtesy
Passepartout, Debonademeo for Adrenalina, ph.courtesy
Prakash, Atelier Ferraro, ph. courtesy
Prakash, Atelier Ferraro, ph. courtesy
Luceplan at Euroluce 2023, ph. Diego Ravier
Monolìte, TipStudio for De Castelli, ph. Wevux

Dopo aver visto alcune delle mostre più interessanti della Milano Design Week 2023, torniamo a parlare della settimana del design con una selezione dei prodotti più suggestivi e sostenibili che abbiamo visto al Fuorisalone e al Salone del Mobile. Naturalmente non saranno solo arredi già in commercio ma anche ricerche e progetti universitari. (Cover image, Liiu, Vantot for Luceplan, ph. courtesy)

Prodotti veramente sostenibili al Fuorisalone 2023

OTO Chair, Alessandro Stabile e Martinelli Venezia
Ad Alcova abbiamo visto esposto e realizzato un progetto di cui abbiamo parlato 2 anni fa, la Chair 1:1 di Alessandro Stabile e Martinelli Venezia. Ufficialmente in commercio come OTO Chair sul sito One to One Objects, la sedia viene prodotta in un unico stampo e imballata in un packaging di polpa di cellulosa riciclata e riciclabile. I progettisti hanno ottimizzato la grandezza dello stampo e così la velocità del processo produttivo, riducendo al minimo gli sprechi. In più, vendendo la sedia smontata, vengono saltate numerose operazioni lasciando all’acquirente il completamento del processo (iperserialità). Il costo per questo arredo innovativo? 99euro e potete acquistarla qui.

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OTO Chair, Alessandro Stabile e Martinelli Venezia, ph. courtesy
Peel Chair, ph. Noah Webb

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Peel Chair, Prowl Studio
Sempre all’Ex-Macello di Porta Vittoria, nuova location di Alcova, abbiamo visto la Peel Chair di Prowl Studio, presentata con l’installazione Expect Death: un percorso visivo attraverso il ciclo di vita del prodotto. Si tratta di una sedia monomateriale, realizzata con PLA (derivato dal mais) e fibre di canapa che, nelle giuste condizioni, può dissolversi nell’ambiente in circa sei mesi. Persino il telaio è riciclabile, realizzato attraverso un mix di PLA – bioplastica – e fibre grossolane di canapa, accumulate durante la lavorazione della pianta, sviluppato da M4 Factory.

Frantoio Sociale
Ad Alcova c’era anche il Frantoio Sociale, progetto che ha l’obbiettivo di promuovere pratiche alternative di trasformazione e ricircolo dei materiali attraverso workshop, eventi e dialoghi. Protagonista del progetto è la macchina trasportabile Crunchy Crusher, in grado di trasformare il materiale di scarto in nuova materia prima per un’ampia gamma di utilizzi. In occasione di Alcova 2023 Frantoio Sociale si è presentato al pubblico come uno spazio di incontro in cui discutere di circolarità, flussi di materia, rifiuti, materie prime e molto altro.

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Frantoio Sociale, ph. courtesy
Sensbiom II, ph. Adam Sakovy

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Sensbiom II, crafting plastics! e DumoLab
Progettato da crafting plastics! e DumoLab, Sensbiom II è un biocomposito ecologicamente attivo e ha lo scopo di rivelare alcune minacce invisibili all’uomo. La ricerca è stata presentata con un’installazione nei corridoi di Alcova: una struttura sospesa composta da una serie di reticoli biopolimerici sensibili all’esposizione ai raggi UV e all’inquinamento. Le membrane cambiavano colore segnalando in tempo reale le variazioni nella radiazione solare di Milano. Un progetto che vuole aiutarci a comprendere l’invisibile e il cambiamento climatico, con l’obbiettivo di riavvicinarci alla natura e darci un nuovo strumento per leggerla.

Ricerche e sperimentazioni materiche
Da menzionare anche alcune delle sperimentazioni materiche che abbiamo visto a Isola Design Festival come Lampunto di Alara Ertenu Studio – di cui abbiamo parlato qui – Monoferments, progetto di Monostudio Associati per sperimentare un nuovo modo di progettare, più circolare e sostenibile. Sperimentando attraverso il riuso di scarti di valore, Elisa Evaso e Luca Guglieri lavorano ad una palette di materiali naturali, biofilici e circolari per interni. Interessante anche il progetto di Jack Brandsma, Material Magic, un’altra ricerca sul potenziale delle fibre di canapa come materiale per arredi e sedute.

Giacomo Moor per LiveinSlums – prodotti che arricchiscono la comunità
Da menzionare anche la collezione creata da Giacomo Moor in collaborazione con l’ONG LiveinSlums, esposta presso Assab One con la mostra “Design for communities”. Da anni l’organizzazione compie un lavoro di rigenerazione urbana con la comunità dello slums di Mathare, uno dei più grandi di Nairobi. L’obbiettivo è coinvolgere gli abitanti, soprattutto bambini e ragazzi, rendendoli protagonisti del cambiamento per una “crescita umana durevole”. La collaborazione ha visto Giacomo Moor recarsi a Mathare per realizzare i prototipi degli arredi destinati al refettorio e al dormitorio della Why Not Academy. Il designer ha puntato su una “semplificazione produttiva”: una sintesi formale dell’arredo, non solo dal punto di vista estetico, eliminando qualsiasi decorazione, ma anche costruttivo. La stabilità della famiglia di arredi – tavolo, panca e letti – è data dalla sequenza di incastri tra i vari componenti e il progetto richiede scalpello, squadra e matita come unici strumenti per la costruzione dei pezzi. Tutto ciò permette anche di sostituire i singoli elementi danneggiati dal tempo o da agenti atmosferici.

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Giacomo Moor for LiveinSlums, bed, ph. Omar Sartor
Design for Communities, Assab One, ph. Omar Sartor

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I prodotti dei brand al Salone del Mobile 2023 da non perdere

Liiu, Vantot per Luceplan
Frutto non solo di una sofisticata ricerca tecnologica ma anche formale, Luceplan ha presentato Liiu, progettato da Vantot. Un vero e proprio sistema illuminante a sospensione raffinato e personalizzabile che si declina in svariate forme e adatto a diversi ambienti e funzioni. La luce LED diventa una scultura delicata in grado di caratterizzare lo spazio in modo elegante e unico. La struttura lineare semplice ma studiata al dettaglio e la luce diffusa morbida del corpo illuminante rendono Liiu un prodotto delicato, originale ma già iconico.

Adrenalina Passepartout
Come stand al Salone del Mobile 2023, Adrenalina porta una vera e propria griglia in cui perdersi ad immaginare le infinite combinazioni generate dagli arredi esposti. Emblema di questo concept è proprio la nuova collezione Passepartout, progettata da Debonademeo (Luca De Bona e Dario De Meo – anche direttori artistici del brand): si tratta di un sistema composto da sedute e complementi modulari che generano infinite combinazioni. Passepartout non è solo il nome della collezione, ma una nuova sfida progettuale per il brand per seguire un design più razionale e versatile, in linea con i nostri tempi ma connesso con la storia del marchio.

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Liiu, Vantot for Luceplan, ph. courtesy
Adrenalina at Salone del Mobile.Milano 2023, ph.courtesy

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Lampada da terra Prakash, Atelier Ferraro
Premiato con la menzione d’onore nel 2022 con +1,5 Celsius, Atelier Ferraro torna al SaloneSatellite 2023 con Prakash, (sanscrito per luce), una lampada da terra che nasce sotto lo slogan “We ship design not weight”. Ogni giorno vengono spedite centinaia di migliaia di merci e Atelier Ferraro approfondisce le sfide per ridurre le risorse necessarie per questa operazione. Per il trasporto di Prakash, infatti, la struttura viene smontata in elementi che formano un pacco compatto e pronto per la spedizione. La base nasce per essere riempita dall’utente con il materiale che può reperire: pietre, semi, sabbia o acqua, qualunque risorsa abbia a portata di mano. Quest’operazione rende la lampada stabile e utilizzabile.

Monolìte e Sinestesia, TipStudio per De Castelli
Da citare anche i progetti di TipStudio per l’azienda De Castelli – una collaborazione quasi naturale visto il materiale principale trattato da entrambi. Nasce Monolìte e Sinestesia: il primo è un elemento verticale costituito da due lamiere metalliche in ottone simmetriche e concave che si uniscono nella parte posteriore. Al loro interno una fonte di luce riempie la fessura tra le due lastre, illuminando la trama ruvida e irregolare interna, in netto contrasto con l’esterno, spazzolato, lucido e riflettente. Il secondo è invece una consolle che riprende il gioco di contrasti delle superfici ma gioca anche con lo spazio positivo e negativo della struttura. Una forma solida caratterizzata da pieni e vuoti, che celebra l’ottone e ne mostra tutte le potenzialità espressive.

Questa è solo una selezione di alcuni dei progetti e delle ricerche più interessanti del Salone e Fuorisalone 2023 – che approfondiremo anche singolarmente nelle prossime settimane. Tra qualche giorno approfondiremo alcuni aspetti della Milano Design Week: dagli spazi utilizzati al problema dello style design, dalla sostenibilità dubbia di alcuni progetti agli aspetti economici dell’evento.

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