From 17 to 22 April, hundreds of events are scheduled for Milan Design Week 2018, welcoming thousands of people from the international design community arriving to take part in the Fuorisalone.
Nature and the environment are the central themes of Milan Design Week 2018 and of the most interesting events animating the Salone del Mobile and the Fuorisalone 2018, from 17 to 22 April. Sustainability guides the story of what the cities of the future, our homes and everyday objects will look like, through the installations and exhibitions of architects and designers from around the world. The most emblematic projects are a mix of technology and poetry, aimed at building a better, more sustainable future for living and for our way of life. Here are some of the key players among the week's design events, to help you take part in the Fuorisalone with a sense of purpose.
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The Salone del Mobile di Milano stages in Piazza Duomo, in the heart of the city, the possible reconciliation between humankind and nature through an emotional journey that enters the debate on the value of sustainable living with the project Living Nature. La natura dell'abitare, developed together with the international design and innovation studio Carlo Ratti Associati. Within a 500-square-metre space, conceived according to energy-saving principles, four natural and climatic microcosms are contained, allowing the four seasons of the year to coexist in the same space, at the same moment, side by side. Visitors will be able to immerse themselves in nature and experience its changes by moving through the four areas: winter, spring, summer and autumn.
Where: Piazza del Duomo, in front of Palazzo Reale
Read also: The garden of the four seasons, a journey through the cycles of nature at CityLife in Milan
This is the hub dedicated to materials, new technologies and sustainability. Here it is possible to visit the exhibition Smart city: materials, technology & people, a continuation of the 2017 exhibition New materials for a smart city. Among the key players is Material ConneXion Italia, the world's largest archive of innovative and sustainable materials and production processes.
And where there is sustainability, there is also LifeGate, media partner of Materials Village, which offers, through a dedicated space in Superstudio Più, the initiative Design4Climate Action, a project developed in collaboration with Connect4Climate, the World Bank's international awareness programme on climate change. A hub within the Fuorisalone dedicated to information and in-depth coverage of global warming, the circular economy and smart cities. An initiative to understand how international challenges influence the design of the future — a sustainable, resilient design that adapts to the needs of major cities. During the Fuorisalone, a rich schedule of special videos, live interviews, editorial activities and social content will bring the village of the future to life, with links also from Living Nature, the Salone del Mobile space in Piazza del Duomo, and from the other areas of the city animated by the Fuorisalone.
Where: Superstudio Più, via Tortona 27 – The exhibition will remain open until 12 May
A tribute to the greatness of the Japanese architect-designer Shiro Kuramata by the company Cappellini, which was the first to introduce his work to Italy in the 1980s by producing some of his extraordinary furniture pieces.
Where: Superstudio Più, via Tortona 27
Read also: Milan Design Week 2018. When design is sustainable, the smart city takes centre stage
An iconic installation by architect Kengo Kuma that distils the concept of "design for life" and responds to the growing problem of air pollution. In an attempt to tackle this environmental and social issue, the company Dassault Systèmes invited Kengo Kuma to create an experiential project that makes the best use of already existing anti-pollution solutions.
Where: Superstudio Più, via Tortona 27
The new edition of the Museo del design at the Triennale opens for Milan Design Week. The exhibition is directed by Silvana Annicchiarico and will remain open for one year. Entitled Storie. Il design Italiano, it presents 180 iconic pieces from the last century, the twentieth century, with five thematic focuses — geography, communication, politics, technology and economics — and a reading of the contemporary. The stories are curated by Chiara Alessi, Maddalena Dalla Mura, Manolo de Giorgi, Vanni Pasca and Raimonda Riccini, with an installation design by Calvi Brambilla and graphic design by Leonardo Sonnoli.
Where: Triennale di Milano, viale Alemagna 6
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Stefano Boeri's architecture studio curates the 2018 edition at The Mall exhibition space of MADE Expo at the Fuorisalone, envisioning an imminent migration to "the nearest of distant lands" as a result of the dire consequences of climate change. The installation recreates the atmosphere of Mars, the red planet, and investigates the capacity for foresight of manufacturers, architects and designers, pushing them to explore the future of living. The future of living and the planet of the future offers an immersive, fluid environment in which the products and materials presented by the companies are arranged — contrasting with the cinematic Martian atmospheres created by Davide Rapp and Giorgio Zangrandi — and together contribute to an evocative setting.
Where: The Mall, piazza Lina Bo Bardi 1
At the Orto Botanico di Brera, visitors can see the poetic installation by architect Mario Cucinella, SOS-school of sustainability, dedicated to the beauty of light. It is part of the project House in motion, an event by the magazine Interni which, as every year, presents thematic installations by international architects at the Università degli Studi di Milano.
Where: Orto Botanico di Brera, via Fratelli Gabba 10 – via Brera, 28
The exhibition by Nendo — that is, Oki Sato, the Japanese designer today most widely known in the world — presents a series of design objects with some parts made from Dai-El, a material, or more precisely a fluoro elastomer, belonging to the category of high-performance synthetic rubbers, characterised by extraordinary softness and a wide range of colour tones. The material was produced using the technology of the Japanese company Daikin, which manufactures air-conditioning and air-purification appliances.
Where: Superstudio Art Point, via Tortona 27
It is a wooden residential module built by the company Rubner, resting on metal feet and accessible through a hatch, or a ramp, that allows visitors to step inside and spend a few moments immersed in a near future that is both evocative and respectful of the Planet. The project, the result of a collaboration with the European Institute of Design (Ied) in Turin, was born from the idea of creating a "self-sufficient organism" capable of harnessing sunlight and photosynthesis to produce the energy, food, oxygen and water needed to sustain the life of its occupants. It is the final stage of a journey that saw students on the Smart buildings and sustainable design master's programme engaged in designing innovative solutions to be applied to one of the oldest timber construction methods: the Blockhaus system.
Where: piazza Castello (Castello Sforzesco), from 17 to 22 April
It is called De rerum natura, a project for happy symbiosis, curated by the studio of designer Matteo Ragni, and takes place at Cascina Cuccagna. The theme is explored and investigated through exhibitions, talks and workshops, returning to trace the original values of the place and its DNA, essentially rooted in the relationship between urban humanity and the natural world. "Dealing with happy symbiosis means using cultural tools to investigate the relationship between human beings and the environment. Looking with courage and boldness at the stories we have invented to deny or celebrate this relationship."
Where: Cascina Cuccagna, via Cuccagna 2-4, from 16 to 22 April
It is a hub of installations, interactions, workshops, performances, talks and holograms on smart cities. Conceived by Golab, it will host a series of events in the Lab Napapijri, a synergetic space for spreading new ideas about the possible future of the city. Twelve creators, including visionary minds such as Stefano Boeri, Alessandro Guerriero, Rachaporn Choochuey, Bruce Sterling and Jasmina Tesanovic, interact with the audience live and via streaming.
The Future Cities Lab collective from San Francisco will exhibit Murmur Wall, an interactive installation equipped with artificial intelligence, anticipating a new idea of architecture that reveals what the city whispers, thinks and feels. In the Futurehood space, Murmur Wall will collect messages from visitors and allow them to observe the city's whisper taking shape on digital displays.
Where:Ze-Knit #Futurehood exhibition in via Tortona 31, from 17 to 22 April
Last year COS captivated us with an emotional installation designed by studio Swine, in which visitors interacted in the dark with large soap bubbles. It was the most visited and acclaimed work of the Fuorisalone. This year it will surely surprise us again with the installation in the courtyard of the historic Palazzo Isimbardi, created by American artist Phillip K. Smith III, renowned for his immersive light installations.
Where: Palazzo Isimbardi, Corso Monforte 35
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A selection of design objects that have become icons of an era, to celebrate the fiftieth anniversary of the legendary year 1968 — a turning point that changed many aspects of Western society. It is the exhibition by the magazine Interni, curated by architects Franco Raggi and Francesca Molteni, featuring photographs and films that reconstruct the atmosphere of that time, the enthusiasm and utopian drive of a generation of young people who wanted to change the world.
Where: Anteo Spazio Cinema, Palazzo del Cinema, piazza XXV Aprile 8
Six days of meetings with the protagonists who are reshaping our cities, our homes and our lifestyles. These are the Icon design talks, boasting a rich programme with two special events. The first is the Masterclass constructed narratives with British architect Sir David Adjaye, introduced by director Michele Lupi. The second, entitled Curating and the city, is a dialogue between architect Stefano Boeri and Hans Ulrich Obrist, curator and artistic director of Serpentine Galleries in London.
At Microsoft House, the key figures of the project will take turns in lectures, round tables and talks. Among others, the guests will include Atelier Biagetti, Michael Anastassiades, Stefan Diez, Studio Formafantasma, Michael Anastassiades, Ron Gilad, Konstantin Grcic, Atelier Oï, Studio GBPA, Giulio Cappellini, Mario Cucinella, Giulio Iacchetti and Patricia Urquiola. Registration is required to attend.
Where: Microsoft House, viale Pasubio 21 – Anteo Spazio Cinema, Palazzo del Cinema, piazza XXV Aprile 8