Una mirada al interior de la Semana del Diseño de Milán, donde la sostenibilidad es una tendencia
Justo a tiempo para el Día de la Tierra, el Salone de este año incluye 1.200 instalaciones repartidas por toda la ciudad, muchas dedicadas a la sostenibilidad y la tecnología bajo el lema «Ser humano».
J & PEG, «Ciudades Invisibles» (Istituto dei Ciechi, Via Vivaio 7, Milano), es una instalación que hace referencia al arquitecto Luis Barragán y al pintor Giorgio de Chirico. Es parte de la exposición «WonderGlass», que explora las posibilidades del vidrio como medio artístico.
MILAN – Milan Design Week, o Il Salone del Mobile, es más que una feria de diseño para geeks de muebles. Ahora, en su 57ª edición, también es una experiencia de arte inmersiva en toda la ciudad que incluye su manifiesto, que tiene palabras clave y palabras de moda, desde emoción y negocios hasta comunicación, cultura y «Milán en el centro».
El tema de Salone este año, que se extenderá hasta el 22 de abril, fue «Ser humano». Justo a tiempo para el Día de la Tierra, la sostenibilidad ambiental y una considerable dosis de tecnología fueron elementos clave, con instalaciones diseminadas por la ciudad tratando de mostrar cómo el avance puede beneficiar a la humanidad.
Pero a pesar de todas las conversaciones sobre la sostenibilidad, hubo muchos diseños que están tan preocupados por verse bien con la cámara. Hay varias instalaciones caleidoscópicas, escenas de iluminación complejas e incluso experiencias culinarias que se centran en una «puesta en escena» perfecta para la imagen. El emplazamiento de estas instalaciones abarca desde palacios históricos hasta antiguos almacenes industriales, como una fábrica de panetones abandonada.
Aquí hay algunos aspectos destacados de una visita de dos días que, en una ciudad llena de 1.200 instalaciones, solo logró arañar la superficie.
The installation “Sun+” (Alcova, Via dei Popoli Uniti 11, Milano), located in a former baking facility, is meant to make the viewer reflect on the impact of overexposure to sun. Dutch creators BuroBelén accomplished it by creating an ample installation that juxtaposed a wide-brimmed sun hat with, among other items, a half-molten parasol. “Rethinking the physicality of sunscreen seems key, if we want a happy life in the sun,” reads their statement.Li Edelkoort and Philip Fimmano’s “Waste No More” is part of the showcase of Eileen Fisher’s upcycled textiles DesignWorks (all photos by the author for Hyperallergic).The arch-like structure of “Waste No More” (Ventura Centrale, Via Ferrante Aporti 19, Milano), filled with discarded clothing, is meant to raise awareness on fashion waste and its environmental impact. In a way, it’s a continuation of Edelkoort’s “Anti-Fashion Manifesto,” which harshly criticized compulsive fashion consumption, equating disposable clothes to used condoms.Installation view of furniture by GUBI (Corso Venezia 16, Milano). The Danish manufacturer chose to showcase its sleek designs in a neoclassical palazzo, built in 1770.For Design Week, Sardinian designer Antonio Marras (former creative director at Kenzo) opened a temporary bistro inspired by the fare of his homeland (Nonostante Marras, Via Cola di Rienzo, 8, Milano). The table settings and ceiling decorations are part of one big installation.Architect David Rockwell, Surface Magazine and 2×4 design studio created a diner-inspired structure, which is both a restaurant and a performance space (Ventura Centrale, Via Ferrante Aporti, 15, Milano). It showcases the latest trends in US design, through sections like Roadside Diner, East Coast Luncheonette, Midwest Diner, and West Coast Diner.Fashion designer JJ Martin, who became known for revitalizing Italian archival textile prints for her apparel line, recently expanded into home design (Piazza Arcole 4, Milano).Concept store Spazio Rossana Orlandi hosted Softwear, Google’s buzzy foray into “smart” home design. But it was the various lamp designs that caught most of the attendees’ attention. One example is the work of Marcantonio Morandi Malerba, who juxtaposed realistic sculptures with baroque-inspired chandeliers (Via Matteo Bandello, 14/16, Milano).Installation view at Moooi (Via Savona 56, Milano)Missoni teamed up with artist Rachel Hayes to create mesh-wire floor-to-ceiling hollow cylindrical structures decked with multi-colored gel sheets (Via Solferino, 9, 20121 Milano).They reflect kaleidoscopic motifs onto the all-white surrounding surfaces, thanks to strategically-placed fans and lighting systems. The installation is meant to convey both power and fragility.For the 90th anniversary of KAWAI, the musical-instrument manufacturer partnered with light designer Takahiro Matsuo for “Crystal Rain” (Superdesign Show, Superstudio, Via Tortona 27, Milano), which consists of a crystal grand piano together with “droplets” of light, which imitate rainfall depending on the note played on the instrument.Shoe brand Melissa partnered with None Collective for the immersive installation “The Brilliant Side of Us” (Erastudio Apartment-Gallery, Via Palermo 5, Milano), which consists of two rooms completely covered with an irregular, reflective surface.
JULA 