The 2024 Milan Design Week came to a wonderful conclusion a few days ago. Many design enthusiasts who are too late to rush to the scene don’t worry. Shopping Design will connect you from afar and bring back first-hand news about the Milan scene!
The theme of Milan Design Week 2024 is “Materia Natura”. Among them, “material” highlights design and creation; “nature” emphasizes the nature of sustainability and environmental friendliness. Combining these two words together as the theme of this year will draw public attention to the issues between people and the environment, and rethink the importance of sustainability in the design process.
In just seven days, Design Week made the whole of Milan as lively as a carnival. Wandering freely in the streets and alleys, diverse and exquisite exhibitions and activities are blooming everywhere, integrating into Milan, a city full of historical charm, in unexpected ways.
Next, we will introduce to you the five highlights worth paying attention to during Milan Design Week 2024.
Highlight 1: ALCOVA reshapes the new look of country estates
The ALCOVA curatorial team, which attracts much attention every year, also brought surprises to Milan Design Week this year. They chose Villa Bagatti Valsecchi, an Italian manor about 30 minutes by train north of Milan, and Villa Borsani, another nearby small villa, as the exhibition venue. Although it is a little far away for visitors, tourists from all over the world Still flocking to it.
Why is ALCOVA’s curation always exciting? The main reason is that ALCOVA has been established since 2018. Their role as a platform allows designers, studios, various institutions and other units to display their works at Milan Design Week; through ALCOVA, works are selected with high standards, and Carefully planned as a whole, their exhibition spaces always offer a glimpse into experimental and creative works.
Highlight 2: The old exhibition area – the new highlight of Brera Design District
The Brera Design District, which has a history of 15 years, is also a must-visit area during Milan Design Week every year. The area mainly focuses on high-quality exhibits and extends its reach to areas such as service design and technological life. Visitors can walk into the venue to visit as long as they see the “Brera Design District” flag hanging at the door. Organic yet full of flexibility.
During Milan Design Week, many inner courtyards of European-style buildings in the area that were previously not open to the public will be open to the public in just one week. Among them, there are quite a few exhibitions that are worth stopping at:
Exhibition Hall❶｜Hermès
Hermès’ exhibition area was nominated for this year’s Fuorisalone Award 2024 in the communication category. After entering the exhibition hall, the first thing that catches the eye is a huge and dark elevated space. Various materials are arranged on the ground, using bricks, wood, stone, earth and tiles to weave them into various shapes. texture. This kind of exhibition design is not only in line with the theme of this year, but also seems to imply how Hermès, which started as a “horse gear”, absorbs various natural materials from the land where horses’ hooves pass through from ancient times to the present, and condenses them in front of the public.
Exhibition Venue❷｜Taiwan Pavilion
In the 2024 Milan Design Week, Taiwan participated in the Milan Design Week for the first time as the Taiwan Pavilion, with the theme “Taiwanese Question Who is going to raise the question?”.
In this exhibition area, the Taiwan Design Institute has brought to Milan many works from Taiwan that won the 2023 Golden Pin Award, including sofas made of Wagyu cowhide, colorful chairs made from plastic toy fragments, and modular-designed The removable parts chair once again emphasizes the reflection on sustainability, environment and industrial innovation, and also brings back the theme of this design week “Materia Natura”.
Highlight 3: DROPCITY opens the tunnel space under Milan Central Station
Dropcity, which has received great attention this year (2024), also shines. This is a field with the architectural design category as the main axis. They revitalized a large area of abandoned tunnel space under the elevated railway of Milan Central Station, and each of the arched warehouses has its own theme.
Among them, some warehouses use huge architectural 3D printers to print wall columns on site, some are transformed into music party venues every night, and some are used as lecture venues to invite internationally renowned architects such as Ma Yansong and Momoyo Kaijima to take the stage. In dialogue, other warehouses were converted into material libraries, laboratories, studio spaces, etc.
Taking the Milan Design Week as an opportunity, they introduced this previously sealed space to the public – as a good example of the revitalization of abandoned spaces in Milan, a large industrial city. After the seven-day carnival-like opening of Milan Design Week, it will be used as a cultural facility, research and office space for a long time.
Highlight 4: Baroque historical building exhibition area-Rita Palace
Palazzo Litta, an 18th-century Baroque building that has gone through Spanish and Austrian rule and is still well-preserved today, was curated by the 5VIE team and titled “Unlimited Design Orchestra”. The palace is transformed into a design amusement park, and entering every space is a creative journey.
Exhibition Hall❶｜Straordinaria
The colorful interactive space design “Straordinaria” at the entrance was designed by Japanese design studio we+. Its huge, interactive and elegant design brings a lot of voice to this exhibition area. Everyone is very curious, what is this soft, silky, and elegant device? Many people even walked directly through it to experience this hazy soft space. This device was even nominated for the Fuorisalone Award 2024 in the technology category!
Exhibition Hall❷｜UNobject
Walking into the interior of Palazzo Rita, the most eye-catching exhibition room is that of UNobject. Most of the exhibition rooms use static exhibitions as the display method, but here there is a dancer standing in the white sand and dancing, following the rhythm of the music, the light and shadow of the sun shining into the classical building, and the lines of these cups, chairs, and lamps. , all come together to create a unique and avant-garde experience that highlights the flow and rhythm of these pieces of furniture.
Highlight 5: House of Switzerland Milano
House of Switzerland Milano, which has used the same location for several consecutive years, is a collective exhibition that brings together many designers, studios, schools and galleries in Switzerland. The overall design is full of colors and simple and neat shapes. This time, the overall planning is full of childishness. The two-story pinball machine at the entrance attracts everyone’s attention. When you walk into the venue, you can also find colorful swings and a maze-like installation of fluorescent lights and curtains.
A city celebration with a hundred flowers blooming
Milan Design Week showcases the world’s most avant-garde designs every year, attracting designers and students from all over the world to come on pilgrimage like migratory birds to get a glimpse of the latest trends in the world; through the planning of the curatorial team and the organization of blocks, Milan’s unique features are developed and explored. Spaces with potential, such as urban edge manors, abandoned factories, idle tunnels and many store areas, allow viewers to explore different aspects of the city of Milan while appreciating the design.
However, Milan Design Week is too huge, with thousands of exhibitions and activities blooming throughout the city of Milan. As a result, everyone had a completely different experience during these seven days; in addition, each enjoyed the exhibition from a different perspective, which sparked many sparks of inspiration. If you have the opportunity to participate in Milan Design Week, just prepare a pair of comfortable shoes, the lightest luggage, and an open mind. Walk around Milan as you please, open up your five senses and experience it, and piece together the wonderful fragments of the city!
Tags: Milan Design WeekTake major highlights including debut Taiwan Pavilion tunnel space Central Station
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