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The 2019 Milan Design Week Shows that Demonstrated a New Direction for the Industry

By Core Jr - April 16, 2019

COS Installation An all-encompassing installation dreamed up by architect Arthur Mamou-Mani, who created the largest 3D printed PLA structure in the world for this 2019 Salone collaboration with minimal fashion brand COS. 1 of 67

COS Installation The larger than life installation was located in the courtyard of the 16th century Palazzo Isimbardi, which provided a historical contrast to the 3D printed structure. 2 of 67

Lexus Design Award Pavilion In addition to an exhibition explaining the finalist and winning projects form this year's Lexus design Award (Algorithmic Lace by Lisa Marks took first place), Lexus' massive pavilion featured a robotic and light installation by Japanese art and technology design firm Rhizomatiks. Core77 3 of 67

Still / Life Calico Wallpaper and Ladies & Gentlemen Studio truly created a calming oasis that we took pleasure in visiting after a long day at the fair. Core77 4 of 67

Still / Life The pieces created by Ladies & Gentlemen and Mud Australia were complemented by oversized flowers and striking gradient wallpaper from Calico, which enhanced the still live vignettes and gave the pieces a strong voice. Core77 5 of 67

Nendo x Wonderglass: The Shape of Gravity This year for Salone, Wonderglass teamed up with Japanese studio nendo to create Melt, a collection of glass casted furniture made by bending molten glass sheets onto steel forms and then melting the sheets together into furniture forms. Core77 6 of 67

Nendo x Wonderglass: The Shape of Gravity Wonderglass is a London based brand that pairs modern designers with traditional craftspeople to create contemporary design pieces. Nendo principal Oki Sato was matched with master glass craftsmen in Venice to create this collection. Core77 7 of 67

Stone Island Stone Island's high energy installation abstractly walked visitors through the design process of their Nylon Metal material process. Projections on the floor and hanging prototype jackets mirrored the beginning stages on the left with the finishing stages where the garment is dyed on the right. Core77 8 of 67

Benjamin Hubert x Cosentino Hubert created an aqueous feel using glass chandeliers that were formulated in CAD thanks to a randomized algorithm that helped like mimic the refraction of water. One of the refreshing parts of this installation was its truly experiential feel (i.e. it felt much less like a Instagram trap and more like a getaway from the Salone madness). David Zanardi 9 of 67

Benjamin Hubert x Cosentino Benjamin Hubert of LAYER's collaboration with materials company Cosentino at Ventura Centrale was an architectural exploration demonstrating what the material Dekton could do. "We used reflection, refraction, and light to show the material in a more architectural setting," Hubert told Core77, "and one of the things that's interesting about the process, when they produce the material they remove all of the water. We thought it would be a nice, kind of poetic moment to bring the water back". David Zanardi 10 of 67

"Bodies in Motion" by Humanscale Contract furniture company Humanscale managed to create a display at Ventura Centrale that poetically confirmed their overall design philosophy through their interactive installation "Bodies in Motion". David Zanardi 11 of 67

"Bodies in Motion" by Humanscale Conceived by designer Todd Bracher and Studio TheGreenEyl, the installation includes a stage, which any attendee can mount and begin a sequence where the light will follow the participants' key ergonomic points' movements, which are reflected across the opposite wall in a stick-figure form. David Zanardi 12 of 67

Dai Nippon Printing Installation This year's Ventura Centrale offered up the most unexpected surprises of Milan Design Week, including this installation by Japanese printing company Dai Nippon Printing. Core77 13 of 67

Dai Nippon Printing Installation This installation, designed by Noiz Architects, demonstrated the printing capabilities of Dai Nippon all the while creating a surreal Instagrammer's playground of three-dimensional prints to photograph and experience. Core77 14 of 67

Dai Nippon Printing Installation Another aspect of the Dai Nippon installation was this printed lighting installation by AtMa, an interior design group founded by Makoto Suzuki and Ayumi Koyama. Core77 15 of 67

[pulse] by Yamaha Design Yamaha Design design mission for their installation at Ventura Centrale was all about the senses. The company commissioned a number of dramatic pieces that helped visitor's experience sounds and visuals in unexpected ways with works like "Pianissimo Fortissimo", a hanging piece of art by Kazuya Washio that doubles as a working piano. Core77 17 of 67

[pulse] by Yamaha Design "Sound Gravity" is an art piece that allows visitors to envelop their body with the sounds of musical instruments. As described by Yamaha, "this object offers an experience somewhat like wrapping your arms around a cello and diving into the sounds it produces, providing an unusually broad contrast of emotions." Core77 18 of 67

"UNFLUENCER—De-sinning the Designer" by FREITAG For Ventura Centrale, Swiss bag company FREITAG paired up with video artist Georg Lendorff to create a space for designers and consumers to reflect on their consumptive "sins" (aka, designing for companies that produce wasteful products, or simply being addicted to Amazon Prime). The entrance of the installation includes rows of white maneki-neko cats, usually gold to symbolize prosperity, are instead colored white as a way to represent innocence and serve to help you wash your design sins away. Core77 19 of 67

"UNFLUENCER—De-sinning the Designer" by FREITAG The three-dimensional video installation by Lendorff is a fully immersive experience, meant to further cleanse you of your transgressions and "relax your mind" as Lendorff described to Core77. "You lose the feeling for space and time—for the act of confessing, we wanted to provide a space that allows you to do so," noted FREITAG co-founder Daniel Freitag. Core77 20 of 67

"UNFLUENCER—De-sinning the Designer" by FREITAG A view of the design confessional, where random participants were paired together to admit and discuss through a veiled wall their most shameful design sins. Core77 21 of 67

Rapt Studios "Tell Me More" installation Rapt Studio's concept for their two-room exhibit at Ventura Centrale was a lounge designed for silent, but weighty exchange. The front of the space featured booths housed in veiled compartments, and those who entered were asked to write a question down for the next guest who entered after them. Eric Laignel 22 of 67

Rapt Studios "Tell Me More" installation he following room in "Tell Me More" featured written questions from previous participants hanging from the ceiling, silently inviting guests to go under and reflect on these questions. We felt the space needed a bit more facilitation built in to encourage more natural interactions between strangers in the room, however, it was fascinating to get into the heads of those around you without even having to ask. Eric Laignel 23 of 67

NOROO presents, "TIDES" by Kwangho Lee x Wang & Söderström Some exhibitions at this year's Salone were all about message, while others focused on mood—this installation, a collaboration between Kwangho Lee x Wang & Söderström, took inspiration from "the layers of time, pulse and temporalities in the universe that we cannot easily feel or sense". Moody indeed! Core77 24 of 67

NOROO presents, "TIDES" by Kwangho Lee x Wang & Söderström The vibe-filled space included 100 stools made by Kwangho Lee, while Wang & Söderström were responsible for the ethereal landscape of pastel lights and colors. Core77 25 of 67

"GEO—DESIGN: ALIBABA" by Design Academy Eindhoven "ALIBABA. FROM HERE TO YOUR HOME" is a product of Eindhoven's recently formed GEO—DESIGN group, which explores "social, economic, territorial, and geopolitical forces shaping design today" in the form of research and exhibitions. The show zeroes in on the global presence of the open-source manufacturing behemoth, Alibaba. Core77 26 of 67

GEO—DESIGN: ALIBABA Designer Jing He researched the influence have had on Alibaba in ensuring consumer trust. "[Influencers] have changed the rules and protocols of product advertising due to their self-branding, accessibility to fans, affordable lifestyles, and personal business strategies," writes He. During the exhibition, Jing He invited live streamer Erbi Chen to produce her stream in the GEO—DESIGN space, giving attendees a further look into the process of the daily lives of these influencers. 27 of 67

"GEO—DESIGN: ALIBABA" by Design Academy Eindhoven Allison Crank's installation was an accessory to the research she did on the work being done to integrate AI design into online advertising, and the boundaries being blurred between what's sold to a consumer and what they desire. It was inspired by the lights of Times Square. She writes, "I like the language of Las Vegas and Times Square because even if the buildings are trying to call your attention to enter and buy, they fully embrace and celebrate their existence as advertisements." Core77 29 of 67

Student Work at Ventura Futures If larger companies assumed the role of activating inspiration in designers, students took the opportunity of Salone as a platform to activate a sense of responsibility in the design community. Student projects reflected the concerns of our younger generations of active designers today, such as sustainability and privacy. This project, "Still Running" by Marta Sternberg of the Royal College of Art is an iron designed to be easily repaired so it may be passed on from generation to generation. Core77 30 of 67

Student Work at Ventura Futures In fact, throwaway culture was confronted and challenged in a number of different ways throughout Salone. This piece by Oliver Hawkes of Royal College of Art displays a bracket system designed by Hawkes that allows anyone to repair broken household items with just his bracket kit and a drill. Core77 31 of 67

Student Work at Ventura Futures Sustainability was also of a huge concern to students presenting at Ventura Futures—this conceptual piece by RCA design student Jihee Moon is a collection of soaps, each one presenting the air quality of different cities by embedding collected pollutants into the soap. Moon writes, "the project is a critique for society to understand the seriousness of pollution and encourage the movement for social change". Core77 32 of 67

Student Work at Ventura Futures Aska" by Erin Karlsson of RCA was a designed collection of cleaning detergents derived from wood ash waste derived from biofuel plants. Wood ash was a previously commonly used cleaning material that Karlsson envisioned repurposing for the modern age. Core77 33 of 67

Student Work at Ventura Futures In the discussion of sustainability throughout students' work inevitably coincided with the rethinking of materials, as demonstrated in work such as "Peel Saver" by design students Pietro Paola, and Simone of NABA University. The project utilizes old potato peels and upcycles them into packaging for fast food french fries, allowing for a zero waste food cycle. Core77 34 of 67

Student Work at Ventura Futures This project by Mi Zhou of University of the Arts London carries a similar zero waste sensibility, envisioning packaging for toiletry products made of soap material that can be used once the contents of the container are used. Tough to say how this could be executed, but a noble pursuit. Core77 35 of 67

"Museo del Design Italiano Part 1: 1946-1981" at Triennale Milano This exhibit within the Triennale was organized by the Triennale's foundation, which is "devoted to the conversation, documentation and exhibition of the history of Italian design. All of the pieces presented in this exhibit a selection of iconic products and furniture pieces that represent key touchpoints of innovation in Italian design from the 40s to the 80s. Core77 36 of 67

"Museo del Design Italiano Part 1: 1946-1981" at Triennale Milano The exhibit's featured objects vary, showing classic examples of Italy's rich design history such as an iconic Necchi sewing machine (a family well known throughout Milan with their own historic villa in the middle of the city) as well as more playful, experimental works like Castiglioni's RR126 speaker system. Core77 37 of 67

"Museo del Design Italiano Part 1: 1946-1981" at Triennale Milano The Grillo telephone, designed in 1965 by Marco Zanuso and Richard Sapper, seems to be a precursor to the form factor of the 90's-early 00's flip phone. Core77 39 of 67

Broken Nature at the Triennale The following projects (up until the mycelium Marsboot) are part of the Triennale's Broken Nature exhibition, which is curated by Paula Antonelli. Broken Nature focuses on 'restorative design' in relation to how humans interact with other species and the environment as a whole. The wide breadth of projects featured in Broken Nature range from art pieces to products already on the market today. The exhibition is on view until September 1, 2019. Core77 41 of 67

Nanohana Heels by Sputniko! and Masaya Kushino These high heels plant rapeseeds (nanohana in Japanese) with each step. Rapeseeds have the unique ability to absorb radioactive substances from soil, so the act of planting flowers can have a restorative effect on the environment that goes deeper than beauty and oxygen. Core77 42 of 67

A.A.I by Agnieszka Kurant These mounds are made in collaboration between a human designer and termites, which are known for creating complex architectural sculptures. The work is meant to be a metaphor for outsourcing work to other parts of the world where labor is cheaper. We just hope the termites got fair wages... Core77 43 of 67

Designs for an Overpopulated Planet: Foragers by Dune & Raby This project envisions a future food foraging system based on an an "outsourced" gastrointestinal system that is able to process foods that are difficult for us to consume on our own, including tough roots and cellulosic matter. Core77 44 of 67

Goatman by Thomas Thwaites What do you do when you grow tired of being a human? Become a goat of course! Thwaites enlisted help from prosthetic experts to design prostheses that mimic the physical characteristics of goats. He then spent three days in the wild living on four legs with goats. This project explores the idea of using technology to learn more about the lives of other species and hints towards a potential future of tech-aided metamorphosis. Core77 45 of 67

Sanctuary by Patricia Piccinini This work of art shows two human-animal hybrid creatures embracing each other and is inspired by the intimacy, sexuality and empathy demonstrated by bonobos, humans' closest living relative. Core77 46 of 67

Menstruation Machine by Sputniko! This art piece explores the gender specific ritual of menstruation through a male lense. Sputniko! Is a male British-Japanese designer who wanted to see what it was like to menstruate, so he created this device, which is equipped with a blood-dispensing system and features that replicate the discomfort and bleeding of the average 5 day menstrual period. The device is designed to be worn by men, trans women and anyone else who wants to experience menstruation. Core77 47 of 67

The Fallacy of the Closed System [Malfictions] by El Ultimo Gritto This mostly glass environment represents cities as closed systems, representative of the political climate today where many people are closed minded and in the artists' words, "overlook complex open systems in which their reality and their hope for future surival resides. Core77 48 of 67

Various Feminine Products This display showcased four different feminine products already on the market today, including Thinx underwear and the Lia pregnancy test. Thinx underwear is an absorbent, odor-free tampon and sanitary pad replacement/supplement worn as regular underwear, and Lia is a flushable, biodegradable pregnancy test. Core77 49 of 67

Raising Robotic Natives by Philipp Schmitt In the designer's own words, "Just like digital natives grow up in the digital world, robotic natives are born into an environment that is adapting to robots. As a result of unbiased, childlike enthusiasm, they are socialized with the technology early on. " Core77 50 of 67

Raising Robotic Natives by Philipp Schmitt Through constant robotic interactions and formalized education, robotic natives get to think differently about robots than we do. It will be their responsibility to shape the future of robotics, not ours—besides we're robotic immigrants, after all." Core77 51 of 67

Woobi Play by Kilo Woobi play is a playful, approachable anti-pollution mask designed for children. The mask comes disassembled, so children and parents are encouraged to build the mask like a toy. Core77 52 of 67

Parley x adidas Runners The exhibition featured a display case filled with adidas x Parley runners, which are mostly made from recycled ocean plastic thread. Core77 53 of 67

Caskia / Growing a Mars Boot by Liz Ciokajlo & Maurizio Montalti Originally commissioned for MoMA's "Is Fashion Modern?" exhibition, Caskia is a mushroom mycelium-based Marsboot that continues to function as the wearer's sweat mixes and fuels the fungal material. Core77 54 of 67

Salone Satellite We always enjoy paying a visit to Salone Satellite, a small section of the massive Salone fair that focuses on student and emerging design talent from all over the world. The next set of projects are a few highlights from the show that push material or aesthetic boundaries—sometimes even both at once! Core77 55 of 67

Stool Mikado by Markus Hangartner We noticed inflatables making their way into quite a bit of furniture this year. This stool takes a slightly different approach by almost reversing the inflatable and filling it with wooden spokes. When air is removed slowly, the stool becomes more stable. The result is a lightweight stool with some serious personality. Core77 56 of 67

Nido Armchair by am studio This chair is an appealing mix between cold industrial and plush comfort. The pillow insert is removable, making it easy to wash and transport. Core77 57 of 67

Hempanel Wall by Romy Design Studio These acoustic panels are made from hemp fibers. The project aims to explore future uses for hemp, a material that is very easy to grow, has natural antibacterial properties and repels 90% of UV rays. Core77 58 of 67

Confetti Stools by Mendel Heit These colorful stools are actually made from recycled plastic. The designer's goal was to combine a traditional material (in this case steel) with a new recycled material (discarded plastic bits from factories). Core77 59 of 67

22.24 by Blockbau This bent steel tube armchair made us green with envy! Core77 60 of 67

80/100 by Blockbau This almost transparent storage system shows its contents while closed without revealing too much, allowing for plenty of fun color and organizational play. Core77 61 of 67

Hong Kong Design Institute The Hong Kong Design Institute's booth focused on ways to make the elderly community live better lives though design. Pictured here is a cocoon chair that zips up for privacy. Our interpretation is that this is great for elderly when they're fed up with their families. Core77 62 of 67

ISIA Faenza The students at ISIA Faenza collectively envisioned what the future farmer might look like, complete with wearable solar panels, sensors and tools to help make harvesting and keeping track of crops easier. Core77 63 of 67

Vitra We admittedly didn't spend too much time at Salone outside of Satellite, but we thoroughly enjoyed Vitra's booth, which showed off their products within four different environments, providing an experience for visitors unlike typical trade show booths, Core77 64 of 67

Vitra Core77 65 of 67

Vitra Core77 66 of 67

Vitra Core77 67 of 67

There was something new in the air at this year's Milan Design Week festivities. Was it that there was just so much more to see? Was it the grandiosity of the installations, between retail giants at Salone in Rho Fiera to the previously more underground events such as Ventura Centrale and showroom events? We're still trying to put our finger on it.

What was made abundantly clear is that Salone is no longer just a furniture fair; it's a global event that reins in the most obscure of studios to tech giants like Google.

What always tends to surprise us about Salone is that despite it's inherently commercial nature and new tech-giant presence, it still manages to show us a number of experimental exhibitions that speak to the wonder of design and not just to commercial value. Despite it's much larger scale in the year 2019, Milan Design Week managed to provide a number of sights that dropped jaws while also engaging a sense of responsibility in the design world, asking the community for more than just a collection of nice chairs. Included here is a selection of just a few of our favorite exhibitions and projects that we experienced during this year's design week.