The Faculty of Art and Design of the Free University of Bolzano, the only Italian university selected to exhibit at Ventura Lambrate, recently presented "Vertigini," an exhibition of 13 projects, curated by Professors Claudio Larcher, Steffen Kaz and Simone Simonelli.

The title of the exhibition refers, of course, to 'vertigo': "Not in the sense of a fear of falling, but as a spinning of the head, a sensation of being able to rise to new heights... this is the sensation that those studying for the three-year BA at the Faculty of Design and Art are trying to achieve."The spectacular setting, consisting of ten ladders, is an idealized representation of the wish to learn and grow on the part of the students at the Faculty in South Tyrol, as well as their desire to strive towards ever greater professional challenges and increasingly ambitious projects.

If this theme—"an alteration of the sensory perceptions that occurs when we are exposed to objects of particular beauty displayed within a confined space"—seems particularly lofty, the work is quite strong overall.

Viktor Matic - "WWW"WWW is an interpretation of the 'shelf' archetype. Between form and function, between space and dimension, it creates concrete opportunities and specific associations. Through its parts, it is not just notionally a modular system but also a type of installation in an ever-changing space.

Tomas Menapace - "Rock Vibrations"A record player made of marble: the heaviness of the material reduces the vibrations of the disc, so you get much higher quality.

Giulia Cavazzani - "Viminibidi"Viminidbidi is a 'parasite' that can grow on the ordinary plastic chairs found in gardens or at beach bars, giving them one or more extra functions. The project is an encounter between a mass-produced object and an ancient craft technique, that of wickerwork. The traditional wicker-weaving technique takes the form of a climbing plant that, growing on a plastic chair, introduces a new function: the magazine-pocket. Viminibidi thus transforms an ordinary plastic chair and gives it a new identity, allowing it to 'attract attention' thanks to its unusual form.

Giulio Maria Perencin - "BLM"BLM is the unexpected result of a personal and unconventional path taken by a young design student. The choice of material and the working method may be crazy, but they nevertheless differentiate BLM from the other bikes on the market and the commercial dynamics of the multinational companies. The result is a self-made object, produced as a limited edition, that also emphasizes the value of the person making it: the craftsman.

Gaetano Gibilras - "VoroNOI"A table of small dimensions, little more than 30cm high and with a diameter of 60cm, made using innovative digital production technologies. Its design is inspired by nature, more precisely by the voroNOI diagram. The seven legs are of light pinewood.

Cindy Strobach - "Applaus"This wooden bookcase is designed as a balancing game, beyond the limits of reality, that inevitably produces 'applause.'

Chiara Sonda - "Lo scarto come decorazione"We live in a world where waste and rubbish have become the engine of the global economy. Today we are re-evaluating the imperfection, taking a defect to its extreme, then transforming it into an effect. In this project, the print is realized with cereals, such as corn flakes, and other foodstuffs, thus connoting the form of ceramics and giving the surface an interesting effect of irregularity.

Yael Fierro - "U.F.O."A table made of a thin marble surface, supported by three empty glass bottles. In this way, the marble shows a certain kind of elegance, far from its proper use. The 'unidentified flying object' invites viewers to see the material from a different point of view.

Manuela Dasser - "Zoom"Visual perception disorder means having difficulty in detecting and processing visual impressions; in recognizing colors, shapes and objects; and in comparing and ranking visual attributes (large/small, heavy/light). Zoom is a series of toy animals designed for children affected by the disorder, but also to improve visual perception and creativity in every child.

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