Sustainable innovations and celebrations of craftsmanship: here are TDC’s must-see projects for Milan Design Week 2024
Each project aims to respond to the overarching theme of Fuorisalone 2024, “Materia Natura”, meaning visitors can expect to see explorations of the relationship between material and nature and promotion of a conscious design culture. TDC will be on the ground in Milan with Collective23, posting daily video content across our social media platforms.
Alcova
Now in its seventh edition, Alcova returns to its iconic setting across Villa Bagatti Valsecchi and Villa Borsani for Milan Design Week, presenting projects by designers, galleries, companies, institutions and schools. Each project covers one of its research strands from technological and sustainable materials and production processes to experimental aesthetics and sociological, political and global issues.
A new feature at Alcova this year is the Alcova Design Shop installation, designed by Space Caviar with materials from Spazio Meta, which will take over the whole Loggiato delle Scuderie of Villa Bagatti Valsecchi. The installation will showcase collectible design, product design, and objects with different uses and scale, explicitly promoting promising contemporary design.
When: 11:00-19:00 , 15-21 April
Where: Villa Bagatti Valsecchi, Via Vittorio Emanuele II, 48, 20814 Varedo MB and Villa Borsani, Via Umberto I, 148, 20814 Varedo MB
Transitions by Stark
In response to the Materia Natura theme, Stark has designed an installation that explores the fluidity of matter, specifically water, and its transitions between various states. The Stark creative responsible for the installation – Alice Buroni, Gloria Lisi, and Alex Buroni – wanted to reflect matter and human beings as part of the same nature. Expect immersive interactions between material and light as well as visual, auditory, and material patterns in transformation.
When: 10:00-18:30, 15-21 April
Where: Sala dei Pilastri, Castello Sforzesco, Piazza Castello
Ecal
Swiss art and design university ECAL (École cantonale d’art de Lausanne) returns to Milan Design Week with two projects this year. For Access of Ownership, industrial design students collaborated with FREITAG, a company that makes one-off bags and accessories from used truck tarps and fully compostable textiles. The project aligns with FREITAG’s guiding manifesto principles of sharing and access to products as, under the guidance of designer Christophe Guberan, students have designed loan options that are particularly relevant for temporary-use wearables, accessories and furnitures.
When: 10:00-20:00, 16-21 April
Where: House of Switzerland, Casa degli Artisti, Corso Garibaldi 89A, 20121 Milano and FREITAG STORE MILANO, Viale Pasubio 8, 20154 Milano
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The second project is an exhibition titled UPS – Under Pressure Solutions is an experimental research project devised to reduce the environmental impact of the furniture industry through the use of shape memory materials. It was led by five industrial designers teaching at ECAL and features objects that show the creative potential of cellulose sponge, designed by Master Product Design students.
Where: Spazio Orso 16, Via dell’Orso 16, 20121 Milano
When: 11:00-20:00, 16-20 April, 11:00-16:00 21 April
Formafantasma
Italian research-based design studio Formafantasma will have quite the presence at Milan Design Week this year, boasting four projects across Fuorisalone and Salone del Mobile, but TDC has picked its favourites.
For Prada’s third edition of Being Home, Formafantasma has curated the Prada Frames symposium, presenting the home as a shelter and an infrastructure of services, rather than solely a place of comfort. It will include contributions from Paola Antonelli, Brigitte Baptiste, Kate Crawford, Jack Halberstam, Anna Puigjaner, Isabella Rossellini, and Françoise Vergès among others.
When: 14-16 April
Where: Bagatti Valsecchi Museum, Via Gesù, 5, 20121 Milan
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The studio has also worked with Spanish surface brand Cosentino on the Earthic Lab installation, designed to trigger a conversation around unconventional and reclaimed materials and raise awareness about more sustainable production practices.
When: 15-21 April
Where: Teatro Gerolamo, Piazza Cesare Beccaria 8, 20122 Milan
Google: Making Sense of Colour
Tech conglomerate Google will present its large-scale, immersive installation Making Sense of Color at Milan Design Week 2024. It seeks to mark out the journey from the ethereal to the material while highlighting how colour is fundamental to how we perceive the world. Simultaneously, Making Sense of Colour – created by Google’s Vice President of Hardware Design Ivy Ross and her design team with the Chromasonic research and art lab – represents a fundamental aspect of Google’s latest hardware project.
When: 10:00-17:30, 16-21 April
Where: Garage 21, Via Archimede, 26, Milan
SuperStudio Piu
Directed by Gisella Borioli and Giulio Cappellini SuperStudio Piu will host Superdesign at Fuorisalone, showcasing around 40 cutting-edge projects by over 80 global companies through an artistic lens, all centred around the theme of Thinking Different.
Lexus returns to Superstudio Più exhibiting “Time”, a pair of interactive installations featuring new and original work by two leading global designers. The exhibition is divided between two installations within the same site.
The indoor exhibit “BEYOND THE HORIZON” by Hideki Yoshimoto / Tangent expresses a world of next-generation mobility that continues to evolve in limitless ways through software, complemented by the music of Keiichiro Shibuya that further invites visitors into an immersive space.
“8 Minutes 20 Seconds” by Marjan van Aubel will be exhibited outside, expressing the investment she shares with Lexus in pioneering new approaches to design and technology toward a carbon-neutral future.
TDC’s digital team will support Lexus’ global digital campaign and creator partnerships during Milan Design Week. The team previously supported Lexus in 2023. Check out their past work here.
When: 15-21 April
Where: Superstudio Più, Via Tortona 27
Capsule Plaza
Co-curated by Capsule’s founder and creative director Alessio Ascari and architect Paul Cournet, this year’s Capsule Plaza will be at the intersection of designers and companies from various creative fields, from interiors, architecture and beauty to technology, innovation and craft. As well as taking over Spazio Maiocchi, the fair/collective hybrid exhibition will be housed in a new satellite venue, the iconic Milanese destination 10 Corso Como.
This year’s Milan Design Week lineup includes: Verner Panton Design AG, Nike Alphafly 3, Hydro and Ecco Leather, all in collaboration with an eclectic mix of artists and designers. Installations will also be complemented with a program of talks, workshops, and pop-ups throughout the week.
Capsule will also release the third issue of the magazine — an annual publication reimagining the notion of radical design for today.
When: 10:30-19:30, 16-21 April
Where: Spazio Maiocchi, Via Achille Maiocchi, 7, 20129 Milano and Corso Como, 10, 20154 Milano
Is One Life Enough
Set in Lampo Milano – a new urban redevelopment project spanning an area of 40.000 sqm within the historic railway yard, Scalo Farini – is Isola’s exhibition of collectibles, titled Is One Life Enough? Every piece uses innovative sustainable materials and adopts circular principles.
Isola’s aim is to start a dialogue about the possibilities within a human, product, and material lifetime and demonstrate how to infuse new life into products designed for a single life cycle. A section of the exhibition will be also dedicated to Colab, the first purpose-built material library in the United Arab Emirates.
When: 15-21 April
Where: Lampo Milano, Via Valtellina, 5, 20159 Milano
Nendo: Whispers of Nature
Nendo’s solo exhibition Whispers of Nature makes use of a vast industrial complex, which Paola Lenti has transformed into a bioecological architectural site. The multifunctional space includes a showroom, lounge, offices, greenhouses, an exhibition gallery, all arranged around a large central courtyard and multiple gardens.
Whispers of Nature showcases five collections inspired by the subtle sounds of nature that go unnoticed in our daily lives. The Hana-arashi, also designed in collaboration with Paola Lenti, is scheduled to be unveiled on the same site. The Japanese design firm is celebrating its 20th year at Milan Design Week this year.
When: 10:00- 22:00, 16 – 20 April, 10:00-19:00, 21 April 2024
Where: Paola Lenti Milano, Via Giovanni Bovio 28
Future Impact 2: Design Singapore Council
DesignSingapore Council will present Future Impact 2, featuring newly commissioned works from the country’s most innovative designers that demonstrate how design can evolve to create a more sustainable future. Using either integrated novel technologies or processes that push the boundaries of production, the designers have developed a series of works that minimise environmental impact, reconsider current production methods, and enhance functionality.
From unifying traditional craftsmanship with 3D printing and streamlining production with technology, to furniture designs that remove carbon dioxide from living spaces and interactive ceramics that can transfer heat, Future Impact 2 aims to reflect Singapore’s forward-thinking vision and approach at this year’s Milan Design Week.
When: 10:00-19:00, 16-21 April
Where: La Rotonda del Pellegrini, Via delle Ore, 3, 20122 Milano
Re/Creation by Lasvit
Czech brand Lasvit has created a monumental fused glass installation to demonstrate its craftsmanship and innovative approach to design. Re/Creation seeks to showcase Lasvit’s expertise across design, architecture, and glass production.
The brand will also introduce the new Nebula collection by Claesson Koivisto Rune, the bespoke artwork Bois de Cristal by Senior Designer Maria Culenova, and a new limited edition gold version of the La Scala chandelier, designed by Jan Plechac and Henry Wielgus, during Milan Design Week.
When: 16-21 April
Where: Palazzo Isimbardi, Corso Monforte 35, Via Vivaio, 1, Milan
To see on-the-ground content during Milan Design Week 2024, follow TDC’s Instagram and LinkedIn and, for more in-depth content, keep an eye on our blog page.
