Euroluce 2025: The Forum (1st Edition)

(Central image above: You Can Imagine the Opposite, Mauricio Nannuci. Euroluce 2023/ The City of Lights. ©Diego Ravier.)

Salone del Mobile.Milano announces the first Euroluce International Lighting Forum. 

The sly innuendoes of what to expect will be certainly the talk of the months to follow, allowing for the international audience to witness an exhibition that goes further than just interior or exterior lighting solutions for home or office use. The Forum will act fit to explore possibilities in AI, light therapy, scientific lighting and special units lighting design, in an array of academics and lighting design specialists, ready to deliver. So, it seems to be planned, and the excitement hits the roof, since a Forum around the major event of Euroluce was often discussed in and out the main Salone exhibition throughout the years.

The 2025 edition of the Salone del Mobile.Milano is ready to herald the launch of the first edition of The Euroluce International Lighting Forum, a global arena for multi-voice discussion on the leading issues in lighting design. The first three names have been unveiled: DRIFT, A.J. Weissbard and Marjan van Aubel. Two days packed with events, including conferences, round tables and workshops, numerous international guests and a space created ad hoc in the Euroluce exhibition area. This, in brief, sums up the first Euroluce International Lighting Forum  that will be held on 10th and 11th April 2025 in Pavilions of the lighting biennial under the umbrella of the 63rd edition of Salone del Mobile, at Rho Fiera Milano from 8th to 13th April, and on a two-yearly basis thereafter.

The Forum will bring together an international panel of creatives, architects, designers, scientists and lighting industry professionals, to discuss highly relevant topics. The first names to be confirmed include DRIFT, specialising in sculptures, installations and experiential performances that underline the parallels between artificial and natural structures, A.J. Weissbard, a lighting designer and multifaceted artist of international renown; and Marjan van Aubel, a leader in the field of solar design for a sustainable, innovative and mindful future. A structured programme will provide an opportunity to dig deep into key issues such as the interaction between light and architecture and light and wellbeing, through an integrated and multidisciplinary design approach. Each edition will tackle specific aspects of lighting design, providing inspiration and practical tools for creating more sustainable and inclusive spaces. 

Maria Porro, President of the Salone del Mobile.Milano, had this to say: “Following the first transformation of Euroluce that we set in motion at the previous edition, rethinking the exhibition layout, we are proud to present another important innovation, this time concerning the content of the exhibition. Light is, incontrovertibly, an increasingly integral part of our lives. As a place where ideas and visions that lead to dialogue intersect, laying fertile ground for innovation, the Forum reflects the DNA of the Salone del Mobile.Milano, which has always been a generator and bearer of new ideas and formats for tackling contemporary challenges.” 

Carlo Urbinati, President of Assoluce, FederlegnoArredo said: “Light not only makes things appear, it also creates atmospheres, depths and perceptions capable of interpreting architectures and open spaces, as in a pentagram. The role of the designer is increasingly similar to that of the conductor of an orchestra, who does not just execute a score, but gives a personal interpretation of it. It is with this sort of strategic role within the industry in mind that FederlegnoArredo's Assoluce felt it was time to set up a dedicated international forum. I would therefore like to thank the Salone del Mobile.Milano for deciding to give shape to this idea with the Euroluce International Lighting Forum, confirming, once again, that our trade fair is not just the world's leading design and furniture sector event but, uniquely in the world, is the home of entrepreneurs committed to designing the future of the sector they represent.

Stay tuned and follow Salone del Mobile official channels, the period prior to the event. It is a new addition to the Salone many manifestations, destined to guarantee an unforgettable experience of learning and advancing the lighting design game.

Lots of Light 🌞 and Love 💕 

AD4-D4A 💙💚🙏

See into this, the Day-Meta.

(Image-original artwork above is created at its final stage by using AI agents).

Yesterday's launch of Orion, the augmented reality eyewear by Meta, was very much an expected evolution in the smart eyewear industry which falls perfectly into place with these news released by Euromonitor. News that certainly deserve a separate post.

Following the updates of EssilorLuxottica extending their long-term partnership with Meta, there is some expert commentary below on the potential impact of this 10-year deal to further advance the development of smart eyewear.

EssilorLuxottica, the gigantic and legendary French-Italian coalition in eyewear and optical lenses join Meta: both have been leading the change with their collaboration on Ray-Ban Stories smart glasses since 2019. EssilorLuxottica’s decision to extend the long-term partnership with Meta is exactly the right move. This extension could transform the landscape of the sector finally bringing AR experiences closer to mainstream acceptance, with Meta’s long-term vision to build the next generation AI. The question is will Ray-Ban Stories be the game changer or will another major tech companies or a small start up be the one to transform the era of AR smart glasses. The race is on. Of course challenges remain regarding privacy and data security concerns, battery life and socially acceptable designs. However, in Euromonitor’s opinion, smart eyewear is no longer five to 10 years away from becoming part of the mainstream.’

We are eagerly waiting the extras on this fascinating huge alliance and certainly the reaction of the EU central administration regarding GDPR and copyright implications as they are previously established for all digital goods and services in the continent. The crossover between edutainment to optical and probably later hearing aids, also remains a sector to watch from now on since the launch. There is an enlargement not to say a marriage of many scientific domains other than tech, which is going to affect further the design process of the product and its many uses. 

Smart glasses are here to stay, it seems. Next step will be new frames in design, materials and colours and combination of the augmented reality part with the refractive power of the lenses (dioptres or dpt) for vision purposes. You got three major players working on that now. 

Much love + design ❣️💙💚🤓😎

A4D-D4A

A SALONE DEL MOBILE 2024 POST-IT ...!-))

(Photo above: Salone in the City, ©Alessandro Russoti, SPC Publicis Group, courtesy of Salone del Mobile, Milan).

Goodbye, farewell, adieu, adieu, adieu♫♬ until next year 2025 (8 - 13/4).

Another year of significant growth for Salone del Mobile, thus means for significant revenues for the European and International design sectors and its most prominent members through their representation on Italian ground, throughout the immense expo at Rho Fiera.

Some facts and figures at the closure of the 62th Salone del Mobile edition:

With 17.1% more visitors than in 2023, the Salone del Mobile.Milano 2024 saw a record turnout with 361,417 presences overall (100,000 more than in 2022). An excellent result for professional presences, which were up 26.8%, 65.8% of them from abroad.

In photos bellow: The Kiosk at Piazza della Scala, Milan, signed by DWA Design Studio and curated by Corraini Edizioni, ©Salone del Mobile.Milano. Shortcuts from the clouds inside the Salone Satellite exhibition, ©Ludovica Mangini.

The data which, once again, confirm the key role of the Exhibition in the internationalization of the companies in the sector, the value of networking, as well as the catalyzing force of an event that has gone beyond the perimeter of the trade fair dimension.

The top 15 market geographies saw China make a great comeback, followed by Germany, Spain, Brazil, France, the United States, Poland, Russia, Switzerland, Turkey, India, the United Kingdom, South Korea, Japan and Austria.

The presence of the media is growing compared to last year: 5,552 accredited journalists and communication professionals for a total of 6,778 admissions (50.4% from abroad).

The number of Italian and foreign students also increased, reaching 13,556, of which 8,368 were Italian (+25.5%), for an average overall growth of 18.8%. The interest of the public of design enthusiasts was consolidated over the weekend (32,567 attendance).

Thank you to the organisers and to all parties involved for another exquisite event. The Salone goes live once a year but its many manifestations and actions continue all year round. Stay tuned!

In photo bellow: Stefano Boeri, President of Triennale Milano in an unexpected pose, ©Salone del Mobile.Milan

Until next year (8 - 13th of April 2025), support real, good design and designers in all sectors, wherever you are.

Much Love + Design 💙💚💋

A4D-D4A

For more bits and bytes on all things-design (this year's Salone del Mobile included), for our Insta press here, for FCBK press there.