SUMMER NEWS: PART A.

Picture above: Salone del Mobile.Milano 2016 Award, Best Display: Kartell

Following the traditional week in April when the eyes of the furnishing world were upon it, the Salone del Mobile.Milano has announced the names of the 8 winners of the international award that highlights the design sector’s finest innovations.
Announced last February 2016, this special award affords an opportunity for pause and reflection on the edition that ended on 17th April. Its mission is to deliver targeted recognition of the value of ideas, of creativity, of innovation and of technology. 
The Salone del Mobile.Milano Award pays just homage to people or things, whether from established designers or those newly embarking on their careers, and from products to installations. Awards recognise those that have helped to give the event its strong international flavour, creating a forum showcasing cutting-edge design trends and up-to-the minute modes of home living. 

The winners were announced at the official award ceremony on 7th June- and they were ALL selected  by the criteria of absolute excellence and merit; an exclamation mark for a choice reflecting the exact impressions of the experts, as well as those of the general public who witnessed  and examined those projects in Salone del Mobile.Milano 2016:  

Best Product/ Chairs – Upholstereds All Plastic Chair, Jasper Morrison, Vitra 

Best Product/ Furnishing System Commodore, Piero Lissoni, Glas Italia
 
Best Product/ Kitchen Section Air, Daniele Lago, Lago 

Best Product/ Bathroom Section Origami, Alberto Meda, Tubes Radiatori 

Best Display Kartell
 
Best Young Designer Giacomo Moor
 
Best Designer Konstantin Grcic 

Special Jury Award Cristina Celestino  

A special Banca Intesa Sanpaolo Award has also been granted to Simone Ciarmoli and Miguel Queda of CQS Studio for the artistic direction of Before Design: Classic – the exhibition/event on the topicality of classic Made in Italy style showcased at the Salone del Mobile.Milano 2016. 

For more information check: https://www.salonemilano.it

SuperNormal House is the megatrend developed by LivingScapes, the research carried out by the Salone del Mobile.Milano Trend Lab – the Salone del Mobile.Milano’s new research laboratory and intelligence centre – to identify the leading trends emerging at international level in the world of design, furnishing and living. (see photo bellow: the graph of the Megatrend Map)

Novel notions such as Simplexity, New Normality, Ordinariness, Low Tech,  Re-Humanisation (of design), Extra-Ordinary (design), Personal  Landscape, Considered Minimalism et al. introduced by leading designers and brands , create a mosaic of tangible solutions for living environments in societies now. 
The Salone del Mobile Trend Lab employs an ethnographic-based research methodology based on field observation, combining field (a network of international researchers/ anthropologists), desk and web sources, to identify the socio-cultural changes and evolutions taking place and the way in which they are translated, take shape and manifest themselves in the domestic space.
It also employs a panel of national and international opinion leaders, selected ad hoc both for their relevance to the research subjects (design, architecture, interior design, interior architecture) and for their ability to take a crosscutting look at design and creativity-related issues. The field of observation encompasses all the leading international markets (Europe, Russia, USA, Asia) with a focus on “emerging” countries such as China.

For more information check: https://www.salonemilano.it

Leonardo Da Vinci lived during the peak of the Renaissance period, but he cannot be considered as just another artist, representative of this era. He surpassed by leaps and bounds his known world, he united methods, styles, techniques, arts and sciences, he dared to attempt everything that he considered possible…. A genius, an actual accomplisher, a man of logic but also an intellectual, a mystique and a visionary.
Italy finally dedicates a museum to his name, life and works and the architects Ico Migliore and Mara Servetto ( of studio Migliore+Servetto Architects  in Milan, IT)-
experts in exhibition design, with an impressive portfolio of numerous projects on the field, “tested” them selves in the endeavor to sign the design concept of a space  related to the absolute patron –saint of European thought  by far. A visit is highly mandatory and much better than words. 

Result of a competition launched by Consorzio A.S.T. in 2012, the permanent exhibition - held within the historical Castle of Vigevano (Vigevano city, Pavia, Lombardy, IT) - conceived by Migliore+Servetto Architects for “Leonardiana. Un museo nuovo”, develops, by advanced light tools, multimedia and environmental graphics design, a definitely innovative narration tool which leads the visitor to explore the main phases of Leonardo’s thinking during his lifetime, with the curatorship of Claudia Zevi & Partners and with the supervision of Carlo Pedretti.

“We worked on reversed relationship between vessel and content, between original piece, replica and narration, to make the exhibited subject become the thought and the action of Leonardo inside the original scene. In a rich dialogue with the historical rooms of the castle, the exhibition develops through light installations and structures that combine interactions and advanced technologies to build new narration scenarios.”
(Ico Migliore and Mara Servetto) 

For more information check:
http://architettimiglioreservetto.it/
www.leonardiana.com
info@astvigevano.it


This Thursday on the 30th of June, at 7pm in the Vitra Design Museum (Weil am Rhein, DE), the discussion/event Designmuseum 2.0 – The Renaissance of Collections / Talk (DE) will take place.

In June 2016, the Vitra Design Museum will open the Schaudepot for the presentation and study of its collection. A number of other leading design museums are also renewing their focus on their collections as a basis for their own work, but also as a vehicle for presenting and elucidating the history and future of design. Martin Roth, Director of the Victoria & Albert Museum in London, and Christoph Thun-Hohenstein, Director of the Austrian Museum for Applied Arts in Vienna, have been highly successful in attracting millions of visitors to their outstanding international collections. Together with the Director of the Vitra Design Museum, Mateo Kries, they will discuss how their collections are helping them to reinvent the design museum for the twenty-first century.

The Talk will haunt our summer by illustrating  the facts in design that will shape the future of the sector- thus means the future of society. Incredibly interesting and highly recommended venue- certainly not to miss!

For more information check:

https://www.facebook.com/events/283376832014591

http://www.design-museum.de

Object of desire- Let There be Light X3!

The new Trio King Edison is now available from Mineheart, it takes Young & Battaglia's original design and turns the glam factor up to maximum.
Three gold King Edison lamps hanging from a single ceiling rose in a descending cluster (picture bellow).

To find out more information about the new products please email Danielle
on info@mineheart.com
To view the full selection of products please visit: www.mineheart.com


The Contemporary Jewelry Space/ gallery/workshop/ seminar center Syn Apeiro in Athens, GR, resumes its activities - after 9 years of service. Syn Apeiro was one of the few Contemporary and Art jewelry clusters in the Hellenic capital, with a broad spectrum of in-house exhibitions and a serious presence through its designers-jewelers  in significant contemporary jewelry fairs in Europe. Nothing it's over till it's over - we wish Syn Apeiro to re-address its many collaborations in a new network and channel its creative energy to different, exciting ventures. For more information on Syn Apeiro past and current exhibitions, artists and events please contact:

www.synapeiro.gr
www.kalliopiandrikopoulou.com

(picture bellow from Syn Apeiro Annual exhibition & Final Show 2016):

The second round of design news and latest updates, later in the summer - so please stay in touch. Until then, enjoy life to the maximum!
A4D-D4A;-))

SUMMER 2016 DESIGN TITLES: THE TOP TEN.

Picture above (background): Vintage card by the E.L.I.A Archives (eng.: Hellenic Literary and Historical Archives), supported by M.I.E.T, Greece (: National Bank Educational Foundation) Publications. For more info on M.I.E.T and E.L.I.A actions, initiatives, schemes and shops please follow:
www.miet.gr
http://www.elia.org.gr

The A4D-D4A exciting choice of 10 best design and crafts publications, for the summer!
Read and think:

1. www.prestel.com FASHION/ ECOLOGY (English, 2016)

 Fashion Made Fair by Ellen Kohrer and Magdalena Schaffrin

Is green the new black? This beautifully illustrated book pays tribute to contemporary designers whose creations are at once fashion-forward as well as sustainable, responsible, and humanely produced.

2. www.arnoldsche.com JEWELLERY (English, available from Mid-September 2016)

BARBARA CARTLIDGE AND ELECTRUM GALLERY - A Passion for Jewellery
by Beatriz Chadour-Sampson and Janice Hosegood

The life and career of contemporary jewellery's patron saint: Barbara Cartlidge and her legendary gallery/boutique Electrum in 21,South Molton str., London - finally thoroughly presented and illustrated. A rare study dedicated to an exquisite woman, artist, designer, entrepreneur, activist and pilar of the contemporary jewellery and crafts movement, as recorded from the 70's and beyond.

3. www.arnoldsche.com DESIGN/ FURNITURE (English- Norwegian)

EKSTRØM EXTREME. Norwegian Furniture and Industrial Design :by Denise Hagströmer(ed)

The phenomenal and unique creativity of pioneer furniture designer Terje Ekstrøm (1944-2013) whose work contributed a new vitality and independence to the Norwegian design scene of the 1970s and 80s. Challenging the ideals of the golden age of Scandinavian design, his practice was characterized by an eclectic search for originality.

4. www.dardanos.net  GUTENBERG PUBLISHERS, Athens HISTORY/ INDUSTRIAL DESIGN (Greek, 1st edition: December 2015 available from Jan 2016)
 
Μια Ιστορία για τα Ελληνικά Μηχανήματα του Μηχανουργείου Κούππα (1882-1940), Ευγενία Κρεμμυδά
(:A History of Greek Machinery: The Kouppas Factory of Industrial Machinery (1822-1940) by Eugenia Kremmyda)

A concise history of Greek Industrial machinery through the analysis of the Kouppas factory, in Piraeus, Greece- the biggest industrial unit in the field, on Hellenic ground. The book is far more than a discovery of the company's archives, it contributes immensely to the actual understanding of greek industrial heritage and engineering - by also giving a perspective on the sectors rebirth.

5. www.routledge.com  SOCIAL SCIENCE/ DESIGN (english, 2015)

The Routledge Companion to Design Research. Edited by Paul Rodgers, Joyce Yee

The Routledge Companion to Design Research offers a comprehensive examination of design research, celebrating the plurality of design research and the wide range of conceptual, methodological, technological and theoretical approaches evident in contemporary design research.

6. www.tezukuritown.com (manufacturer name  : NIHON VOGUE) CRAFTS (Japanese,
2016)

COS costume Making Book

Basic instructions For Cosplay costume production, fabric and sewing recommendations, such as Tsukekata  paper arrangements and patterns, commentated in detail. Beautiful dresses and flared skirts, body suits, Manabu orchid-garments, swallowtail jackets....FUN! S ~ L size for women. CD ROM included!

7. www.tezukuritown.com (manufacturer name  : NIHON VOGUE) CRAFTS (Japanese,
2016)

Fully -used Bags

Introduction to semicircle bag, purse, round pochette, tetra pouch, triangle bag, Azuma bag, cube bag, collage bag, etc. In addition to the basics of sewing, a three-step work process on photos, to make  beginners confident with the book content. Work it, you will be a fanatic!

8. http://store.nardinieditore.it/   INTERIOR DESIGN/ CONSERVATION/ RESTORATION (Italian)

Colore. Colorimetria: sistema di colore Carlieri-Bianco (: Colour. Colorimetry: the Carlieri-Bianco system)

The classic manual on color science and technology, now on E-Book!!! Essential. You can read it on your Kindle device, PC, mobile, tablet.

9. http://www.nardinibookstore.it  ARCHITECTURE/ URBANISM (Italian)

APE – Guida al nuovo Attestato di Prestazione Energetica (:APE - Guide to the new Energy Performance Certificate)

III Edition (on call from 26 June 2015): Energy performance , prescriptions and minimum requirements . Project technical report . Adaptation of national guidelines for energy certification. If you are an architect, with a practice in Europe, is worth having a look on the new, updated laws applied to energy certificates for buildings in Italy- it is a very complete list of rules, useful to adopt in other countries. The Italians do it better....?

10. http://pepinpress.com WEB DESIGN/ ON-LINE MEDIA DESIGN (German, English, French, Italian, Spanish, Portuguese, Russian, Japanese, Korean, Polish, Chinese, 2016,)

Web Design Index by Content 05

Would you like an overview of the state of the art in web design in a specific field? this book provides exactly that: every year, 500 new designs are selected and grouped in more than 20 categories, such as architecture, art, fashion, food, IT, music, photography, product catalogues, etc.
Two pages from each site are included: an opening page and a page representative of the nature of the site. This is the fifth in a series  of titles, which has become the industry standard in tracking trends in web design. This year has seen an emphasis on large images, typographic innovations and a more hand-made or hand-drawn feel in web design. The websites featured in this book are organized by subject and provide an invaluable reference for web designers.The enclosed CD contains previews of and a link to each of the featured websites. TOP!

Enjoy and get the most out of it. (Design) Books are TREASURES.
A4D-D4A?-)


 

POWER REVOLUTION, ENERGY'S FINAL FRONTIER.

"Home Is where your Laptop Is" . The mantra of the Z generation of young, urban creatives (Yuccies: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Yuccie) will thrive only under one vital predicament: sufficient ENERGY warranty. In an era where the planet is suffering by the over-use of fossil fuels and the rigidity to fully convert to renewable resources - under the constant threat of continuous wars over the control of coil, gas and oil- even drilling to other planets came as a law in countries of the western world ex. USA (in a state of panic fearing earth deposits deficiency in the near future). Cars, computers, heating, housing will go through major changes in their very DNA, in their actual MAKING and that means they won't be even listed under their usual categories. (ex. Cars will not be considered as Vehicles but as part of the Internet of Things. Houses and other MADE constructions and products, will be delivered with a Passport of Materials, used in the making process of responsible design).

Batteries as an important technology, about to re-born- will also overcome important transformations and become the essential TOOL for survival and creative dynamics. In a quick search the meta-Lithium developments on the actual material, guarantee impressive results-despite the fact its biodegradability being questioned, as an issue and a challenge. With the big mobile/PC/electronics companies already working extensively on the area- it seems that the Battery of the Future, functioning on light beam detectors and air reaction- will make its first appearance probably until 2030.
Until then have a quick glimpse in those enlightening sites bellow:

http://blogs.scientificamerican.com/plugged-in/beyond-the-hype-what-s-the-future-of-batteries/

http://www.telegraph.co.uk/technology/news/11475219/What-is-the-future-of-battery-technology.html

https://cosmosmagazine.com/technology/batteries-%E2%80%93-guide-future

http://www.techrepublic.com/article/the-future-of-electric-cars-why-the-battery-race-will-define-it-and-musk-is-a-genius/

http://www.forbes.com/sites/thelabbench/2015/04/30/ensuring-tesla-doesnt-crowd-out-the-batteries-of-the-future/#1cef40be402a

http://www.triplepundit.com/2015/08/biodegradable-batteries-real/

https://waste-management-world.com/a/1-the-lithium-battery-recycling-challenge

www.360inspiration.nl

Happy reading and thinking?-))
A4D-D4A

ESCAPE as a Living Strategy*: an architecture crash course 4All, featuring ARCH POINTS.

(*As a reference to Discretion as Survival Strategy inscription in the Umberto Riva – Proposition for a Bolt Hole  installation at STANZE exhibition, XXI Triennale, Milan 2016.)  

Image above: Summer house in Ilia prefecture , West Peloponnese . Architects: Betty Tsaousi (YAW ARCHITECTURE, btsaousi@gmail.com ) and Despina Sotiriou. Escape signifies the return to a comfortable rurality or a remote, extreme countryside(?). Itinerary no1 (stop no4 ) throughout Athens City, (the core of the commercial center): “Athens City Center: a transitional point. From investors’ high end expectations to working class rematch.” ARCH POINTS  architectural tours, 14th of May 2016. 

A three-day  event, ARCH POINTS is a series of 5 guided tours in the city of Athens, showcasing its architecture and the young professional architects living and working, within the Greek capital ravaged by the economic crisis. ESCAPE is the focal point-theme, triggering the creative ideas, plans, constructions and finished products of seventeen studios- proposing an entire re-invention  and re-mediation of the architectural discipline, also essential for the sector’s survival. At the same time, the guided  tours in the multilayered city of Athens-full of old and new wonders or/and “sins” in terms of architectural planning- reveal many unknown aspects of the heart of the town, through a contemporary approach to the Athenian urban  landscape.  

A4D-D4A followed three of the five itineraries , dedicated to different issues , revolving around the notion of Escape and the city today. A.The Athens City - the Commercial Center Transformation of Real Estate, b.the Evolution of the Athenian Apartment block and the c.Relativity to the Sea frontier- exposed  three routes respectively, where one discovers the participants architects’ offices situated on each of them –but also natural and architectural milestones, defining the city’s (new) character.

See bellow, from top to bottom: 
Athens China Town- The upper-middle class lofts in the old Silk Factory working class quarters (Metaxourgeio)- 1950’s residential apartments in Heraklitou str, Kolonaki- Graffiti (“ I am tortured (gr.:"βασανίζομαι“)  near Athens Stock market.- The wild flora of the National Garden , next to the Parliament, near the ancient Ilissos river stream. 

The business of architecture evokes many new challenges, given the circumstances of the economic and environmental crisis. In times like this, the architect becomes a restorer and renovator, more than a strict builder or maker, crossing the platforms of other fields in applied arts and techniques. Extroversy , flexibility , escape from immobility, decentralization of services, co-operability, adaptation of art narratives and intelligent technology (supported by the architects toolkit) : those are the attributes of the new architect in the city of Athens, exploring  a wide range of solutions in order to attain professional sustainability. The cheerful disposition of all the architects presenting projects on ESCAPE by ARCH POINTS was overwhelming – nevertheless here follow some of the highlights  in the three itineraries mentioned earlier. 

From top to bottom: 

Vasileios Ntovros, Pittaki str. quarters light installation, "Imagine the City"-        

4k architects, Escape mapping game-

Diofantou6, outdoor sunshade constructions- VM Architects, Hidden Landscapes (3D printouts, spooled out algorithmically generated diagrams of intangible spaces). 

www.ntovrosvasileios.gr 

http://cargocollective.com/imaginethecity/Syn-oikia (photo)

www.tesserakappa.gr 

diofantou6.tumblr.com 

www.vmarchitects.gr 

You can also visit: 

www.neararchitecture.com 

www.theathensproject.wordpress.com 

www.micromega.gr 

www.cadu.gr 

www.a-u-d-o.com 

www.thanassismanis.com 

www.harisbiskos.com 

ARCH POINTS official website: www.archpoints.gr 

Special thanks to: the architects-guides of the tours, Eleni Patatouka, Anastasia Koutoumanou, Aggeliki Latani and Fanis Kafantaris and the Press officer of ARCH POINTS (all mighty) Christina  Zafeirouli. We are so looking forward for next year's edition ARCH POINTS 2017!

Warm regards;-)) 

A4D-D4A   

Remediation, innovation, (digital) awakening: WEB SUMMIT 2016.

Image above from:
https://blog.websummit.net/introducing-web-summit-schools/

In times that Europe is tested heavily and try with mostly saturated mechanisms to re-invent its production, services and industrial sectors- the pulse of our Digital Blue planet beats in historical Lisbon next November 2016- facilitating growth, (thus means new business opportunities and job openings)- in unprecedented areas. WEB SUMMIT will take place between the 7th and the 10th of 2016 in Lisbon, Portugal and already it guarantees numerous, exciting manifestos from the inventors and the entrepreneurs, practicing an activity on the digital platform.
Some of the events are about to shift n' shake a whole system of factors and generate a new environment, therefore a new set of values and habits for the user-consumer-citizen.
There follows a handful of the many fascinating headlines of the presentations, bound to shake vividly the foundations of the economic and social infrastructure, in fields like programming-coding, IT, design, healthcare, security, finances, society, media and more:
...
"Turn consumers into active contributors".
"The 360° VR selfie is the future".
"Privacy policies should really be called ownership policies".
"In the future, you'll be able to view an image of your skeleton & the disease states around it".
"Build services that offer magic".
"In 20 years we'll be carrying around these wonderful little computers where you can pay anybody, anywhere in the world, using Bitcoin.
....

A4D-D4A missed last year's WEB SUMMIT in Dublin but we will try to access the WEB SUMMIT Lisbon premises, in order to re-address mainly some of the tantalizing issues, our design blog is primarily interested in (among many others):
1. New Technologies, Design and Disability (focusing especially on partially-sighted citizens).
2. Easy Distant learning solutions and public educational activities in the meta-Digital era.
3. Copyright, intellectual property in creative on-line services.
4. Networked residences.

WEB SUMMIT is worthy of every possible attention, defines novel dimensions and signals hope, in a cloudy socio-economic landscape that remains barren and solution-free.

For detailed info on features, attendees and latest press releases, please visit: https://websummit.net/summits/design-summit

Set your eyes on November 2016;-))
A4D-D4A

Salone Del Mobile 2016, Part B- Residences et al., Chapter 3: STANZE: ROOMS. Novel Living Concepts…The Exhibition.

Image above: detail of URSUS, by Duilio Forte at STANZE: ROOMS. Novel Living Concepts, XXI Triennale International Exhibition 2016, from 2/4/2016 to 12/9/2016, in Milan, Italy.  

 “…DUILIO FORTE sees architecture primarily as a highly skilled and imaginative practice. His house, which grew over the years like a termite mound of original and wacky objects and solutions, all built with his own hands, is the synthesis of his creative fantasy. His project absolutely had to be associated with the books that have re-evaluated the craftsmanship aspect of homo faber, even from a highly technological perspective, such as 3D printing which enables all kinds of products to be designed and manufactured at a distance: Richard Sennet, The Craftsman (2008) – and also Stefano Micelli, Futuro Artigiano (2011); and Chris Anderson, Makers: The New Industrial Revolution (2012).”…

It seems that it is not just a trend or a temporary measure. Strong evidence shows that Interior Architecture is destined to be the dominant discipline of the future in design- incorporating new technologies and new living standards. The exhibition Stanze. Altre  filosofie dell’abitare  (in English: Rooms. Novel living concepts ) is one of the leading manifestations, in which the Salone Del Mobile 2016 is liaising with XXI Triennale International  Exhibition 2016- and also a definite turning point, in regards to what will follow the upcoming years. We will deal with what IS LEFT for us to develop- and  with a building sector reluctant to (more) extravagance. There will be REFORM- in every sector of our society and the primal one is the space we live.  Eleven prominent Italian architects present a series of habitat concepts, entitled to host the human existence and its many needs and current complexities. A fascinating narrative orchestrated with virtuosity and wisdom by curator Beppe Finessi- and designed with rhythm and stealth by architect Gianni Filindeu  (exhibition design) and communication designer Leonardo Sonnoli (graphic design).  

Visitors enter and walk through a series of rooms, each designed by a different Architect-Author. Umberto Riva, Alessandro Mendini, Lazzarini e Pickering, Manolo De Giorgi, Marta Laudani and Marco Romanelli, Andrea  Anastasio, Fabio Novembre, Duilio Forte, Elisabetta Terragni, Carlo Ratti and Francesco Librizzi, illustrate their living concepts and philosophies under those titles respectively: Proposition for a Bolt Hole- My Prisons- La Vie en rose- Round and Round- The Absence of Presence- Resonances- INTRO- Ursus- Putting Things into Perspective- Pin Room- D1. Discovering the Domestic Space . Each of the authors formulate their own room Quest-ions and philosopher Francesco M. Cataluccio  has selected literary and philosophical reference texts for each project.

The so-many topics for discussion and the various issues raised out of these proposals, consist a list of the quintessential themes in contemporary living: Is the person or his/her residence the center of study? Meta-humanism is appealing? Should everything be taken for granted in interior architecture today? What does Inhabiting a Space means these days? A home is planned as our personal scenography of object hoarding? Or it is a new type of bunker or bank Safe? Is a house a remote destination from urbanity- a sanctuary? A set of furniture in use or One Unit/Module that can be shaped and reproduced  for (any) use? What is the domestic “Internet of things”? How  dangerous it is for an architect to be involved in Interior design? Is interior design a delicate and complex procedure, when it comes to the resident?

Extracts from the STANZE experience:
 
…“For a long time, forever in fact, I have felt as though I were living shut inside a prison. Serving a life sentence for the crime of “ornamentation”. I find myself in an introverted room,  a blockaded perimeter, an insurmountable mental space. Small yet also enormous, completely confined, in any event. My ideas, my style, my atmosphere, my mirage: everything is in there. It is the isolation cell inside a romantic and privileged Alcatraz. Imprisoned by nightmares, by torture, by hallucinations, by the abyss of decoration.  It’s like the methodical self-building of walls and surfaces destined to deny me my freedom.  I often think about ABET laminate. It was the first material I fell in love with. Cold, flat, high-tech, geometrical, amorphous yet erotic, up for anything, prepared to lose and make me lose our purity. 
My conventions, my desires have smoothed it, painted it, stroked it, illuminated it, polished it and softened it. Laminate seduced me so completely that it must have been the source of the decorative obsession with infinite signs, styles and colors that wrapped me ever more firmly inside the cocoon of my sins, my terrible thirst for ornamentation. If I try to locate the true, distant beginning of my design life sentence, of my prisons, I find it in the emptiness of the drawings produced by hand or on the computer, above the superficiality of the surfaces, not in the depth of space and form.”…. 

Alessandro Mendini, My Prisons (see photo bellow)

"The CARLO RATTI ASSOCIATI practice has designed a space that shows off technology at its most practical: a platform of soft pins that can rise up and reconfigure the space in a potentially infinite number of combinations- the Pin Room. Each of its components (pixels turned matter) allows us to literally manipulate the physical universe and transform it, each time into the “best of all possible tangible worlds.” (see photo bellow)

”This is a proposal for a place in which to isolate oneself.  My thoughts immediately flew to the Cabanon designed by Le Corbusier in a pine forest on the Cote d’Azur where he spent the summer months during the latter part of his life. The project consists of a small completely self sufficient room (13m2), in which the spaces and utilities have been pared down to a minimum. An exploration of Existenz  Minimum, in which the relationship between the person and the internal space is the most important and delicate consideration of all. A room of monastic rigour, in which the light, the materials and the design of the furnishings assume the most important role.”… 
Umberto Riva – Proposition for a Bolt Hole (see photos bellow) (3)

 "The famous novel by Czech writer Milan Kundera, The Unbearable Lightness of Being (1984) informs FABIO NOVEMBRE’s project, INTRO. Existence and the short and long-term choices we all make are totally irrelevant, according to Kundera: this is where their unbearableness resides. The only thing man should be able to say about existence, in order to give it meaning, is that it is a Necessity. Not by chance the novel opens with a reflection on the “Eternal Recurrence”, which represents the desire to impress Necessities on our lives. Novembre’s room is a kind of head, which of necessity and ironically carries architecture over into the shapes of the body and the room into to the head, with its perfectly habitable cavities." (see photo bellow)

 …”When organising internal spaces our time is spent debating alternative dichotomies between revealing and concealing, or rather between presence and absence, and between “gymnasium” and “stage set”. Homes are not merely machines ΰ habiter, but stages on which our daily lives are played out. This duality conceals the “raw nerve” of C21st design. Machines ΰ habiter actually make for perfect distribution, carefully evaluated climate conditions and generous fixed furnishing systems. “Stages for daily life” serve to show off objects and materials that demonstrate how far we have come financially and culturally: from large screen televisions to original paintings, from large amounts of books to elegant drawing rooms still covered with plastic, from hydromassage tubs to brass-effect finishings, from hyper-technological kitchens to mega sofas.
People throughout the ages have attributed specific “powers of representation” to different and particular objects. This therefore means that when tackling a design for a “novel living concept”, the value of “absences” needs to be explored. It is no longer simply a matter of modifying the “presences” in terms of taste and culture, but of building a room to be lived as an “absence” (an empty space for coming and going and for contemplating works of art). The “presence” will return, transformed into experiences for “lone” activation within well defined areas, earmarked for different human activities: reading a book, getting undressed or eating.
This is a project that does not simply aesthetically valorise the concept of emptiness, but is driven by different “contemporary family” structures. Families made up of individuals all of whom have reached adulthood but who, out of necessity, continue to live together, or unrelated people required to share a space, for instance. Within these nuclei, each person needs to create their own intimacy, their own story, their own “one man tent”.
Marta Laudani and Marco Romanelli – The Absence of Presence (Collaborators: Stefano Ragazzo and Giorgio Bonaguro) (see photo bellow)

For detailed presentations, videos and access information to this pivotal, beyond- homemaking, international event -gathering important visions, opinions and comments on the Future Residence subject- please follow the links of the exhibition’s contributors: 

http://www.salonemilano.it/en/manifestazioni/eventi-appuntamenti/lista-eventi-delsalone/2016/stanze-nuovi-paesaggi-domestici.html

www.triennale.org

www.esteri.it/mae/en

www.confindustria.it 

Explore unknown energies, undiscovered possibilities. Walk through the ROOMS… and happy design thinking!

A4D-D4A;-))

SALONE DEL MOBILE 2016: The Highlights of New, WOW Doctrines in design.

Picture above: The Bosch principal, “Home Connect makes your everyday life easier”.

“Come to the 55th year of wow in design.” That was this year’s moto–ever so popular since last summer- at the 55th edition of Salone del Mobile in Milan, Italy. And it certainly gave justice to all actions, happenings, events , exhibitions, lectures and testimonials that took place this amazing week , from the 12th to the 17th of April. Some of the tags at the fair’s introductory video, meant to orient right to  the essence of the event: “Beyond the object-Sound proof- Let there be light- Poetically simple- Technological evolution- Revolutionary directions- Alternative materials-  Art world- Complexity of execution- Material as value – Lighting speaks to us- Artisan input- Simplification- Rigor becomes Poetry- Sophisticated and Specialist- Complex structured and technologically high- Art work basins- Luxury and sensuality-Wealth of materials- Shower plus- Timeless places- Modern Utopias- The Past is iconic model- Ethnic- Typological invention- Sophisticated attention to material- Nordic Minimalism”.

The features that made the heavier impact was evidently in the FTK (Future Technology for the Kitchen) area. The opening act at IMM this year 2016 has defined the evolution of the new dogma- present, complete and articulated in the Salone: “Home is where your App is”.”Home Connect”. Siemens, Bosch, Miele, Neff, Smeg  counterparted their technological expertise in this New Epoch of home appliances : “household equipment connected to an App and transform the mobile device of the user into a remote control” (Smeg). Miele’s Invisible Kitchen promises networked, convenient an inconceivable cooking. Time, energy and money-saver, revolutionary for citizens with a handicap or limited mobility, great for hospitals and public function units. Italy opposed Germany with its stronger competitor in the field, strategically placed in the same pavilion corridor: Smeg added more to the established principal, showcasing  a humane, sustainable and art-work designed equipment, exhibited in a stand  surrounded with real jasmine bushes- on top with the presentation of the Dolce Stil Novo line of fridges , phenomenally art directed by Dolce and Gabbana. 

The overall impression was so fascinating , as a shortcut of the movie Batman VS Superman. The two biggest and oldest technology and design forces in Europe- the Italian and the German school- playing their game on the same pitch. It is up to the market and the global economy unpredictable factors to tell which player’s approach will dominate finally in this new Sector, combining network technology and domestic appliances.

www.siemens-home.com
www.bosch-home.com
www.smeg.it
https://theinvisiblekitchen.miele.com
www.neff-international.com

From top to bottom: Shortcuts from the Smeg (3), Miele and Siemens products, stands and presentations.

Space &Interiors: Details for Architecture  exhibition this year in the Salone is the key-event linking the design professionals with the strong core of the companies, specializing in different areas of the construction-building  trade. A total Urban Exercise , designed as a high street promenade- with a garden roof top : at the Mall, Porta Nuova, Milan. The extremely elegant and clever exhibition design of prominent architects Ico Migliore and  Mara Servetto- escapes greatly  the usual blue-collar aesthetics in similar corporate exhibitions: here you have a fluid, organic navigation, with minimal wood benches to rest, a front library, an end-refreshment space and in between high blocks with niches for the interior Architecture scale models made by students of the Milan Polytechnic University (Politecnico of Milan)- the white blocks serve also as projection screens for beautiful graphs directing to the exhibitor ‘s side stand and its items. Space & Interiors feels safe and pleasant like home and it has better to do so. The whole attempt is an experiment for a new commercial platform , selling components and materials to build houses after all.

“…A permeable space to cross, consult and observe that will help reconsider the fundamental role of finishes and components within the definition of the quality and the identity of our dwelling…”(Ico Migliore e Mara Servetto, MIGLIORE + SERVETTO ARCHITECTS).

www.space-interiors.it
www.miglioreservetto.com
www.mandelli.it
www.bebitalia.com

From top to bottom: The Mandelli company (est.1953) amazing door handles projection on the white block net (3). In detail the small cabinets with the architectural models, made by students. Another fascinating project designed by Migliore+Servetto Architects; the B&B Italia- The Perfect Density exhibition, one of the cultural manifestations at the Triennale di Milano this year.

 

The Salone is organizing its first venture in Shanghai, China this November 2016 but that did not stop thousand of Chinese trade operators from visiting the fair this year in Milan- strolling down those (red) corridors… There is no Chinese representation again this year at the Salone, since the 22nd China International Furniture Expo will take place this September (:the poster has NO difference with 2015 -apart from the year , remember :cost is more important than creativity;-)), so the copy-paste Chinese patrols intruded discreetly again the event  at the Rho Fairgrounds. That does not mean in any way that there is not a flow of Asian young designers of insurmountable talent, providing exquisite pieces of work in the Salone Satellite 2016 exhibition and in the 21st Century. Design After Design Triennale International Exhibition.
The [Re]:illumination+Ongozaksin and the Material/Material catalogs of works for textile and furniture art respectively- by the graduates of Sangmyung University in Seoul, Korea ,the alamak!Design in Asia collective AND the Seoul National University (SNU) Design cluster of young designers- demonstrate a unique and fresh vision for the future generation of designers/users/consumers. Please explore the following  links and some of  the makers’ e-mails, this is undoubtedly  the Way of the Future.

http://smulad.kr
www.alamakproject.com
http://art.snu.ac.kr
skjrov@snu.ac.kr
roserang.wooji@gmail.com 

From top to bottom: 22nd China International Furniture Expo Poster 2016. Corona light object (Yun Jin, Kim Yoseong, Park Insung, Kang Shikun, Matias Martin Jeon: Sangmyung Univ.). NEBBIA Interactive Light (nbt.Studio, Taiwan: alamak!). I AM A MONUMENT-CCTV (Naihan Li, China: alamak!). Bori Throne- 2nd chair at the back (Gunjan Gupta, India: alamak!). A perspective view of the SNU Design stand where appearing works of Song Kijoung and Woo Jiyoun.

Last but not least, absolutely note-worthy Salone Satellite presence : the intense product design of Ekaterina Lyubimova (Moscow, Russia). Tables and armchairs you never forget to use and you never ignore to try.

ek.lubimova@gmail.com
facebook.com/ekaterina.lubimova.98
behance.net/lubikate

In the Furniture sector of the Salone the neutral presence of German companies was overshadowed mainly by the Latinos- Italy, Spain, Brazil, Portugal-the latter thriving with energy in their natural habitat- alongside with the Swedish, the Japanese and the Vitra pavilions sharing equally the good vibes of non-stop visitors influx. The business of Sleep goes further post-IMM and flourishes-on , with  presences from Greece, (:remember Sleep products continue to rise in terms of sales- Sleep is an expanding business due to the increase of 24/7 professions according to Sensorial Trend analyst Zuzanna Skalska). The Turkish furniture contribution completed the general image of the Salone stands without repercussions. 

www.bruehl.com

www.zeitraum-moebel.com

www.thonet.de

www.kartell.it 

www.missoni.com

www.cassina.com

www.plank.it

www.magisdesign.com

www.diesel.com/living

www.alotofbrasil.com.br

www.swedishdesigngoes.com

www.karimoku-newstandard.jp

www.vitra.com

www.ndesign.com.tr

www.candia-strom.gr

www.coco-mat.com

From top to bottom: Brühl. Zeitraum. Thonet. Missoni. Cassina. Plank. Magis. Diesel. A Lot of Brasil. Swedish Design Goes Milan (2). Karimoku (2). Vitra. N Design.

“…The Future is a choice. Cassina’s future lies in the renewal of continuity, a dynamic process which involves the mutation of original forms, an evolution of an idea, the influence of a classic….”Cassina, extract of the Origins of the Future exhibition manifesto , Cassina HQ, 16 via Durini, Milan.

If the Space & Interiors represents the NOW and it introduces the tools to make It, the two other main coordinates of the Salone 2016 - the Before Design:Classic.Tradizione Nel futuro and the 21st Century.Design After Design exhibitions- support the notions of Yester Time  and the broad horizon of Tomorrow, respectively. Two endeavors that attracted international attention and recognition- not in vain. The way we assemble and use the remnants of our culture with no nostalgic tendency - how we embrace the future possibilities , utilizing all of knowledge and existing practices by re-crafting and discovering; all three initiatives fortified a foundation for growth and create a solid hub of creative solutions, to many troubling social issues of our times. Times that we need restorers, healers and inventors.

http://www.salonemilano.it/en/manifestazioni/eventi-appuntamenti/lista-eventi-delsalone/2016/before-design-classic.html

www.triennale.org

From top to bottom: Convivium: marble table Top by CC STONE, video installation by Change Performing Arts and Ciarmoli Queda Studio, (Before Design Classic). Hall of Shadows: Pegaso armchair T2065 by TURRI, fabric Kotakot Black and Sassy Ivory by DEDAR ( Before Design Classic). Hall of  Liberty :from left to right: armchair Carlo Zen 9255 by P& G CUGINI LANZANI , cabinet, Emile Gallé 7194 by P& G CUGINI LANZANI, armchair 9304 by P& G CUGINI LANZANI, armchair 0919 by MEDEA (Before Design Classic). Design After Design booklet:The Only Design You will ever need in your Life by Max Siedentopf, illustration Bart Eysink Smeets (3). Fabio Cammarata neck piece, Avant-Craft section: Brilliant!The Futures of Italian Jewellery. Redesign Your School (3). Women in Italian Design: Interweave.

They were utterly missed in this year’s Salone edition : Euroluce and Workplace 3.0! Until 2017 feast our eyes on the Artemide open house 2016 catalog presentation and the Workplace 3.0 announcing  installation at the fair premises…

www.artemide.com

From top to bottom: Artemide new products and collaborations, Artemide HQ , 12 via Manzoni, Milan. A Joyful Sense at Work: Workplace 3.0 installation.  

Something last, as a praise to Italian hospitality and comfort. The abundance of services for the Press and the visitors this year, was equivalent of personal care by a family member. In hard times like these, when committees decide upon committees  on the disposition of very basic privileges- the Salone teams treated us with warmth, professionalism and respect. That has to be acknowledged and for that we are expressing  our gratitude.

If you wish to acquire specific info on press kits and activities of the companies and events mentioned above –please do not hesitate to contact the administrator;-)). Enjoy and anticipate for next year, when the Salone will be once again ready to push the boundaries of the Design Known World.

Ci vediamo di nuovo-Arrivederci
A4D-D4A 

ps. Don’t miss out the next post on the 31st of April, related to the Salone del Mobile 2016: Residences et al. Chapter 3: ROOMS. Novel  living concepts.  !!!