Latest news with #Fuorisalone
Forbes
29-04-2025
- Entertainment
- Forbes
Samuel Ross and The Balvenie Reimagine Whisky Craft At Milan Design Week
The Balvenie commissions multidisciplinary artist Samuel Ross for "Transposition" at Milan Design Week 2025 Samuel Ross is, to my mind, among the most exciting contemporary creatives. His multidisciplinary practice spans fashion, industrial design, sculpture, installation art and graphic design. He's been awarded two doctorates, has artworks in the MoMA and V&A permanent collections, he's had solo exhibitions at White Cube and Friedman Benda, and created innovative wearable objects for the likes of LVMH, Apple and Nike. Ross is very much of this current generation of creatives who carry the weight of socioeconomic challenges and the richness of cultural complexity to inform their creative thinking. In his case, this means exploring themes of social architecture, materiality and cultural identity for an often evocative and sometimes surprising lens through which to view our world. He sits comfortably within a generation of creatives who move fluidly between disciplines, allowing one to explore the other, and for a certain freedom of expression. For this year's Milan Design Week and Fuorisalone (April 7 to April 13, 2025), Ross, alongside his atelier SR_A (Samuel Ross & Associates), teamed with The Balvenie to create 'Transposition'—a site-specific installation exploring the alchemy of whisky. Set within Historic Foundry in Isola, the work invited visitors into a sensory landscape of vertical rivers, interwoven sounds and shifting reflections, designed to provoke new ways of seeing and experiencing. "Transpositon" installation in the historic Foundry in Isola in Milan as part of Milan Design Week 2025 The Balvenie is a legacy brand founded in 1889 by William Grant in Dufftown, Scotland. The distillery still uses traditional whisky-making processes passed down through generations, and it remains one of the few Scotch producers to grow its own barley, maintain traditional floor maltings, as well as employ in-house coppersmiths and coopers. Ross came up with the concept behind 'Transposition' on visit to The Balvenie. Inspired by the dramatic landscape and the distillery's reverence for craft and innovation, he set out to challenge the romanticized tropes of whisky, instead connecting craft, the the natural and industrial worlds. The Historic Foundry's raw industrial atmosphere mirrors the installation's exploration of material and mindset. Copper frames reference The Balvenie's distillation process, brutalist forms nod to the distillery's architecture, and mist, light and sound call the slow, transformative maturation of The Balvenie Fifty Collection. As a final touch, Ross's signature yellow punctuating the space acts as a symbol of hope and innovation. I asked Ross about his creative thinking for 'Transposition,' and what drew him to collaborate with The Balvenie. Dr Samuel Ross MBE at his studio Samuel Ross: Balvenie's commitment to craft. Their respect for tradition, the approach to producing with intent. It mirrors my own philosophy in the arts. SR: My intent was to project the whisky-making process into an immersive installation. 'Transposition' features large copper structures with flowing water, these 'vertical rivers' speak to the ideas of perpetual movement, distillation and patience that are embedded in The Balvenie's methods. It's a reflective sensory artwork. The work invited visitors into a sensory landscape of vertical rivers, interwoven sounds and shifting reflections SR: Copper became a key material, not just for its industrial feel but for its relevance to distillation. All is in dialogue with their heritage, interpreted through a new way of reflecting the feeling of an atelier. SR: Slowing down, engaging more deeply with the passage of time. SR: They keep things open, fluid. Collaborations encourage the move between disciplines, design, architecture, fine art and to project methods from each. These intersections are where the most interesting ideas emerge. The choice of Milan's Historic Foundry as a setting is purposeful, its raw industrial atmosphere mirroring the installation's exploration of material and mindset. SR: Every material, every form, every spatial decision, it's all in service of a narrative. With 'Transposition' the story is one of transformation, of labour, of history. You want people to walk away with something they can feel, not just see. SR: Definitely, Milan is such a vital city when it comes to design. The space itself, a former foundry in the Isola District, brought another layer to the installation. Its industrial character felt completely in tune with the themes we were exploring. SR: A quiet awe to reflect on the relationship between tradition and expression. It is more so about the feeling, one that can exist only in a physical space. SR: It's not simply about preserving old techniques—it's about creating new contexts for them. Artists and designers have a crucial role in that. See my highlights from Milan Design Week 2025, what's happening at the 24th Triennale Milano starting in May here, and read my 2024 year in art. For more articles on art and design, visit my page here.
CNA
28-04-2025
- Business
- CNA
In need of a home makeover? Here are 16 home novelties from Milan Design Week 2025
Since 1961, the Salone del Mobile (international furniture fair in Milan) has been the focus of new innovations and trends as the anchor event of Milan Design Week. This year, 302,548 visitors and 2,103 exhibitions from 37 countries created a bustle at the Fiera Milano fairgrounds. The biannual Euroluce added shine to new lighting offerings. Outside at the Fuorisalone, exhibits at historic palazzos, city showrooms, galleries, and other curious nooks and crannies immersed visitors into Milan's rich urban culture, both old and new. Fashion brands continue to explore the home and furniture market with immersive showcases and desirable designs. Also, the re-issuing of modernist classics remain popular, attesting to their timelessness. Here are 16 standout pieces and collections for your next home renovation review. TREFLO TABLE FROM CASSINA The glossy, shapely appearance of Ronan Bouroullec's Treflo tables belies their heavyweight tech-based credentials. The rigid polyurethane base – made with a percentage of polyols from biological sources and used for the first time by the Italian manufacturer – stems from deep research into inventive sustainable materials. The tops are available in glossy or matte lacquer finish, as well as a special finish composed of back-lacquered undulated glass. The latter's unique surface texture evoking water ripples is the result of an extremely complex process, where glass is shaped at very high temperatures (with a longer melting time compared to traditional methods). Available at Grafunkt GRUUVELOT SOFA FROM MOROSO Patricia Urquiola's amorphous Gruuvelot sofa for Moroso seems to come alive with protrusions and extensions that drape and 'ooze' along the sofa's twisting body. As its name implies, this strange creature references the free spirit of the 1970s. Its Regos fabric is equally radical, produced using a water-based printing technique that reduces water consumption by 90 per cent and greenhouse gas emissions by 80 per cent compared to traditional processes. Designed by Urquiola for Kvadrat Febrik, the fabric with contrasting tones and irregular patterns recalls the layer of debris covering rocky surfaces called regolith. Available at Xtra The late-architect Geoffrey Bawa had conceived the Kandalama lounge chair for Heritance Kandalama hotel in Sri Lanka, which he also designed. Together with the Geoffrey Bawa Trust, furniture manufacturer Phantom Hands has reissued the curvaceous seat and several other pieces designed by the respected Sri Lankan architect. Made for his buildings designed between the mid-1960s and mid-1990s, many months of research went into adapting the materials and techniques to make them more durable, lightweight and easier to transport. For example, the Kandalama lounge chair was originally in wrought iron but is now made of aluminium. PIVOT D'HERMES SIDE TABLE FROM HERMES During Milan Design Week, Hermes presented 33 colourful pieces within a hall of suspended alabaster boxes. One of the most striking pieces is Tomas Alonso's Pivot d'Hermes side table. It has a lacquered glass base in a spectrum of colours and a tray-like Japanese cedar top that can pivot. Simple geometries become dynamic with the use of coloured glass that evokes gemstones. This is one of the trademarks of Alonso's creative sphere, where he is equally at home working with honest and cutting-edge materials. LA BELLA DURMIENTE FROM SANTA & COLE La Bella Durmiente (Sleeping Beauty) is a totemic form celebrating the expressive potential of colour, with rainbow hues exploring the contrasts between warm and cool tones. Created by Santa & Cole co-founders Gabriel Ordeig Cole and Nina Maso, it was designed in 1986 as a response to an era dominated by cold halogen light and sterile metal lamps. The original lamp championed colourful fluorescence that was considered blue and soulless. It is now re-issued in LED and printed with pigmented inks on a special paper that achieves a precise and rich finish. A transparent laminate makes it waterproof and durable. The re-edition maintains the original dimensions so new screens can be replaced on old structures. Available at W Atelier COUPE SOFA FROM MINOTTI Designed by Giampiero Tagliaferri, the Coupe sofa is a modular system inspired by the 1960s and 1970s. 'At the heart of the project lies a deep respect for the past, an homage to an era when sofas embraced the body with inclined seating, offering both aesthetic grace and unparalleled comfort,' explained Tagliaferri. The inclined seat provides ergonomic comfort, while the distinct horizontality of the padded headrest and lumber cushion elements turning neatly to form armrests to embrace the user. A curved frame in either varnished or brushed polished aluminium protects the upholstery and grounds the entire silhouette. Available at Marquis HQO KAZIMIR SHELVING FROM GLAS ITALIA Michael Anastassiades' first collection for Glas Italia, the Kazimir collection, pays homage to Kazimir Severinovich Malevich. The shelving, consoles and small tables embody the late-Russian avant-garde artist's geometric abstractism, with layered effects of transparency and opacity created by overlapping glass. Anastassiades chose to use a special 10mm toughened, double-sided, acid-etched green glass and 6+6mm laminated, double-sided, acid-etched, extra-light glass. The glass sheets, combined using UV bonding, are a case study in clarity and minimalist beauty. Available at Space Furniture QUARONA FROM LORO PIANA Dimorestudio created a cinematic experience at Loro Piana's Milan headquarters, furnishing it as a 1970s- and 1980s-inspired Milanese apartment. In a visual narrative titled La Prima Notte di Quiete, Loro Piana Interior's old and new furniture pieces mingled with vintage and artful elements within composed roomscapes. Some of Dimorestudio's new pieces is the Quarona poufs and coffee tables underscored by exquisite materiality and comfort. Wooden panels wrap around padded seats covered in the brand's cashmere Ladakh and wool and alpaca Incas, or support shelving for holding books, magazines or other household paraphernalia. DRAPE LIGHT FROM MOOOI Created by Canadian designer Jamie Wolfond for Moooi, Drape light mimics elegantly draped fabric hung over poles. The 3D-knitted polyester shade rests gently on two minimalistic glass tubes encapsulating LED lights. This gesture brought about by gravity provides effortless grace. The light is available in two sizes. It also contributes to a lower carbon footprint, as it is shipped flat packed. The lamps' simple yet familiar forms make them evocative either alone or bunched in clusters for longer or taller spaces. Available at Space Furniture NUVOLO CABINET FROM PAOLA LENTI AMDL Circle, led by architect and designer Michele De Lucchi, has created Nuvola for Paola Lenti. The limited-edition high cabinet with four doors has a unique shape evoking its namesake (Nuvola means 'cloud' in Italian). The sculptural piece made of natural ash heartwood is designed to be a striking presence in a space. Doors are hand-woven with a cord in Rope yarn, giving the furniture piece a craft aesthetic. Rope is Paola Lenti's signature fabric, devised as upholstery for outdoor seating. It uses yarn that is loom-weaved in the form of cords, which absorbs neither water nor humidity, so it dries quickly. Available at Proof Living ZETA STOOL FROM ALIAS Famed Swiss architect Mario Botta's Zeta stool features two square elements serving as the base and seat, joined by a diagonal piece secured by a comb joint at each end. Two other diagonal 'leaves' intersect the first diagonal piece, creating a Z effect. It embodies the essence of his buildings that plays with horizontal and oblique lines. 'Zeta tells a story full of memory. It is a tribute to Gerrit Rietveld, translated into an object crafted with the sensitivity of our times,' said Botta, who was inspired by the German architect and a leader of the De Stijl art movement. The seat comes in a monochrome and polychrome version, but there is also an exclusive MB Edition with two of the diagonal 'leaves' in yellow. Available at Made & Make in Singapore CLAY SCAN CARPETS FROM CC-TAPIS New York-based artist and designer Eny Lee Parker works mainly with clay. She has captured the tactile qualities of the material in her Clay Scan carpets for CC-Tapis. They are like giant clay pieces pressed, rolled, shaped and then flattered, resulting in undulating edges and raw textures. Lee Parker scanned these manipulations that were translated into carpets by artisans at the CC-Tapis Atelier in Nepal. The three Himalayan wool rugs exhibit soothing colouration – a subdued, terracotta brown and a creamy off-white – derived from clay's natural tonalities. Available at Affluency RICHARD HUTTEN FOR JAIPUR RUGS Jaipur Rugs' products are woven by artisans from over 600 villages in India, giving them a livelihood and sense of pride. For Milan Design Week, it unveiled the Playing with Tradition collection created by Dutch artist Richard Hutten, which brings a bold yet conceptual twist to the ancient art form of hand-knotted carpet weaving. For example, the Blue Box rug has three-dimensional block motifs rising from a botanical pattern layout. Both are in blue as the rug was inspired by Dutch Delft Blue's pottery designs. The Banana rug weaves into the botanical motif the yellow fruit in the humour of Charlie Chaplin's slapstick comedies while Colour Blocks juxtaposes contemporary architonic forms onto natural patterns. Available at Jaipur Rugs FRAGILE LAMPS FROM MARSET In 2023, Jaume Ramirez designed the award-winning Fragile lamp, which combines simple geometric forms emphasised by clear glass bodies. This year, he expands upon the range with a new size, as well as pendant and wall versions that play with the absence or presence of its three elements of the sphere, cone and cylinder, leading to endless options. The new versions, with their transparency, are reminiscent of chandelier and wall scones that held candles. The clear graphic lamps straddle the realm of traditional imagery and modern lines. Available at Grafunkt AFRICA CHAIR FROM TACCHINI Tacchini has re-issued the Africa chair, designed by Afra and Tobia Scarpa in 1975. The iconic design celebrates the ancient craftsmanship of the cabinetmaker and revival of wood. A solid Canaletto walnut frame and a thin rectangular section combine to reveal the expressiveness of the veneer through the variation in its thickness. The backrest is the most defining element, crafted as a single piece and later divided and finished into two symmetrical parts. It is created from a delicate manual process of roughing and smoothing that reveals the different wood layers. Available at Xtra BOOMERANG DESK BY GTV Gebruder Thonet Vienna has reissued the Boomerang desk, designed by Italian design maverick Enzo Mari in 2001. Its structure comprises a curved, layered beechwood plank inspired by boomerang-shaped beams found in architecture where four solid beechwood legs splay. An extra-clear tempered glass top follows the organic shape. The effect is simple yet graceful, embodying Mari's ethos of rationality and purity. They also echo the playful and minimalist expressions captured in the late designer's The Nature Series artwork, featuring La Mela (the apple) and La Pera (the pear).
Forbes
10-04-2025
- Automotive
- Forbes
The best of Milan Design Week 2025 including exhibitions at Fuorisalone
Lexus Designer Team's 'Discover Together' encouraged us to create and release our own unique virtual butterfly to illustrate the transformative power of small actions Milan Design Week is an exuberant celebration that transforms every nook and cranny of this vibrant Italian city, renowned for its design, style and fashion. Originating in 1961 as the Salone del Mobile—a fair aimed at promoting Italian furniture exports—it has since blossomed into a global beacon of creativity. Complementing the main fair, the Fuorisalone emerged spontaneously in the 1980s, extending the festivities beyond the exhibition halls into boutiques, showrooms and pop-up spaces throughout Milan. This dynamic duo not only showcases innovations from furniture to fashion but also effectively kick-starts the global creative season, drawing design aficionados from around the world. The vast scale of Milan Design Week makes it simply impossible to experience everything. Yet, being on the ground in person offers a unique flavor of the global design discourse. This year, the festival chimed with the theme 'Thought for Humans,' exploring our identity in this ever-accelerating machine age (although as a side note, I couldn't help but reflect on how we're faring on a human-to-human scale.) Through various installations, exhibitions and talks, the event examined how design can navigate the man-machine relationship through human-centered approaches that prioritize well-being and sensory engagement. This naturally led to numerous thoughtful, sustainable and innovative designs in almost every gallery and showroom I had the chance to visit. 'Prada Frames: In Transit' is curated by Formafantasma and held quirkily abroad Gio Ponti's ultra cool Arlecchino train 'Prada Frames: In Transit' encapsulated the theme well. Launched in 2022 by the design duo behind Formafantasma, Andrea Trimarchi and Simone Farresin, the symposium is an antidote to the sheer speed and (at times) lightness of Fuorisalone, instead fostering interdisciplinary conversations that challenge and expand our understanding of the infrastructures shaping contemporary life. This year, academics, artists and designers gathered at the Padiglione Reale, the former waiting room of the Italian royal family at Milano Centrale station, and aboard Arlecchino, the ultra-cool 1950s Gio Ponti train. The choice of venues added urgency (and a touch of stylish theatre—this is Milan after all) to discussions on how generative AI is shaping the environment, the infrastructure of borders, and the complex choreography of global systems and exchange. In one session, artist Hito Steyerl and curator Natalia Grabowska explored the nuanced ways surveillance technologies are embedded in modern infrastructure, and what this means for personal freedoms. Elsewhere, MoMA senior curator Paola Antonelli and journalist Nicola Twilley reviewed the sensory aspects of infrastructure, and how design and food systems intersect to influence our human experience. A favourite at Milan has to be Nilufar Gallery and founder Nina Yashar's commitment to championing emerging designers as well as pushing the boundaries of contemporary design. This year, 'Repertorio' explored the relationship between art and craft, nature and artifice, and history and the present across the gallery's two venues: Nilufar Depot on the city's edge and Nilufar Gallery in Milan. At the former, celebrating metal's aesthetic qualities, 'Atto I: Silver Lining,' conceived by Fosbury Architecture, transformed the space into an environment inspired by 1970s aesthetics. Benjamin Hubert's design studio, LAYER, presented '101010' at 10 Corso Como Meanwhile, addressing pressing global challenges such as urban density, resource scarcity, and environmental resilience, Benjamin Hubert's design studio, LAYER, presented '101010' at 10 Corso Como. The exhibition unveiled a collection of six prototypes developed in collaboration with brands like Andreu World, Bitossi Ceramiche, Kvadrat, MDF Italia, Muuto, RÆBURN and Orrefors, each reflecting the studio's commitment to human-centered, sustainable design. Highlights included 'Host,' a modular bee home created with Andreu World to promote urban biodiversity, and the algae-powered oil lamps 'Lights' with Muuto, offering renewable, off-grid illumination. Another highlight was at Lexus, where the Japanese carmaker took over Superstudio to showcase two exhibitions, both aiming to explore how design can ease the tension between man and machine. The main installation, 'A-Un,' by Tokyo-based creative agency Six and design studio Studeo, delves into the Japanese concept of A-Un no Kokyū or harmonized breath—a traditional notion where two entities instinctively synchronize their movements and emotions. Using the Black Butterfly motif from the latest Lexus LF-ZC concept car, it featured a vast butterfly-shaped screen crafted by hand over three months using woven threads made from about 35 kilometers of bamboo fiber. As we approach the installation, the structure comes to life, responding to our heartbeats; as the heartbeat synchronizes with fluctuations sampled from nature, we witness the seamless connection between people, society and the world. When I spoke with the creators, Takeshi Nozoe of Six and Tatsuki Ikezawa of Studeo, they offered this explanation: 'Big Data is not living. It's inorganic. We are expressing it as if it's a living thing: sensing the visitors' heartbeat, the color changes from blue to yellow, and then red for fast. We wanted to express A-Un no Kokyū, one of the very important Japanese aesthetic philosophies about human-to-human connection. In Japan, we find beauty in that connection—something that is invisible.' Lexus "A-Un" installation created in collaboration with creative agency Six and design studio Studeo introduced emotion to technology Elsewhere on the stand, three installations invited visitors to participate in creating their own butterfly. In 'Earthspective' by Bascule Inc, participants' spoken words became imprints on a digital Earth, emphasizing our collective impact on the planet. Northeastern University's 'Our Energy Nexus' visualized real-time air pollution data, with visitors' interactions symbolically contributing to environmental change. My favorite though was from the Lexus Designer Team and their 'Discover Together' which encouraged us to create and release our own unique virtual butterfly as a way of illustrating the transformative power of small actions. 'A-Un,' by Tokyo-based creative agency Six and design studio Studeo, delves into the Japanese concept of A-Un no Kokyū or harmonized breath And finally, this being Milan, it would be remiss not to mention fashion's contributions to Fuorisalone. All the big Italian names were naturally present. Gucci's 'Bamboo Encounters' in the Cloisters of San Simpliciano explored the material's legacy and contemporary relevance through designs by several outside creatives. Jil Sander collaborated with heritage furniture maker Thonet to introduce at Galleria Il Castello, a minimalist reinterpretation of Marcel Breuer's timeless S64 chair. Loewe's 'Teapots' was all about championing the art of craft, featuring 25 artists and their interpretations of the classic teapot to blur the line between function and art. Louis Vuitton unveiled its latest products and furnishings from the 'Objets Nomades' series at Palazzo Serbelloni—a more straightforward presentation compared to its peers. Charlotte Perriand, La Banquette de la Résidence de l'Ambassadeur du Japon à Paris, 1967 by Saint Laurent More interestingly perhaps was Saint Laurent's exhibition on via Tortona which spotlighted the legendary designer Charlotte Perriand. It featured four of her creations from 1943 to 1967 which had previously existed only as prototypes or sketches. Under the creative direction of Anthony Vaccarello, Saint Laurent has meticulously reproduced and reissued these pieces in limited editions, offering a rare glimpse into Perriand's visionary work. Saint Laurent and Charlotte Perriand's 'La Bibliothèque Rio de Janeiro' made in 1962 for her husband Jacques Martin The collection includes 'La Banquette de la Résidence de l'Ambassadeur du Japon à Paris,' a striking monolithic five-seat sofa of rosewood, cane and Thai silk that gives the impression of floating on air which Perriand designed originally in 1967 for the Japanese ambassador in Paris. Also reproduced is 'La Bibliothèque Rio de Janeiro', conceived to display works of art alongside books and originally made in the 60s for her husband Jacques Martin from solid Brazilian rosewood. And finally, a favorite concept from the fashion crowd comes via Prada, a designer with an impeccable eye for art, architecture and design (a visit to Milan is incomplete without at least half a day lost and found in Fondazione Prada). At Miu Miu, the designer hosted a salon-style event as part of the fashion house's Literary Club. Titled 'A Woman's Education,' it explored girlhood and love through the works of Simone de Beauvoir and Fumiko Enchi and featuring performances and discussions with authors Lauren Elkin and Naoise Dolan. The Salone del Mobile and Fuorisalone 2025 take place throughout Milan from April 7 to April 13, 2025. See what's happening at the 24th Triennale Milano starting in May here, and read my 2024 year in art. For more articles on art and design, visit my page here.
