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Triennale Design Museum : Project sketch by Martà Guixé -
Royal Academy of Art exhibition : An exhibition of the Royal Academy of Art, featuring an abstract opera performed by micro-organisms under a set of microscopes.
The largest decoration trade fair in the world – the Salone del Mobile – kicks off this week in Milan, and VISI’s Annemarie Meintjes will be there to celebrate the design week’s 50th birthday (and, of course, to keep our readers in the loop).
Lighting and product designers, furniture manufacturers and other creatives from across the globe will once again showcase their latest product ranges at the Fairgrounds and in the city of Milan.
Today, Saloni is more popular than ever, with visitor numbers growing from 12,100 in 1961 to 297,460 in 2010.
This year, the Rho exhibition complex will provide a chance to see, touch and try out the best products the world of domestic furnishings has to offer – from beds and wardrobes to chairs, lighting and office furniture.
Visitors can expect to see a new layout for the areas assigned to the exhibiting companies, with an extension of the design sector in Pavilions 16-20 and a new collection for Euroluce – the international lighting exhibition. The city will also play host to an overarching cultural project that will be staged at various historical venues.
A theatrical piece by Laura Curino will tell the story of the great Milanese protagonists, designers and design entrepreneurs, and examine the continuity of ideas and the industrial world that evolved from their creative genius.
To mark the 50th anniversary of the Salone del Mobile, the Triennale Design Museum will dedicate its fourth edition to the people and companies that have helped to created the Italian design system.
Interestingly, the suggestive setting of Piazza Duomo will provide the backdrop to “Principia – Forward Arts”, an exhibition devoted to an imagined future. The most innovative scientific discoveries will be reinterpreted, manipulating science to create unique works of art.
Other higlights of the week include:
– SuperFarm, an installation conceived by three Master students of SPD Scuola Politecnica di Design for the Salone Satellite’s “50 + 50” exhibition. Provoked by the question “What will be the role and meaning of design in 50 years?” Hafsteinn Juliusson, Joana Pais and Rui Pereira bet on the power of design to change behaviours and lifestyles rather than producing new objects. SuperFarm is a concept for a new way of cultivating and consuming food.
– An exhibition of the Royal Academy of Art, featuring an abstract opera performed by micro-organisms under a set of microscopes as well as the construction of an inflatable object called “Flash Form”, which will appear in iconic public areas in Milan.
– The launch of new Italian design brand, Colé, which offers an array of classic furniture with an emphasis on craftsmanship. The collections under Colé originate from a recall of traditional furniture that leads back to archetypal shapes.
– Dutch design studio Droog will present furniture and accessories designed for download by EventArchitectuur and Minale-Maeda, including CNC cut tables, cupboards, desks, side tables, shelves, couches and 3D printed electrical outlets, flowers and charms.
Log on to www.cosmit.it with an iPhone or smartphone for real-time information on what’s happening at Saloni. Also follow our tweets – Annemarie Meintjes will be sending regular updates.
Salone del Mobile
Milan Fairgrounds, Rho (Milan, Italy)
Dates: 12 – 17 April 2011
Opening hours: 09h30 18h30
