FuoriSalone / Milan
2017/2018
Milan’s Fuorisalone is a continuation of the international reference point for the furniture and design sectors. The Salone del Mobile, which is held every year in April underpins what is widely regarded as the design industry’s most important design week. The Salone del Mobile is a commercial design fair held by a central organisation, whilst the Fuorisalone (translating loosely as ‘outdoor expo’) is planned by individual exhibitors who choose a location in Milan to show their design content. Though the Fuorisalone has perhaps become the hub of Milan Design Week, it’s communication platform Fuorisalone.it details the importance of both expos as “two symbiotic events that in the quality of the productive, cultural and urban fabric of Milan have found a context capable of hosting and giving space to the many expressions and diverse interests of the international design community.”
Milan 2017 hosted many events that informed my practice over the past year. A new district to the design expo opened under the name Ventura Centrale located inside the vaults underneath the infamous Milano Centrale station. Lee Broom exhibited his Time Machine to celebrate 10 years of design inside the location that had been disused and closed off to the public for over 30 years. Broom’s modernist interpretation of the fairground carousel juxtaposed with the rusted interior vault of the railway bridge, evoking an enigmatic and serene experiential space enhanced through the beacon of light that is Broom’s Time Machine and the calm atmospheric melodies playing with the slow movement of the carousel. The limited edition Carrara marble grandfather clock sat quietly at the back of the vault with loose debris, from what must have been the clean up of the vault, scattered to frame it. This was very understated in comparison to the carousel which featured reimagined pieces from Broom’s collection of the past decade and sat delicately as if it wasn’t saying much but had a presence as an extraordinary piece.
Set back from the busy shopping street Corso Como, is Milan’s hidden gem of good food, fashion, art and design. 10 Corso Como has an outdoor restaurant covered by a canopy of vines, a department store with exclusive designer goods, as well as an art gallery space and a sun trapped roof terrace. Pierre Cardin was the main exhibitor in the main gallery space with his bright lacquered furniture. The overall complex felt like it was made to be explored, by finding small doorways that opened out into large exhibition spaces and a set of small spiral stairs leading up to a beautiful terrace. It is a haven with it’s climbing plants, interesting sculptures and internal courtyard and is a must-visit for me again this April as I anticipate the reveal of the next exhibition in this beautiful setting.
For the 2018 edition, The Salone del Mobile has published a new manifesto calling for architects, designers and brands to pay attention to the circular economy, respect Milan’s architectural development, encourage sharing of ideas, and champion the work of young designers. The event faced some criticism in recent years, causing for an overhaul in The Manifesto with Salone del Mobile president Claudio Luti speaking out “We now need to up our game to overcome the global challenge. The Salone del Mobile now needs to keep evolving and consolidating its links with Milan.”
SIX Gallery is a project developed in collaboration with architects Quincoces-Dragò & Partners and art director Samuele Savio renovating an abandoned 16th Century Milanese monastery into a gallery that will showcase vintage and contemporary furnishings, along with their design studios, a florist and bistro in the Navigli district. The various spaces are centred around a courtyard and the design aesthetic is of earthy tones, restored wide arches and balconies, and a plethora of climbing plants and overgrown planters that harmoniously fuse a classical with a colonial aesthetic. SIX Gallery had a soft opening last April but is now officially open and is top of my list to visit this year, from photographs I can tell that the palette and approach to the renovation hold similar values to my current project where I propose the renovation of an 19th Century Martello Tower.