Milan Design Week & Salone del Mobile 2015 Preview.

Publishing a preview of Milan Design Week & Salone del Mobile 2015 is a daunting task. With so much to do and see, it’s impossible to give you a full rundown of what you can expect from this year’s events, but I am going to give it a red hot go. So without further ado, below are some products and installations of note to help you plan your Milan Design Week 2015 itinerary (or alternatively allow you to live vicariously through this list). Ciao for now!

Related Post: Milan Design Week Survival Kit & Our Must-See Milan Itinerary.

“FUHA — THE EXPRESSION OF AIR” Exhibition by Fabrica for Daikin // Fabrica, Benetton Group’s communication research centre, and Daikin, the Japanese multinational and world leader of indoor climate systems, presents “FUHA” at the Fuori Salone. FUHA is a multi-sensory artistic layout with a multitude of creative stories that give shape to air. “FU” and “HA” are two traditional Japanese onomatopoeic expressions reminiscent of the sound of human breath. “FU” recalls the sound of blowing on something to cool it, while “HA” imitates the sound of exhaling, open-mouthed, to warm something. Using this concept as their starting point, the young researchers at Fabrica created a setting in which the air is the designer. Through ten different installations in which air manifests its existence in the form of sound, weight or substance, visitors come into contact with the invisible, thus turning the intangible into physical interaction.

Foro Bonaparte, 60
M2 Lanza Brera – Piccolo Teatro or Cadorna
M1 Cairoli Castello or Cadorna
fuha.info

MINDCRAFT: Danish design in Milan – in between mind and craft // This year’s MINDCRAFT exhibition presents a new selection of the best Danish craft and design during the Milan Design Week. The exhibition features fourteen new works by nineteen of Denmark’s leading designers and craftspeople. MINDCRAFT15 is curated by the Danish-Italian design duo GamFratesi and is shown in a spectacular historical venue in Brera in the centre of Milan. The idea behind MINDCRAFT is to explore the span between experimenting, innovative and conceptual design and sublime artistic and technical proficiency in Danish craft and design. The curators GamFratesi have framed the MINDCRAFT concept with the exhibition theme ‘In Between’.

Chiostro Minore di San Simpliciano
via dei Cavalieri del Santo Sepolcro 3
mindcraftexhibition.com

On An Empty Stomach // Seventeen artists and designer were invited to take part in this exhibit that counters the Milano Expo 2015 theme of food by focuses on fasting. The show is designed and curated by DWA Studio (Alberto Artesani and Frederik De Wachter). It will open at the old Lazzaretto (leper’s hospital), which has become a new cultural landmark for art and design in Milan. The exhibition will include works by Patricia Urquiola, Luc Guy Beaussart, Diego Grandi, Lachaert & D’Hanis, Studio Dessuant Bone and Ferruccio Laviani.

Via Lazzaretto, 15
Entrance also from Via San Giovanni to Paglia 2
dw-a.it

The Garden of Wonders. A Journey Through Scents. // BE OPEN has chosen the Brera Botanic Garden as the wonderful background for a complex project, where the focal theme is perfume. The projects was commissioned for the upcoming Milan EXPO 2015 in May, with a special preview during the Milan Design Week. Installations by the likes of Campana Brothers, Dimore Studio, Piero Lissoni, Jaime Hayon, Front, Tord Boontje, Jean-Marie Massaud and Nendo step into the shoes of artistic directors of perfume houses that no longer exist and give their interpretation. The exhibition is curated by Ferruccio Laviani. Shown here is the visual of Lissoni Associati installation for Lundborg.

Orto Botanico
Via Brera, 28
beopenfuture.com

Lexus – A journey of the senses // Created by Philippe Nigro in collaboration with the Japanese chef Hajime Yoneda this polysensorial installation brings the Lexus showroom to life. The twelve finalists for the Lexus Design Award will be presented as part of this event. The four winners will get the chance to create prototypes of their projects with the support of four international designers (Max Lamb, Arthur Huang, Robert Hunicke and Neri&Hu) and exhibit their work.

Spazio Lexus – Torneria
Via Tortona, 32
lexus-int.com/lexus-design

Spheres. Perspectives in Precision & Poetry for BMW designed by Alfredo Häberli // Zurich designer Alfredo Häberli has teamed up with the BMW Design team led by Karim Habib and Martina Starke – and under the overall direction of Adrian van Hooydonk – to create an installation based on a multi-layered interpretation of the BMW Design leitmotif “Precision & Poetry”. Adrian van Hooydonk says of the project: “Alfredo Häberli approaches our design philosophy with an ingenious passion and conceptual clout. I always enjoy philosophising with Alfredo on design and mobility, and I’m delighted to see these ideas now taking shape in an installation as well.”

Via Amatore Sciesa, 3
bmwgroup.com

MINI and Jaime Hayon present ‘Urban Perspectives’. A fantastical installation on the future of urban mobility. // MINI has teamed up with Spanish designer and artist Jaime Hayon to present an installation that conjures up visions of tomorrow’s urban mobility in the form of an imaginary world. The focus of the installation is the MINI Citysurfer concept, a flexible electric kick scooter that provides a smarter and more personalised way of getting around town. For Jaime Hayon it is the starting point of a fantastical journey through a modern metropolis, for which he is designing two variants of the MINI Citysurfer concept. He takes visitors along graphic paths and challenging routes through a surreal space, within which he applies his strikingly creative aesthetics to showcase the future of mobility.

Laboratorio Bergognone
Via Bergognone, 26

Caesarstone “Swings” Installation by Philippe Malouin // Swings is an interactive installation composed of a 12-piece swing set placed in a circular arrangement. Exploring the juxtaposing element between play and contemporary art, the installation demonstrates a minimalist, monolithic sculptural language, while simultaneously connecting to the idea of childhood memory. New colours and textures from Caesarstone’s Supernatural Series and the upcoming Concrete Series are displayed in a minimalist, sculptural manner. Typically associated with carefree, childish activity, the swings are removed from their original playground surroundings and relocated to a sparse environment, bringing an out-of-context element into play.

Palazzo Serbelloni
Corso Venezia, 16

DC01 Fayland Table & DC02 Fawley Bench by David Chipperfield for e15 // This year e15 celebrates its 20th year featuring a collaboration with the renowned British architect David Chipperfield. The product family consisting of a solid wood table, bench and stool distinctly features the pure use of material and a clear design language, which are shared aesthetics of e15 and David Chipperfield. Originally conceived for an architectural project in the english countryside, the Fayland table elegantly highlights linear forms and a clear structural concept.

Hall 16, BOOTH E53
Fiera Milano, RHO

e15 Showroom
Via Tortona 34

e15.com
livingedge.com.au/e15