18/04/2011

TEMPORARY MUSEUM FOR NEW DESIGN: A FIRST REVIEW

The Milanese design week has just ended and now it's time to assess numbers and results for Temporary Museum for New Design at Superstudio Più, Innovation/Imagination at Face to Superstudio Più (Spazio A) and Home&Spa Design at Superstudio 13, the three major projects, distinguished by the presence of very prestigious brands and designers, thus confirming Superstudio in its three declinations: "an absolute must… the hub of FuoriSalone … the event dedicated to raising the profile of new and edgy designers." (Financial Times, April 1st 2011).
The orderly and strongly qualified affluence of the first days, which greatly satisfied the exhibitors, gradually increased and substantially confirmed last year's figures: approximately 112.000 visitors, with 70 per cent made of professionals and with a 15 per cent increase in foreign visitors; approximately 2000 journalists, with a strong increase in terms of televisions from all over the world, attracted by the spectacular installations at Superstudio Più such as the light-sound-video interplay by Canon, the gigantic sculpture-lamps by Foscarini, the anthropomorphic sculptures made of screens telling the life of the others by Samsung, the OLED Saké Bar by Kaneka, the holograms by Cristalplant and the flying cars placed at a 20 meter height by Mini. 
To be highlighted was not just the technological soul of this edition but also the selection of outstanding and innovative products: the house with the external walls in concrete designed as pixel painting by Magnetti, the Japanese bathtub by Inax creating a very soft foam only with water and air, without using any soap, the experimental objects of the Swedish pavilion Svensk Form, the modular walls and the objects made of paper and cardboard by Molo, the haute couture carpets by Floor to Heaven, the Italian flag redesigned by Denis Santachiara for Domodinamica.
And more: the trend towards nature and naturalness with the Thai pavilion Dep-Thailand, the eco-friendly bamboo car by Kenneth Cobonpue, the indoor and outdoor furniture in wood and vegetable plastic by the New Zealand designer David Trubridge, just to mention a few.
There were also plenty of social moments with the parties by Cappellini in the Basement, the design area lounge dedicated to sampling food and wine by Prosciutteria King's in collaboration with Luca Nichetto and the presence of the most renowned names of the design world: Paola Navone, Koichi Suzuno and Shinya Kamuro (Torafu), Michele De Lucchi, Karim Rashid, Alessandro Mendini, Patricia Urquiola, Xavier Lust, Vicente Garcia Jimenez, Simone Micheli, Philippe Nigro, Alessandro Dubini, Denis Santachiara, Stefano Pirovano, Michael Koenig, il media art duo Mioon, Francesco Lucchese, Michael Young, Maarten Baas, James Irvine, Fabio Novembre, Marc Sadler and many more.
Gisella Borioli, creative director and CEO of Superstudio Group, says: "This year’s great success works already as an incentive for the next edition. Soon you will find on-line the invitation for the young creative designers from all over the world to present an edgy project for the Discovering section of the Temporary Museum for New Design of Superstudio 2012. Our lights on design and on upcoming new talents must stay lit up all year around."