Milan Furniture Fair organisers have launched the second edition of 'Milan Design City’ to take design to the world through exhibitions, talks and tours around Milan, with many events presented virtually to help fill the huge hole left by the cancellation of the world's biggest design show earlier this year.
As we all find new ways to keep connected with design internationally, it is exciting to see the launch of new work via Milan Design City's online events program. The first iteration launched in June and the latest edition opened on the 28th of September and runs until the 10th of October.
On show is a curated mix of virtual showroom tours with brands including Arflex and B&B Italia, interviews with designers, new product releases, including an interesting look at the development of the 1970 Carmaleonda sofa by Mario Bellini, and museum jaunts with Patricia Urquiola as she visits the Vico Magistretti studio. Here is a quick look at More Space's event hightlights.
Legendary design brand Arflex presents its new collections by Neri & Hu, Luca Nichetto (interviewed for the More Space #futuretogether series) and Claesson Koivisto Rune, with pieces including the Deep Cradle sofa, the Suppli armchair and the Goya small table. Like all of the pieces in the Arflex catalogue, simplicity and material sophistication are central to the range.
Arflex's collection for 2020 – the Deep Cradle sofa designed by Neri & Hu, the Suppli armchair by Luca Nichetto and the Goya small table by the Arflex design studio.
"The home is increasingly becoming a place for reflection and experimentation, careful work, well-deserved relaxation, in addition to being our haven and our landscape."
The New Landscape, B&B Italia
In the B&B Italia showroom on Via Durini, the exhibition 'The New Landscape' looks at the changing ways we are now using our homes. "The home is increasingly becoming a place for reflection and experimentation, careful work, well-deserved relaxation, in addition to being our haven and our landscape", says B&B Italia. In their new exhibition, the B&B Italia collection expresses the interior as an evolving landscape. To launch the 2020 collection, a series of short films were produced on each of the four designs – the Naviglio sofa designed by newcomers Yabu Pushelberg, the Cutter chair and Blitz table by Mario Bellini, and the Liago' sideboard by Piero Lissoni.
B&B Italia's 'The New Lanscape' exhibition at the Via Durini showroom in Milan. Photo c/o B&B Italia.
The Naviglio sofa designed by newcomers to B&B Italia, Yabu Pushelberg. Photo c/o B&B Italia.
The Cutter chair designed by Mario Bellini for B&B Itlaia. Photo c/o B&B Italia.
The Blitz table designed by Mario Bellini for B&B Itaiia. Photo c/o B&B Italia.
Liago' designed Piero Lissoni for B&B Italia. Like all of Lissoni's furniture, his simple forms concealing clever, finely tuned details. Photo c/o B&B Italia.
"Working on this B&B Italia project was like making a puzzle: we divided the pieces, catalogued shapes and colours and tried to fit them together by trying and trying again, until the puzzle was complete... we consider this first collaboration as a tribute to the common commitment with which we tried to design a piece of that world in which we would like to live."
George Yabu, Yabu Pushelberg
While cultural event highlights include the talk series 'The Human Difference' curated by Paolo Ferrarini focusing on one of the exhibition's key themes, the connection between design, sustainability and social impact, design tours of the Vico Magistretti studio (featured in More Space) with Patricia Urquiola and Stefano Boeri, and 'Redesigning the System', a virtual round table moderated by Giovanna Massoni that looks at how Belgian designers and companies are now reflecting on what design does and most importantly, what design can do.
The virtual Milan Design City program is hosted by fuorisalone, see all of the events on their website – Milan Design City runs from 28 September to 10 October, 2020.
