After New York, in the spaces of Bloomingdale’s, where an exhibition project curated by architect and designer Ferruccio Laviani was staged to pay homage to Made in Italy, the Salone del Mobile.Milan is returning to China. The metropolises of Shanghai and Hong Kong will be hosting two events that testify to the importance of the Asian market for the Italian furniture and design macro-system, underscoring the value of dialogue between different cultures and visions of design. China is a strategic market: it ranks eighth in the top 25 export destinations for the wood-furniture supply chain, offering interesting business opportunities for Made in Italy. In fact, Italy is confirmed as the leading exporter of furniture to China, with a value of 479.01 million euros.
From 8 to 10 November, the Salone del Mobile.Milano will stage its second major international event in the Land of the Dragon, in conjunction with the West Bund Art & Design, of which it is Partner for the occasion. The Event, accompanied by the ITA – Italian Trade Agency, is presenting a special display hosted in the futuristic The Orbit designed by architect Thomas Heatherwick, combining design, art and culture in an immersive experience with a strong scenic and emotional impact.
“The Orbit’s Orbit: a performative installation dedicated to Italian design by the artist Matilde Cassani” is brought to life by recurring performances, inviting visitors to join in personally by interacting with the installation. The work of Matilde Cassani, who with her studio moves in an area on the border between architecture, installations and event design, presents concentric spirals inhabited by iconic products embodying the excellence of Italian design, so creating an organic and evolving architecture. The exhibition area evokes a radial city that hosts an urban festival, enlivened not only by the spatial mobility of the citizen-spectators, but above all by an ideal and cultural mobility. The performers, by walking in a single direction, transform design spaces into inhabited interiors. The Orbit, with its shape and significance, inspires Cassani’s project, making the space a repository of meaning enriched by the furnishings of over 36 exhibiting brands, dancers and visitors.
In the words of Matilde Cassani: “The shape of The Orbit building underlies a ritual dimension that we wanted to bring out, using its spaces as the setting for an orbiting performance, where the interaction between visitors and the setting becomes an integral part of the experience itself.” And she concludes: “I see an exhibition as an encounter with the public, so the project is fulfilled with the arrival of the visitors. In this exhibition, the public and objects share the role of protagonists of the performance, dialoguing in a perfect balance.”
The companies involved: Antonio Lupi, Artemide, Barovier&Toso, B&B Italia, Baxter, Caccaro, Davide Groppi, Desalto, Edra, Ethimo, Flexform, Flos, Flou, Frigerio, Gessi, Glas Italia, Kartell, Living Divani, Martinelli Luce, Mattiazzi, Meridiani, Molteni&C, Nardi, Pinetti, Poliform, Porada, Porro, Riva 1920, Rugiano, Saba, Scavolini, Tacchini Italia, Technogym, Turri, Villari, Visionnaire.
