Zona Tortona
prototype TWO:
The hypothetical situation is this (and the mindset of having the client is important: if you GOT such a break, what would you do? What could you show them that would be new, fresh, unexpected?): you have been HIRED by one of the five design companies above to design a standout exhibition/ event space for Design Week 2007 in Milano, April 18-23, 2007. You are designing an exhibition space for the company for the Fuori Salone for Design Week 2007.
It may be that NO product is shown from the company if your concept is going in that direction. This is common at the Design Week. In 2006 several companies did this, including Moroso, Cassina, Philips, Lexus and Saporiti. It is FOR SURE an opportunity for the companies to show their conceptual side. Why? Because their chief audience IS THE INTERNATIONAL DESIGN INTELLIGENTSIA. Maybe it’s a combination of the two (product and concept). YOUR main audience is the same: you have to imagine your space being built in MILAN and being seen by the world’s design elite. No pressure! But, we have an EDGE. Rarely at Salone have we yet seen Interaction Design. You want everyone talking about this place and telling others to go. The one place where we are seeing it thus far is in the “Salone Satellite” where young designers get cheap or free space connected to the Salone del Mobile at the Fiera. We saw one example with the Arduino punching bag project. Check out this work.
Now, this can be a semi-permanent exhibit, of say, 2 years. Therefore you can BUILD and make things permanent and not have to worry too much about take-down and portability. Saporiti ,as an example is in the space at Fondazione Arnoldo Pomodoro (in Zona Tortona) for THREE years. And the exhibit will change year to year, (they are doing furniture/ environments for exhibition) but the space stays the same. But you MUST have/ show some “architectural” features. Else we waste that skill we have carefully built up. It’s an edge: use it. But I would suggest that you are almost certainly NOT building bunch of crap faux chairs and couches form 4D Cinema. Why? When you have the images of the best in design that was shown at the previous Salone?
The space does not need to “brand” the company beyond positive brand recognition, but specify what it is meant to say about the company. Often however, the company gives a great designer free hand to create within the space, that’s why they go to best and then they stay the hell out of their way. If you WANT to use logos and furniture that is fine. Just letting you know that you don’t have to. I would suggest that THE COMPANY you select is an OPPORTUNITY to create a legitimate “constraint”, and constraints are always good for design. In other words: the sensibility of the designer or company in question can INFORM your design form and process and to not let it, is a lost opportunity. You can use the opportunity to say anything you want. But not to preach at people and not to make a completely personal artistic statement. If you are going to communicate “a message”, do it well and do it subtly. Milan is a place where “shock” is NOT new in any way: hey this is a world FASHION capital. But more importantly, as far as content goes: using the event as a way to create awareness is acceptable. Let’s say you wish to use the opportunity to speak about sustainability, or global warming or mass migrations, or product endurance. Using ideas from, say, “Cradle to Cradle “ is cool. But, again, don’t preach. Engage people in a discourse and don’t be pedantic. This is a HIGHLY literate audience who are extremely sophisticated in their design discourse. Don’t try and be Phillipe Starck!
There must be 1-3 significant interaction design elements or conversely the experience may be entirely immersive (think Sommerier or Philips or Lexus ). Or the whole thing is an immersive environment. You do not have to use the entire space, or you can do an immersive space and then you take the visitor into adjoining space that has more traditional display of furniture/product.
Best to not think build-ability or how you will prototype it at end of term at this point, process openly and without thinking “thing”, but more “theme” or “experience”. You may use the catalogue of the company for this purpose of showing a live exhibition in which to have your integration of space and interaction design.
Think about how you can extend or employ the precedents your team worked on and reference others you saw presented. You might be thinking: if Marti Guixe were to do this, what might he do? If Simmered + Migonneau? If Karim Rashid? If Tony Dunne + Fiona Raby? If Herzog + de Meuron? If Sejima? Ando? MVRDV? Yves Behar? Matali Crasset? Marcel Wanders?
To be clear: YOU MUST incorporate these precedents meaningfully, and to not so will be an instant drop of TWO letter grades on the final work. You cab use others besides the ones you worked on. But these should b your FISRT choice if at all possible. You must create “buzz”, but memorable lasting press, not glitz. You must cause the brand to be remembered by way of an exciting conceptual approach to Fuori Salone.
Architecturally: The Teatro Armani of Ando and the NHow Hotel of Matteo Thun are in this neighborhood and encapsulate the level at which you are working. Study them well. Also look at: Citterio’s Hotel Bulgari and De Cotiis’s Hotel Straf for the “feel” of the architecture you are after. This is MILAN.
Research the Fuori Salone 2003-presemt and the Zona Tortona to get the right pitch. The exhibit is to be located in a black box space within the “Superstudio” complex. Fuorisalone. Familiarize yourself with what has been the big events at the last few years.
The exhibiton space will be in the SUPERSTUDIO space in Zona Tortona. Their site is at: Super Studio Group. Go to this site and select one of the 13 studios. There are significant resources on this site including on Zona Tortona. Consider your needs: dark? Or Light? Outside view to bring context of Italian City IN (even if the don’t specify windows on wall, if you want them, design it in) or a separate mind-space. The space specifications are listed for each studio, in meters. The last measurement (h) is the ceiling height. You can bring in your own drop ceiling. A common error with students at your level NOT designing heights to a human scale. It is TEMPTING to have enormous high ceilings. But only do so if you NEED it. You will need to EXPLAIN this decision. Carve the space within as you like. The studio is a BOX: you can design ANY shape WITHIN it. It is NOT your delimiting shape.
Process (Week 1 Presentations)
Process (Week 2 Presentations)
Process (Week 3 Presentations)
Process (Week 4 Presentations)