my eyeballs are still reeling

01May09

going to the Salone Internazionale de Mobile this year has been one of the most mind-boggling experiences of my entire life.

little did i know what was in store after capriciously buying my $80 EasyJet roundtrip ticket to Milan back in early February.  our first impression after exiting the unbreathably-sardiney metro at Rho: billowingly snakey, glass-net volumes that enveloped the fairgrounds with an overwhelming sense of expectation.

russell, abe, and i wandered around these halls for an entire day (with our eyes re-bulging after turning every corner), but there was just absolutely no way to see everything.  i think what was most overwhelming was the glamour of it all — we were in the middle of what was simply la creme de la creme of the design world, and we were able to touch, sit in, and sprawl over it all.

after studying interior architecture for the bulk of the semester, i found that i was often more fascinated by each store’s overall exhibit and its spatial/emotional effect, rather than the individual pieces themselves.  i probably spent the most time in hall 12, which housed most of the (few, but now expanding) furniture designers i was faimilar with.  in my whirlwind of wanting to retain it all, i just couldnt sketch fast enough, so i was relegated to jotting down soundbyte associations/metaphors for the pavilions that were most memorable to me.

some of the 'big boys' in hall 12

kartell: a celebratory photomontage [celebratory of their 60th anniversary, celebratory of 'diversity']

arkitepo: a purple, webby, atom of biomimicry

thut mobel: ribbons of woody fluorescence…edgy organic!

horm: snowflake tapestries

artek: presumptuous one-liner ["ONE CHAIR IS ENOUGH!" on shigeru ban's 10-unit system]

campeggi: tornado of compressible doghouses

edra: madonna pop-glam

giovanetti: white concrete igloo, laced with flower pods

emeco: another one-liner [this time less exuberant, more one-hit-wonder-esque, with gehry involved]

in and around milan - fritz hansen, 'design virus' at zona tortona, images from salone satellite, various showrooms, and the duomo

but it wasn’t just the fairgrounds at Rho — the entire city turns into a giant festival, with everything going on at zona tortona, the showrooms in and around the center of the city, at the Triennale…  i spent a day at each, and consistently, i was attracted to the smaller, younger exhibitors who were eager to talk to you and connect with you and explain their ideas.  my favorite part of the fair by far was the Salone Satellite, the area all the way at the very back of the fairground by halls in the 20s, where it was so inspiring to see ‘youthful, creative talent’ at its best, and be in awe of students who are the same age as me and have already accomplished so much.

russell and i explore some Ear Chairs at SuperStudio in Zona Tortona. "A group of Ear Chairs facing each other will create a place for private conversation. It is one of two collections Rotterdam-based Studio Makkink & Bey have created for the Dutch firm Prooff"

after three days, all i can say is — i want more.

---

Possibly related posts: (automatically generated)

• my eyeballs are still reeling
• Ear Chair by Studio Makkink & Bey
• Zona Tortona 2009
• Time for Michael Jordan to Put His Money Where His Hall of Fame Speech Is

Filed under: Uncategorized   |  6 Comments
Tags: cities, design, furniture, future craft, interiors, travel