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On World Environment Day, STIR turns the spotlight on sustainability at Salone 2022
Porsche’s Art of Dreams installation render
Image: Courtesy of Porsche, Brera Design District
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On World Environment Day, STIR turns the spotlight on sustainability at Salone 2022

From upcycling materials to showcasing technological advances, exhibitors at the Milan Design Week 2022 foretell the stories of a sustainable future.

by Ayushi Mathur, Anushka Sharma
Published on : Jun 02, 2022

Fast-paced life in the 21st century has ensured a pronounced misuse of regularly available materials and hence, increased production of imperishable waste. This, as a consequence, demands attention and action both at an individual level and at a larger policy level. The importance, thus, of events that highlight and celebrate sustainable practices, techniques and lifestyles, grows.

On World Environment Day, propounded first by the United Nations in 1972, STIR highlights a few products, installations, events and experiences that will draw attention to sustainability, the fair’s overarching theme, during the upcoming Milan Design Week 2022.

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‘The Providence project’ by Lauren Goodman Image: Courtesy of Lauren Goodman
1. Lauren Goodman’s ‘The Providence Project’

‘The Providence Project’ by Canadian artist and academic Lauren Goodman is an experimental project that seeks to explore the scope of discarded objects. Featuring chairs and tables that have been forged and cast using an assemblage of metal scraps, crushed tubing and metallic wires salvaged from the Providence area in Rhode Island, each piece in the collection subtly communicates its functional role through abstracted forms. The pieces are finished with oxy-acetylene and monochrome paint, giving thus a polished look to the surfaces of these semi-utilitarian artefacts. Emphasising Salone’s theme of sustainability, Goodman’s furniture pieces serve as conversation starters rather than an example of sustainable product design.

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Carpet Matter collection by Riccardo Cenedella Image: Courtesy of Riccardo Cenedella
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Carpet Matter chair Image: Simone Giaretto
2. ‘Carpet Matter’ by Riccardo Cenedella

Few projects base their development on research and experimentation. UK based product designer, Riccardo Cenedella’s practice, however, is premised on exploring ways and methods to create meaningful designs that can utilise, and thus, minimise waste. In his latest project titled ‘Carpet Matter’, he utilises carpet waste – one of the largest sources of waste in Britain to mould stools, chairs and luminaires. An ideal example of circular design, the textures of the chairs are evocative of the coarse surface of rocks, thus lending them a unique, sculpturesque appearance. ‘Carpet Matter’ will be showcased as part of the exhibition No Space For Waste in the Isola Design District.

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Minimono Family by Julieta Benito Sanz and Dirk Lachmann Image: Anne Deppe
3. Minimono Project by Julieta Benito Sanz and Dirk Lachmann

Like Riccardo Cenedella, German designers Julieta Benito Sanz and Dirk Lachmann, after rigorous research and material testing that lasted two years, have produced a furniture collection crafted using recycled HDPE plastic sheets. Comprising tables, ladders and stools that can be used interchangeably as seating objects, stands or storage containers, the Minimono collection can be used by people of all ages and is built to last for several generations, becoming thus an intrinsic part of households. In a culture that is largely inclined toward frequently replacing products and objects according to extant trends, the Minimono pieces are a breath of fresh air. Its plastic surface ensures that they are water-resistant and are thus suitable for usage in both indoor and outdoor spaces. These monochromatic furniture items will be displayed next to Cenedella’s ‘Carpet Matter’ at the ‘No Space For Waste’ exhibition.

4. Installation that highlights sustainability by 5VIE x Astrid Luglio x Erbert

Conceptualised by product designer Astrid Luglio and Milanese concept store Erbert in collaboration with 5VIE, this installation will explore the ideas of sustainability and territoriality with food as the starting point. By taking a different approach to provoke introspection and conversations around sustainability, this unique collaboration will combine Luglio’s creative expertise with Erbert’s philosophical manifesto of promoting healthy eating. The installation, designed as an immersive experience, will take place at Erbert’s store in Piazza Quasimodo, 2, and will help upend conversations around peaceful co-existence through a presentation of food and sculptures next to each other.

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Ren Freestanding Bookcase Image: Courtesy of Poltrona Frau
5. Ren Freestanding Bookcase by Neri&Hu for Poltrona Frau

Shanghai based research and design studio Neri&Hu designed this Ren Freestanding Bookcase as part of Poltrona Frau’s True Evolution collection. Inspired by the Chinese Ideogram Ren, which is made up of two simple strokes that symbolise human figures, this wooden bookcase emulates Chinese design philosophies and serves as a perfect example of creating sustainably sound designs using simple materials and shapes. Accessible from both sides, it can also fulfil the role of a room divider. The birch plywood shelves of the bookshelf are supported by a solid Canaletto walnut structure and the entire piece is completed by a minimally designed brushed steel bookend that is finished in natural brass.

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Ruby Barker’s floral exhibit Image: Courtesy of Porsche
6. Porsche’s Art of Dreams

Porsche’s Art of Dream is an experimental initiative that shapes through a global series of experiences in art and design. As an official sponsor of Brera Design Week, Porsche presents the artistic installation using the expertise of floral artist Ruby Barker. The installation iterates the subtle narrative of the relationship between nature and technology. As a sculptural artwork, the ‘Art of Dreams’ combines the fragility of flowers with agitation through intervening technology. The installation creates a dreamlike interpretation of Porsche’s pioneering spirit while posing a subtle question about the role of technology, its contribution and its relationship with nature. The art installation will give the viewers an insight into the positive as well as the negative impacts of technology on nature.

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White Noise Dada’s Ming vase and pressed flowers art panel Image: Courtesy of White Noise Dada for the Dutch Atelier
7. White Noise Dada showcases upcycled products

White Noise Dada is the result of a collaboration between Klaas Kuiken and Charley Reijnder. Keeping dadaism as the backbone of all their design interventions and a rather provocative and absurdist approach to design, the company translates socio-cultural activism into a product narrative. For the Dutch Atelier at Milan Design Week 2022, the Dutch company worked with plastic waste to create large vases and an upcycled 17th-century panel of crushed plastic plants. White Noise Dada drew inspiration for the vases from a trip to China where they discovered artisans displaying decorative rugs adorned with discarded ming vases. The iconic objects are graceful reminiscent of art history but with a tweak of activism and questioning of consumer behaviour.

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Valcucine’s LEED mapping system for designing Kitchens is a step toward sustainability Image: Courtesy of Valcucine for Brera Design Week
8. Valcucine and LEED mapping, the present and the future of sustainability in architecture

LEED: Leadership in Energy and Environment Design is a widely used third-party verification system for green buildings. For forty years, Valcucine has been a leader in giving sustainable design and production for high-end kitchens and the Brera Design Week, Valcucine is all set to raise the bar in designing kitchens with their presentation ‘Sustainability beyond Space and Time’. Through a series of appointments, curated products and an exhibition path, they aim to confirm the company’s commitment to sustainable production by incorporating their latest LEED v4.1 mapping system. In their showroom in Brera, Milan, the Italian brand will also be presenting the exhibition LE3DERS, curated by Archivibe, wherein, the company displays the architectural models of iconic architectural firms, in 3D displayed through an augmented reality experience.

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Reiecta upcycles marble to curate candle holders and vases Image: Courtesy of Reiecta
9. Teatro by Reiecta

In the aftermath of being abandoned or deconstructed, what happens to the building? What are the effects of the construction residue on the environment? The answer: the discarded material that doesn't decompose, but instead, starts to colonise the environment. Slowly becoming a fertile ground for life forms, slightly contaminated with humidity stains, growing roots and even material breaks. Reiecta is an initiative that looks into upscaling one such discarded material- marble. The collaborative initiative blurs the boundaries between nature and design, by restoring and recycling dozens of rejected marble waste to present a collection of objects with zoomorphic shapes. The initiative is all set to showcase a collection of vases and candleholders suffused with abandoned marbles in their digital exhibition ‘Teatro’. Reiecta is a promising initiative that effectively works towards sustaining, recycling and reusing construction materials as a futuristic benefit for the environment.

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The flying Atolls by Studio ITO uses 100% recycled glass Image: Courtesy of Studio ITO
9. Studio ITO's Flying Atolls

Studio ITO’s Setsu and Shinobu set yet another example in upscaling for sustainability by collaborating with the Soneva glass factory in the Maldives to produce the ('Flying Atoll)' glass artworks. Presenting alongside a widely assorted platter of bespoke furniture pieces, Studio ITO will be displaying their glass artworks at the Milan Design Week 2022. As part of a relief project for the Maldives islands, Soneva Glasscycle makes use of 100% recycled glass. Setsu and Shinobu's Flying Atolls feature the bird's eye view of the Maldivian atolls which are ring-shaped islands with a saltwater body in the middle alongside the active marine life. The art pieces will be sold forth at the Soneva resorts gallery and part of the proceeds will be used for the environmental protection of the Maldivian islands and marine life.

STIR takes you on a Milanese sojourn! Experience Salone del Mobile and all the design districts - 5vie, Brera, Fuorisalone, Isola, Zona Tortona, and Durini - with us. STIR’s coverage of Milan Design Week 2022, Meanwhile in Milan showcases the best exhibits, moods, studios, events, and folks to look out for. We are also excited to announce our very own STIR press booth at Salone del Mobile - Hall 5/7 S.14, Fiera Milano RHO.

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