'SOLIDIFIED' at Milan Design Week to exhibit installations with a focus on materiality

SOLIDIFIED, an exhibition with a focus on materials and the idea of exploring the world of solidification in design, will be taking place from April 16 to 21, 2024, within the Isola design district at Via Carlo Farini, 35, in Milan, Italy. The showcase, to be presented during Milan Design Week 2024, includes immersive works by leading artists and design studios such as Rive Roshan, Rick Tegelaar, Jesse Visser, Umut Yamac and Form Editions. “Matter can be in three states—solid, liquid, and gas. The objects we use around us, that we live in and with, are usually made of solids. In the exhibition SOLIDIFIED, we celebrate real solidified materials. In a world that is rapidly transforming and becoming more digitalised, more elusive and unpredictable, SOLIDIFIED wants to celebrate 'realness' in order to offer a 'hold',” a representative of the exhibition tells STIR.

The distinctive exhibition will feature not just finished installations and objects, but also the methods used to craft them, providing viewers with a deeper understanding of the design processes. In addition, there will also be talks about solidification in design, featuring insights from industry experts. “This exhibition features objects and products where the materialisation and production method (the craft) are essential. Items that offer a counterbalance to a fleeting world. Tangible products that respond to and excite the senses. Innovative works with new inventions and applications not only leave the visitor amazed but also give the work meaning; meaningful manifestations,” adds the representative.

Here’s a glimpse of the installations and objects that will be on view at SOLIDIFIED.

Illuminated Transitions, Rive Roshan

Amsterdam-based Rive Roshan is an experimental studio working on the cusp of design and art. Founded by Ruben de la Rive Box and Golnar Roshan, the practice delves into the interplay of light, colour, space and material in which the duo’s goal is to craft sensory experiences that encourage reflection and a spirit of inquiry. Conceived in collaboration with installation art and scenography studio Lumus Instruments, the project will feature reflective, sculptural art objects, in combination with transitioning lights that play with reflection and influence the perception of space. The greatest challenge with light is that it is not tangible, it can be quite unpredictable, but it transcends space and time,” says Roshan. “We want to delve into the way that light interacts with our work, how the objects catch light and refract, reflect, and project light.”

Meshmatics Chandelier, Tabby and Fluffy, Atelier Rick Tegelaar

Atelier Rick Tegelaar is a Netherlands-based design firm founded by designer Rick Tegelaar whose works are crafted using avant-garde engineering techniques yet always showcase a delicate sense of aesthetics. At SOLIDIFIED, Tegelaar is showcasing several new experiments and prototypes, in addition to his exquisite netted light piece Meshmatics Chandelier, the modular lighting installation Tabby, and his first carpet collection—Fluffy, in association with Wool & Wire.

The Meshmatics Chandelier adopted by Moooi is an excellent example of how Tegelaar converted ordinary chicken wire into an arresting form of a chandelier. Elsewhere, Tabby boasts alternate strips that have custom-developed LED light sources with different characteristics. Thus, various light effects can be physically 'programmed' intuitively and pragmatically, without having to touch a single key on a keyboard.

Harold cabinet, Sphaera table, Sunset Sunrise light, and Triptych mirror, Jesse Visser

Designer Jesse Visser from Amsterdam specialises in furniture and lighting products that engages all senses. The designer’s goal is to refresh and modify conventional combinations of materials and techniques, leading to unorthodox production processes. The practice has realised several iconic and commercially successful products of which he will be bringing a few pieces to the fair. These include the Sphaera table, Sunset Sunrise light, and the Triptych mirror from his collection, as well as the origami-inspired, Alumni-series of chairs or the dynamic Harold cabinet, which features expanded metal layers that are overlaid, creating a captivating moiré-effect.

Array and Bloom lighting fixtures, and Libra vase, Studio Umut Yamac

Based in London, studio Umut Yamac is a design firm examining the middle ground between architecture, and light. At SOLIDIFIED, the practice will be displaying an immersive collection of lighting and objects evocative of the theme of movement. The collection, comprising the Array and Bloom lighting fixtures, and the Libra vase, represent an exploration of a contrasting material—paper, thread and stone and its potential transformation into a lightweight fluid volume.

A collection of lightweight and dynamic lighting fixtures, Array comprises a set of fine technical threads, pulled taut between two aluminium rings. Featuring a range of large-scale conical and cylindrical forms, the pieces can be combined to form a compelling installation. Bloom, on the other hand, is an evolving collection of lights evocative of spring blossoms. Created using paper, both lightweight and recyclable, this lighting fixture’s shades are pleated to create three-dimensional volumes, which reveal a layered gradient of colour when turned on.

Form Editions

Form Editions is a collectible design platform that curates, produces and retails distinctive sculptural objects, put together by a collective of designers and artists. The platform strives to curate the greatest collection of thought-provoking collectible design pieces, limited edition sculptural objects and modern objets d’art. Through carefully curated collections, the studio makes independent designers and artists accessible to collectors, architects and interior designers. At SOLIDIFIED, Form Editions will present a variety of designer collections and new launches such as a range of arresting tables, floor lights made from single sheets of steel by Frank Penders, sculptural wall light and a chair by Studio Verbaan, an expansive layered glass wall light by Rive Roshan, and carpets by Frank Penders and Studio Verbaan produced by Moooi Carpets for Form Editions.