Milan Design Week Highlights

18 - 23 April 2023

Below are darc's standouts from Milan Design Week and top product picks from Euroluce. A full event supplement will be published digitally with extended coverage from darc's trip to Milan in due course.

Embrace Equity: Let's Talk About Concrete Actions Women in Lighting

Light'in Agorá, curated by Chiara Carucci, Martina Frattura, Giorgia Brusemini and Giacomo Rossi, was a three-day event held during Milan Design Week. The project was conceieved to promote a multidisciplinary design approach by bringing together Italian and international professionals. The organisers collaborated with media partners [d]arc media (arc and darc magazine) and with supporters Helvar (platinum), formalighting (gold), Valmont Structures and LightLux (silver) for the events and gatherings.

The final evening event started with a reflection by Women in Lighting's Italian Ambassador Giorgia Brusemini. Following was a panel discussion with five countries represented by: Sabine De Shutter, Ambassador in Germany; Claudia Paz, Ambassador in Perù; Surbhi Jindal, Ambassador in India; Francesca Feltrin, Ambassador in Switzerland; Olga Tuzova, Ambassador in Russia. The panel, moderated by Managing Editor Helen Ankers of [d]arc media, discussed how their approach to the profession has changed since they took on their ambassador roles. The event was live streamed, and can be rewatched on darc tv online. www.womeninlighting.com

The Harmony of Contrast

Sans Souci

The concept central to its brand and the focus of its 2023 Milan exhibition –The Harmony of Contrast – combines diverse elements and ideas, challenging your assumptions. Sans Souci's new product development and design approach is part of a creative journey where contrasting perspectives meet. In collaboration with William Sawaya, the brand revealed one of its new pieces - Branchy. The collection combines inspiration from the natural world with the latest technologies to defy our expectations of lighting.

Sawaya presented the new collection to press and designers at a drinks and networking event during Milan Design Week, discussing the design process and challenges they faced when producing the collection. www.sanssoucilighting.com

The Harmony of Form and Function

Japan-based Yamagiwa celebratees its 100th anniversary this year, and returned to Fuorisalone after twelve years with its installation The Harmony of Form and Function, presenting Taliesin, a series of light fixtures designed by architect Frank Lloyd Wright. Architect Shigeru Ban designed Yamagiwa’s exhibition space for Milan Design Week 2023. His concept for the space was one that best accentuated the beauty of Wright’s lamp.

“I thought it would be ideal to use the lamp in a space with shadow, a sense of texture, and materiality, rather than in a museum-like white box,” he says. “The simple paper tube tunnel runs through the exhibition space from the entrance to the end of the room. By using the same paper tube material from the bottom all the way up to the ceiling, the tunnel became an immersive space, allowing visitors to experience Taliesin’s soft quality of light and its texture of wood without being disturbed.” en.yamagiwa.co.jp

To www.lladro.com www.preciosalighting.com www.zafferanoitalia.com www.contardi-italia.com www.ethimo.com www.ctolighting.co.uk

Nichetto Studio, the Italian design practice based in Stockholm, launches a collaboration with Lladró. The Soft Blown collection is composed of two lamps: the Afloat chandelier and the Airbloom table lamp. Available in a variety of colour ranges, the collection draws inspiration from the convivial spirit of balmy, sunny days when the streets are lined with performance artists effortlessly crafting colorful and intricate balloon creations.

Combining the patterns of orthogonality with the sparkle of crystal, the new lighting concept is a customisable, modular product with hand-blown crystal tubes and an orthogonal structure. Various composition and component options also help create a unique spatial impression through form and illumination. Preciosa’s in-house design team took inspiration from the unmistakable patterns of orthogonality in architecture and design.

Sfera & Sfer’otto (design by Federico de Majo) are two new models of LED pendant lamps, with hand-blown borosilicate glass diffusers in two shapes (sphere and hourglass) partially painted and satin-finished, with a shaded effect. The structure is available in various colours, anodised and brushed aluminium, natural and gold.

Designed by Paola Navone, Baggy's satin polycarbonate diffuser has the irregular appearance of a crumpled paper tube. The soft textile cord, a detail in line with the brand's archi-decorative stylistic code, supports the lamp in the suspended version and becomes a joining element for the table and floor versions.

The suspended version is available in both horizontal and vertical versions.

Bols is a new collection of versatile lights that are both sculptural and, most importantly, functional. The base is a simple polyethylene ball, suitable for outdoor, to which you can add up to three different metal structures to make it into a floor lamp or suspended lamp. Each structure can be personalised in three colours: black, beige and terracotta. The floor model, available in two heights, can also be turned into a plant pot or a small table.

The Cascata chandelier, with its fluid glass panels and contrasting triangular frame, is a unique sculptural feature. The metal framework is available in satin brass, bronze, or a mirrored polished nickel, and the threearm shape is designed to work above round and rectangular tables, either as a single pendant or in combination.

Archiproducts Milano in via Tortona 31 welcomed visitors to its 2023 exhibition, Terra. Inspired by Earth. Presenting a visual continuum inspired by nature's gradients creating a truly coherent and materially immersive experience, this year the showroom also presented a project with Studiopepe.

"Terra. Inspired by Earth" was the new design experience at Archiproducts Milano, with a project by Studiopepe and the participation of numerous international brands. The concept for this year's exhibition was based around the Earth as our home. The Earth offers true materials, warm colours, a sense of belonging. The Earth is where we demand a need for responsibility. The interior project guided visitors throughout the discovery of our connection with the earth that evokes a sense of peace; a project where nature inspires the choice of colours and materials with a careful and conscious approach to design.

The finishes and furniture complemented the interior with delicate shades of terracotta, sand and clay. Warm lighting, natural and experimental materials intensified the sense of connection with the Earth.

A large and suspended moon was the focal point of an installation that recreated the feeling of being at the centre of the universe. It was a true sensory experience exploring interconnected smart devices as well as innovative materials and their infinite applications. Comfort is, first and foremost, visual in a space created in the name of softness and continuity. True immersion in a visual continuum brought to life by the skilful combination of different materials: Warli and Interface carpets and textile floor coverings in a calming earth-tone inspired palette; the same palette for the material textures of La Calce del Brenta finishes, the three-dimensional Wall&Decò paper, precious Elitis fabrics and soft Astrid natural-fibre textiles. Pomegranate shades of the Ninefifty lava stone and Noël & Marquet three-dimensional wall coverings also contribute to the immersive journey.

Alcantara became an integral part of the walls, furniture and accessories, transformed into scenic backdrops that contribute to the visual unity of the space. Above all, the sensory experience allowed visitors to discover new horizons of design experimentation with a highly versatile material.

Connection with the earth was also found in the organic forms and minimalism of the furniture, whose fluidity recalled the primordial essence of the earth's womb.

The space is also fluid. The corridor becomes a soft, primordial alcove; the bar is housed in a curved wooden miniature architecture completely covered in fabric, while the walls include inhabitable arches that resembled niches carved out of stone.

Lighting partners featured throughout the space included: Astro Lighting, Brokis, Davide Groppi, Formagenda, LEDS C4, Leucos, Lladró, Lodes, Midgard Licht, Stral, Swedish Ninja, and Yamagiwa.

Light was a central theme in a space conceived as a journey of "connection with the earth", creating a sense of comfort and relaxation. A warm, welcoming and diffuse lighting created the perfect atmosphere. The simplicity and fluidity of a blown glass lamp designed by Snøhetta for Lodes created total and functional lighting scenarios. The interlocking blown glass cylinders of David Rockwell's pendant for Leucos created layers of colour that diffuse warm light. Delicate light passed through the essential geometries and soft blown glass curves of Brokis' light sculptures. The "spun thread" of Toyo Ito's delicate fibreglass creation for Yamagiwa resembled a cocoon, emitting soft light reminiscent of traditional Japanese paper lanterns. During Milan Design Week 2023, architects, designers and distinguished guests gathered and met under the glow of the big moon at the very centre of Via Tortona 31. They discussed the meaning of 'Space', 'Colour', 'Matter' and 'Light' during the creative process in architecture and design. The talk series explored the use and understanding of materials to create shape, the impact of colours, the importance of natural and artificial light, and Artificial Intelligence. These conversations provided a moment of insight and reflection thanks to the participation of internationally renowned professionals, including: architect Cino Zucchi; Carlos Bañón - associate professor at the Singapore University of Technology and Design (SUTD) and founder of Subarchitecture Design; Tim Fu - architect at Zaha Hadid Architects, specialising in Algorithm Design and A.I; architect Chad Oppenheim - founder of the US studio Oppenheim Architecture; Marius Myking - director of Snøhetta's Product Design department; Davide Angeli - Deputy Studio Director and Head of International Business of Michele De Lucchi's AmdCircle studio; Czech designer Lucie Koldova; Barry Richards - Principal and Studio Leader of the interdisciplinary US studio Rockwell Group; designers Chiara Di Pinto and Arianna Lelli Mami of Studiopepe; architect and designer Elisa Ossino, and many others.

Technology and the smart home was also a theme touched on. In the BTicino Smart Apartment, visitors could experience a smart home where technology adds value to everyday life, by being able to control video entry, lighting, sockets, automation, temperature and security conveniently and easily via app or voice. Efficiency is also found in Samsung's air conditioning, audio-video systems and smart appliances for intelligent living.

Smart was also at the Archiproducts Milano 2023 Design Experience, debuting smart #1, the brand's first new-generation model. 100% electric, smart #1 is synonymous with comfort, sustainability and maximum efficiency. Its sculpted lines, created by the MercedesBenz global design team, result from a creative process that frees up proportions and dimensions due to its all-electric powertrain, whose design constraints are minimal compared to an endothermic past. www.archiproducts.com

The winners of the 8th annual [d]arc awards were revealed this March at the highly-anticipated [d]arc night, held at the iconic fabric London nightclub.

This March, the design community once again came out in force to support the [d]arc awards - the only peer-to-peer lighting design awards in the world.

Returning to the iconic fabric London nightclub, [d]arc night, the offical [d]arc awards party, welcomed more than 500 revellers, as the winners of the 8th edition of the awards programme were revealed. Alongside the awards presentation, delivered by [d]arc media’s Helen Ankers and Matt Waring, guests enjoyed a series of light-art installations, two photo booths sponsored by Linea Light, UV face painting, vegetarian street food and an open bar, with the party carrying on until the early hours. The event was also live streamed by Light Collective on YouTube to the wider international audience.

This year, more than 17,000 votes were cast across the awards’ 14 categories, while 312 projects and 100 products were submitted. The global reach of the awards was evident once more, with entries coming from 40 countries around the world. This was also reflected in the winners, with winning projects coming from as far afield as Japan, Australia, Thailand, China, Turkey, Norway, UK, and Sweden.

Awarded the coveted ‘Best of the Best’ award for 2022 was Plas Y Brenin, UK by Dark Source, which also won the Spaces - Low Budget category. The ‘Best of the Best’ prize is given to the projet that recevied the most votes overall out of all the project category winners. Huge congratulations to Kerem Asfuroglu and Dark Source for this fantastic achievement. www.darcawards.com

[d]arc media would like to say a massive thank you to all of our design partners, sponsors and supporters, shortlist judges, everyone who entered a project or product, who voted, and who took part in the awards process and party this year. We would also like to say a special thank you to our production partners Streeem, and to Light Collective, who we couldn’t do the awards without.

More information about all of the winners can be found in a dedicated [d]arc awards supplement, available to view online now.

Images: GavriiLux archiproducts.com

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