We live in a complex society.
The debate and exchange of different views is the order of the day, the idea of common good is going through huge changes and finding one’s own way of being in the world is getting more and more difficult. Listening, which is not a synonym of passivity and laziness as some might think, is the highest expression of human activity because it helps us capture the complexity of reality.
It is exactly to listening that the Brera Design District will dedicate its 7th edition, as now more than ever “Designing is Listening”.
We could say that in the “beginning was listening” in every creative and design act.
Something you would definitely listen to with your ears is the artistic work by Chiara Luzzana, sound designer who will literally play the Brera district like a musical instrument; on the contrary, the work of Giorgia Lupi, information designer who turns data into tales, is something you would listen to with eyes and heart. Together with Stefanie Posavec, she is protagonist of the exhibition “Dear-data” at the Formentini publishing lab (via formentini, 10) and winner of the award “Lezioni di Design 2016”.
We invite you to listen to all the things you will see in the Brera Design District during the next Fuorisalone, hoping that this will help you interpret and not just collect data, of which we have plenty to offer, if you think of the over 150 events proposed.
Among these, the most outstanding are: space&interiors, the new ambitious event organised by MADE expo and born with the aim of bringing architecture finishing manufacturers at the centre of the project (The Mall, Porta Nuova), Fenix NTM by Arpa Industriale: Iconic Re-naissance Design inside the open gallery of Pinacoteca di Brera and the list of the most renowned Italian and international design signatures present in the district: Aldo Cibic for Slow Wood; CtrlZak for JCP; Daniel Libeskind for Loloey; Elena Salmistraro for Karpeta; Giulio Iacchetti with Internoitaliano; Hagit Pincovici for Clan; Jader Almeida for Sollos; Matteo Thun and Antonio Rodriguez for Fantini; Max Lamb and Philippe Maulin at Hem; Migliore+Servetto Architects for space&interiors; Nendo, Jasper Morrison, Fabio Novembre and Mac Stopa for Cappellini; Studiopepe at cc-tapis; Patricia Urquiola and Federico Pepe for Spazio Pontaccio and cc-tapis at Spazio Pontaccio; Philippe Nigro for Novamobili.
We have always been linked to the value of craftsmanship and we are pleased to host the project “Historical Workshop” by Leffe, through which we will discover the historical artisan workshops of the Brera district, where time seems to have stopped. Time and Tradition are values underpinning the projects of both Valcucine with “Innovation for life” (Corso Garibaldi, 99) and Tissot, “Innovators by Tradition” par excellence and Official Timekeeper of the 2016 edition of the Fuorisalone.
“Designing is Listening” is an issue open to many interpretations and also an open gate to many disciplines complementary to design, among which “services design” deserves special attention as a discipline that will have a growing influence on our lives in the near future, as highlighted by Fjord Trends 2016 (presentation curated by Accenture digital on 15th April at Clubhouse Brera, Foro Buonaparte 22). This is the starting idea also for the foundation of CLUBHOUSE Brera (Foro Buonaparte, 22), a Club dedicated to design where professionals in the field, designers and opinion makers can exchange views, do networking, relax and work.
The schedule for children is also very rich: thanks to Design Mood and Eataly they will make cookies every day (Piazza XXV Aprile) or have fun during the weekend with the labs proposed by Rigotondo nursery school (Foro Buonaparte, 20) and WWF (Via Tommaso da Cazzaniga). Even dogs will not feel excluded thanks to FooF (Via Tommaso da Cazzaniga), an event dedicated exactly to them.
This year, like never before, the end of the Fuorisalone will be the beginning of a new chapter for the Brera Design District. Many are the projects being developed together with Comarch, main sponsor of the 2016 edition. The district will become “smart” and a new way of interacting with the territory and exchanging information through a dedicated app – first step of this new evolution process – will be presented during the first edition of the Brera Design Festival in October 2016, a three-day event dedicated to free training on the topics of design and communication.
But let’s first enjoy this week and celebrate Milan as world Capital of Design during the Brera Design Night (15th April) and the many parties to come.
But remember: try to listen. to anything you see.
Cristian Confalonieri and Paolo Casati
