As usual, very great affluence of professionals at the press conference of Salone del Mobile, the most authoritative exhibition of furniture sector.
Designing Beauty is the guiding theme of the 59th edition while the focus on the centrality of Milan is confirmed.
Despite the criticism of some journalists and the absence of many foreign colleagues due to the health emergency, the event – confirmed once again as an essential appointment – filled the main hall of the Catholic University.
The Workplace 3.0 fair, as well as EuroCucina, will be present “in diffuse mode” in the various pavilions.
The meeting opens with a message of solidarity and video links with some Chinese journalists among the many who were unable to attend the conference.
The 59th edition of the Salone del Mobile Milano reconfirm its commitment to innovation and to revolutionising Beauty, a world added in the Manifesto, because “inventing different kinds of design every year, experimenting with all sorts of harmony of form, shaping the “right” material and achieving a high degree of sustainability are all a quest for Beauty”. This is what the companies and designers taking part in the Salone del Mobile do to make it a real driver of change.
Claudio Luti, President Salone del Mobile, had this to say: “The 2020 edition of the Salone del Mobile.Milano will testify to the furniture companies’ ethical and virtuous strategies. What we need now is an ethical approach to design that can bolster the search for solutions that are as sustainable as possible in a global context, and an increasing focus on the demands of the upcoming generations, who are more interested than ever in the intrinsic value of what they purchase for their domestic and work environments. We will see a lot of companies investing in environmentally-friendly and personal wellness products, and a surge towards a better future, encapsulated by the word “Beauty” which, not surprisingly, has been added to the Salone del Mobile.Milano Manifesto. The constant quest for beauty, meaning an assortment of different factors, will be the key that will allow the Salone del Mobile to strengthen and consolidate its global leadership position over the coming years and to predict the lifestyles of the future.”
Thus, the Salone del Mobile.Milano will narrate the decisive steps towards environmental and social sustainability taken by creatives, designers, brands and businesses with the onus on the new generations that have grown up in an age of crisis, and who aspire to fair, responsible and virtuous production and fruition.
“The Salone has now become a veritable “institution” and, as such, is the harbinger of a future in which development, innovation and sustainability will work together – promoting Beauty in its widest sense, in a word.” said Emanuele Orsini, President of Federlegno Arredo Eventi.
A special article about the concepts of Augmented Ethics and Augmented Beauty expressed by the sociologist Francesco Morace was posted on WOW!
Along with the focus on sustainability, the spotlight will again be on the centrality of Milan.
“Always efficient, competitive, innovative and international, Milan has also realised that it is beautiful, on a par with the great cities of art in its own particular way of creating, offering and experiencing beauty. The Salone del Mobile is also an expression of Milan’s desire to be environmentally and socially sustainable and of its vocation as a centre for young people. We would do well to gear design and production to these principles, which are now driving the urban transformation and regeneration of our city,” said Giuseppe Sala, Mayor of Milan.
The 59th edition of the Salone del Mobile.Milano will again venture beyond the confines of the fairground and into the city: from 21st April to 3rd May, a monumental site-specific audio-visual installation will feature in Palazzo Reale’s Sala delle Cariatidi.
La Scatola Magica (The magic box) is based on the 10 values set out in the Manifesto, which have always been an integral part of the event’s DNA.
Ten films d’auteur by ten leading Italian filmmakers will be screened. Each of the filmmakers has taken a word from the Manifesto and interpreted it in their own imitable style, turning it into a short film, as follows: Claudio Giovannesi: Culture, Francesca Archibugi: Emotion, Pappi Corsicato: Enterprise, Daniele Ciprì: Milan, Wilma Labate: Design, Stefano Mordini: Quality, Bruno Bozzetto: Networking, Luca Lucini: Communication, Donato Carrisi: Ingenuity and, lastly, Gianni Canova and a team of film students from the IULM University: Young People.
Responding to the challenge of providing an appropriate response to the changes in today’s social structure, EuroCucina will follow in the footsteps of Workplace3.0 and, while being mainly based in the traditional pavilions, will also adopt an extended exhibitive format that takes in the Salone Internazionale del Mobile and S.Project, underscoring the way in which this space is evolving and becoming increasingly incorporated into living rooms.
Some 600 young designers will take part in the 23rd SaloneSatellite. This year’s theme is “Designing for our future selves”. This edition will invite reflection on inclusive design that promotes autonomy, comfort, movement, user-friendliness, interaction and safety for all.
Salone del Mobile is postponed to June 16/21 2020.
