“Mirabilia” is the name of the project of Casa Italia, the home of the Italian athletes at the Tokyo 2020 Olympics
The Wunderkammer, the cabinet of curiosities that used to house works of art and natural objects, provided inspiration for Casa Italia at the Tokyo 2020 Olympics. The Kihinkan – Takanawa Manor House, an architecture recalling the European houses of the early twentieth century, is the building that houses Casa Italia. This house has two floors, with rooms following one another, and is characterized by the presence of a fireplace in each room.
Tokyo 2020 is part of CONI’s project to communicate Casa Italia through the Italian lifestyle. This journey began at Rio 2016 with Horizontal, continued at Pyeongchang 2018 with Prospectum, and now at Tokyo 2020, in an edition inspired by “Wonder.” An interesting business card for made in Italy design.
A tapestry by Bonotto, made with 500 kg of yarn produced from recycled plastic, covers the façade of the building and measures 430 square meters. Woven with the Jumbo Jacquard artisanal technique, it was made with the ancient looms of the “Fabbrica Lenta,” a Renaissance workshop where art and industry come together.
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The lobby hosts a special installation with Rose Chair and Getsuen armchairs, created by Japanese designer Masanori Umeda for Edra. These pieces, donated by Umeda to the company in 1990, are on display in Japan for the first time. In the space of the staircase, there is an Atlas tapestry by Bonotto: it is 7 meters high and made with the ancient craft techniques of mechanical looms.
On the ground floor: made in Italy design and art
The first room hosts works by Elisa Sighicelli photographs printed on shiny satin sheets. The mirrored floor reflects a Boa sofa by the Campana brothers for Edra, surrounded by Getsuen armchairs.
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Mirrors are the leitmotif of the ground floor, which overlooks a garden with furniture by Ethimo and Gli Eroi installation by Giuseppe Gallo, twelve sculptures where small tree trunks are transformed into gigantic chairs.
In the third room, the protagonists are the table games by Hillsideout. The Pool Table is made from a mix of woods from Italy and the Amazon, representing the complexity of the Amazon Rainforest. Besides the pool table, this room houses a foosball table, also by Hillsideout. Called Pirlì, it is made from colored woods and lost-wax cast bronze by Michele Balestra.
Casa Italia’s restaurant to socialize at Tokyo 2020
On the first floor, Casa Italia’s restaurant is divided into various rooms, with walls covered with Alcantara panels. Green-blue tones characterize the rooms, furnished with Starlight tables, designed for Glas Italia by Tokujin Yoshioka, who also designed the Olympic Torch for Tokyo 2020. The furnishings of the restaurant also include Gilda and Gina chairs, by Jacopo Foggini for Edra.
An integral part of CONI’s project for Casa Italia, the restaurant continues in the three social rooms. The walls are covered with Alcantara panels, a material that has been certified as carbon neutral, overlaid with vertical cuts to create a dynamic effect. The rooms are furnished with large solid maple tables, designed by Leftover for Studio Effe, and Impossible Wood chairs, by Doshi and Levien for Moroso.
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Beyond the restaurant, there is a large corridor inspired by an imaginary railway carriage. A sky of Nuvem lamps, an adaptation of a work by artist Miguel Arruda made for Slamp, overlooks a “restaurant carriage,” with wallpaper by Silvia Stella Osella for Wall&Deco, and seats and tables by Gio Tirotto, made by Studio F. in Alcantara.
Marketing and Development Director, Coni: Diego Nepi Molineris
Masterplan: Architect Luca Galliano
Interiors Design: Claudia Pignatale (secondome)
Art Curators: Beatrice Bertini and Benedetta Acciari (Ex Elettrofonica)
Creative Director: Francesco de Figueiredo (Nero)
Interior Light Design: Marco Frascarolo and Stella Cardella (FABERtechnica)
Exterior Light Design: Massimo Pascucci
Art & Technology for Communication: Andrea Caracciolo (Informa Sistemi)
Photography: PH JIL-Studio
Other images of Casa Italia at Tokyo 2020
