Revisited traditions, virtual worlds, humanized technologies, inclusive choices: Superstudio’s iconic event during Design Week 2024, Superdesign Show, offers this and much more
With the participation of 11 nations from 3 continents, more than 80 companies, and nearly 40 cutting-edge projects, Superdesign Show will again this year serve as a meeting point for designers, companies, and enthusiasts ready to explore the latest trends and future visions in design.
“Thinking different!” is this year’s theme
The theme of the next edition of Superdesign Show, scheduled for April 16–21, 2024, is “THINKING DIFFERENT – everything, everywhere, everyone.” It will showcase the best of international design extending its reach to unusual areas as well as new domestic, urban and social contexts in the spaces of Superstudio Più, Via Tortona 27, Milan.
This year’s bold theme guides Giulio Cappellini, art director of the event, in his choice of an unusual color for the walls of the Superdesign Show. An unusual bright green that speaks of nature, peace, serenity and puts one in a cheerful mood. The supposed dictionary of Diverse Thinking includes key words written on the exhibition walls, taking visitors on a journey of discovery of bold ideas. Behind each word is a design project. Behind every project is human ingenuity, which no AI can replace. Not only does Superdesign Show focus on single words, but also on a provoking introductory question, “Why Not?”, amplified by the exhibition by graphic artist Daniele Cima.
The central rose of Asia at Superdesign Show
The number of Asian countries present at the Superdesign Show is growing, forming a strong and stimulating core also this year. Tokyo asserts its cultural identity with the TOKYO CREATIVE SALON, which aims to enshrine the city as the world epicenter of creativity, while Slow Hand Design Thailand by DITP shines a spotlight on Thailand’s enchanting culture. The journey of discovery of this continent continues all the way to China with Grado Design’s furnishing items.
Making full use of traditional techniques and those acquired through research, there are many Japanese companies bringing the result of this evolution to the Superdesign Show. This is what happens in the 100 types of black created by Kawashima Selkon Textiles, which has its roots in the kimono industry in Nishijin, Kyoto. A prime example of this creative evolution is also represented by Tokyo Company’s project comparing architectural proposals from three different generations.
On the other hand, the advanced Web3 technologies offered by FORUM8 software allow everyone to design anything, anywhere and with a different approach. With an anthropomorphic sculpture, George P. Johnson Japan/Yutaka invite us to be thinkers, to consider reality from different points of view and not to be overwhelmed by the abundance of information.
Meliordesign presents solutions that combat water waste by saving 95 percent in washing, and Vietnam Pavilion, a newcomer, presents new designs in bamboo, an environmentally sustainable material. With two disorienting installations, LEXUS focuses on electric mobility. Japan Tobacco inc.’s project invites visitors to take a break and relax through “humanized” pillows. Teaste it, also from Japan, brings the authentic tea ritual inside the spaces of Superstudio Più, in the Tea Room.
Technology, between real and virtual
The new dimensions of creativity reveal the inexhaustible potential of human ingenuity, which finds in technology not a limitation but an amplifier of its inventive capacity. In the three Virtual Points created by the Superstudio Digital division, visitors will be able to enjoy a widespread experience in a digital universe where holograms, metaverse, avatars, artificial intelligence and immersive experiences become the absolute protagonists.
Superstudio’s digital soul is also behind the SURTECO project: white spaces are transformed into vivid environments through virtual reality. HABITS DESIGN stages a near future in which technology will have acquired an emotional, sensitive, human-like intelligence. Common objects such as lamps and coat racks are transformed into entities that respond to surrounding stimuli. But this is not the only example of interaction between the digital and physical realms. PIXOM, in fact, merges sustainable materials, generative design, artificial intelligence, and 3D printing with robotics.
The different gaze of Generation Z
Generation Z adopts constructive dialogue and joint action to address global challenges. For example, visionary students at Jönköping University reimagine a Swedish design classic, the slatted-back chair, while Istituto Marangoni Milano•The School of Design proposes pieces furniture for a hypothetical extension of the Cappellini brand dedicated to Gen Z “digitarians”.
The planet comes first
In the context of a circular economy, aimed at energy efficiency and maximum use of resources, the concepts of recycling and regeneration open promising horizons. Numerous projects bring the theme of sustainability to the Superdesign Show, starting with The Good Plastic Company’s choice of furniture for the help desk and the installation they created with StudioXAG. The company shows us how even the much-criticized plastic can be reborn and become a protagonist in furniture.
Natural materials stand out for authenticity, showing their imperfections and narrating their exclusivity. The installation by PNA-Pietra Naturale Autentica celebrates this intrinsic bond between humanity and nature, while LAPILLI with FoodDesignStories transforms lava stone into elegant and refined lines of cladding and furniture, enhancing the combination of natural beauty and design. NichelcromLab dialogues with nature through stainless-steel mirrored surfaces reflecting a real forest, a site-specific installation by sculptor Michele D’Agostino.
Not only natural elements, but also man-made elements that respect the environment. This is what happens in Materially’s group show, which focuses on the transformation of materials that define the present and mark the path to the future thanks to projects by numerous companies.
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Home Now
The home is transformed into an oasis tailored to contemporary needs and desires with the unusual atmospheres recreated by MURALS WALLCOVERINGS through their original approach, but also thanks to SLOWLI’s soft cushions and wrap-around blankets, as well as innovative kitchens from the next125 line.
Exciting in their lightness are the geometric weaves of carbon fiber in Karbony’s products, which give the visitor a spectacle of light and shadow. In the contemporary home, the shower toilet is a must. Geberit presents it by letting you enter a virtual water vortex. CNA presents a selection of objects that open the dialogue between creativity, cultural heritage and futuristic visions of Italian craftsmanship. This approach is similar to that of Mirage, which highlights the company’s dedication to excellence and environmental sustainability. A value also found in NOBI, the Tuscan company that transforms living space into a work of art.
Art’s point of view
Art always interacts with design at the Superdesign Show. Artist Rafael Lanfranco celebrates his origins with his Little Peruji, transporting Peruvian archetypes into the modernity of Pop Art. Connection to their roots is also strong for the ten Czech artists who bring to life Designblok Cosmos, an amazing installation made of glass objects presented by the Prague festival Designblok.
A light installation by designer Kevin Chu for Creazione SUGO with creative furniture by Andrea Cingoli for Concepticon brings art to the Asian region. Graphic artist Daniele Cima with his “Why not?” – 42 different graphic versions translated into all the languages of the world – challenges the audience to dare the impossible. At the FLA FlavioLucchiniArt Museum, an exhibition of Flavio Lucchini’s works from different periods presents the myriad expressive possibilities of black and white, while in the permanent museum exhibition Cappellini’s most iconic objects highlight the relationship between art and design.
Inclusive design at Superdesign Show
Designer Mara Bragagnolo’s small collection of children’s furniture deals with autistic children’s need for silence and quietness, inviting future designers to deal more assiduously with everyone’s different needs for functionality and beauty.
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