A new district for the Fuorisalone which centres on the Franco Parenti Theatre. The Parenti District Art & Design will be taking place from 9 to 14 April, with events and cultural initiatives in which art and design dialogue with the theatre. The initiative is the result of an idea by Andrée Ruth Shammah, the heart of the Franco Parenti Theatre, to involve the Porta Romana area in design week.    

Among the most significant projects is Around the Water by Mosca Partners. It is an itinerary set up to discover Italian and Swedish design in the internal and external areas of the pool and theatre. Rooms House, constructed on a floating platform in the Bagni Misteriosi, is a modular 7 m by 7 m home. It is an idea of the house of the future, explains Valerio Castelli from Mosca Partners: “With a view to sustainability, we originally thought of using wood, and then we were contacted by Sweden via the magazine Rum, which handled construction”. Also worthy of note is “Eros”, an exhibition in which the students from the Politecnico di Milano design school explore the concept of Eros under the direction of Michele De Lucchi, Francesca Balena Arista and Mario Greco.

Another important project is “Free immersion”, in support of contemporary art by young artists. It is the result of a project by Marina Nissim and curated by Giovanni Paolin in the Bagni Misteriosi buildings, which were recently opened to the public. Twelve young contemporary artists have created site-specific works. 

“Riflessioni Riflesse” is a project which focuses on ecology, curated by Jean Blanchaert with the collaboration of Irina Eschenazi. Eight artists and designers have drawn inspiration from water to express themselves through various materials, in particular glass, with attention paid to traditional processes and technological innovation. In this context there is specific focus on the genius of Leonardo da Vinci on the occasion of the 500th anniversary of his death. As the curator explains: “An example of this ecological theme is the work of Pietro Follini, a Cleaning Station, or rather a plant which, through photosynthesis, continues to clean the environment”.  He concludes, “The biofriendly approach was completely unexpected, and is common in six out of eight artistic proposals.”    

Lastly (the full programme can be found on the website parentidistrict.com), the pièce Talking objects, which makes reference to the location of the event: the theatre. Based on an idea by Andrée Ruth Shammah and curated by Fabio Cherstich, a series of micro-pièces bring cult objects from twentieth-century Milanese design to life. Gae Aulenti, Ettore Sottsass, Michele De Lucchi, Enzo Mari and Cini Boeri to name but a few: actors, musicians and performers accompany the audience in an itinerary in stages which presents a theatrical biography of objects. It all begins on 8 April with the opening party.

Opening image: Agreements to Zinedine (ATZ), L’Animale Cerimoniale, 2019. © Melania Dalle Grave and Agnese Bedini for DSL Studio