Tortona Design Week 2017

Nomadic design (at BASE), colour, manufacturing 4.0 and social design are just some of the themes featured in the 2017 edition of Tortona Design Week that this year promises to offer a broad vision of the design of the future. Uberto Cajrati Crivelli, president of the Tortona Area Lab Association who organise it, gives us a preview of what to expect at the legendary Milan Fuorisalone district, that has always combined research and scouting for emerging talents with presentations from renowned brands. The common theme of this edition is #DesignToConnect, a transversal exploration into new design paradigms, increasingly flexible and interconnected.

Domusweb: Let’s start with some numbers: how many exhibitors (designers, brands, companies) will there be this year? How many more (or less) with respect to last year? How many locations?
Uberto Cajrati Crivelli: Tortona Design Week is increasingly establishing itself as one of the key focal points in the city during design week, attracting interesting numbers and growing all the time. In fact if we consider all the collectives, big companies, famous designers and small brands, this year we will have more than 200 projects.

Domusweb: Let’s define the area: where are the ‘boundaries’ of the district? How big is the area?
Uberto Cajrati Crivelli: The success of the district is actually linked to the fact that it extends over an area that is well-recognised and compact: in half a square kilometre there we have over 25,000 sqm of exhibition space, either permanent or temporary. The classic perimeter of Zona Tortona is between the railway line and via Savona, enclosed by via Coni Zugna and via Stendhal.

  Domusweb: Is there a theme running through it, a transversal cultural initiative?
Uberto Cajrati Crivelli: From nomadic design to colour, from manufacturing 4.0 to social design up to the latest trends in furniture and interior design, Tortona Design Week offers a broad vision of the design of the future and themes of topical interest being developed by manufacturers and designers. Zona Tortona has always been a place for international creativity open to research and on the lookout for emerging talents. The common theme of this edition is #DesignToConnect with the aim of exploring and describing new paradigms in contemporary design, increasingly interconnected, flexible and able to measure up to demands and needs that are in continual evolution.

Domusweb: What are the highlights this year, the events not to be missed and the new locations? Uberto Cajrati Crivelli: One of our strong points has always been the balance between big events and global brands and small niche presences with a high artistic value. Among the many projects present this year we’d like to highlight “Róng Contemporary Design Exhibition”, a very sophisticated Chinese collective that explores the use of traditional materials such as paper, silk, bamboo, clay and copper offering an interesting paradigm of Eastern creativity; the exhibition “Design Nomade”, the first exhibition project born out of an international call curated by BASE Milano with input from Stefano Mirti; Mini Lving – “Breathe”, an installation that will demonstrate how architecture can offer creative solutions for a more aware and eco-friendly lifestyle; Corian® and Cabana Magazine present the exhibition Corian® Cabana Club”, a multicultural and emotional journey in the world of maximalism; the German Design Council will present prototypes by 25 designers who were winners of the international competition “ein&zwanzig”; the immersive and interactive installation for Samsung commissioned to Zaha Hadid Architects and the collective of art and digital design Universal Everything; the distinctive work of Ceramica Gatti 1928, a historic atelier for majolica; the exhibition Manifattura 4.0 The Challenge for the Future of Italian Companies organised by CNA Confederazione Nazionale dell’artigianato e della piccola e media impresa. Superstudio presents the unique “Superdesign Show” this year’s theme is Colour and includes projects such as that of AGC Asahi Glass that will be presenting “Touch”, glass for touching created with a highly expressive material, in collaboration with Jin Kuramoto and London studio Raw Edges as well as the extraordinary installation by Studio Patricia Urquiola for 3M. In the exceptional surroundings of the Fondazione Gianfranco Ferrè, Guri I Zi presents the Floating On range of poufs made in collaboration with Marta Sansoni. In addition MOOOI reconfirm their presence in via Savona

  Domusweb: What kind of audience does this area attract?
Uberto Cajrati Crivelli: There isn’t really a typical audience. The variety and quality of the projects and events that bring Zona Tortona to life enable us to attract quite a heterogeneous public, from those who work in the trade - always on the lookout for what's new in the area - to design enthusiasts and those curious about new trends.

Domusweb: Is there a marketing campaign? Who is behind it?
Uberto Cajrati Crivelli: Tortona Design Week, it’s an integrated communication plan with support from the city council of Milan and partners such as Associazione Tortona Area Lab, BASE Milano, Magna Pars, Milano Space Makers, Superstudio Group, Tortona Locations.

Domusweb: What advice do you have for our readers to survive the Fuorisalone, to get the best out of it?
Uberto Cajrati Crivelli: A good place to start is definitely the website www.fuorisalone.it. Anyone wanting to visit our area should get hold of a paper copy of the map distributed at the BASE Milan info points and our website that is continually updated with all the latest news and events. Among the features this year is Casa Stokke® the Norwegian brand’s space that as well as presenting the latest collection, offers an area for families with young children. For music fans on Spotify there will be a special playlist created specially for Zona Tortona. To complete the experience in a fun and simple way, something not to be missed is “Tortona Bites – Casual Food Experience” the best Italian and international food trucks brought together in a real “food village” in via Savona 37 with outdoor furniture presented by Flaakò and ScartOff.

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3–9 April 2017
Tortona Design Week