Do we still live in a world of objects? And if so, can we define as ‘object’ those interfaces, those concepts, those parallel worlds that the ever-present hybridisation between real and virtual places before us? Whether it is objects that define who we are and our projects - which are, after all, the way we make the present and the future connect - was a doubt that was already lingering among the ‘objects’ that we shortlisted last year as those that defined 2022. But wouldn’t it have made sense to see in that list for example the Metaverse, which is difficult to define as an object but certainly inspired so many of our aspirations and triggered discourses (and money spins) last year? And is it really so easy to bring under the label of object those trends that influence our days, or a rebranding, or a social phenomenon that defines us?

In general, the term ‘object’ refers to something tangible, physical or material that can be perceived through the senses. Objects have a physical presence and occupy a space in three-dimensional space. For example, a chair, a pen, a computer are all examples of objects.
(ChatGpt, one of the ‘things’ of 2023, asked for a definition of ‘object’)

That is why this year we have widened our selection and selected a series of things, symbolically 23, that we consider crucial to understanding a year in which the many sparks ignited by the post-covid period have intensified fires and conflicts in the global landscape, bringing to the table a scenario in which material and immaterial, the normal and the extreme, war and consumption, space conquest and climate crisis, Dubai and sustainability live side by side. And where, on the one hand, one is quick to say that we are at the end of the capitalist race, while on the other hand, the world of consumption is still healthy and prodigal with sulphurous manifestations.

The following participated in the selection: Silvana Annicchiarico, Federico Cauro, Giovanni Comoglio, Francesca Critelli, Annalisa Musso, Andrea Nepori, Matteo Pirola, Alessandro Scarano, Irene Sensoli and Romina Totaro.

It’s the fastest-growing software product in the history of humanity and the first one that - according to the AI-pessimists - could also end it. Luckily, the claim that chatGPT would steal most of our jobs hasn’t proven true. Yet. Open AI’s Large Language Model has single-handedly defined a new industry in one year, and there will be more to come (and to disrupt) in 2024.

The rumour in Hollywood is that during the production of her blockbuster movie dedicated to Barbie, Greta Gerwig ran out of world stock of the iconic pink paint that details the set design of the entire film. Hence, the rise of the ‘Barbie style’ aesthetic, inspiring fans but not only.

Pumpkins and polka dots, cornerstones of the great Japanese artist’s iconography, invade city centres and fashion districts around the world for the Kusama x Louis Vuitton capsule collection. Kusama cannot see them: she has been living in a psychiatric hospital since ’77.

Apple’s Vision Pro is the company’s first foray into Virtual and Augmented Reality territory. Will this be the device that finally clears customs? The price limits its appeal to a niche cohort of enthusiasts and professionals.

How often do you think about the Roman Empire? Given the tiktok and then trans-platform virality of this question posed to men by their partners throughout 2023, the answer can only be “Very often”. A trend launched by creator Gaius Flavius that lasted for months. 

Alongside Rockefeller Center, Concorde, and the Eiffel Tower, we have seen Hermès’ Birkin, Rolexes, Audemars Piguet appear. Strictly made of Lego bricks. Still frustrating to imagine their price even as Lego Icons, but in any case, a futile effort: it has been a trend of AI-generated fakes. 

Djokovic has broken many racquets in his career, more than 50. This one was saved and there is a reason why: he won the 2016 French Open with it, a momentous moment in his career. This racquet was sold at auction for a record $107,000. That was Nole’s 12th career title: he has since doubled it.

The director who defined a hyperpop aesthetic and now seems unable to get out of it alive delivers yet another mannerist film to the theatres. At the same time, #wesanderson becomes trending on Tiktok, based on an effect that romanticises even the most banal existences.

If Eminem, with the character of one of his songs had succeeded in generating the “stan” as an exasperated fan type, with her July concerts in Seattle singer Taylor Swift managed to directly affect the geology of the planet: the thousands of gathered “Swifties” caused what was recorded as magnitude 2.3 seismic activity. 

In July, the blue bird’s social network changed its name and identity, with its logo and brand turning into an X. A recurring sign in owner Elon Musk’s universe, from the first name given to Paypal (x.com), to Tesla models, to Space X, to the son he had with singer Grimes, named X Æ A-12. 

In July, the ship Bibby Stockholm arrived at the port of Portland, Dorset, after being refurbished to hold up to 500 individual men, the number of asylum seekers that Rishi Sunak’s government chose to keep inside this moored facility instead of inside hotels. 

As mobility reconfigures globally, with cars increasingly becoming luxury goods and the prevalence of SUVs and B-Suvs, entire segments have lost models in 2023, such as the city car segment, where the Ford Fiesta – a mass-market icon since 1973 – has been discontinued. 

Wildfires ravage Hawaii and Maui in particular. Nothing remains of the historic town of Lahaina. Except for a house that seems photoshopped: intact and perfect. Built in 1925 and immediately called the ‘miracle house’, no one has a clear idea of why it escaped the destruction that now envelops it.

The MSG Sphere in Las Vegas – a Populous project completed in July and inaugurated by U2 – with its technology marked a turning point in both the entertainment industry and the history of geodesics since Buckminster Fuller. But possible replications of this performance facility have been opposed – or stopped, as in London – because of the feared violent impact of lights and sounds on the surroundings. 

During the immersive installation designed for the Montenapoleone shop, Gaetano Pesce presented the first handbags of his whole career: My Dear Mountains and My Dear Prairies - a tale of the mountains of Este where he grew up and the prairies of America, where he lives today.

Starting very much in the Far East and then conquering Instagram worldwide is a trend that smacks of nostalgia for the 90s, but also demonstrates the excessive lightheartedness with which we hand over our image to tech services. Thanks to in-app purchases, Epik has reportedly earned around $250,000 since launch day.

A real fortress on rails is the one Kim Jong Un used to travel from North Korea to China where he met the local leader, Xi Jinpeng: a supersafe train, equipped with every comfort and so armoured that it has to travel as slowly as its weight. Even his father, and himself dictator Kim Il Sung, avoided the plane for fear of an assassination attempt. Apparently he died on the train, of a heart attack.

Balenciaga brings to the catwalks, or rather to the streets of Hollywood, a jacket model that is very reminiscent of the Big Suit worn by David Byrne on stage with the Talking Heads 40 years ago. Strange coincidence - but is it a coincidence? - an oversized jacket is also worn by Nicholas Cage in some dreamlike scenes in Dream Scenario, one of the most destabilising films of the year.

Time honoured the Italian Institute of Technology’s edible battery as one of the best inventions 2023. Made with riboflavin and quercitin, encapsulated in beeswax and separated by nori seaweed, the battery is safe if ingested. With possible uses in medicine, food safety and toys, it is an innovative advancement in sustainable technologies.

Marco Alessiani designed the HMMR, an ergonomic hammer for small jobs such as hammering nails. It differs from hyper-designed products thanks to a simplified design, made with only one material and an environmentally friendly process. Quick to produce and recyclable, HMMR won the Design Award 2023.

An immense collection of 25,000 scabs, purchased over the phone by Berlusconi over years of late-night telesales and telephone auctions. In the complex post-mortem economic, political and cultural legacy of the Cavaliere, this missing piece is the tip of the iceberg: the part that nobody wants has become what everyone looks at as paradigmatic.

The vessel that should bring humanity to Mars is closer to getting out of our atmosphere without disintegrating mid-air, but we’ll have to wait for next year to see a successful launch. Elon Musk likes to quip that the Starship tests ended in a “rapid unscheduled disassembly.”

Between holiday-time rediscoveries of ancient villages and slow life, transformation into tourist machines – or reel content – of European historic centers such as Barcelona, Lisbon, Naples, even deserts such as the ill-fated Burning Man site, 2023 has highlighted the nature of panorama as a consumable and marketable commodity, generating more than a few waves of criticism and regulatory measures.