In its deliberations over the 1,500 events that took place during Milan Design Week, the Milan Design Award – organised by Elita and Fuorisalone.it – took into account a range of criteria including participation, vision, contemporaneity, bond with the city and aesthetics. In the end, the panel (Han Han, a researcher for Strategic Design, Stefania Siani, the vice president and executive creative director of advertising agency DLV BBDO, Andrea Davide Cuman, a teacher and researcher, Valentina Ventrelli, an expert in contemporary aesthetics, and Paolo Ferrarini, a content curator and university lecturer) decided the event most deserving of the award was Monster Cabaret, “on account of its extraordinary ability to create a bond between the products and their surroundings and the visitors, showcasing the wonderful materials and boundless creativity behind the project in a playful, unexpected way”.
Designed by Maxim Velčovský with participation from Alessandro Mendini, the Campana Brothers, Yabu Pushelberg, Nendo, Fabio Novembre, Daniel Libeskind, Maarten Bass, Moritz Waldemayer and Maurizio Galante, the installation is a stunning spectacle of animals, outcasts, anti-heroes and fantastical creations, all made entirely in glass by Lasvit. These present-day monsters also provided a unique backdrop for burlesque shoes and intense dance performances during the week.
The 2018 winners in the other categories are as follows: Transitions by Panasonic Design (Best Technology), 3D housing 05 by Massimiliano Locatelli by CLS with Italcementi, Arup and Cybe (Best Sustainability), The Diner by David Rockwell + Surface with 2×4 (Best Engagement), Giants with Dwarf by Stephan Hurlemann for Horgenglarus (Unicorn) and Hidden Senses of the Design Centre by Sony Design (Best Playfulness).
