Certain events have been held for 20 years during the Salone del Mobile, and they have never changed their location. But the nature of Alcova is quite different. From the outset, in fact, Alcova has changed its venue year after year. And since the first edition in the former Cova panettone factory in the Milanese district of NoLo, it has come a long way. In a few weeks, during the fair Miami/ Basel, Alcova migrates across the ocean, which is a far cry from the moves to a former military hospital at Baggio or a slaughterhouse on Via Molise. “We have decided to migrate, with all the difficulties involved,” says Valentina Ciuffi, co-founder of the successful exhibition format. “It seemed like the right thing to do. Alcova is a fair, and we felt it was important to allow all the people we help to gain visibility on our platform to meet a different audience.”
“Our project benefits from the networking effect,” adds Joseph Grima, the other person behind Alcova, “and the more people who are part of the network, the more the project takes on value. Trying to do something in the United States will have a positive impact on the event in Milan, and vice versa. Alcova was born in Milan because we saw the possibility of displaying design in a different way, not just in terms of selection but also in the language, the situations that have been created. Today we have the same opportunity in Miami, where a very influential event takes place, but one that tends to be rather conservative in the way it presents design. We believe our presence, which after five years has shifted the attitude towards the Fuorisalone in Milan – demonstrating that it is possible to be a bit more ambitious in the conception of a design exhibition – can have the same kind of impact in Miami.”
Immersed in the atmosphere of Miami, made of large buildings, rooftops and swimming pools, suggesting a certain idea of luxury from the 2000s onward, Alcova will stand out as an off-site event, offering a different type of atmosphere. The location chosen for this American edition is atypical, in fact: the Selina Gold Dust Motel, a motel on Biscayne Boulevard, in the zone that is starting to be recognized as the epicenter of a certain kind of Miami modernism. A pearl of architectural history of the 1950s, one of the finest specimens of its kind, recently taken over by Vagabond Group with the objective of bringing out the value of these historic properties.
Now it is up to Alcova to repurpose the structure as an exhibition space.
New Visions: Emergent Designers showcasing UNCHARTED (featuring Tristan Louis Marsh, Wallpaper Projects, Sam Klemick, NJ Rosetti, Caleb Ferris, Forma Rosa Studio), WKND Lab, Objects for Objects and Adarsh Nellore. Material Experimentation including exhibits from Crafting Plastics! Studio, LoopLoop, Rich Aybar and Natural Material Studio. Launch of MAXXI – the National Museum of 21st Century Arts – First Permanent Design Collection featuring a selection of recent acquisitions by artists including Kostas Lambridis, Architetti Artigiani Anonimi – Annarita Anversa, Massimiliano Marchesani, and Stefano Fusani. New Brands including UMA, NM3 and PALMA presented by Verso. New Interiors showcasing the works of Objects of Common Interest, POLCHA x MEILLART and Studio JIALUN XIONG. New Expressions in Craftsmanship including Lukas Wegwerth and Corinna Dehn, KALON, Samuel Aguirre, Jesse Groom, Yuxuan Huang, Felicia Neuhof, Lisa Sacco, and Atelier001. New Way of Living with Colors featuring works by Dean Norton, SPREAD and Unform Studio.
Additionally, Alcova Project Space is back with an updated collection of projects by designers who stand out for their creativity and new perspectives: Hannah Lim, Clara Schweers, Delphine Lejeune, Kurina Sohn, Stefania Ruggiero, Ryan Decker, Isabel Rower. As the exhibition gear up, Alcova Online Shop will also see new additions, including highlights from the Miami showcase and a specially curated collection by Older. The exhibition will also be enriched by a series of Poolside Design Chats and Alcova Club Nights.
