Connessioni by Tapis Rouge, design Armando Milani
Countless times, especially for those of us who had the full experience of the Seventies, it has been easy to get lost in the imaginative, psychedelic world of graphic design from that period. “Analog works” that were the result of fertile expressive freedom, works that influenced the world of art at the time, but also everyday life itself. It is impossible not to recall – for contemporary lovers of visual communication – the diagrams and shadings printed on the packaging of many pharmaceuticals. Projects commissioned by corporations, studied with care, developed on paper mock-ups. We can still be hypnotized by those emotional landscapes today, thanks to the Inganni Spaziali carpet collection created by Armando Milani for Tapis Rouge and presented during Milano Design Week 2024 with an installation that completely updates the company’s recently opened showcase in Milan. Four elements – Emozioni (Emotions), Illusioni (Illusions), Grovigli (Tangles) and Connessioni (Connections) – pay homage to those experimental evolutions with a spontaneous, playful approach, the result of the mixing of different expressive media, from photography to sculpture.
Milani was an extremely appropriate choice, the creator of hundreds of logos, many corporate identities, catalogues and posters. He is one of the most important Italian graphic designers, recognized all over the world, and he is also famous for his sense of humor. Inganni Spaziali is a transposition on a large scale of what inspired him in the development of graphics in the Seventies. The project is the first step taken by Milani towards a tangible three-dimensional form, a product Tapis Rouge has been able to make, surprising the designer himself.
Grovigli by Tapis Rouge, design Armando Milani
Emozioni by Tapis Rouge, design Armando Milani
The operation began with research into the graphic designer’s archives. Then came the reproduction of the most interesting designs on a larger scale and for a different function, developed in-house by relying on extensive experience in the production process. To reproduce the three-dimensional aspect of the volumes and the alternation of light and shadow on the flat material surface of the weave, variable compositions have been utilized of wool and silk. The warm chromatic palette and the homogeneous height of the natural fibrous material suggest the same softness as cotton paper, for a sensation of tactile smoothness.
Emozioni by Tapis Rouge,
design Armando Milani
Illusione by Tapis Rouge,
design Armando Milani
Grovigli by Tapis Rouge,
design Armando Milani
Connessioni by Tapis Rouge,
design Armando Milani
Emozioni has progressive shading to gradually transform black into white, with a psychic dimension in the design. Illusione stands out for an optical geometric pattern with a spectacular 3D effect, again by alternating black and white. Grovigli suggests the movement of waves in nature, botanical clusters, tangles that reflect the complex processes of thought. Finally, Connessioni presents elementary chains of paper that create symmetrical junctions, with the enchantment of a visual game.
