Now in its third year, the Porta Venezia Design District has consolidated its position in the now inevitable itinerary of Milan Design Week: “The territory manifests itself as a living organism in constant metamorphosis, where historical layers and new visions intertwine in a dynamic ecosystem of ideas and design. The evolution of the district is the result of an increasingly dense web of relationships, built through careful study and sensitive reading of the urban and cultural context,” explains Enzo Perego, co-founder and Relationship Manager of Porta Venezia Design District, which for its third iteration is presenting the No Boundaries Design concept.
The theme invites us to question everything about design, to explore design as a radical act, where the boundaries between art, science, technology and nature are fluid and constantly evolving: “Design can no longer be limited to a function, a material, a typology: it is a fluid language, a speculative process that embraces uncertainty: design becomes fluid, permeable, dialogic. No Boundaries Design is an invitation to rediscover the revolutionary power of doubt and to rethink the boundaries of creativity: no longer defined by physical or semantic constraints, but redefined as a constantly evolving space of freedom,” says district co-founder Carlo Barbarossa.
The founders point out that the leitmotif of the Kermesse is also inspired by the pioneering vision of legendary designer Eileen Gray, who challenged rigid categorizations between art and architecture at a time when the recognition of women’s design was still in its infancy. With a vision that dissolves into constant experimentation, the district aims to offer its visitors a sensory experience that invites them to think beyond cultural, social and political boundaries, because “the real creative act is not in building, but in thinking about what does not yet exist,” as Barbarossa comments.
This is where the completely reinvented Caselli di Porta Venezia welcome the public to Milano Design Week, dressed in an artistic intervention by Toiletpaper, which, in collaboration with Prima Assicurazioni, the main partner of the Porta Venezia Design District, has colored them with their iconic snakes for the occasion.
The district is home to numerous installations and exhibitions by brands, designers, architects, visual artists, illustrators, artists and creative studios from around the world that challenge the notion of boundaries between disciplines, such as installations by Sabrina Ratté and Google that explore the relationship between technology, light and matter. Collaborations with companies such as Škoda and Lavazza add another layer of sensory experience, bringing design to iconic spaces in the city that will be decked out in innovation for a week.
The district is also home to a new site, Convey, which is consolidating its role as an international platform with the Convey Bar and Convey Market projects, expanding its curation beyond brands and collaborating with an exceptional guest: New York studio Sunfish, making its European debut.
The creative duo 6:AM, with their research on glass, presents Two-Fold Silence, their first solo exhibition in Milan, transforming the unused spaces of the historic Cozzi swimming pool (viale Tunisia 35) into an evocative space with esoteric suggestions with their new lighting collections. The Fondazione Luigi Rovati (corso Venezia 52) hosts Matteo Cibic’s Lakapoliesis, an exploration of the relationship between plants and animals through recycled aluminum sculptures and futuristic prototypes.
At MelzoDodici (via Melzo 12) we immerse ourselves in Senses, a multi-sensory cabinet of curiosities that stimulates all the senses through Iammi’s bold objects and furnishings. P0rn0 Romantiko (via Giorgio Jan 3) is the provocative ceramic installation by Milanese artist and designer Vanadio23: a seemingly classic collection of Chinese porcelain reveals transgressive details upon closer inspection. The best of independent contemporary Viennese design is on stage in Vienna Vibes, the exhibition presented by Galerie Zippenfenig in an intimate and reflective atmosphere at via Melzo 19. This is just a taste of the busy program of projects that will tell the story of their design ideas by involving the public in their respective creative processes from April 7-13.
