6 Milan Design Week moments we can’t stop thinking about
Inside: standout installations, sensory experiences, and cultural storytelling at Milan Design Week with a few bigger questions still left unanswered.
Installation: Gucci Memoria
Creative Director: Demna Gvasalia
Location: Chiostri di San Simpliciano
Gucci Memoria felt more like experiential marketing done really well, and less like a design exhibition. Starting with a grand attention-grabber at the entrance of the palace - a block of 12 vending machines encrypted inside a black box. Nobody knew what they would get, and among the fruit-flavoured sodas, there were also tomato juice and fish-flavoured drinks, which made for a rather spicy surprise! This unexpected awakening of the senses sent the audience off to the second part of the exhibition - one of the most gorgeous flower gardens in Milano, surrounded by embroidered tapestries that tell the story of Gucci and the evolution it went through across decades.
Demna’s debut exhibition stood as a legacy of the House’s iconic Flora motifs, its Florentine roots, and a celebration of the 105-year history. Guccia Memoria will certainly remain in our memories.
Installation: When Apricots Blossom
Curator: Kulapat Yantrasast
Commissioned: Gayane Umerova, Chairperson of the Uzbekistan Art and Culture Development Foundation (ACDF)
Location: Palazzo Citterio
Curated by architect Kulapat Yantrasast, this is one of the most extensive thematic exhibitions at Milan Design Week: unfolding as a journey through three elements of daily life in the region: textiles, food, and shelter. Through installations, design works, and public programmes, visitors discover the cultural heritage of the Aral Sea region and Karakalpakstan.
We were lucky enough to be guided through the exhibition by our friend Alisa Verbina, the culture production lead of the project, and curator of one of the exhibited documentaries.
Among her, twelve international and local designers have contributed alongside the artisans from Uzbekistan, from vibrant textile embroideries, to contemporary interpretations of the traditional yurt and bread trays, and stamps that hold so much heritage and meaning to the people of the region. Curated under the influence of Olimjon’s poem about spring, hope, and resurgence, the journey reminds us how craft traditions can carry knowledge, identity, and memory across generations. This project won the Media Partners Special Mention at Fuorisalon - awarded by a panel of leading media voices to one of the most memorable projects of the year, a critics’ choice alongside the public vote.
Installation: Metamorphosis in Motion
Designer: Lina Ghotmeh
Location: Palazzo Lita
We experienced Lina Ghotmeh’s installation as a playground for adults. Located in the courtyard of a baroque palazzo, it requested nothing from the audience but taking the pleasure of enjoying themselves - by resting in the shade, reading a book, or getting to know a stranger. The pink hue acts as a reminder of care for one another and for ourselves. Built with modular structures and geometrical lines, this labyrinth contrasts beautifully with its surroundings and keeps people in constant motion, trying to find their place in the round seats, at the pop-up magazine corner, or up in the balcony, enjoying the view. It’s a reminder of what public spaces can be and how they can best serve citizens, both aesthetically and functionally.
Installation: Full Metal Banquet
Installation: Full Metal Banquet
Designer/Artist: Charles Donatien
Location: Palazzo Lita
The absolute queen of the show, this exhibition brought forth the mastery of handmade craftsmanship, a well-thought-out concept, and meticulous curation. Using leftover brass thread, the French artist Charles Donatien took four months to sculpt what would turn out to be a story about time, beauty, life, and permanence. Starting from the aristocratic dress, the materials intertwine into an abundant dinner table full of fruits and flowers, expanding into a grand wave reaching up to the chandeliers. The floor is covered in silver, and it allows the sculpture to stay almost afloat, reaching up to the painted sky in the ceiling. As Donatien described to the audience, this sculpture was made for the room, and with the room. They are one piece, and even though they belong to different time periods, very far from each other, they have found each other at the exact right moment.
We were lucky enough to have a talk with the artist himself, and the manager Marianie Morazzani from the London-based Maison Kawya Magazine, who gave us insight into the exclusive art and collectibles industry.
Installation: The Chemistry of Happiness
Designer: Sara Ricciardi
Location: Loggia di Pinacoteca di Brera.
To its credit, this immersive installation was unmistakably happiness-inducing. Its value stood on the beautiful relationship formed between the colorful inflatables and the tall columns of the historic Pinacoteca di Brera. The bright pixelated palette expands and contracts, “breathing and pulsing like a heart” as the designer explains. In the meantime, visitors walk through the long hall and observe the meetpoints between the lucid and the dreamy. At night, it transformed into an exclusive bar experience for the invite-only list. Powered by American Express, this piece was inclusive and entertaining at its best, and a reminder of luxury at night.
Installation: An 18th-Century Carousel
Designer: Laila Gohar
Brand: Arket
Location: Giardino delle Arti
The fashion brand Arket delivered a true back-in-time experience by inviting both adults and children to experience a ride in an 18th-century carousel where horses were replaced with oversized vegetables and fruits. Going around the carousel while sitting on a fig, turnip, red cabbage, or a pear, the carousel could be translated into a message about the earth and health.
What stood out about this installation was that it was made with children in mind. Lines of families were very rare in MDW, but not at Giardino delle Arti, where excited children’s voices filled the park.
A glimpse into our thinking
Through the long queues, warm temperatures, and the sounds of Aperol Spritzes clinking in the air, Milan Design Week can’t be missed. The blurring lines between art and design were very much present, while the grandiosity of the historic villas, apartments, and gardens was all-consuming. However, what was undeniably lacking was a loud call for change in the design industry, a call for sustainable solutions, and a promise for a better future from the brands that set the standards.
Nonetheless, among the spectacles found in all sorts of shapes and places, there were a few exhibitions of innovative solutions, like Mitsubishi Chemicalʼs advanced materials that claimed a yet untapped potential. But perhaps rather than pushing it for something else, we can appreciate Milan Design Week for giving the stage to craftsmanship, and acting as a bridge between art and design, performance and sculpture, tradition and globalisation.
See you next year!
Written by Elza Hasani
Elza is a Creative Producer & Art Director with a degree in Media Arts, Design, and Culture. She has a knack for blending advertising, storytelling, & experiential marketing, together with the interdisciplinary skills to weave them all together.
Get in touch with elza@tomlcollective.com