From amid sculptures to reflecting waters, these are five installations not to be missed around Milan
Text by: Charlotte Garlaschelli

The enormous sculpture by Gaetano Pesce towers in front of Accademia di Belle Arti di Brera. Entitled ‘Sedia Portaritratti’ (“a pictureframe chair”), it is a work that celebrates the value of difference and pluralism. The sculpture was made with the support of the City of Milan, which decided to pay tribute to the artist, who confirms his interest in a kind of contents the Italian city strongly identifies with. The “Sedia Portaritratti” is made of 20 human faces: in order to see them, it is necessary to switch your perspective and identify the intersection between the boundaries, merging and confusing the viewer. The topic of pluralistic values has been widely researched, especially in this historic moment. Once you go beyond multiculturalism, you notice how today we tend to highlight individual identities, quite in line with St. Augustine’s theories of a liberal but united world. This is, of course, related to the requirement to compose a Europe of multiple cultures. The sculpture will be on show until the end of the Design Week, so do not miss this excellent opportunity to see “Sedia Portaritratti” in Milan. Afterwards, it will be exhibited during the next edition of Art Basel.

Microliving and Temporary Housing are installations located in the Tortona district (Carrozzeria Zanon 31). What does it really mean to be at home? This is the question that moves the German startups Containerwerk to create and present a new kind of housing made of waste: i.e. cargo containers, in quality houses, made thanks to an automated and serialised manufacturing process. The main idea of the project is that these housing modules have to be made with maximum energy efficiency, at a low cost but with a high quality.

Houses are also the main theme of important installations presented by Interni with the participation of big names from the world of architecture and design. The locations include the main courtyard of the University of Milan, the Brera Botanic Garden and the Audi City Lab at Corso Venezia 11. Here, architect Piero Lissoni has assembled My Dream Home, a tower made of 12 overlapping containers, which become eco-sustainable housing units; FutureSpace is a project by Peter Pichler, made entirely of wood. The “Scatola di lacca” is presented by Davide Rampello, who debuts in the world of design, with APML – Architetti Pedron e La Tegola, after a rich career in media and cultural institutions. It is a place where, as he himself states, “you can live, grow, dream of designing your life. The emotional amazement that nourished this dream transformed a tiny house into a splendid building, a metaphor that is a projection, a representation of life itself.“ The project was made in collaboration with Jiuqitang Cultural Industry Development Co. for the subtle art art of lacquering, and inspired by Chinese workshop master Zhou Renda.

MAD Architects projects a futuristic and fascinating space for car manufacturer Audi. The installation, located in the Sixteenth century building of the Episcopal Seminary on Corso Venezia, is entitled Fifth Ring. It is made of five circles of water, with “floating” cars and just as many luminous circles by Artemide installed above them.

Hermès also joins the design festival, contaminating the urban landscape with graffiti: the colours of new furniture fabrics and Hermès wallpapers will be drawn with the use of chalks on the city pavements and sidewalks, in three different areas: via Brera 15, 28, via della Spiga/corso Venezia and La Triennale museum. Every morning, starting from 10.00, a team of street artists will recreate the drawings on the ground, colour them, and make graffiti of about 15 sq.m in size.  All this is just for one night, the next morning the graffiti will reappear with new drawings. Hashtag  #Hermesinthecity