The 58th edition of the Salone pays homage to Leonardo da Vinci and takes a look into the future of design
The 58th edition of the Salone del Mobile, which will take place from April 9 to 14 at the Fiera Milano Rho, was presented at the Triennale Milano on November 14.
The 2018 edition had “changed course” with the launch of the Manifesto, an affectionate tribute to Milan and at the same time a declaration of intent to the city to attract more ideas, projects and new resources. This year the Salone will once again focus on the central role of Milan and the creative ability of the industrial and productive network.
The motto, repeated during the presentation, is “Milano at the center”, followed by “the Salone del Mobile at the center”. As mentioned by mayor Giuseppe Sala, if on the one hand Milan represents 10% of Italy’s GDP and is a reference for other cities, on the other hand the Salone del Mobile is an “important moment for entrepreneurship in the sector and tourism, a moment of culture and an occasion to connect the entire city”.
Photo: © Salone del Mobile
Alberto Bonisoli, Minister of Cultural Heritage and Activities, also highlighted the pride of the city of Milan, stating that design is part of the Italian cultural heritage. A heritage which must be protected and exploited by advertising and promoting the culture of design at different levels.
The April event aims at adding a detail, a new theme, aside from the ones – represented by a word – already highlighted by the Manifesto: emotion, enterprise, quality, design, networking, young people, communication and culture.
The key word of the Salone del Mobile 2019 will be ingenuity, the ability to look ahead to reinterpret and rediscover
Ingenuity, that is “intelligence that fuels creativity”, a way of paying homage to Leonardo da Vinci on the occasion of the 500th anniversary of his death. Leonardo worked in Milan, at the court of the Sforza family, as an artist, architect, engineer and scientist for over 20 years, leaving indelible signs of his passage.
In particular, two events will be dedicated to Leonardo: “Aqua” by Marco Balich and “DE-SIGNO” by Davide Rampello.
“Aqua” will be on scene at the Conca dell’Incoronata, a symbolic place in the Navigli which Leonardo himself worked on, and will offer an immersive experience focused on water, passing through a wunderkammer to culminate in a huge screen where a vision of the future will be shown. “DE-SIGNO”, instead, will be on view at the fairgrounds and will celebrate the experience of design and the typically Italian art of “savoir-faire”, from Leonardo to today.
Photo: AQUA, ©Marco Balich
Aside from the events dedicated to Leonardo and the food for thought provided by them, the Salone 2019 will present two new features in its format. The biennial events Euroluce and Workplace3.0 will be back, with the addition of “S.Project”, a new crosscutting exhibition dedicated to design products and decorative and technical interior design solutions.
The goal, as stated by the President of the Salone Claudio Luti, is that of “trying to remain a great success”, understanding its possible developments and “consolidating the Salone del Mobile’s powers of attraction, offering its visitors not only a wide range of products, but, especially, opportunities for international interface and for reflection on the relationship between creativity and business”. In this respect, we must mention some of the numbers of the 2019 edition: over 205,000 sqm of net exhibition space, over 2,350 exhibitors – including the 550 SaloneSatellite designers – and a 34% quota of foreign companies.
Milan thus continues its growth and innovation process, mainly in the field of design and, more generally, projects, aiming at strengthening its national leadership and its central role on the international scene, as shown by the recent presentation of the MADE expo event (Article) which will be held in March in at the Fiera Milano Rho.
