Concept
The work and ideas of one hundred Italian designers under 35, selected from an open call to which nearly four hundred young designers responded. The exhibition Italy: A New Collective Landscape, which opened in Italy at the ADI Design Museum in Milan from April 4 to Sept. 10, 2023, opens at the Hong Kong Design Center on Jan. 18 and will run through May 19.
The exhibition revolves around the projects, products and new practices of designers engaged in meeting the challenges of our time: climate, social and economic crises, and their effects on reality. Curator of the exhibition, produced by ADI Design Museum, is Angela Rui, with Elisabetta Donati de Conti and Matilde Losi. The graphic design is by Alice Zani with Paola Bombelli, and the installation by Parasite 2.0 studio.
“The title of this exhibition may sound familiar,” Angela Rui explains. “It is a paraphrase of Italy: The New Domestic Landscape, the exhibition curated by Emilio Ambasz at MoMA in New York in 1972, which brought Italian design to the world by making Italy the benchmark of the modern discipline par excellence. Exporting the idea of Italian Design through the work of (then) young designers made the fortune of an entire system, the echoes of which can still be heard today. But the exhibition aims to be a proposal to overcome the nostalgia that so ties design circles to that historical period because, perhaps, the creative response could once again inspire a productive and manufacturing fabric in search of change.”
Three sections of the exhibition, dedicated to as many three design virtues: in ‘Systemic Design’ we look at the set of relationships between necessary resources and achieved results that a project sets in motion, along with the promotion of inclusive, sustainable and circular models of development. In ‘Relational Design’ designing is understood as a social practice and tool to foster community and interdependence, human and non-human. Finally ‘Regenerative Design’ reflects on how production processes can positively affect the environment, with proposals that harmonize the needs of society with the integrity of nature.
The installation, designed by Parasite 2.0 (Stefano Colombo, Eugenio Cosentino, Luca Marullo) also includes areas for interaction with visitors (Play), in-depth study (Read) and entertainment (Watch) where the idea of collectivity is extended to the active involvement of the public, transforming the exhibition into an inclusive and dynamic landscape
Italy: A New Collective Landscape
19 gennaio – 19 maggio 2024
Hong Kong Design Center
Unit 602, 6/F, Mill 5, The Mills,
45 Pak Tin Par Street, Tsuen Wan, Hong Kon
