Isola Design Gallery at Isola Design Festival 2023 – ©Gabriele Correddu.
Design – Nothing Happens if Nothing Happens. This is the theme, motto, and exhortation of the Isola Design Festival 2023. “We call on all designers and studios to implement a concrete change in their modus operandi, bringing them closer to the concept of regeneration while rethinking and overcoming the mere exploited sustainable design thinking.” Gabriele Cavallaro and Elif Resitoglu, co-founders of Isola Design District and platform, told Archipanic. This is the festival’s spirit that, until April 23, hosts over 50 exhibitions and installations, lively events, and a series of talks, involving almost 300 international designers, design studios, creators, and manufacturers. Archipanic is a media partner of the event. Check what we like the most.
- RELATED STORIES: Read more about Milan Design Week 2023 on Archipanic.
The Circular Village
Piazza Città di Lombardia [Map].
©Anwyn Howarth.
Hosted in a scenic 4.000 sqm covered square, The Circular Village showcases natural raw materials, biomaterials, and products made with natural resources or industrial waste, with a minimum environmental impact in terms of production. Curated by Juan Torres and Isola Design District.
Take Care! Of your mind, body, and environment
Stecca 3. Via Gaetano di Castillia, 26 [Map].
©Anwyn Howarth.
At Stecca 3, multidisciplinary design studio Tellurico presents Take Care!, an exhibition exploring the role of design for our physical and psychological well-being and the well-being of our cities. Set within an urban jungle, the selected projects raise awareness and propose practical solutions for impelling issues such as inequity in access to food resources, the fast deterioration of the environment, and excessive waste production.
Tool & Crafts
Fondazione Riccardo Catella. Via Gaetano de Castillia, 28 [Map].
©Anwyn Howarth.
From AI to glassblowing, coding to casting, and 3D printing to molding techniques. The Tools & Crafts exhibition explores the new languages of tech-crafts at the Fondazione Riccardo Catella. Young talents and a new generation of artisans combine traditional expertise with innovative and experimental techniques to create contemporary and collectible design pieces. Curated by Juan Torres and Isola Design District.
Isola Design Gallery
Via Pastrengo, 14 [Map].
©Gabriele Correddu.
Set in a scenery space inspired by metaphysics and Giorgio De Chirico’s work, Isola Design Gallery presents unique, handcrafted products and collectible designs that tell a story, customizable pieces that grant an experience, and contemporary products inspired by everyday life. Curated by Juan Torres and Isola Design District.
Belonging: A Modern Fairytale
Via Pastrengo, 12 [Map].
©Anwyn Howarth.
Belonging: A Modern Fairytale by Social Label brings to Milan products that are part of their meaningful design collection. Social Label-initiators Petra Janssen of Studio Boot and Simone Kramer of C-mone create customized work and activities through ‘design by doing’ to help marginalized people enter the labor market.
Under Design Lebanon
VIAFARINI. Via Farini, 35 [Map].
©Anwyn Howarth.
The Under Design Lebanon exhibition shows a realistic mapping and projection of the currently functioning bodies under the exceptional conjunction of social, political, and economic crises that Lebanon is undergoing. Small and medium-scale design, crafts, and artisan specialized businesses remain the primary sources of income for many families and preserve the continuity of this specific class of labor. The exhibition is curated by Ghassan Salameh and hosted by the association VIAFARINI.
VARIETÀ! – Design experiments between academia and industry
Zetalab. Via Cola Montano, 2 [Map].
©Gabriele Correddu.
At Zetalab, the Quasar Institute for Advanced Design in Rome presents VARIETÀ!, an exhibition featuring everyday objects and prototypes of interior elements related to the formal research conducted in the Master courses of the academy. The space features innovative techniques, natural and artificial materials, and digital technologies, game design, and lighting design by NEEO studio.
Belgian Design Pavilion
Via Cola Montano, 13 [Map].
©Anwyn Howarth.
Curated by designers Joris Verstrepen and Timon Mattelaer, the Belgian Design Pavilion presents handmade objects and furniture from 15 exhibitors, exploring Belgian design and the balance between function and meaning.
Monkey 47 Design Gin Garten
Via Gaetano de Castilla, 19 [Map].
©Monkey 47.
Monkey 47 is the main sponsor of the Isola Design Festival 2023. Every day, from 7 pm until 11 pm, the irreverent gin from the German Black Forest transforms the park under the Bosco Verticale skyscraper into a vibrant ‘Gin Garten’ with cocktails, gigs, upcycled outdoor furniture, and street art.
