Outspoken: Design as Discourse

This year’s edition of Design Language revolves around honest, outspoken communication of personal identity and culture. Each of the many participating studios and brands reflect their own unique universe, journey and story, and are eager to express their individuality and values.

But in a design exhibition, these philosophies must be conveyed through objects – so how do you say something without talking? Forget words. Carve it in marble, weave it in fabric, mould it, forge it, dye it, glaze it, mount it, sand it. Ideas are cast in body, color, dimension and texture, and become unique narratives. This is design’s language.

CARA \ DAVIDE

The exhibition hosts prominent designers such as Geke Lensink (the Netherlands), who brings her new collection Souvenir, inspired by other cultures in space and time, and the exclusive collaboration between Francesco Meda (Italy) and Mario Milana (USA). Among the Eastern guests, Japanese manufacturer K-INO presents enchanting and intricate kumiko screens, while Gifu prefecture (Japan) representatives Gifuted illustrate the typical Mino washi paper, Seki cutlery blade and Gujo indigo dyeing, and the young Japanese women of team Katenngecchi offer a unique take on the traditional arts of ceramics, lacquer and calligraphy among others.

STIP

An exhibition inside the exhibition, Enlightened Dersign shines a light on JHA Porcelain’s mastery of ancient Chinese techniques (The Netherlands), Morgan Ruben’s brilliant entwining of smart technology and eco-friendliness (The Netherlands), and Viviana Degrandi shows a 3d printed lamp “Float” (Italy).

STIP

Other exhibitors are Cara Judd and Davide Gramatica from studio CARA \ DAVIDE (South Africa, Italy); DESUIR - Duca di Camastra with works by Matteo Vilardo bringing the ancient Sicilian ceramic craft into a new era (Italy); Maarten Olden with USIT, an inventive chair to climb on (The Netherlands); The Dots magazine, celebrating 10 years of connecting the Dutch, an installation celebrating ten years of Dutch Design in Milan; a traditional wall-covering and Fusuma (sliding-door) producer Kojima Orimono with works by Tomoko Yuya, Hiromasa Kojima and Mihou Takuwa (Japan); textile manufacturer Lanificio Leo presents a new collection of weavings; Scandinavia Form presents vases that make flora into art (Sweden); Elia Mangia designed a new collection for the label STIP (Italy); and finally the new label FUSCHINI, founded by the two Portuguese architects Sara Oom de Sousa and Vasco Lima Mayer from studio VLMA, present a collection inspired by works from the mid 20th century designers Charlote Perriand and Pierre Jeanneret. 

Edited by Emeiju Selina.