The Formafantasma projects for the Salone del Mobile.Milano 2024

Our decision to work with a view to reuse was fundamental, upcycling the seats from the previous edition. These were recovered with carpet printed with abstract designs, similar to the doodles we make when we are thinking hard or talking on the phone, like the exterior signs of a complicated thought process. Moreover, the Talks this year will no longer adopt a ‘frontal’ approach, as we have configured the space in such a way that the speakers will be in the centre and the spectators will be able to take an active part in the conversation, rather than simply remaining passive. The project also includes the adjacent Corraini Bookshop, while the same seats will be positioned right along the entire route of the event, providing opportunities for visitors to take time out.  

The intention is to put together an “ideal library of contemporary life” by asking the hosts of the Talks [including Francis Kéré, John Pawson, Hans Ulrich Obrist and Maria Porro, Ed.] to each suggest a book. Then we will set up an exhibition of books along the perimeter of the Arena, which will breathe life into the space when the conversations aren’t ongoing. The idea is for the project to carry on, year after year, gradually creating the Salone del Mobile Library.  

We don’t really care for the word per se. It was originally used in Germany to indicate forest management. The idea was to spark a virtuous circle to ensure that the tree cutting cycles were proportional to the renewal of the plant life. So it was geared to economic sustainability; but that means having a business model. We prefer the word ‘ecology’ because it goes further than the environmental connotation, implying the interconnectedness of everything. 

Yes, although that doesn’t mean that everything we do is "ecologically sustainable". 

It’s not just that. We have split our practice into research projects and projects for companies; the aim is to ensure that our projects are geared to companies while our research topics are, often, influenced by experiences acquired in a commercial field. This fragmentation allows us to find an ethical balance that works well for us.

It is a model based on the assumption that resources are infinite and that growth is the only option. Obviously, we can make as many ‘sustainable’ products as we want, but it is the capitalist system as a culture that is the real problem. The climate crisis requires us to build a different way of thinking, and we believe that this is a very interesting intellectual challenge.  

We wanted to engage with an archaeologist [Marco Giglio, Ed.] to explore recycling strategies in a historical context. There aren’t actually any clear signs that Pompei had a landfill. However, after an earthquake, much of the reconstruction seems to have been carried out using the debris from collapsed buildings. We also discovered that the water conduction systems – underground or gutters – were fashioned from broken terracotta jugs. So pottery was reused in architecture. The most interesting thing that came out of it was the continuous migration of materials towards new functions. It seems to have simplified, or rather reduced, the variety of materials employed, leading to greater flexibility in their use.  

We questioned the concept of domestication by examining the relationship between humans and other mammals. In nature, when you observe two animals living in close proximity, and benefit from the reciprocal association, it’s called symbiosis. But if you take sheep, for instance, or dogs, we talk about domestication. However, when exactly did Man domesticate sheep? Their progenitor, the mouflon, shed its hair spontaneously, and it is unclear exactly when it became domesticated and referred to as a sheep. We believe the idea of domestication to be anthropocentric, based on the belief that it is Man who shapes the world and the other living beings around him.  

If we hadn’t had the possibility of covering ourselves with woollen garments, we would never have ventured into certain geographical areas. In the practice of nomadic pastoralism, it is difficult to say who follows whom: do you move based on the needs of the sheep or of the people? They are complicated relationships; sometimes relationships of love and solidarity, other times of abuse and pain.  

That is certainly the case. If there is a preference, it probably means that there is a bias, and we are very suspicious of the things we like. It has to be said, we have great respect for intuitiveness; However, the next step is to understand why we like a certain thing.  

Often. There are designers who work on the basis of what they love and designers who work in an attempt to change what they don't like. Right now, we belong in the second category.  

When we were studying at the ISIA in Florence.  

Very. Work becomes conversation-based: words are more important than images at the outset and, in a sense, the feeling is that the design outcome has a more objective component.  

Organisation, talent understood as sensitivity to the medium and the context with which one works, a range of different skills and analytical ability.

Yes and no. Sometimes we ask ourselves whether we love our profession, because much of our intellectual or research work is an ongoing critique of design. However, this primarily means questioning the status quo of the world in which we live.  

This has been the case with many great designers. Take Enzo Mari, who demonstrated that design is a political gesture, or Alessandro Mendini, who brought philosophy into design. 

Adolf Loos, Nikola Tesla, Nina Simone and Alexander von Humboldt. 

Milan. 

That’s not a dichotomy we believe in. 

Clément.

How can you separate the dog from the sheep ... the dog was the guardian of the flocks ... But in the end, I would say dog, inevitably...