La Scatola Magica

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In the stunning setting of the Sala delle Cariatidi, eleven authors will sum up the quality, innovation, and the beauty of the Milanese trade fair in a multi-sensory experience

To mark its 60th edition, the Salone del Mobile.Milano has chosen an original approach for telling its own story and communicating its founding values to an international audience. La Scatola Magica (The Magic Box) will be on at Palazzo Reale’s Sala delle Cariatidi from 7th June to 17th June. Eleven words for eleven authors: a site-specific audio-visual installation devoted to the 11 institutional values that have always made up its DNA – Emotion, Enterprise, Quality, Design, Networking, Communication, Culture, Young People, Ingenuity, Milan and Savoir Faire. An equal number of Italian filmmakers will bring the threads of the story together: Francesca Archibugi, Pappi Corsicato, Davide Rampello, Wilma Labate, Bruno Bozzetto, Luca Lucini, Claudio Giovannesi, Gianni Canova, Donato Carrisi, Daniele Ciprì and Stefano Mordini respectively. The aim is to reawaken our sense of wonder, to create a memorable experience and celebrate the 60th anniversary and Milan in pursuit of beauty, through the language of film and theatre.

The installation will feature a monumental “camera obscura” – a 6m high, 24m deep parallelepiped – inspired by the visionary and imaginative world of pre-cinema optical devices, and play host to an actual 3-act spectacle. The concept and executive production are by Davide Rampello, with his Rampello & Partners Creative Studio.

“We decided to invent a ‘visionary dictionary” of Italian creativity,’ said Davide Rampello, artistic director and creative producer of the installation. “The idea was to blend the magic of film with that of the extraordinarily evocative power of the Salone’s values. Then we decided to turn the words into stories, brief films d’auteur interpreted by 11 leading Italian filmmakers, and create an original anthology of creativity. Then, for the immersive experience, we hit on the idea of a ‘magic box’ in which people could be completely immersed in the images, which are the projection of our dreams. Finally for the theatrical part, a spectacle that will leave everyone breathless with admiration for the Sala delle Cariatidi at Palazzo Reale.”

On entering the camera obscura, visitors will feel as though they are in an extremely elegant art gallery. The 11 masterpieces on the walls of the room will be the metaphorical key to the narrative. When walls of the room go dark, the ‘magic box’ will turn into a cinema in which 11 films d’auteur by 11 leading Italian filmmakers will be screened. Each filmmaker has put their own personal spin on a word from the Manifesto, turning it into a film d’auteur. The finale really will be an amazing coup de theatre.

The project partners also include two leading institutions on Milan’s cultural scene: the Pinacoteca di Brera – the 21 works inside the installation are reproductions drawn from their collection – and the historic Carlo Colla Marionette Company.

LA SCATOLA MAGICA (THE MAGIC BOX)

Sala delle Cariatidi, Palazzo Reale

12 Piazza del Duomo, Milan

7th-17th June 2022

Open to the public, 10.30 am – 7 pm, Free entrance

CREDITS

Creative and Executive Production Rampello & Partners for the Salone del Mobile.Milano

Concept and Artistic Direction – Davide Rampello

Project Manager – Tania Di Bernardo

Architectural Project – Alessandro Colombo

Set Design – Mekane

Light Design – Marco Filibeck

Graphic Design – Studio FM

Video – Punto Rec Studios