Exhibitions Lighting design. The projects brought to “supersalone” by the companies Text by Alessia Delisi Add to bookmarks Credits: Daniele Mari The human factor, as well technological innovation and focus on good looks and well-made products are the ingredients that have gone into the lighting projects at the fair, spanning craftsmanship and industrial production. Light plays a determining part in the design process. Not just for defining the space and setting the scene, but also as an object in its own right. Man is at the centre, along with his organism (the circadian rhythms, which influence our body clocks, as well as our powers of perception and cognition). This is something the lighting brands exhibiting at “supersalone” are all too aware of. Artemide (Pav 02, Stand B 24), is presenting a series of devices designed by the BIG (Bjarke Ingels Group) group of architects, designers and thinkers based in Copenhagen and New York. They range from the minimalist Task Light, which allows for great freedom of movement with only two joints, to the flexible La Linea tube of light. There is also Stellar Nebula, in which BIG brings together the artisan craft of glass blowing and innovative finishing techniques, as well as a family of outdoor lamps built to energy saving principles. Latest products also include Takku, a portable light from Foster + Partners, Funivia by Carlotta de Bevilacqua, Flexia by Mario Cucinella (which draws on the Japanese art of origami) and the modern El Porís chandelier from Herzog & de Meuron. Task Light by BIG (Bjarke Ingels Group) for Artemide La Linea by BIG (Bjarke Ingels Group) for Artemide Takku by Foster + Partners for Artemide Chandelier El Porís by Herzog & de Meuron for Artemide Cini&Nils (Pav 04, Stand K 06) is showcasing its latest collections along with some of its most representative lamps. The new products include the Manhattanhenge lamp (evocative of the sunset amongst the New York skyscrapers) and the wireless, atmospheric Ognidove floor lighting, both by Luta Bettonica and Giancarlo Leone. The brand’s icons on display include Cuboluce (designed in 1972 by Franco Bettonica and Mario Melocchi), Gradi, Tenso and a series of timeless lamps such as Formala, Acqua, Fludd and Assolo. All the products are characterised by the company’s attention to sustainability and direct client interaction (thanks to IoT technologies), dovetailing with the mission of the Milanese event. Manhattanhenge indoor table lamp by Luta Bettonica e Giancarlo Leone for Cini&Nils Ognidove table version with wireless lighting system by Luta Bettonica e Giancarlo Leone for Cini&Nils Contardi (Pav 02, Stand J 09) has expanded its range of products with the family of Calypso pendant lights, designed by Servomuto, a floor lamp for indoor use, Calypso Floor Indoor, which features a small Guatemala green marble table and green leather covering. Each lampshade comes in four different colour combinations and is covered with waterproof and flameproof, hypoallergenic and non-toxic fabric. Another brand novelty is the Muse Lantern Outdoor Battery, a battery-run outdoor version of the lantern designed by Tristan Auer, which now takes on a more modern look thanks to the design of the light source. Last but not least is the Muse Outdoor, which comes in white and champagne gold. New Calypso Floor Indoor lamp by Servomuto for Contardi Muse Lantern Outdoor Battery by Tristan Auer for Contardi “A fantastic opportunity to seduce and excite” is how Piacenza-based Davide Groppi (Pav 04, Stand E 09) describes light, which he sees as a sort of alphabet with which to tell stories. The name is often the starting point: “first I try to identify the poetics of the object. The form is its inevitable consequence.” To mark the recovery, his company decided to showcase Rail – a wall lamp with dimmer in a heart-shaped configuration - at “supersalone”. The aim is to illuminate the space in a simpler way, through the tracks of a little electric train, “ironically and light-heartedly.” Rail, Davide Groppi Foscarini (Pav 04, Stand B 01) has brought its VITE (LIVES) project to the fairgrounds; while it has unveiled two lamps at its Corso Monforte showroom in Milan that retrace its collaborations with Rodolfo Dordoni and Alberto + Francesco Meda, at “supersalone” it’s the people who talk about lighting. Produced with the artist Gianluca Vassallo and the writer Flavio Soriga (and display by Ferruccio Laviani), the project harnesses several different media (storytelling, photography, film d’auteur) to illustrate lighting from the intimate point of view of the home. VITE (LIVES) project by Foscarini for “supersalone” Having recently undergone a rebranding operation, Lodes (Pav 02, Stand G 23) (formerly Studio Italia Design) is exhibiting Croma at the fair, a floor lamp designed by Luca Nichetto and inspired by the dynamism of a musical note (‘croma’ in Italian means ‘quaver’ or ‘eighth’). Defined by a slender frame that projects light beams along the wall toward the ceiling, Croma turns the design of traditional floor lamps (open at the top) on its head and aims to illuminate residential, hospitality and retail spaces. The brand is also showcasing its most recent collaborations, including Cima by Marco Dessí, JIM by Patrick Norguet (boasting a champagne-coloured dome) and Random Solo (in three different colourways). Also, at the fair is Lumina (Pav 02, Stand F 11), which produces and designs technical and decorative lighting focused on innovative technology and form-function (stemming from a meeting with the French architect Jean-Michel Wilmotte in 2019). The latest products on show include the Anima lamp collection, designed by Wilmotte, in table, floor and pendant versions, the Tia 400 and Tia 600 devices developed in partnership with Foster + Partners, and lastly Limbus Eye by Emanuele Ricci, a Bohemian crystal sphere that encloses sophisticated technology. Croma by Luca Nichetto for Lodes Anima by Jean-Michel Wilmotte for Lumina Limbus Eye by Emanuele Ricci for Lumina
Stories 10 designer hotels to stay at during the 2025 Salone In partnership with MiCodmc, a selection of establishments ripe for discovery during the 63rd edition of the Salone del Mobile.Milano, from 8th to 13th April
Stories Italian buildings ripe for rediscovery From Milan to Turin by way of the Island of San Giorgio in Venice. A journey of discovery, taking in unique places that deserve to be visited at least once in a lifetime Serena Scarpello
Stories In memoriam: David Lynch The American director has left us at the age of 78. The Salone del Mobile.Milano had the honor of working with him during its 62nd edition, hosting his immersive installation titled “A Thinking Room”. An extraordinary journey into the depths of the mind and feelings. His vision will continue to be a source of inspiration.
