SaloneSatellite 2022

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Salone del Mobile.Milano 2022 conferenza stampa

Salone del Mobile.Milano 2022 Press Conference - Photo Andrea Mariani

The 23rd edition of SaloneSatellite is geared to an inclusive and welcoming society in which the design of the younger generations is increasingly at the forefront. Pavilions 1-3 at the Rho Fairgrounds from 7th to 12th June.

Some 600 promising young design talents will bring the 23rd edition of SaloneSatellite alive. The event devoted to the under-35s, and a jewel in the Salone’s crown, will be tasked with welcoming the public to the fairgrounds. An outpost of creativity, it will occupy part of Pavilions 1 and 3 for the very first time. The overarching theme is DESIGNING FOR OUR FUTURE SELVES / PROGETTARE PER I NOSTRI DOMANI, with a particular focus on SUSTAINABILITY. This is a message that the trade fair is keen to get across, with the benefits of design expanded to take in the demands for autonomy and inclusion of society as a whole and the needs of every single age bracket and ability. Conscious of the fact that we are not all equal and that needs change over our lifetimes and, especially, that mindful design is in itself sustainable, by being long-lasting.

The themes will be echoed by the graphics and general set-up of the pavilions, both entirely new, promising sensory explorations and turning SaloneSatellite into a welcoming design citadel. Visitor flows will gravitate around two great central squares linked to other hubs devoted to conviviality and interface. Rounding things off, two Conversations/Talks exploring the themes further will be held in the SaloneSatellite Arena.

Along with the sectoral schools and universities, a great many of which are again taking part in this edition, the participating designers hail from 48 different countries, five of which – Cyprus, Congo, Cuba, Nigeria and Qatar – are new entries to SaloneSatellite. This is testament to the special powers of attraction and networking opportunities that have always distinguished what is regarded as the leading springboard for emerging talents on the international design scene.

The designers will include the winners of the 2019 international editions of SaloneSatellite, whose prizes include free participation in the Milan event. They will also include the five winners and two special mention holders from the Best of Class 2020/2021 Award at The Lost Graduation Show at supersalone.

As always, a Selection Committee has assessed and selected the designers taking part in the event. It is a complex and painstaking task, that has seen the committee get together three times between 2019 and 2021 because of the postponement of the trade fair dates and the many submissions received over this period. Figures from the design world in the round have followed on from each other, carefully examining the design approaches and expressive styles of every single contender.

The SaloneSatellite Award, will be back for its 11th edition – its jury chaired from the opening edition onwards by Paola Antonelli, Senior Curator, Architecture & Design Director, Research and Development, MoMA – presented for the 3 best projects amongst those put forward by the designers themselves and showcased in a single, collective exhibition, useful for navigating their personal spaces.

The partnership with the Michelangelo Foundation for Homo Faber: Crafting a More Human Future. “2022: Living Treasures of Europe and Japan” (10/04-01/05 2022), makes for an entirely new venture, in the form of invitations to designers taking part in SaloneSatellite 2022 to visit the large, structured exhibition split between the Giorgio Cini Foundation on the island of San Giorgio Maggiore and the city of Venice. Two of the sections have been curated by three now well-known designers who made their debuts at SaloneSatellite: Sebastian Herkner (Pattern of Crafts), who took part from 2009 to 2011, and the Zanellato/Bortotto duo (authors of the installation Tracing Venice), who first took part in 2013.

The June event will also mark the enlargement of the SaloneSatellite Permanent Collection. First presented in 2018, in the wake of the 2017 exhibition held to celebrate the 20th anniversary of the trade fair, it has now been enlarged and updated with the new pieces showcased since 2017 that have made their way onto the market so far. The Collection is housed at the Legno Arredo – ITS Rosario Messina Foundation Training Centre in Lentate sul Seveso. An extremely symbolic location given that the aim of SaloneSatellite is to create a concrete bridge between the creative and the business worlds, in a reciprocal coming together of mind and action.