After having crunched the numbers on 2024’s Salone del Mobile in Milan, the champions of Italian design discovered that Chinese visitors outnumbered any other visiting nationality at the fair. China’s appetite for Italian design, it seems, is back to pre-pandemic highs. What better time, then, for the fair’s organisers to bring the beauty of ‘Made in Italy’ design directly to those fans with events in both Shanghai and Hong Kong.
First stop on the tour is Shanghai, where ‘The Orbit’s Orbit’ a new installation by artist Matilde Cassani (open 8-10 November) will host the official opening talk of West Bund Art & Design Shanghai. The exhibition space, which occupies a circular room within Thomas Heatherwick’s recently completed building, The Orbit, is an immersive environment where visitors, alongside choreographed dancers, can explore concentric circles filled with Italian design classics.
There will be work from more than 30 brands on display, with Cassani’s layout directly inspired by Heatherwick’s architecture. ‘The shape of The Orbit building implies a ritual dimension that we wanted to emphasise, using its spaces as the location for an orbiting performance, in which the interaction between the visitors and the environment becomes an integral part of the experience itself,’ she explains.
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For Maria Porro, president of Salone del Mobile, the installation represents an opportunity to exchange viewpoints – to learn and share. It is, she says, ‘designed to become a hub where Italy and China intersect, where Italian design and Oriental culture and tradition can dialogue. A tangible sign of the Salone’s commitment to creating interdisciplinary and cultural connections that expand the language of design and throw open new avenues for contemporary creativity’.
A similar aim is behind the Salone del Mobile’s next stop: bringing the ‘SaloneSatellite Permanent Collection 1998-2024’ exhibition to Hong Kong’s The Arts Pavilion West Kowloon (11-21 November). This year the SaloneSatellite marked its 25th anniversary, so its travelling showcase is a way to continue the celebrations. Dedicated to championing the work of designers under the age of 35, the must-visit yearly show, curated since its inception in 1998 by founder Marva Griffin Wilshire, is the place to discover new talent.
Many of the SaloneSatellite’s alumni have gone on to produce designs for some of Italy’s most well-respected brands. 100 examples of these success stories, selected from the more than 350 held in the permanent collection in Brianza, will be on display. Examples include the ‘Fish Chair’, designed for Cappellini by former SaloneSatellite designer Satyendra Pakhalé, the ‘Chab’ tables by Nendo, who first showcased their work at the SaloneSatellite all the way back in 2003, and glassware by Cristina Celestino who was selected to take part in the Satellite in 2012.
As well as a chance to see modern design icons in person, this is also a chance to be wowed by the reach of the Salone del Mobile and its ability to boost the careers of young designers. Maybe it will inspire the Chinese design star of the future – we can only hope, and keep a look out in coming years… salonemilano.it
