Twenty-seven design schools and universities from sixteen different countries and 550 talented young people from thirty-four different countries will breathe life into the upcoming edition of this event, exploring the theme of academic readiness and asking how design can shape the future, inspired by an installation created as a tribute to light. The long-awaited guest, Gaetano Pesce, will help young, promising international artists find their inspirational energy.
As part of the Salone del Mobile.Milano, which takes place from April 18 to 23, in Pavilions 13-15, the curtain will rise on the 24th edition of SaloneSatellite, founded in 1998 and curated by Marva Griffin, created as a dedicated space for designers under the age of 35. This new edition focuses on design schools and universities, highlighting the lasting contribution they have made and continue to make to the training of future designers and the development of design.
The establishment and affirmation of new schools and courses dedicated to the discipline of design gained momentum precisely in the early years of the SaloneSatellite event. To this end, SaloneSatellite has given them space and visibility, from its first edition onwards, as evidenced by the fact that, each with their own particular direction and way of working, they have successfully imprinted certain design approaches on entire generations, allowing individual voices to emerge.
Design Schools – Universities / BUILDING THE (IM)POSSIBLE Process, Progress, Practice is the leading theme of the new edition. In particular, design schools and universities were asked to answer the question Design: DOVE VAI? (Design - where it goes), with the help of installations and presentation of the works of students who are yet to leave their mark in the world of design. Each institution's individual contributions will help create a design vision map that marks the challenges we are likely to face next and have to overcome from both a design and learning perspective. In a period marked by major changes in the balances of the environment, economy and society, the map will provide us with valuable information that will guide students and emerging designers towards what innovation will represent in the future.
To visualize this close connection between the training process and design development of designers, the stands of 27 design schools and universities from 16 different countries will be arranged around an outer loop that will include around 550 exhibitors from 34 different countries. The inspiration for the installation, led as always by architect Ricardo Bello Dias, came from Euroluce, an event with which it shares space in pavilions 13-15. Thus, natural light and what it represents - a metaphor for life and the learning process - will be the leitmotif of the space dedicated to people under 35 years old.
The areas of the SaloneSatellite Awards will be distinguished by the presence of the sun and the moon, elements that will dictate the appearance of the entire event. A special installation equipped with telescopes will be placed on each of the two squares, to observe an imaginary sky that reflects the present and future of the design. The scenography and graphic design of the exhibition as a whole will rely on the play of light and shadow and the colour variations that light conveys from dawn to dusk. Finally, SaloneSatellite will pay tribute to the Euroluce event with a special "Sate-Light. 1998-2022 SaloneSatellite young designers" with an exhibition placed symbolically on the border between the two areas - which will be highlighted by luminous projections - where most of the lamps of the designers who participated in the different editions over the years will be exhibited thanks to the collaboration with companies that believe into promising young talents. These partnerships, started at SaloneSatellite and sealed with success, serve to underline the main objective of the event, which is to bring creativity and the business world together.
To this end, the SaloneSatellite Award, now in its 12th edition, will be awarded to the three most deserving projects (and also provides for up to two honorable mentions). All competing prototypes will, as always, be displayed in a special exhibition and judged by an international jury, which from the first edition onwards will be chaired by Paola Antonelli, Senior Curator of the Department of Architecture and Design and Director of Research and Development at the Museum of Modern Art, MoMA .
Last but not least, the intervention of master Gaetano Pesce - an Italian sculptor, designer and architect, who has lived in New York for many years - is eagerly awaited. He is invited to an event at the SaloneSatellite Arena, where he will discuss the fundamental steps in his long career and his lasting interdisciplinary contribution to the world of design.
Entry to SaloneSatellite is free and open to the public from April 18 to 23, with direct access from Cargo 4. The event can also be accessed internally from the Euroluce section for those holding tickets to Salone del Mobile.Milano.
