At Salone del Mobile, Design Found a Platform Within Performance

Long positioned like statues on the fringes of Italian furniture design firm Turri’s 100th anniversary party, dancers clad in loose uniforms suddenly broke into movement choreographed by Domenico Ciacci. With the performance, a sentiment suffused through Milan Design Week was heard once again: design is inherently theatrical, and it comes to life through the performance of its counterpart, people. Beyond Turri’s Milan flagship, performance acted as the exclamation point for the presentation of numerous brands—ranging from Aesop to Range Rover—but two such performance-based Salone del Mobile installations will, upon continued reflection, be remembered as defining moments.

Within the Teatro Lirico Giorgio Gaber, a historical Milanese opera theater, Cassina hosted an immersive theatrical presentation conceived of by FormaFantasma, and directed by Fabio Cherstich. As the design duo shared on opening night, the choice of the venue for a 60th anniversary presentation of the Le Corbusier, Pierre Jeanneret, and Charlotte Perriand Collection meant adhering to its codes. “When we enter into spaces we need to respect them,” FormaFantasma co-founder Simone Farresin said.

Entitled Staging Modernity, the production brought three commissioned texts to life through narration, dance, and song, on several stages dressed in animal sculptures and pieces from the collection that have entered the cultural lexicon. All of the performers were costumed in subdued Jil Sander ensembles, an indicator of timelessness and modernity.

Named La Prima Notte di Quiete, Loro Piana and Dimoremilano’s collaboration—arguably the most discussed highlight from Milan Design Week—was a performance without performers. Presented as if it were a fictional film (complete with an evocative movie poster), the installation involved a holding room, draped in Lynchian red curtains. Beyond, guests were set amidst a series of sets designed by Dimoremilano and populated with their furniture pieces. In many ways, the mise en scene provided the narrative, as the eyes of guests were guided from stage to another by a series of lamps flickering into focus. Without figures to bring Loro Piana pieces to life, the clothes became part of the set decoration and, as such, were woven into the story.

In all instances, the performance heightened viewer focus—calling attention to design and the way it engages with, or longs for, human presence. One durational performance piece, The Theater of Things within the storefront of the Delvis (Un)Limited gallery, acts as an exclamation point to it all. For seven days and seven nights, the seven designers involved in its creation will inhabit the space (one at a time) as if it were their home. Viewers are invited to interact with them—or simply observe the artistry of life in motion.