The Power of Imagination

For the third time in a row, the former Rimessa dei Fiori flower warehouse in the centre of Milan has been transformed into a temporary Walter Knoll showroom for Milan Design Week. This year, design enthusiasts are invited to move between real and virtual worlds within an atmospherically concentrated space and be inspired by biological and artificial intelligence: Walter Knoll’s high-quality furniture is framed by small ceramic objects by Stuttgart-based product designer Yvette Hoffmann as well as large botanical installations, while digital landscapes add an extra dimension to the 295 square metre exhibition space. The natural organisms on their rocky outcrops form their very own living sceneries in miniature format. Created by Milan-based florist Irene Cuzzaniti (Studio Irene), they contrast with the AI-generated worlds, in which they are continued and transformed in abstract form into dreamlike stagings that exert a compelling attraction with their soft and flowing movements.

The constantly changing, artificial animations grow in all directions, change their colours and textures and form atmospheric utopias that lend the showroom an infinite expanse and a positive light-heartedness. The projections dissolve the concrete architecture of the physical space, enriching it with a digital illusion and serving as large-format windows into a brave new, ethereal world. Without understanding their origin, they are intended to evoke associations that play with collective and subjective memories and create an immersive atmosphere in which visitors can incorporate their own story. Starting with the idea of deliberately creating an artificially artistic counterpoint to the natural plant stagings and the handcrafted products, Cologne-based agency Elastique. used a text-to-image tool to develop a fantastic universe consisting of six merging topographies featuring pink moss, blue plant islands and fluffy, green mountains. Accompanied by specially composed music, an additional sensory layer is superimposed over the spatial image, which is subtly altered with every sound and every movement. The side projections are complemented by a printed motif on the rear wall of the room: It shows the empty Rimessa dei Fiori with another digital landscape, creating the perfect illusion within the illusion.

As the ephemeral design minimises physical interventions, the showroom is also impressive in terms of sustainability: Only a curved steel structure was added upon which the projectors are mounted, as well as fine, flowing curtains that zone the space into different levels of perception. Just like the art installations and temporary objects, these can be packed away compactly after the event and reused for future purposes. Even the graphic elements are designed to be environmentally friendly, as the logos and lettering are purely light projections. This fleeting, delicate staging in the midst of the busy bustle of Milan Design Week 2024 creates a light and inviting space with a strong emotional impact – a place that is open to individual interpretations and, by merging real and virtual worlds, simultaneously transports visitors into a new cosmos full of inspiration and imagination ...