The key word of the Salone del Mobile 2019 will be ” Ingenuity “, the ability to look ahead to reinterpret and rediscover
Ingenuity, that is “intelligence that fuels creativity”, a way of paying homage to Leonardo da Vinci on the occasion of the 500th anniversary of his death.
There are thousands of reasons to envision a design project, but the most important is its purpose
Now in its 57th year, the Salone del Mobile underpins what is widely regarded as the design industry’s most important Design Week. But the event has faced some criticism in recent years, over both its’ organisation and its content.
This has sparked the very first Salone del Mobile.Milano Manifesto, an affectionate tribute to the city, a declaration of intent geared to channeling the forces in Milan to work together to preserve the leadership role of both the city and the trade fair, and attract ideas, projects and new resources
The Salone del Mobile’s Manifesto targets these issues and more, with its rallying cry for the industry …….. ” To give shape to the sort of design and architecture that is more conscious of the needs of a constantly evolving society. It also encourages companies, architects and designers participating in the fair to challenge production processes and service methods in order to Stay ahead of the Game”.
One of the main talking points of this year’s Salone Milan 2015, was Beyond the New, a strongly worded manifesto critiquing the design industry, written by designer Hella Jongerius and theorist Louise Schouwenberg that challenged the state of contemporary design.
Jongerius and Schouwenberg argue forcefully that industrial design has become stagnant, with genuine innovation replaced by too great a reverence for commercialism and the production of new products for newness’ sake.
Beyond the New suggests design has become “an empty shell, devoid of meaning and substance” and deplores “the obsession with the New for the sake of the New”.