Conceived as a cultural accompaniment to the Salone del Mobile, a prestigious exhibition featuring leading international architects, “Where Architects Live,” will be held in pavilion 9 at the Rho Milan Fairgrounds, from 8th to 13th April.
“The Salone is a valuable resource for the Italian economy – Cosmit President Claudio Luti said – not only does it need to be preserved, but also bolstered with innovative services and projects catering to international business and client demand, in order to make the Milan event more attractive than ever.”
“Where Architects Live” is an original installation, inspired by leading contemporary architects’ own concepts of the domestic space, devised especially for the 53rd edition of the Salone Internazionale del Mobile. The exhibition has been specially devised for the Salone, providing an exclusive glimpse into “rooms” designed by eight of the world’s most respected architects: Shigeru Ban, Mario Bellini, David Chipperfield, Massimiliano and Doriana Fuksas, Zaha Hadid, Marcio Kogan, Daniel Libeskind and Bijoy Jain/Studio Mumbai.
We use to see only the work architects do for other people and for other people’s lives. But where do architects live, or rather, what are their homes like and in what way? Exact reflections of their distinctive design styles or complete one-offs? Or something else entirely?
“Where Architects Live” is a response to these questions and to natural curiosity, but it also aims to broaden the vision of domestic architecture itself. The concept underlying the event rests in the conviction that, of all design disciplines, domestic architecture is the most predisposed to evolution and the most suited to experimentation, given its capacity to conjugate architecture and design.
The writer Curzio Malaparte names his villa on the island of Capri “A house like me” – it is an intimate and private story that explores the marks and traces of domestic architecture in different cultures and contexts.
Dovetailing with Richard Rogers’ affirmation that “A room is the beginning of a city,” the homes designed and inhabited by the leading architects of our time become the expressions of the architectural vision and flair that exemplify the way we live today.
An iconic and paradigmatic reading of the architects’ “rooms,” within the context of the home as a theme, will trigger crosscutting reflection on the modes, experiences and trends of contemporary living.
The curator of the event, Francesca Molteni – who curated “Design Dance” with Michela Marelli (2012) and “A celestial bathroom” (2010) – has been privy to the private homes of eight of the greatest exponents of the architectural world, filming the exteriors and domestic spaces and recording an interview with each of them on the visions, triggers and decisions that have steered their design and professional careers. She and the architect and scenographer Davide Pizzigoni, who has been exploring representational space and working with leading international opera theatres, have devised a project that recreates the private “rooms” of Shigeru Ban, Mario Bellini, David Chipperfield, Massimiliano and Doriana Fuksas, Zaha Hadid, Marcio Kogan, Daniel Libeskind and Bijoy Jain/Studio Mumbai by means of real-life videos, images, sounds, comments and reconstructions.
The result is an interactive exhibition space that unveils the architects’ visions of living, their choices and their obsessions.
“The aim of the event,” continued Mr. Luti, “is to explore the art of living today, with a close look at the people who are changing the face of our cities, the configuration of the global landscape and the collective imagination, putting the spotlight on new ways of planning domestic environments from every possible aspect. This is the fundamental mission of the Salone del Mobile, cultural concepts that drive the sector.”
