REVIEW – SALONE DEL MOBILE 2023: SALONESATELLITE
Leap forward
"I wanted to dedicate the theme of this 24th SaloneSatellite to the design schools and universities, to underscore the fundamental contribution they make as incubators of creative talents under 35. To quote the title of Courbets famous painting, these institutions are the origin of the world. The design world, in this case. This is where it all (or almost all) starts, where the driving forces of invention are channelled, It is also where these young people are guided alont their training paths, which will eventually lead them to graduate as design professionals", says Marva Griffin Wilshire, founder and curator of SaloneSatellite. As the literal "mother" of the Satellite, as she also calls herself, she has helped countless young designers find their feet in the industry and realise their dream of turning their creative talent into a profession. Many of them are now internationally renowned designers and work with renowned companies such as Stefan Diez, Sebastian Herkner, Nendo, Patrick Norguet or Studio TrulyTruly. In 2014, Marva Griffin Wilshire was awarded the "Compasso d'oro", the most renowned international design prize, for her life's work.
The multifaceted programme of the SaloneSatellite included talks, for example with the Italian architect and designer Gaetano Pesce as well as the special exhibition "Sate-light. 1998-2022 SaloneSatellite young designers" also included the SaloneSatellite Award, which was presented for the 12th time this year. Stylepark had the great honour of being part of the jury for the second time, this year side by side with the creative minds Paola Antonelli (Senior Design Curator, Architecture & Design Director, Research and Development, MoMA), Beppe Finessi (Design Critic), Gianluca Gessi (President Gessi), Francesca Gugliotta (Design Editor), Francesco Librizzi (Designer), Claudio Luti (President Kartell), Steven Ma (Designer), Roberta Silva (CEO Flos) and Marilena Sobacchi (Press Office Salone del Mobile. Milano). From over a hundred projects submitted, we jointly selected three placements and three honourable mentions under the lead of Paola Antonelli. In parallel, the honourable mentions were awarded the Róng Design Award, which offers the winners a one-month stay at the Rong Design Library in the Yuhang district of Hangzhou in China.
These are the lucky winners:
First place
Honoka, Japan, “Tatami Refab”
Description:
3D printing and reclaimed poor materials come together in a versatile project that innovatively reintroduces traditional marks and culture into everyday life and the domestic spaces. Tatami is declining year by year. The Tatami Refab Project is a project that re-embed Tatami into modern life using 3D printing technology.
Motivation:
3D printing and reclaimed poor materials come together in a versatile project that innovatively reintroduces traditional marks and culture into everyday life and the domestic spaces.
Second place
Studio Ryte, Hong Kong: “Triplex Stool”
Description:
From lightweight to efficient structure; compactness to sustainability; the flax fibre Triplex Stool is an experimental furniture piece that responds to the nomadic lifestyle of the current era.
Motivation:
Flax, a sustainable, lightweight wood fibre, lends itself to a contemporary revisiting of powerful Brutalist language.
Third place
Ahokpe + Chatelin (Belgium is Design), Belgium: “Kudoazò”
Description:
A hanging bed designed and handwoven in Benin for European interiors. The fabric comes from unravelled yarn from sweaters that end up on African markets, the shape informed by the strip.
Motivation:
Conceived in Belgium and produced in Benin from recycled materials, this ancient object is an expression of sustainability channelled by a marriage of traditions and handiwork that break down geographical barriers and colonialist aspirations.
Special mention
Joaquin Ivan Sansone, Argentina: “Junki”
Description:
The Junki bench is born from research into the material, creating a sturdy bench, thanks to the combined minimum force of each element. Showing the power of nature to resist.
Motivation:
Simplicity is key to this object, which makes the most of the intrinsic properties of the material, in a viable, good-looking solution that emits a message of resilience.
Weonrhee, Republic of Korea: “Primitive Structure”
Description:
In this project the designer has focused on two points. The first is the cycle of the material during the building process. The second is the primitive origins of her own culture.
Motivation:
Culture of origin and contemporary design converge in a process that experiments with and reinvents primitive forms, adapting them to new demands.
Fragmentario, USA: “Avocado Seed Brick”
Description:
The brick made with avocado seeds and a binder made from Sargassum algae is one of the applications of the research led by the designer Maria Elena Pombo on the properties and use of avocado seeds to balance material excesses and shortages.
Motivation:
Harnessing the most diverse applications, it embodies contrasting places and resources in an ongoing, fruitful interaction that enriches the project as a whole, born of a simple seed.
