Interni continues its international initiatives, activated in coordination with the most important design weeks, organizing a varied series of events. There are many new developments. The circuit that involves the most prestigious flagship stores of Italian design has three phases this year: New York, during ICFF (16-19 May), London during the London Design Festival (19-27 September) and, as a new entry, Miami during Design Miami/Art Basel Miami Beach (2-6 December).
The concept, already tested with success last year, is to create a dialogue between the world of design of these three creativity capitals and the leading Italian companies, inside their foreign showrooms. Today more than ever, the major architecture studios are thinking about the landscapes of the world to come and a number of urgent design themes: globalization/identity, natural/artificial, industrial/handmade, serial/custom, large runs/limited editions: “American Architecture Meets Italian Design” is an opportunity for a fertile encounter between designers and companies.
A moment in which studios are invited to dialogue with producers on the processes that lead to the furnishings of large architectural projects. How can architects stimulate Italian companies to make products that are suitable and competitive on international markets? What requirements should products have to meet the needs of those markets?
It is also important to take the different characters of these cities into account: New York, home of the most important architecture studios in the USA, is going through a period of lively renewal. London, where the focus is often on the contract sector, location of the offices of leading European design studios. And Miami, more oriented towards the world of interiors, home of famous interior decoration studios and the leading fair of contemporary art and art design.
Another new development is the partnership for the production of Interni’s three International Design Appointments, “What is Best – Who is Next” with the Salone del Mobile of Milan, the world’s most famous furniture and design fair. This relationship is an important stop both for Interni and for the Salone: it is the first time that Interni – the representative of the FuoriSalone, with all the creative activities connected with Design Week in Milan – and the Salone del Mobile, the most important trade fair event in the city – have joined forces for a joint project.
In New York, the first of the three appointments American Architecture Meets Italian Design, from 16 to 18 May, is a non-stop program in which some of the most outstanding US architecture studios have been invited to narrate, in talks hosted in the 12 selected flagship stores of the circuit, the professional experiences and ways of interacting with Italian design. An extraordinary opportunity in which the makers of projects explain their philosophy, their way of working, their contribution to the beauty of the world, their choices also in terms of furnishings, all accompanied by tastings of very good Italian food.
Saturday 16 May 11.30 am Dror Benshetrit – Dror c/o Technogym 70 Greene St. – 10012 New York; 5.00 pm Vivian Lee – Richard Meier & Partners c/o Luceplan 14 Wooster St. (btw. Grand & Canal Sts.) – 10013 New York; 6.00 pm Karim Rashid c/o FontanaArte 45 Greene St. (btw. Grand & Broome Sts.) – 10013 New York.
Monday 18 May 9.00 am James Biber – Biber Architects c/o Scavolini 429 West Broadway – 10012 New York; 11.30 am Andrea Lamberti – Rafael Viñoly Architects c/o Poliform A&D Building, 150 East 58th St., 6th Floor – 10155 New York; 4.30 pm Dante O. Benini and Richard Meier c/o Flou 42 Greene St. (btw. Broome & Grand Sts.) – 10013 New York; 6.00 pm Coren Sharples – SHoP c/o Flos 152 Greene St. (at Houston St.) – 10012 New York.
Patrizia Catalano