"Milan in a Van: The best of the Milan Furniture Fair"
2002-04-21 until 2002-06-09
Victoria and Albert Museum
London, , UK

The exhibition Milan in a Van will bring the hottest international design to the V&A in Spring 2002 just days after products are launched at the Milan Furniture Fair. The Milan Furniture Fair is seen as the best and biggest show in the design calendar for the year. For the first time ever the British public will be able to see what is hottest, newest and most influential in the design world straight from the displays in Milan.

The exhibition Milan in a Van will bring the hottest international design to the V&A in Spring 2002 just days after products are launched at the Milan Furniture Fair. The Milan Furniture Fair is seen as the best and biggest show in the design calendar for the year. For the first time ever the British public will be able to see what is hottest, newest and most influential in the design world straight from the displays in Milan.

VandA curators will go to Milan and fill a furniture removal van with the most interesting work on show for immediate display in the first exhibition in the V&A’s new Contemporary Space.

The exhibition will cover key themes from this renowned global showcase of cutting-edge design:

Major New Launches: A selection of the latest products launched by the leading international contemporary design companies, including Magis, Allessi, Edra and others. These companies set the pace of the industry, and of contemporary design taste.

Big Designers: New products, prototypes and directions by the stars of international design, for example Tom Dixon, Ingo Maurer, Michael Young, Nigel Coates, Matthew Hilton and Marcel Wanders.

Material Experiments: What are the new techniques and materials that are influencing furniture today- A selection of trend-setting products. Design Manifestos The best new experimental and avant garde objects that are shaping the critical debate about design, such as the latest projects by Droog Design and Snowcrash.

Up and Coming Who are the star designers of the future- Where is the latest pool of international talent based- What are the new companies emerging on the scene- This section will include the best new designers who could be the ones that shape our future, such as the Bourellec brothers, Matali Crasset, Norway Says and Pia Wallen. One Designers Fair: A close up look at work presented by Dutch designer Marcel Wanders for various manufacturers, including new products, mass-produced and unique objects.

Trade literature from design companies, magazines, news reports and fliers for the exhibitions will complete the show, giving a true taste of the immediacy, scale and excitement of the Milan Furniture Fair.

The Curator:
Gareth Williams is Acting Deputy Curator in the Department of Furniture, Textiles and Dress, specialising in twentieth century and contemporary furniture and design. He has curated many displays and exhibitions about contemporary design in the V&A, including Ron Arad Before and After Now (2000) and Brand.New (2000), and has taught and published widely on the subject.

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