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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