Installations at the Salone del Mobile, unveiling various collections for renowned brands such as Flos, Cosentino and WonderGlass, coalesce with layered initiatives such as design-centric workshops, talks, and the now traditional symposium for Prada, begetting an especial and integrated celebration of all things design. This year, research-based design studio Formafantasma is presenting its different souls at Milan Design Week, with a new solo exhibition for the art institution Fondazione ICA Milano in Italy, demonstrating how design can be interpreted in broader and more complex ways.

We spoke with the studio's founders Andrea Trimarchi and Simone Farresin, on the opening of the exhibition La Casa Dentro, translating to ‘The Home Within,’ at ICA Milan, a space that primarily deals with contemporary art, but on the occasion of Fuorisalone, further explores borderline territories with design disciplines. La Casa Dentro is on view at the Fondazione ICA Milano's first floor, from April 10 - July 19, 2024.

This is the first time the Milan-based duo is presenting their work with profound personal reflections, starting with family experiences and their perspectives. Trimarchi and Farresin make a broader comment on our domestic experience: “We realised that there are two different ways that we can think about domesticity and our houses. One which is much more intellectual, and it is what we have been learning by becoming trained as architects and designers. That training is inevitably informed by modernist ideologies related to rationality and functionality. Then, there is another reality, which is the domesticity in which we grew up—some in the suburbs, some in the countryside. These homes are filled with decorative objects: embroidered, painted, and handmade. Many of these objects—belonging to a collective memory—are mainly modern, but with some additions that remove their roughness,” the Italian designers tell STIR.

“We read some theoretical texts by architects such as Le Corbusier, [Adolf] Loos and [Henry] van de Velde. From these writings, we understood how the idea of rationalism was inevitably linked to masculinity. By contrast, the feminine was considered frivolous or irrational, and even the work of female authors was not valued appropriately, or not considered modern.” The design exhibition at Salone del Mobile.Milano curated by Alberto Salvadori stages this conflict, with tubular metal structures in dialogue with hand-painted parts, fabrics, embroideries and decorations. “We find a tension between two opposites—sometimes the 'masculine' aspect wins, and the metal structure cuts through the decoration or overlaps violently. At other times, the opposite happens,” Studio Formafantasma shares with STIR, relaying the exhibition's key themes of queering modernity.

Interestingly, the project at Fondazione ICA Milano is thematically connected with the studio’s recurring research project that they are presenting during the design fair—the third edition of the Prada Frames symposium, themed this year on ‘Being Home.' “We structured the lecture series starting from the spatial distribution of the Museo Bagatti Valsecchi, the place that will host the event, which was a private home. So, for example, in the bathroom, we will talk about intimacy and caring for one's body, but also about access to and distribution of fundamental resources such as water. In the living room, we will talk about the more political aspects of living, while in the bedroom, about sexuality, queerness, tenderness...” states Formafantasma. “What both we and Miuccia Prada think is interesting, is that during the design week, we often talk about objects, projects and brands, but the home is much more than that. We want to address some of the challenges that the contemporary imposes on us: we cannot talk about home without discussing the housing crisis, displacement or other issues that affect everyone,” opine Farresin and Trimarchi, on the wider social and cultural ramifications of the Prada Frames symposium.

The conversation then turned to new collaborations with companies and subsequently, towards more commercial projects. However, the design studio’s research and coherence of thought behind each new product are clearly visible. “With Flos, we are presenting a new collection of lamps, which is quite articulate. In this case the biggest effort—there are four years of work behind it—concerns the technology of the lamp designs. We basically reinvented the LED bulb, with a long filament that can be changed, making the bulb repairable,” the designers state.

Finally, Formafantasma also returns to Salone del Mobile.Milano 2024, designing the spaces of the Drafting Futures Arena that hosts the programme of talks and round tables curated by Annalisa Rosso, titled 'Drafting Futures. Conversations about Next Perspectives.' Along with the arena, the Italian design duo have also designed the Salone Library and the Corraini Mobile Bookshop at the ongoing trade fair. “What is new about our design installation at the Salone is that there is nothing new. We reused last year's installation. We kept the furniture and restored the 2023 pieces, simply changing the colours. Following the theme of this year's public programme, we asked the speakers and various guests for a selection of books to create a collective library of possible futures.”

Stay tuned to STIR's coverage of Milan Design Week 2024 which showcases the best of exhibitions, studios, designers, installations, brands and events to look out for. Explore EuroCucina and all the design districts—Fuorisalone, 5vie Design Week, Isola Design Week, Brera Design District and Porta Venezia Design District.