“Materia Natura” (Matter Nature)
The theme of Fuorisalone 2024

01.

The theme of Fuorisalone 2024 is “Materia Natura” a suggestion that promotes, through an exploration of the profound connection between these two words, a conscious design culture, highlighting sustainability as guiding principle and fundamental value in the creative and design processes.


POV. The artwork by EX. (Andrea Cassi and Michele Versaci) and Giorgio Ferrero (creative director of MYBOSSWAS) has been commissioned by Fuorisalone and curated by Nicola Ricciardi. It will be distributed by NContemporary.

The theme of Fuorisalone 2024 is “Materia Natura”, which invites a profound exploration of the connection between these two words.

Reflections on nature have always been at the center of human culture which, in order to interpret it, has transformed it into an "other" entity, as has always happened with matter, which has always been manipulated, studied and experimented with.

However, it is on the level of their relationship with mankind that these two concepts meet and overlap, manifesting themselves in harmony with each other.

The word "nature" is also a strong reminder of the most urgent and current issues of our present and underlines the importance of promoting projects oriented towards increasingly sustainable and environmentally friendly solutions.

At the same time, the word "matter" opens and fuels a natural dialogue with design, creative thinking, planning and the wish to imagine infinite and possible transformations.

The theme "Materia Natura" evolves the concepts previously addressed by Fuorisalone and becomes an extension of the themes of the previous editions: "Forme dell'Abitare", "Tra Spazio e Tempo" and "Laboratorio Futuro", outlining a path that supports the values of a conscious project culture.

"Materia Natura" further amplifies and deepens this vision, highlighting sustainability as a guiding principle and fundamental virtue in the creative and design process.

The theme of the Fuorisalone 2024 will therefore be an important opportunity to investigate and discover the multiple dimensions in which nature can manifest itself as a source of inspiration, design material and guide for a sustainable future.

Conversation on Materia Natura


c/o Brera Design Apartment
22 November 2023


Materia Natura has been the protagonist of a moment shared at the Brera Design Apartment, with some of the authors and professionals of the world of art, design and contemporary culture. A confrontation that brought to exceptional points of view on the theme, which will be presented to the public at the official Fuorisalone press conference on February 28th, 2024.

The dialogue around the theme was curated by Nicola Ricciardi - creative director of MiArt - who, together with Paolo Casati and the editorial team of Fuorisalone.it, collected thoughts, stories and anecdotes from Andrea Cassi and Michele Versaci - architects and designers -, Giorgio Ferrero - creative director of MYBOSSWAS -, Annalisa Rosso - editorial director of the Salone del Mobile.Milano and co-founder of the studio Mr.Lawrence -, Federica Sala - independent curator and editorial director of The Good Life Italia -, Italo Rota - architect and designer -, Andrea Staid - anthropologist, author and teacher at NABA - and Andrea Vigna - chef.

Booklet

To delve deeper into the 2024 theme, Fuorisalone has produced a small publication, resulting from a meeting aimed to build a collective and shared dialogue on Materia Natura, with some of the thinkers who more than anyone else observe, watch and experience this April cultural event.

Download booklet

Materia Natura: Conversations with Portanuova

Between the trees and the city, the theme of Fuorisalone 2024, Materia Natura (word for word 'matter nature'), comes to life in an immersive site-specific installation in the Portanuova district, in Piazza Gae Aulenti


Materia Natura evolves and becomes "Materia Natura: Conversations with Portanuova," also an immersive site-specific installation in the heart of Gae Aulenti, within the Portanuova area. From April 14th to 21st, it will be possible to experience directly with the artwork POV and engage in dialogue with the theme, responding to four questions designed for the Fuorisalone audience, thus continuing a path of comparison and deepening initiated with the conversations in the Brera Design Apartment proposed in a limited edition booklet.

The Materia Natura installation has been designed by architects Andrea Cassi and Michele Versaci (founders of the EX. practice) and Giorgio Ferrero (creative director of MYBOSSWAS). The five videos set up in the space provide an aesthetic investigation into the fragile relationship between man and the environment, portraying different elements that represent the impact of man, bearing the signs of the actions with which natural material is transformed into an object of design.

Discover the installation in Piazza Gae Aulenti, Square 4, Milano