Designers try new materials and apply advanced technologies. A fish-skin dress, mycelium-grown bricks, or a bed produced using a 3D-printer.
The opening lecture will take a look at materials used in the production of designer objects today. With each year bringing new interpretations of existent materials, designers offer novel ways of using wood, brass, glass, and natural stone. The most exciting cases however occur in the area of experimental materials science. The pursuit of sustainable development instigates creators to produce novel mediums using recycling technologies invented by both famous designers and students of the world’s leading art schools. What do we have to do with waste and how do we enhance utilization? Is it possible to completely eliminate plastic in everyday life? A number of cutting-edge materials have recently attracted the attention of Paola Antonelli, curator of Broken Nature: Design Takes on Human Survival, the XXII Triennale di Milano. Designers experiment with new materials and implement vanguard technologies, producing fish-skin dresses, mycelium-grown bricks, and beds made with a 3D printer. Another notable aspect of contemporary design is the dematerialization of interiors and objects. What does this trend derive from, and where is it going to develop? The lecture will analyze key directions of this general quest for innovations.