Your wish list is empty
Your shopping bag is empty
Special Projects
PRADA FRAMES
On Forest
A Symposium curated by Formafantasma
Biblioteca Nazionale Braidense, Milan
June 6th - 8th, 2022
Running in parallel to Milan’s Salone del Mobile, Prada Frames is a multidisciplinary symposium that delves into the complex relationship between the natural environment and design. The program is curated by Formafantasma, a research and design studio based in Milan and Rotterdam.
In line with the progressive and increasingly significant relationship between environmental studies and all fields of knowledge and culture, Prada Frames brings together the valuable contribution of scholars and professionals, such as scientists, architects, designers, artists, activists, anthropologists, and law experts.
On Forest
A Symposium curated by Formafantasma
Biblioteca Nazionale Braidense, Milan
June 6th - 8th, 2022
Running in parallel to Milan’s Salone del Mobile, Prada Frames is a multidisciplinary symposium that delves into the complex relationship between the natural environment and design. The program is curated by Formafantasma, a research and design studio based in Milan and Rotterdam.
In line with the progressive and increasingly significant relationship between environmental studies and all fields of knowledge and culture, Prada Frames brings together the valuable contribution of scholars and professionals, such as scientists, architects, designers, artists, activists, anthropologists, and law experts.
SYMPOSIUM PROGRAM
Monday 6 June 2022
SESSION 1 - CONTEXTUALIZING
Session 1 introduces the forest as a living being and the camera as a mediator, in the understanding of plants as sentient beings. The session also highlights how architectural knowledge can be applied as a forensic tool.
Speakers:
SOPHIE CHAO
TERESA CASTRO
EYAL WEIZMAN with REBECCA LEWIN
WATCH THE SESSION
SESSION 2 - NARRATING
Session 2 displays an historical overview of the relationship between humans, forests, and timber, highlighting local models of production and care. The session also presents the complexities of narrating the climate crisis.
Speakers:
DAN HANDEL
PAOLA ANTONELLI and MARIANNE GOEBL with FORMAFANTASMA
AMITAV GHOSH with ELVIRA DYANGANI OSE
WATCH THE SESSION
Session 1 introduces the forest as a living being and the camera as a mediator, in the understanding of plants as sentient beings. The session also highlights how architectural knowledge can be applied as a forensic tool.
Speakers:
SOPHIE CHAO
TERESA CASTRO
EYAL WEIZMAN with REBECCA LEWIN
WATCH THE SESSION
SESSION 2 - NARRATING
Session 2 displays an historical overview of the relationship between humans, forests, and timber, highlighting local models of production and care. The session also presents the complexities of narrating the climate crisis.
Speakers:
DAN HANDEL
PAOLA ANTONELLI and MARIANNE GOEBL with FORMAFANTASMA
AMITAV GHOSH with ELVIRA DYANGANI OSE
WATCH THE SESSION
Proceed to close
/
SOPHIE CHAO
Researcher and lecturer at Department of Anthropology, University of Sydney
/
TERESA CASTRO
Associate Professor in Film Studies at the Université Sorbonne Nouvelle, Paris
/
EYAL WEIZMAN
Architect, founder and director of Forensic Architecture
/
REBECCA LEWIN
Curator of Exhibitions and Design at Serpentine Galleries, London
/
DAN HANDEL
Writer, curator
/
PAOLA ANTONELLI
Senior Curator and Director of R&D, MoMA, and co-founder of Design Emergency
/
MARIANNE GOEBL
Managing director at Artek
/
AMITAV GHOSH
Anthropologist, journalist, award-winning author
/
ELVIRA DYANGANI OSE
Director of The Museu d’Art Contemporani de Barcelona
SYMPOSIUM PROGRAM
Tuesday 7 June 2022
SESSION 3 - DESIGNING
Session 3 presents the works of architects, curators and design students that embrace an expansive attitude toward design and actively redefine the relationship between materials and ecosystems.
Speakers:
ANDRÉS JAQUE
AYLA KEKHIA, CONNOR COOK, YASSINE BEN ABDALLAH (GEO-DESIGN DAE)
ROTOR
PAOLA ANTONELLI and ALICE RAWSTHORN with FORMAFANTASMA
WATCH THE SESSION
SESSION 4 - SENSING
Session 4 explores different modes of sensing the forest through smell, sound, and the anatomy of wood. The session also looks at the complexity of designing with more-than-human species.
Speakers:
SISSEL TOLAAS and DAVID MONACCHI with BEATRICE LEANZA
VALERIE TROUET
GERALD KOCH with FORMAFANTASMA
ALEXANDRA DAISY GINSBERG with ALICE RAWSTHORN
WATCH THE SESSION
Session 3 presents the works of architects, curators and design students that embrace an expansive attitude toward design and actively redefine the relationship between materials and ecosystems.
Speakers:
ANDRÉS JAQUE
AYLA KEKHIA, CONNOR COOK, YASSINE BEN ABDALLAH (GEO-DESIGN DAE)
ROTOR
PAOLA ANTONELLI and ALICE RAWSTHORN with FORMAFANTASMA
WATCH THE SESSION
SESSION 4 - SENSING
Session 4 explores different modes of sensing the forest through smell, sound, and the anatomy of wood. The session also looks at the complexity of designing with more-than-human species.
Speakers:
SISSEL TOLAAS and DAVID MONACCHI with BEATRICE LEANZA
VALERIE TROUET
GERALD KOCH with FORMAFANTASMA
ALEXANDRA DAISY GINSBERG with ALICE RAWSTHORN
WATCH THE SESSION
Proceed to close
/
ANDRÉS JAQUE
Architect, researcher and curator, founder of Office for Political Innovation, New York and Madrid
/
AYLA KEKHIA (GEO-Design DAE)
Designer, GEO-Design, DAE student
/
CONNOR COOK (GEO-Design DAE)
Designer, GEO-Design, DAE student
/
YASSINE BEN ABDALLAH (GEO-Design DAE)
Designer, GEO-Design, DAE student
/
ROTOR
Brussels-based Cooperative Design Practice
/
PAOLA ANTONELLI
Senior Curator and Director of R&D, MoMA, and co-founder of Design Emergency
/
ALICE RAWSTHORN
Author of Design as an Attitude, co-founder of Design Emergency
/
SISSEL TOLAAS
Smell researcher and artist
/
DAVID MONACCHI
Eco-acoustics researcher, composer, founder of the project Fragments of Extinction
/
BEATRICE LEANZA
Cultural strategist, critic, curator
/
VALERIE TROUET
Professor in the Laboratory of Tree-Ring Research at the University of Arizona, USA
/
GERALD KOCH
Wood anatomist at Thuenen-Institute of Wood Research, Hamburg
/
ALEXANDRA DAISY GINSBERG
Artist, writer, curator
/
ALICE RAWSTHORN
Author of Design as an Attitude, co-founder of Design Emergency
SYMPOSIUM PROGRAM
Wednesday 8 June 2022
SESSION 5 - GOVERNING
Session 5 introduces wood as carbon storage, while highlighting the criticalities connected to carbon offsetting, the governance of natural ecosystems and the political forces shaping forests.
Speakers:
STEFANO BOERI
PHILIPP PATTBERG and NIKLAS KASKEALA with FORMAFANTASMA
PAULO TAVARES with BEATRICE LEANZA
WATCH THE SESSION
SESSION 6 - INHABITING
Session 6 introduces modes of inhabiting and responsibly sourcing materials from the forest. The session also brings forward forestal indigenous knowledge and ‘feral dynamics’.
Speakers:
URSULA BIEMANN
CAVE BUREAU
EWERK LUCKENWALDE
ANNA TSING and FEIFEI ZHOU with ARIC CHEN
WATCH THE SESSION
Session 5 introduces wood as carbon storage, while highlighting the criticalities connected to carbon offsetting, the governance of natural ecosystems and the political forces shaping forests.
Speakers:
STEFANO BOERI
PHILIPP PATTBERG and NIKLAS KASKEALA with FORMAFANTASMA
PAULO TAVARES with BEATRICE LEANZA
WATCH THE SESSION
SESSION 6 - INHABITING
Session 6 introduces modes of inhabiting and responsibly sourcing materials from the forest. The session also brings forward forestal indigenous knowledge and ‘feral dynamics’.
Speakers:
URSULA BIEMANN
CAVE BUREAU
EWERK LUCKENWALDE
ANNA TSING and FEIFEI ZHOU with ARIC CHEN
WATCH THE SESSION
Proceed to close
/
STEFANO BOERI
Architect, urban planner, Full Professor at Politecnico di Milano
/
PHILIPP PATTBERG
Sustainability scientist at Vrije Universiteit, Amsterdam
/
NIKLAS KASKEALA
Chief Impact Officer at Compensate
/
PAULO TAVARES
Architect, writer
/
BEATRICE LEANZA
Cultural strategist, critic, curator
/
URSULA BIEMANN
Artist, writer and video essayist
/
CAVE BUREAU
Nairobi-based bureau of architects and researchers
/
E-WERK LUCKENWALDE
Kunststrom renewable power station and art centre
/
ANNA TSING
Anthropologist at University of California, USA, co-editor of "Feral Atlas: The More-than-Human Anthropocene"
/
FEIFEI ZHOU
Spatial and visual designer, co-editor of "Feral Atlas: The More-than-Human Anthropocene"
/
ARIC CHEN
General and Artistic Director of Het Nieuwe Instituut, Rotterdam
Location
Prada Frames is hosted at the Biblioteca Nazionale Braidense. Located in the center of Milan, this pristine public library made from walnut wood is an important site of knowledge production in the city. Formafantasma's set-up was deliberately reduced to the bare minimum given the uniqueness of the location: wooden chairs from the Prada Archive were repurposed and paired with a curated selection of iconic wooden chairs by Gio Ponti, Franco Albini and Gerrit T. Rietveld, among others, kindly made available by the Italian contemporary design brand Cassina.
Proceed to close
/
/
/
/