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New York, NY, April 2011 — Material ConneXion Milano—the Italian branch of New York-based global materials consultancy Material ConneXion—has relocated its Milan headquarters to a larger space within Triennale Bovisa, a venue for contemporary art and design that is a part of La Triennale di Milano, home to Italy’s Design Museum. In addition to an expanded Materials Library and corporate offices, Material ConneXion Milano, located in Triennale Bovisa’s right wing, now includes a permanent exhibition space for innovative material programs which will be developed in collaboration with the Triennale’s curatorial team. Material ConneXion Milano will continue to maintain its satellite exhibition space in La Triennale di Milano’s main museum..
“After 6 years in our former location, Material ConneXion Milano is thrilled to make Triennale Bovisa our new home,” said Emilio Genovesi, CEO of Material ConneXion Milano. “Our new space allows for us to double the number of materials on view in our Materials Library and to better accommodate our rapidly growing Italian clientele. And by positioning our company in the middle of one of Milan’s fastest growing neighborhoods—home to numerous design studios, businesses and academic facilities—we’ve created the potential for even more growth.”
The expansion strengthens the company’s ties with the prestigious Triennale di Milano, a relationship that began when Material ConneXion Milano opened a permanent satellite space in the museum in 2005. The company will continue to host innovative exhibitions and workshops in this space, enabling it to supplement its active schedule of public programs, a highlight of which is Material ConneXion’s annual presentation at the world’s leading design fair, the Salone Internazionale del Mobile.
For the 50th edition of the Salone Internazionale del Mobile in Milan, on view from April 12-17, 2011, Material ConneXion Milano will team up with Material ConneXion to present a dynamic installation of the most influential advancements and game-changing materials added to Material ConneXion’s Materials Library over the last year. Once again, Material ConneXion will be located between the entrances to Halls 14 and 18.
The exhibition will feature a selection of materials honored with the company’s second annual MEDIUM Award for Material of the Year, which recognizes materials juried into the company’s Materials Library in 2010 that demonstrate outstanding technological innovation and the potential to make a significant contribution to the advancement of design, industry, society and economy. This extraordinary group of innovations—which will change how we design in 2011—provides numerous ways to lower environmental impact, from increasing recyclability and purifying the air to improving performance and reducing waste.
Featured alongside these advancements will be nearly 100 materials and processes from Material ConneXion’s Materials Library. The selections will build upon the themes highlighted in the MEDIUM Award presentation, with many of them offering opportunities to increase the sustainability, cost-efficiency and performance of our products, packaging, interiors, architecture and more.
Another highlight of the show will be a special presentation by Italian laminate manufacturer ABET Laminati (www.abet-laminati.it). To showcase its latest collection of surfaces, the company has commissioned designer Paola Navone and artist Gioia Magnani to create a large sculpture depicting a Kalì goddess. The work will be tiled with hundreds of small laminate pieces.
The Material ConneXion booth will also feature three “Material Totems” that present some of the latest material innovations seen in Italy. Ferro by Ceramica Sant’Agostino (www.ceramicasantagostino.it) is a new material in the ceramic industry that reproduces a metallic look without using any metal. Tile 10x10 is an innovative resin tile developed by Tekna (www.teknats.com) that incorporates Swarovski® Crystallized™ Elements. And Rivievo by Venezia Arte (www.veneziaarte.it) is an exclusive process that enables the transfer of any image onto glass by digital printing. The technique can reproduce extraordinary visual effects, such as mirror and pearlescent finishing.
To coincide with the exhibition, Material ConneXion will release Materials Matter® V, the fifth installment in an ongoing book series that documents the latest commercially available materials. As with previous editions, the new publication includes complete technical and sourcing information in English and Italian for the100 advanced materials on view at the fair. The book will also feature essays on timely topics central to materials innovation and design.
Materials Matter® V ($30/20 Eur) is available for purchase at:
www.materialconnexion.com/books
www.materialconnexion.com/it
Material ConneXion Milano is now located at
Via Lambruschini 31, presso Triennale Bovisa, 20156, Milano Italy
T. +39 02 36 55 30 60
infoitalia@materialconnexion.com
www.materialconnexion.com/it
For images and more information please contact:
Sarah Natkins, Director of Marketing & Communications
212-842-1509 / snatkins@materialconnexion.com
About Material ConneXion®
Material ConneXion is a global materials consultancy and library of innovative and sustainable materials. Built on the belief that Every Idea Has A Material Solution™, Material ConneXion is the trusted advisor to Fortune 500s, smaller forward-thinking companies, and government agencies seeking a creative, competitive, or sustainable edge through strategic material selections. With offices in New York, Bangkok, Cologne, Milan and Daegu, Korea, Material ConneXion's international network of specialists provides a global, cross-industry perspective on materials and their potential uses. Material ConneXion maintains the largest subscription-based Materials Library of innovative materials and processes in the world – a vital design tool and an indispensable asset to a wide audience of designers and architects and a vital design tool for the development of design, industry and economy.
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