Material ConneXion � and Material ConneXion Milano � to Exhibit
at the Salone Internazionale del Mobile, April 14 - 19, 2010
New York, NY, April 14, 2010 – A dynamic installation showcasing recent breakthroughs in materials innovation and design by New York-based global materials consultancy Material ConneXion, and its Italian office, Material ConneXion Milano, opened today at the 49th annual Salone Internazionale del Mobile in Milan. Located between Halls 14 and 18, the exhibition will be on view from Wednesday, April 14 through Monday, April 19, 2010.
At the core of Material ConneXion’s display is a preview of PUMA’s new sustainable packaging system, created in partnership with world-renowned industrial designer, Yves B�har. Material ConneXion served as an invaluable partner to PUMA through this process, advising on sustainable materials sourcing and manufacturing.
Alongside this presentation of PUMA’s impressive efforts to reduce its environmental footprint, Material ConneXion features nearly 100 new materials and processes from the company’s Materials Library that represent current trends in materials development and design. Organized under the categories Simplify, Grow it!, Absorption and The Full Spectrum, the solutions chosen build upon the themes highlighted in PUMA’s installation by offering opportunities to increase the sustainability and cost-efficiency of our products, packaging, interiors, architecture and more.
Additional installations showcasing recent achievements made by several other companies working on the forefront of materials innovation are also on view. Kiel GmbH (Germany), who recently received Honorable Mention Distinction for Material ConneXion’s MEDIUM Award for Material of the Year, will present Xylogramm, a remarkable CNC routing process that makes it possible to produce decorative panels with extraordinary visual and dimensional effects. New York-based Carvart Glass will feature samples of its architectural glass products, which are renowned for achieving an almost limitless range of colors, textured surfaces and patterns embedded in glass, from metallics and lace to customizable patterns.
Arpa and Laser Services, two Italian-based distributors, will show examples of innovative surface materials, including a new surface treatment offered by Arpa that promises to reduce bacterial contamination. A fourth installation from Planet Design will exhibit this company’s ongoing work to promote sustainability and innovation in the Mediterranean European Area furniture market – an initiative made possible thanks in part to Material ConneXion Milano’s role as the project’s materials and processes advisor.
To coincide with the exhibition, Material ConneXion will release Materials Matter IV, the fourth edition of its annual compendium of new materials. This year’s publication includes images and complete technical and sourcing information for close to 100 new materials – including most of those on view in Material ConneXion’s exhibition at the Salone del Mobile. The book will also feature essays on timely topics central to materials innovation and design, and – for the first time – interviews with four design world luminaries (Philippe Starck, Cameron Sinclair, Yves Behar and Neri Oxman), selected to provide added insight on the central role materials play in contemporary design practices.
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Materials Matter Vol. IV ($30/20 €) is available for purchase here. |
For high-images or more information please contact:
Sarah Natkins, Director of Marketing & Communications
212-842-1509 / snatkins@materialconnexion.com
Images Above (Left to Right): MC#6556-01 (Ecocradle™) / MC#6419-02 (Solanyl Masterbach) / MC#6561-01 (Valor Silver) / MC#6111-01 (Carvart Glass™)
About Material ConneXion:
Material ConneXion is a global materials consultancy that helps companies innovate through smart materials thinking. 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 provide 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 - an indispensable asset to a wide audience of designers and architects and a vital tool for the development of design, industry and economy.