IT | EN
21/05/2020 | DESIGN, PEOPLE
THURSDAY'S INTERVIEW

ROSSANA ORLANDI: A NEW RESPONSIBLE DESIGN

Posted by: Giulio Cappellini, for Istituto Marangoni (IG Live)

An interesting live broadcast, organized by Istituto Marangoni, remained visible only for the lucky few who followed it on Instagram. We were there and we propose the most important passages of Giulio Cappellini's interview with Rossana Orlandi, gallery owner and curator who in a few years has created with her Milanese space a focal point for the whole world of design, giving the possibility to young talents to exhibit alongside acclaimed artists and designers, a mix between art and design with strong contaminations, a multicultural language and always avant-garde ideas.

G.C. This period has changed our way of live, our attitude, how we need the interiors, that means how we live in our homes, how we're going to live in our showrooms, offices, and so and so. I really think that this period and more and more in the future can be a really big challenge for all the design world. So I think Rossana we have today to think about awareness , a new consciousness of design. So what do you think about this?

O.R. Absolutely. This experience, huge, incredible, unexpected, a lot of words we can see, change our life. During these times we realised what we need. When I talk with people everybody say: "Oh, for the first time I went out in my terrazza, uh my sofa is not comfortable, oh my house is pretty nice but I need...

An interesting live broadcast, organized by Istituto Marangoni, remained visible only for the lucky few who followed it on Instagram. We were there and we propose the most important passages of Giulio Cappellini's interview with Rossana Orlandi, gallery owner and curator who in a few years has created with her Milanese space a focal point for the whole world of design, giving the possibility to young talents to exhibit alongside acclaimed artists and designers, a mix between art and design with strong contaminations, a multicultural language and always avant-garde ideas.

G.C. This period has changed our way of live, our attitude, how we need the interiors, that means how we live in our homes, how we're going to live in our showrooms, offices, and so and so. I really think that this period and more and more in the future can be a really big challenge for all the design world. So I think Rossana we have today to think about awareness , a new consciousness of design. So what do you think about this?

O.R. Absolutely. This experience, huge, incredible, unexpected, a lot of words we can see, change our life. During these times we realised what we need. When I talk with people everybody say: "Oh, for the first time I went out in my terrazza, uh my sofa is not comfortable, oh my house is pretty nice but I need..." I think that people for the first time really lived their house and they have got the knowledge they need new things, new comfortable.  We don't know when we can really say: "Covid is gone". We have to learn how to live with that in a good way, because now we know what we need. For example desk. We need a desk which I've never thought about a desk at home.  Normally we work in the office. The house has became very important. The balcony, the terrazze, the lucky people have a garden but the most part of the people live in a flat. So we have to think to give comfort, a new comfort for the houses. Comfortable desks, super organizers, super ergonomic things when you think about everything inside.

G.C. That's absolutely true, I totally agree with you Rossana. During the past we're doing too many things, too many things, too many things. I think that in this moment we have to slow down and really to work very seriously and on conscious projects. This is the real future. For example, it was one thing if we stay on our dining table for 1 hour just for lunch or dinner, is another thing if we stay 12 hours working on our dining table. So I'll see to invent another way to sit (anche work at home and in the office) in our dining room, it's a new challenge for design. This terrible period with the virus show some things that we are already changed. For example speaking about the offices, the work, most of the main headquarters  of the big companies, they've already had an outdoor area where when there's nice they can work, walk, they can relax and so and so.
Another thing that I ask you is that you, like me, we were used to travel a lot. Do you miss these trips at the moment?

O.R. Well, at this time I miss everything. Not only the trip. I love to travel. But yes, what I have found that for me was new but to talk with people through connection like Skype or Zoom, at the end I feel like as I am there. I think we've really to think. I've been in 18, 13 countries such in a short time. Just arrived 2 days and leaving, but is it necessary? Can we do in another way? Is so necessary we do this travel like crazy? I was watching from my window, the birds, they're making a nest. And when I saw on tv that animals, fishes are coming back in the see, the medusa, the jellyfish. Oh God, what are we missing?

G.C. Do you see new ways coming of connecting the design community?" In the future we will be real and virtual also. In the past we were only real and today we are 100% virtual.

O.R. Yes, I hope. More virtual, yes, half and half. I think it's the good proportion.

G.C. the Spazio Rossana Orlandi during Design Week is super crowded How do you think is going to change the way to show, to present design items in the future?

O.R. We have absolutely to find a way to show. What to do? To give a way to emotion, and for sure the moment that we do in virtual way. I'm trying to find solutions but I'm not very ready so I can't speak about that. But in September I'm very very hopeful that we can do the Fuorisalone. Because we need to present, to say that we go on and that we present. And we need to think a different way to present because we don't have, we can't have a lot of people. And we need to find a way to give good message, emotional, energy. I can say energy. The best mood is energy.

G.C. So this is absolutely very important and is also very important to create something starting from September and after next April. There's a new direction in design and again as we told before I see that the new direction with the virus is completely different than the show in the past. You Know Rossana, in the people that are following now, there are a lot of young designers, a lot of design students of the Marangoni School, so what do you think, do you have any advice to give to them?

O.R. Because at Marangoni you have design, fashion. This is very good. I think that there's one point which accomunes design and fashion. I think that we need responsibility. It's not just play, it's time to realise with honest concepts. And thinking from the beginning of your design to the end of the piece. Think of everything and be a part of the problem of the world. Reuse, recycle, and be updated. Be in the world. Help the world.

G.C. I totally agree with you Many questions are asking us if in the future in design we are going to use new materials, antivirus, antigerm. For sure ! And this again, to do a functional product, to do a product that try to solve the, to find solution of the new way to live interiors. It doesn't mean to lose creativity. For the moment in offices and in the restaurant they just put quickly to reopen this plexiglass panel on the table. But this is not I hope the final solution cause if I have to go to the restaurant I want to live in a nice atmosphere. So again there's a lot of work, just to create a nice atmosphere, a nice atmosphere at home, in all the public spaces, offices and so on. And this is the role of all of us for the future and I see that for sure this is an important role for you Rossana, that really again the sort of agora, you are the centre in Milano of international creativity. So I really hope that for the future we can really give interesting suggestion to people about this new way of living. Again it's not only for 2 or 3 months is really for the future.


READ NEXT

A VIDEO AND A BOOK TO FIND OUT MORE

ARCHITECTURE
ARTS
BOOKS
CHARITY
CINEMA
DESIGN
DISCOVERING
DUBAI
EDITORIAL
EVENTS
EXHIBITIONS
FASHION
GREEN
INNOVATION
LEARNING
LOCATIONS
MILANO FASHION WEEK
PHOTOGRAPHY
PEOPLE
POINT OF LIFE
POLITICS
TALKS
TRENDS
VIDEO
YOGA
MORE IN THE ARCHIVE
NEWS HIGHLIGHTS