The Speed of Sustainability: Milan

Although I was not entirely impressed by the sustainability, greenergy design, and ecomade exhibitions at the Milan Furniture fair, I must say that the city does have a few things in order. Their public transportation is fantastic.  They have a subway spread out across the entire city, and if they dont run close enough to home there are also busses and trams that run frequently all over the streets. In addition to public transit, those who do drive love their small cars. Although in most cases its an economical decision, they still see no need for the excessive Hummer-style consumerism.  It is rare to see a luxery sedan let alone a SUV!

One of the most exciting things I stumbled upon was an installation of a glorified MiniCooper. It was placed inside a chamber of woven plastic cords with serene music playing and was guarded by some very friendly cops. We had to pose and take some photos.



The other car that they love is the Smart Car. Now, I may sound silly because I haven’t been to Europe since the release of the Smart Car, but they are everywhere! I think it is wonderful. People of all shapes and sizes fit into these little things to transport themselves and a partner across town. “Why use more when this is all we need?” said one driver to me.



Finally this is a photo of a favorite of mine- a new little Fiat. Que Bella (the car, not me of course)!

Droog Does Materials

I am here in Milan, Italy reporting from the Fuori Salone di Mobile. I’ve seen quite a lot and walked even more! Yesterday we went to see the Droog exhibition close to la Triennale on Foro Buonaparte. The title of the exhibition is post-sustainability. Although I generally gush over the ideas generated through the Droog community, I was a bit apprehensive to see what they produced for Milan under this theme seeing as how all the “green” themed shows have been nothing more than disappointing.

Contrary to my apprehensive feelings, the show was wonderful. It was quite small but thought provoking. The two that I enjoy the most are of a new materials nature. The first is a fence for your yard or a highway made of refused plastic bags (see image above). The bags are strung through a series of vertical, flexible cords that are held taught by a metal frame. Depending on the size and density, some bags are layered, some are overlapping, and some stand a lone. Another beauty in this piece is that the control of design and aesthetic is left up to the owner. Now this fence may not keep enemies apart from each other but it has the potential to serve as a sound barrier or simply a way to draw a line.

The second object is a table made of shredded Elle Magazines. Even today in the digital age, somehow we still fall victim to the magazine collection problem. It made we wonder what size chair we could make if everyone pooled all the magazines and paper propaganda collected at this show- certainly a chair no human could mount alone. Most importantly, what I appreciate about this table is that it is attainable and easy to create- any teenager forced to clean up her room and realizes she has a stack of magazines to the ceiling could simply create a vanity table out of them and not throw away a scrap (not to mention have to carry them all downstairs to the trash)!

It is the simplicity and engagement that really makes Droog objects special. I hope that other attendees alike had a similar reaction. If you were there, by all means share your comments with us! For the rest of you, stay posted, I will be reporting more…