4 Elements / Taking care. A series of pitches

MilanoArchWeek 2019
Catalog presentation

As part of the Broken Nature: Design Takes on Human Survival theme, proposed by the curator Paola Antonelli for the XXII International Exhibition at the Triennale di Milano, the Italian Pavilion displays the outcomes of the most authoritative research projects by
the Politecnico di Milano that are devoted to the care of the surrounding environment.
Principles shared by all the designs submitted are the deep respect
for the four natural elements (water, earth, air and fire) lying at the root of the
different forms of life, and the resultant adoption of sustainable intervention
methods tailored to the specific contexts.

The title selected for the Pavilion is 4ELEMENTS / TAKING CARE.
By this title, we intended to summarize the value of ‘Politecnico-style’ designs
– founded on the different types of know-how in the fields of architecture, design
and engineering – imagining a space conceived as a contemporary library
of scientific knowledge capable of narrating its vital relationship with
the natural world.

The 41 selected designs are grouped in eight oversize books exhibited on
the walls, arranged in a geometrical grid on which data and poems can be
read, which are useful to grasp the dimensions and the emotions produced
by the four elements. They are designs by students and researchers from all
twelve Politecnico Departments, who best interpreted respect for the wonders
of nature and the need to look after it. The research projects are strung
together in a narration that moves from the vast scale of the cosmos down.
They tackle such topics as: space pollution, climatic change, natural disasters, the problems relating to specific Italian landscapes (such as glaciers, rivers, cultivated fields, urban realities), the reconversion of artefacts, the recovery and enhancement of Italian cultural assets, all the way to the artefacts and materials that accompany our daily life within domestic spaces, envelop our bodies, and, in some cases, penetrate and become part of them.

There are multiple ways in which these diverse contexts operate, all in their own way extremely
fragile and delicate: from non-invasive ways that focus on observing, monitoring
and modelling ongoing phenomena to interventions that modify the existing, which range
from the sensitization of citizens around environmental issues to the design and retrieval
of some realities on different scales, down to the recycling of materials and artefacts.

The ‘style’ adopted is in line with the Politecnico’s identity, which combines art and science, aesthetic and technological research, a look at history and views projected onto futures – even those far away, pragmatism and vision.
The end result is a Pavilion to browse through, listen to and evaluate, which turns into an
opportunity for sensitizing the visitors, who are invited to pose questions on the sustainability
of their own lifestyles. At the same time, it is a space of cultural and scientific enrichment
aimed at attracting a wider audience, especially the younger generations, establishing
dialogues and cross references, and nurturing knowledge through immersive
and personalized experiences.

Program:

Interventi:

19.00 Luisa Collina e Italo Lupi (Curatore e Graphic Designer del Padiglione Italia)

19.15 Corraini (Editore Catalogo) tbd

19.20-20.40
Introducono: Ilaria Bollati, Laura Daglio, Laura Galluzzo (Editorial Board del Padiglione Italia)
Pitch di 5 minuti di una selezione di 12 progetti di ricerca esposti nel Padiglione Italia

The event will be held in italian.