Photos of Milan

It would have been great to get more photos of the show but because it was so massive I didn't get to look round the whole thing. The crowds were huge and I found myself being swept along, everyone there was walking around like they were in a fashion show - including myself, but then Milan is kind of a fashion show, so it was no surprise really, besides the point I was not there to see fashion I was there to see design!! 'Zona Tortona' the area which the (satellite) show was being held in was very characterful, lots of thin windy little allies, a bit like a labyrinth, if you blinked your eye, you'd get lost.

There were some memorable moments, the lights from Selux arrived late which was really annoying, they were delivered to the wrong address then lost in the middle of the busiest city in Europe, eventually when we got hold of them John Miller and I tried to put them up in the middle of the show, we got electrocuted and both of us sprang from the floor and screamed - I don't think John Miller did actually, after this we sheepishly hid them, then Andy put them up the next day.

Whilst walking around with my camera, just an innocent bystander, I got told off by a designer for taking photos of his work - kind of made me laugh as is was a bit naff. Apparently Mr Visachi was spotted outside his shop in Milan with lots of models draped prettily over him.

Got very drunk on free Campari, which initially I drank from a latex cup (!) and it tasted rank, I thought I'd been poisoned, then realised that is actually the taste of Campari, so carried on drinking, it began to taste okay after that.

The camp-site was massive with a full compliment of farm yard animals, goats, horses, chickens, sheep. It filled from five or ten tents when we arrived, to tents as far as the eye could see by the time I left. The Dumo Cathedral was one of the places I really wanted to see before leaving and was determined to visit, it was not disappointing. I got right onto the roof and could see the whole of Milan from above - beautiful.

Then on my last day at the train station arriving just a minute too late I missed the link train the the airport because the ticket machine had broken. This meant that I missed check-in, omg, I thought I would be stranded in Milan, not such a bad fate, but I kind of wanted to get back home. From the train I had to get a taxi to the airport with two others who had also missed the check-in, it was like something out of a movie, telling the taxi driver go as fast as he could, holding on to the seats with white knuckles, we got the airport and the woman who I was in the taxi with gave the driver a 100 euro note, and went charging off for the plane. After letting John know I was going to be late I had to convince security that they should let me through, eventually having run across the whole length of the airport, with my bag on my shoulder, I got to the check-in desk, and the plane was on the tarmac being taxied off, well not quite. That was a first, so nearly missing the plane, sort of funny in hindsight (not).




Zona Tortona, show area.

Chairs made from pulped recycled paper

Some sausage dogs

A home in minature - kind of holiday home, but really compact

Some tiles that I became transfixed by.

This area was just outside the exhibition space we were in, it was build up from nothing over a three day period and by the end it was like a minature street with houses.

The university on the stand next to us.

Another university with a fantastic hi-tech stand and atouch screen computer

Doors to Dumo Cathedral, the legs are polished I assume people touch them for good luck

Carol in the Cathedral

Patrick and Carol

Patrick with pigeons landing on him

A ceramic bowl, sandblasted

Students sewing t-shirts through the show

Our stand at the private view

Campari and latex cups

Another university stand

Hobbie horse
Horse sculptures

Mannequin model sitting at table

Tea/Coffee pot - 946 euros

Metal workshop

Zona Tortona bycicles

Champagne boxes

Adidas trainers

Amazing leather seats made from what look like quilts

Bench design

Dumo Cathedral

Camping de milano

Going to Milan last week was an amazing experience and one that I won't forget. The biggest and most amazing exhibition that I have ever seen, with beautiful Milan as the backdrop.

As we boarded the plane in Bristol, the weather couldn't have been better, clear skies and a warm temperature for April. The forecast did say rain for Milan, but ever the optimist and convinced that weather in Italy would be better than the weather in England I happily abandoned my heavy coat in exchange for the light and considerably more useful sunglasses, and set off for my Italian adventure.

As we flew down into Italy, Carol and I were discussing the fact that the Italians must use the same farming methods that we use in England where the farmers put plastic sheets on the fields to improve the growth of the crops, because all we could see beneath the clouds were fields covered in plastic sheets. Sadly we were mistaken and the fields were actually submerged in 50mm of water, the same 50mm of water that had been described on the forecast.

We eventually arrived at our campsite at about midnight, and pitched our tents in the rain. This was a special moment for both of us because we had successfully avoided the notorious Milanese gypsies and neither of us had got so scared that we had to use our rape alarms. The world was good, both of our tents were pitched, and just time for a beer.

Very proud of my little tent

tbc

zona tortona, milano

Milan 4321

In Milan at the 'Salone Internazionale del Mobile', we will be exhibiting in a satellite show with other international universities alongside the main exhibition, which showcases all that is new in the world of furniture design. Our stand will be showing work from the MA's groups including textiles, craft, graphics and furniture design. This is part of the floor plan, we are number 3.

The stand will look something like the image below but much better. (My first attempt at sketchup, tried to copy Andy's mackete, doesn't look anything like it!!) The stand has got an asymmetrical canopy from which their will be suspended lights on a timber frame.

The lights have been kindly donated by Selux Lighting. Selux is providing us with a selection of spot lights and strip lights which will be attached to a computerised track system, with integral dimming.

Over the last couple of months I have been in contact with Selux to arrange the sponsorship. I was able gain sponsorship because I worked for Selux before I came to university, and had a good working relationship with them.

Working at Selux I was able to appreciate the benefits of architectural lighting. We do not encounter architectural lighting schemes in a domestic setting, but we do see them in retail, hotels and generally in the public arena.. I understood that this kind of lighting is not an afterthought, and as such becomes an integral part to the design of a space. Which means that when the building is designed the lights will be planned for and incorporated into the design.

In Cornwall Selux provided lighting for Geevor Tin mine, the lighting is spread over descending floors providing continuous light lines, and as with many other cases the lighting is essentially adding to the architecture by becoming part of the interior design of the building.

Spaces are complimented and changed by the lighting schemes, and in some cases the lighting becomes more important than the building itself. Below are some Selux project examples.

Hochwasser-pumpwerk Köln, Deutschland

The walls and roof of the building have a flat lighting effect. The colour of the light changes according to the water levels of the Rhine. This is achieved via an electronic control system, called DALI EUTRAC ® software. The DALI (Digital Addressable Lighting Interface) computer creates different lighting scenarios, when the water tower is white this means that the levels of the Rhine are normal. The redder the water tower is the higher the water levels are.

The pumping station in Cologne exists beneath the water tower, and the water tower is a significant landmark and acts as an early warning system to the residents of Koln.

http://www.dali-ag.org/main.php?n=gz8a&a=sel&i=75
http://www.selux.co.uk/selux/uk/en

Below are images of the ‘Ordupgaard Museum’ in Kopenhagen, the extension to the main gallery was designed by the architect Zaha Hadid and the lighting schedule by Selux

Selux is also a hugely successful company with offices all over the world. They are also very environmentally conscious and focused on quality and longevity, this has allowed them to maintain a leading presence within the lighting market.

Milan 54321

I finally booked my ticket today, I'm going to Milan... omg!!!

http://www.blogfromitaly.com/atmospheric-milan/

http://www.photo-visible.com/photos/photo_en260.aspx
Duomo di Milano - Milan Cathedral Italy

and this the campsite.. but google maps could have taken this photo at any time.

This could equally be it, this is on the other side of the road, and there is some
kind of water park there too, with flumes, might be a bit cold in April though.