Archivi categoria: NEW EDITION

Milan, the merging point of arts, culture, innovation and its new route to Osaka

Milan has been elected as the Italian city with the highest quality of life, according to a chart published on the Sole 24 Ore a few days ago. This fact is surely not a big surprise: apart from being the capital of finance and fashion, this big metropolis is also an excellence in production and distribution of national goods and it is known for its wide variety of cultural activities.

The countless possibilities that Milan offers to its inhabitants in different fields of the everyday life enables the city to be considered leader in our country for modernity and efficiency of services and allows it to face an international scenario with other European cities.

Being Milan the city of great working opportunities and cultural development, it is easy to understand why fields like design, theater, music and performative arts of any kind are so important to allow people to appreciate not only their culture, but also foreign ones.

Umeda_Sky_buildingGiven this positive framework, 2019 has been envisioned a great year in terms of cultural exchange among countries with very different traditions, with the aim of investigating lifestyles far from ours. This is surely the case of Italy and Japan, that will merge their habits this upcoming year, thanks to a project named Milano Genius 2019,  already introduced as framework co-supported by Switch on Your Creativity (the 6th edition), promoted and developed by the Italian Institute of Culture in Osaka in collaboration with Asian Studies Group as Milan located and partnered organisation.

milano genius 2019 png

These two municipalities are not stranger to each other: both of them are in fact cities of EXPO (Milan in 2015 and Osaka in 2025) and they also share the status of sister cities. Milano Genius will undoubtedly be a further opportunity for these countries to promote Italian artists, such as musicians, actors, dancers and painters in a series of events and cultural exhibitions between the months January and June.

grand front osaka

In January the concept of Milano Genius 2019 will be officially presented, whereas in February the main focus will be on contemporary art, through the paintings of Filippo Cristini, a young and talented Italian artist, whom has been promoted also here through  Switch on your Creativity hub, joining the 4th edition.

The months of March, April and May will be centered, respectively, on design, theater, photography and music, thanks to a variety of proposals, will bring the national culture overseas.

An additional aspect of the project is that it aims to be developed in different locations around Osaka, from traditional theaters to more unconventional settings like museums, halls and universities. Here arts, culture and innovation will reach the so called “merging point”, where cultural boundaries of both countries will join to celebrate the essence of culture everywhere and in every form, thanks to a communication system that involves emotions and goes beyond the linguistic aspect.

Milano Genius 2019, when creativity meets Japan through Arts, Culture and Innovation.

It has been edited a formal proposal which Italian Institute of Culture in Osaka decided to promote Italian culture and society though special events platform that will include creative contents from February to June 2019; the project called Milano Genius 2019 will be focused on arts, culture and innovation from Milano City.

IIC Osaka’s Director, Mr. Stefano Fossati decided to sustain this project to promote Culture, Arts and Innovation as mutual understanding and pro-active framework between Italy and Japan.  Asian Studies Group will support the whole organisation in terms of operative management from Milan, and as partnered organisation it will manage the agenda of activities in direct communication with Italian Institute of Culture in Osaka.

milano genius 2019 png

The project has been already introduced on preliminary phase to Osaka City and Milano City in the last weeks in behalf of informing the municipalities about patronage and co-branding.

Osaka City accepted to cooperate in the initiative hosting some contents of Milano Genius 2019 at important venues under the official promotion and introduction of the government of the City.

Both of the two municipalities Milano and Osaka are the cities of EXPO (Milan in 2015 and Osaka in 2025) and Milano Genius 2019 represents an additional common scenario for international cooperation and understanding.

Some contents that are going to be presented in Milano Genius 2019 have been promoted or designed as activities produced though our Switch on Your Creativity hub and they will be sponsored by our side and introduced as part of Switch on Your Creativity 6th Ed. 2019.

The logo has been designed by Arianna Galuppo from ACT Agency Milano‘ s team for IIC Osaka and presented on 26th of November to the international relations departments of Milan City and Osaka City.

As Association with headquarter based in Milano, on choosing our city as core content of this Milano Genius 2019 exhibition and events serie, we decided to improve cooperative and aggregative dynamics with Osaka City, due of twinning status of Osaka with Milano.

Beyond that, if we consider the assignment of official mandate for next EXPO’s organisation in 2025 to Osaka City, it’s easy to understand how much this project represents in terms of useful interaction between the two municipalities

Selected venues for activities included in the schedule for Milano Genius are well framed, beyond Festival hall Tower, in Nakanoshima, headquarter of IIC Osaka, they are chosen to show very attractive sides of the city and include universities, museums, public halls and new developing areas like Grand Front Osaka. Innovation is also subtitle of the project and it’s well represented by areas selected as performing venues for the programme.

grand front osakagrand front b

Milano Genius 2019 will embrace Contemporary Art, Design, Performing Arts, Music and Theatre.

In particular March will be the months dedicated to Design from Milan in Osaka with some exhibitions and open seminars with inclusive cooperation’s opportunities for japanese designers into joint-project that will allow them to participate to Milan Design Week 2019 in April.

In April it will be the turn of performing arts with some special performances, first ever in Japan (like Mistero Buffo – Dario Fo) with seminars and classes about italian contemporary theatre.

Always in April there will take place some contemporary art’s exhibitions with technical partnership by highly specialised agency Arti Services (Ms. Alessandra Korfias) and in May it will be the turn of contemporary photography, music with live concerts to introduce italian songwriters from Milan’s area and food experiences with starry chef from Milan who will portray in special menu some creative elements derived by music made in Milan.

The performing schedule is going to be busier as long as the opening of Milano Genius is getting closer, with some proposals from many sides we are trying to involve to make this cultural experience branded Milan unique in Osaka.

 

 

Youth Design Day in Japan, official logo presentation in Osaka

The opening of #DesignAndPlanet exhibition in Osaka at Italian Institute of Culture represents great opportunity for us to introduce the official logo that will follow contents promoted through Switch on Your Creativity’s platform concerning design, in particular those projects that will introduce creative industry’s contents from Milan to the international scenario.

We are proud, after five editions mainly managed to collect and support projects in Europe, to develop a new communication tool that can identify and boost youth creativity in Asia starting from Japan, country that always recognised in Milan an important city for creative industry and in particular for contemporary arts and design.

Logo YDD

The logo’s design represents two circles with open spaces that allow inter-actions between two dimensions, the creative and functional dimensions, because the perspective we want to follow is always something that allow contemporary society to get benefit from design and creativity side to  improve concretely some aspects of daily life.  The colours of course are the same of Switch on Your Creativity’s logo because #YDD is part of the platform we created to boost and promote youth creativity between Europe and Asia.

The presentation will take place today at Festival Tower in Nakanoshima at Spazio Arte managed by Italian Institute of Culture in Osaka during the opening of the exhibition we introduced from April to July through our digital channels (blogsite, social networks, webtv). #DesignAndPlanet, perspectives for sustainability promotes for the first time ever in Japan profiles of designers from Europe and Asia who joined last Milan design Week  on april 2018 and  it shows well detailed projects described on 18 panels and short movie subtitled in japanese. As we do every year we select also one important partnered centre among academies and universities to provide some joint- contents for our mission. For this edition we’ve chosen  IED Istituto Europeo del Design (european design institute) that presented works of some students collected in specific sections of the exhibition.

The municipality of Osaka is Twinned City with Milan and candidate for being designated the city of the next World Expo 2025. For us this frame has an important meaning if we consider that Switch on your Creativity was born on 2013 as creative contest in behalf of promotion of Milan Expo 2015 that officially patronised two edition of our contest, including the second that has taken place during the year of EXPO in Milan.

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Yesterday the project has been introduced in Japan to Osaka City Government directly to the Director for Business and International Promotion Economic Strategy Bureau at the presence also of representation of Comune di Milano (Milan City Government) and the director if Italian Institute of Culture. The meeting pointed out a preliminary cooperation’s schedule to develop Design as important content of our mutual agenda for the next year.

#DesignAndPlanet, perspectives for sustainability is hosted at Spazio Arte until 12 of November. Introduction on official website by Ministry of Foreign Affairs – Italian Institute of Culture in Osaka

How will the YDD projects by IED Turin students be welcomed by the Japanese market? Here what they think!

“How can you see your project in the Japanese market?”

We asked this question to the young designers participating to Youth Design Day in Japan.

Watch the video to know the answers given by the participants who come from IED Turin.


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YDD Projects meet Japanese taste. Watch the video and find out how!

In the video below, you can find what some of the other Youth Design Day in Japan participants think about the Japanese market taste concerning sustainable design.

They explain us why and how their design can be appreciated by the Japanese consumer.

The question is “How can you see your project in the Japanese market?”. Here are the answers by Christian Carlino, Dario Ivone and Monir Kazemian, Xijing XU, Tian WU and Yue LIU , Alessandro Azzolini, Clementina Chiarini and Nicolò Cellina, Vincenzo Sorrentino, Sara Vignoli, Alastair Brook, Jack Lehane, I Putu Wiraguna.


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YDD projects in the Japanese market? Here what participants think!

Will the Youth Design Day in Japan projects be appreciated by the Japanese market? Surely, we hope so.

Watch the video below and find out what some of our participants answered to the question How can you see your project in the Japanese market?


Keep on following us on Facebook and find out the answers the other participants gave to the question!

IED Turin students explain their Sustainable Mobility projects: Watch the video!

We asked the IED Turin students of the Transportation Design course to talk about their projects focusing on their sustainability element.

“What is your project and why it can be considered sustainable?” is the question, and below you can find their answers!


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Other ideas for #Sustainability in Japan? 2 new projects from IED Turin.

Last week, we presented the first three projects IED Turin selected from its Transportation Design course to partecipate to our contest The Youth Design Day in Japan. Now, let’s find out the other two participating projects!

The first of the two is that by Manuel Negri, 21 years old. It’s name is K-scrambler. Below some words from his author:

“K-scrambler is a zero-emission electric motorvehicle that has been conceived with the concept of sustainability in it. K-scrambler can be defined as a supporter of a particular innovation, in the social sphere, which foresees a change in the way of conceiving a motor vehicle, whose sole purpose is that of making fun, even in a hypothetical situation of city traffic. But it is in the dirt road and in the most remote places that its true captivating spirit is freed.

It is conceived when the problems of the planet become unsustainable, and one of these is the climate pollution caused by the emissions of diesel and petrol engines. It allows you to reach other unimaginable destinations to reach for such a segment and at the same time to preserve the surrounding environment.

It is developed to conceive it on a global level, and with the possibility of becoming part of a possible Japanese market, as it is linked to the concept of Keicar, a protagonist of the Japanese market between the 60s and 70s. The goal of this vehicle was to entertain the driver even in city traffic situations.”

Manuel Negri
Manuel Negri
k-scrambler
K-scrambler

 

The second of the two is by Tommaso Lorenzini, 22 years old.  (U) Pilen is the name of his project. Let’s find out what he told us about his work:

“My concept comes from the idea of saving materials and industrial assembly processes. Inspired by the meccano, the frame is made up of panels that can be laser cut, which are fixed with 3 load-bearing pins and join; battery, motor, mechanical components and hull. The customization of the vehicle already in series, relaunches a lot the value and the concept of uniqueness, despite, this product is born from a minimal industrial process which wants to reduce the use of material and the number of processing steps.

I projected a vehicle that is dynamic even in its internal parts, in facts, I created a frame that is adaptable to the needs of consumer with small variations in the canvas. These variations are very simple to make thanks to the industrial influence in the design approach. 

My vehicle id designed for young market, looking for an accessible entertainment. It is inspired by Meccano, a game of the past, with screws and bolts allowing to assemble various pieces of metal to create constructions. The pieces that formed these constructions were very light, and individually devoid of aesthetics.”

Tommaso Lorenzini
Tommaso Lorenzini
upilen
(U)Pilen

Keep on following us on Facebook and do not miss the video where the designers will tak about their concepts!

 

How can #Design save the #Planet? The answer from #ydd2018 participants.

We asked the young and talented Youth Design Day in Japan participants how, in their opinion, Design can be part of the Planet’s safeguarding movement.

In the video below, you can find the answers they give us to the question “How can Design save the Planet?


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Curious about the IED Turin proposals for #YDD? Here are 3 projects by its students!

As anticipated by an article published last week, IED Turin selected some of its students of the Transportation Design course, to participate to our contest The Youth Design Day in Japan, also due to the fact that the deep attention to Sustainability is a common element that join Switch On Your Creativity and the University in Turin. The projects they selected are 5, and in this article you are going to find out 3 of them. The other projects will be illustrated in the next one.  Let’s start from the first project.

It is by Emanuele Tomassorri, 21 years old. It regards Honda Motorinoa vehicle prototype which tries to combine functionality and portability without overlooking the importance of Sustainability.

Here what its creator says about his project:

“Honda motorino was born from a modern interpretation of the vehicle from which it takes its inspiration, the Motocombo. Its purpose is to mix urban life together with the mobility of urban planning itself, an object that allows you to be guided or transported easily, depending on the user’s needs.

This project was born to overcome the problems of space, use and theft caused by vehicles in this segment, being an object that is easily transportable and very intuitive in its use.

It tries to avoid dead spots during the use of the vehicle in areas where the vehicle in motion cannot be used. Simply, it bends and is totally transportable on the shoulder.”

emanuele tomassorri
Emanuele Tomassorri

 

hondamotorino
Honda Motorino

 

The second project is by Matteo Prola21 years old. His project name is F111 and concerns a prototype of a completely electric vehicle for the Ferrari brand.

Below the words from Matteo about his work:

F 111 is a zero-emission electric vehicle with a rooted sense of sustainability in his concept. What characterizes it is the sinuosity of the shapes, as if a veil were dropped and then molded to the underlying structure, thus creating and transmitting that sense of lightness and elegance, without forgetting to give back the right dynamism to the volume. 

[…] It is conceived to respond to the needs that will born when car sharing will be very popular and people, tired of them, will want to return to the pleasure of driving. Especially when the problems of the planet become unsustainable due to the emissions of petrol and diesel engines. This is why it has the key to sustainability in terms of solving a social problem caused by these dynamics. This product will allow people to have very high performance at the level of a 12 cylinder, but at the same time able to preserve the surrounding environment.

[…]This project has been developed and conceived with an eye always towards the internationalization of the product. Japan has always been a lover of the reds of Maranello, since the 70s, when the feeling broke out. The attraction for the elegant and muscular forms, and the innovation that Ferrari has always included in its models. I was inspired by the F40 because at that time it had stunned the audience, as if it came from another planet. Result obtained thanks to the collaboration with Pininfarina. The goal was to create a sort of Formula 1 adapted to road use.”

matteoprola
Matteo Prola
F111
F111

 

The third project is by Mirko Pocobello, 25 years old. The name of his project is Pathos and it is a motorbike model made for Maserati. It involves elegant lines and sustainable life-circle.

Here what Mirko has explained us:

“Pathos is a motorbike made for the Maserati brand. It is a visionary product that does not have a precise temporal collocation. Hence the idea of ​​thinking of an object that could be out of time, that did not undergo fashions or trends of the moment. A primordial object, the achievement of a further synthesis, both volumetric and conceptual. Thus, drawing a sustainable product because of an end of life that potentially does not exist, an avatar that lives with us as long as we are alive, an extension of the body. This is Pathos.

[…]I believe that the search for a new formal language does not have to consider market segments as hermetic zones from which one cannot go out. Rather, I believe that the contagion between the various areas of design is of vital importance for the continuous evolution.”

mirkopocobello
Mirko Pocobello
pathos
Pathos

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