Stories Five unmissable exhibitions for travelers in Europe and beyond Text by Patrizia Malfatti Add to bookmarks Do Ho Suh, Tate Modern, London - Ph. Tate Photography Jai-Monaghan The Solar Biennial and the iconic textile architectures of Do Ho Su. And a century of swimming, the inventiveness of the 1940s and the modernity of the Shakers. For those who love design - past, present and future Splash! A Century of Swimming and Style It’s time to dive into summer... and into an exhibition celebrating the love of water! A journey through over 200 objects that recount the passion for swimming, from the elegance of swimming pools to the charm of bathing beaches and the wild beauty of natural landscapes. A unique exploration that entwines sport, style, architecture, society and the environment. What surprises are in store? From the architectural model of the London Aquatics Centre, designed by Zaha Hadid for the 2012 Olympics inspired by the fluid geometry of moving water, to The Seagull and the Windbreak, the first wheelchair-accessible beach hut built by ABIR Architects and Peter Lewis / AEREA Design in 2011. And then, from the parade of iconic swimsuits such as the woolen Jantzen of the 30s to the revolutionary bikini by Louis Réard, the famous and controversial LZR Racer, developed by Speedo with NASA and the Australian Institute of Sport in 2008, so effective that it was banned for “technological doping” shortly after. For all those who want to discover how design has shaped our relationship with water (and still does). Where: The Design Museum, LondonWhen: until 17 August 2025 Splash! A Century of Swimming and Style, The Design Museum Boom: Art and Design in the 1940s While necessity is the mother of invention, the pressure of war in the 1940s gave rise to beauty and creativity. Despite all the hardships, an outstanding spirit of technological inventiveness pervaded the period. Think of curved plywood, a hallmark of the Eameses’ output, developed primarily with funding from the US Navy for emergency splints for the limbs of the wounded, or the polyethylene of Earl Tupper’s kitchen containers initially developed for radars by DuPont. Over 250 works including paintings, furnishings, clothes and various objects recount the perfection not only of materials but also of the key aesthetic languages that then made their mark in the following decades: in art, with Jackson Pollock’s first steps in Abstract Expressionism; in fashion, with the military-inspired jacket designed by Elsa Schiaparelli with deep pockets, making it possible to leave home without a bag but taking a gas mask. For those who believe that beauty can still save the world. Where: Philadelphia Museum of Art, PhiladelphiaWhen:Until 1 September 2025 Boom: Art and Design in the 1940s, Philadelphia Museum of Art Soleil·s | Solar Biennale 2 The Solar Biennale, established in the Netherlands in 2022, by designers Pauline van Dongen and Marjan van Aubel, was created as a platform for reflection on the challenges of solar energy. In this second edition, it explores the symbolic and transformative potential of the sun, showcasing the ways solar design goes beyond energy innovation. Our star, in fact, is not just a yellow dwarf that gives life to the world, but much more. Five foundational concepts are linked to the versatility of the mother star and presented here: energy revitalization, heliotropism, symbolic gravity, transitions and melody. Between installations, objects, films, innovative materials, immersive spaces and creations by designers and artists such as Òlafur Elìasson, Liam Young and Andreas Gursky, the aim is to prompt us to rethink the relationship with health, politics, urban planning and inclusiveness in new ways and inspire approaches to de-carbonize our lifestyles. Making the message even more immediate, a series of specially designed apertures allow sunlight to pervade the interiors. For all those wanting to investigate the theme of the ecological transition in symbolic, political, and aesthetic terms. Where: MUDAC – Musée de design et d’arts appliqués contemporains, Losanna When: Until 21 September Solar Biennale Soleils - Ph. Cynthia Ammann The Shakers: A World in the Making They have had a profound influence on design, and the works they have left us still fascinate today by their modernity. The Shakers, the religious community created by a textile worker in Manchester in the late 1700s, created a world in their own image and need, where design and architecture were simply an expression of the community’s beliefs related to work and social equality. Designed by Formafantasma, the exhibition presents 150 items, including furnishings, utensils and commercial goods, mostly from the Shaker Museum in Chatman, NY, which highlight the characteristic features of their work: the improvement of everyday objects and their consequent adaptation to specific uses. And to create new connections with one of the most compelling experiments in the history of alternative community life, seven artists and designers of today were also asked to express themselves. As Mea Hoffmann, one of the curators, writes, “The Shakers offer a stimulus for today’s design.” For those who love to reflect on the possibilities offered by traditional values.Where: Vitra Design Museum, Weil am RheinWhen: Until 28 September The Shakers: A World in the Making, Vitra Design Museum Walk the House Seoul, New York and London. These are three cities that Do Ho Suh, a Korean sculptor born in 1962, calls home, having lived in them for the last thirty years. Inspired by his story as a migrant, Suh’s artistic research starts from the concept of “home” which, together with memory and identity, are the essence of this fascinating retrospective where fantastic textile architectures, on a 1:1 scale, engage in a dialogue with site-specific projects, videos and original works on paper. The title of the exhibition, taken from a Korean expression referring to the hanok - the traditional dwelling that can be dismantled and reassembled elsewhere, fully reflects the idea of the transportability of a building and examines the relations between architecture, the body and memory. “The space I’m interested in is not just physical, but also intangible, metaphorical and psychological,” says Suh. “To me, ‘space’ is what encompasses everything.” For everyone who wants to understand how greatly the spaces we live in define us. Where: Tate Modern, LondonWhen: Until 19 October
Stories The biology of light, according to Manuel Spitschan What does chronobiology have to do with design? Manuel Spitschan, professor at the Technische Universität München, explains why light is essential to our well-being. And why designers should know more about it to design better. Giulia Zappa
Sustainability The Piazze Aperte scheme is really changing the face of Milan Since 2018, the two local governments helmed by Mayor Giuseppe Sala have closed more than fifty of the city’s streets and roads to traffic – but not to people. And this is just the beginning Fabrizio Fasanella
Salone Selection Danish stratigraphy: material practices and ethical visions at 3daysofdesign 2025 Not a trade fair, but a cultural ecology - an interweaving of voices, materials, gestures and narratives that speak of sustainability, authenticity, conscious beauty Marilena Sobacchi
