Stories Mattia Balsamini and the many shapes of the future Text by Laura Ghigliazza Photo by Mattia Balsamini Add to bookmarks Electrolux plant Are we envisioning the future? Or could these be tales of a life gone by? Nondescript offices leave no hint on their blah wall-to-wall. Some places – unassuming, unrelenting and unaccustomed to onlookers - feel like they’ve been drawn by an unerring hand. Graphic places, brimful of details and sporting the most delicate features. Light grey rock and metal, industrial skylines. Are we envisioning the future? Or could these be tales of a life gone by? Nondescript offices leave no hint on their blah wall-to-wall. Photographer Mattia Balsamini's camera lens stops time in its tracks. Neither the time nor the place are certain, but small details provide useful clues. From the series In Search of Appropriate Images. 2020 Spatial objects hover over soundless landscapes. While different, the photos form visual associations, interpreting a desolate and surreal world invented by the photographer. Star City Russia – Soyuz space simulator/From the series In Search of Appropriate Images. 2020 Mattia Balsamini's creative projects include, among others, the Caorso Nuclear Plant, MIT, Virtopsy, and hone in on the buildings that house scientific research and technological innovation. His work has been exhibited in major European cities. Caorso nuclear power plant, Piacenza. Porta Nuova, Milan. 2015 Office in Düsseldorf. 2020 The forensic medicine laboratories of the University of Vienna On the left the android Sophia on the right iCub. The space suit of Alexander Gerst. Johnson Space Center. Houston, Texas. From the series In Search of Appropriate Images. 2020 From the series In Search of Appropriate Images. 2020 The space suit of Alexander Gerst. Johnson Space Center. Houston, Texas. From the series Available Resources – Time Labour and the Proximity of Home From the series Contingency Plans From the series Contingency Plans The laboratories of Leonardo (Finmeccanica)
Salone Selection The holiday library. 5 important books to savor tranquilly From Robert Wilson’s chairs to fables about the Castiglioni brothers. From the Compasso d’Oro to Beatrice Leanza’s thoughts and a bookazine on luxury. Essential reading for all those with a passion for the topic. Patrizia Malfatti
Exhibitions The latest outdoor furnishing, championing sustainability, material and colour Comfortable and sustainable, outdoor furnishing lends itself to many different interpretations, channelling innovation and constantly evolving aesthetics Marilena Pitino
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
