How Does Architecture and Design Shape Collective Experience?
By centering built spaces often overlooked as backdrops, we explore how spatial environments shape cultural events just as much as what's going on within them.
For Milan Design Week on the 19 - 26th April, we’ll be taking over Dropcity in Milan with a free programme delving into the role of architecture and design in cultural event spaces. With a panel talk, presentation and exhibition, The Design of Collective Experience reframes the built environments often considered peripheral to architectural discourse, platforming studios pioneering new approaches that break from convention.
We’ll be featuring those behind work that includes the scaffolded Radar stage that doubles as a multi-storey viewing space at Amsterdam’s Dekmantel, transforming the historic rotunda of Paris’ Bourse de Commerce for an immersive 360-deg Arca performance, and a floating viewing tower atop of a lake at Portugal's Waking Life - alongside many more.
Our programme comes in collaboration with Dropcity, a cavernous venue underneath Milan’s Central Station. Find our full events listing throughout Milan Design Week below:
DROPCITY
Via Sammartini 40, Milan
1
Exhibition: The Design of Collective Experience
19-26 April (free entry)
Featuring photography and drawings from forward-thinking studios including Tom Schneider, Matière Noire, Erased Studio, badweather, Lumus Instruments, Inter Agency, Studio Raito, Cake Architecture and more.
With project imagery, conceptual storyboarding and design documentation, this exhibition details the thought process and meticulous detail behind each work, from nightclub dance floors and festival stages to art installations and performance.
2
A/V Presentation: Temporary Pleasure Presents post-club
21 April 18:30-19:30 (free entry)
Temporary Pleasure is a collective working at the intersection of architecture, nightlife and culture. Known for immersive, site-specific projects, the studio offers a critical perspective on the design of nightclub environments and temporary space. This audio visual presentation expands on their research into club culture, exploring how scenography, sound and spatial design shape dancefloor experiences.
3
Panel & DJ Set: The Design of Collective Experience
April 24 18:00–21:00 (free entry)
Hosted by creative director Kazeem Kuteyi (All Corners/Trippin), with speakers Felix Ward (Matière Noire), Kristian Kirk (Inter Agency) and Francesca Lantieri (2050+), this panel brings together those on the forefront of experiential spaces, examining how contemporary scenography and spatial design of temporary environments shape the way we collectively experience culture.
The panel will be followed by a DJ set by Blenk.
