24 Hours in Milan
13th April 2021
60 YEARS SINCE THE FIRST SALONE DEL MOBILE: TOM DIXON PAYS HOMAGE TO MILAN.
Since the first Salone del Mobile in April 1961, Milan has become the design capital of the world. To honour the city on this occasion, British design brand Tom Dixon will host a ‘24 Hours’ event in Milan on 13th April on what would have been this year’s first day of Salone (before it was moved to September). On the day, Tom Dixon will also launch BURST chandelier and a 100% recyclable HYDRO chair in a 60-piece limited edition run. The designer will be present in Milan... as a hologram. This event is the fourth stop on Tom Dixon’s global ‘24 Hours’ tour following Paris (January 20), Copenhagen (September 20) and Stockholm (February 21).
On the 13th of April, Tom Dixon will host ‘24 Hours in Milan’ with a series of digital events, high profile talks, retrospectives and activities celebrating Milan and Salone del Mobile’s long-standing contribution to the design world. New and long-time friends of the brand will join to make this day extra special. Guests will include: Vogue Italia & Architectural Digest Italia editor Emanuele Farneti, Milan icon and gallerist Rossana Orlandi, leading architect Stefano Boeri and Business of Fashion contributor and luxury expert Luca Solca and Fashion designer Margherita Missoni (to name a few)
Due to the current Covid-19 restrictions and Italy being in lockdown, ‘24 Hours in Milan’ will be held digitally with Tom’s hologram making appearances for live events alongside key Italian figures from the design, fashion, music, media and art worlds. By using hologram technology, Dixon's team will create the illusion that the designer is in Milan in person, when in fact he will be standing in front of a green screen in his London HQ (King’s Cross). The brand will also reflect on key Milan highlights from their exhibitions over the last 17 years.
Tom says: ‘April for many is just another month, the beginning of spring perhaps, but for anyone involved in design, it has always been the beginning of the year, kicking off with a highly anticipated, daunting and exhilarating visit to MILANO – the absolute epicentre of the design business and the departure destination for our adventures throughout the year. A year ago, the human distress and cultural and financial damage that the pandemic had on Italy was difficult to comprehend from a distance, however soon we were all in similar situations, and it became obvious that all plans would have to be torn up and discarded. It was unimaginable then to think that a year later, we would still be unable to travel to our favourite design capital to show and discuss, to sell and to demonstrate our newest ideas... It would be too easy though to go back into hibernation – to ignore the calendar and succumb to the virus. What could we do? Well, we don’t think that Covid should stop us in our tracks – we have been experimenting in multiple ways to reach our partners, our customers and our friends. Through digital, virtual and more intimate 1-1’s and with any tool at our disposal, we can still be present and active. We hope to uniquely engage and to pay homage to the indomitable design spirit of Milan despite everyone’s complete inability to travel.’
The company’s CEO Hans Hoegstedt adds: ‘It was impossible for us not to send a tribute and heartfelt encouragement to our beloved Milan and Salone del Mobile on the exact day that the 60th edition of the Salone was supposed to start. We would like to thank all that have agreed to join us in this homage and to make this a special day for all the design fans across the world.’
As part of the ‘24 Hours in Milan’ campaign, Tom Dixon will launch two new products:
BURST: An extraordinary chandelier. Large in scale and highly reflective, BURST is made up of 12 spherical orbs which explode from a single point construction to create a spectacular chandelier, available in copper and chrome finishes. Highly mirrored and perfectly reflective during the day and when switched on reveals a multiplicity of internal reflections from the integral LED. It is intended for filling larger spaces and ceiling voids and it was inspired by an interest in molecular structures and the forward-thinking space age. This enormous lighting fixture is epically proportioned and impossible to ignore.
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HYDRO Chair: a limited-edition chair created in collaboration with HYDRO, the biggest aluminium producer in the world. The HYDRO chair is an innovation in aluminium technology. Using the latest technology, it has been blow-formed (through a process called Superplastic Forming) at high temperatures and then laser cut by robots. These methods were developed in the automotive industries to make deep and complex forms that were impossible to achieve a few years ago. The ballooned pattern gives strength and rigidity and lends a soft and humorous pop sensibility to the lightweight and shiny metal sheet. Useable indoors and out, its extreme lightness and stackability make it not just a desirable sculpture but also a highly practical chair. Manufactured in Canada by sub-suppliers to Tesla, the HYDRO chair is one hundred per cent recyclable. The 60 limited edition chairs have all been signed and numbered. They will be available to purchase exclusively from tomdixon.net from 13th April 2021 at midnight. Price: £2021 each.
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Using computer-generated imagery (CGI), BURST and HYDRO will be captured in iconic landmarks across the city including the brutalist Church San Nicolao della Flue, Palazzo Mondadori and Museo Nazionale Scienza e Tecnologia Leonardo da Vinci where Tom Dixon exhibited in 2013.
‘24 Hours in Milan’ will follow the same format as Paris, Copenhagen and Stockholm: 1 city and a 24-hour packed event schedule, which will include:
- A Tom Dixon homage to the last 60 years of Salone.
- A retrospective of 17 Years of Tom Dixon exhibitions in Milan
- A live interview with Tom on ‘24 Hours in Milan’ by Francesca Taroni (Editor of Corriere della Serra Living magazine)
- A Live Conversation on Milan as a cultural, fashion, design and architecture hotspot with Vogue Italia Editor and AD Italia Editor Emanuele Farneti.
- A talk with leading Milanese architect Stefano Boeri, followed by a product presentation by Tom (by invitation only).
- A panel discussion on the home luxury market with luxury analyst and Business of Fashion contributor Luca Solca, Tom Dixon’s CEO Hans Hoegstedt and Tom Dixon (by invitation only).
- A conversation on food and design with Francesca Sarti, founder of the renowned food design studio Arabeschi di Latte who Tom Dixon has collaborated with over many years in Milan.
- A Live conversation with Margherita Missoni on Milan and fashion and interiors crossovers.
- A live event with iconic Milanese lighting and furniture showroom MOHD (where BURST chandelier will be on display)
- A Cooking Masterclass with Italian Chef Marta Pulini.
- A Cocktail Masterclass at The Manzoni, Tom Dixon’s restaurant and hub in Milan.
- A Live DJ Set with Barnaba Fornasetti.
24 Hours in Milan will be broadcasted across Tom Dixon’s channels, tomdixon.net, @tomdixonstudio on the 13th April.
Tom and his hologram will be available for press interviews. To book your 1-1 with Tom and for more information, please contact the Press Office: press@tomdixon.net
The next stop on the International Tour will be 24-Hours in Shanghai in June 2021 and New York city in November 2021.