XXI triennale exhibits lorenzo palmeri's rapa nui free-standing quartz faces in milan

XXI triennale exhibits lorenzo palmeri’s rapa nui free-standing quartz faces in milan
all images courtesy of manuel scrima

XXI triennale international design exhibition: at present, we live in a world which is making a radical transition from traditional industry – that the industrial revolution brought through industrialization – towards the new information age as a result of the digital revolution. the unknown future opens the way to new questions, hopes and fears. what will our future look like? how shall we go on? how do we respond to changing applications and data available?

the la triennale design museum based in milan, italy, has approached this concept by exhibiting project ‘rapa nui’ – a series of free-standing monumental quartz faces designed by lorenzo palmeri. the cultural institution which focuses on art, design, architecture and exhibition events has presented these sculptures within the courtyard of magnolia in the accademia di brera.

‘rapa nui’ is a series of free-standing monumental quartz faces

lorenzo palmeri‘s five feet, three meter wide structures – which were created in collaboration with manufacturer stone italiana – act as a point for reflection. each ‘face’ marks two areas; an interior where one can sit and relax, read or simply stare at the world through the mask’s eyes, and an exterior that is looked at from the outside. 

each structure contains a different human charateristic

‘rapa nui’ makes reference to the ‘moai’ monolithic human figures carved by the rapa nui people on easter island in eastern polynesia between the years 1250 and 1500 CE. the mysterious appearance of these pieces are intended to ask important questions towards the future in which we are heading. will it be friendly? welcoming? or refuse changing all of our attempts at reprogramming? the answers are unknown, but the installation allows one to bring these thoughts into existence. 

these structures act as a point for reflection     

the mysterious appearance of these pieces are intended to ask important questions towards the future
 

sketch of the design

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XXI triennale international exhibition: 21st century. design after design
april 2nd – september 12th, 2016

the XXI triennale di milano international exhibition has a vast program of exhibitions, events, competitions, festivals and meetings throughout the city, in venues ranging from la triennale (palazzo della triennale) to the fabbrica del vapore, pirelli hangarbicocca, the politecnico di milano campuses, the IULM campus, MUDEC, the national museum of science and technology ‘leonardo da vinci’, BASE milano, the palazzo della permanente, the pirelli tower, the ex expo site, the museo diocesano, the pirelli foundation, the university of milan, the accademia di belle arti di brera, the triennale expogate through to the villa reale in monza, the historic site of the first international exhibitions. running under the title ’21st century. design after design’, it touches on key questions, such as the new dramatic art of design, which consists mainly in its ability to deal with those anthropological issues that classical modernity has excluded from its brief, such as death, the sacred, eros, destiny, traditions, and history; the issue of gender in design; the impact of globalization on design; the transformations brought about by the dawn of the twenty-first century and the crisis of 2008; the relationship between city and design; the relationship between design and the accessibility of new information technologies; and the relationship between design and craftsmanship. 

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