mario bellini fabricates immense textile installation at proposte 2018

running for its 26th edition, from may 2nd to 4th in lake como, italy, the proposte 2018 is the world preview fair of the finest furnishing fabrics and curtains. since 1993, the event has shifted from promoting ‘made in italy’ to now focusing on ‘made in europe’ as well. throughout this time the exhibitors, who are exclusively direct producers themselves, have always delivered in terms of the highest quality of products, professional fairness, and significantly, their commitment to research in the field within aesthetics and technology. and the 2018 show will be no exception to this, but will also feature a specially commissioned installation of texture from mario bellini, the renowned italian architect and designer.

this unique, temporary installation reunites mario bellini with the exhibition center he designed back in 1986, which, ever since, has been the home of the proposte fair. for the 2018 edition, the one-off design is closely connected to the glass and concrete-constructed building’s architectural layout and as such, intends to complete it. this is by being placed at the heart of the exposition space, but mostly importantly, it showcases the fabrics at center stage.

taking a rotational and ever-changing movement, bellini’s spiral-shaped installation sources a construction material that is unusual for architecture but extremely relevant at the fair. 230 strips of different fabric will be joined into a single spiral of 130 meters in length. although starting in the main exhibition space, the fluctuating form is expected to hang across the whole fair ground. the shape itself adorns white and ecru colors in all their hues, which aims to heighten texture’s characteristics of lightness and abstraction.

‘we are very happy about this new collaboration with mario bellini’, the president mauro cavelli says, and continues, ‘the decision to involve the architect in the preparation of the next edition of the fair was taken because of his high standing in the world of design and architecture and for his close bond with the center that has been hosting proposte for the last twenty six years’.

‘I accepted this collaboration in order to underline the importance that the use of fabrics has in architecture and in design, a theme that one can never emphasize enough. at the same time, however, it is also an opportunity for returning to one of my dearest architectural projects’ maria bellini commented.

proposte 2018 will be held at villa erba, cernobbio, lake como, italy, from may 2nd to 4th, 2018. to compliment mario bellini’s artistic contribution, he will lead a lecture that will illustrate the project and his personal experience with the world of furnishing fabrics.