hot and cold by fabrica: an interactive temperature-based installation

hot and cold by fabrica + daikin: an interactive sensory installation
all images courtesy fabrica

during milan design week, communication research centre fabrica and air conditioning systems company daikin presented ‘hot&cold’. the interactive exhibition was conceived as conceptual representation of temperature, guiding visitors through an experiential journey through a series of multi-sensory artistic and sculptural installations. ‘in this project we conceived design as a practice that must communicate through form and function,’ says sam baron, director of design at fabrica.

‘an exchange between opposites that represents the distinctive approach taken by fabrica, a place where young talents from across the globe can constantly engage with each other, in projects with universal appeal. a design that sets out from an object, and reaches towards sound, graphics and interactivity,’ he adds. among the works exhibited, a kinetic installation in which feathers move in a range of shapes, colours, and graphic patterns evokes the seasonal migration of exotic birds; meanwhile, tropical plants take shape in a series of ice compositions, creating a path throughout the space.

‘basically, with this installation, we translate invisible elements, in this case, air, into three dimensions with the act of burning the boroscilicate glass,’ explains giorgia zanellato, one of the designers responsible for the project, to designboom, ‘over the course of the exhibition, the letters will become fully charred, highlighting the effect from the ‘hot’ aspect of the theme.’

‘there are eight different kinds of installations, which express the balance, and our interpretation of hot and cold. for example, the tropical plants encased in ice show the transition between solid and liquid; from cold to hot,’ she adds.

installation view one of the frozen tropical plants