A dark scenario on which a web of light unfolds. The script is a contemporary prodigy, made up of beauty that reveals itself unexpectedly: beams of light that illuminate, one by one, large pieces of Italian-made design. The result? Art appearances that seem to be spells, like jewels nestled in a path of sublimation and amazement, accompanied by a narrative voice as a soundtrack. Therefore, a constellation of wonders…
This is what we will see, from 20th September to 23rd December, at the“ICONE – Voices of Design Made in Italy” exhibition, under construction in Doha at the M7 Museum, an exceptional location made more captivating by the four-handed project signed by Rossana Orlandi – the queen of design galleries – and by architect Lucio Micheletti of Micheletti+Partners, author of great contemporary creations. A winning combination of genius, intuition, and creativity.
In Qatar, forty elite designers, artists and architects will give life to an unprecedented conversation with the visitor, based on a dialogue as unexpected as it is fascinating. DENTROCASA is ready to tell you about it in advance and exclusively.
After crossing the threshold of Rossana Orlandi’s Milanese studio – the famous gallery located on Via Bandello –, we were literally hit by the emotional flow we felt around the mood board of the Doha event: icon-images, clippings, shapes and colours, all wonderfully arranged on the long veranda table, a work in progress… Elements of a story yet to be revealed, whose protagonists are however already well-defined: the excellence of international design and the grandeur of Italian production.
When talking about Doha and the project underway, Rossana Orlandi’s emotion propels us directly into a dreamlike landscape. “I love Doha and its inhabitants very much, that engaging desire to overcome the aridity of the desert through creations with magnificent features. In Doha, the desire to do things is truly vibrant: it is an ever-changing city, enriched by good taste and by the enormous culture of Sheikha Al-Mayassa bint Hamad bin Khalifa Al Thani and her mother.”




How does Made-in-Italy design fit into this scenario? “Italian production consists of such excellent companies that it was a real joy for me to accept the invitation from the embassy in Qatar to present them in Doha. ICONE is a project marked by the huge initial difficulty in convincing the authors to take part in it and, conversely, by the great current enthusiasm that prompted them to create beautiful presentations. The exhibition is divided into two parts: the first one highlights the value of original design through the voices of its authors, who describe the emotion underlying each single piece; in the second part, the companies introduce themselves by telling their stories, getting in touch with the Arab audience through their distributor. The only common thread is that of good taste. An attempt was then made to create a dialogue between all the pieces, between contrasts, similarities and continuity of language. There are iconic products, but also reinterpretations or re-editions of historical products: all designers have personally chosen their most significant piece, conveying its emotion. I could tell an anecdote about each of them…” concludes Rossana Orlandi.
As far as the actual set-up is concerned, the concept comes from the mind of Lucio Micheletti, who wanted to make the M7 museum spaces more stimulating. The architect himself tells us about his special “direction”. “With ICONE, we wanted the creations of forty designers, contemporary artists and architects to enter into a relationship with their products, establishing unexpected comparisons with the visitor, thus opening an intimate debate around design.
The idea was to reinterpret the location by proposing a setting where the space can be read in a poorly-lit setting, by playing with darkness and light. In the museum exhibition, objects become actors and take shape with light, accompanied by the narrative voice of the designer.
The exhibition therefore becomes a path where light, in its tale, reflects the careful attention to detail, combining concepts and design, in a harmonious search for shapes and colours.
The concept is that of an immersive experience in design based on the most recent digital and sound lighting technologies, directly involving visitors.
The idea of adding darkness and playing with lights is exquisitely philosophical. Darkness has a very strong bond with silence and with emptiness, understood as a spatial concept.
Darkness allows a kind of oscillation of meanings, so names and things no longer match.
This is the reason why, with darkness, as with silence, different mental realities take shape, based on images and sensations,” concludes architect Lucio Micheletti.
The countdown has begun… The curtain is about to rise on Doha…

Rita Baiguera
Co-Director rita.baiguera@dentrocasa.it
Seguici su