Author: Sophie Leung-Lieu

During my experience in this course, I gained a new understanding of the world of design. We explored a myriad of museums, galleries, and studios, each showing me how the field of design can be connected to anything- art, architecture, history, engineering, and more. 

Through galleries and studios such as the Spazio Rossana Orlandi, Achille Castiglioni’s Studio, and Villa Neche, I saw unique objects and creations that were designed for function as well as beauty. Each had different qualities that made them special, teaching us something new about their past, present, and future. I learned so much about the creativity and innovation involved with product design and saw beautiful works of art along the way.

Museum and factory visits to Artemide, Campari, Armani, and Alfa Romeo highlighted the extravagance and uniqueness of Italian design. We were very lucky to go on these tours, as being able to experience each brand so closely is something we could never do otherwise. It was fascinating to also see how each big brand was incorporated into the city. For example, we saw Campari lamps hanging in a random cafe at Cadorna and recognized them from the museum. 

The Biennale in Venice and the Triennale in Milan were also some of my favorite exhibits, as they were beautiful examples of how design can be a language for the world and the problems we face. It was amazing to see how the artists used sight and sound to create an immersive experience and how no room was the same as the next. 

The Bosco Verticale, one of my buildings for the ‘Mapping the City’ assignment, was another one of my favorite buildings we saw this month. After I learned how it was designed to accommodate the plant structures, I decided to create my sketchbook about Milan’s greenery.  Even following the project, I noticed how many of Milan’s buildings accommodate growing plants. I had a moment of reflection when comparing these efforts to those of other countries, such as the US. I was impressed with Milan’s dedication to sustainability for the environment. 

Throughout my time on this maymester, one of my favorite highlights was learning about the people in our community. My fields of study are not related to design, so experiencing all of these places and hearing perspectives from classmates who truly understand them was truly something that enhanced my learning. From the Mapping the City project to just talking to the people around me, I feel like I have so much more knowledge in the field of design, just from socializing. I have also made wonderful friends and am so grateful to have met Professor Kate. 

On top of the educational experiences, studying abroad has been such an amazing way to see more of the world. In our free time, we traveled to Nice, Monaco, Lugano, Como, Venice, and other cities, and I have even more of Europe to see in the next couple of weeks as I make my way through Austria and Germany. Immersing myself in a new country was intimidating but rewarding, as now I can proudly navigate Milan’s public transportation system or even recommend places to go. 

To have the privilege to explore a foreign city filled with history, architecture, and design was so eye-opening. I felt challenged to learn to think like a designer, to spot the smaller details and patterns, and make connections between all the places we visited. I am motivated to become more involved with design in the future. This trip has been one of the most meaningful experiences in my life and has taught me so much about the world, its history, and the innovation behind it.

 

The Bosco Verticale on our city walk

Old Town of Monte Carlo, Monaco

Sketching in Fondazione Vico Magistretti

The Biennale in Venice

One of our weekend trips to Lugano, Switerland

Today marked the bittersweet ending of our wonderful month abroad. For one of our final visits, we saw the Campari Gallery, a museum exhibition showcasing the history and art of a famous Italian liqueur company. 

One of the most interesting things we saw was the unique form of advertisement that Campari executed in the 1900s. From music and film to prints and paintings, we saw a history of interdisciplinary advertising that often challenged norms and made Campari the company it is today. One billboard we dissected was named controversial because of the details of her hair color, which ring finger had a wedding ring, etc. 

Campari also designed many different everyday objects with their branding to promote the company. There were subway handles, dog bowls, pianos, all fitting the same color scheme and logo that made Campari recognizable. 

I loved seeing all the artwork and posters made to promote Campari, as they had so many creative graphic designs that showcased a variety of fonts and themes that created a strong identity for the brand. 

For our second weekend in Europe, we decided to visit a small town in Switzerland, just outside of Italy. The train ride to Lugano was just over an hour, and the city was a perfect place to have a relaxing day trip. We arrived early in the morning and spent the day enjoying the beautiful Lake Lugano, shopping, eating, and exploring. 

Along the coast were countless bright red benches for people to relax on. My favorite part of this trip was the time we spent sitting and sketching in front of the lake. It was a much needed break from the hustling city life of Milan and gave us time to relax and take in our surroundings. 

We also rented a pedal boat to sit on the water, which was a serene experience and a great memory!

On Wednesday, May 21st, we took a bus west of Milan to the corporate headquarters of Artemide, a hub for Italian-designed lighting fixtures. The day before, we also visited their smaller showroom closer to central Milan, which was a glimpse into the creative designs they produce. In our visit, we had the privilege of experiencing private tours of lighting design, testing, and production from experts at Artemide. 

I was very interested in the multiple ways that Artemide experiments on its products to ensure that they are not only elegant in visuality but also have limited flaws in their functionality. They were running tests on transportation and wire durability, heat levels emitted from the lamps, light strength compared to candles/natural light, and more. This showed how unique their production process and was very impressive to me. 

We also had the opportunity to walk through the factory where they made lighting fixtures. We saw the process of creating and packaging lamps through the work of many people and machinery. 

Photos from the gallery of lights inside the factory!

Photos from the Artemide showroom from 5/20

On our walking tour of the Galleria, we visited the central space of the shopping center, where there was a large dome at the intersection of four passageways. Along the structure were high-scale shopping centers and restaurants, where tourists and locals visited at leisure. 

The walls of the stores along the passageways had balconies, windows, and doors that were lined with intricate gold carvings. Each entailed sculptures with faces, animals, flowers, and other patterns. The windows also had their blinds down to enhance the white background behind the gold. 

In the center of the dome were four paintings on top of each passageway. They each portrayed a different scene and added color and dimension to the grandness of the dome. Then, the very top of the dome was a round skylight with silver and black details that contrasted with the gold on the walls. This brought light into the space from all sides of the area.

I enjoyed the intricacy and symmetry this space. The high ceilings and elegant details elevated the experience.