White in the city - Every shade of white

By Redazione The Plan - 3 July 2017

White in the City event that is the brainchild of Claudio Balestri, Chairman of Oikos materia e colore per l’architettura, at the Milano Design Week 2017. The project consists of an itinerary embracing installations at different locations that tell the story of the color white in all of its chromatic and symbolic aspects: the Pinacoteca and Accademia di Belle Arti di Brera, Palazzo Cusani, the former Church of San Carpoforo, and Class Editori Space, as well as the center of town. Some of Milan’s most prestigious palazzos provide the backdrop to a route conceived by Art Director Giulio Cappellini, who invited top design and architecture world names to interpret the venture’s topic in a personal way. White and its ability to transform the environment into a place of well-being have been used and tried out in every possible type of living space and contemporary lifestyle. Against the stunning backdrop of the courtyard at the Pinacoteca di Brera, which hosted the White Architecture event, Giulio Cappellini conceived two specular architectural installations that, in their reinterpretation, reference the building’s arcades, made out of different materials and textures in order to create atmospheres and chiaroscuro effects. Projects from seven major international architectural practices are on show in the surrounding area. Studio Boeri Architetti presented Urban Hugs, an intimate space for hugging protected from traffic and frenetic city life. Nature, science and symbolism come together in the Walking through Whiteness installation by David Chipperfield Architects, a 2.5 m-sided white cube made up of a structure of chalk beams and a salt floor, illuminated by an extra-white 5000 degree Kelvin white light that shines in through a small hole on the ceiling: the contrast between light and dark, glossy and matte, define our perception of the space. Aires Mateus e Associados answered the call with Vuoto di luce, which explores the importance of a key...