XXII Triennale di Milano Broken Nature: Design Takes on Human Survival, Curated by Paola Antonelli
The Triennale di Milano presents its XXII International Exhibition, Broken Nature: Design Takes on Human Survival. Curated by Paola Antonelli, Senior Curator of Architecture & Design, Director of Research & Development at the Museum of Modern Art in New York, Broken Nature is an in-depth exploration of the strands that connect humans to the natural environment that have been intensely compromised, if not entirely severed, over the years.
By casting a wide net on architecture and design projects, the exhibition underlines the concept of restorative design, highlighting objects and concepts at all scales that reconsider human beings’ relationship with their environments – including both natural and social ecosystems.
The XXII Triennale di Milano consists of a thematic exhibition, the contributions of 22 international participants, invited through official government channels under the auspices of the Bureau International des Expositions, an installation called The Great Animal Orchestra, created by Bernie Krause and United Visual Artists on the initiative of the Fondation Cartier pour l’Art Contemporain, and a special exhibition entitled The Nation of Plants, curated by Stefano Mancuso.
The thematic exhibition consists of four works specially commissioned from international designers. The commissioned works have been entrusted to Formafantasma (Andrea Trimarchi and Simone Farresin); to Neri Oxman and her research group, the Mediated Matter Group of MIT Media Lab; toSigil (Khaled Malas, Salim Al-Kadi, Alfred Tarazi, and Jana Traboulsi), a collective based in Beirut and New York; and to Accurat, a data-driven research, design, and innovation studio based in Milan and New York (project led by Giorgia Lupi and Gabriele Rossi). These commissions highlight design approaches aimed not only at correcting humanity’s self-destructive course, but also at replenishing our relationship with the environment and with all species – including other human beings.