Emiliano Ponzi has illustrated the 90s for Salone del Mobile.Milano

Following the posters devoted to the ‘60s, ‘70s and ‘80s, the Salone del Mobile.Milano and Emiliano Ponzi have unveiled the fourth illustration, devoted to the ‘90s. It was a decade in which the fair, already well-established, continued to grow between the walls of the fairground pavilions, while boasting an inspired and carefully thought-out packed programme of collateral events in the city. The first of a succession of exhibitions paying tribute to the great masters of design was held, along with new and original crosscutting events combining design, art, fashion and food. In 1994, Massimo Vignelli designed the manual for the coordinated Salone del Mobile image for which he won the 1998 Compasso d'Oro Award. That same year saw the inception of SaloneSatellite, conceived and curated by Marva Griffin Wilshire, responsible for the debut and successful launch of numerous young Italian and international design talents. SaloneSatellite is both a “launchpad” for recent graduates and young professionals under 35, giving them an opportunity to exhibit their projects, and a point of reference for companies on the lookout for future talents, a chance to see fresh ideas and original approaches to design for themselves.

The focus of Emiliano Ponzi’s fourth poster is  La Scala, a temple to opera and one of Milan’s most symbolic places, chosen to echo the wealth of city-based cultural productions promoted by the Salone del Mobile, in the spirit of great openness to the exchange and circulation of ideas and creativity. The design features the ornamentation to the sides of the stage, portrayed in sharp chiaroscuro, the curtain is simplified in order to leave room for the backdrop, painted with a natural landscape, and the spotlight that frames the ballerina who, dancing, leaping and hovering, carries us away from the real world into a dreamlike space. The number 60, which symbolises the anniversary of the Salone, merges with the logo of the theatre. Red is the overriding colour, leaving just a single white space: the light reflected on the ballerina’s tutu.

There is a disruptive element to this poster too. Unlike traditional publicity campaigns, the picture also harnesses augmented reality. Scanning the QR code on the picture allows it to come alive, no longer static and two-dimensional but actually moving. With a leap, the ballerina magically turns into an elegant, graceful swan, before fluttering her wings and exiting the scene, making for an element of surprise and poetry. The digital part of the image has again been created by Alkanoids, a Milanese creative studio specialising in motion graphics, 2D/3D animation and filmmaking.

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