A two-fold cultural programme at Salone del Mobile.Milano 2025

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Bjarke Ingels, Architect, Founder and Creative Partner Bjarke Ingels Group - Ph. Giulia Copercini

Talks, round tables, masterclasses and workshops featuring professionals of international standing. With new business opportunities and all-round reflections on the future of architecture and the role of light in spaces

Aimed at imparting knowledge and experience, swapping ideas, triggering reflection and inspiration around entrepreneurial opportunities and responsibilities, the packed cultural programme directed by Annalisa Rosso, Editorial Director & Cultural Events Advisor of the Salone del Mobile.Milano was held from 9th to 12th April in the Drafting Futures Arena (Pavilion 14) and The Forest of Space Arena (Pavilion 2).

The former, designed by Formafantasma and successfully road-tested at the previous edition, was home to the Salone Library project again this year. The latter, designed by Japanese architect Sou Fujimoto, was devised as a hub of knowledge and innovation for the future of lighting design.

"The forest is one of the oldest sources of inspiration for mankind," explained Fujimoto, "It is a primordial space of encounter, exploration and discovery. The Forest of Space reworks this age-old concept, transporting it into a contemporary exhibition setting and inviting the audience to reflect on how we want to shape our future.”

Drafting Futures. Conversations about Next Perspectives

The programme Drafting Futures. Conversations about Next Perspectives consisted of Talks in the morning and Round Tables in the afternoon, with interventions from the likes of Valeria Segovia, Bjarke Ingels, Lesley Lokko and Paolo Sorrentino.
Valeria Segovia - Design Director of Gensler in London, opened on 9th April by discussing changes in perspective. "It is important to design for people," said Segovia. "We have lost the sense of really believing that there is something beyond what we can touch, see and hear. It is the feeling of space, the energy of connection with what surrounds us, that sets up vibrations." Bjarke Ingels' contribution was an invitation to reflect on how materiality, technology and human interaction can redefine the future of urbanism. Lesley Lokko's intervention focused on Africa, a continent fuelled by extraordinary creative energy and ambition.
In the 2025 closing talk, on 12th April, Oscar-winning filmmaker Paolo Sorrentino discussed the value of waiting, the theme of his installation project at the Salone.

Business and design  

The afternoon Round Tables, featuring international professionals and organisations, tackled crucial business topics: Manufacturing Excellence and Italian Style in the World by Intesa Sanpaolo, The Business of Design: Global Perspectives on Trade, E-Commerce, and Distribution (10th April), The Business of Hospitality: Where Design Meets Functionality (10th April) with the participation, amongst others, of Pierre-Yves Rochon, Founder and Global Design Director, PYR.

salonemilano 2025 — Villa Héritage, Pierre-Yves Rochon - Ph. Monica Spezia

The Euroluce International Lighting Forum

The first edition of  Light for Life. Light for Spaces kicked off in a packed Forest of Space Arena, with an active and focused audience, particularly for the intervention by the neuroscientist Stefano Mancuso and the conversation between the artist Robert Wilson and Maria Porro, President of the Salone del Mobile.Milano, "We are talking about a real debut that, thanks to the contributions of experts in the sector, as well as those of biologists and anthropologists, will investigate the meaning of light in a broad sense," said Carlo Urbinati, President of Assoluce of FederlegnoArredo, who added in his introductory greeting: "the exhibitors are the owners of this show. It is they who have made this possible." The two-day event (10th and 11th April) consisted of 6 masterclasses, 2 panel discussions and 2 workshops, with 20 international speakers. In her introductory speech, Maria Porro had this to say: "I come from a theatrical background. When I was a student my role was to be the 'skittle': I had to stand all night on stage so that the light designer could check that the light was correct. A frame: you start off in the dark, using light to design space and time. I think every young designer should experience being a skittle. Light is emotion. You cannot predict an emotion.”

The declinations of light

The solar designer Marjan van Aubel, founder of the Solar Movement, reflected on the widespread harnessing of sunlight as a form of democratic energy. "We are illuminated by the sun every day and everywhere. Everything that exists on Earth is thanks to the sun. In the future I see, every object will be powered by solar energy, in some countries this is already a reality,” she said. Nourishment from light - Stefano Mancuso, a pioneer of plant neurobiology asked himself - and us - how humans can be inspired by the strategies adopted by plants to capture light and transform it into a source of well-being. “Photosynthesis is a miraculous process that needs sunlight,” explained Mancuso. “It turns carbon dioxide into chemical energy, producing a waste molecule called oxygen. An extraordinary process that makes life possible.” “If we could replicate photosynthesis artificially, we would solve a great deal. There are only five people in the world who study this, not because it is complex but because it is uninteresting,” he continued. The American artist Robert Wilson spoke about creativity and the transformative power of design, in dialogue with Maria Porro, President of the Salone del Mobile.Milano. "Light is fundamental, it is construction, time and space. On my first day of studying architecture, I was lucky enough to listen to a lecture by Louis Kahn. He said: ‘students, start with light.’ He had a profound influence on me.” Responding to a question from Maria Porro Mother, the installation at the Rondanini Pietà Museum at the Sforzesco Castle, he said: "Great works are always unfinished. Michelangelo said that the Pietà would be his last work and that it should not be finished.” "It is important to always give the audience space to feel and to see. Time to think, time to dream.”

The central role of light

The Round Table: Light for Life saw experts in the field come together to explore the central role of light in everyday life, a key element of our equilibrium. The Transparency, Flexibility and Sustainability workshop involving a select number of lighting designers offered a practical and concrete analysis, weaving together all the themes, concepts and perspectives addressed on the first day.

The present and future of lighting design

In his masterclass The Role of Light and Shadow in Architecture, Kaoru Mende explored the present and the future of lighting design, in LIGHT. An Instrument of Life and Revelation, while Patrick Rimoux proposed an innovative approach to architectural lighting, and Lonneke Gordijn of Studio DRIFT explored the creative processes and potential of technology in the service of living environments that activate people's brains. Closing, and complementing the themes and visions of the day, the workshop Temporary Light in Permanent Space: Creative lighting solutions for museums and exhibitions, led by A.J. Weissbard, delved into the technical, aesthetic and conceptual aspects of lighting design.

The Salone in the city

Finally, Salone events in the city included Library of Light, Es Devlin's installation in the Cortile d'Onore at the Pinacoteca di Brera, Robert Wilson. Mother at the Museo della Pietà Rondanini - Castello Sforzesco and, in Piazza della Scala, the second edition of the Design Kiosk, a temporary space conceived by DWA Design Studio, hosting leading figures from the design world and a selection of editorial products and design objects.