Flower power: Porsche’s immersive installation blooms at Milan Design Week
For ‘The Art of Dreams’, Porsche explores nature and technology with an immersive installation by botanical artist Ruby Barber of Studio Mary Lennox
- (opens in new tab)
- (opens in new tab)
- (opens in new tab)
- Sign up to our newsletter Newsletter

For its Milan Design Week debut, Porsche presents the latest work in its series ‘The Art of Dreams’, at Palazzo Clerici, Brera. The company explores the interplay of nature and technology through an immersive installation by Berlin-based botanical artist Ruby Barber, founder of Studio Mary Lennox. The sculptural artwork combines the fragility of flowers with the promise of 21st-century tech.
Fascinating in its resting state, the installation comes to life for regular, choreographed performances. In an intense creative development process, the artist collaborated with flight engineers and dedicated drone pilots to create a new-to-the-world art experience.
Ideas of renders and animations, first envisioned in the virtual realm, are transported into reality, creating surreal vistas and sensations for the viewer. The installation connects with the sports car manufacturer’s pioneering spirit, simultaneously posing subtle questions about the role of technology, its global contribution and its relation to the natural world.
‘I am curious to explore the connections between nature and the modern human environment,’ says Barber. ‘The possible interactions between botanics and technology are particularly intriguing to me. In this work, I dreamt of a meeting place between the two worlds, fusing both together to create a space for a new experience.’
Barber’s surreal arrangements create spaces between nature and architecture, between reality and dreams. Her installations are modern and emotional, and include collaborations with the likes of Hermès and Cartier.
This piece is the second commissioned work for ‘The Art of Dreams’, a global art initiative by Porsche that deals with the motif of dreams through various interactive installations in major cities around the world. With its aim to inspire, convey optimism, and contribute to lively communities, the initiative launched in Paris in 2021 and visited Singapore in early 2022.
Ruby Barber.
During Milan Design Week 2022, ‘The Art of Dreams’ will be showcased at Palazzo Clerici for seven days as part of a wider programme of engagement, including exclusive events and a secluded garden café. Committed to a sustainable way of working in local communities, the brand selected partners from among the best and brightest of Milan’s creative minds and culinary entrepreneurs.
Yoga and meditation sessions, for example, in collaboration with yoga community Ciaomondo, founded by Licia Florio and Francio Ferrari, provide a mindful start to the bustling days of Salone.
Vegan and vegetarian delicacies for all exclusive events are created by Sara Nicolosi, Cinzia De Lauri, and Giulia Giulia Scialanga, the chefs and masterminds behind Altatto, Milan’s most innovative haute cuisine establishment.
In the garden, meanwhile, Milan-based, Buenos Aires-born artist Alek O will realise a group of sculptures, giving new life to found tiles, and welcoming visitors to rest and enjoy the peaceful surroundings.
‘Porsche is driven by dreams,’ says Robert Ader, chief marketing officer at Porsche. ‘With “The Art of Dreams” initiative we want to remind people about the importance of dreaming and to inspire them. At the same time, we are keen on supporting the creative community and on bringing exceptional artwork to the public.’
INFORMATION
‘The Art of Dreams’ is at Palazzo Clerici, Via Clerici 5, 20121 Milan, 6 – 12 June, porsche.art
-
Kunokaiku urns become everyday domestic objects to address the subjectivity of loss
Kunokaiku urns were created by photographer Marianna Jamadi with Mexican ceramic studio Menat, as a way to remember a loved one at home
By Sheila Lam • Published
-
Samsung’s Galaxy S23 and Book3 expand its ecosystem with speed and sophistication
Samsung’s new Galaxy S23 Ultra and Galaxy Book3 Ultra are designed to deliver a premium computing experience
By Jonathan Bell • Published
-
Design, air filtration and sustainability meet in the ‘Air’ lamp
‘Air as design inspiration’: the ‘Air’ lamp by Adam D Tihany and Contardi puts ecological issues at the forefront
By Hannah Silver • Published
-
Venice Biennale 2022 closing review: who, how and what on earth?
As the sun sets on the 59th Venice Art Biennale (until 27 November), we look back on an edition filled with resilience, female power and unsurprisingly, lots of surprises
By Harriet Lloyd-Smith • Published
-
Bruce Nauman’s Venice mega-show is a full body experience
Focusing on the American artist's performative 'Contrapposto Studies', Bruce Nauman's show at Punta della Dogana, Venice, gives new meaning to body language – on view until 27 November 2022
By Laura May Todd • Published
-
Biennale Arcipelago Mediterraneo: reflections on Sicily’s history and futures
Opening against the backdrop of Italy’s snap general election, the third edition of the Biennale Arcipelago Mediterraneo in Palermo ruminates on past and present global conflicts, interwoven with stories from the Mediterranean
By Hili Perlson • Last updated
-
Mitico: art, luxury hospitality and home cooking collide in Italy
Spearheaded by the Belmond hotel group and Galleria Continua, new initiative Mitico introduces the work of four major artists on the grounds of four iconic Italian hotels
By Amy Serafin • Last updated
-
Ai Weiwei unveils first-ever exhibition of glass sculptures in Venice
On the island of San Giorgio Maggiore, Venice, Ai Weiwei unveils his first show of glass works, including one of the largest Murano glass sculptures ever
By Harriet Lloyd-Smith • Last updated
-
Jes Fan: the artist probing the intersections of biology, identity and creativity
Multidisciplinary artist Jes Fan uses fungi, bacteria and hormones to produce thought-provoking sculptures that explore how art and biology come together to break down social constructs. This article originally appeared in the August 2022 Issue of Wallpaper*, on newsstands now and available to subscribers
By Drew Zeiba • Last updated
-
Stanley Whitney’s Italian paintings reveal an art practice in transition
American abstract painter Stanley Whitney’s works from the 1990s to mid-2000s, made in Italy and now on display as a collateral event of the Venice Biennale 2022, show an evolution of form and colour
By Amah-Rose Abrams • Last updated
-
A Practice for Everyday Life gives 59th Venice Biennale a richly surreal graphic identity
London-based graphic design studio A Practice for Everyday Life (APFEL) gives an otherworldly identity to the surrealism-infused 59th Venice Biennale theme ‘The Milk of Dreams’
By Jonathan Bell • Last updated