‘Objects that Speak: A Conversation Continued with Andrea Branzi’ sees Rosewood Hotels & Resorts make its Milan Design Week debut with an installation that feels less like an exhibition and more like a space for thought. Curated in collaboration with Deyan Sudjic, the project traces Rosewood’s evolving relationship with design while paying tribute to Andrea Branzi, one of Italy’s most influential design minds, who passed away three years ago.
Set in Via Carlo de Cristoforis 1 and open until 25 April, the installation centres on a striking, almost meditative display: 15 monumental lamps by Branzi, crafted from Japanese rice paper and Belgian bluestone. Towering yet ethereal, these 'lamps' gather in the room like silent presences, accompanied by two of his wall paintings, shown publicly for the first time. ‘Rosewood is an unusual company run by people who are curious about design culture,’ says Sudjic. ‘It was their idea to look at Branzi’s work, and they asked me to help set up the exhibition and explore the continuing relevance of his approach to design.’
A leading figure of Italy’s Radical Design movement, Branzi helped redefine the discipline, placing narrative, symbolism and ritual on equal footing with function. ‘Branzi always questioned the tyranny of mass production, in which individuality is sacrificed to the needs of production technology,’ explains Sudjic. ‘Rosewood has an analogical approach; each hotel is different but also has a shared ethos for the guest experience.’
The conversation does not end with Branzi. The installation unfolds further through works by a new generation of artists and designers commissioned for Rosewood properties around the world, including Maarten Baas, Jaime Hayon and Marc Quinn, alongside six others. ‘It is a selection from around the world; some work with their own hands, others with technology. My criteria was that they would feel comfortable to share the same space as Branzi,’ adds Sudjic.
In the midst of Milan’s frenetic design week, the installation offers a rare space to pause and reflect. ‘I really appreciate the contrast of the craziness of Milan in the middle of Design Week with the calm of the Branzi installation,’ says Sudjic.