FORMAFANTASMA
— THROUGH THE LOOKING GLASS
INTERVIEW
Milan-based duo Formafantasma are agents of change, investigating through exhibitions, research projects, symposia and teaching the ecological, historical, political and social forces shaping design today. In a wide-ranging interview, Simone Farresin and Andrea Trimarchi reveal their constant questioning: Why be a designer now? What makes a difference? What is good design? What is bad design? And why you should focus on the past and the present.
But it’s not all academic research and curation – they also make things: refined, cleverly articulated lights, tiles glazed with volcanic ash, furniture from a spruce tree felled during a huge storm, each object seductive for aesthetics and storytelling.
“At the end of the day we have never been makers really, I mean, yes sure we make things, but our engagement with things and materiality is more cerebral,” says Farresin.
After working in Amsterdam for many years, they have moved to Milan, home of design and they talk about being labelled as Italian designers, their material research and methodology, and the reception of their work: “We are never commercial enough and we are never radical enough.”
Read more in Ark Journal VOLUME X.
WORDS JENI PORTER
PHOTOGRAPHY STEPHANO GALUZZI
ART DIRECTION SIGRID GRY LAURSEN
ZUCCHETTI AND FRIENDS
A custom-built showroom in Milan exhibits new design-driven Zucchetti collections like works of art.
MATTER AND SHAPE 2025
In the beautiful surroundings of the Jardin des Tuileries, a new chapter in design culture was written. MATTER and SHAPE 2025, a design salon unlike any other, positioned itself at the very intersection of art, materiality, and modern craftsmanship.
JOURNEY’S END
A 90s portable church has found its home on a secluded hill in the forest, becoming a contemporary respite for creation and reflection for Josephine Akvama Hoffmeyer.
FORMAFANTASMA
— THROUGH THE LOOKING GLASS
INTERVIEW
Milan-based duo Formafantasma are agents of change, investigating through exhibitions, research projects, symposia and teaching the ecological, historical, political and social forces shaping design today. In a wide-ranging interview, Simone Farresin and Andrea Trimarchi reveal their constant questioning: Why be a designer now? What makes a difference? What is good design? What is bad design? And why you should focus on the past and the present.
But it’s not all academic research and curation – they also make things: refined, cleverly articulated lights, tiles glazed with volcanic ash, furniture from a spruce tree felled during a huge storm, each object seductive for aesthetics and storytelling.
“At the end of the day we have never been makers really, I mean, yes sure we make things, but our engagement with things and materiality is more cerebral,” says Farresin.
After working in Amsterdam for many years, they have moved to Milan, home of design and they talk about being labelled as Italian designers, their material research and methodology, and the reception of their work: “We are never commercial enough and we are never radical enough.”
Read more in Ark Journal VOLUME X.
WORDS JENI PORTER
PHOTOGRAPHY STEPHANO GALUZZI
ART DIRECTION SIGRID GRY LAURSEN