Ventura Centrale 2019: Expanding the design story

MILAN – Ventura Centrale is returning next year to the Milan Design Week (9-14 April, 2019) for its third edition. The massive industrial warehouses under the Milan Central Station will once again be filled with majestic installations and compelling design stories that need to be told. It is with pride Ventura Projects announces their creative turf is expanding from nine to fifteen vaults this year. Many international companies will present their work at Ventura Centrale, among which Japanese materials specialist AGC Inc., Dutch labels Weltevree and Lensvelt, Belgian brand Modular Lighting Instruments, American design studio Rapt Studio and Swiss company Sky-Frame. More exhibitors will be revealed in the upcoming months.

Giving back memories

The expansion of the Ventura Centrale exhibition area has led to more vaults being opened, even though some of them were closed for many years. This means more room for impressive and overwhelming design experiences and - literally - more rooms for the public of the Design Week to discover and visit. In the last months the spaces under the railway tracks have been cleaned out, finding hidden treasures of Milan’s history: old bikes, church furniture, a station clock, station benches and much more. The neighbourhood is applauding the second life that has been given to these spaces, which hold so many memories for the Milanese. Slowly but surely these memories are being transformed into design experiences and revealed to the city, its citizens and the Milan Design Week public.

2019 exhibitors: From old stagers to newbies
Some familiar faces and some Ventura Centrale newcomers will check in to the vaults in April. Over the coming months more names will be unveiled, but we’re delighted to already present the following renowned companies:

Years ago Dutch label Weltevree was one of the first exhibitors at Ventura Lambrate. Both Ventura Projects and Weltevree have grown over the years and we are thrilled to see them transform one of the Ventura Centrale warehouses in the coming edition. In the madness of the Milan Design Week, Weltevree Unplugged will be an oasis where you will be encouraged to activate and enrich the use of your environment. Ready to unwire?

Interdisciplinary design firm Rapt Studio is new on the Ventura Centrale stage but for years they have been creating connected, transformative experiences for the world's most valuable brands. Their agile teams specialise in working at the intersection of spatial experience, brand expression, and cultural connection. They believe that experiences should be fully felt, and their first-ever exhibition at Milan Design Week titled Do You Belong? will challenge visitors to see their surroundings through a new lens. It promises to leave you with a story worth telling.

The rebel on the block Lensvelt will return to the vaults. In recent years, the Amsterdam-based label has won two Milano Design Awards for presentations at Ventura Projects’ events. Whether featuring dozens of whispering horns or thousands of crumpled paper balls, they have proven their ability to always showcase influential designers and well-thought-out narratives. This year they are collaborating with Modular Lighting Instruments, high-end architectural lighting experts with an attitude and the other rebel on the block. Modular have been conquering the world with their unique DNA, bold designs and cutting-edge technology. They are opinionated in the best possible sense and don’t believe in blending in. Another visitors’ favourite for 2019?

Two guests will return from last year. The first is AGC Inc. who will present the next episode in the future of materials. Last year they brought us sound-generating glass. This coming edition AGC Inc. will work together with Keita Suzuki, a Japanese designer known for seeking harmony between tradition and innovation. The installation will once again be a palette of technologically advanced materials that trigger all senses.

And last but most certainly not least, collaborating with the world’s leading sliding door manufacturer Sky-Frame, designer Stephan Huerlemann will return to the vaults where last year he exhibited the award-winning Giants with Dwarf. Sky-Frame’s A Piece of Sky will be a thought-provoking interactive installation aiming to create feelings of positivity amongst visitors by telling an unexpected story about the sky and orbiting around the earth.

Press only
Dear press colleagues, please make sure to note the following days in your calendar for more ins & outs and exclusive previews:

15 February, 2019 - 10:30 - 12:00am: Press conference about Ventura Centrale and Ventura Future in partnership with BASE Milano. Address: BASE Milano, Via Bergognone, 34, 20144 Milano, Italy
8 April, 2019 - 3:00 - 7:00pm: Press Preview Ventura Centrale 2019

Ventura Centrale during Milan Design Week
3rd edition - 9-14 April 2019

Location:
Via Ferrante Aporti 9, 20125, Milano, Italy

Ventura Projects are curated exhibition areas – organised by Utrecht- and Milan-based company Organisation in Design – that cover the latest developments in contemporary design. Each Ventura Project consists of carefully selected exhibitions and often offers a platform for temporary initiatives, special projects and/or creative concepts. Whether as a major exhibition at a design district or an integrated exhibition within another event, Ventura Projects stands out with their focus on content, creativity and experimentation. Since the start of Ventura Lambrate in Milan in 2010, the Ventura Projects family has vastly expanded worldwide and includes exhibitions in Milan, Berlin, London, Kortrijk, New York and Dubai.
More information: www.venturaprojects.com and www.organisationindesign.com