nendo : whispers of nature

Client :
Milan Design Week
2024.04

A solo exhibition consisting of five collections, shown during Milan Design Week 2024. The venue of the show was a large industrial complex transformed by “Paola Lenti” into a bioecological architectural site various functions, such as an office, showroom, gallery space, and a restaurant, arranged around a large central courtyard. The exhibition was held in a small abandoned building within the site which is set to be converted to a boutique hotel in 2026.

In 2003, nendo participated in the SaloneSatellite during the design fair, which opened the door for the studio to establish numerous collaborations with European companies. The show, which exhibited furniture pieces inspired by natural principles and phenomena, was called “fur:nature,” deriving from “furniture” and “nature.” Now, 20 years later, the exhibition returns to the theme of nature—a theme at the root of nendo’s design, and central to the Japanese sense of beauty.

The ambiguity of clouds, the relationship of light and shadow, the flow of time perceived underground or in a passing rain, plants soaked in water… The five collections take hints from mundane “whispers of nature” that often get overlooked.

Client :
Milan Design Week
2024.04

works

clustered clouds

From afar, clouds in the sky look like white volumes. From an airplane or a moun...

light and shade

Light creates shadows. Conversely, it can be said that shadows allow the percept...

depth of soil

In the layers of earth that appear along a cliff, or that appear when digging in...

passing rain

A few drops of rain come down, and eventually it starts pouring. The clouds lift...

pond dipping

When plants in ponds and swamps absorb water and mud, the parts that were submer...