ECAL MILANO 2023: Junkyard Diving, 17–23.04.2023, House of Switzerland, Milano

ECAL MILANO 2023: Junkyard Diving
17–23.04.2023
House of Switzerland, Milano

Know-how
Craftsmanship, Furniture

On the occasion of the Milan Design Week (17-23 April 2023), ECAL presents Junkyard Diving at the House of Switzerland. Under the guidance of the designer Philippe Malouin, ECAL’s Bachelor students in Industrial Design invite us to question our consumption habits, the role of designers and the world of tomorrow.  


The shortage of energy and resources that many countries are currently experiencing or anticipating, raises several questions about supply alternatives and ways of limiting consumption. According to studies, the cumulative number of metals to be produced in the coming years would exceed the cumulative amount produced since antiquity to the present day.  

In the wake of forthcoming legislation on the right to repair products, energy and resource consumption, design, as an innovation discipline, must play a key role. 

Junkyard Diving questions our consumption habits, as well as the role of designers in the world of tomorrow. "Form follows function" is a maxim attributed to the modernist architect Louis Sullivan. In industrial design, if this statement is sometimes at the heart of reflections, it can also be reversed, in which case the form determines the function through a creative process based on existing elements.    

During a week-long workshop with designer Philippe Malouin, Bachelor Industrial Design students adopted this latter approach: seeking new functions inspired by forms found in a metal recycling center. Through this process, unexpected associations and discoveries are made, generating a new vocabulary of forms.    

« With resources dwindling, it is essential to challenge the way we generate new ideas: combining or altering existing forms and elements can lead to new discoveries in product design. Other people’s trash can definitely be our creative treasure », says Philippe Malouin. 

Junkyard Diving highlights the existing - yet under-exploited - opportunities for recycling that design provides. 

Presented at the House of Switzerland, Junkyard Diving is part of the group exhibition Urgent Legacy, which proposes innovative and sustainable Swiss design responses to the urgent challenges of the present, in collaboration with the Swiss Arts Council Pro Helvetia and Presence Switzerland. 

DATES AND SCHEDULES

17-23.04.2023
10am - 8pm

VENUE

House of Switzerland
Casa degli Artisti – Corso Garibaldi 89A
20121 Milano

WEBSITE

House of Switzerland

STUDENTS

Paul Carluy , Hugo Duport , Charlotte Dubois , Frederik Buchmann , Timothée Lehmann , Alexandre Margueron , Léonie Sammons , Christophe Ascençao , Noé Chassot , Gabriel Hafner , Lucie Herter , Anaïs Lehmann , Alex Nguyen , Annick Persechini , Sven Odermatt , Virginie Lienhart  Nicolas Honegger , Sam Lombardo , Antony Gallay , Marco Renna , Dario Aguet

UNDER THE DIRECTION OF

Philippe Malouin

HEAD OF PROGRAMME

Stephane Halmai-Voisard

ASSISTANT

Silvio Rebholz

ECAL_JunkyardDiving_credits Marvin Merkel_1.jpg
Image ECAL/Marvin Merkel
ECAL_JunkyardDiving_credits Marvin Merkel_2.jpg
Image ECAL/Marvin Merkel
ECAL_JunkyardDiving_credits Marvin Merkel_3.jpg
Image ECAL/Marvin Merkel

Related events

ECAL MILANO 2023 – EXHIBITIONS BY ALUMNI,17–23.04.2023,Milan Design Week

EXHIBITIONS

ECAL MILANO 2023 – EXHIBITIONS BY ALUMNI,
17–23.04.2023,
Milan Design Week

Selection of exhibitions with ECAL graduates at Milan Design Week.

ECAL MILANO 2023: The Salone Pick-Up,18–23.04.2023,Salone Satellite

EXHIBITIONS

ECAL MILANO 2023: The Salone Pick-Up,
18–23.04.2023,
Salone Satellite

On the occasion of the Milan Design Week (17-23 April 2023), ECAL presents The Salone Pick-Up by the designer Silvio Rebholz, Master Product Design graduate: a series of interviews streamed live on Instagram and hosted between Salone Satellite and Salone del Mobile, with key players at the fair.

ECAL Milano 2023: U.F.O.G.O.,18–23.04.2023,Spazio Orso 16

EXHIBITIONS

ECAL Milano 2023: U.F.O.G.O.,
18–23.04.2023,
Spazio Orso 16

On the occasion of the Milan Design Week (17-23 April 2023), ECAL presents U.F.O.G.O., an exhibition that provides a solution for a better integration of wind turbines in our landscapes.

ECAL MILANO 2023: ECAL for Schätti,18–23.04.2023,Assab One

EXHIBITIONS

ECAL MILANO 2023: ECAL for Schätti,
18–23.04.2023,
Assab One

On the occasion of the Milan Design Week (17-23 April 2023), ECAL and the Swiss lighting brand Schätti present five playful and innovative portable lamps.