STILL NOW. The Dinner
Milan Design Week 2023

STILL NOW. The Dinner features Felicia Ferrone’s iconic glassware collections within an imaginative interpretation of a dinner where inspirations from Renaissance banquets, still life paintings of the 1600s, and contemporary art references come together to explore themes of memory, emotion, and sustainability.

STILL NOW. The Dinner at Villa Mirabello unfolds in a monochromatic installation where everyday objects, enveloped in the iconic ultramarine hue, are distilled down to the essence of their form. Ferrone's glassware creations, contemporary in design, often characterized by some as reminiscent of the past and to others seen as futuristic, emerge from the monochromatic landscape in dialogue, proposing new ways of being through recontextualization and contemporization.

These objects from the early part of the 20th century - found in flea markets and secondhand shops - capture what the designer refers to as ‘Neo-Grannyism’ as an exploration of memory, form, and revalorization to emphasize how good design is a value that transcends obsolescence and our throwaway culture.Ferrone illustrates how good design can rise above trends, extend the life of an object and give us a new perspective on sustainability while establishing more meaningful connections to our past and present.This reflection on the assemblage of the objects collected inspired the designer to study still life paintings from the 1600s, which historically depicted glassware, vessels, and other everyday objects.

 

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Press about STILL NOW. The Dinner 

Villa Mirabello

STILL NOW. The Dinner to experience a feast for the eyes, igniting the imagination and senses with an installation in the 15th century Villa Mirabello, one of the oldest villas in Milan, never before open to the public during Design Week.

This Renaissance context of Villa Mirabello will be the scenic backdrop for a conceptual and aesthetic experience, where creative languages reinterpret time as past and present merge.
Fondazione Villa Mirabello Milano

ULTRAMARINUS: MEMORIES OF THE FUTURE

From this historical study, a collaboration between photographer Jonathan Allen and designer Felicia Ferrone gave life to Ultramarinus: Memories of the future, a series of contemporary still life photographs. These ethereal images highlight the formal qualities of the glassware set off by the monochromatic forms of the everyday objects, inviting us to look at objects differently, through a narrative of beauty and form, reiterating the value of timeless design that translates into a more conscious use and valorization of the objects that surround us.

The photographic series takes its name from the Latin word ultramarinus, meaning 'beyond the sea' as the intense blue pigment derived from the powder of ground lapis lazuli was imported to Europe by Italian traders during the 14th and 15th centuries from what is now known as Afghanistan.

Photographer: Jonathan Allen