Prada Frames Milan 2023: Materials In Flux

After the success of Prada Frames 2022, dedicated to the theme On Forest, the multidisciplinary symposium exploring the complex relationship between design and the environment, curated by Formafantasma, returns to Milan again this year.

The Milan symposium follows the Prada Frames held last March at the M+ museum in Hong Kong.

The theme of Prada Frames Milan 2023 is Materials in Flux. Prada chooses to foster a reflection whose ethical and aesthetic implications have been central to the brand’s practice for some time: the potential for original creativity and opportunities for low-impact production opened up by the use of innovative recycled materials. The symposium’s work is based on the research by British anthropologist Tim Ingold, who views materials as interconnected, endlessly changing living entities. It aims to explore the concept of waste, investigate the dynamics that regulate waste infrastructure and their value systems, and analyse the complex relationship between materials and ecosystems.

On 17-19 April, a packed programme of six sessions over three days will bring together scholars and professionals from various fields of research, including Tim Ingold, Elizabeth Povinelli, Beatriz Colomina, Mark Wigley, Sophie Chao, Veena Sahajwalla and Hans Ulrich Obrist.

The event is being held at Teatro Filodrammatici, one of the oldest theatres in Milan, located just a short distance from La Scala and Piazza Duomo. The Accademia dei Filodrammatrici, founded in 1798, established its headquarters there in 1800, transforming the building at the beginning of the last century into the Art Nouveau style whose façade is still preserved today. The interior was redesigned by architect Luigi Caccia Dominioni in the 1960s, including work on the imposing entrance staircase and the mosaic floors, the latter created by sculptor Francesco Somaini.

Admission to Prada Frames Milan is free but with limited availability, subject to registration at prada.com from 6 April.