This week, a meteorite shower has been registered at the Salone del Mobile in Milan, awakening the curiosity of spectators about the materials that they are made of.  We’re heading into the most creative part of the universe, Astral Bodies, one of the most evocative exhibitions at the 2019 Salone.

It’s more normal than we think – almost 100 meteorites hit Earth every year.  They don’t signal an Armageddon, but rather they offer the unique possibility of getting closer to the materials that make up our galaxy.  In this way we can discover new chemical and physical combinations to apply to decorating and interior design.

This is the premise of Astral Bodies, the way in which Finsa is presenting the possibilities of one of their technical wood solutions at the Salone del Mobile in Milan.  The project is being carried out with the interpretation of two collaborators, ENORME Studio and Vitamin, and their unique collection of ideas.  Shall we begin our astral adventure into the world of creativity?

E=mc2 (An exhibition that is equivalent to “a lot of creativity squared”)

As scientific method dictates, observation is the first step: “The idea came from the plasticity of the Fibracolour material itself, explains ENORME Studio.  Fibracolour has the same composition and nucleus “which is why we saw very quickly that it could create shapes with big volumes, and from there the idea of a beautiful stone emerged that which, with some refining, became a meteorite,” they explain.

After analysing the meteorite that falls to Earth, it is examined to see if it contains new chemical elements that have not been registered on the periodic table, and how these elements interact with our world.  “We were struck by the habitability of the meteorites,” ENORME Studio says, ” and thanks to artisanry and evocation,  Fibracolour became a table, a bench etc. and the meteorites are now at the point of the design that they require imaginative spectators in order to take on these shapes.”

Science through art

Can you imagine experiencing a meteorite shower?  Science and technology have made this experience possible, and that’s where Vitamin comes in.  Vitamin is a studio that specialises in the creation of immersive and interactive experiences.  “A meteorite shower means motion and life, two elements that are indispensable when it came to the creative conception of Astral Bodies,” they tell us from their studio.

The sensation of astral bodies, with its flashes and lights, is achieved by using 35 pipes which hang from the ceiling in the exhibition space.  The astral journey ends with an explosion of light that recreates a meteorite’s entrance into the atmosphere and the subsequent explosion on Earth that spreads throughout the area and creates a light show.

Though one meteorite does not constitute a “shower”, this concept is all about the crowd.  That’s why Vitamin came up with the idea of projecting audio visual presentations onto one of the larger shapes, which would react by producing these presentations as people got close to it.

An example of how movement, light, and interaction produce an exhibition which does not remain static, but rather is in constant motion thanks to the intervention of technological factors.

We’re sharing this video in which you can experience these creative concepts with your own eyes in case Milan is a bit out of the way for you: