Design merging technology and Italian heritage
Italian Design: Innovation Exhibition Highlights Italian Craftsmanship, Technology, and Culture at Expo 2025 Osaka
The Italian Design: Innovation exhibition, housed within the Italy Pavilion at Expo 2025 Osaka, showcases a captivating collection of Italian design objects that seamlessly blend technological innovation, traditional craftsmanship, and aesthetic creativity. This exhibition offers an insightful overview of Italian design innovation, featuring iconic pieces like Gio Ponti's Blu Ponti majolica and Sergio Asti's Marco vase, which reinterpret traditional crafts, alongside innovative items such as Davide Groppi's Anima lamp and Alessandro Mendini's Anna G. corkscrew.
The exhibition, presented by the Association for Industrial Design (ADI), also demonstrates Italian design's integration of technology and everyday well-being with the display of the Mindtooth Touch device for evaluating cognitive fatigue and smart home devices by Vimar. Ambassador Mario Vattani, commissioner general for Italy at Expo 2025 Osaka, emphasises the exhibition's excellence, describing it as "in their real, understandable, almost touchable version."
The Italian Design: Innovation exhibition ties into the larger thematic context of the Italy Pavilion, which focuses on "Designing Future Societies for Our Lives" with a concentration on "Saving Lives." The pavilion includes immersive, multisensory experiences and presents themes linking human well-being, environment, culture, and technology, including multimedia installations and symbolic works connected to the Milano Cortina 2026 Olympics and Paralympics.
The exhibition showcases unique pieces such as the Sofia Goggia R001S helmet, Dainese HP Horizon mask, Risport Royal Prime ice skates, and the Fisi EA7 Emporio Armani competition suit developed for the Italian national team. It also features sports equipment like the Dobermann Gsr Dc Fdt ski and the Nordica Dobermann 5 boot, symbolising Italy's commitment to innovation and performance in the world of sports.
The exhibition pays tribute to Italian design's contribution to the world of performance by showcasing items like Matteo Thun and Antonio Rodriguez's Isy22 faucet collection, an evolution of a system that has redefined water project in an essential and modular way. Piero Lissoni's Silver Surfer, Thierry tables, and Farfallina by Álvaro Siza are also part of the exhibition, celebrating formal and structural lightness and offering an explosion of color and versatility.
Many of the exhibited products, awarded the Compasso d'Oro, bear witness to the quality and research that distinguish Made in Italy, such as the 646 Leggera Outdoor chair, which reinterprets a Ponti classic with advanced automotive-inspired technologies. The Ray-Ban Meta Wayfarer G15 green, a fusion of craftsmanship and connectivity designed to meet contemporary needs, and Grivel's Twin Gate carabiner, a symbol of safety and reliability, are also on display.
Enel X's Juicebox, an electric vehicle charging station, is part of the exhibition, making technical infrastructure accessible, intuitive, and sustainable. Andrea Cancellato, director of ADI Design Museum Compasso d'Oro, highlights the significance of design in everyday life, stating, "Design accompanies the daily life of each of us."
In summary, the Italian Design: Innovation exhibition at Expo 2025 Osaka showcases Italy’s legacy and forward-looking vision of craftsmanship, technology, and culture, with direct reference to the Milano Cortina 2026 Olympics and Paralympics as emblematic of these intertwined themes of innovation, well-being, and social regeneration. The exhibition offers a fascinating exploration of Italian design's transformative impact on various aspects of life, from sports equipment to domestic appliances, and its commitment to creating sustainable, accessible, and aesthetically pleasing solutions for the future.
The Italian Design: Innovation exhibition, presented at the Expo 2025 Osaka, highlights the integration of craftsmanship and technology, as demonstrated by the display of the Mindtooth Touch device and smart home devices by Vimar. The exhibition also showcases products that incorporate technology, such as Enel X's Juicebox, an electric vehicle charging station.
