Milano Design Week 2021 was held from September 5 to 10. It was to be held for the first time in a year and a half, and was postponed until September. Although the exhibition was one of the first major events after the new coronavirus outbreak, it was able to attract participants far beyond expectations.

NPO Aoyama Design Forum (ADF) exhibited the work of the Best Performance Award at Milano Salone Design Award 2021 and the award-winning work of the Polytechnic University of Milan's graduation work held each year in support of Milan Architects Association and the Foundation.

The work of Takuto Ota, the winner of the Best Performance Award, was very well received and the excellence of the work stood out. Some of the visitors had seen Instagram in advance. The result shows that the audience had high expectations even before the event.
(The photo shows Mr. Ota, the author, busy preparing late into the night before the opening).

The exhibition space was divided into three areas. The working area for the ADF Award was in front of the entrance, and the room with the high ceiling was for the excellent final works of Architects Association / Foundation. GARDE 's room was surrounded by the glass facade. These areas were well designed so that visitors could see them easily.

In addition to the panel exhibition of the latest work from GARDE, the work of the winner of the Best Performance Award and the previously submitted works were also presented in a video.

Mr. Ota's work is philosophical and unique. The video exhibition was also effective, and you can understand the mysterious fun at a glance. According to Mr. Ota, the work was created from an idea: "The thing can exist in the relationship between things, and if the thing exists, then it might be possible to express the existence as a thing by eliminating this relationship."

By erasing the existence of the piece itself, the objects placed there seem to float in the air. One of the objects was a very mysterious and unique piece of furniture that won the competition in France and walked on its own when the wind blew.

There was also a reception that ADF received greetings from the President of Gard Group, the representative of Milan Architects Association / Foundation, the President of Italian Architects Association, the winner of the award of the graduated works and the winner of the ADF Award. In addition, many representatives of all parties involved, architects, major developers and brands, Japanese companies in Japan, etc. attended the party.


Congratulations to Mr. Ota for receiving the highest award and holding an exhibition! We wish you all the best for the future.

The Aoyama Design Forum is currently seeking entries for the ADF Milano Salone Design Award 2022. We look forward to your participation!