MATERIAL BAR

Exhibitors: Anselma, From Gaja, Toasted Furniture, Gin Brin, Gobnjak, Hiša Mandrova, Pjorkkala, Prostorož, Nika Ravnik, Salto Dionys, Miha Šajina.

The Centre for Creativity (CzK) at the Museum of Architecture and Design (MAO) presents MATERIAL BAR, Slovenia’s presentation at Milan Design Week 2025, which will take place from April 7–13, 2025. Curated by Katarina Dekleva, Rok Oblak and Bor Pungerčič, the project challenges conventional design showcases by transforming the exhibition into a social space­—a bar—where visitors can engage directly with the working processes, materials and concepts.

Rather than a static display of objects, MATERIAL BAR creates a multi-sensory environment where sight, sound, taste and touch are integral to the experience. The concept of the presentation departs from the classic design exhibition. It will go beyond the simple presentation of a product as the outcome of the design process and focus on design as a holistic activity that includes work and thought processes, materials, environment, and relationships. The concept understands practitioners as a part of a community and recognizes the role of a curator as a (co)creator in establishing an open, progressive, and responsible design production (and a progressive and responsible society).

The MATERIAL BAR presentation will be designed as a social, public space—a bar with a central (work) counter around which design practices will take place. The space will be surrounded by a colourful vertical mosaic of materials and products, while the centre of the space will host the events that will take place around a double-height bar, allowing the public to observe on one side and collaborate on the other.

The Slovenian space brings together eleven independent practitioners whose enduring practices have demonstrated both their resilience and their necessity by creating their own communities over the years. From Gaja will join forces with Gin Brin to present the process of foraging and distilling gin from local botanicals; Gobnjak will demonstrate home mushroom cultivation and tincture-making; Toasted Furniture and Salto Dionys will demonstrate live pressing of recycled plastic and clay extrusion techniques, while Pjorkkala will use their 3D-printed Dodola clay filter to purify water for hand washing in the central “bar”. Nika Ravnik will engage visitors in her process of creating zero-waste fashion from geometric textile pieces, while Prostorož will redefine the terrace of Villa Bagatti Valsecchi as a new public gathering space. Hiša Mandrova will offer an open learning environment focused on manual woodworking, and Anselma will involve visitors in the making of upcycled textile garments, inviting them to participate in a spatial installation—a button-sorting station. The soundscape of the MATERIAL BAR will be provided by Miha Šajina (Shekuza), who will use home-made analogue synthesizers to invite visitors into an interactive quadraphonic sound experience.

The curatorial approach highlights practitioners who have demonstrated a capacity for adaptation, autonomy and long-term engagement within their communities. Their projects emphasise sustainability, locality and contextual responsiveness, offering not only material innovation but also new models of work and social interaction. By shifting the focus from the end object to the creative process, MATERIAL BAR underscores design as an active, evolving force withing contemporary society.

MATERIAL BAR is part of CzK’s ongoing internationalisation programmes, through which the Centre involves a diverse group of curators, designers, collectives and other professionals of the younger generation in the selection and presentation of contemporary Slovenian design and creative production. Presented within Alcova, a renowned platform for groundbreaking design and material innovation, the installation will unfold in the historic Villa Bagatti Valsecchi, where contemporary design ideas will intersect with architectural heritage, reinforcing the dialogue between past and present.