Fuorisalone 2024: Google and Rapt Studio Installations at Porta Venezia Design District

During Fuorisalone 2024, the Porta Venezia Design District in Milan hosts two US-based installations that engage visitors emotionally. At Garage 21 in via Archimede, Google's 'Make Sense of Color' installation, designed by hardware design VP Ivy Ross, creates a synesthetic experience. Visitors enter one of 21 translucent booths where colored lights change accompanied by music at frequencies matching the colors' wavelengths—red (625-740 nm) produces lower sounds, violet higher notes. The pairing is managed by software from Chromasonic. After the immersive environment, an analog path showcases real-world inspirations like ceramic textures and cloud movements. Meanwhile, Rapt Studio returns to Fuorisalone with 'Design is Language; Speak for Yourself' at via Giuseppe Sirtori. Following their 2019 debut 'Tell Me More' at Ventura Centrale, the new installation focuses on emotional connection with objects and handwriting. A gallery of ordinary items, some anonymous design, is accompanied by personal anecdotes—like a Secticon table clock by Angelo Mangiarotti (though unnamed) bought by Massimo's father in the 1950s, or a rocking chair used by Bianca's mother for breastfeeding. A second room recreates a domestic interior where visitors answer questions about their relationship with objects. Both installations run until April 21.