Orlando Tales Debuts Synaestesia at Milan Design Week 2026
At Milan Design Week 2026, Orlando Tales introduced Synaestesia, an intriguing multisensory project that blends design, storytelling, music, and scent. Created by Antonella Dellepiane Pescetto, this initiative transforms an independent magazine into an engaging narrative environment, resembling a fictional hotel with themed floors for contemporary art, literature, gourmet food, wine, theater, and classic cars. Each issue, crafted by Grafiche Milani and designed by The World of Dot, draws inspiration from literary works like Virginia Woolf's Orlando and Ariosto's Orlando Furioso. Orlando Tales has also ventured into digital media (Orlando Dispatch), an Art Boutique, a Creative Studio, and the Orlando Academy. The Synaestesia experience, set in Factory32, was linked to House of Ita's Homo Naturae Somniator collection and featured scents from perfumer Diletta Tonatto. Collaborating artists include Clym Evernden and Annie Atkins, among others.
Key facts
- Orlando Tales presented Synaestesia at Milan Design Week 2026
- Synaestesia is a multisensory experience combining design, storytelling, music, and fragrance
- The magazine is structured as an imaginary hotel with thematic floors
- Orlando Tales is a semestral print magazine printed by Grafiche Milani
- Graphics are by the studio The World of Dot
- The magazine engages with literary classics including Virginia Woolf's Orlando and Ariosto's Orlando Furioso
- The Art Boutique includes a scarf created with Maurizio Cattelan
- Orlando Academy is an educational space for curating, music composition, illustration, and cultural planning
- Synaestesia accompanies the Homo Naturae Somniator collection developed with House of Ita
- The collection is inspired by Thomas Hobbes's homo homini lupus concept
- Perfumer Diletta Tonatto contributed an olfactory dimension
- The experience was staged at Factory32 in Milan
- Artists involved include Clym Evernden, Annie Atkins, Luigi Serafini, Fee Greening, Iacopo Bruno, Celine Oh, Elisa Seitzinger, Natsko Seki, and Kirsty Watson
Entities
Artists
- Antonella Dellepiane Pescetto
- Maurizio Cattelan
- Clym Evernden
- Annie Atkins
- Luigi Serafini
- Fee Greening
- Iacopo Bruno
- Celine Oh
- Elisa Seitzinger
- Natsko Seki
- Kirsty Watson
- Diletta Tonatto
- Thomas Hobbes
- Virginia Woolf
- Ludovico Ariosto
- Oscar Wilde
- Lewis Carroll
- Adriano Olivetti
- Robert Owen
- Wes Anderson
Institutions
- Orlando Tales
- Grafiche Milani
- The World of Dot
- Orlando Dispatch
- Orlando Art Boutique
- Orlando Creative Studio
- Orlando Academy
- House of Ita
- Factory32
Locations
- Milan
- Italy
- Netherlands
Sources
- Artslife —