The Amazing Walk | MAD architects

MAD Architects releases it's new project "Amazing Walk" for Milan Design Week

The internationally renowned design media Interni invites MAD Architects / Ma Yansong and Amazon to showcase the "Amazing Walk" installation at the Cortile della Farmacia courtyard of the University of Milan during Milan Design Week 2024.

The "Amazing Walk" blurs the boundary between built and natural environments in a surreal way. Made up of hundreds of triangular elements, the structure stands 7.5 meters tall without internal columns, reflecting the shape of mountains.

This open design invites exploration and imagination, offering visitors the chance to connect with each other and immerse themselves in the beauty of their surroundings.

This installation is enveloped in a semi-reflective, transparent skin that allows for a visual connection with the 100-year-old courtyard while still providing a sense of shelter.

As night falls, lights and mist gently blur the edges of materials, making the 'Amazing Walk' feel like it's light and floating.

The “Amazing Walk” is constructed from sustainable aluminum alloy and covered with a semi-permeable composite membrane, the pavilion offers varying visuals under different lighting conditions, reflecting light uniquely during the day and at night.

Numerous virtual reality applications enhance this installation, offering a deeply engaging experience that brings surreal elements to life.

This is the seventh time MAD has participated in Milan Design Week. Some of its previous exhibited works include "Boundless" (2016), "Heaven" (2018), "Freedom" (2021), "Momentum" (2023), etc.

"Amazing Walk "
Milan, Italy
2024

Type: Installation
Materials: Aluminum alloy, Composite Membrane, WPC, PVC Outer material
Size: 7.5 meters

Design team: Ma Yansong, Dang Qun, Yosuke Hayano, Andrea D'Antrassi, Giovanni Colombara, Alessandro Fisalli , Paolo Pirri, Gianluca Rovere, Luca Genualdo
Partners: Amazon.it, Interni
Lighting: Artemide
Structure: Maco Technology
Natural Fogt: Nephos
Composite Film: Giovanardi
Photographer: Moreno Maggi
Video: Amazon Photos

[IT]

Presso il Cortile della Farmacia dell’Università degli Studi di Milano, Amazon ha inaugurato "The Amazing Walk", un'installazione ideata dallo studio MAD Architects nell’ambito della mostra-evento INTERNI Cross Vision, che include una selezione di prodotti di arredo e di design per la casa disponibili su Amazon.it.

Fino a domenica 28 aprile, i visitatori potranno visitare liberamente l’installazione, lasciandosi trasportare in un suggestivo scenario dove la maestosità di una montagna si riflette su uno specchio d’acqua, e vivere una vera e propria esperienza immersiva alla scoperta dell’ampia selezione di prodotti per la casa, l’arredamento, l'illuminazione, la smart home e accessori tecnologici, da quelli più accessibili a quelli più ricercati.

Tra i prodotti esposti – tutti disponibili all’interno della vetrina Amazon Design Week 2024 – sono presenti proposte dalla vetrina Amazon Seconda Mano e parte del programma Climate Pledge Friendly, per mostrare ai visitatori come ognuno, nella propria quotidianità, possa compiere scelte consapevoli quando acquista su Amazon; e prodotti dalla vetrina Made in Italy – all’interno della quale, in occasione della Design Week, è disponibile una nuova categoria interamente dedicata al design italiano: “Design Made in Italy” .

Per Amazon la settimana milanese del design è una preziosa occasione per proporre ai visitatori un’esperienza che ricordi come il design sia in grado di fondere arte e funzionalità nella vita quotidiana. Il sentiero di “The Amazing Walk”, infatti, presenta prodotti di design disponibili su Amazon.it ed è simbolo dell’esperienza di acquisto dei clienti, basata su ampiezza di scelta, convenienza, facilità di utilizzo, comodità e velocità delle consegne come elementi distintivi ed imprescindibili.

Attraverso una visione dell’oggetto che va oltre ciò che viene mostrato, MAD Architects ha concepito la montagna come una struttura semplice quanto coinvolgente, capace di trasportare il visitatore in una nuova dimensione tutta da esplorare. L’impatto dell’installazione non risiede solo in ciò che è immediatamente visibile, ma soprattutto in ciò che contiene e che rivela passo dopo passo.

Oltre a scoprire i prodotti esposti all’interno dell’installazione e le relative informazioni grazie ai QR code che riportano alle pagine di prodotto su Amazon.it, sarà possibile approfondire i servizi che Amazon mette a disposizione dei clienti per migliorare le funzionalità di ricerca, selezione e spedizione dei prodotti. Il tutto illustrato su una serie di schermi integrati nell’area espositiva, di cui due racconteranno l’impegno da parte di Amazon per la valorizzazione del Made in Italy e per il sostegno della Circular Economy. Inoltre, i visitatori potranno interagire liberamente con l’installazione attraverso un progetto di interaction design sviluppato da Studio AIRA.

[EN]

At FuoriSalone 2024, as part of the Interni Cross Vision exhibition-event, Amazon will presented "The Amazing Walk", an installation conceived by MAD Architects practice, which includes a selection of home furniture and design products available on Amazon.it.

“The Amazing Walk” represents an inspirational walk that transports the visitor to a suggestive setting, where the majesty of a mountain is reflected in a body of water. Visitors will be able to walk down a path suspended on water, metaphorically symbolizing the journey customers take when searching for products of their interest. By going through the mountain, visitors will the chance to enjoy an immersive experience as they explore a wide selection of products for the home, furniture, lighting, smart home, and technological accessories – from the most popular to the most niche. 

“We’re delighted to participate in FuoriSalone once again and to be part of the INTERNI Cross Vision exhibition-event. This year we are presenting ‘The Amazing Walk’, conceived and created thanks to the precious collaboration with MAD Architects, within the historic Pharmacy Courtyard of the Università degli Studi in Milan. We offer visitors an experience that conveys how art blends with everyday functionality through design” – comments Michele Marini, EU Furniture and Large Home Appliances Director at Amazon. “Just like a walk through nature, ‘The Amazing Walk’ path captures the attention of visitors as it presents design products available on Amazon and symbolizes our customers’ shopping experience, based on wide selection, convenience, value, ease-of-use and fast delivery options as essential and distinguishing features. Among the displayed products there will be deals from our Amazon Second Chance storefront and part of the Climate Pledge Friendly program, to show all visitors how each one of us can make conscious choices in our daily lives when shopping on Amazon; and Made in Italy products, which we place fundamental importance on promoting because, in doing so, we can contribute to the development and internationalization of Italian entrepreneurship and craftsmanship.”.

To offer a vision of the object that goes beyond what is on display, MAD Architects has conceived the mountain as a simple but involving structure, capable of transporting the visitor to another dimension waiting to be explored. The impact of the installation lies not only in what is immediately visible but above all in what it contains and reveals step by step. In this suggestive context, the Pharmacy Courtyard’s porches are elegantly reflected in the water, transforming the installation into an unexpected and surprising journey, which is both explorative and experiential, rendering the discovery visual as well as emotional.

“It’s not a simple installation” – states Andrea D’Antrassi, Associate Partner of MAD Architects. – “It’s all a matter of perspective: we can make out something familiar, something we recognize, but it’s the alien element that draws us in and fascinates us the most”.

To further enhance “The Amazing Walk” experience there will be ten music performances in collaboration with Conservatorio Giuseppe Verdi of Milan and La Scala Philharmonic Orchestra, scheduled from April 15th to 28th with open access, subject to availability. The full program is detailed at the end of the press release. Each performance will see La Scala Philharmonic Orchestra first part musicians joining forces with the MLOrK ensemble of Conservatorio of Milano, thus giving life to a sound ambience in which instrumental music performed live will blend with electronic music and invade the installation, highlighting the immersive nature of the experience for all attending visitors.

In addition to discovering the products showcased within the installation – all coming with product information thanks to QR codes linked to the specific Amazon.it product pages – in the Pharmacy Courtyard visitors will get detailed information about the services that Amazon offers to improve customers’ experience in product search, selection and delivery. It will all be explained through a series of screens integrated into the exhibition space. The technological solutions provided both on the Amazon website and within the app allow customers to view products inside the destination room by using augmented reality; or view the same products from different angles with 360° rotation. Moreover, thanks to continued investment and interaction with artificial intelligence, the Discover function allows customers to filter products according to style preferences, also providing personalized recommendations from a selection of thousands of items. Special attention is paid to the shopping experience for large appliances, furniture, and decorative products, for which the customer can book a date and time slot for delivery and select additional services for the unpackaging and installation of the new product in the destination room, as well as the pick-up of the old product, depending on the type of item and delivery address.

Beyond all the products included in “The Amazing Walk”, on Amazon.it customers can find a wide selection of accessories and design products for their home, from both well-known and more niche brands, including Amazon brands and products created by Italian small and medium businesses, as well as home automation solutions such as products for lighting and Echo devices with Alexa integration. A wide selection that guarantees access to a broad choice in terms of size, colors, finishes and prices. Among the suggestions, there are also returned articles that Amazon gives a new life to by including them to the digital shelves of the Amazon Second Chance storefront, in addition to some of the over 550.000 products to have obtained at least one of the sustainability certifications awarded by the Climate Pledge Friendly program globally. In addition, to mark the first National Made in Italy Day – which will be celebrated every year starting from April 15th, 2024, a date that this year coincides with the Design Week opening day –, and to demonstrate Amazon’s commitment to  promoting Italian excellence, starting from today the "Made in Italy” storefront will feature “Design Made in Italy”, a category exclusively dedicated to Italian design.

The “Amazing Walk” event is made possible thanks to the collaboration with numerous partners: Composad, Groupe Seb with the brands Rowenta, Moulinex and Lagostina, Beko, Vitesy, Zafferano, Flos, Alessi, Philips Hue, Fastweb, Bialetti, Baroni Home, Ichendorf, SMEG, FontanaArte, Penta Light, Umbra, Kare, Artemide. Technical partners: Samsung Mobile experience, Samsung Home Entertainment, LG.