RIVE ROSHAN BRINGS GARDEN OF HOPE TO ALCOVA MILAN DESIGN WEEK 2026

Images courtesy of Rive Roshan

Light. Memory. Resilience.

Amsterdam-based art and design studio Rive Roshan presents Garden of Hope, a site-specific installation commissioned by Alcova for Milan Design Week 2026. Set within the historic Baggio Military Hospital, the immersive work transforms a site steeped in history into a contemplative environment where light, colour, sound, and material converge to inspire reflection, renewal, and hope.

Responding directly to the character of the former military complex, the installation establishes a dialogue between past and present. Three monumental totems, crafted using the studio’s signature coloured glass marquetry technique, rise from the landscape, interacting with natural light through ever-changing reflections and refractions. Developed in collaboration with Studio Ravenhorst, the dynamic lighting choreography translates the frequencies and rhythms of a Persian anthem of resistance into an evocative visual experience.

Inspired by Persian symbolism, Garden of Hope references the tulip—a flower long associated with remembrance, sacrifice, and rebirth. Through this contemporary interpretation, the installation explores resilience and the enduring possibility of peace, inviting visitors to slow down, reflect, and reconnect with their surroundings.

Presented by Interni Cipta Selaras

For founders Ruben de la Rive Box and Golnar Roshan, whose Dutch and Iranian-Australian backgrounds inform the studio’s multidisciplinary practice, the installation is both deeply personal and universally relevant. Through their distinctive use of light, colour, and perception, Rive Roshan continues to blur the boundaries between art, architecture, and design, creating immersive environments that foster emotional connection and contemplation.

“In a world experiencing profound political tensions and conflict, Garden of Hope is our offering of light: a space to pause, reflect, and reconnect through a shared experience,” the designers state.

As part of Alcova’s experimental programme during Milan Design Week 2026, Garden of Hope reaffirms Rive Roshan’s ability to transform light, colour, and material into an immersive experience—one that invites visitors to pause, contemplate, and rediscover hope amid an increasingly uncertain world.