THE 6TH EDITION OF LAKE COMO DESIGN FESTIVAL – “LIGHTNESS”

Images courtesy of Lake Como Design Festival

Como, Italy:  September 15th to 22nd

On the occasion of the sixth edition, the Lake Como Design Festival enriches its program with a series of exhibitions and special events in Como and around its lake. Developed around the theme of lightness, the fil ruge of this new event accompanying the visitor on a widespread journey, the exhibitions will be open to visitors from 15 to 22 September 2024.

THE FORM OF LIGHTNESS, Palazzo del Broletto, piazza Duomo, Como

Presented by Coulisse | INK

In the historic center of Como the festival will take place between the Palazzo del Broletto and the church of San Pietro in Atrio while on the lakeside, Villa del Grumello and the other locations within the Chilometro della Conoscenza will take center stage. Furthermore, Villa Anna in Cernobbio and Borgovico33 in the city center will present two special projects by the Grieder Contemporary Gallery, while various locations scattered across Como will host the site-specific installations created by the artist Valerio Eliogabalo Torrisi. Finally, three tailored projects were displayed in the nel courtyard of Hilton Lake Como, inside the premises of Hotel Villa Flori, and in the Sheraton Lake Como Hotel lobby.

LIGHTNESS ON PAPER, San Pietro in Atrio, via Odescalchi, Como

“Lightness, the theme we have chosen for this year’s edition, can be expressed in countless forms and can find its reason for being in all the different realms of creativity”, states the Creator and Artistic Director of the festival, Lorenzo Butti. “Developing exhibitions and special projects that can propose a dialogue between art and design has always been the stylistic feature of our program and every year we strive to offer our visitors a new way of looking at these disciplines and creativity in general, inserting the exhibitions into unique architectural contexts which can themselves be an integral part of the exhibition itinerary”.

8 DAYS OF LIGHTNESS, San Pietro in Atrio, via Odescalchi, Como

Within the late Renaissance premises of Villa Del Grumello, the festival will host the exhibition Lightness in Progress, a selection of works, projects, objects, and furnishing accessories from different galleries, design studios, and archives that aim to develop a path around the theme of lightness in its broadest sense. As in a widespread kunsthalle, the scenographic greenhouses and other spectacular sites of the Chilometro della Conoscenza will host the projects of the Contemporary Design Selection, an exhibition dedicated to independent design curated for the second consecutive year by Giovanna Massoni. Furthermore, the ancient dock of the villa will serve as the stage for the audio/video installation Paesaggi d’acqua by Stefano Larotonda and Niccolò Nessi, with the narrating voice of Giuseppe Innocente.

LIGHTNESS IN PROGRESS, Villa del Grumello, via per Cernobbio 11, Como

In the city center, in the Palazzo del Broletto, the exhibition The Form of Lightness will provide a glimpse into the theme of lightness expressed in over 100 years of designing a fundamental element of furniture: the chair.

CONTEMPORARY DESIGN SELECTION, Chilometro della Conoscenza, via per Cernobbio 11, Como

The thirteenth-century church of San Pietro in Atrio will host Lightness on Paper, an exhibition project created to celebrate the 35 years of Lithos, a Como publishing house specialized in prints and art books which will present new works created by some of the most well-known and appreciated Italian and international architects, designers, and creatives.

LIGHT TEMPORARY RESTAURANT, Serra del Grumello, via Celesia 4, Como

Among the special projects, a series of site-specific installations by the artist Valerio Eliogabalo Torrisi will involve various city realities through ad hoc works, while the Swiss gallery Grieder Contemporary will exhibit works by the artist Jorinde Voigt in the Borgovico 33 exhibition space and her new headquarters of Villa Anna, in Cernobbio, will set up the collective exhibition Weight of Illumination.

WEIGHT OF ILLUMINATION, Villa Anna, Cernobbio

Finally, to celebrate the bond between the festival and the hospitality sector in Como, Hilton Lake Como, Hotel Villa Flori, and Sheraton Lake Como Hotel host for the first time site-specific installations that fall within the official festival pro- gram. A series of seats by Jonathan Bocca titled “A Piedi Nudi” will be on display at Hilton Lake Como, Sheraton will host the works by Belgian designer Thomas Serruys titled “Resourcer”, while Hotel Villa Flori will host the installation “Micare obscure” by Dora Stanczel + pietre trovanti.

CONTEMPLATION ROOM JORINDE VOIGT’S SOLO EXHIBITION, Borgovico 33, Como

List of exhibitions:

1. THE FORM OF LIGHTNESS, Palazzo del Broletto, piazza Duomo, Como
2. LIGHTNESS ON PAPER, San Pietro in Atrio, via Odescalchi, Como
3. 8 DAYS OF LIGHTNESS, San Pietro in Atrio, via Odescalchi, Como
4. LIGHTNESS IN PROGRESS, Villa del Grumello, via per Cernobbio 11, Como
5. CONTEMPORARY DESIGN SELECTION, Chilometro della Conoscenza, via per Cernobbio 11, Como
6. LIGHT TEMPORARY RESTAURANT, Serra del Grumello, via Celesia 4, Como
7. WEIGHT OF ILLUMINATION, Villa Anna, Cernobbio
8. CONTEMPLATION ROOM JORINDE VOIGT’S SOLO EXHIBITION, Borgovico 33, Como
9. VALERIO ELIOGABALO TORRISI FOR THE LAKE COMO DESIGN FESTIVAL, route off