Furniture Fair, Flamingo and Urban Design.

Last night was the last night.
The last night of the famous Furniture Fair that every year, during April, invades Milan. Invade is kind of a strong word, but it is exactly what happen in the city. Actually, not by the real fair, that is outside, but by fuorisalone, an ongoing events, happening, and performance all around the city -especially in via Tortona and via Savona - where all sort of designers and designers related jobs spend their time looking, chit chatting, drinking and - sometime - eating.

Well, I am not here to give any report about all mentioned above stuff, because you can look about them somewhere else. However I want to speak about flamingo.

In Milan city there are some kind of stake generally near to traffic light. Those stakes test the pollution in the air. They do their work, but they are unpleasant to look at.

Here come out Urban Design, that "draws together the many strands of place-making, environmental stewardship, social equity and economic viability into the creation of places with distinct beauty and identity".

During all the design week, Milan city had a make-up: most of the pollution tester was cover, they wore a camouflage. They become Flamingo, Penguin and Duck.
Something useful, but ugly, become useful, funny and colorful. They gave some color in a gray city; they become attractive for children, and not just for dogs that urinate on them; they caught the attention and give importance to the air pollution issue.

It was a nice initiative that with irony brought up different kind of themes.