Waving the flag of British ... design

Sometimes it seems that the world delights in perversity, surprising mankind with weird coincidences and unsuspected connections. Or contradictions. As in Milan’s church San Giorgio al Palazzo, a Baroque building in a small square on the right as you go down Via Torino. It was built fairly early, in about 750, on the site of Ancient Roman Emperor Diocletian’s imperial palace. Hence the name. It was rebuilt several times over the centuries, and the interiors date to the early 1800s. During the most recent restoration, in which the intention was to install an under-floor central heating system, the floor was lifted, and the remains of the “suspensurae” were discovered underneath. The suspensurae were part of the typical Ancient Roman central heating system, used in this case to keep Diocletian’s palace warm. Naturally there are strict laws in Italy about the conservation of the artistic and architectural heritage and so the builders had to simply replace the floor and abandon any ideas of a central heating system for the church!

San Giorgio, or Saint George, is of course the patron saint of England (23 April) though he has absolutely nothing to do with England at all. The whole story of the saint that killed the dragon and saved the princess seems to be a Mediaeval fabrication brought back by some over-imaginative crusaders, and the more realistic story provided in the Who’s Who of saints is rather more prosaic. He was a Christian Ancient Roman born in Palestine, and was threatened with death unless he renounced Christianity and made a sacrifice to the pagan gods. He refused, and so Diocletian (him again) had him executed on April 23, 303. But apparently this story is also pure invention.

One thing that is certain is that St. George’s Cross, a red cross on a white background, was originally the flag of Genoa, a city that in the Middle Ages became one of the most powerful in the world, rivalling Venice for its mastery of the seas. In 1190 the English made an arrangement with the Doge of Genoa so that its ships entering the Mediterranean on their way to the Crusades could fly the Genoese flag and benefit from the protection of the fleet. The English Crusaders soon adopted the emblem for their uniform, and from about 1280 it became the flag of England. Milan also adopted St. George’s flag as its emblem, but don’t ask me why. Actually I don’t think anyone knows.

Anyway, all this was a way of introducing a British contribution to one of Milan’s most important events in its trade fair calendar, the Salone Internazionale del Mobile, running from 22 to 27 April. Actually it’s called “I Saloni”, the shows, because it includes Euroluce, the lighting exhibition, and the Furnishing Accessories Exhibition, alongside the Furniture Show itself. All these are for professionals, people working in the trade, though Salone Satellite, presenting the most extreme design by young creative talent, is open to all. The gigantic event is held at the Rho trade fair district (the entrance gate for Salone Satellite is “Cargo 5”).

But the Salone del Mobile is an exceptional event for Milan above all because design and furniture spills out of the showground and floods the whole of the city. There are collateral events all around town, with openings, cocktails and parties on just about every evening of the period. These are just as interesting as the main show, and in addition they are easier to get to… and free. The only problem for us is that information on these collateral events is published fairly close to the date, and so we can only provide a few hints. Such as a few classic venues. There are shows in Piazza Mercanti every year. And at Superstudio Più in Via Tortona, near Porta Genova. Basically you just have to find one such place, and then you will be away, either using one of the publications listing all the events and distributed at the venues, or following the crowds as they promenade from one opening to the next.

Some museums will be staging design-related events, such as the Triennale Design Museum (in Parco Sempione, not far from Cadorna station), where the show “Serie e Fuori Serie” introduces the transition from experimental research in design, often using hand-crafting techniques, to the high-tech materials and processes of series production. White Star Adventure in Piazza Meda will be running a show named “Incartaluce”, looking at the magic of electric light and the ways in which it can transform and highlight objects, from 22 to 27 April.

But what I actually intended was to get round to, by way of St. George, the English, Milan and underfloor heating, was that there will be a significant British presence amongst the collateral events at the show. The British Design Embassy will be hosted from 22 to 26 April at Villa Reale in Via Palestro 16, in Sala del Parnaso. Why? The answer is provided by Sir Andrew Cahn, CEO of UK Trade and Investment: “With world-class designers such as Tom Dixon, Jasper Morrison and Ross Lovegrove, the UK remains at the forefront of the world’s furniture stage… By taking the British Design Embassy to Milan, we hope to enable the next generation of UK talent to establish a foothold in this exciting market. Like London, Milan is one of the most important design cities in the world. Where better to host our first overseas Design Embassy?” British Consul General, Dr. Laurence Bristow-Smith, puts it another way: “The aim of the Design Embassy is to bring [British creative people] together in one of Milan’s most prestigious venues and create a single British event where everyone will meet up and see the true strength and depth of British creative design.”

So if you’re here from 22 to 27 April, you will have no end of opportunities for cultural, culinary and physical exertion – it can get pretty tiring moving from one fuorisalone event to the next. And if you’re here before or after, well, you could try the Church of San Giorgio, where there is a lovely series of paintings in a chapel, Cappella della Passione, on the right hand side of the nave, by Bernardino Luini. Enjoy. If it’s not too cold.

Henry Neuteboom