During Milan Design Week, the Architectural Association presents Coalescence, an exhibition featuring the work of 25 designers as part of Alcova. The show runs from 20 to 26 April at the Centro Ospedaliero Militare di Baggio.
© Architectural AssociationMartin Lukas Wecke, installation.
Set within a disused washroom, the exhibition brings together current students and recent graduates, showcasing both new and existing works across a range of materials and processes. The presentation reflects a multidisciplinary approach, incorporating ceramics, stone, and experimental 3D printing, while emphasising a fluid relationship between making, material exploration, and spatial context.
The site-specific nature of the installation informs the curatorial direction, with themes of labour and process referenced through the act of washing. This connection to the building's former function is embedded throughout the exhibition, positioning material transformation as both a conceptual and physical framework.
At the centre of the exhibition is a communal table designed by Nichola Barrington-Leach of NVBL. Constructed from reclaimed stone and raw ochre pigment, the piece serves as both a display surface and a focal point for the exhibition. The use of suspended pigment references historical material practices and evokes associations with Milan's textile production heritage.
© Architectural Association
Hannah Fastrich, Cups.
Coalescence highlights a generation of emerging designers working across disciplines, where material experimentation and process-led design are central to practice. The exhibition positions these approaches within a broader dialogue on contemporary design culture, particularly in relation to craft, technology, and spatial storytelling.
As part of the wider Alcova programme, the exhibition contributes to ongoing discussions around alternative exhibition formats and the use of unconventional sites during Milan Design Week.
More information:
Architectural Association
www.aaschool.ac.uk
