Milano Design Week 2026: Cial and NABA Present 'Extreme environments'

Milano Design Week 2026: Cial and NABA Present 'Extreme environments' at Palazzo Litta

From 21 to 26 April 2026, Palazzo Litta hosts Extreme environments, an exhibition project that pairs aluminum structures with audiovisual pieces to investigate the theme of Metamorphosis. The project is a collaboration between Cial – the national aluminum packaging consortium – and NABA, involving students from the design area and the postgraduate course in Creative Media Production.

• What to see: sculptural totems made from aluminum sheets complemented by LED video content, designed to create contrasts between natural and artificial elements and to play with reflection and distortion.
• Curators and team: curated by Claudio Larcher, with Andrea Mancuso, Luca Poncellini, Michele Aquila and Sofia D’Andrea, developed with student collaboration.
• Theme: how design reacts and adapts to extreme contexts—environmental, climatic and socio-cultural—broadening the notion of “environment.”
• Material and sustainability: aluminum is presented as a flexible, lightweight and infinitely recyclable material, emblematic of the circular economy.

The metallic surfaces act as perceptual devices: they reflect, distort and amplify the historic space, turning an everyday material into a powerful artistic language. The installation aims to convey both aesthetic value and a concrete message about environmental responsibility by highlighting aluminum’s recyclability within creative processes.

Practical info: the installation is open during Milano Design Week, from 21 to 26 April 2026, at Palazzo Litta, Corso Magenta 24, Milan. For exact visiting hours and ticketing information, check the official channels of the event and the exhibition venue.

Projects like Extreme environments demonstrate the potential of design as a tool for vision and responsibility: students, designers and industry collaborate on practical, sustainable solutions that address the future of design.