Press Release
3rd February 2010
Sony set to impress at
Milano Salone Internationale del Mobile2010?
For the first time ever, a showcase of Sony Design will be revealed exclusively within ZonaTortona as part of the Milano Salone Internationale del Mobile 2010 (14-19th April). The exhibition will be a visual insight into Sony’s creative essence and evolving approach to design.
The seed of the exhibition was Monolithic Design; a new design concept that Sony has recently introduced across its TV and home entertainment range. This design concept was ignited by a passion to bring about change in people’s attitude in relation to their living space and encourage a change in lifestyle behaviour through the presence of these TV and home entertainment products.
The exhibition space at Salone drives this design concept to another level; visualising the exploration of a human-centric design essence symbolised through lifestyle-focused concepts.
Exclusively for this exhibition, Sony’s Design team has invited London-based designers Edward Barber and Jay Osgerby (BarberOsgerby) to indulge their creativity and design knowledge, and collaborate with Sony designers to realize a deeper integration of products within contemporary lifestyles expressed through conceptual archetypes.
Project leader Kaz Ichikawa, Sony Creative Centre commented, “We are most excited to reveal our future design vision at what is the most creative, lifestyle-oriented platform in the world. The Milan exhibition is a new demonstration, a showcase for the strength of our creative energy.”
Ichikawa added, “When we first met with Edward and Jay we sensed a meeting of minds which we deemed imperative for the union of creative ideas. Moreover, we felt their design ethos was complementary to our design philosophy, and their work as a pair of leading contemporary designers brings a new interpretation of individuality, lifestyle and experimentation to the whole experience.”
“Sony has been a part of the design lifestyle since iconic products like the Walkman were launched,” said Edward Barber, “so this project was a hugely exciting challenge for us. It’s been a real opportunity to show a different side of our practice. The result is a spectacular experiment.”
Jay Osgerby added, “The exhibition has given us an unprecedented opportunity to understand and explore Sony’s design. It’s been an inspiring process that has enabled us to develop new archetypes that inhabit an unexpected architectural landscape.”
The impressive space of Officine Stendhal at Via Stendhal 35 will house this forward insight into Sony’s approach to design and will run from 14 - 19 April 2010.
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For more information on Sony at Milan 2010, please contact:
Neil Byrne / Rosalind Freeborn
Camron PR
Tel: +44(0)20 7420 1700
About Sony
Sony is a leading global innovator of audio, video, communications and information technology products for both the consumer and professional markets. Sony is renowned for its audio-visual products, such as the BRAVIA™ LCD high-definition television, Cyber-shot™ digital camera, Handycam® camcorder and Walkman® MP3 player as well as its VAIO™ personal computers and high-definition (HD) professional broadcast equipment, highlighted by the XDCAM® HD. Offering a complete end-to-end HD value chain and with its electronics, music, pictures, game and online businesses, Sony is one of the world’s leading digital entertainment brands, employing approximately 170,000 people worldwide.
Through its long-term football partnerships as an official sponsor of the UEFA Champions League until 2012, Official FIFA Partner until 2014 and global sponsor of the FIFA World Cup™ in 2010 and 2014, Sony is inspiring a sense of excitement for the millions of football fans around the world.
About Sony Design
The first Sony Design Centre was founded in Tokyo in 1961, since this time designers at Sony have strived to develop innovative products under the philosophy of ‘building high-performance, easy-to-use and beautiful products with a distinctive Sony flair’. Over the years and in line with the overall Sony strategy, Design at Sony developed globally and today designers of various nationalities and backgrounds are playing active roles in Sony Design from locations in the US, UK, Singapore and China. Sony Design Global Web Site: http://www.sony.net/fun
AboutBarberOsgerby
Edward Barber and Jay Osgerby are the founders of BarberOsgerby and Universal Design Studio. Edward and Jay studied architecture together at The Royal College of Art, London. BarberOsgerby was established as a furniture and product design studio in 1996, and Universal Design Studio, their Architecture studio, was launched in 2001.
Their portfolio has received critical acclaim and they have worked on projects for many of the leading manufacturers in the world. Their work is held in museum permanent collections around the world including V&A, London; Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York; Design Museum, London; and the Art Institute of Chicago. In 2004 Jay and Edward were awarded the Jerwood Prize for Applied Arts and in 2007 Jay and Edward were awarded the lifelong title Royal Designers for Industry by the Royal Society of Arts and Manufacturers.
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