We were commissioned by Italian bank Banca IFIS and Triennale di Milano to physically translate the thinking of Paolo Manfredi, the curator of “The Bicycle Renaissance”, and articulate the bicycle’s central role in the age of Industry 4.0; the artisans, design and technology. The aim was to present a 360° view of this next Industrial Revolution, through the Bicycle’s lifestyle & economies, with dynamism, energy and emotion; characteristics that define the industry and its rich culture.
At the center of the space, the exhibition’s beating heart, a workshop table houses raw material, bicycle frames, wheels, intricate mechanical components that are accompanied by technological gadgets and lifestyle products: a comprehensive exploded view and cross-section of the bicycle world, with all its different characters.
From this central platform three main story-telling roads begin.
The Heat: which narrates the heat of the foundries, of the process of welding and the passion of the Bicycle frame master builder.
The Territory: which communicates the ecological value bicycle transport has and enables on the territory: from cycling to bike sharing, from daily commute to new economies.
The Future: innovation of materials, hybridization of categories in which the protagonists of the bicycle industry & craft continue to raise the bar of performance through the research and use of the latest technological discoveries, material innovations and fabrication skills.
Each of these main roads is divided into 5 further streets, each representing a key word that identifies the bicycle that runs through it. Following these paths, the visitor will find all top exemplars of refined craftsmanship; extreme expressions of Italian ingenuity in engineering & fabrication. These metaphysical paths then meet on a photographic horizon of the thousand lives, the thousand facets of today’s bicycles and their daily usage.
