ASUS has brought a brand-new Design You Can Feel exhibit to Milan Design Week.
Though the announcement about their attendance went live back in March, ASUS brought CGMagazine out to Milan, Italy, to attend Milan Design Week in person and experience this unique exhibition. Following their success at the London Design Festival, celebrating their Ceraluminum chassis for the Zenbook series of laptops, ASUS has opted to take things a step further and head to Milan.
I have to be honest: when we got the invite to Design Week from ASUS, I was a little puzzled about what they could possibly be bringing to the exhibition. That said, ASUS has put together a thorough exhibit, shedding light on everything that goes on behind the scenes in bringing their laptops to life. “Also titled Design You Can Feel, it explores the themes of materiality, craftsmanship and artificial intelligence (AI) to explain the design thinking behind ASUS products, including the latest ASUS Zenbook laptops.”
At Milan Design Week, ASUS has partnered with Studio INI, with Nassia Inglessis at the helm of this massive project. Inglessis is an Artist, Engineer and Designer based in London and Athens. Studio INI was created with the purpose of bringing design, scientific research and engagement together in these immersive projects.
As Nassia Inglessis explains, “There was an opportunity to essentially embody intelligence in the material—where we allow people to interact with it directly, to morph it—while giving them a very sensory experience.”
Their project, titled Willful Wonder, takes inspiration from the ASUS Zenbook and its innovative lightweight design and Ceraluminum material by creating a “kinetic, biometric sculpture.” This installation measures changes in conductivity from participants’ touch to create an AI-generated model representing their real-world interactions with the piece.
So, what does that mean? Essentially, visitors walk along a small central path, which triggers the panels along the installation to close behind them. As people touch the Ceraluminum panels, their contact is fed into an AI algorithm. “As people walk through the installation and touch the Ceraluminum, each touch will be recorded by the changes in its conductivity. So people will be able to see a spatial representation of their behaviour in the installation.” Those watching will see participants concealed and then revealed as they walk along the path.
The sculpture is said to represent the Zenbook’s slim silhouette, with nods to its lightness. The materials used in the installation include aluminum honeycomb and graded Ceraluminum. The design of the ASUS Zenbook’s chassis was also inspired by a honeycomb pattern, which can be seen along the vents of the device. The Willful Wonder exhibit incorporates an aluminum honeycomb material used by NASA for its lightness and heat dissipation properties. Using Ceraluminum further amplifies the dedication to lightness and ties ASUS into the fold.
The Milan Design Week exhibition also includes ASUS’ Design Thinking Displays, allowing visitors to explore sensory experiences behind their product design and hands-on experiences with their Zenbook, Vivobook, ProArt and ADOL devices.
“These are all elements crafted to remind us of nature—and how, when we are in nature, the space is always in a dynamic relationship with us. Here, as you walk through it, the space opens up with you.” -Nassia Inglessis
In addition to the Design You Can Feel Willful Thinking art installation and the Design Thinking displays, ASUS also put a focus on Ceraluminum technology in the form of four brand-new designs for their Zenbook devices. ASUS will launch the ASUS Zenbook Ceraluminum Signature Editions, which come in Obsidian Black, Pamukkale White, Terra Mocha and Luminous Blue and are truly something to behold. You can read about the ASUS Zenbook Ceraluminum Signature Edition in more detail here.
ASUS has consistently been focused on designs that work for their users, focusing on some of the thinnest and lightest laptops you can find, especially in the Zenbook lineup. Milan Design Week is dedicated to design in all forms, including furniture, art and, yes, even laptops. Technology and art are becoming one, and ASUS and Studio INI put this on full display flawlessly.
With the installation live tomorrow, Nassia Inglessis perfectly encapsulates people now being able to see and be a part of this unique art piece: “This is why I do it, really. It’s that moment when imagination, a lot of thinking, engineering, crafting and prototyping suddenly come together—when the human, the technological and the material all blend. Bringing it to the public and seeing how they respond and experience it is the moment that motivates the process from the beginning.”
The ASUS “Design You Can Feel” Exhibition is taking place at Galleria Meravigli in Milan, running from April 8-13. The public can attend for free from 10:00 AM to 6:00 PM daily.
