Italian fitness brand Technogym, recognised as an industry leader in the wellness space and represented locally through Vivendo, marked its 40th anniversary with a special exhibition that brought together the imaginative designs of 40 artists and designers from across the globe and display during the annual furniture fair in Milan, Salone del Mobile, last week.
The project, which was conceived together with architect and designer Giulio Cappellini and curated by Bruna Roccasalva, tasked each artist with interpreting the concept of wellness through their own individual, artistic and cultural lens, using the Technogym Bench as a blank canvas.
The result “explores the special and deep relation between design and wellness, style and functionality, emotional and tangible, that has always represented a key element of Technogym since its inception,” the brand says.
The exhibition, titled Design to Move, features the unique creations of Patricia Urquiola, who used Cimento – a brand for which she is creative director – to give the bench a tactile quality, and Antonio Citterio, who drew on his longstanding history with Technogym to design a bench featuring chrome-painted surfaces and a leather cover, giving his design a premium aesthetic.
Japanese brand Nendo approached its design in its trademark style of minimalism with a sense of fun – a small human figure lifts the Technogym bench off the ground on one side, as though engaged in training, with textured droplets representing sweat scattered across the bench.
Technogym founder, Nerio Alessandri – who conceived the brand at the age of 22 in his family’s garage – designed his own fully-chromed version to serve as “a symbol of self-reflection on everything that has been achieved, while also envisioning future aspirations.”
“His design, named Imbestio, refers to the word coined by the Technogym team “to describe the unique mix of love, passion, hard work and competitiveness that characterises Technogym people.”
Design to Move was on display at Technogym Milano as part of Milan Design Week. A selection of 15 benches will be auctioned in collaboration with Sotheby’s in September while the rest will be available for purchase on Technogym.com; all proceeds from which will be donated to Unicef.
Photography: Technogym
If you enjoyed this article, you might also be interested in: Technogym’s new treadmill promises performance and looks ideal for design-conscious home gyms
