running throughout the 25 m between the
courtyard and garden of the large Palazzo
Isimbardi, became a gossamer ode to bioplas-
tic and fir. ‘This is not something done for
face value,’ explained Mamou-Mani. ‘It’s a real
exercise in structural optimization.’
For years, the word ‘immersive’ has
been used as a cloaked synonym for Insta-
gram-friendly in the vocabulary of design
installations. Cos, instead, used this grand
podium to help usher in an era where the
design installation can become a reminder
of how small our presence and sense of self-
importance should actually be. It was a real
exercise in behavioural optimization. – RM
mamou-mani.com
cosstores.comTHE PREVIOUS EDITIONS of Cos’s annual
Milan Design Week outing were all about you.
For example, last year’s installation, Phil-
lip K. Smith III’s Open Sky, was an alfresco
hall of mirrors ripe for the selfie-taking; its
predecessor, Studio Swine’s interactive New
Spring, provided a human-scaled shower
of mist and light that made for a perfectly
framed Boomerang.
This year’s proposal, Arthur Mamou-
Mani’s Conifera, pulled a 180: the clothing
brand presented an environment-scaled
setup, with no reflective surfaces nor pre-
planned photo-op spots, stating that it’s
time for design to get back to being about
something bigger than ourselves. The French
architect’s 700 apex-less pyramids, sinuouslyCo
ur
te
sy
(^) o
f (^) C
os
Arthur Mamou-Mani’s Conifera for
Cos ushered in a more conscious
kind of immersive installation.
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