Bolon flooring morphs into "mysterious creatures" during Milan design week

Promotion: Swedish design brand Bolon has promoted its flooring through an immersive sculptural exhibition as part of Milan Design week 2025.

Named Exodus, the exhibition took the form of an installation within a historic ballroom in the centre of Milan, which is also a former textile factory.

It was the result of the first collaboration between installation artist JoAnn Tan and industrial designer Luca Nichetto.

The installation was divided into two parts, arranged on either side of a straight walkway spanning between a main entrance and exit leading to an inner courtyard.

Creatures and vegetation made out of Bolon flooring populated both parallel worlds that made up the installation.

One side featured flooring of dark green, chevron-shaped tiles, populated by undulating vegetation-like forms that recalled scenes in a primeval forest.

"[On this side] the depths of a primordial forest unfold, an ancient universe where the material seems to rise organically from the ground, pulsating with energy and strength," said Bolon.

"Surfaces take the form of creatures – robust, powerful as if they were an extension of the landscape itself."

The opposite side was underpinned by scalloped flooring tiles in powder pink and apricot shades and was home to bird- and bug-like organisms.

"The atmosphere becomes ethereal, colours soften into delicate, luminous hues," the brand continued. "The landscape appears weightless, like a dream suspended in midair, and the creatures inhabiting this space move with lightness, almost floating."

The beings on both sides were placed towards the rear of the space, where windows and a central door gave way to a courtyard garden that contained a seating area and where visitors came face-to-face with a final sculptural creature.

It was positioned above a pond and combined elements from both sides of the interior – both the earthiness of the forest and the lightness of the dreamy world opposite.

"At the heart of the installation, the encounter finally takes place," said the brand. "A mythical creature is born – an entity that belongs to no world yet contains them both."

"Exodus is more than an installation," said Bolon. "It is a parallel world, a fantastical ecosystem where Bolon's textile flooring comes to life, morphing into mysterious creatures."

Visitors can view Exodus for free between 10am and 8pm between 8 and 12 April, and between 10am and 5pm on 13 April.

To find out more about Bolon, visit its website.

Partnership content

This article was written by Dezeen for Bolon as part of a partnership. Find out more about Dezeen partnership content here.

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