“Spanish Design as a Souvenir” places Spanish design at the heart of the Fuorisalone with an installation from Tile of Spain and ICEX at the Università degli Studi di Milano (La Statale)
From castanets to the Milán 430, eleven everyday and cultural objects reinterpreted in ceramic trace a journey through Spain’s material imagination
“Spanish Design as a Souvenir”, Tile of Spain and ICEX Spain Trade and Investment’s latest installation at the Fuorisalone in Milan by CODOO STUDIO, redefines Spanish ceramics beyond its traditional role as cladding or flooring to emerge as body, volume, and autonomous design entity at the sector’s foremost international showcase.
The cultural value of everyday life
The installation revolves around a central question: can Spanish design embody the identity of a territory and become a material memory? Ceramics responds as a narrative language, taking the form of an architectural-scale still life of souvenirs that reinterprets cultural icons everyday objects from Spanish design, clad in ceramics from 15 Tile of Spain brands: Apavisa, Arcana, Argenta, Cevica, Colorker, Cristacer, Decocer, Dune, El Barco, Estudio Cerámico, Gayafores, Harmony, Tau Cerámica, Vidrepur and Vives.
Set within the perimeter galleries of the historic cloister of La Statale, the installation unfolds as an exhibition journey where art and design converge, inviting visitors to immerse themselves in the scene and explore the potential of ceramics as a contemporary material. The proposal is articulated through a walkable linear structure measuring 10 x 1.50 m, housing eleven reinterpreted everyday objects whose dimensions—ranging from 44 to 247 kg in weight and 20 to 250 cm in height—reinforce their sculptural, volumetric condition.
Objects that trascend
Moving beyond the tourist cliché and under the theme “Materiae” by INTERNI magazine, the installation presents a collection of pieces conceived to endure and travel beyond the Fuorisalone, settling into the material and emotional memory of its visitors. Transformed into contemporary totems, the eleven objects form a system of references where design, culture and production intertwine:
The trivet, linked to the flamenco tablao; castanets as an extension of the body; the tortilla plate and olive oil as domestic archetypes; the Copenhagen ashtray—designed in the 1960s by Jørgen Haugen Sørensen—; the t-shirt as a universal souvenir; the Milán 430 as an educational icon; the wineskin as a popular symbol; Miguel de Unamuno’s bow tie; the magnet as a tourist memento; and the kiss, inspired by Salvador Dalí’s Dailips sofa.
With this project, Tile of Spain proposes a shift in how Spanish ceramics are perceived at a time of exceptional creative momentum during Milan Design Week. Far from being just an installation, “Spanish Design as a Souvenir” offers a contemporary reflection on Spanish design and ceramics as an identity-bearing material.
About CODOO STUDIO
Founded in 2019 in Madrid’s Lavapiés district by architects José David Costa and Sergio Ortiz, CODOO STUDIO is a multidisciplinary practice encompassing architecture, design, interior design and creative direction with an experimental approach.
Their work is defined by a vibrant, seventies-inspired aesthetic, where bold colour palettes, expressive lighting and spatial experimentation come together to create distinctive environments designed to generate impact and leave an impact and linger in memory.
