We compose habitats,
places made of living matter and pulsating ideas
for trade shows, events, exhibits and retail.
We compose habitats,
places made of living matter and pulsating ideas
for trade shows, events, exhibits and retail.
On May 15, 2024, in the evocative setting of the Mattatoio in Testaccio, Rome, the RDE EXPO 6 exhibition took place, where the materieunite team was entrusted with designing and producing the installation for ISIA Roma Design—the first public university-level design institute in Italy, active since 1973.
With the RDE EXPO 6 exhibition, ISIA Roma Design had a clear goal: to communicate the outcomes of the sixth edition of the Rome Design Experience (RDE6) workshop to the public.
This educational format was created to bridge the gap between design training and the professional world, giving voice to major contemporary issues and envisioning new scenarios through the perspective of young designers. They represent the cultural heritage of Italy—something to be preserved, valued, and supported through new professional and research opportunities.
Our installation for ISIA Roma Design was conceived to embody the core principles of temporary exhibition design: ephemerality, modularity, lightness, prefabrication, design for disassembly, narrative, and reuse. These principles were translated into a design project that not only met the functional needs of the event but also reflected the sustainable and innovative values shared by Materieunite and ISIA Roma Design.
The central element of the installation was the concept of process, symbolically represented by the rolled/unrolled sheet, evoking the idea of a typewriter and a dynamic surface.
The ribbon, serving as a connector both in time and theme, guided visitors on a journey through the various topics explored in the workshop.
To highlight the speed of assembly and disassembly, we adopted a tubular language connected by nylon tie joints, inspired by temporary structures such as scaffolding.
Our focus was on the exhibition itself rather than its future reuse, drawing inspiration from Shigeru Ban’s techniques and the modular concept of Innocenti tubes.
The installation used uniformly sized tubes cut into five different lengths, allowing for the creation of varied and reconfigurable shapes. This modular approach facilitated both assembly and disassembly, promoting the reuse and recycling of materials.
We chose entirely recyclable and reusable materials: cardboard tubes, 100% reusable and recyclable; nylon ties; printed paper with eco-label Latex inks; and cardboard stools, which became the event’s giveaway at the end of the exhibition.
The setup included a talk area, an interactive arena designed to foster engagement between guests and audience, configured with mobile components inspired by RDE’s brand identity.
The exhibition, divided into two sections, narrated the RDE experience through accordion panels and thematic islands showcasing the outcomes of the workshops. The wayfinding, made with reused cardboard tubes and printed honeycomb cardboard panels, guided visitors through the installation.
Our installation for ISIA Roma Design at RDE EXPO 6 2024 was not just a showcase of the workshop outcomes, but also a concrete example of how design can be sustainable, modular, and narrative-driven.