Via Conte Rosso 36 is our home when we were studying in Milan. It was next to one of the main exhibition area of Salone di Mobile (Milan Design Week). The official guide map suggested people a walking path from metro/train station to the exhibition area. It passed right under our balcony.
But we didn’t know it until that day.
It was a normal April day of 2012. After breakfast, we started to work as usual. When we looked out onto the street, we noticed that people walking down there were strangely grouped. It was still mid morning, so they were not heading for lunch.
As time approaching to midday, more and more people appeared. Besides the unusual flow, we also recognised that most of them tended to stop at the junction, looking at a piece of paper and wondering around. Looked like they don’t know where to go.
“Something is going on!”
After a quick search on the internet, we got to know the very fact mentioned at the beginning. It was a real surprise and we were totally excited by it. You see, hundreds and thousands visitors would pass our balcony, and not only that—they would slow down when they approach here, hesitate at the junction, look around, and around. Why not give them a treat?
Or, why not let the exhibition starts here?
So this is the Intro of the exhibition.
We worked out a banner as large as possible and pasted it on the facade of the building. Not long after, people started to notice it.
They checked their guide map carefully to see who is the designer of “you are designed!”.
They raised up their cameras and took a picture.
Meanwhile, we were observing them from inside. Discoveries include: 1) 90% of picture takers were female; 2) 90% of picture takers were single or in a group of less than 3 persons; 3) people from more-than-3 group ignored it completely.
