Stefano Panterotto and Alexis Tourron, the creative duo behind Swiss design studio Panter&Tourron, are one of the six taking part in 'Shared Matter', a collective exhibition of Swiss design at Milan Design Week, highlighting the benefits that come from global collaboration.

Dejan Jovanovic

With influential figures such as Le Corbusier, Diego Giacometti, Josef Müller-Brockmann, and Fritz Haller shaping its legacy, Switzerland has firmly established itself on the global design map over the past century, renowned for its precision engineering, distinctive architectural language, and unwavering commitment to quality. Today, a generation of emerging designers are building on this legacy, expanding its reach through collaborations with international partners and engaging in a diverse exchange of cultural and creative ideas.

At this year’s Milan Design Week, which takes over the Italian design capital from this weekend, the Swiss Arts Council Pro Helvetia, in partnership with Presence
Switzerland, presents ‘Shared Matter’, an exhibition spotlighting six projects conceived by local talent and brought to life through dynamic global collaborations. While creative crossovers are nothing new, this exhibition seeks to reaffirm the region’s ability to translate its design language across borders, highlighting the value of such exchange in a world that feels increasingly fragmented. “Design has always been a fundamentally collaborative discipline whose value depends on continuous exchange," says Marie Mayoly, Head of International Platforms for Design at Pro Helvetia. “Its quality and impact emerge when diverse voices contribute their knowledge and perspectives, and this must be actively nurtured.”

Located within the multidisciplinary event space SPAZIOVENTO with scenography conceived by Swiss design duo Gini Moynier in collaboration with graphic
designer Nicolas Bernklau, the projects on display were invited to enter an open call with the final six selected by architect and designer Maddalena Casadei and the Editorial Director of Dezeen, Max Fraser. From Akuto Studio’s intuitive musical instrument that reimagines the possibilities of chord playing to Panter&Tourron’s sculptural floor lamp, Silvio Rebholz’s biodegradable alternatives to single-use plastic cups and iiode’s sustainable LED bulb, the variety of disciplines on display pays testament to the thought-provoking curiosity of Swiss designers. “They are eager to engage with diverse cultural and production contexts, while international scenes show a strong interest in Swiss approaches to design and research,” continues Mayoly. “As an institution, our role is to support and enable these connections, ensuring that such collaborations are not only opportunities for visibility, but catalysts for sustainable, long-term relationships.”

Zurich-based product designer Noelani Rutz is presenting a project shaped by the experience of working in Tokyo, Japan. Fleeting Landscapes consists of two tile collections examining the materiality of clay in relation to the fleeting forms of snow. Developed under Pro Helvetia’s ‘Design with Japan’ programme and in collaboration with maker Sugiura Seito Co. Ltd with production by Tajimi Custom Tiles, the project began in Switzerland’s snow-covered mountains, where plaster was cast directly into snow under shifting conditions to capture fleeting, momentary textures. Transformed into permanent ceramic tiles, the clay has become a vessel for memory, evoking the ecological fragility of snow and serving as a quiet reminder of inevitable change.

“In Japan, especially in the countryside, you’re constantly invited to notice the quieter qualities of things,” explains Rutz. “The textures, the way materials age, the space around objects, and the idea that beauty can exist through reduction. I experienced moments that carried a very specific atmosphere, created with care, where it wasn’t only about something being visually pleasing but about a deeper sense of calm and presence.” This experience continues to shape her work today, paying homage to Japan’s more traditional, almost anonymous way of creation, with the focus placed on craft and proportion. Leading Japanese furniture manufacturer, Karimoku New Standard, is also the official partner of the exhibition.

Renowned design studio Panter&Tourron are also taking part, displaying the Hall Lamp, a sculptural design crafted from extruded aluminium pipe and offered in a range of gradient colour treatments. Adaptable to suit a range of settings and interior moods, it has been manufactured in partnership with the Italian lighting company From Lighting. “We were interested in how far a very ordinary industrial element could be pushed just by cutting it, flipping it, and giving it a new function,” says Stefano Panterotto. “There is something immediate in that gesture. It is technical, but also very visual, and it creates a form that feels almost self-evident.”

Having collaborated with many international partners over the years, the duo feel their local identity isn’t something to preserve through explicit references but appears inherently in the way they work, through method, precision and the dialogue between materials and technologies. “Our practice also developed in a post-internet context, where visual universes blend more easily and geographical or heritage-based influences have become more fluid,” comments Alexis Tourron. “Because of that, we are less interested in expressing identity literally, and more in making objects that feel clear and immediate. The ambition is not to make something neutral, but something legible. In a time marked by so much visual and cultural complexity, we want to convey clarity.”

Designers Vera Roggli and Julia Villamonte have bridged the gap between Switzerland and Villamonte’s hometown of Labo, in the province of Camarines Norte, Philippines. The duo are presenting Sapin-Sapin, a multifunctional mat that can be folded into a low seating object, ideal for resting, sitting, or hanging as a room divider, and the connection of design, craft and local knowledge remains evident in the materials used, with the mat handwoven from karagumoy leaves. “On one hand, it is deeply place-specific due to the material used and the object’s function,” explains Villamonte, “but on the other hand, the weaving technique itself is universal and can be found across many cultures around the world. It has existed for as long as humans have. So we believe that alongside the uniqueness of each craft, there is also a universality that connects them in a global context.”

Preserving the cultural identity of craft on a global stage requires the utmost care, and the designers say how it requires in-depth research into the historical, cultural, and social contexts of both the material and the craft. “Transparency around the making process is equally important,” says Roggli, “acknowledging who contributed, where the craft originates from, how it has been used historically, and in what context it exists today. In this way, the final object also becomes a carrier of stories and knowledge.”

With design being a powerful tool in connecting communities around the world, the exhibition is a positive reminder in the timely need for further support of the creative sectors. “The more we work together, the more we understand each other," says Mayoly. “In the world we live in, sharing matter beyond borders, education and background is probably the most valuable tool we have in our hands to impact the now and therefore our future.” And, with the strong engineering culture associated with Swiss design being a valuable contribution to such collaborations, it is exciting to see how the region is continuing to evolve creatively. As Mayoly concludes, “Every country comes with its own knowledge and way of working. Collaboration is less about transferring one model to another and should be focused on allowing different approaches to organically meet and influence each other.”

Shared Matter is on display Mon 20–Fri 24 April 2026, 10:00–19:00 at SPAZIOVENTO, Via Pinamonte da Vimercate 4, 20121 Milan.