Fundermax Fuorisalone 2023 fit-out — Discover the Jungle, Fundermax Fuorisalone 2023
An experiential, Instagrammable space that tells the materials through a surprising visual narrative
.01
.02
.03
An immersive tropical jungle at the centre of Opificio 31, in the Tortona district, during the 2023 Fuorisalone. For Fundermax — a brand of panels and laminates for the design world — 23bassi chooses to abandon didactic display and builds a pop, Instagrammable and slightly crazy installation: a 3.5-metre giraffe emerges from the ivy outside, a snake-bench rises from the wall, multicoloured laminate parrots decorate the façade. Inside, hundreds of plants, a bark floor, a mirrored ceiling and natural jungle sounds amplify an experience where every animal is a variation of the laminate.
The project. The aim of the project was to create a pop, Instagrammable, eclectic, slightly crazy and entirely unusual installation to introduce a brand that produces ennobled panels, surfaces and laminates for the design world: Fundermax. The difficulty lay in finding a way to display some of them, across various categories and types, without becoming didactic. How could different materials be displayed (woods, stones, colours — all different!) right up to custom textures (the Individual series can be printed with any graphics)? Once we saw the fit-out location — a green-covered box at the centre of Opificio 31 in Tortona — the choice was the simplest of all: we’ll make a jungle! We also wrote about it in an article on our blog.
Outside. Outside the venue we wanted something that would catch the eye, a real ‘landmark’. That is why a 3.5-metre giraffe head emerges from the ivy-covered wall. From the same wall, lower down, the body and head of a snake emerge, and the body transforms into a bench so visitors can rest for a moment. On the installation’s entrance façade, which has the entry and exit windows on the left and right, hang multicoloured laminate parrots, together with the Fundermax logo.
Discover the jungle. On entering, the atmosphere changes completely. The interior space turns into a true tropical jungle. The effect is created by hundreds of plants of different kinds surrounding the perimeter of the pavilion. The floor is clad in bark, while the ceiling is made of a mirrored material. In this way the greenery is doubled and the effect is fully immersive, amplified by the natural jungle sounds from the audio system. From the plants emerge the true protagonists of the installation. The giraffe that came out outside turns inside into a laminate giraffe. A zebra, parrots and other animals stand out in their colours amid the lush vegetation. Among laminate trees and polygonal rocks, also in laminate, the elements of the installation’s landscape take shape. Finally, before the exit, a ‘layered’ elephant greets the visitor.
Merchandising. 23bassihome, the branch of 23bassi that handles the production and sale of objects, designed and produced all the jungle-themed merchandising specially for this installation. Shoppers, tattoos, water, bracelets and a buildable jungle-themed invitation, so visitors could take a piece of this immersive installation home with them.
