Milan Salone 2017: Thermal transitions

Milan – Passages, a series of sculptural objects by design studio Panter & Tourron, examined the different states of thermal energy.

• The exhibition was part of the Iqos Pathfinder Project, a global platform for creatives who drive positive change
• Scenic photography by Jagoda Wisniewska was displayed alongside the totemic sculptures

Following extensive research into the nature of thermal energy, Stefano Panterotto and Alexis Tourron of Panter & Tourron created five ‘passages’ – objects designed to convey how heat materialises in nature, including in the rays of the sun, rising mist and body heat.

Large metal structures supported objects coated in thermochromatic ink, which changed in colour when exposed to different temperatures. ‘Gradients and shades are the traces of the passage from one state to another, a constant transition that animates these objects,’ explains Tourron.

Passage Five comprised a vertical cylinder suspended in mid-air that represented the nature of heat as both an external force and inner energy emitted by the human body and the earth in the form of volcanoes. The cylinder reacted to an in-built heat source that fluctuated in temperature, rewarding patient viewers with a slowly shifting display of different colours.