Design as Cultural Encounter: Movimento Gallery and the Narrative of Matter

Today we see the word ‘design’ virtually everywhere. This is mainly used to market a product or a space because it gives them an air of prestige. This word has been overused for such a long time that we need to ask ourselves – when we talk about design, what do we really mean?

Design is much more than an aesthetic. It has encapsulated cultural and symbolic processes as well. Its origins lie in the latin word 'designare' which means “to mark” or “to indicate with an intention.” This evokes the idea of intentional action transforming needs, environments, and visions into reality. Every object carries meaning and not neutral – as mentioned by Pierre Bourdieu, objects encode taste, power, and cultural history. From this perspective, design becomes not only a creative act, but also an interpretation of the world to express identities, common goals, and differences.

Currently, this paradigm manifests in a heightened awareness regarding the sources of materials, the transparency of production, as well as the revival of artisanal crafts and local knowledge systems. Operating against a backdrop still largely driven by standardization and accelerated consumption cycles, “cultural design” positions itself as a counter-current: prioritizing slowness over speed, singularity over repetition, and relations over mere performativity. It is design and symbolic resistance at the same time. The paradox is even stronger when one thinks about the dominant global economic and industrial policies marked by centralization, competition, and aggressive profit maximization. In these contexts, design regains the capacity to nourish networks of proximity and solidarity: linking designers and artisans, artists and gallery owners, makers and exhibitors, thinkers and narrators. An emergent spirit of collaboration crystallizes, one that integrates disparate bodies of knowledge towards collaborative co-production.

This relational model—delicate yet generative—offers an alternative vision for the future of design: one in which design resists being solely governed by market logic and instead serves as a conduit for connection, critical inquiry, and cultural closeness. It is within this framework that Movimento Gallery situates itself. Founded in London in 2020 and now also based in Milan, the gallery operates as a thoughtful and responsive platform, championing a curated selection of independent artists and designers who work at the fertile intersection of art and design, material and concept.

Movimento Gallery explores spaces where objects go beyond function or decoration to become poetic gestures, thought-provoking statements, and tools for connection. Each project it presents has the power to stir emotions, spark new ideas, and question the norm—turning design into a shared cultural language that speaks to all of us. Through partnerships in over 20 nations, the gallery promotes a global viewpoint that values diversity and encourages communication between artistic tradition and modern practice. Movimento is a cultural platform that shapes a type of design that listens, unites, and uses objects to tell stories. In that sense, it’s more than just a gallery.

Following years of solo research and material exploration grounded in curatorial practice, Movimento Gallery enters a new era with its inaugural independently created collection: Marks of Existence. Unveiled at PAD London in 2024 and later presented in Milan for MiArt and Fuorisalone in partnership with Spazio Vento, the show is a milestone for the gallery—signifying the beginning of an independent curatorial journey led by founders Sacha Andraos, Salvatore Morales, and Lorenzo Scisciani.

Marks of Existence is a meditation on the narrative potential of materials, with Ascolano Travertine at the center—a stone of expressive dramatic depth, with layers, veins, and imperfections that bear witness to the passage of time.

For the Milan edition of the exhibition, two new works were created: a monumental sculpture by Moreno Vannini, a rising figure in international design, and a piece by the Milan-based duo CARA \ DAVIDE, known for their sensitivity to process and the poetics of making. These additions are accompanied by eleven works from international designers—including Federica Biasi, Artefatto Design Studio, Federica Elmo, and TIPSTUDIO—each invited to translate their personal vision into an object that stands as both a singular piece and a trace of existence.

In a world that is ever more globalized and ruled by standardization and efficiency, experiences like that of Movimento Gallery remind us that design can still be imagined as gesture and relation. It is in its imperfections and particularity that material can become a repository for memory and narrative; the object is transformed from product to presence, to interface, to place of encounter.

In a time shaped by overlapping environmental, social, and political crises, perhaps the most pressing question design must return to is not simply how to make better object — but how these objects might help us imagine better ways of being together?

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Words: Simone Lorusso

Images courtesy of Movimento Gallery