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Bolon, the climate-neutral Swedish woven design company, has opened its Milan Design Week installation, titled Exodus and presented in collaboration with multidisciplinary designers Luca Nichetto and JoAnn Tan.
Hosted in a historic Milanese house, now home to the new JoAnn Tan Atelier, the installation brings Bolon’s sustainable woven flooring to life through a fantastical ecosystem of mysterious anthropomorphic creatures.
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Exodus by Bolon in collaboration with Luca Nichetto and JoAnn Tan at Milan Design Week 2025, image courtesy of Bolon (Photographer credit: Max Rommel)
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Historically, the house was used as a small textile factory, offering a fitting location for Bolon as a producer of woven products since 1949. The scenography has been constructed to fit the original design elements of the space, marked by stuccoes, frescoes, and cherub motif-adorned fabrics.
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Exodus by Bolon in collaboration with Luca Nichetto and JoAnn Tan at Milan Design Week 2025, image courtesy of Bolon (Photographer credit: Max Rommel)
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As visitors step inside, they are greeted by a rich and enveloping vision. On one side, the depths of a primordial forest unfold as the material appears to rise organically from the ground.
On the opposite side, the atmosphere becomes ethereal, softened by luminous hues. The landscape appears weightless, and the creatures inhabiting this space move with lightness, almost floating.
Meanwhile, small fantastical beings accompany this exodus, suggesting that transformation is a continuous journey between past and future. The installation extends into the outdoor courtyard, culminating with an integrated view of the central pond.
Reflecting upon the relationship between Bolon’s materials and the dreamlike realm provided by the exhibition, Marie Eklund (Owner and CEO, Bolon) and Annica Eklund (Owner and Senior Creative Director, Bolon) say: “for over 75 years, Bolon has redefined material innovation, transforming woven flooring into an art form that blends aesthetics with sustainability. With our playful and inspiring exhibition, Exodus, our flooring evolves into an immersive experience unlike any other.”
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Exodus by Bolon in collaboration with Luca Nichetto and JoAnn Tan at Milan Design Week 2025, image courtesy of Bolon (Photographer credit: Max Rommel)
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This installation marks Bolon’s first collaboration with Luca Nichetto, and continues the brand’s ongoing collaboration with JoAnn over the past decade. Both renowned designers have similarly lived across Italy and Sweden, sharing cultural references but offering diverse creative perspectives that borrow from their respective crafts.
Luca Nichetto says: “Exodus celebrates the art of encounter, of change, of evolution; two visions —JoAnn’s and mine—intertwining for the first time, thanks to Bolon who made it possible. he installation fully reflects my idea of storytelling through objects and spaces, the possibility to express the power and potential of material, which is something deeply connected to my works, and give it life”.
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JoAnn Tan says: “In a landscape of solo acts it was so much fun to create a duet. While we work in different fields, Luca and I found common ground in our mutual interest in oddities and monsters. This was a creative process much encouraged by the carte blanche from Bolon and punctuated by great conversation and laughter”.
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Drawing upon thematic natural elements, Bolon’s installation underscores the brand’s commitment to a sustainable design experience and production utilising renewable energy. Bolon’s products contain 68% waste material, with zero climate impact in the production of its climate-neutral flooring and rugs.
The installation runs throughout Milan Design Week, until April 13th, 2025.
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