On the occasion of the 2025 Venice Architecture Biennale, FAI – the Italian National Trust – is pleased to announce the exhibition “The Shape of Things to Come” by the designer duo Formafantasma, curated by Bartolomeo Pietromarchi and hosted at the Olivetti Store in Piazza San Marco.

The exhibition is closely intertwined with the space designed by Carlo Scarpa – a masterpiece of modern architecture – and with the history of Olivetti, a company symbolic of technological innovation, cutting-edge design, and social commitment. The project aligns with the thematic framework of the Biennale, exploring the intersections between architecture, technology, and science, while offering a reflection on FAI’s core values, including the protection of heritage and the environment, in a particularly significant year for the institution as it celebrates 50 years of activity.

As curator Bartolomeo Pietromarchi states:

“I believe the project presents a truly fascinating tension between the content and the container of the exhibition. On one hand, we have the ephemeral logic of planned obsolescence – the concept upon which Formafantasma developed this project and its new ceramic and gold works; on the other, Scarpa’s architecture and Olivetti’s products, which share a philosophy of durability, aesthetics, and social value through materials and design solutions intended to endure over time.”

A New Chapter of Ore Streams

The starting point for the Venice exhibition is Ore Streams, a project launched by Formafantasma in 2017, focused on recycling waste from the electronics industry, now revisited and expanded in a new chapter. Through a series of design objects, documentary videos, and 3D animations, the exhibition addresses the environmental impact of the tech sector from multiple perspectives, emphasizing the role of design as a tool for transformation and awareness.

“The Shape of Things to Come” draws inspiration from the famous science fiction novel by H.G. Wells, offering a vision for the future of design where recycling, environmental and social impact, durability, and resource management are central and no longer overlooked. The project aims to raise awareness of the fact that the electronics industry is not an abstract or immaterial entity confined to the cloud, but a concrete and highly impactful supply chain, with tangible effects on the environment.

One of the key themes of the exhibition is planned obsolescence – a strategy that intentionally limits a product’s lifespan to encourage replacement, often at the expense of the consumer. This phenomenon, now dominant in the electronics sector, contrasts sharply with Olivetti’s design philosophy, which has always promoted quality, durability, and the cultural value of objects. The Olivetti Store thus becomes an ideal place to reflect on this dichotomy, embodying an alternative vision in which design is conceived to withstand the test of time.

As Formafantasma notes:

“From this perspective, it’s not just an aesthetic or functional gesture, but a critical act. It’s as if every object created or reinterpreted for this project becomes a carrier of memory, capable of narrating a journey – of use, reuse, and transformation – that subverts the traditional paradigm of consumption and disposal.”

Formafantasma’s installation, in perfect harmony with the historical and architectural context of the Olivetti Store, offers an opportunity to rethink our relationship with technology and resources, opening up new perspectives on how to design the future in a more responsible and sustainable way.