Samuel Ross and The Balvenie Have Announced a Partnership for Milan Design Week
‘TRANSPOSITION’, an experiential space, opens on April 8 and “will change your relationship with what you are tasting on site”.
As Milan Design Week draws closer, The Balvenie has announced a partnership with multidisciplinary creative Samuel Ross and his atelier SR_A.
Entitled TRANSPOSITION and set to open on April 8 for just four days, the partnership between the whisky maker and Ross will see him convert an historic foundry in Milan’s Isola neighborhood into an “immersive sculptural environment” constructed with “elevated copper sculptures” that “capture the spirit of distillation” – an experiential space that the collaborators hope will inspire guests to “explore the future of hospitality”. The artisanal – even “alchemic” – way that whisky is produced will inform design details throughout the venue, with what The Balvenie describes as “vertical rivers” flowing throughout the building to create an intoxicating sensory experience that will give guests a taste (figuratively speaking) of the whisky making process. The brand is also promising “mist, shadow, light and sound”, adding to the intended aura of the location.
Samuel Ross’ approach to design has evolved over time, but throughout his many endeavours there has been a consistent element of the industrial at play. This philosophy is being married to The Balvenie’s through its “Fifty Collection”, rare whiskies that are the product of “rare craft practices passed down through generations”, and there seems to be a mutual understanding and appreciation between the partners. Ross is described as a long time champion of “the significance of craft through his abstract and multidisciplinary approach to creation” with TRANSPOSITION, the fruit of this friendship, considered a beautiful “collision between two worlds” – one that The Balvenie says “will change your relationship with what you are tasting on site.”
TRANSPOSITION by The Balvenie and Samuel Ross is being unveiled at Milan Design Week on April 8. The opening times are as follows: Tuesday 8 (11am – 5pm) and Wednesday 9 to Friday 11 (11am – 8pm). The experience is located at Historic Foundry, Isola District, Via Genova Thaon di Revel, 21 Milano.
