From January 26 to February 1, 9 students from the DSU Division of Design attended a week-long workshop with Ico Migliore at Miglioret+Servetto Architects’ studio (M+S Studio) in Milan, Italy. Ico Migliore, a DSU Division of Design professor as well as a professor with the School of Design at the Polytechnic University of Milan, has previously held two similar workshops in Korea in June and September 2019.

Under the themes of “Genius of Loci” and “Heritage, Legacy,” the participating students were divided into five teams which then photographed, memorized, and drew various points of interest and tangible and intangible cultural contents of Milan, before editing and polishing their findings and presenting them in powerpoints and videos.

The city of Turin was also visited, where students got to experience the Cinema Museum, the Egyptian Museum, as well as various spaces designed by M+SStudio. In addition, spaces designed by Ico Migliore personally, including Monadori Bookstores, Dmail stores, the La Scala Theatre, and the Leonardo da Vinci Design Exhibition at the Leonardiana Museum provided many learning experiences.

Of particular interest was a visit to the Castiglioni Foundation, as well as to the Triennale Design Museum, which was concluding a major exhibition dedicated to Achille Castiglioni to celebrate the 100th anniversary of the birth of one of the greatest Italian designers of all time.

Now being exhibited at the Seoul Arts Center, it provided a valuable opportunity for students to experience living design history.

On the final day of the workshop, the students’ results were praised by Professor Ico Migliore and other members of M+S Studio for expressing the individuality and characteristics of each team well, and joked that they were of such high quality that they wanted to take their ideas and use them for themselves.

Professor Park Bu-mi, who led the students at the workshop, said, “Despite such an intensive and tight schedule, which led to sleepless nights and even nosebleeds, students’ unceasing hard work right up until the end of the workshop produced a successful outcome for all. And perhaps most of all, the students will surely also take home with them some of the confidence and pride that comes with experiencing Milan in person, the world’s design Mecca.”

Towards this end, DSU provides participating students with scholarships of a million won each, and two students will later be selected for the opportunity to gain employment at M+S Studio after three-month internships from May to July 2020.

The results of each team’s work will be available for viewing in the Design Hall Exhibition Hall after the semester opens in March, at which point students interested in experiencing the workshop themselves will be able to apply for the next session.