Writer Gianluigi Ricuperati, Studio Nucleo's Piergiorgio Robino and Driade CEO Giuseppe Di Nuccio explain why they created a collection of 3D-printed furniture for the moon in this movie Dezeen produced for Driade.

Driade debuted Moon Mission in a former cinema during Milan design week 2018, to mark the 50th anniversary of the Italian design brand.

It centred around a collection of 3D-printed outdoor furniture for an imagined future settlement on the moon. Designed by Italian writer Gianluigi Ricuperati and Turin-based design collective Studio Nucleo, these pieces are based on classic Driade designs of the past.

The furniture was displayed as part of a moon-inspired installation designed by Ricuperati, in collaboration with design agency Insititute for Production of Wonder, and designers Barbara de Micheli and Maurizio Chili.

Driade CEO Giuseppe Di Nuccio explains that the aim behind the exhibition was to emphasise how forward-thinking the brand is.

"Since the beginning, Driade has been breaking the rules," Di Nuccio says in the movie, which Dezeen filmed for Driade in Milan.

"Our heritage and DNA are important, but now is the moment to give a clear message to consumers and the design world that Driade is much more than a design brand."

The 3D-printed pieces were based on four classic designs: the Costes and Toy chairs by Philippe Starck, the Cuginetto table by Enzo Mari and the Koishi table by Naoto Fukasawa.

"We decided to give a tribute to three of the most important designs of the company" says Piergiorgio Robino, founder of Studio Nucleo, the Italian design collective that created the furniture.

Each piece was 3D-printed using resin and a fine sand similar to regolith, which is the layer of dust and soil covering the moon's surface.

"The technology that we chose to use was 3D printing with sand and resin, so it was a technology that we had never used before" Robino explains.

The chairs were placed within a moon-inspired set designed by artist and architect Maurizio Cilli, which its curator Ricuperati describes as the "landing pad for Driade's Moon Mission".

The installation was staged at Milan's Cinema Arti throughout Milan design week. The space was also used as the set of a short film directed by Adriano Valerio called Moonage Daydream.

"Moonage Daydream is a short film set up in a distant future, in 2068, in which two androgynous women are sent to the moon to live," Ricuperati explains.

"One of the talents that we involved is called Veronica Toppino. She is a super-talented costume designer. She created these very special spacesuits that don’t resemble anything you’ve seen on screen before."

Driade produced a book to accompany the exhibition, published by Faust Editions. It includes photos of the Moon Mission installation, the furniture that Studio Nucleo re-imagined, and unseen photographs and sketches from the Driade Archive.

Driade was founded in 1968 by Enrico Astori and is seen as one of the most glamorous and adventurous design brands in Italy. David Chipperfield briefly served as its artistic director, appointed in 2014 after the company was bought up by Italian Creation Group. He stepped down in 2017.

Robino sees the exhibition as a celebration of both the past and the future of the brand.

"We don't have to celebrate the past 50 years, we have to celebrate the future, the next 50 years," says Robino. "So in 2068, for sure we are going to colonise the moon".

Di Nuccio jokes that creating furniture for the moon is just the first step in his future ambitions for Driade.

"Our mission for the future must be to go to Mars," he added.

This movie was filmed by Dezeen for Driade in Milan.