Established in 1993 by the Prada family, the Fondazione Prada in Milan is dedicated to contemporary arts and culture, spotlighting architecture, cinema, philosophy, and more. Not only that, but it's also host to Prada’s seasonal men's and womenswear shows, and has exhibited works by the likes of Steve McQueen, Louise Bourgeois, and John Baldessari.
Despite announcing earlier this month that it would be closing its physical doors due to coronavirus, the institution has now revealed it will be welcoming the public in digitally. With its three main exhibitions postponed until further notice, cyber-visitors will be able to engage with these shows online through a ‘virtual experience of learning and knowledge’.
“With the aim of transforming a period of crisis into an opportunity for study and analysis, we experience new ways of operating and communicating,” the institution wrote in a statement. “Without a physical audience, it is essential to create new languages so as not to remain silent.”
Hoping to challenge and reimagine the conventional ways we engage with culture, the foundation will be turning its website and social media channels into a ‘laboratory of ideas’. Along with new interviews, videos, and images also becoming available, elsewhere the institution is set to provide a glossary, which will explore the Fondazione Prada’s rich archives, and will replace cinematic programmes with a curated streaming service.
With a podcast and video project also in the works, this new initiative will hope to look beyond the current emergency, providing a “flexible platform to test new formats and codes that will be able to develop in a further way in the future.”
Revisit the AW20 Prada womenswear show above.