THE SHAPE OF THINGS TO COME

From May 8 to September 28, the iconic Olivetti Store in Piazza San Marco in Venice hosts Formafantasma exhibition curated by Bartolomeo Pietromarchi

On the occasion of the 2025 Venice Architecture Biennale, FAI the non-profit foundation established in 1975, using the National Trust as a model, proudly presents “The Shape of Things to Come”, an exhibition by acclaimed design duo Formafantasma, curated by Bartolomeo Pietromarchi and hosted in the iconic Olivetti Store in Piazza San Marco.

This new project is deeply connected to its setting: the store, a modernist gem designed by Carlo Scarpa, and the legacy of Olivetti, a company long celebrated for its forward-thinking approach to technology, design, and social responsibility. The exhibition engages with the central themes of this year’s Biennale—architecture, science, and technology—while also reflecting FAI’s enduring mission to protect cultural and environmental heritage, especially significant as the organisation marks its 50th anniversary.

As Pietromarchi notes, the exhibition explores a striking contrast between the impermanence of contemporary consumer culture, particularly the concept of planned obsolescence, and the timeless quality of Scarpa’s design and Olivetti’s durable, meaningful objects. This tension becomes a key narrative of the show, with Formafantasma’s new works in ceramic and gold acting as both critique and homage.

Revisiting Ore Streams

The exhibition builds upon Formafantasma’s 2017 research project Ore Streams, which examined electronic waste and its implications. For Venice, the duo introduces a new chapter, expanding the dialogue through design pieces, video essays, and animated works that highlight the environmental cost of the tech industry. The show encourages us to see design not only as an aesthetic or functional act, but as a powerful tool for change and awareness.

Taking inspiration from H.G. Wells’ novel The Shape of Things to Come, the exhibition imagines a design future that centres on recycling, sustainability, and ethical production, where durability and material responsibility replace disposability. It confronts the all-too-common illusion that digital technologies are immaterial or benign, revealing instead a complex supply chain with real-world consequences.

A central theme is the critique of planned obsolescence—the strategy of shortening a product’s lifespan to drive sales—now pervasive in electronics. This stands in stark opposition to Olivetti’s historical emphasis on longevity and cultural value. In this context, the Olivetti Store becomes more than just a venue—it becomes a statement: a physical embodiment of a counter-model in which design aspires to permanence and meaning.

As Formafantasma explains: “This project isn’t just about form or utility. Each piece serves as a vessel of memory, capturing a narrative of use, reuse, and transformation. It’s a subtle form of resistance against a culture of disposability.”

From May 8 to September 28, the exhibition offers a chance to reconsider our relationship with technology and resources, and challenges us to imagine more responsible, sustainable ways of shaping the world through design, right at the heart of one of Venice’s most symbolic spaces.