Day 2 of the Salone and we're off in the wild of Milan. As mentioned, there isn't much of the city that isn't participating in the event, and Interni magazine and many others have maps of all the offsite events tagged on them - some so dense that street names arent even visible! Today we saw a lot of new products and got a look at the way a lot of companies present their collections...

There is a large mix of multimedia on display here - some of it displaying new product, some of it used as spaces for people to play in and discover, and some of it just as ambient kinetic art like some of the laser projections on buildings at night. Here's a short video tour of a few of the interactive pieces that I've seen so far. The first segment is a new Philips light product that reacts to objects placed near it by turning itself off, creating a kinetic pattern of light squares. Next, some small LED panels create an interesting text wall. Then an interactive piece with different graphics assigned to mobile forms that change when moved. And in the dutch design forum, a pretty unique interactive piece, where human bodies are used as conductors - the user must touch two different portions of exposed skin and when this connection is made, a sound is generated. Following is a Sony installation where the entire room is transformed into a sound-contained space, and sound triggers objects animated on screen. Different screens in the space treat sound as visuals in different ways, each expressing the sound through animation... More to come.

As promised, I'll be posting from here in Milan at the Design Fair. If you haven't been to the Salone Del Mobile, it is a design experience that is like no other, and inspiration seeps from every corner and alleyway in the city. While the "Salone" actually takes place at the convention center just a short metro ride away from the city center, there is a massive amount of design activity throughout the entire city. Just about every local gallery and empty apartment space in the entire city radius is rented, with product launches, exhibitions, live creations, grafitti art and design ephemera assaulting your senses constantly. It's heaven...