RENAISSANCE OF THE REAL
presented by USM and Snøhetta
Milan Design Week 2026
Fondazione Luigi Rovati, Corso Venezia 52, Milan
Press Preview Day on Monday, 20 April, 10am-7pm
Public Opening from Tuesday, 21 April until Sunday, 26 April 2026, 10am-7pm
USM Modular Furniture, in partnership with the transdisciplinary architecture studio Snøhetta, is proud to announce Renaissance of the Real, a multisensory installation by Swiss artist and experience designer Annabelle Schneider. Debuting at the prestigious Fondazione Luigi Rovati during Milan Design Week (April 20–26, 2026), the project invites visitors to step outside digital acceleration and rediscover the sensory intelligence of the physical body.
The Vision: Presence Cannot Be Downloaded
We live in an era of hyper-connectivity, yet feel increasingly disconnected from our surroundings. While algorithms shape our desires more than reality, our attention becomes fragmented. Renaissance of the Real serves as a conceptual counterpoint to this digital saturation. The installation explores how carefully designed physical spaces can restore presence, perception, and human connection in an age increasingly shaped by technology.
The Architecture: Structure Meets Vulnerability
At the core of the installation is the iconic USM Haller modular system. For over 60 years, USM has defined a design language of precision and adaptability. Here, the system transcends its role as furniture, acting as the architectural skeleton that supports a soft, textile membrane that expands and contracts subtly like a breathing organism. This cocoon-like bubble creates a dialogue between the steel modular grid and fluid, organic softness – a space where structure and vulnerability coexist.
The Experience: A Sensory Recalibration
The architectural expertise of Snøhetta shapes how this relationship unfolds spatially. Known internationally for projects that connect architecture with landscape and human experience, the studio developed the spatial choreography that allows the installation to function as both a sculptural presence within the museum garden and an intimate sanctuary. The journey begins with a reset: upon arrival, visitors are offered a warm towel – a ritual cleanse during a week of overstimulation. Inside the textile cocoon, visitors will encounter a landscape of subtle sound frequencies, diffused light, scent, and tactile surfaces.
To further anchor the experience in the physical realm, artist and audio engineer Devon “OJAS” Turnbull will host daily vinyl listening sessions. From Tuesday to Friday (April 21–24, 5 pm - 6 pm), the space will be filled with analogue frequencies to further connect and calm its audience. The space is designed not for performance, but for stillness – offering a temporary refuge to breathe, listen, and simply be present.
“Renaissance of the Real is my response to a moment where reality is increasingly dominated by speed and images. Instead of producing another product, this installation is an immersive permission – a place where the structural clarity of USM Haller holds a breathing environment that invites us to reconnect with our bodies and each other.”
— Annabelle Schneider, Artist & Experience Designer
“The USM grid is both an anchor and an invitation. Our design explores the tension between the gridded and the amorphous, creating a permeable boundary that filters the outside world and draws attention inward to light, nature, and the quiet presence of others.”
— Anne-Rachel Schiffmann, Director for Interior Architecture, Snøhetta
About Annabelle Schneider
Annabelle Schneider is a Swiss-born, New York-based experience designer and artist, known for creating transformative spaces that blend physical and virtual realms, fostering emotional connection and well-being. Her project BREATHE WITH ME (2024), which debuted at NYCxDESIGN, evolved into a globally travelling installation. Her interactive works unfold as immersive sensory environments — layered with sound, scent, and light — that recalibrate perception and heighten awareness. Rooted in the belief that presence cannot be downloaded, her work reframes physical space as a vital medium for human experience in a digitally mediated age.
About Snøhetta
Snøhetta is a global, transdisciplinary practice focusing on architecture, landscape architecture, interior architecture, art and product design. Projects often integrate a combination of interests, with their first significant commission being the revival of the ancient Bibliotheca Alexandrina in Egypt in 1989. Snøhetta shares its name with the beautiful, remote, and culturally important mountain in central Norway. Creating places for people and communities to connect with each other and with the world around them is a primary motivation in Snøhetta’s work.
