The lead-up to this year's Milan Design Week festival will include a new installation from Ma Yansong and Andrea D’Antrassi of MAD Architects as part of the INTERNI Design Re-Evolution exhibition held at the University of Milan.

Titled MOMENTUM, the 8-by-12.5-meter iron cube structure is tilted 45 degrees from its base and is being commissioned by AXA IM Alts for the duration of the fair. During the day, its ETFE polymer surface will reflect its surroundings while at night, the installation becomes more transparent as it yields to the artificial light source before becoming “the moment, a dialogue between thought and evolution that’s both pure and disarming.”

MAD says its presence “represents the moment when a new awareness is born, when the creative process begins.” 

“At a time when everything is immediate, and everything can be replicated digitally, MOMENTUM is, on the one hand, the spark, the original idea; on the other, it is the study, complexity and care behind creative development,” their press statement continued.

The installation hinges on two Rio 1.3 and Roo 1.4 fixtures, provided by Luce&Light, that give the surface of the interiors its “extra-ordinary” value. Added to this is a set of nine Trevi 1.2 fixtures installed underneath the structure’s triangular base and programmed to pulse at regular intervals in order to evoke the pulsating rhythm of a heart.

A QR code enables visitors to access a pair of Instagram filters for day and night that enhance the experience of the installation, which will be reproduced in a small-scale version at the Via Monte Rosa 91 space managed by AXA IM Alts.

The installation opens on April 17th and will remain on view through the 23rd from 10am to midnight each day, and again from the 24th–26th until 10pm. More information about the exhibition at this year's Salone del Mobile can be found here.