Stairway to Heaven

Stairway to Heaven

by Paola Bertelli - ph. Courtesy by Besenzoni

Besenzoni makes an impressive appearance at the Milan Design Week 2023 with Flow, a striking installation in the porch of the courtyard at Milan’s Università degli Studi, an iconic location for culture and research.

Flow, by Francesco Forcellini, is a work that will fascinate, stimulate and intrigue. It measures 9 metres long, 2.5 metres deep and 1.75 metres tall, and its subject is the Oceano staircase/platform, enveloped in a huge polystyrene and fibreglass wrapping painted in a special mirror paint.

The reflective surfaces launch the visitor into a virtual space, a setting to explore and experiment, accessed by the Oceano stairs.

In the words of Francesco Forcellini, “The name Flow expresses the fluid movement of things in the most positive interpretation of the idea of change, a sequence of evolutions to create a revolution. Innovation lies at the heart of the concept of evolution, because to progress you have to renew, change paradigms and methods”.

Besenzoni has been doing just this for over fifty-five years, transforming itself from an artisanal metalworking concern to an industrial company introducing a stream of innovations to the yacht-building

For Besenzoni, the link between design and innovation is becoming ever closer. Its Oceano stairs-platform is the fulcrum of a visionary installation by designer Francesco Forcellini on show during the Milan Design Week, the perfect showcase for a company that’s looking beyond the yacht-building sector

market. Its cutting-edge products have a striking aesthetic impact, and incorporate the principles of sustainability, beauty, safety and functionality, designed to enhance owners’ experience of their yachts. With Flow Besenzoni gives the public at large a view of Oceano, a spacious staircase/platform with a wood finish and a warm, welcoming appearance. Oceanio is available in both hydraulic and electric versions.“This combination of technical revolution and natural materials”, says Forcellini, “means that Oceano can be used as both a staircase and walkway, a convenient means of moving to a different space, a space as we would like to imagine it, just like bespoke yachts and how we’d like

Sketches and renderings of Flow. The staircase/platform Oceano is at the centre of a large polystyrene and fibreglass envelope painted with reflective paint. This imposing installation, which measures 9 by 2.5 by 1.75 metres, creates a virtual space from which to imagine the landscapes we wish to be immersed in

our future to be”.

And when we look at the technological and design progress achieved by Besenzoni it’s clear the company is ready to step out its comfort zone, the yacht-building sector. As Giogio Besenzoni, CEO of Besenzoni, says, “We like the idea of creating a bridge between our world and those with special requirements in the civil or design sectors – equipment or sophisticated systems that we’re used to dealing with in yachts can find applications in residences or hotels, and we’re ready to open ourselves to a new clientele and bring our expertise to bear in those sectors, too”. www.besenzoni.it