ROOTS Stories from Milano Design Week 2026

Each Saturday, ROOTS Exhibition shares an inspiring story or interview from Milano Design Week 2026 on our social channels. Follow us on Instagram and LinkedIn to discover the people, ideas and installations behind this year’s exhibition.

Our first story was created by De Interieur Club, a networking platform for Dutch interior professionals. During their visit to ROOTS Exhibition, they interviewed ROOTS participant Jon Ross of Bionic and the Wires, whose work was presented within Sleeping Beauty, a Symbiotic Symphony — the curatorial theme of ROOTS Exhibition Milano, created by curator Simone van Es.

Visitors watched with disbelief and fascination as a living plant appeared to play the piano. Electrodes capture the electrical signals of a living organism (in this case a plant) and send them to a computer, which then controls the robotic arms. Every touch of the keyboard originates from the life of the plant itself, creating an almost magical symbiosis between nature and technology.

📺 Watch the story of De Interieurclub X ROOTS here

But beyond the fascination, the installation carries an important message. Many people have forgotten that plants are living organisms. That they communicate and produce the oxygen we breathe every single day. We often look at a leaf thoughtlessly, as if it is simply something ordinary.

That is why ROOTS created a special ‘ode to the leaf’ in Milano. Strengthened by the beautiful work of artist and ecologist Milah van Zuilen, the presentation became a poetic reminder that a leaf is never ‘just a leaf’, but the beginning of life, breath, connection and balance within our ecosystem.