On the evening of Monday, April 15, at a private event with more than 300 guests, Ducati inaugurated its participation in the 2024 edition of Milan Design Week, the most important moment of the year for the world of international design.
The Bologna-based manufacturer fits perfectly into the context of the Fuorisalone, with the exhibition “Forma – Feelings designed by Ducati in Borgo Panigale”, set up in a venue in line with the brand’s values, the Leonardo da Vinci National Museum of Science and Technology. The exhibition was created with the aim of accompanying visitors in discovering the design process through which all Ducati motorcycles are created: a magical combination of beauty and cutting-edge technology, performance and emotions, in which form and function work in symbiosis.
The exhibition, “Forma – Feelings designed by Ducati in Borgo Panigale”, is structured in a seven-stage journey, representing the fundamental stages through which the designers of the Centro Stile Ducati and the engineers of the R&D department transform the idea of a motorcycle into a true work of art. The Ducati model used to describe the process is the super sports bike par excellence in the Borgo Panigale range: the Panigale V4.
The immersive journey of the exhibition opens with a space dedicated to the “Brief”, the document that provides designers with the main lines with which to begin the stylistic creation of each bike. The next phase “Analysis & Concepts” is a flow of research in which the designer’s thoughts range from art, music, locations, colors and shapes, composing a framework of moods from which the personality and character of each new Ducati is created.
The third step of the exhibition is dedicated to “Sketches”, the way in which Ducati designers put all their ideas down on paper. The most effective proposals are then materialized in 3D CAD models that allow the creation of the physical models, the so-called “Proportional Models”, from which the best solution is chosen. Once this point has been reached, the next three steps lead to the birth of a new Ducati, through the “Clay Model”, a 1:1 scale model refined by hand like a real sculpture, using a highly moldable synthetic clay, the “Master Model”, a resin that allows the perfect definition of lines and surfaces and to evaluate any refinement, and then the “Clinical Model”, which is a faithful representation of the final product (paint included) as well as the final steps before going into production.
The narrative of this seven-stage process in “Forma – Feelings designed by Ducati in Borgo Panigale” has been constructed in such a way as to be fascinating and engaging. It gives the public access to never-before-seen content made available by the Centro Stile Ducati and speaks directly to the designers present. In addition, at the end of the exhibition, visitors will be able to admire a display of six bikes from the Panigale family: Panigale V4 Bautista 2023 World Champion Replica, Panigale V4 Bezzecchi 2023 Racing Replica, Panigale V4 SP2, Panigale V4 R and Panigale V2, as well as the Panigale V4 S with which you can have the first thrilling experience of climbing onto a Ducati.
The exhibition will be open to the public from April 16 to 21 at the following times: Tuesday April 16, Wednesday April 17 and Thursday April 18 from 10.00 to 20.00, Friday April 19, Saturday April 20 and Sunday April 21 from 10.00 to 21.00. Entrance to the area of the Museum dedicated to the exhibition is via Via Olona, 6 bis.
On the Ducati.com website you can visit the page dedicated to the design principles of the Bologna-based manufacturer.