formafantasma takes over carlo scarpa’s negozio olivetti during venice architecture biennale

on view from may 8 to september 28, the show reopens and expands 'ore streams', the designer duo's research into electronic waste.

thomai tsimpou April 29, 2025 3 min

Formafantasma activates Carlo Scarpa’s Negozio Olivetti

During the 2025 Venice Architecture Biennale, Formafantasma occupies Negozio Olivetti in Piazza San Marco with The Shape of Things to Come, an exhibition curated by the art critic Bartolomeo Pietromarchi. On view from May 8 to September 28, the show reopens and expands Ore Streams, the designer duo’s 2017 research into electronic waste, to confront the tech industry’s role in climate breakdown. Set inside Carlo Scarpa’s landmark modernist showroom for Olivetti, the exhibition builds a sharp conversation between design meant to last and systems designed to fail.

formafantasma takes over carlo scarpa's negozio olivetti during venice architecture biennale - 1 — Negozio Olivetti, via Formafantasma

The Shape of Things to Come exhibition honors lasting design

Formafantasma’s original Ore Streams project dissected global waste flows and exposed the fragile recycling networks that trail behind our devices. Now, the research-based design studio turns its focus to planned obsolescence, the deliberate limiting of a product’s lifespan to drive consumption. Through a combination of design objects, 3D animations, and documentary films, The Shape of Things to Come lays out how the tech industry hides its environmental impact behind polished surfaces and invisible clouds.

The exhibition borrows its title from H.G. Wells’ sci-fi novel, not to speculate, but to insist that the future is shaped by what we design now. If the tech industry continues to operate as if materials are infinite and waste is invisible, the consequences will be real, and already are.

Olivetti, once known for its innovation, durability, and commitment to socially minded design, offers a clear contrast to today’s throwaway culture of electronics. The company built machines that were made to last, both functional and thoughtfully designed, which reflects a deeper set of values. Showing the work in a space designed by Carlo Scarpa highlights this idea further. His interiors weren’t just decorative, they were built around a philosophy of design as a meaningful system. The Shape of Things to Come is also a rare chance to see contemporary work engage directly with one of the Italian architect and designer’s most iconic settings.