Live from Milan: British lighting designer Paul Cocksedge presents Private View, an exhibition with Trussardi that on first sight is nothing more than a dark, empty room lined in black glass.

However, looking through a digital camera or the camera function of a mobile phone reveals an exhibition and series of performances behind the glass.

The glass is covered with a filter that blocks the light spectrum that is visible to the human eye but allows through light that can be seen by other animals - Paul tells us that a dog that attended the show with its owned started barking at the sight of Trussardi's dog logo behind the glass - as well as by digital cameras.

The exhibition features important products from Trussardi's back catalogue, and a performance of models dressing themselves.

The black photos shown here are how the human eye sees the show while the pink ones are what you see through a digital camera (as you probably guessed already).

Press release below:

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“PRIVATE VIEW"
An unexpected look inside Trussardi with Paul Cocksedge

Palazzo Trussardi Alla Scala
From April 18th through April 23rd, 2007
Open daily from 10am to 9pm
Cocktail party: April 18th, 2007, from 6:30pm until 9:30pm

In the occasion of the Salone del Mobile 2007, Trussardi presents one of the most inventive international light designers: Paul Cocksedge.

The project Private View is originated by the fortunate meeting between Beatrice Trussardi, who shares her commitment in the continuous research of innovative expressions of contemporary culture, and the rising star British designer.

From April 18th 2007, Palazzo Trussardi Alla Scala is transformed into a new territory to be unveiled with the digital devices we take with us every day. With Private View, Trussardi invites you to a journey to discover its universe through Paul Cocksedge’s unconventional point of view.

Trussardi guests are welcomed into a mysterious room with pitch black walls that becomes a laboratory to experiment the power and influence of technology in our daily life and to enquire what vision and appearance really mean.

Using the properties of a unique material that appears black to the human eye yet allows infrared light to pass through it, Cocksedge has created a concealed room within the exhibition space.

Paul Cocksedge has selected his personal cut in the Trussardi world, choosing what he
considers the icons of the brand, recognisable signs of an excellence from the past, the present and the future of the Maison.

These design objects, pieces of clothing, accessories and other fragments of Trussardi’s universe are only visible with the infrared rays received by our digital cameras and mobiles. Hidden behind a material with extraordinary qualities, they appear to the visitors unveiled by Paul Cocksedge’s technological illusionism.

Private View is a show of mystery and discovery presented in a light spectrum invisible to humans. As Cocksedge suggests: ‘How do we know that what we see is all that exists? All living creatures can see light in a different way’. The camera eye permits the visitor to see things the human eye cannot.

In Private View, technology is an essential element to stimulate curiosity and to disclose imaginary worlds concealed in our daily life: with arcane alchemies that blur the boundaries between what is real and what is unreal – building an unknown, intriguing, and private space with a new attention to the smallest detail – Trussardi and Paul Cocksedge invite you to Private View, and to discover their fascinating and endless history.

Paul Cocksedge’s creativity will also be part of the new Trussardi Alla Scala Café, which be re-opened next September 07.

Paul Cocksedge short biography:

Born in London in 1978, Paul Cocksedge has emerged as one of the UK’s most prolific young designers. He has exhibited at the Design Museum and Powerhouse Museum in London and his work is part of the Victoria & Albert Museum in London, and Pinakothek der Moderne, Die Neue Sammlung in München permanent collections. Cocksedge was nominated for the Design Museum’s Designer of the Year prize in 2004 and in 2006 was invited to become a member of 100% Light advisory panel.

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Dezeen's coverage of Milan 2007 is brought to you in conjunction with the International Design Forum. Visit our IDF blog here.