Sony Opens the Doors to Conceptual Exhibition 'Contemplating Monolithic Design' at Milano Salone del Mobile

MILAN, April 13, 2010 - Sony Corporation, Milan: Sony today opened the doors to its much
anticipated exhibition "Contemplating Monolithic Design" at Milano Salone del
Mobile, presenting the latest in Sony's creativity. Exclusively for this
exhibition, Sony designers have worked with Edward Barber and Jay Osgerby to
explore, through conceptual archetypes, the extension and integration of
electronics, with furniture and architectural design. Visitors are offered a
glimpse of how pushing the boundaries of technology and design could shape
the living room of the future.

The seed for this exhibition was Sony's new design concept, Monolithic
Design. The concept of this new design, seeking only what is essential, leads
us to consider the sense of presence that products bring to a space. This
ideal has the potential to change the face of future home entertainment in
the context of interior design. The exhibition at Milano Salone del Mobile
intentionally pushes the boundaries of the core concept of Monolithic Design
and serves to elevate this design language to the next level. The result is
an experimental vision symbolising a deeper integration of product within
contemporary lifestyles.

Kaz Ichikawa, project leader, Sony Creative Center commented, "For this
exhibition we wanted to present a vision of what can be achieved through
consumer electronics design and an integration with furniture and home
architecture. The exhibition offers visitors the chance to experience a
journey through the pursuit in finding the definitive balance between making
a statement yet working in harmony with surroundings. We have presented this
in five areas, each are experimental works in progress that illustrate
varying scenario's representing Sony's vision of how products can integrate
with contemporary interiors. It is extremely exciting for Sony to be
displaying such forward-thinking and thought-provoking conceptual ideas on
such an international scale."

Edward Barber and Jay Osgerby said of the exhibition, "Our thinking was
to create abstract objects for the everyday living environment, to show
suggestions of how the Sony technologies might appear in our lives. We found
it most interesting to explore abstracted, pure forms, each one representing
a different area of the living space. We have used simple raw materials,
since these seemed a strong partner for the great complexity of the
microtechnology that they were paired with. In forming and resolving our
ideas we came to four new archetypes that to us represented all the
possibilities of the new Sony technologies in the home."

The Space

The setting for this experiential revelation is an anechoic chamber;
filled with sound absorbing cones to create a noiseless space. Anechoic
spaces allow for a keen sense of hearing, our vision becomes sharper, leading
us to tune in to the reality of the things around us. We invite the visitors
to focus their senses on the new realm unfolding around them, conveyed in the
five areas of archetypes.

Area 1: Icon

The essence of Monolithic Design

In this space Sony presents an installation representing the essence of
Monolithic Design at its purest and its most symbolic level. The object is
set, in a monumental style, into a slab of slate, representing the dynamic,
elegant presence of a form, which stands quiet and calm, yet penetrates the
earth and air of its entire environment.

Area 2: Insight

Sound and light in a single object

Visitors in area two will experience a demonstration of how sound and
light may integrate and coexist in interior spaces. Owing to the development
of Sony's unique speaker drive system, vertical drive-technology and
proprietary digital signal processing technology, speakers can be now
integrated to LED lighting to maintain the personalized decor. Here the
archetypes apply materials such as cultured marble, wood and organic glass
that fits comfortably within multiple home environments. The harmony of the
glow radiating from the light with the sound emanating from the
omni-directional speaker producing 360degrees acoustic field embodies a new
archetype.

Area 3: Intimate

Personal visual soundfield

An exercise in the essential. Pairing a television with near-field
speakers yields a private sphere of entertainment that offers a soundstage
with impressive presence. In this personal space, we can immerse ourselves in
audio and video content without disturbing others or being distracted. Within
the space stand a stool, television and stand, and near-field speaker and
stand,creating a new personal experience.

Area 4: Integrate

Visual sound furniture

Area four offers a variant on Monolithic Design expression, with an
intelligent connection to furniture and interior space. The mechanical aspect
of television or audio systems is neatly incorporated in this archetype to
express a new face in furniture. Here, the archetype creates audio without
imposition of a mass of imposing technology. The material was made by
stererolithography, a 3D printing process providing a pattern and unique
structure which have been uniquely designed to achieve acoustic transparency.

Area 5: Install

Architectural furniture integrated with sound lights

This area connects all elements of light, space and sound. Experimental
products and furniture populate this experiential space of an abstracted
living room. The essential pieces of a speaker, lights and television do not
dominate any space, yet their powerful simplicity is immediately apparent.

In the quest for Monolithic Design,we limited the focus to essential
elements, however, as the diverse examples on display show - from lighting to
furniture to architecture and living space - the potential to inspire pieces
that blend seamlessly into many settings is unlimited.

'Contemplating Monolithic Design' by Sony is open for public viewing from
14th to 19th April in the impressive space of Officine Stendhal at Via
Stendhal 35.

For more information on Sony at Milan 2010, please contact: Neil Byrne / Rosalind Freeborn, Camron PR, Tel: +44(0)20-7420-1700, Email:neil at camron.co.uk / rosalind at camron.co.uk