TAM TAM Installation at FuoriSalone: Redefining Interactive Architecture Installation

Introduction: Transforming the Classical Temple into Interactive Architecture

At Fuorisalone 2025 in Milan, the celebrated architecture studio Alvisi Kirimoto + Partners unveiled TAM TAM. Temple, Action, Movement, an exceptional interactive architecture installation that captured the imagination of visitors at the historic courtyard of Università degli Studi di Milano ‘La Statale.’ Curated under the Cre-Action by Interni exhibition, TAM TAM reinterprets the classical temple as a living, evolving organism where visitors are not passive observers but active participants in shaping the spatial narrative.

A Vision of Architecture in Motion

Alvisi Kirimoto challenged the conventional idea of architecture as static form by creating an installation that thrives on movement and interaction. Measuring 6 x 6 x 5 meters, TAM TAM features six dynamic columns of varying diameters, designed to be rearranged by visitors. This transformative approach not only redefines the concept of a temple but also demonstrates how architecture can become a medium of collective experience and reflection.

Co-founder Junko Kirimoto explains, “For us, architecture is not just about form, but about relationships and sensory experience.” This philosophy underpins the installation’s ability to evolve with each visitor’s interaction, making every encounter unique and personal.

Classical Principles Meets Flexibility and Participation

TAM TAM draws from the classical architectural triad of firmitas (strength), utilitas (utility), and venustas (beauty), blending them with flexibility and public participation. Traditionally seen as symbols of stability, the columns here act as metaphors for the fluidity of human relationships. As visitors move the columns, they transform the space from narrow corridors to expansive collective areas or intimate corners, reflecting the dynamic and ever-changing nature of social connections.

Architecture as Dialogue, Not Dictation

One of TAM TAM’s most compelling aspects is its emphasis on dialogue between space and people. While the installation’s architectural elements — column placement, scale, and voids — subtly guide movement and interaction, it is ultimately human agency that shapes the experience. This creates a balance between architectural intent and user interpretation, where architecture proposes, and people respond and reinterpret. The result is an environment that fosters interaction, self-expression, and community, inviting visitors to become co-creators of the space.

The Power of Minimalism and Material Innovation

By using an all-white palette, the installation reinforces the idea of possibility — a blank canvas awaiting transformation. This minimalist approach strips away distractions, focusing attention on movement, interaction, and the ever-changing play of forms and voids.

Sustainability is also central to TAM TAM. Created from recycled plastic in collaboration with COREPLA — Italy’s National Consortium for the Collection, Recycling, and Recovery of Plastic Packaging — the installation embodies a circular design ethos. Once Fuorisalone concludes, the installation can either tour as an itinerant project or have its materials repurposed into new products, reinforcing the commitment to material life cycles and environmental responsibility.

A New Model for Interactive Architecture

TAM TAM by Alvisi Kirimoto + Partners exemplifies a groundbreaking model for interactive architecture installation — one that goes beyond form and function to become a living, responsive space of collective engagement. Through movement, participation, and sustainable design, TAM TAM redefines the role of architecture in public spaces, making it a platform for dialogue, transformation, and human connection.

As the boundaries between designer and user blur, TAM TAM points to an exciting future where architecture is no longer something we simply inhabit but something we shape, co-create, and continuously redefine.

All the photographs are works of Giuseppe Miotto - Marco Cappelletti Studio