DRIFT Returns to Milan Design Week With Audi-Backed Installation
Unveiling an interactive piece that responds to visitors’ movements.
After a 10-year absence, Amsterdam-based studio DRIFT is back at Milan Design Week with a new installation created in partnership with Audi. Titled Drift Us, the work is part of Audi’s House of Progress program and is installed in the courtyard of the Portrait Milano Hotel.
The interactive piece responds to visitors’ movements, simulating the effect of wind across a field. As people walk through, robotic elements shift in sync, turning each step into a visible force. The goal is to highlight how humans shape their environment through motion.
“Without movement, there is no progress,” say DRIFT founders Lonneke Gordijn and Ralph Nauta. The installation mirrors natural rhythms—like breathing or a heartbeat—to offer a brief pause amid the design week crowds.
The collaboration reflects DRIFT and Audi’s shared interest in innovation through movement. Audi uses the space to showcase how it integrates technology and adaptability into its latest automotive design.
Portrait Milano Hotel
Corso Venezia, 11
20121 Milano MI
Italy
