IDIORYTHMIA a first spark for a rhythmic approach to design

IDIORYTHMIA is a talk with Studio smarin and design theorist Emanuele Quinz, moderated by Alessandro Scarano, journalist at Domus. It explores the studio’s ongoing research with Quinz, investigating how contemporary life unfolds across overlapping temporal regimes—biological rhythms, technological schedules, institutional timetables, urban flows, and systems of production, ecology, and attention.

Drawing on Henri Lefebvre’s rhythmanalysis and Roland Barthes’ concept of idiorrhythmy, the talk proposes a rhythmic approach to design at the intersection of aesthetics, ethics, and politics. Instead of framing temporal frictions as problems, the research considers how they can be observed, interpreted, and transformed into opportunities for design.

Spanning microsociology, industrial ecology, chronobiology, neurology, and metabolic urbanism, the discussion positions rhythm as a lens to understand and shape contemporary environments. Central is idiorythmy: the coexistence of singular rhythms within shared spaces, suggesting new paradigms for collective practices and spatial organization.

The talk also presents IDIORYTHMIA, an installation developed for BASE during Milan Design Week. Inspired by BASE’s hybrid nature, layered programming, and diverse communities, the installation embodies inter-rhythmic coexistence, offering a model for reversible, multi-use spaces that integrate rest, regeneration, and adaptive use.

Presentato da BASE Milano.

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