Spykon — A New Geometry for Silence
Presented at the 2026 Salone del Mobile, Spykon is a new generation of acoustic surfaces, designed for Slalom by architect Giulia Foscari, founder of UNA/UNLESS.
Conceived as a continuous field of prismatic volumes, Spykon reinterprets the geometries historically used in recording studios and anechoic chambers worldwide. Its diamond-like pyramidal modules form a seamless, faceted landscape engineered to scatter, diffuse, and absorb sound. Where conventional systems rely on petroleum-based polyurethane foam to trap acoustic energy through depth and irregularity, Spykon advances this principle through a fully sustainable material approach.
“Spykon dismantles the acoustic panel of conventional anechoic chambers to reinvent silence—no longer an extractive condition, but a sustainable geometry: a constellation of prisms that absorbs sound and reflects light, turning performance into space.”
— Giulia Foscari, UNA/UNLESS
The project originates from an experimental intervention by UNA/UNLESS at Carlo Scarpa’s 1952 Biennale ticket office in Venice, transformed into a recording studio for Voice of Commons. There, early prototypes—developed with Slalom and clad in space-blanket technologies—enhanced the precision of the pyramidal geometry through highly reflective surfaces, testing the interplay between sound, light, and form.
This research evolved into Ecotonos, commissioned by Slalom to UNA/UNLESS for BAM at Milan’s Biblioteca degli Alberi. In the heart of the park, a fractured prism emerged as a threshold between two worlds: city and nature—an active boundary between the urban condition and the biodiversity it surrounds. Its face towards the city was faceted, sharp, reflective; the one facing the park opened into a softer interior, where cavities lined with natural cork absorbed sound, revealing the breath of bees, the song of birds, and the rustling of leaves. The installation became an interspecies refuge, a micro-sanctuary for urban biodiversity.
With Spykon, this trajectory crystallizes into a product officially launched by Slalom on the occasion of Milan Design Week, across three distinct venues: at Palazzo Bovara in the installation curated by Piero Lissoni for Elle Décor, at Alcova, and within Slalom’s stand at the Salone del Mobile.
The name Spykon merges “spikes”—referencing its prismatic geometry, available in 10×10 cm and 5×5 cm bases—with an homage to the tectonic compositions of Malevich, evoking a constellation of forms suspended between abstraction and performance.
More than an acoustic system, Spykon is a new geometry for silence.
