Hasta La Ideas

Started just five years ago, Elita‘s event series has already become a Milan Design Week tradition. This year’;s headquarters, the historic Franco Parenti theater, beautifully restored by Michele de Lucchi will host several of the music and cultural happenings. Several more take place elsewhere around town, thanks to an ever-growing community network of clubs and venues such as Tunnel, Magazzini Generali and Plastic.

With an incredibly rich and interesting program that includes 50 performances and 40 speakers, CH selected some of our favorite and most relevant events, highlighted below.

The Institute of European Design will promote a series of workshops and events with their students, including the Italian Laptop Orchestra (a real orchestra of computers reinterpreting Italian pop music classics), a live fiction writing experiment, and Expolab, a journey through local food from Italy’s Lombardia region.

GQ magazine opens 13 April 2010 with the eclectic designer Fabio Novembre presenting his new book, accompanied by readings from actors Filippo Timi and Stefania Rocca, and a surprise celebrity DJ set. Entrance is free, but requires online registration.

Designer Marc Lloyd will present the new Citroën CS3 in a conference called “Anti Retro. A Journey Into Car Design” on 15 April 2010.

Entirely dedicated to “The Next Made in Italy,” on 17 April 2010 The Renaissance Link will present a series of events related to the New Italian Renaissance with Francesco Morace, Giovanni Lanzone and Giulio Iacchetti, among others.

Sunday 18 April 2010 will begin with a brunch and is the most experimental day with Next Continet Africa—a host of Senegalese artists living in Berlin will propose a Utopian pan-African society where the Afro is the official currency. Also that day, Rock the Islam tackles how music can develop a real dialogue with the Arab nations and Western countries, and at flea market Il Grande Circo delle Pulci, shoppers can look for design and fashion items.

And of course, there’s the music. Underground and experimental sounds play starring roles, but the schedule makes room for acoustic and dance music as well. Performances that we want to check out include a musical exhibition by Shepard Fairey, the Italian emerging project Luci della Centrale Elettrica, Pantha du Prince, Mouse on Mars from Germany, Jon Hopkins with visuals and music from the U.K., the Body Music Room by Kilohertz, talks and videos for the American composer Arthur Russell, a piano solo performance by Gonzales, and a remarkable DJ set by The Chemical Brothers.

Elita Design Week Music and Arts Festival runs from 13-18 April 2010.

Photographer Ross Evertson‘s 2007 trip to The Great Western Alpaca Show highlights the strangely fuzzy annual springtime exhibition, recently featured by Good Magazine. From shearing contests to best in show, the livestock-friendly fair finds a little something for every Alpaca lover.

Featuring their famous long hair, the Alpaca photo shoot takes a behind-the-scenes look at the largest Alpaca show west of the Mississippi. and continues to expand as Alpaca fleece becomes more popular. Known for its durability and environmental sustainability, clothing labels such as Rogan use Alpaca wool to create ultra-warm and eco-friendly attire.

Check out the full slide show, complete with Alpaca portraits, at Good Magazine.