Discovering the opposite of typical nightlife in Milano

Macao - an open door in Milano

In May '17 I moved to Milano to do an internship in a design studio. I have always loved Italy for the feeling it gave me when visiting and for this reason this city seemed perfect for getting the best experience and inspiration for studying product-design. But, of course, besides the work, most people need something interesting for leisure time... You probably heard a lot of people saying similar things like "I love to meet new people, share my experiences and discover new places... " - that's why we're probably going abroad, right? Of course me too, but is there something that makes this sentence really special in its meaning?

There's a lot that can be said about Milano. From the best dressed people, overall the great inspiration in terms of design and architecture, to the nice food and culture that can be found almost 24/7 around the town. But I've also found a place that isn't typical for this town but fits even better since it adds some contrast to the rest of the town.

The place is called Macao, it can easily be found in the internet and a lot of locals will also know about it when asked. But what most people don't know is how this place is made up, how it is organized and what participants really focus on. Since I call it a place of contrast, what is different?

In my first week in Milano I was keen to go out during the weekend and see what's going on here. (I've been quite active in the music / arts / culture scene in the city I study at and so I'm more interested in places that are not just like any normal bar or club - but offer you as a guest more than just consuming but instead some chance of participation). An event-website quickly gave me a hint where to go to see something I could like. One of the floors of the event was called "giardino" - and I really appreciate outdoor / garden floors...

When on Friday I first arrived at Macao, I found a really huge place, old, with the look of an abandoned house, but with some activity going on. Lights, sounds, people hanging around or doing stuff. I was very impressed by the structure of the old building since it was kind of a slaughter-house or a fish-market as I was told. But can this also be perfect for installations of art and light, performances or theatre and even techno parties? Yes, it can be. Well, no, actually, it perfectly is.

With a giant room with a glass-roof in the middle and lots of smaller rooms around it, you can do a lot. I found out there's a lot of different people participating, creating a place where anything could be possible. From theatre or performance shows, that often have not just aesthetic but also political approaches, over installations of up-cycled materials, lights and structures, indoor as well as outdoor, to concerts of experimental ambient sounds, with 360° speakers. There are rooms for band rehearsal, rooms for artist care and places to sleep and even a reading-café to study, talk or meet people.

After the third time visiting Macao I already saw a lot of different things going on that really caught my interest. A performance about refugees in Italy from Africa showed me that people don't just think about themselves. An exhibition of drawings and paintings offered young unknown artists a great chance to be seen. Also the artists who were invited to play in one of the big rooms or the garden have been a good mix of locals and famous people from all over Europe. But as I said, I appreciate not just being a guest or consumer of all the things. So I met a lot of people here and had very interesting talks during the warm nights of Milano.

It was very easy to get more into this; if you want to help rebuilding one of the rooms - just do it! It's not just about helping but even more about building a relationship with the place and the people. You have a good idea for something to happen in the future? Go to the open plenum (meeting) and share it.

I have big respect for the people who have made this possible since more than 5 years ago because everything that happens is based on self-initiative. All the organizing structures are made up without any business model and also there's not too much support from the city. It's very unconventional and that makes it very hard to exist on the one hand but on the other such a great place for anything, that doesn't take place somewhere else.

Since I have no interest in fancy clubbing, paying a fortune for a drink, listening to standard sound or "see and be seen", discovering this place was one of the best things to happen to me. I met a dozen lovely people that I definitely want to see again or invite to participate at my place and had amazing inspiration through all the different forms of art. Also I learned a lot about how the administrative of Italy and Milano deals with young and free art, how it is possible to organize in this cultural environment, what works and what does not. Also some cultural differences between Germany and Italy came up really clearly...

I love to see this place growing and evolving, see the people coming up with new ideas all the time to present something new to the milanese youth and making it possible for a lot of people to also see, learn, participate and have a good time in the end, far from main-stream business, rules and standards - and all that for a narrow thaler. It shows how different things can be made possible now and in the future.

Thanks, Macao.

For further information search for Macao in the web, read the Resident Adviser Article or simply go there and enjoy this place and the people!