PAN & Nike unite for Milan Design Week
Experimental music label PAN has joined forces with Nike to present The Suspended Hour, an immersive installation and multi-day event series debuting at Milan Design Week. The project coincides with the launch of the collaborative Nike Air Max 180 “NIX”, a futuristic rework of a cult classic sneaker that mirrors PAN’s avant-garde sonic ethos.
Set within Spazio Maiocchi as part of this year’s Capsule Plaza—a cross-disciplinary exhibition platform spotlighting design from fashion to architecture—the installation is described as a “spatial intervention,” drawing visitors through the various emotional and physical phases of a club night. From the anticipatory quiet of arrival to the euphoric crescendo of peak time, The Suspended Hour is sculpted through light, design, and a custom soundscape by PAN founder Bill Kouligas.
Designed in collaboration with Berlin-based architecture studio sub and shaped under the creative direction of Kouligas and Niklas Bildstein Zaar, the work resists classification—half gallery, half lucid dream. Kouligas’ one-hour score guides the experience, blurring ambient and rhythm, structure and abstraction.
But The Suspended Hour is set to become more than just an installation—it’s a social organism. The program includes artist talks, workshops, and a closing party that promises to stretch the senses. Highlights include a conversation with Resident Advisor’s Chloe Lula in dialogue with Kouligas (Tuesday, April 8th, 3 PM), a design-focused panel led by Capsule (Thursday, 4 PM), and UV laser workshops by Rayon Vert on Wednesday and Friday, where participants will customize a bespoke colorway of the NIX shoe.
The week’s crescendo arrives Friday night with an afterparty hosted by PAN and Gatto Verde, running 11 PM to 5 AM. Kouligas will go back-to-back with DJ Python, flanked by a lineup that includes OK Williams, Kamixlo, Le Diouck & Bamao Yendé, nunguja, and STILL.
The Suspended Hour runs from April 7th through 13th, open daily at Spazio Maiocchi (via Maiocchi 8) from 10 AM to 8 PM. The Nike Air Max 180 “NIX” drops April 9th via PAN’s Bandcamp, while full details of Capsule Plaza’s program can be found on their official site.