Labò: a space where experimentation and creativity are at home

The particularity of the format also lies in the location: Labò is in fact hosted by the SPA complex - Antibiotic Products Company - in via Biella 6 in Milan. A place dedicated to research in the medical field since its foundation in 1947.

Here, within the walls accustomed to experimentation and immersed in a context full of expressive power, the designers know they can count on a 'nest' in which to confront and contaminate each other with mutual inclinations to science, culture and art.

Due to their long experience in the field of design consulting, the curatorship of the project was entrusted to The Design Blender - Elsa Lemarignier and François Leblanc di Cicilia – and Alisée Matta, with the aim of promoting the creativity and research design of international workers.

During Milan Design Week 2023 the laboratory opens its doors to visits: Labò is divided into four buildings spread out like a small modernist village, isolated from the chaos of the city.

The exhibition itinerary begins with the laboratories of the Foundation with the exhibition Studio of Colors, conceived by Lyne Cohen-Solal and Marco de Rivera, which investigates the theme of color through the production of fifteen designers and craftsmen.

In the spaces that hosted avant-garde pharmaceutical research, preserving the instruments of the time, research on the processing processes of raw materials is then presented with a view to eco-responsibility and the use of energy.

Furniture, glass, jewels and everyday objects show how color is the result of a creative process, excellent know-how and, above all, passion.

Relax, a place originally intended for the company Cral and for the storage of raw materials, and Elettrico, an area used in the past for pharmaceutical production, welcome a selection of premium and collectible designs , with limited editions and unique pieces.

The boundary between design and art is explored within Elettrico, with an exhibition dedicated to the design works of the surrealist artist Roberto Matta. The creative process, from the concept to the actual creation of a piece of furniture, is told by putting Matta's drawings and prototypes in dialogue with the re-editions signed by Paradisoterrestre.

The itinerary ends with the Town Hall, an environment originally used as a company warehouse and, on the occasion of the exhibition, a large space dedicated to collectible design which sees the presence of companies specialized in the conception and production of furniture and accessories.

A food and beverage area will be set up by Tramezzino.it, partner of the exhibition, which will present sandwiches and plant-based dishes inside its truck, with a view to greater food sustainability.