Yamaha Design Laboratory to Participate in Milan Design Week for First Time in 11 Years
Presenting "pulse": An Exhibition of Four Designs that Make the Heart Race
MILAN & HAMAMATSU, JAPAN, February 19―Yamaha Design Laboratory makes a return to Milan Design Week—one of the world's largest design-related events—for the first time in 11 years. The Laboratory's exhibition, titled "pulse", will feature four sound-related installations that highlight the pleasure found within complex mental and physical states.
[ pulse ]
Sounds, products, and objects create atmospheres that stimulate the five senses and inspire. Experience indescribable pleasure that speaks to your "pulse".
First Exhibition in 11 Years
For four years, from 2005 to 2008, Yamaha Design Laboratory presented designs showcasing the Yamaha world view at Milan Design Week. Directly experiencing the responses of attendees from around the world helped the Laboratory to further develop its design philosophy and more clearly define the identity of Yamaha design. Now, for the first time in 11 years, the Laboratory will once again participate in the event, exhibiting four new designs that showcase Yamaha's world view.
"pulse": Making the Heart Race
For the theme of the exhibition, the Laboratory chose "pulse", a word that expresses the beating of the heart, the rush of excitement, and by extension our emotions. Through its design of musical instruments and more, Yamaha has made an impact on the "pulse" of its customers by offering a richness that is complex and full of contradictions: the differing perspectives of the players and the audience, the difficulty and enjoyment that come with practice, or the feeling of oneness with one's instrument when absorbed in a performance.
Further refining the appeal to the "pulse" of the performers, creators and listeners, this exhibition will feature four designs that each offer an experience that is uniquely captivating. These experiences will make the heart race by highlighting the pleasure found within complex mental and physical states for which a word as simple as "emotions" falls short.
Comment from Yamaha Design Laboratory Director Manabu Kawada
"These days, countless products appear and then disappear at breakneck speeds. New ventures and even experiences are consumed as information and then forgotten. We live in a time when the value of creativity is being called into question once again. For this exhibition, we wanted to think more deeply about our complex emotions as humans, the senses of elation and relief, the senses of freedom and captivation that exist within feelings of satisfaction and fulfillment, and so we decided to focus on the word 'pulse'. It is a word that also expresses a racing of the heart that lurks within sensations that are difficult to put into words, such as a surge of feelings accompanied by physical repose or mental stillness accompanying physical tension. While still only in a rough, experimental stage, I believe these exhibits will speak to the 'pulse' of participants and that something about them will undoubtably reverberate with all who experience them."
Exhibition Overview
Title
"pulse"
Dates
April 9 (Tue) to 14 (Sun), 10am-8pm
Press Preview: April 8 (3pm-6pm)
Venue
Ventura Centrale*, Via Ferrante Aporti 25, 20125 Milan, Italy
Exhibition Size
28.52m × 11.99m (342m²)
*Curated and produced as one of several Ventura Projects, Ventura Centrale is a unique exhibition space situated within multiple tunnel-shaped warehouses under the Milan Central Station. Learn more about the space here.
Related Website & SNS Accounts
*Exhibit item details, a press kit, and more to be added subsequently.
Facebook (English and Japanese)
Instagram (English and Japanese)
Yamaha Design Laboratory
Established in 1963, Yamaha Design Laboratory is Yamaha's in-house design division. The Laboratory oversees the design of a wide variety of products, ranging from acoustic and digital musical instruments to audio equipment, golf products, and more. Its designs are highly praised, having received numerous top awards both domestically and internationally from the Red Dot Design Awards, iF Design Awards, and Good Design Awards (Japan), among others.