Yamaha Design Laboratory to Participate in Milan Design Week


Published on March 02, 2023

Yamaha Corporation’s Design Laboratory is pleased to announce that they will be participating in Milan Design Week, one of the globe’s biggest design-related events.

The exhibit, which is titled “You Are Here,” will showcase furniture that makes life with musical instruments fun, designed by the Laboratory. The exhibition will be held from April 18 to 23 at BIANCHIZARDIN Contemporary Art in Milan, Italy.

Yamaha Corporation is a Japanese firm making and selling a variety of musical instruments and audio equipment. Through their businesses, they work to help people globally to lead rewarding, fulfilling lives.

Even though the music may not be essential to survival, the company genuinely believes that it brings color and richness to a person’s existence. Therefore, it is indispensable to leading a fulfilled, truly human life. Often, musical instruments can be an extension of a person’s body and, at times, a valued partner.

Yamaha Design Laboratory believes that there’s a unique intimacy to the presence of an instrument, making it truly “with us,” unlike the simple inanimate presence of other objects.

For this particular exhibition, Yamaha Design Laboratory has built furniture that makes life with musical instruments fun, creating spaces for them in their daily lives and lowering the barrier to just sitting down and playing. These include designs that bring them into conversations and add music to their existence.

In other words, “You Are Here” symbolizes the value of being present. Yamaha Design believes that it’s all the more integral to feel the reality of a treasured presence. What’s more, “You Are Here” is a voice for the times that reaffirms the value of being present and also an expression of their happiness in welcoming you here today.

From 2005 to 2008 and again in 2019, for five times now, Yamaha Design Laboratory has showcased designs highlighting the Yamaha worldview at Milan Design Week. The company also collaborated with the world-renowned ECAL/University of Art and Design Lausanne and presented the results together with ECAL at Milan Design Week 2022.

It’s also worth mentioning that the Laboratory works unceasingly with musical instruments and experiences the responses of attendees from across the globe. This has helped the Laboratory to further build its design philosophy and clearly define Yamaha Design’s identity.

According to Director Manau Kawada from Yamaha Design Laboratory Director, musical instruments can often become an extension of the body. At times, it can be a cherished partner, too. They believe there’s a special intimacy to the presence of an instrument, making it truly “with us.”

From the standalone exhibition, Yamaha Design Laboratory has developed eleven new designs that improve the relationships between musical instruments and individuals’ lives. “You Are Here,” the exhibition’s title, will symbolize the value of being with a treasured presence.

Held annually in April, every year millions of people attend Milan Design Week. This is composed of the Salone Internazionale del Mobile, a B2B furniture trade fair, together with installations, exhibitions, and events found across Milan City.

During the 2019 event, Yamaha presented four products in an exhibition titled “pulse,” which was well-received, with about 26,000 attendees stopping by the Yamaha booth.

Yamaha Design Laboratory was established in 1963 and is the in-house design division of Yamaha. The Laboratory governs the designs of different products, ranging from digital musical and acoustic musical instruments to audio equipment, golf products, and many more.

Its designs are highly acclaimed, having received multiple top awards both internationally and domestically from the Red Dog Design Awards, Good Design Awards (Japan), and iF Design Awards, among many others.

The exhibition will run from April 18 to 23, 11 AM-7 PM. The entrance is also free.

Culture Editor