Second Exhibition at Milan Design Week, the World’s Largest Design Festival
Exhibiting the Science Artwork “In-Between Matter”
Shimadzu Corporation will exhibit at Milan Design Week 2026, the world’s largest design festival, from April 20 to 26. At the exhibition, Shimadzu will present the science artwork “In-Between Matter,” jointly created with the design studio we+ (Tokyo, Japan).
What is Milan Design Week?
Milan Design Week is the collective name for the world’s largest international furniture fair, Milano Salone (Salone del Mobile.Milano), and the concurrently held Fuorisalone events. Both are held in Milan, Italy, every April. Numerous companies and designers from around the world participate, exhibiting products and artworks that make use of their respective technologies.
At the Milano Salone in 2025, more than 2,000 exhibitors from 37 countries participated, and more than 300,000 visitors attended over the 6 days. The Fuorisalone, in which Shimadzu will exhibit, is held at a variety of venues throughout Milan, including museums, historic buildings, and universities. During Milan Design Week, the entire city becomes a stage for art and design.
In-Between Matter: Expressing Subtle States that Emerge between Them
The title “In-Between Matter” suggests a space between materials. The piece expresses subtle states that emerge between them, focusing on the act of separation, a principle at the core of the analytical and measuring technologies that Shimadzu has cultivated over many years. Through the artwork, visitors can experience the processes and phenomena involved in separation.
A scene from the making of the work. On the right: Performing paper chromatography (a technique that separates ink using paper and water), the foundation of separation analysis
Inspired by analytical technologies such as chromatography, time-of-flight mass spectrometry, and UV-VIS spectrometry, the artwork visually expresses how substances spontaneously separate based on their inherent properties. The work adopts the form of an installation in which all elements of the space—exhibits, video, lighting, and sound—together constitute the artwork, creating an immersive experience. The venue will feature four main types of work. In the interactive pieces, visitors can observe and appreciate how substances change in response to their actions, such as rotating, pressing, or immersing the exhibits.
Analytical instruments that inspired the installation: Shimadzu’s liquid chromatograph (left) and UV-VIS spectrophotometer
Communicating the Appeal of Science
The Corporate Product Design Center at Shimadzu Corporation, which created “In-Between Matter,” has consistently pursued initiatives to convey the appeal of science through design, aiming to help foster the next generation of scientists. Shimadzu has also been collaborating with we+ since 2022 on the research project “WONDER POWDER.” At Milan Design Week 2024, which marked Shimadzu’s first participation in the event, the results of that research project were exhibited.
The “WONDER POWDER” installation was exhibited in 2024. Cases filled with water contained powdered metals and natural stones, which formed gradations when the cases were tilted. The work was inspired by Shimadzu’s flagship technology, chromatography
This latest participation is also part of Shimadzu’s efforts to stimulate interest in science and technology. In “WONDER POWDER,” the theme of powdered materials was used to express the fascination of science and to help visitors feel closer to Shimadzu and its analytical and measuring technologies. “In-Between Matter” does not limit itself to a specific area of analysis; instead, it focuses on more abstract scientific concepts such as “separating” and “the boundaries between matter.” Through this science artwork, which enables visitors to experience the essence of analytical and measuring technology—namely, the question of “what analysis is”—the exhibition invites viewers into the world of science.
Exhibition Overview
Dates: April 20 (Mon)–April 26 (Sun), 2026
Venue: Cavallerizze (Cavallerizze Area, National Museum of Science and Technology Leonardo da Vinci)
Via Olona 4, 20123 Milan, Italy
Comments from the Persons in Charge
Comment from the Person in Charge at Shimadzu Corporation’s Corporate Product Design Center
This year, the exhibition will take place at the National Museum of Science and Technology Leonardo da Vinci, a venue with a rich history of scientific inquiry. It is a space that resonates with our initiative to communicate the appeal of science. By bringing together Shimadzu’s approach and the expressive work of the emerging design studio we+, we believe the exhibition will allow many visitors—regardless of their scientific backgrounds—to experience the fascination of science.Our previous work, “WONDER POWDER,” exhibited in 2024, received a strong response from visitors and media alike. In this year’s exhibition, we aim to develop that concept further and offer visitors an experience that taps into the very beginnings of scientific curiosity. We hope it will serve as an entry point that subtly changes the way people see the world.
Comment from the Person in Charge at we+
For our second participation in Milan Design Week, we began by asking a fundamental question: “What does Shimadzu provide as a company?” Through discussions and research within our team, we came to recognize Shimadzu’s consistent commitment to contributing to the advancement of science through the development of diverse technologies.To convey that value intuitively to the public—not just scientists—we chose an approach that we+ excels at: installations that appeal to the sensibilities. Inspired by analytical instruments, this installation focuses on the boundary regions revealed through analysis: the space between matter, and between logic and sensibility. Within these boundaries exists something captivating yet still unnamed.
We hope visitors will set aside preconceived notions and simply immerse themselves in the wonder and fascination of the phenomena unfolding before them. It is our firm belief that the sense of “Why?” and the curiosity born from such experiences are the very starting points of science.
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