Interaction
The relationship begins with a physical gesture. Weight, texture and material draw attention to the piece.
Pieces designed
to be activated.
Raw concrete pieces designed to be touched and activated with fire, water or scent, changing the relationship between person and space.
Pieces
They are not made only
to be observed.
Each piece begins with a sculptural form and a physical interaction.
It can be touched, moved or activated. Depending on the piece, the gesture may involve fire, water, scent or movement.
The matter remains. The experience changes.
Fire
Activation reveals the interior, changes the reading of the volume and transforms the light around the piece.
The same logic can grow, become smaller or coexist with other pieces.
Activation reveals the relief and changes how the surface is read.
Form and height can concentrate attention and act as a focal point.
Smoke introduces another form of activation and changes the atmosphere around the piece.
View pieces
Current selection from 53 Design Lab
The path to presence
One piece. One gesture.
A shift in perception.
These are not four separate actions. The experience unfolds in sequence: a person engages with the material, activates the piece, changes the atmosphere and brings attention back to the present.
Activation
Fire, water, scent or movement introduce an action. The piece stops being only a form and begins to change through use.
Atmosphere
Activation changes light, reflection, scent or the perception of volume. The piece begins to transform what happens around it.
Anchoring
After the action, attention remains with what is happening. The material becomes a point of return to the body and the present moment.
Concept
Functional
activatable art.
Function is part of the design from the outset.
Fire, water, scent, touch or movement introduce a physical action that changes the experience of the piece and the space.
Applications
One practice.
Different ways to integrate it.
The pieces do not belong to a single category of use. What changes is how they are integrated into each space and experience.
Wellness
Integration into sessions, retreats and wellbeing experiences: as a shared anchor during practice and, in smaller formats, as a continuation of the experience beyond the space.
Explore WellnessArchitecture
and interior design
Integration into projects through scale, colour adaptation, bespoke pieces, limited editions or styling, in dialogue with the architecture and identity of the space.
Explore StudioLooking for a piece for your space?
Explore piecesPhilosophy
Shin-Sabi
Shin-Sabi is the philosophical framework of 53 Design Lab. It brings together matter, interval and action, approaching the piece as a work that does not end with its form: it needs to be activated and inhabited.
Matter + gesture
The material retains trace, weight, texture and irregularity. The user activates it through touch, orientation, lighting or containment.
Ma + Sumika
Ma works with interval and the space left open. Sumika brings that idea to the inhabited crack: it is not hidden, but becomes a place of relationship.
The work is completed through relationship.
Discover Shin-SabiAbout 53 Design Lab
Designing for
presence.
My work draws on design, interaction and a background in psychology.
For years I worked in digital environments, thinking about how to reduce friction and make the relationship between a person and what is in front of them clearer. Today I bring that perspective into matter.
At 53 Design Lab, weight, texture and gesture are part of the experience. Each piece is designed to be touched, oriented, lit or activated in a specific way.
Shin-Sabi is the framework that brings this practice together: matter, interval and action.
Contact
Let's talk.
If you are interested in a specific piece, would like to commission one or want to explore how it could be integrated into a space, get in touch.