SKIN: UNKNOWN

Hybrid site-specific installation about skin.
First episode of an exhibition format that refuses classification: it moves across and collides art, design, and science, turning contradictions and visual remixing into open-ended processes.

2025
Milan
Il Lazzaretto

CONCEPT ⁄ RESEARCH ⁄ ART DIRECTION ⁄ DESIGN
Chiara Costa, Eleonora Diana, Sara Maragotto

Graphic design and research — Sofia Salvatori
Image editing and installation assistance — Chiara Finelli
Electronics and programming — Paolo Cavagnolo
Construction and setup — Davide Tuberga
Photo credits — Alecio Ferrari

THE OPEN BARRIER

It is at the boundary that we reveal who we are. Skin is a complex and sophisticated system, home to paradoxical functions: it protects and lets through, separates and connects, hides and reveals. It is the fundamental playground—and battleground—of power and pleasure within our bodies.

SKIN WEIGHS MORE THAN YOUR BRAIN + HEART COMBINED

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EVERY PORE IS A MICRO-DOOR

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SKIN IS THE SURFACE OF THE BRAIN

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EVERY 4–6 WEEKS YOU COMPLETELY RENEW YOURSELF

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SKIN WEIGHS MORE THAN YOUR BRAIN + HEART COMBINED — EVERY PORE IS A MICRO-DOOR — SKIN IS THE SURFACE OF THE BRAIN — EVERY 4–6 WEEKS YOU COMPLETELY RENEW YOURSELF —

The project intertwines references to the pop culture of skincare, epidermal diagrams from 1970s scientific magazines, sensory interactions, and an oracular aesthetic—continuing Studio Fludd’s ongoing research on perceptual empowerment and the fascination of matter.

FLUDD’S SKIN CLINIC

The installation treats skin as a physical, physiological, and imaginary model, inhabiting the staircase of Il Lazzaretto as an oracular device and perceptive machine.

The aptic dimension is inherent to skin: it goes beyond the dichotomy between sight and touch.

It is an experiment on the depths of surface: skin as an open barrier, mother of the senses, threshold of diplomatic exchanges, and sensitive bioelectric field.

THE STAIRCASE is transformed into a cross-section of epidermis, dermis, and hypodermis. It is populated with epidermal diagrams, luminous projections of scientific and expressive textures, and sensory cushions.

THE CLINIC presents moist, silky, and gelatinous surfaces to interact with. It invites visitors to insert a hand [A] and have their skin read in that specific moment.

The interactive ORACLE communicates through videos [B] in Italian, English, and Korean (the homeland of skincare), and claims to know you.

The machine identifies your profile based on four skin typologies [C] and gives you a BOOKLET / PRESCRIPTION / TEST that opens up a new big question to take away.

SKIN: UNKNOWN was produced for the first time within the framework of the Festival della Peste — Potere / Piacere, 5-9 November 2025, by Fondazione Il Lazzaretto, Milan.

The research was developed during the Saari Residency (Mynämäki, Finland - July 2025) with the generous support of the Kone Foundation.