Body Building by Alberto Biagetti & Laura Baldassari // MILANTRACE2015.

Neon rings, metallic leather, cold steel and tinted crystals. Body Building, launched during Milan Design Week 2015, is an exhibition inspired by the idea of the body, its potential and the discipline of perfection. Alberto Biagetti and Laura Baldassari are the creative duo behind Body Building, with curatorMaria Cristina Diderob also lending her expertise, to deliver a project which teases our perceptions and creates a short-circuit between aesthetics and function, challenging our expectations.

Body Building is a fine balancing act which threads its way through the symbols and obsessions of the world today: one of those is the cult of the body which becomes the inspiration for a playful and elegant collection of unique pieces made of precious materials, exquisite details and the refined craftsmanship that expresses the very best of Italian tradition. These objects bear a clear resemblance to the already familiar shapes and forms of the world of sport and wellness. Iconic sports apparatus conceived for physical exercise, for producing adrenaline and determination, are reinterpreted with the fresh and lively eye of the designers.

The “anti-gym” which Body Building creates is made up of the rings of male gymnasts which become an elaborate chandelier in aluminium and brass with electric blue pony skin details; the pink crystal top of a coffee-table rests on a series of hexagonal steel dumbbells; the pommel horse used for one of the most demanding and acrobatic disciplines of men’s gymnastics becomes a bench in silver leather (where you must under no circumstances work up a sweat); a series of stools in contrasting colours are surrounded by belts tightly pulled like the resistance bands used for weight-free workouts; the carpets made of high quality leather are inspired by the floors and multi-layered markings of sports courts. Every piece of the Body Building collection turns the spotlight back onto the human body – making it, once again, the centre of attention – the centre of the home.

All the pieces in the Body Building collection are unique and hand-made by Italian artisans. Time to get training!