Carla Langella's 'Design e Scienza' Explores Hybrid Design-Science Collaborations

Carla Langella's new book 'Design e Scienza' (published by ListLab in the Design Experiences series) examines the growing intersection between design and scientific disciplines. The essay traces this phenomenon from the seminal 2008 MoMA exhibition 'Design and the Elastic Mind' curated by Paola Antonelli through 2018. Langella argues that designers increasingly seek legitimacy through science, especially amid the crisis of design-industry collaboration. The book identifies methods and protocols used in avant-garde institutes that foster hybrid professions, exemplified by Neri Oxman's materialecology research at the MIT Media Lab, including the Silk Pavilion where silkworms wove a dome around a robotically fabricated nylon frame. Other case studies include Mathieu Lehanneur's 'Antibiotic in layers,' a layered antibiotic that visually communicates therapy stages. The essay also addresses design's role in making algorithms and computing more inclusive. Patrizia Ranzo's introduction describes the book as an updated map of an innovative design landscape. The 168-page volume costs €16.