In the historic loggiato of Milan’s Pinacoteca di Brera, the biochemical process of pleasure has been given a physical, breathing form. For Milan Design Week 2026, designer Sara Ricciardi has introduced "Serotonin – The Chemistry of Happiness," an immersive installation that uses inflatable structures to explore how emotional states might be translated into spatial experiences.
The installation functions as a responsive environment, where soft forms gently expand and contract in a slow choreography that mimics the rhythms of a heartbeat or human breath. By integrating light, color, and sound, Ricciardi’s studio aims to provide a sensory counterpoint to the overstimulation and emotional fatigue that define much of contemporary life. The result is a space that feels less like a static object and more like a living organism.
Developed in collaboration with American Express, the project seeks to bridge the gap between abstract science and lived sensation. While the immediate goal is to provoke an instinctive response from visitors, the underlying intent is to prompt a deeper reflection on the physical mechanisms of well-being. By manifesting a neurotransmitter as an atmospheric volume, Ricciardi suggests that design can serve as a functional tool for emotional regulation.
With reporting from Designboom.
Source · Designboom
