Telling a different
story of Portugal
It was with this motto that, in June 2013, Laboratório d’Estórias (meaning Laboratory of Stories) was born: an experimental space for design that aims to be inspired by the stories of Portuguese popular culture to reinvent traditional objects, using them to tell new stories — and (why not?) to recreate the history of the country.
A story in the shape
of an object
The result of this experimentation is a very specific conceptual approach. Starting with the ancient techniques of ceramics from Caldas da Rainha and materials such as earthenware, we’re able to cross the idea of a petrified basil with the supposed love Perseus and Medusa, or to learn about Lisbon’s simbol, the Crow, as a troublemaker that tried to beak women’s legs outside of taverns. Narratives of uncertain end with unpredictable paths — both in the technique and materials used, as in the stories themselves.
The objects thus appear as memorials, physical evidences of a story that never really existed. But the authors of the project do not intend to be the only ones to tell it: by inviting national illustrators and even the public to add value to the final product with their interpretations, story and image become part of the reinvented objects, taking them beyond their purely decorative or functional purpose.
A collection of legends
that materializes in
artifacts of desire
In the end, each piece is in itself an unique and dynamic story ready to be discovered. From the whole comes the added value of a collection that merges reality with myth, tradition with fable, but, above all, that gives free rein to our imagination, casting a fresh and irreverent look over dormant icons of Portuguese folk culture; objects to be enjoyed within and outside the countries borders, seeking to tell another story of Portugal.
Stories that cross
with other stories
In Laboratório d’Estórias (Ld’E), everyone is invited to participate. More than an experimental space for creation, this “Lab” keeps its doors open to collaborating with other entities – companies or individuals – who wish to tell their own stories or cross themselves with stories already known. In this sense, it also focuses on product development and design for external customers, and also holds advisory services, research and development, design, implementation and management of all types of projects and of industrial products and crafts.