ALMANAC LAB

Le Labo Almanach demonstrates the Foundation’s willingness to work closely with the ecosystem that surrounds it, providing a framework for discussion and reflection on the deep issues of design at the time of transitions.

The Almanac Lab

Le Labo Almanach was created at the end of the exhibition Almanach, Regards de designers sur les ressources du territoire des Charentes (June-December 2023), a clear exhibition of the new direction of the Martell Corporate Foundation, whose desire is to work closely with the ecosystem that surrounds it.

This program offers the opportunity to research, experiment and/or prototype a project in a privileged space-time. The sharing of knowledge, the hybridization of know-how and materials and the cross-fertilisation of skills, in close dialogue with the territory and its resources, are encouraged, notably through local collaborations (craftsmen, companies, associations, collectives, institutions…). Le Labo Almanach provides a framework for discussion and reflection on the deep issues of design at the time of transitions. It gives access to multidisciplinary workshops (glass, ceramics, wood) installed on a plateau of 1000 square meters.

The Living Archive

Both a theoretical framework and a technical tool for designers in residence, the Labo Almanach supports research-creation projects through a resource classification system within the Living Archive: focused on the ecological transformation of territories and our lifestyles, it invites, without borders, to develop new interactions with local resources and its actors.

This participatory archiving and transmission tool is intended to complement itself over time, through the projects and contributions of the creators in residence. The Living Archive combines contacts, know-how, history of techniques, materials, prototypes… Non-exhaustive, it is considered as a first gateway to accelerate the understanding of the issues of the territory of implantation. It aims to foster new dialogues and collaborations at the local level and beyond, and is intended to be, in the future, a tool of understanding and sharing for audiences.

The library

The library is a collection of specialized works on design, art and more generally social and transitional issues that shape the positioning of the Foundation. These books, magazines and catalogues are freely available to residents according to a simple reservation protocol with the Foundation team.

The library is regularly enriched thanks to guest speakers, residents and projects led by the Foundation team.