Fabbrica del Vapore

The story

Run by the culture department of the Comune di Milano, Fabbrica del Vapore occupies the old premises of Carminati & Toselli, a firm that repaired trams. Today it is an open platform for youth creativity, entertainment and socialising, with a year-round mix of free and ticketed events, creative workshops, artist residencies and educational activities. Contemporary dance and performance take over spaces such as the Spazio Cisterne during the Danae Festival. The complex has several venues and one main exhibition area, used for large, eclectic shows. Past examples include Tim Burton's Labyrinth, with Burton's own sketches and characters such as Edward Scissorhands and the Red Queen, an extensive Shepard Fairey show, works by Picasso, Dalí and Miró, contemporary Chinese art, and memorabilia from the revolutionary late 1960s.