The new challenge facing the Piedmontese city will be called “Mulab – Cultural Laboratory Museum for Biella Textiles.” The Biella City Council has approved the memorandum of understanding that will be signed between the City Council, the Biella Industrial Union, the Pistoletto Foundation, and the Cassa di Risparmio di Biella Foundation for the implementation of the new project envisioned by the Ministerial Decree of August 8, 2022, issued by the then Ministry of Economic Development, now the Ministry of Enterprise and Made in Italy. The agreement established a variation of the original project to develop a broad-based plan shared by all stakeholders. The “Mulab” will be housed in the Palazzina Piacenza, a historic city building inaugurated in 1911 as the “Felice Piacenza” Wool Mill and School and now owned by the city. The city will also oversee the building’s renovation with an investment of €1.5 million, covered by ministerial resources transferred from the Pistoletto Foundation. The Foundation will be responsible for designing the concept and exhibitions and, together with other partners, defining the museum’s future management. The Palazzina will include spaces for permanent exhibitions, temporary exhibitions, workshops, and cultural events. But that’s not all. The new site will allow the project to be integrated with the Museo del Territorio Biella and the State Archives, thus creating a unique cultural hub with Cittadellarte, the Sella Foundation, the Pria Archive, the “Fabbrica della Ruota,” and the archives of Biella companies.
“The creation of Mulab,” commented Mayor Marzio Olivero and Deputy Mayor and Councilor for Culture Sara Gentile, “is a fundamental step in building a national cultural center dedicated to the history and future of Biella’s textile industry. With the regeneration of the Palazzina Piacenza, we are returning to the city a place steeped in history and transforming it into an open, inclusive laboratory, projected toward the future through innovation. Its coherence with the area’s industrial history and its strategic location in the heart of the city make the Palazzina Piacenza the ideal choice for a venue dedicated to promoting Biella’s textile culture.”
