Tactile Visions: the IULM exhibition in collaboration with ALCANTARA

University - 14 April 2023

"Tactile Visions - Art and Matter" is the new IULM exhibition dedicated to ALCANTARA, the famous synthetic fibre that for years has been a symbol of innovation and versatility in the world of design and industry. Special opening: saturday 15 April from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. on the occasion of the Bachelor's Degrees Open Day.


A ductile, soft, resistant, changeable substance. A material capable of transforming itself into anything. It can be a shell, a scale, an ideogram, a mirror, a play machine and a writing aid. It can stand as a column or stretch as a tentacle. With ALCANTARA, art materialises, becomes flesh and bone. It merges with the material itself, giving life to works of sinuous beauty. This is why IULM has chosen it and is offering it on display, in conjunction with the Salone del Mobile 2023, with an exhibition that is a perfect example of how art can serve the new generations.

Visioni Tattili - Arte e Materia (Tactile Visions - Art and Matter) is an Exhibition that our University is proposing in collaboration with "ALCANTARA" - a company that gives its name to the famous synthetic fibre that for years has been a symbol of innovation and versatility in the world of design and industry - with which it will present to the public a selection of works and objects made with this ductile and surprising material. The opening of the exhibition has been hold on 13 April at 6 p.m. at the Contemporary Exhibition Hall of IULM 6 in the presence of the Rector, Prof. Gianni Canova and the President of Alcantara, Andrea Boragno.

ALCANTARA is not only a material with extraordinary functional qualities, but also an expressive medium of great potential, capable of taking on the most diverse forms and communicating through the tactile and visual sensations it can evoke. Synthetic fibre, in fact, can be moulded, compressed, extended, broken and recomposed to give life to objects with sinuous and suggestive shapes, with soft and enveloping textures.

This exhibition aims to convey the message to new generations that beauty and utility can coexist and interact positively, giving rise to innovative and avant-garde solutions. ALCANTARA, therefore, represents a concrete example of how industry can dialogue with aesthetics, producing artefacts that combine functionality and beauty, innovation and style.

IULM University, always aware of market trends and the education of future generations, welcomed the opportunity to host this exhibition with great enthusiasm, offering its students and the public an extraordinary opportunity for discovery and inspiration. The University's aim is to create a bridge between the needs of industry and the aesthetic aspirations of contemporary society, promoting creativity and experimentation as tools for innovation and development.

The exhibition will be open to the public free of charge from 14 April to 5 May, from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. Monday to Friday (Saturday, Sunday, holidays, Friday 7 April and Monday 24 April the exhibition is closed to the public). In order to guarantee the safety of visitors, access to the exhibition will only be allowed in groups of a maximum of 50 people at a time.

Special opening: saturday 15 April from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. on the occasion of the Bachelor's Degrees Open Day.