The Time Line, 2025

After the installation signed by Ugo Nespolo and the Wall of Cinema, a new part of this project was inaugurated on Tuesday, May 20: "The Time Line," a path marked by 52 stages that trace the fundamental moments of human communication from the mythical origins of the Tower of Babel to the Sistine Chapel in the first half of the 16th century.

Each station is illustrated by bilingual texts (Italian and English), evocative images, immersive sets and installations. As Professor Gianni Canova, creator of the project, explained:

"We are social beings: we cannot help but seek out contacts, and to transmit signals and messages that say something about us, our thoughts, our dreams. This timeline tries to retrace in brief the most important stages in the history of communication. But what remains, at the end of the journey, is the awareness that our inexhaustible need to communicate stems from the realization of our finiteness."

The realization of the project was overseen by Sergio Pappalettera and Studio Prodesign, but it also actively involved IULM students, who created much of the video content, edited the translations of the captions and lent their voices for the audio guide that accompanies visitors along the route.

Also underscoring the profound meaning of the project is a statement from the Rector of IULM University:

"IULM University believes in Communication as the ability of human beings to understand each other, to exchange knowledge, skills and emotions, and it has faith in reason as the main tool of relationship. The Time Line is a map that guides us through the stages, ways and forms by which human beings, as well as different cultures and civilizations, in different historical eras, have communicated with each other."

The Time Line will be free to visit, both individually and in groups. In particular, guided tours by reservation are planned for school students of all levels, who will be able to immerse themselves in an educational experience that is as stimulating as it is accessible

With this initiative, the Milanese university continues its goal of transforming the campus into a place that tells and teaches outside the classroom. A place where culture is not just an object of study, but a living and visible part of everyday life.

The initiative is supported by the ministerial grant Project Inclusion DM 752/2021 PNRR Funds