Reinassance Alcantara

A series of renowned international designers reinterpret the iconic Alcantara textile in relationship with the dense historical rooms of Palazzo d’Accursio in Bologna, Italy.

Migliore + Servetto, Cromofono, Alcantara Sustainable Reinassance, Bologna, 2017
During the G7 Environment, held in Bologna until the 12th of June and involving various activities, Alcantara inaugurates “Alcantara Sustainability Renaissance”, an exhibition curated by designer Gentucca Bini, in Palazzo d’Accursio.

 

The exhibition brings together the past and the future through historical and contemporary works which share the same cultural and artistic value; its purpose is to focus the attention of the seven major economies and of the exhibition’s visitors on Alcantara’s commitment to sustainability. “Alcantara Sustainability Renaissance” begins in the Palazzo’s cloister with the installation of Migliore + Servetto’s Cromofono, a spectacular stage machine for the grand festivities typically held in the royal courts of the past. Its story is renewed through a symphony of colours, textures and sounds of unprecedented beauty.

Migliore + Servetto, Cromofono, Alcantara Sustainable Reinassance, Bologna, 2017
Migliore + Servetto, Cromofono, Alcantara Sustainable Reinassance, Bologna, 2017
Visitors then climb the 16th-century scala cordonata ramp, which is traditionally attributed to Bramante and was originally designed for the city governors’ triumphal ascent on horseback. The ramp is decorated with the work by Gustavo Martini as example of a distant country such as Brazil. On the first floor, Paola Navone’s Fortezza del Silenzio (“Stronghold of Silence”) seems a maverick work, forming a barrier which creates a space for meditation thanks to the material’s soundproofing qualities. 
Gustavo Martini, Rio de Janeiro / Altinha, Alcantara Sustainable Reinassance, Bologna, 2017
Gustavo Martini, Rio de Janeiro / Altinha, Alcantara Sustainable Reinassance, Bologna, 2017
The abstract compositions by calligrapher Qin Feng, a leading figure of the Chinese avant-garde, testify to the fusion between Western modernism and the tradition of Chinese calligraphy. His works draw inspiration from Aldus Manutius the Elder, who lived in the 16th century; he invented the role of the publisher in the modern sense of the word and promoted advances in printing that have not been excelled to the present day.
Paola Navone, La Fortezza del Silenzio, Alcantara Sustainable Reinassance, Bologna, 2017
Paola Navone, La Fortezza del Silenzio, Alcantara Sustainable Reinassance, Bologna, 2017
The second monumental staircase features a work by the designer Gentucca Bini. Her installation splits the space into a play of optical illusions to highlight Alcantara’s photo-printing qualities. On the second floor the Farnese Room hosts chairs by Nendo, Marcel Wanders for Cappellini, Massimiliano Adami, Constance Guisset, Steven Haulenbeek, Liliana Ovalle, Lorenzo Damiani and Raw Edges. The chairs conjure up past historical events and blend into the room’s ornamentation, which relates the Bologna’s vicissitudes from the Middle Ages to the 17th century.
Liliana Ovalle, Mexico City, Alcantara Sustainable Reinassance, Bologna, 2017
Liliana Ovalle, Mexico City, Alcantara Sustainable Reinassance, Bologna, 2017

until 12 June 2017
G7 Environment
Alcantara Sustainability Reinassance
curated by Gentucca Bini
Palazzo d’Accursio
piazza Maggiore 6, Bologna

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