Alcantara Will Have Interactive Exhibit At Rome's MAXXI Museum

ROME, Oct. 29, 2013 /PRNewswire/ -- Alcantara S.p.A. and the MAXXI National Museum of the 21st Century Arts are partnering for a third consecutive year to produce "Playful Inter-Action," an original exhibit on display at the museum from November 12 until January 5, 2014.

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The partnership between Alcantara and MAXXI involves the communication research center Fabrica and Studio Minale-Maeda, who were asked to design an exhibit intended to trigger a multi-sensory experience using Alcantara material.  Giulio Cappellini, Alcantara's art director, and Domitilla Dardi, MAXXI Architettura's design curator, invited the two groups to take part in the project because of their experience in relational design. Interactivity is this year's focus, with sensory stimuli promoting visitor interaction with Alcantara materials.

In 2011, 11 notable international designers were called upon to interpret the characteristics of Alcantara in an exhibit with "Can You Imagine?" as its theme. Last year, eight designers under the age of 35 were asked to interpret the qualities of Alcantara in a lifestyle exhibit titled "Shape Your Life!"

This year's "Playful Inter-Action" exhibit marks the final year of the project. The Alcantara and MAXXI partnership also has led to the creation of a catalogue sold at the museum that features work generated by the three-year collaboration.

About Alcantara – www.alcantara.com

Founded in 1972, Alcantara S.p.A. represents a prime example of Italian-produced quality. The company's head offices are in Milan, while its production plant and research centers are located in Nera Montoro, Umbria. Alcantara is a highly innovative cover material, the result of a unique, proprietary technology.  It is the preferred choice of leading companies in a wide array of fields, including automotive, marine, fashion, interior design and consumer electronics.  Alcantara offers an extraordinary combination of sensory, aesthetic and functional qualities.

It also offers ethical and social benefits that are important to contemporary lifestyles by demonstrating a complete respect for the environment. Alcantara S.p.A. is certified 100% "carbon neutral," meaning that the company measures and offsets all CO₂ emissions derived from production processes and corporate activities "from cradle to grave" or until the very end of the product's life cycle, including recovery or waste disposal. Alcantara^® is a registered trademark of Alcantara S.p.A.

About MAXXI – www.fondazionemaxxi.it

MAXXI, the national museum of 21st century art (Rome), is the first Italian museum dedicated to contemporary creativity. It is run by a foundation established in 2009 by the Ministry of Culture and Monuments. Designed by Zaha Hadid, MAXXI is considered a multidisciplinary complex dedicated to experimentation and innovation in the arts, architecture and every creative expression of our day: photography, design, training, children's programs, conferences, seminars, film festivals, and live performances. In an area covering 29,000 square meters and with a large open plaza at its center, MAXXI has an auditorium, spaces for events and educational activities, two cafés, the restaurant MAXXI 21, two bookshops, and a large plaza with a Wi-Fi area that is also used for public events, site-specific works, and related activities. MAXXI collections are displayed on rotation together with temporary exhibits while installations by Anish Kapoor, Sol Lewitt, Maurizio Mochetti and Giuseppe Penone are always visible. MAXXI B.A.S.E. (which stands for Biblioteca/Library, Archivi/Archives, Studi/Studies, Editoria/Publishing), which is located in the building facing the museum, is the MAXXI research center. It houses the Library and Media Library, the Contemporary Archive, the Photographic Archive, and the Architecture Archives Center.

About Fabrica – www.fabrica.it

Fabrica is a communication research center. It is based in Treviso, Italy, and is an integral part of the Benetton Group. Established in 1994, Fabrica offers young people from around the world a one-year scholarship, accommodation and a round-trip ticket to Italy, enabling a highly diverse group of researchers. The range of disciplines is equally diverse, including design, communication, photography, code, video, music, journalism, politics and media. Fabrica is based in a tailor-made campus centered on a 17th-century villa restored and significantly augmented by renowned Japanese architect Tadao Ando. Fabrica aims to create the next generation of creative leaders, capable of positively addressing 21st century issues.

About Studio Minale-Maeda – www.larcobaleno.com/designers/studio-minale-maeda.html

Studio Minale-Maeda. Established in 2006 by Kuniko Maeda (Tokyo) and Mario Minale (Naples) after both received their master's degree from the Design Academy of Eindhoven, the studio is based in Rotterdam. Studio Minale-Maeda sees design as a place of synthesis that combines the solution of real needs and an expression of cultural identities and choices. The duo's approach is not limited to techniques, but also pursues values such as realism, transparency, local culture and low-scale production. The studio has worked with renowned companies such as Droog and Skitsch. It has developed research projects in collaboration with woven fabric manufacturers and upholsterers in Italy and with porcelain artisans in Japan. Works by the studio have been shown in galleries such as Droog Amsterdam and New York and Tools Galerie in Paris, and in exhibitions such as Design Miami/Basel, Fiac in Paris, and the Milan Furniture Show. Its works have also appeared in museums such as MUDAC in Lausanne, MAXXI in Rome and Central Museum in Utrecht, where they are also part of the permanent collection.

SOURCE Alcantara S.p.A.