Triennale di Milano, Viale Alemagna 6 - 20121, Milano
18 June / 1 August 2010
Open: Tuesday to Sunday, from 10.30 a.m. to 8.30 p.m.; Thursday and Friday 10.30 a.m. to 11 p.m.)
Opening: 17 June at 18.00 p.m.

The exhibition "Precious Titanium: technology and ornament" forms part of the "Gioie e colori" (www.gioieecolori.com) project financed by Regione Lombardia (Bando Metadistretti 2008 - Design). The aim of the initiative is to create a supply chain for the production of titanium jewellery. This project has been promoted by Politecnico di Milano ("Giulio Natta" Department of Chemistry, Materials and Chemical Engineering and Department of Industrial Design, Arts, Communication and Fashion - INDACO) with the consultancy of Fondazione Politecnico di Milano and the following companies: Titalia Srl (project leader), Bama Srl, Eurometal Srl, Labodesign Srl, Nanosurfaces, Taigher Sas and Vacuum Surtec Srl.

"Titanium has never enjoyed much success in the world of jewellery since being discovered accidentally on a Cornwall beach by Reverend William Gregor in 1791" remarks curator Alba Cappellieri, professor of jewellery design at Politecnico di Milano. "The first titanium jewellery in Italy dates back to the 1970's when a meeting between Pietro Pedeferri, who experimented with the electrochemical colouring of titanium, and goldsmith James Riviere in 1972 marked a new departure for titanium jewellery. But despite a few bold pioneers, titanium jewellery subsequently stirred up little interest among gold designers. This resulted in the decision to get thirty-one Italian jewellery designers to design a titanium gem and explore this material and its technologies: maestros and young designers, who were also joined by two students from the Politecnico advanced jewellery design course".

We managed to provide the jewellery designers with a material, titanium, and moulding and finishing technologies from other areas - such as Direct Manufacturing, Metal Injection Moulding, "soft" electropolishing, anodising and Anodic Spark Deposition - rarely employed in the gold sector until now" comments Barbara Del Curto, researcher from the Faculty of Design at Politecnico di Milano, who focused on the technological aspects.   

The exhibition and the catalogue.
"Precious Titanium" is divided into three sections. The first section "Jewellery" includes 33 items of jewellery designed by:  Alessia Ansaldi, Patrizia Bonati, Massimiliano Bonoli, Fabio Cammarata, Monica Castiglioni, Giovanna Cutolo, Gabriele De Vecchi, Michela Fornasari, Emma Francesconi, MariaRosa Franzin, Manuela Gandini, Alba Polenghi Lisca, Stefania Lucchetta, Stefano Marchetti with Roberto Zanon, Valeria Masconale with Caterina Passaro, Giancarlo Montebello, Michela Nosè, Barbara Paganin, Karl Heinz Reister, Carla Riccoboni, Ivana Riggi, James Riviere, Maurizio Stagni, Panteha Tassi, Natsuko Toyofuku, Rossella Tornquist, Fabrizio Tridenti, Barbara Uderzo with Augusto Gentile, Viola Vecchi, Giorgio Vigna, Michele Zanin, as well as Stefano Pellicioli and Serena Savi, students from the Politecnico di Milano advanced jewellery design course.

The second section, "Art", is dedicated to the experiments of Pietro Pedeferri and brings together a series of paintings in which titanium is coloured by electrochemical oxidation.

The third part, "Functional properties", presents objects that express the properties of titanium such as:

• photocatalysis - i.e. the oxidation capacity of titanium, if illuminated by UV rays, to degrade atmospheric pollutants and help purify environments - is represented by a circulation hood that is able to eliminate odours and pollutants produced when cooking food; 
• the flexibility of titanium is represented by golf clubs, whose performance is improved thanks to their titanium head and carbon fibre shaft;
• biocompatibility, that is the capacity of this metal to be implanted in the human body without causing negative reactions on biological tissues. Implantable biomedical components are produced from titanium and titanium alloys.
  
  Useful information:
  "Precious Titanium" Exhibition
  Curator: Alba Cappellieri
  Scientific Coordinator: Barbara Del Curto
  Scientific Committee: Alberto Cigada, Barbara Del Curto, MariaPia Pedeferri
  Exhibition project: Labodesign
  Catalogue: Electa in Italian and English
  Texts by: Silvana Annicchiarico, Alba Cappellieri, Alberto Cigada, Barbara Del Curto, MariaPia Pedeferri, Labodesign
  
  Triennale di Milano, Viale Alemagna 6 (open Tuesday to Sunday, from 10.30 a.m. to 8.30 p.m.; Thursday and Friday 10.30 a.m. to 11 p.m.)
  from 18 June to 1 August 2010
  
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