Tactile, resistant, hard-wearing: denim is a fantastic fabric when it comes to our human sense of touch. But little research has been done the into the auditory imprint of the fabric. Denim producer Isko has the capacity to produce 300 million metres of denim every year, using 2000 state-of-the-art automatic looms, and it's really making its cutting edge technology heard at Wallpaper* Handmade X, which opened yesterday at Milan Design Week.
This year’s exhibition – which unites an amazing host of global designers, makers and architects – is dedicated to the theme of love. ‘Denim Sound Textures’, an installation created by Isko, sound artist Chiara Luzzana and DWA Design Studio is an immersive and interactive ode to denim, celebrating sound, sight and touch.
‘We are constantly pushing the boundaries of what denim means to people,’ says Fabio Di Liberto, Isko brand director, of the installation. For ‘Denim Sound Textures’ Isko has collaborated with a host of labels, including Hugo, Replay, 7 For All Mankind and Madewell, and asked them to interpret a type of denim in its manufacture canon, be it supersoft Isko Pop, rigid-yet-flexible Isko Straight Stretch or Isko Selvedge. Abstract denim sculptures reflect the denim technology of each type. When these are touched, each emits a noise – conceived by sound designer and composer Chiara Luzzana – that reflect the sound characteristics of each denim type.
Violin bows, a pick, a microphone and a stethoscope were all employed by Luzzana to capture the specific sound vibrations of each denim type. Antithetical elements feature, be they enveloping or inflexible, soft or stiff. Now, when you’re visualising your next pair of jeans, you won’t just be able to imagine its interwoven texture, but the elements of its auditory DNA too. That's something we really love the sound of.
Images courtesy of Isko
INFORMATION
For more information, visit the Isko website
Opening times
9 April, 12–4pm
10–13 April, 10am–6pm
Follow @wallpapermag #wallpaperhandmade for updates
ADDRESS
Wallpaper* Handmade
Salone dei Tessuti
via San Gregorio 29
Milan
-
The new dawn of Japanese whiskyJapanese whisky has long been the pinnacle of sophistication for connoisseurs. Our spirits writer Neil Ridley looks at this year’s best releases, and a new breed of distillers bringing innovation into the mix
-
Tour a new Sardinian hotel hidden among sand dunesHotel Le Dune Piscinas is a cosy five-star boutique resort surrounded by the untamed natural beauty of Sardinia’s Costa Verde
-
Looking forward to Tate Modern’s 25th anniversary partyFrom 9-12 May 2025, Tate Modern, one of London’s most adored art museums, will celebrate its 25th anniversary with a lively weekend of festivities
-
Faye Toogood brings new life to Matisse’s legacyMilan Design Week 2023: tapped by Maison Matisse, the London-based designer has taken inspiration from the French master’s forms to create a collection of heirloom-worthy objects
-
Prada Frames 2023: Milan programme announcedProgramme announced for Prada Frames 2023 at Milan Design Week, the annual symposium curated by Formafantasma at Luigi Caccia Dominioni's Teatro Filodrammatici from 17 to 19 April
-
Alessi Occasional Objects: Virgil Abloh’s take on cutleryBest Cross Pollination: Alessi's cutlery by the late designer Virgil Abloh, in collaboration with his London studio Alaska Alaska, is awarded at the Wallpaper* Design Awards 2023
-
Salone del Mobile 2023: highlights from Milan Design WeekIn pictures: our highlights from Milan Design Week, held during the 61st Salone del Mobile 2023 (18-23 April)
-
Design Miami 2022: highlights from the fair and around townDesign Miami 2022 (30 November – 4 December) aims at ‘rebooting the roots of our relationship with nature and collective structures, ecospheres, and urban contexts’
-
Salon Art + Design 2022: design highlights not to missWallpaper* highlights from Salon Art + Design 2022, New York
-
Design Week Lagos 2022 celebrates creativity and innovation in West Africa and beyondCurated by founder Titi Ogufere, Design Week Lagos 2022 is based on a theme of ‘Beyond The Box’
-
Designart Tokyo transforms the city into a museum of creativityDesignart Tokyo presents global design highlights through a series of exhibitions involving global creative talent and traditional Japanese craft
