Revealing a research textile through light, smoke and motion.
A robotic installation using light, smoke and distortion to reveal the details of a garment as a new way to experience Stone Island’s textile innovations.
Context
Stone Island’s Prototype Research Series presents limited editions developed through experiments with materials and production techniques.
Series 06 grew from a collaboration between Stone Island and Kevlar’s research teams.
For its presentation during Milan’s Fuorisalone in 2022, we worked with Villa Eugénie on Through the Looking Glass, an installation that let visitors discover the prototype from multiple angles.
Mission
Our task was to design a robotic visual experience that brought the garment’s material research into focus.
Drawing on the visual tradition of Flemish painting, we developed devices using light, smoke and movement.
Developed by Villa Eugénie, a distorting lens revealed details that were harder to see at first glance, while four concentric circles directed the eye through the space, from an overall view towards the fabric itself.
Outcome
The installation changed with the visitor’s position. A close view brought out the fabric’s weave; from elsewhere, the garment’s form became distorted, and its colour and logo appeared in kaleidoscopic variations.
These shifts gave visitors different ways to examine the prototype, making its material and visual qualities the subject of the experience.
