Lantal is opening the “Fabric of Light” exhibition. It showcases imaginary and interactive installations with glimpses of the future in textile design. The exhibition was conceived and implemented by students enrolled in the Media & Interaction Design course of the ECAL/University of Art and Design Lausanne.

Last year, when Lantal celebrated its 125th anniversary, it portrayed the company's success story in an exhibition for its employees and the local population. Lantal's apprentices developed “Phantasia”, their own future vision project, for that event. “The idea of offering youngsters a platform for their perspectives of the future should live on,” says Lantal's CEO Urs Rickenbacher. This was the point of departure for the collaborative venture with the ECAL/University of Art and Design Lausanne.

A year ago, students in the bachelor degree course Media & Interaction Design got involved in “The Future of Textile Design” as a keynote topic. “We were given free rein, and the only requirement was to instill educational value in the project,” confirmed Alain Bellet, Head of ECAL's bachelor program in Media & Interaction Design, when he described the scope of artistic liberty. The students researched, developed concepts and prototypes, and implemented the entire exhibition as it stands. Alain Bellet characterized the challenge confronting the project supervisors as follows: “Because we are not experts in textile materials, we felt like voyagers on an expedition in search of the future of textile design. We asked ourselves how textiles might be perceived in the future and developed imaginary scenarios of what we saw.”

Visitors who tour the “Fabric of Light” exhibition can experience the students' discoveries in various interactive installations. When textiles, the imagination, and multimedia effects interface, perception rises to a new level that makes the future come alive.

Including its debut day on October 27, the exhibition is open every Saturday in November and on December 1 from 2 to 5 pm at Fabrikraum 5 on Berghofstrasse 1 in Melchnau.

Fabrikraum 5
The former production room on Berghofstrasse 1 in Melchnau has been used as a venue for art shows and encounters since 2008. Past exhibitions featured artists Schang Hutter and Pierre Casé. The private collection of Urs and Renata Baumann as well as Lantal’s 125th anniversary retrospective were made accessible to the public in this hall.

Lantal
Lantal is a leader in the design, production, and distribution of textiles and services for the international community of aircraft, bus, railway, and cruise ship operators. The company offers forward-looking counsel with the objective of achieving the ultimate in passenger well-being.

ECAL
Enjoying international renown and featuring regularly among the world of art and design, the ECAL/University of Art and Design Lausanne currently offers three Bachelor programmes (Visual Communication with units in Graphic Design – Photography – Media & Interaction Design – Film, Fine Arts, Industrial and Product Design), four Master programmes (Art Direction, Film, Fine Arts, Product Design) and a Master of Advanced Studies in Luxury & Design (MAS-Luxury). The ECAL also offers a one-year Foundation course providing basic theoretical and practical tuition in the arts to prepare students for entrance to the different Bachelor’s programs.