IED Turin Celebrates Damiani

Organized by IED Turin, the “Oltretempo” exhibition celebrated Damiani’s centenary by uniting art, design and new visions of jewelry

Wednesday, 06 November 2024, by Antonella Reina

Creativity, when explored through different perspectives, becomes a powerful language that can leave a tangible impact on the real world. The proof is “Oltretempo” (Beyond Time), the exhibition organized by the European Institute of Design (IED) in Turin in collaboration with Damiani as a tribute to the Valenza-based company’s one hundred years.

On 30thOctober, in one of the exquisiterooms that decorate the Gallerie d'Italia in Turin, the thesis projects of eight young graduates in Jewelry Design and Accessories unveiled an unprecedented capsule collection dedicated to Damiani’s lengthy tradition: an unexpected encounter between history and innovation, the legacy of an iconic brand and the daring creativity of emerging designers, in response to a question that encourages artistic freedom without neglecting entrepreneurial culture: “What does creatingtimeless jewelry able to address the spirit of our times mean?”

The students, supervised by coordinator Daniela Bulgarelli and guided along their creative journey by designer Samuele Armellin, spent a year exploring the Damiani universe, immersing themselves in its values, codes and aesthetics. With an interdisciplinary approach, they created jewelry that combines references to art and architecture as well as everyday personal, and sometimes intimate, life with Damiani's technical know-how and pioneering spirit. The synergy between fashion, design and new technological tools is the essence of a didactic path that IED Turin carefully cultivates: the aim is to create an environment in which cross-contaminations between disciplines become the fulcrum of an education in creativity without barriers. It is through an exercise in synthesis and hybridization that students learn to master multiple languages in order to be ready to go beyond the limits of individual specializations and bring new visions to the world of jewelry.

Paola Zini, Director of IED Turin,explained: «From our perspective, collaborating with Damiani means offering our students a real experience, where innovation meets artisan excellence. The chance to put their ideas to the test with such a prestigious brand launches our young talents into the world of work with a comprehensive preparation and a fundamental network of contacts.»

Giorgio Grassi Damiani, the Group’s Vice President, confirmed the importance of opening up to new talent. «Communicating with new generations and investing in their training allows us to hand down and, at the same time, renew a heritage of experience and savoir-faire.» And the Damiani Academy, for years active in training new talent, confirms how vital dialogue is for the brand. The “Oltretempo” installation captured the sense of this exchange. The young designers answered the call by communicating with the company’s heritage and taking up iconic lines and models - such as the Damianissima and Belle Époque collections - and shaping them into a sort of tribute that, inevitably, alsosurpasses. The geometries of the jewelry were told through photographs and videos by Pepe Fotografia, completing an experience of impeccable elegance and contemporaneity.

A trio of rings from the INTIMATE Collection by LORENZO RAVARINO. Three spheres rotate around the finger and sinuously join together, creating smooth, polished surfaces and shaping a volume that interacts with the body's senses.
Ring from the INTIMATE Collection by LORENZO RAVARINO. The circle, symbol of eternity and expression of the soul, distorts and expands into a third dimension, becoming a sphere that dialogues in a new and unexpected way with the body that wears it.
Ring from the INTIMATE Collection by LORENZO RAVARINO. The circle, symbol of eternity and expression of the soul, distorts and expands into a third dimension, becoming a sphere that dialogues in a new and unexpected way with the body that wears it.
Three rings designed by Silvia Adamo: starting from the left, the ring from the SOSPIRI Collection; in the middle, the ring from the INVISIBLE LINKS Collection, made by Damiani; finally, the ring from the MEMORIE INCISE Collection.
Earrings from the OYSTER DYNAMISM Collection by DANIELE MANTOVANI, made by Damiani. The works of digital artist Refik Anadol, who converts neuroscientific data into fluid forms, inspire asymmetrical elements that reflect the beauty of variations.
Bracelet from the APPARENCE Collection by ASIA ZUPPA. From the study of Oliver Laric's works comes an essential, sculptural design that conceals an unexpected flexibility and plays with the dynamism of fluid modules joined by invisible ball joints.
Ring from the RENOVATE Collection by LU YUQIAN, made by Damiani. An evolution of the Damianissima collection, it looks to architecture to combine tradition and modernity in a distinctive shape that harmonises fluid and geometric lines.
A trio of rings from the INTIMATE Collection by LORENZO RAVARINO. Three spheres rotate around the finger and sinuously join together, creating smooth, polished surfaces and shaping a volume that interacts with the body's senses.