The Manufacture Vacheron Constantin is delighted to share its passion and its philosophy in its capacity as partner to the Swiss Pavilion at Expo Milan 2015. This prestigious event represents a magnificent opportunity for exchanges as well as a unique showcase for the expertise and crafts of the participating countries. Expo Milan 2015 will take place in Italy from May 1st to October 31st 2015 and is particularly relevant in view of the history of the Manufacture: in 1819, François Constantin, during a voyage to Italy, first enounced the working principle that is now the company motto: “Do better if possible, and that is always possible…” 

The exhibition to be presented in Milan is the fruit of a joint project bringing together ECAL, the prestigious university of art and design with an international reputation, the Fondazione Cologni dei Mestieri d’Arte, an institution known for its commitment to the sustainability of the artistic crafts, and the Manufacture Vacheron Constantin. Since 2013, Vacheron Constantin has partnered the ECAL’s Master of Advanced Studies in Design for Luxury & Craftsmanship, a unique training course for the various creative arts professions related to the world of luxury. This is an opportunity for students to make a contribution each year to conducting a concrete project, in partnership with the Manufacture. 

This original approach links contemporary creation to ancestral know-how. Within the framework of this project, ECAL and Vacheron Constantin have asked 12 students to combine their creativity with that of experienced craftsmen in order to produce unique objects and demonstrate the richness, the variety, as well as the relevance to contemporary creation of these artisanal crafts. Under the leadership of Andrea Trimarchi and Simone Farresin (Studio Formafantasma) these 12 “duos” have worked on the same theme, Time, and more precisely the cyclical time of the seasons, using materials as diverse as paper and glass. Visitors will thus have an opportunity to explore mobiles crafted with an automaton maker; a picnic bag made with a saddler; a vase created with a glass blower; a mirror cast in an aluminium foundry; a lamp built with a stonemason; an axe and knives developed with an expert in carbon fibre; an assembly of stained glass windows composed with a master glassmaker; plates designed with a ceramist; fans produced with a paper-cutting specialist; a tray fashioned from marquetry; a millstone carved in conjunction with a stone sculptor and finally a musical box executed with the help of a stringed-instrument maker (luthier).

These works, born of a student-craftsman dialogue, have given rise to an exhibition entitled “Arts&Crafts&Design: Time according to ECAL and Swiss Craftsmen, previewed in Milan during the Milan Furniture Fair (Salone Internazionale del Mobile from April 14th to 19th 2015) prior to being presented in the context of the VIP Lounge of the Swiss Pavilion for the entire duration of Expo Milan 2015 (May 1st to October 31st 2015). 

Taking part in Expo Milan 2015, a prestigious event steeped in history, is a fascinating opportunity for ECAL, for the Fondazione Cologni dei Mestieri d’Arte as well as for Vacheron Constantin, and provides an opportunity to present the very best of Swiss expertise.