Pitti Uomo: Accademia Italiana presents MAKIN' ITALY - Dialogues on Intelligence and Creativity

What would happen if artificial intelligence engaged in a dialogue with artisanal knowledge? And what if technology didn’t erase the memory of the hand, but amplified it? These questions are explored in “MAKIN' ITALY – Dialogues on Intelligence and Creativity”, an event promoted by Accademia Italiana, in collaboration with IAAD, Poliarte, SAE Institute, Abadir (Academy of Design and Visual Communication), and the University of Salerno. The event is scheduled for January 14 at the Accademia Italiana campus in Florence, Piazza de’ Pitti 15, as part of Pitti Uomo. The program consists of a talk and an exhibition where human creativity, craftsmanship, and artificial intelligence intertwine.

The public talk, titled “MAKIN’ ITALY – Dialogues on Intelligence and Creativity”, will take place from 5:00 PM to 6:00 PM and will feature three thematic panels with experts in technological innovation and creativity, discussing how new intelligences are transforming Made in Italy fashion and design. The session will open with Alessandro Colombo, Country Manager of AD Education Italy, and Livia Di Nardo, Campus Manager of Accademia Italiana Rome. The three discussion sections are: Social Intelligence and Fashion, Hand Intelligence and Design, Artificial Intelligence and Communication.

Scheduled speakers include Silvia Gambi, professional journalist and sustainable fashion expert, host of the podcast “Solo Moda Sostenibile”; Valerio Barberis, university professor and founder of Barberis & Partners; Michela Bonafoni, university lecturer and activist; Filippo Pernisco, Academic Director of Accademia Italiana; Matteo Cibic, Designer & Multimedia Artist; Serena Eller, Founder of Eller Studio; Stefano Mirti, Founder of IdLab; and Giampaolo Barozzi, People, Policy & Purpose Chief Innovation and Technology Officer at Cysco.

“Today, Made in Italy is called to evolve as a living ecosystem, capable of integrating manual, social, and artificial intelligence into a conscious design method. Schools become cultural hubs and open workshops, where technology and human knowledge intertwine to generate value,” explains Filippo Pernisco, Academic Director of Accademia Italiana.

Alongside the talk, the exhibition curated by Lucrezia Nardi will open, offering a critical and contemporary perspective on Made in Italy. According to the curator, “It is no longer a given condition, but an ongoing process, a continuous research that coincides with the very project itself.” The exhibition focuses on the dialogue between three forms of intelligence: the intelligence of the hand, social intelligence, and artificial intelligence, seen as intertwined and complementary dimensions. These themes are explored through videos, installations, prototypes, and process materials created by students from the participating academies, constructing an open narrative where design becomes a tool for observing the present and imagining the future.

TALK | 4:30 PM – 6:00 PM

A series of roundtables on NIMI – New Intelligences of Made in Italy, moderated by journalist Matteo Minà.

Welcome

Matteo Minà – professional journalist and university lecturer

Alessandro Colombo – Country Manager AD Education Italy

Livia Di Nardo – Campus Manager Accademia Italiana Rome

Weaving Networks and Designing Communities – Social Intelligence and Fashion

Michela Bonafoni – University Lecturer and Activist

Silvia Gambi – Professional Journalist, Sustainable Fashion Expert, Host of “Solo Moda Sostenibile”

Valerio Barberis – University Lecturer and Founder of Barberis & Partners

The Unseen Charm of Makers – Hand Intelligence and Design

Filippo Pernisco – Academic Director, Accademia Italiana

Matteo Cibic – Designer & Multimedia Artist

Serena Eller – Founder, Eller Studio

Algorithms, Languages, Imaginaries – Artificial Intelligence and Communication

Alessandro Colombo – Country Manager AD Education Italy

Stefano Mirti – Founder, IdLab

Giampaolo Barozzi – People, Policy & Purpose Chief Innovation and Technology Officer, Cysco

NIMI Manifesto

Livia Di Nardo – Campus Manager Accademia Italiana Rome

TRAVELING EXHIBITION OPENING | 6:00 PM – 9:00 PM
Vernissage of the NIMI Traveling Exhibition, curated by Lucrezia Nardi.

The exhibition, set up on the first floor of Accademia Italiana, will be open until Friday, January 16, 10:00 AM – 2:00 PM.

The event is open to the public by reservation via the provided link.

Event carried out as part of the project La nuova intelligenza del Made in Italy – The New Intelligence of Made in Italy (NIMI), funded by the European Union – Next Generation EU (NGEU), aimed at the internationalisation of Higher Education Institutions in Art and Music (AFAM), under the National Recovery and Resilience Plan (PNRR), Mission 4, Component 1, Investment 3.4, Sub-investment T5.
CUP: H37G24000080001