In a few European countries the number of new cases of Coronavirus per day started to show signs of slowing down and we have moved to a second (hopefully) post-virus phase of the outbreak. There is a debate at the moment about how and when to reopen all those businesses that were shut at the beginning of the pandemic while guaranteeing safety measures such as social distancing.
It seems also rather difficult to find solutions to regulate certain businesses that may have open air sections like restaurants, bars and pubs or to make sure people maintain a safety distance in places such as parks or beaches. Usually people start going to the beach between May and June in Italy, and there have been some suggestions for what regards these areas, such as building rather questionable plexiglass barriers on beaches, but there have also been some companies developing soft panels made with textiles.
Arrigoni S.p.a., a Como-based company founded in 1936, is specialised in the production of textiles and screens for agricultural purposes. Its technical fabrics help indeed controlling the hazardous influences of environmental, biological and climactic factors on cultivations. When the pandemic started, Arrigoni started experimenting to create a textile that could adapt to a variety of spaces including parks, beaches, schools, playgrounds, restaurants, hotels, sports areas, public venues, supermarkets and shops.
The results of the company's research produced "Delimita" (meaning "delimit" in Italian) - a technical textile in two versions, transparent and matte - that can be used to create vertical and temporary panels and barriers. Though the textile allows proper air circulation, its tight mesh, acting like an inertial filter, can block droplets containing viral particles, while protecting from high temperatures and strong winds. The textile is washable and disinfectable and it is cheaper than other solutions (it costs 2 euros per metre).
While working on this project Arrigoni's R&D team (the company has got its own and is very keen on research - having invested over 2 million euro in 5 years in this sector, but it also collaborates with universities and research institutes in Italy and abroad to develop innovative ideas that solve problems linked to the production and the use of textile products) reshifted the purpose of its products, thinking about how they could be used to protect human beings rather than plants.
Now, while "Delimita" is a strong and synthetic material for outdoor purposes, you wonder if it could be employed also for other purposes: it would be interesting to see if it could be used to make a conceptual garment or accessory inspired by this pandemic or employed in art installations to comment about fashion, creativity and social distancing. Anybody up for this challenge?
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