Materials without boundaries

"MATERIALS WITHOUT BOUNDARIES", AN EXHIBITION OF INNOVATIVE MATERIALS
IS ON VIEW in St. Petersburg 14th-18th October 2003
CURATED BY "MATERIAL CONNEXION"

New York, August 22, 2003
A group of new, technologically-advanced materials have been selected by Material ConneXion's curator Dr. Andrew Dent for inclusion in "Materials Without Boundaries", it was announced today by the founder George M. Beylerian. The 128 material samples have been culled from hundreds accepted annually by the Material ConneXion library from manufacturers worldwide. The new entries form the core of "Materials Without Boundaries," an exhibition scheduled to be on view at Trend & Design by ZOW in St. Petersburg 14th-18th October 2003
During 2003 the exhibition has traveled internationally to the Milan Furniture Fair, Italy; Spectrum in London, United Kingdom; and NeoCon World's Trade Fair 2003 in Chicago, Illinois.

"We take great pleasure in touring "Materials Without Boundaries" since we find audiences are riveted to the material innovations they would never have otherwise seen," says George M. Beylerian.
"In addition to our numerous creative audiences-artists, architects, designers, craft and fashion aficionados-we hope this exhibition provides a generation of future creatives with a complete experience that starts with the initial visual 'excitement' and evolves to include technical information provided in a lingua franca that makes the entire process educational and useful."

The exhibition is organized into three themes:
Translucency, Tactility and Sustainability.
"Materials without Boundaries demonstrates how significant advances in manufacturing have resulted in more user-friendly materials. Overt references to technology have been submerged in favor of luminous, sensual, 'skin-like' surfaces and a closer link to the natural world through a focus on ecological concerns," explains Dr. Andrew Dent.

Translucency...
Materials that engage and diffuse light through greater surface complexity than those that are purely transparent achieve an impressive range of translucency. Such materials produce a glowing, atmospheric effect that is less overtly technological in appearance and central to their beauty.
This is especially true among resins used for interior design.

Tactility...
Manufacturers are increasingly focused on not just how materials function but how they feel. Selections from several different categories emphasize the surface effect, introducing a high degree of tactility.

Sustainability...
In an exciting move toward sustainability, polymers can now be produced from renewable resources. This is achieved either by incorporating up to 70% natural fibers into a polymer matrix, or by producing polymers from cornstarch which is, in itself, a natural material. Because cornstarch is a renewable resource, therefore requiring fewer petrochemicals to manufacture, the polymer can be easily recycled.

For media inquiries, please contact Michele Caniato, Managing Director at 212.842.2050 or E-mail:mcaniato@materialconnexion.com.

Located in New York and Milan, the Material ConneXion library consists of more than 3,000 innovative material samples gathered during the past five years through a juried process under the direction of President and Founder George M. Beylerian and Director, Library and Materials Research Dr. Andrew Dent. An integral part of the library's total holdings, the materials on view exemplify important technological advances in performance and processing achieved by manufacturers during the previous year. The annual additions to the library strengthen its holdings in eight key categories: polymers, glass, ceramics, carbon-based materials, cement-based materials, metals, natural materials and natural material derivatives. Complete access to the library is available onsite and online through the Material ConneXion database at www.materialconnexion.com

Beyond this remarkable resource, however, is a technology-driven consulting practice that brings material developers and material specifiers together to forge new possibilities for a vast range of industries. Embracing future possibilities is at the core of what we do and why companies large and small, traditional and progressive come to us.
We understand that new materials, new processes and new technologies are paths to growth, offering opportunities for businesses to create products and experiences that improve the lives of the people who use them.
Every story has its roots in a material.
At Material ConneXion, your story is waiting to be told…

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