Fiber Art, a contemporary expressive form in which string, fibre, and fabric are used in all imaginable forms and materials with an innovative independence that is expressed today in continuously developing structures and artwork, is coming back to Palazzo Mocenigo for the fifth time since 2006. Curated by Luciano Caramel, in the hall on the first floor of the museum the exhibition includes 54 mini-textiles (small-sized fiber art works 20x20x20 cm) by artists from 40 different countries and 6 installations, 5 of which are of large dimensions by the Japanese artists Kyoko Tsujita,Takushi Aono, Shihoko Fukumoto, Makiko Wakisaka, Sumiko Tasaka as well as a textile sculpture by the Italian Elisa Nicolaci – on display between the entrance hall on the ground floor and the hall on the first floor. E lucean le stelle, the famous novel based on Puccini’s “Tosca”, is the theme the artists from all over the world have worked on to mark the celebrations of the International Year of Astronomy proclaimed by the UNO and UNESCO. The theme of all the works on display – 54 mini-textiles and 6 installations – is the universe and its evocative power, representing the results of studies in a new research field that explores the space between the earth and sky, drawing inspiration from the movement of the plants or the different constellation forms. Many of the works on display either highlight light, present kinetic effects, or the dynamic texture of “flights” into space and time. Some of the more curious and attractive mini-textiles on display include: “Meditation”, by Hiroko Watanabe, with its original use of LED lights; A second Earth, by the Belgian artist Annelies Slabbynck, which evokes fanciful organisms with satin, wax and synthetic materials and two pieces by the young Czech artist Dagmar Smetanova (class of 1986), Space In –the essence of space in a globe of pressed paper – and The Hall, by Muge Durmaz from Turkey (class of 1985), which encompasses the immensity of the universe inside a small pomegranate. The five installations are the fruit of five internationally renowned Japanese fiber art exponents. The evocative and mysterious installations by Takushi Aono and Kyoko Tsujita are from the prestigious “Gallery Gallery” in Kyoto: the first, Ferita-Cosmo, is an incredible waterfall of pins in continuous motion that reflects the light with iridescent effects; the second, Reflection, is a lunar carpet made with steel modules that adapt to the surface beneath it; Makiko Wakisaka presents Cell-Microcosmo, made with leaf veins while Sumiko Tasaka and Shihoko Fukumoto (the latter is specialized in the shibori technique) are presenting two tapestries, Beyond the last, in aluminium, silver and silk and the majestic Koku (Emptiness), measuring 500x210 cm. Last but not least, we have the enigmatic textile sculpture by the Italian Elisa Nicolaci Il Metafisico, which, according to its creator “(…) gradually frees itself, from its weight as sculpture, material, shape and becomes mysteriously light”.