Setex-Textil Greven Germany weaves for Christo’s new project on Picanol OptiMax 540 machines
Since the company was founded in 1990, Setex has become one of the largest European textile manufacturers of home textiles and technical textiles. With consistency and a patient approach to the motto “The textile industry has a future – also in Germany,” Setex GmbH has spun a highly successful tale in the course of its 25-year history. At Setex-Textil GmbH the emphasis is placed on production of textiles in the Hometex categories and outerwear, as well as technical textiles for the Schilgen brand
Schilgen GmbH was acquired by Setex in 2013. This company had a long-standing relation with the artist couple Christo and Jeanne-Claude, as it produced fabric for various Christo projects: the wrapping of the Reichstag in 1995, the Swiss wrapped trees project in 1998 and The Gates project in New York’s Central Park in 2005.
For the new Floating Piers project by Christo and Jeanne-Claude, Setex has again been granted the order to produce the fabric. For 16 days in June 2016, Italy’s Lake Iseo will be reimagined. 70000 square meters of Dahlia yellow fabric, carried by a modular floating dock system of 200000 high-density polyethylene cubes, will undulate with the movement of the waves as the Floating Piers rise just above the surface of the water.
Visitors will experience this work of art by walking on it from Sulzano to Monte Isola and to the island of San Paolo, which it encircles. The mountains surrounding the lake will offer a bird’s-eye view of the Floating Piers, revealing unnoticed angles and altered perspectives.
Setex selected the Picanol OptiMax guided positive gripper machine in a width of 540 cm to weave all of the fabric for this new venture. Setex had been evaluating the OptiMax positive guided gripper system for some time and concluded that this was the most suitable technology for such demanding fabrics in wider widths.
A video of the production with OptiMax at Setex can be viewed by clicking on the first link below and the second link below offers more information on the Christo project.
www.letsgrowtogether.be/en/news/setex-weaves-christos-new-project-picanol-optimax-540-machines