An Archive of Possible Machines – 80 Years of Candy: Visionary Technologies from the Archive
From October 31 to November 9, 2025, the Cattedrale at Fabbrica del Vapore in Milan will host “An Archive of Possible Machines – 80 Years of Candy: Visionary Technologies from the Archive”, a project by Mattia Balsamini, curated by Andrea Tinterri, and presented with the patronage of the Municipality of Milan.
The exhibition is part of the celebrations for Candy’s 80th anniversary. A brand that, since 1945, has made home technology simpler, more intuitive, and closer to people’s lives, contributing over the decades to the social and cultural evolution of Italy.
“Candy represents a key chapter in Italy’s technological and social progress, having transformed the daily habits and consumption patterns of millions of families. It’s a story that connects culture, entrepreneurship, and design. A legacy that Haier Europe proudly continues, strengthening our roots in Italy and reaffirming Candy’s ability to look to the future without losing sight of its heritage. With this exhibition, we celebrate a brand that has spread Italian creativity and design around the world, now embracing an international and sustainable vision,” says Karim Bruneo – Communication, Public Affairs, ESG and Sustainability Director at Haier Europe.
The exhibition is only the first step towards the creation of a historical archive, which will be established at the company’s headquarters in Brugherio with the aim of making this dialogue between past and future permanent.
“Candy is a piece of Italian history, and above all Lombard history, as the company’s roots lie in Brianza. Eighty years of innovation that have transformed the daily lives of millions of families and testify to the deep connection between industry, design and culture. A new chapter will soon be added to this story with the forthcoming Candy Corporate Museum, recognised by the Lombardy Region, which will make an industrial and creative heritage of extraordinary value accessible to the public,” states Francesca Caruso – Councillor for Culture of the Lombardy Region.
“Companies that have elevated Made in Italy through quality, innovation and cutting-edge technology – such as Candy – are the pride of Italian entrepreneurship because they have not merely sold products, but have accompanied, through those products, the social and cultural changes and the evolving lifestyles of our families over the past decades. This is why I am honoured to take part in the celebrations for the 80th anniversary of this iconic brand, which has chosen a former Milanese factory, itself an icon, as the setting to share its history,” states Alessia Cappello – Councillor for Economic Development of the Municipality of Milan.
The exhibition intertwines art, design, and technology to offer a contemporary interpretation of the Candy archive and the role domestic appliances have played in shaping our collective imagination. On display are ten original photographic works by Mattia Balsamini, whose essential yet powerful visual language reactivates the legacy of the Twentieth Century’s design, opening new and unexpected trajectories. These works emerge as suspended images, resurfacing from the archive: latent spaces never fully explored, reimagined by the artist to generate a new visual and cultural landscape.
“Candy has always seen design as a language that improves people’s lives. From the first Italian washing machine to today’s connected appliances, every project begins with an idea of intelligent functionality – where form follows use, and innovation becomes part of the domestic experience. These artistic projects therefore demonstrate the ability to transform technology into a familiar gesture, to make design accessible and human, capable of profoundly influencing the culture of living in Italy and beyond,” express Federico Ferretti – Head of Design, MED at Haier Europe.
“Every stage of this photographic series is the result of judgment and craft, deliberately evoking that chain of minds — engineers, draftsmen, designers — who created the machines themselves. In an era of endlessly produced images, I sought to follow a different path: an experiment on the value of process, of shared authorship, and of the slow construction of images,” explains Matteo Balsamini.
The exhibition unfolds as a single immersive installation, conceived by Mattia Balsamini in collaboration with Studio GISTO, combining some of the brand’s most iconic products with materials and objects sourced directly from Candy’s industrial sites. Shelving units, stripped of their original function, become an integral part of the display, transformed into narrative elements. An exhibition device that brings the brand’s heritage to the surface and makes it tangible within the space. What emerges is a core sample of Candy’s eighty-year history: a story that moves between evocation and visionary speculation, capable of activating a shared memory and inspiring reflection on the relationship between technology, living, and culture.
“Balsamini’s research moves beyond any easy, celebratory reenactment, instead activating those areas of the archive that remain latent, waiting to be triggered. Ten images that question memory as a space of possibility — a substance not yet settled, and therefore still malleable,” observes Andrea Tinterri.
At the end of the exhibition, visitors are welcomed into a space dedicated to a tangible symbol of the brand’s contemporary vision: Candy MultiWash. It is the first washing machine with three independent drums in a single unit, capable of managing three different loads at the same time and redefining the way laundry is experienced. Created to celebrate Candy’s 80th anniversary, MultiWash represents the natural evolution of a journey that has always combined technology, design, and a deep attention to people’s everyday lives.
The journey through past and future is displayed in a timeline dedicated to Candy’s most iconic products, culminating in a first glimpse of the Candy “New Era” – a prototype that anticipates the brand’s upcoming evolution. After, visitors are led into an immersive space designed to capture the gaze and offer a preview of what’s to come. Here, Candy MultiWash reveals itself as a true design object and the centrepiece of a visual and acoustic narrative. The experience guides visitors through a sensory journey, translating the essence of Candy’s innovation into images and sounds: the ability to turn imagination into reality, with endless combinations made possible by the new washing machine’s three independent drums. As MultiWash is the result of the Haier Europe R&D Team’s work and of an open innovation approach that, through social listening, gathers people’s real needs and transforms them into tangible solutions for everyday life.
The exhibition concludes with a space dedicated to today’s Candy, where visitors are invited to explore its most contemporary dimension. This environment showcases Candy’s living presence through a selection of its current appliances, symbols of technology that has become an integral part of daily life. Alongside these, historical objects and memorabilia recall the brand’s famous sports partnerships and iconic moments that helped shape its collective identity.
Today, Candy looks to the future with the same boldness that defined its past. With a clear vision and a strong drive for innovation. The brand continues to evolve, confirming, after eighty years, its ability to bring Italian design to the world and to keep redefining the very concept of the smart home.
