Inside the Creative Capsule: a collaborative show with Caleido Fashion Lab

3 min read

There’s always something to do in the Spanish capital, and with summer coming, Madrid’s vibrant arts and culture scene is also heating up. A packed, year-round calendar of events, fairs, music shows and more only adds to the city’s buzz.

Students at IE University are doing their part, too; they’re gearing up for the first-ever showcase of a new, exciting initiative. Known as the Creative Capsule, it promises to breathe even more life into the city’s creative community.

Exhibiting the Creative Capsule

The Creative Capsule is the first exhibition space of its kind for IE University. Born from a collaboration between IE School of Architecture & Design and Caleido Fashion Lab, it’s a unique initiative bringing new Spanish creators to the world’s attention. The Lab fosters creativity through fashion shows, informative talks, photoshoots and its flagship popup store in Madrid.

Shared objectives inspire this partnership; to engage with diverse creative professionals while sharing groundbreaking inspirational, educational and cultural works with the city. Through a series of planned exhibitions, the Creative Capsule will allow students in our architecture, design and fashion-design programs to show off their craft and the skills they’ve mastered in our classrooms.

This theme of transdisciplinary collaboration permeates every facet of the Creative Capsule—which is quite fitting, as it’s among the first initiatives to come out of our newly launched Creative Campus.

Creativity with purpose

The Creative Campus provides a hub for such creative minds to collaborate across disciplines, allowing them to explore ideas from which real solutions to real-world problems will spring.

According to Laura López Paniagua, the school’s associate director of Exhibitions, Publications and Events and an adjunct professor of the Bachelor in Fashion Design, “The Creative Campus is a philosophy as well as a physical space, based in Segovia, Madrid, and globally through our online platforms.” In those physical spaces, students have access to state-of-the-art facilities where they can experiment, create and refine their craft. Led by the “Design Ahead” philosophy, they’re also empowered with a new sense of responsibility to make a positive, meaningful and sustainable impact in various areas through design.

A highly collaborative inaugural show

The Creative Capsule exhibition does just that by celebrating craft and pushing the boundaries of art. “It condenses the spirit of the Creative Campus by showcasing different aspects of our school’s production, with a special focus on transdisciplinary activities,” Laura tells us.

Certainly, the first installation is highly anticipated. It will feature graphic works from the most recent edition of Prologue Magazine, a student-run IE University publication. As Laura explains, “This issue’s theme is concerned with the general ambiance of crisis in the age of climate catastrophe and rogue capitalism.”

As such, the magazine features works from a diverse cast of artists and creative professionals. Among them are Fuensanta Nieto, a highly acclaimed and award-winning architect from Spain; Lina Ghotmeh, a renowned Lebanese architect; and David Miller, the former Mayor of Toronto. Joining them will be various other creative professionals, students and academics.

A bright creative future

This collaborative exhibition marks the start of a new, creative era at IE University. Through it, students of IE School of Architecture & Design and the entire IE Community will have a chance to see the world through a different, more socially-conscious lens, planting the seeds for positive impact within their industries. And, the future looks bright indeed as, according to Laura, “We are already planning an array of exhibitions, publications and events in and around Madrid and Segovia.” We can’t wait to see them!