Ex Machina – The Community That Saw the Future
Three days of technology, work, and the future at the UNESCO-listed Olivetti heritage sites in Ivrea
About Ex Machina
A festival rooted in the Olivetti legacy
In Ivrea, in the province of Turin and the heart of Piedmont, comes Ex Machina – The Community That Saw the Future, a new festival dedicated to revitalizing the legacy of Adriano Olivetti and the industrial Canavese region on a national scale. The project, promoted by the Fondazione Natale Capellaro ETS in collaboration with the Tecnologic@mente Museum, the Piedmont Region, and the Municipality of Ivrea, takes place in a unique setting: the Industrial City of Ivrea, a UNESCO World Heritage site celebrated for its 20th-century architecture.
Three days of inauguration across iconic landmarks
From June 19 to 21, 2026, three inaugural days will bring the iconic sites of the Olivetti adventure to life: the historic Red Brick Factory (1896), Officina H with its grand auditorium, and the Tecnologic@mente Museum, where vintage typewriters and early computers engage in a dialogue with modern artificial intelligence and robotics labs. The festival addresses one of the most pressing questions of our time: how to manage the relationship between humanity, work, and technology.
Renowned names in science and innovation
The program brings together leading figures in Italian and international innovation. Highlights include Federico Faggin, physicist and inventor of the microprocessor, Massimo Banzi, co-founder of Arduino, and Gastone Garziera, one of the designers of the Olivetti Programma 101. Joining them are digital creators like Jakidale and Eleonora Sayaka, journalist Emilio Cozzi, and singer-songwriter and rapper Anastasio. On June 20, the Minister of Culture Alessandro Giuli and the Vice President of the Piedmont Region Maurizio Marrone are scheduled to attend.
A year-long project
Ex Machina goes beyond these three inaugural days; it serves as the starting point for an annual calendar of meetings, social hackathons, community workshops, and school programs designed to engage citizens, students, and local businesses in a collective reflection on the future.
Culture, music, and community
Between talks and award ceremonies, there will be plenty of time for celebration: on Saturday night, the "most beautiful street in the world," Via Jervis, will be transformed into a large pedestrian area for the Tech Party, while a live performance will close the festival on Sunday. It is a way to return to the Ivrea community the most authentic essence of the Olivetti model, founded on the intersection of industry, culture, and beauty.
Ex Machina — edition 2026
The 2026 inaugural edition of Ex Machina takes place from June 19 to 21 at the Red Brick Factory, Officina H, and the Tecnologic@mente Museum in Ivrea. Three days dedicated to the relationship between humanity, work, and technology, featuring major talks, the Ex Machina 2026 Award, a tech party on Via Jervis, and a final live performance. Guests include Federico Faggin, Massimo Banzi, Gastone Garziera, Jakidale, Emilio Cozzi, and rapper Anastasio, with the participation of Minister of Culture Alessandro Giuli. All events are free with mandatory registration.
Programme Ex Machina 2026
Friday, June 19 — Tecnologic@mente Museum
- 16:30 – 17:30 — "Past, present, and future of the Canavese. Industrial memory and local innovation" with Alberto Zambolin, Enrico Manini, and Bruno Murari
- 17:30 – 18:15 — "Back to the future. Apocalypse and salvation in the age of technology" with Carlo Galli, Guerino Nuccio Bovalino, and Costanza Cavalli
- 18:15 – 19:00 — "Imagining the future: digital archives, tech culture, and cultural visions" with Cecilia Botta, Nicoletta Esposito, Massimo Banzi, and Simona Casonato
- 19:00 – 19:30 — Ex Machina 2026 Award ceremony with Minister of Culture Alessandro Giuli and Maurizio Marrone
- 19:30 – 19:45 — "Biopic of Mario Tchou, the computer engineer of three worlds" with Federico Mosso
- 19:45 – 21:00 — "How to generate cohesion, planning, and trust in the future in Italy today" with Alberto Ferrari, Sabrina Innocenti, Elena Negro, Giorgio Garuzzo, Carlo Massironi, and Flavio Serughetti
Saturday, June 20 — Officina H and Red Brick Factory
- 11:45 – 13:30 — Institutional greetings and keynote speech with Minister Alessandro Giuli, Maurizio Marrone, Mayor Matteo Chiantore, Andrea Tendola, and leaders from the Adriano Olivetti Foundation, Olivetti Historical Archive, Confindustria Canavese, FAI, Polytechnic of Turin, and STMicroelectronics
- 16:45 – 18:00 — "Business community, community of beauty" with Niccolò Bellazzini, Maurizio Vitale (Kappa FuturFestival), Andrea Tendola, and Giuseppe Lupo
- 18:00 – 18:45 — "The roots of the future. A spatial humanism" with Emilio Cozzi, Mario Caligiuri, and Carmine Festa
- 19:00 – 20:30 — "The man who saw the future" with Federico Faggin, Jakidale, Massimo Banzi, and Massimiliano Peggio
- 21:00 – 24:00 — Tech Party "Tell Me Wine x Ciao Discoteca Italiana" outdoors at the Red Brick Factory, with pedestrianization and activation of Via Jervis (free admission)
Sunday, June 21 — Red Brick Factory Outdoor Space
- 18:00 – 18:45 — "STEM Generation" with Gastone Garziera, Eleonora Sayaka, and Tatiana Tommasi
- 19:00 – 19:45 — "Machines cannot pray", talk and live performance with Marco Anastasio and Sebastiano Caputo
- 20:00 – 20:45 — "Guardians of a heritage and bearers of a vision", panel with Filippo Ghisi (UNESCO Site Manager Ivrea), Matteo Olivetti, Fabrizio Gea, Elena Testa, Andrea Tendola, and other local representatives
Program subject to updates; times and guests confirmed on the official website.
Highlights Ex Machina 2026
- "The man who saw the future": Federico Faggin in conversation with Massimo Banzi and Jakidale (Saturday, June 20)
- Presentation of the Ex Machina 2026 Award with Minister of Culture Alessandro Giuli
- The Tech Party on Via Jervis, the "most beautiful street in the world," Saturday night
- "Machines cannot pray": talk and live performance by rapper Anastasio
Prices Ex Machina 2026
Practical information — Ex Machina
Getting there
Ivrea is easily accessible by car via the A5 Turin-Aosta motorway (Ivrea exit) and by train via the Turin-Aosta line (Ivrea station). The nearest airports are Turin-Caselle and Milan-Malpensa.
Venues
Activities take place at the UNESCO-listed former Olivetti complex along Via Guglielmo Jervis: the Red Brick Factory, Officina H, and the Tecnologic@mente Museum.
Tickets
Admission to festival events is free with mandatory registration via Eventbrite. We recommend booking talks and meetings with special guests in advance.
Information
For details: [email protected], tel. +39 0125 1961160, official website ex-machina.it.
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Where does it take place — Ex Machina
Ex Olivetti - Fabbrica dei Mattoni Rossi, Officina H e Laboratorio-Museo Tecnologic@mente
Via Guglielmo Jervis 16, 10015 Ivrea