In yesterday's post we looked at a film that entered public domain in the US, and that had a striking set reproducing a sort of concrete fortification.
So, for today, let's combine these two themes – public domain and the architecture of fortifications – to unearth innovative inspirations in unlikely places. To do so, let's take a trip to the Rijksmuseum where we may find works by Allain Manesson Mallet (1630-1706) that may provide us with some intriguing ideas.
The 17-century French military engineer and cartographer began his career in the French army, serving under Louis XIV. A Sergeant-Major in the artillery and an Inspector of Fortifications, he also served under the King of Portugal. While working in Portugal and in Spain as well, he drew maps for military use. After he returned to France, he was appointed Master of Mathematics for the pages of the king.
In 1671 he published "Les Travaux de Mars" (The Works of Mars; here Mars is intended as the Roman god of warfare) and, later on, "Description de L'Univers" (Description of the Universe, 1683), a treatise on geography in five volumes complete with pictorial and cartographic images, with maps of stars and of the ancient and modern world, plus a synopsis of the customs, religion and government of the many nations included in the volume.
In "The Works of Mars" the author analyzed a series of military constructions and fortifications, tracing their origins back to designs developed in the 16th century by Michelangelo and architect Vincenzo Scamozzi, and then looking at the latest innovations from French and Dutch engineers.
In the book there are several "star forts" with a varying number of points (or bastions – usually between four and nine), besides, structures safeguarding entire cities like Lisbon are also explored.
Manesson also presented diagrams that demonstrated the process of determining optimal bastion angles through geometric principles, starting from a perfect circle.
The engravings within the book were the creation of Dutch artist Romeyn de Hooghe, who spent time in both Paris and Amsterdam.
De Hooghe, a versatile figure that covered in his life a variety of roles, from caricaturist, satirist and political cartoonist to propagandist, pornographer, spy, illustrator, and engraver, played a prominent role in the Dutch "Golden Age" artistic scene.
Unafraid of controversy, he created everything from diagrams for a self-defense manual to prints celebrating necromancy. His explicit drawings, including a volume titled "The Wandering Whore" illustrating sexual positions, led to a conviction for blasphemy and indecency (two years after his death, his widow burned his erotic art to avoid further legal issues; but this is another story that we may save it for another time…).
The engravings in this volume reveal glimpses of his diverse techniques, with action-packed scenes, pistol fire exchanges, and battlefield perspectives filling the margins of technical designs.
The star forts, despite their imposing appearance, were susceptible to sustained sieges, offering no means of escape for those trapped behind their walls.
Yet, military engineers continued designing increasingly ambitious forts, perhaps captivated by the symbolic idealism vividly portrayed in plan view drawings like those by de Hooghe. In the 19th century, when more potent artillery arrived, their obsolescence became inevitable.
But what have obsolete defensive architectures got to do with design or fashion? Well, the shapes of the forts in these engravings, especially the star forts, could be reinvented in clever ways: a geometrical plan of a fort can indeed find a new life as a decorative embroidered or sequinned appliqued motif on a garment.
Besides, we could also try and make a pattern altering these shapes – always try with paper and see if they can be used to create a shirt or a skirt; these "star forts" may actually provide us with even more inspirations when it comes to knitting and crocheting. A fortress can be used to create interconnected or conjoined geometries, interrelated motifs and merged geometrical elements.
Peace symbols could also be ingeniously incorporated inside the patterns and motifs inspired by star forts, hacking these depictions of military defense structures: just as these forts were vulnerable in real-life conflicts, they can be rendered vulnerable in the realm of creative arts, allowing for new reinterpretations and transformations.
According to Mallet, a military engineer must have also been a draftsman, architect, miner, designer of machines and bombardier.
Fashion designers frequently assume multifaceted roles: they are architects crafting structures for the body, but they are also miners, researching ideas hidden away in archives and libraries. Their aim is to design something groundbreaking that possesses enduring influence, something that, like a metaphorical bomb, can challenge established norms and disrupt mainstream conventions.
For further inspirations in real life, if you have the time and means to do so, visit historically significant sites that include among the others Tilbury fort (also known historically as the Thermitage Bulwark and the West Tilbury Blockhouse, on the north bank of the River Thames) in Britain, and the fortress of Almeida in Portugal. Enjoy your stylish subversion and reinvention of military fortifications!
