A group of tiny men - Lilliputians or maybe Little People out of Murakami's 1Q84 - is strategically placed under the sole of a ballerina shoe, as if they were carrying it. They look as busy as ants and as organised and determined as a Roman Legion testudo.
Pencils and coloured pastels replace the sole of another pair of shoes: they give the sandals a stilt-like configuration and probably cause terrible discomfort to the wearer, their broken tips hinting at lost struggles and hopes, but also at the power of resilience.
Five padded genderless dummies hug each other in a strange and disturbing yet tender configuration, maybe finding a bit of comfort from invisible pains and sorrows.
These are just three of the pieces on display in the "From Foot to Head" exhibition (until 5th May), the annual display that colonises the spaces of the Galleria Artepassante located in the underground entrance of Viale Tunisia/Corso Buenos Aires, in Milan.
The showcase has a double aim: while joining the celebrations for Milan Design Week (that closed last Sunday), the display is also a way to present to the wider public the work of the Fashion and Textile Design students at Nuova Accademia di Belle Arti Milano (NABA).
Curated by NABA lecturer (and former fashion designer) Cinzia Ruggeri, Aldo Lanzini, MA Fashion and Textile Design Course Leader, and Luca Belotti, academic assistant, the main message behind the display comes from Ruggeri's desire to encourage her students to leave a poetical trace, a sign or a message using the semantics of fashion and accessory design.
Students always respond to Ruggeri's invitation in the most original ways and using all sorts of materials - some bought, some found, others recycled.
The pieces they create - garments, accessories or small design objects - are therefore very different one from the other, but they are all handmade; besides, each of them is supposed to tell a story to the passer-by.
So there may be a terrible tale of madness, censorship and imprisonment in the jacket and slippers made with a corse canvas linen fabric torn into strips; beauty prevails in the nude organza cage dress on which flowers bloom, while the skeleton shoes and dress left on the floor of the gallery may be an ironic memento mori, rather than an ominously scary message for the passers-by.
There are hints at a brainwashing dystopia, but also at the possibilities of recycling the materials surrounding us in the headdresses made of cables, and there's more to admire in the flat felt construction incorporating the minimalist biomorphic forms and colour scheme of Joan Miró or in the sensual evening red gown made with paper and plastic.
There are the most disparate messages behind these creations: some students want to make an instant statement and leave their mark in the ever-changing history of fashion; others are maybe hoping they will contribute to save the planet with their designs or they more simply want to express their youthful energy through their pieces.
One of the most interesting things about this event remains the space it occupies: rather than waiting for visitors to go and see the students' work at NABA, Ruggeri & Co with Artepassante bring the students to the people, hoping to inspire but also to reconnect the world of fashion gone pretentiously digital with ordinary passers by and make them smile, laugh and cry.
While it would be great to see this concept being applied to other cities as well, for the time being "From Foot to Head" remains the only showcase of this type in a public underground station.
So if you happen to be in Milan, visit the Artepassante Gallery and think a bit about modern cities and the power of collective emotions. And in case you think you're too busy to do it, well, while rushing to get the train to your next destination, stop and look at Ning Wan's dummies hugging in a Comme des Garçons-like conceptual gesture, and let them remind you that everything - especially fashion and accessories - is ephemeral in life, but love.
"From Foot to Head", Galleria Artepassante, Train station Porta Venezia, Milan; entrance Metro Viale Tunisia/Corso Buenos Aires; until 5th May. Participating projects and students: Maria Enrica Barbieri, Deepayon Bera, Cuier Chen, Siyin Chen, Tianyun Chen, Sharon Della Tommasina, Claudia Di Lorenzo, Alla Efimova, Lucia Fiore, Domenico Formichetti, Chuming Fu, Shi Chi Kuo, Francesca La Russa, Mingdi Li, Bingxin Li, Siyu Lian, Siming Lin, Xin Lin, Manni Luo, Yue Ming, Feng Nie, Susanna recchia, Song Ren, Mariaa Rudenko, Xiaoyan Sun, Yuchen Tan, Raffaella Tarantola, Katherine Hildegard Taube, Ning Wan, Anqi Wang, Yi Xuan wang, Jinghui Xu, Ningyang Xu, Yuanxiao Yang, Ding Yuan, Shinan Zeng, Yue Ziyan.
Image credits for this post
Images 1 - 5 by Amin Zarif
Images 6 - 14 by Luca Belotti
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