Nicolás García Uriburu, a pioneer of land and ecological art, made an artistic intervention in Venice in June 1968. Using an ecologically harmless organic dye developed by NASA for scientific purposes called Fluorescein, he died the waters of Venice's Grand Canal green.
This action, although not officially part of the 34th Venice Biennale program, was carried out in conjunction with the event to draw attention to the relationship between nature and civilization and to promote ecological consciousness as an integral part of culture.
Through his action, the artist transformed the landscape of the Italian city for a single day, as the waters of the Grand Canal glowed in fluorescent green until the dye gradually dissipated with the ebbing tide.
At the moment of writing this piece, authorities have launched instead an investigation into the origin of a peculiar phosphorescent green liquid that surfaced on Sunday morning around Venice's Rialto Bridge. The mysterious occurrence sparked different conjectures, ranging from potential pollution sources to the involvement of climate activists (though it would be fascinating if it were caused by luminescent bacteria, it's likely attributable to a dye used to trace water leaks).
Despite their association with synthetic substances and their potentially suspicious appearance, phosphorescent shades possess a captivating and inspiring quality.
Uriburu's intervention in Venice can prompt an imaginative exploration into the potential of such shades, or you can maybe check out other artworks or even films in which glowing luminescent hues dominate, such as Salome (1972) by Carmelo Bene.
The story is taken from a passage in the Gospels of Mark and Matthew about the martyrdom of John the Baptist. John warned Herod about the immoral nature of his union with Herodias (who had been married to Herod's brother).
During a banquet held for Herod's birthday, Salome, Herodiad's daughter, danced for the guests. Herod liked her so much that he offered her anything she desired in return and her mother suggested Salome to ask for John the Baptist's head.
Carmelo Bene's film is a sort of hallucination: it opens with a vision of model Veruschka covered in multi-coloured crystals, but the bright and vivid colours of the gems adorning her body soon mutate into even more striking and vibrant hues in a scene featuring Jesus Christ.
During the Last Supper, Jesus turn into a vampire after revealing to the apostles the name of the one who will betray him. While the apostles go mad and begin tearing apart a flock of lambs with their bare hands, Jesus embarks on a long pilgrimage.
This scene has got a Pop Art quality about it: the Last Supper is indeed drenched in bright luminescent shades and the apostles also wear colourful robes. Their sleeves feature a unique twist: they seem indeed to have a flat and rigid lining, creating the illusion the characters are part of a flat tableaux vivant.
These captivating robes exhibit contrasting phosphorescent shades, with one apostle donning a vivid violet robe accentuated by a yellow lining, while another wears a blue robe enhanced by an orange lining.
Then the scene transitions to the grandeur of Herod's palace. Herod has captured Iokanhaan (John the Baptist) who appears as an elderly man, terrified and battered by the slaps of the lustful guests.
The intervention of Salome, the daughter of Herodias, saves the prophet. Salome is astonished by Iokanhaan's brave and nonconformist way of speaking and desires to see him again, despite being called back numerous times by her father's counselor.
From an enormous basket in a pool of water, the Baptist reappears, and upon seeing Salome, he incessantly insults her in the dialect of Puglia. Instead of getting angry, Salome takes pleasure and becomes infatuated with him. After one last outburst of anger, he is locked away, while Herod, surrounded by orgies of food and sex, continues his banquet.
Herod, blinded by desire, manages to persuade Salome to dance for him and the film concludes with the scene of the dance of the seven veils interspersed with images of a Christ attempting self-crucifixion.
Carmelo Bene's film is based on his 1964 stage adaptation of Salome, that featured a set covered in Persian carpets with incense burners, candlesticks and large palm plants, elements that contributed to create an exotic yet decadent environment.
In the theatrical performance that had some clownish elements and also referenced Elizabethan revenge tragedy, the costumes revolved around a red palette.
The range of colours became more vibrant as the stage adaptation of Salome underwent a transformation for the big screen.
For the film Bene moved from Oscar Wilde's unfinished "La Sainte Courtisane" and "Salome"; besides, he also took inspiration from the figure of Salome in Jules Laforgue's "Moralités légendaires".
The three texts generate here a proliferation of characters and anachronistic effects. Here we have the opposition between Myrrhina (Verushka) and Salome (Donyale Luna); the continuous appearance of the Christ-Vampire (Franco Leo); the dual nature of Herodias (portrayed by Lydia Mancinelli and Alfiero Vincenti), the improbable Iokanaan expressing himself in a southern Italian dialect (Giovanni Davoli) and Herod (Carmelo Bene).
In the film Salome is initially the object of Herod's gaze and desire, but everything changes rapidly and soon she takes control over Herod. Watched, desired and objectified by the Tetrarch throughout the entire feast, Salome turns towards the end of the film into its director and cinematographer.
Shot in Cinecittà and showcased at the 33rd Venice International Film Festival, the film caused a scandal as it was deemed blasphemous. Yet this hallucinated, multifaceted and baroque film with some kitsch and grotesque twists proves fascinating for its frantic editing cuts that keep on interrupting the flow of images and for its use of colours and patterns.
In contrast to the Art Nouveau-style illustrations by Beardsley, which accompanied the first English edition of Wilde's text, Bene imagines Herod's feast through Pop Art and neo-Baroque elements.
The film stands out primarily for its abundance of shimmering hues and for its chromatic richness. The costumes and sets by Gino Marotta, featured solarized lighting effects or, in darker scenes, scenic elements that shone like glitter or that incorporated vibrant colors that often seem on the verge of detaching from their objects.
Some examples of these light and chromatic effects include Myrrhina's face covered in colored crystals, but also the representation of the Last Supper, and the glowing madness of Herod's palace, immersed in the darkness but lit up by the fluorescent elements of the set.
The mosaic-like decorative motifs and patterns on the fabrics, on the objects surrounding the characters and on the floor of the space in which they move (often shot from a distance or from above to show us its magnificent phosphorescent decorations), were created using 3M's Scotchlite coloured adhesive tape.
The retroreflective material was cut into squares, triangles and rectangles and applied to the costumes of Herod and his servants, but it was also used to enhance the palm fronds in the background and the objects (chalices, carpets and a chess set) inside Herod's palace.
Besides, reflective materials were employed for the robe of Herodiad, represented like and angel, and for the armours donned by some of the characters populating Herod's palace.
Hit by light, the reflective materials produced the bright and intense colours desired by Bene that stand out very vividly creating an awe-inspiring and disturbing display of luminosity. These resplendent hues, imbued with a captivating brilliance, command attention and evoke a profound sense of visual allure.
The effect is kaleidoscopically mesmerising, it captivates the viewers' gaze and immerses them in a realm of vivid splendor as sometimes a scene is shot in complete darkness, but the elements covered in Scotchlite shine bright enhancing the scenes, illuminating them with garishly vibrant colour and strong contrasts.
The deliberate contrast between the vivid hues and the muted ambiance creates a striking visual tension, enveloping the viewers in a captivating interplay of lights and shadows.
Bene ventured even further to create his mesmerizing visual experience and deftly incorporated in his scenes also enamels on plexiglass, a technique that amplified the visual impact, and employed a masterful command of extreme close-ups, magnifying the smallest of details with meticulous precision.
The multisensory experience created by all these vivid hues took the viewer on a journey of visual discovery, pre-dating the trend for fluorescent shades that characterised the '80s (think Slava Tsukerman's 1982 Liquid Skies).
The costumes in the film find echoes in the luminous attires seen on the ecclesiastical runway in Fellini's Roma (1972), but they also call to mind the first experiments with phosphorescent materials in fashion and in particular Capucci's 1965 designs embellished with phosphorescent rosary beads. So, let these luminous shades illuminate your imagination and the phosphorescent hues be your muse, guiding you towards new artistic glowing horizons.
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