FROM THE EDITOR
The circle of life, Cyclicity, history repeats itself.
Technology allows us to communicate at the speed of light...and we will soon be travelling to Mars, discover new galaxies and it is not long before “space tourism” will become a reality.
Why do we have this urge to move around, change places, discover new horizons? It is driven by the desire for research, for knowledge and for conquest. An ancestral desire also to defend the species.
“History repeating” tells us about this: it focuses on the cyclicality of history, where the artistic and socio-cultural movements are destined to repeat themselves. It tells us also of the desire for discovery and renewal that leads -each time- to reinterpret the past, to give it a new life and new meaning.
These themes, cyclically, are evident in the history of art and fashion. They serve as a compass to guide us tomorrow.
KEY THEMES FOR 24.2
1.Exoticness:is about the tendency to recover the great themes typical of primitivism, orientalism and classicism. It comes from the desire (sometimes nostalgic) to draw inspiration from distant cultures. Materials with a contemporary appeal and ductile for different purposes. The classic pattern is re-interpreted on different surfaces. It’s interesting the development of materials on different levels and bases. Also, micro-patterns become small patterns on suede.
2. Nouvelle Art Nouveau: is inspired by that fascinating movement of Arts and Crafts born in England in 1800. It emphasized the forms of nature and art to “humanize” digital technology. This aesthetic, reaches its maximum expression in the use of materials, which not only take inspiration from nature, but are truly natural in their composition such as paper created with leek waste or Bio-cement. Nature in all its forms, flora/fauna. Hyperrealism of some patterns accentuates the focus on nature and all its micro-organisms such as insects.
3. Minimal Attitude: Cyclically, throughout the history of art and design, there are moments bringing things back to basics, An expression of a radical cleansing, rigor and essentiality that reveal the desire to resume a deeper contact with ourselves. Today as yesterday, the minimalist trend pleases and seduces, with its clean, almost ascetic aesthetic. A clean, nearly monastic aesthetic. We find the minimal theme during the 70s in contrast with pop culture, and during the 90s in contrast with the aesthetics of the 80s. Materials are rich in small patterns and details to emphasize a concept of one of the masters of minimal architecture Mies van der Rohe, “God is in the details”.
4. Eclectic Pop: almost in contrast to the above-mentioned rigor of minimal, the Eclectic Pop trend plays on the vivacity of the classic patterns of decor: stripes- polka dots-checks. The tartan is re-interpreted, loses its classic pattern, and is reborn in a modern weave, where weft and warp create the design. The seemingly static line is nothing more than a pleated fabric. The Polka Dots Beat loses its two-dimensional appeal, to become 3d, with a plastic and volumetric effect.
5. Space is the place: Does it still make sense to talk about “avant-garde” today? Yes, the avant-garde today looks at the world of robotics, space travel, and at a new concept and interpretation of the human body. They will become our new compass for tomorrow. The use of glasses allows an immediate 3D vision. It leads us to have a different view of the world, the two-dimensional image magically becomes deep, thanks to the overlapping layers. We see a three-dimensional reconstruction of the materials, underlining how the space is being taken up in an innovative way. The chapter looks to the future, it is the most avant-garde with space becoming an integral part of this story.
