The two main inspirations behind the creation of “Rust” are the 1972 Fassbinder film “The Bitter Tears of Petra von Kant” and the work of Italian body artist Gina Pane . Both works revolve around common themes such as harsh love, suffering, yearning and femininity. Petra, the protagonist of the film, is a strong and cut-throat woman whose persona is slowly worned-out by the toxic and intense feelings she has towards Karin. The way her spirit gradually and deeply deteriorates as time passes is reminiscent of the subtle yet extreme actions of Pane’s such as “Escalade non anésthésiée” (1971) and “Azione sentimentale” (1973). During these performances, the artist engages in self harm as a way of freeing her spirit and connecting with a higher force. The parallelism between Petra von Kant and Gina Pane lies in the deterioration of oneself caused by intense feelings.
In order to evoke this underlying tension, the collection revolves around contrasting elements: raw vs refined, structured vs fluid, hard vs soft. The general minimalistic aesthetic, influenced by Gina Pane, amplifies said contrast. Another recurring element of the collection is rust, both as a color and as the actual substance that is used in textile manipulations. A strong piece of metal that slowly erodes away into rust is the perfect metaphor for the romantic strain that is central to the collection.
product
fabrics
fabric manipulation samples made using rust.
