BLENDING Magazine Fall/Winter 2018

BLENDING TH E S EM ES T ER LY M AG A ZI N E O F FLO REN C E UNIVERSIT Y OF T HE ART S/FALL WINT ER/2018 YE A R 8 IS S U E 2

L E O N A R D O ' S LO S T PA I N T I N G SECRETS OF VINCI LO O K O F T H E S E A S O N P L AY I N G G O D

THE

LEONARDO ISSUE

ALUMNI DESIGN ART FASHION COMMUNITY SOCIAL MEDIA

PHOTO BY SYDNEY MCCOURT

INTRO

LETTER FROM THE EDITORS

W

e are extremely excited to share with you the product of a semester-long collaboration between FUA students, instructors, and staff. As always, our Fall publication takes inspiration from the annual FUA conference co-hosted by SUNY Stony Brook University. This year’s conference title, “Rare and Universal: Leonardo’s Humanism Across Time and Space,” encouraged conference-goers to think about the many ways in which Leonardo Da Vinci and his body of work influenced bigger ideas of innovation, technology and the arts. Blending Magazine takes its cue from the concept of “humanism” and explores the widespread global and historical impact of the humanistic school of thought that surfaced during the Renaissance period.

The writers of this issue examine both the large-scale influence that humanism and the Renaissance period had on modern-day society, as well as the individual impact of Leonardo Da Vinci himself, exploring how our present-day understanding of technology and innovation is peppered with the influence of his past discoveries. Leonardo’s difficult upbringing serves as inspiration for many creative pieces featured in this issue, as our student writers connect the curious boy with the genius he was to become. In the Travel section, students of the Creative Writing course create imagined scenes for Leonardo by using their biographical research, whilst students of the Travel Writing course focus on his hometown of Vinci and what we can learn from its role as backdrop to his childhood. The Fashion section ponders the importance of practicality and comfort in fashion, featuring not only FLY’s “Look of the Season,” but also a piece that examines the roles that new media, individualism and graphic design play in the fashion industry.

Leonardo Da Vinci left his mark not only on Florence, but on the rest of Italy, Europe, and the world. As we reach the end of 2018, Leonardo’s genius can be seen in our everyday lives, in the technology we use, the way we eat, and even in the way we understand the workings of our own bodies. Florence is one of the cities that holds a tangible record of Leonardo’s life, but even in the most far-flung corners of the globe, we can find traces of his brilliant mind and its everlasting legacy.

Happy Reading,

G R A C E J O H A N D S H A U N A K AVA N A G H

2018 FALL WINTER | 03

Blending is a semesterly magazine created with and for students of Florence University of the Arts.

The magazine is published by FUA’s campus press Ingorda, a member of the Fondazione di Partecipazione Palazzi - FAIE. For information contact blending@fua.it.

Semestrale / Semesterly Magazine Reg. Trib. di Firenze n° 5844 del 29 luglio 2011 ISSN 2284-063X Anno 8 – Numero 2 – Autunno - Inverno - 2018 / Year 8 – Issue 2 – Fall - Winter - 2018 Direttore Responsabile / Editor-in-chief Matteo Brogi Caporedattore / Editorial Director Grace Joh Coordinamento editoriale / Managing Editor Shauna Kavanagh Redattore associato/Contributing Editor Alice Fratoni In redazione / Masthead Team di studenti / Student Magazine Teams led by Andrea Mancini Magazine Editing and Publishing I Class: Alana Betancourt, Thais Bou-Merhi, Cam Frazier, Charlize Hebert, Isabella Orama Sophia Reitano, Jasmijn Sweere led by Lisa Proteau Special Project Experiential Learning - Photography course: Sydney McCourt, Donald Blair

Fotografi / Photographers Sydney McCourt, Donald Blair, Catherine Day Copertina / Cover Concept by Madison Griffin Redazione / Copy Editors Madison Dietz, Maria Larcomb Pubblicità terza di copertina / Back Cover Advertisement Page Concept and Design by Madison Argo Collaboratori accademici/ Faculty Advisors Catia Ballerini, Andrea Mancini, Gaia Poli, Rebecca Moore Editore / Publisher Florence Campus per INGORDA Editore Via Alfonso La Marmora 39 50121 Firenze Sede editoriale / Editorial Headquarters: Corso Tintori 21 50121 Firenze Tel. 055-0332745 Stampa / Printer: Litocart s.r.l., Colle di Val d'Elsa (SI) Il numero è stato chiuso in redazione nel mese di novembre 2018 / This issue was completed in November 2018 Copyright © 2018

by Florence Campus, Firenze All rights reserved.

ISSN 2284-063X

BLENDING

CONTENTS 03

03/LETTER FROM T HE E D ITO RS

07 08

A RT 09/LEON AR DO'S LOST PA INT ING 12/EX M AN IFATTURA TA B ACCHI 14/ALIC E IN WOND E RLA ND

16

FOO D A ND WINE 17/DA V IN C I'S LA ST SUPPE R

20 37

07/CO NF E RE NCE

T RAVE L 2O/R EN AISSA NCE MA N 26 /S EC R ET S O F VINCI 36 /DA V IN C I CRO SSWO RD

FA SHIO N 38/FLY LOOK OF THE SE A SO N 43/N EW MEDIA AN D ITS INF LUE NCE ON TH E FAS H ION IND UST RY

46

SCIE NCE 47/IL GEN IO DI LEON AR D O DA VINCI 50/DA VIN C I'S HE LICO PT E R 52/P LAYING GO D

54

A LUMNI 54/IN TER VIEW WITH TRINA WHIT E

2018 FALL WINTER | 05

ART BY DONALD BLAIR

CONFERENCE

RARE AND UNIVERSAL: LEONARDO'S HUMANISM ACROSS TIME AND SPACE BLENDING

CONFERENCE

BY FRANCESCA LA SCALA Florence University of the Arts and Stony Brook University hosted their 10th annual conference, entitled Rare and Universal: Leonardo’s Humanism across Time and Space.

It was held in Florence, on Friday, November 30 and Saturday, December 1, 2018. The conference examined Leonardo’s role in shaping modern society’s approach to a range of topics, from art and philosophy, to economics and sociology.

The conference commenced on November 30 at the Gabinetto Vieusseux, in Piazza degli Strozzi. The President of the Council of Tuscany, Eugenio Giani, and the Vice Mayor, Cristina Giachi, inaugurated the event. Following this, the keynote speaker, Elisabetta Scungio from the General Ministry for Cultural Heritage and Activities, spoke about the Leonardo Experience in 2018: (European Year of Cultural Heritage), Science Rediscovers Leonardo.

The first panel was led by a group of Italian scholars and experts on Leonardo Da Vinci and the Renaissance. The panel included Alessandro Vezzosi, the director of Museo Ideale Leonardo Da Vinci, Maurizio Seracini, the founder of Editech, Center of Applied Sciences for Cultural Heritage, Florence, and Paolo Ermini, Editor in Chief of Corriere Fiorentino. Each of these individuals represented some of the diverse areas of interest that Leonardo’s work impacted.

The rest of the conference sessions took place at FUA’s main facility in Palazzo Bombicci Guicciardini Strozzi, Corso Tintori 21. The second panel of the day kicked off the afternoon session, featuring panelists from University of Florence and Farmingdale State College faculties. The panel discussed many different topics such as architecture in the Adoration of the Magi, Da Vinci’s “Virgin of the Rocks”, and digital documentation.

FUA students, currently enrolled in the Masters of Architecture and Human Rights and International Criminal Justice courses, chaired the third panel of the day. The fourth panel also included expert faculty members from other universities, including Stony Brook, FUA, University of Missouri, and Westfield State University. The topics covered revolved around Da Vinci’s interdisciplinary life and work, included topics such as virtual and augmented reality, food justice, and movies.

On Saturday, December 1, PhD candidates and international speakers led the conference panels for the day. The panelists came from all over the globe, and their universities included Westfield State University, Stony Brook, Università di Bari, The University of the Arts, London, Fairfield University, FUA, Universita di Firenze, Università di Napoli L’Orientale, Rutgers, and Università di Bologna. Various topics covered throughout the day included polymaths, Shakespeare, robotics, rare disease recognition, music ephemerality, and more. The day also included another panel of FUA students. These students came from various courses: Love, Sex, and Marriage in Renaissance Italy; Symbols and Symbolism in Western Art; and Words, paintings and Emotions: the Mind Map of Creativity. Saturday concluded with Renaissance piece “Quella Bella e Bianca Mano,” performed by Laura Andreini and accompanied by Andrea Benucci on the lute.

The speakers and panelists have vast backgrounds, yet are all connected by Leonardo Da Vinci’s work. Understanding how one man could affect so many people in so many different ways was the key focus of event. Attendees were able to walk away with a better understanding of his genius and most importantly, his influence on modern, global society.

2018 FALL WINTER | 07

ART ART BY DONALD BLAIR

LEONARDO'S LOST PAINTING

BY SOPHIA REITANO

Imagine there was a painting by Leonardo da Vinci that art historians promised would be one of his most exquisite pieces, and you have never seen it before. Would this pique your interest? Now, imagine that this painting is hidden underneath another artist's work. Are you even more interested? Interested enough to deface the other artist's work in order to see the hidden art beneath? These are only some of the questions that art historians have asked, and there have even been steps taken to discover what could possibly be behind that wall.

2018 FALL WINTER | 09

art

Florence is filled with an abundance of art and with that, the history behind it. Walking through the streets of Florence, thousands of visitors flock to view the art that fills the city everyday.

One spot in particular that holds a lot of history is the Hall of the Five Hundred in the Palazzo Vecchio. It’s a place that those who live in Florence have probably walked past a hundred times. Some may have even entered the Palazzo Vecchio itself to observe the walls adorned with mural paintings, but may not have given much thought to the possibility that they could be in the presence of a piece of art by Da Vinci himself. Leonardo Da Vinci was commissioned to paint the Battle of Anghiari in 1502, capturing the victory Florence had over Milan. Leonardo decided

to use a new oil-painting technique that would soon after make him abandon the project altogether. When he did abandon the project, however, his half-finished painting decorated the walls of the Hall of the Five Hundred for all to see for about half a century.

This gave all different types of artists the opportunity to duplicate and create their own versions of the work, a work that no one in presentday has yet seen.

If you search for photographs of Leonardo’s Battle of Anghiari, you will find a number of renderings, each one offering an insight into how the hidden painting may look. Be that as it may, none will compare to what his actual work would have been if we could see it or,

COPY OF LEONARDO’S BATTLE OF ANGHIARI BY PETER PAUL RUBEN

BLENDING

someone else’s? Are art historians suggesting that Vasari’s art is less important than Leonardo’s? As a result of this, there was public uproar and many art enthusiasts signed a petition to stop the ruining of Vasari’s piece. Many scholars argue that Vasari actually urged them to embark on this project, supported by the fact that he painted the words “cerca trova” within his work; this translates from Italian to mean “seek and you shall find.” Of course, these words are written so small that only an art historian with a magnifying glass could find them, but it is still a contributing factor to the mystery of what could be behind this painting. Before the angered community of those trying to salvage Vasari’s work stepped in, art historians explored the piece with a high-frequency radar and found a hollow space behind Vasari’s mystery words, which only added to the enigma. This hollow space was then investigated with small cameras and samples taken which would later be revealed as black pigment which had been found in a lot of Leonardo’s other works.

Soon after this discovery, further physical research on the painting was terminated due to the backlash it received.

rather, if the artist himself had finished it. When Vasari was commissioned to paint over Leonardo’s work in the 1550s, being an admirer of Leonardo and his work, I doubt that he saw it as an easy task. However, Vasari is known to have shielded paintings of others before painting over them, doing so by placing a brick wall between them. A question that comes to mind when thinking about this is whether or not Leonardo would have cared about the protection of his unfinished piece, seeing as his other great and finished works of art, such as Mona Lisa and The Last Supper, are hanging in churches and museums for all to see and commend. With the absence of Leonardo, we will never know if he wants his work in the Hall of Five Hundred to be found, but perhaps we can assume he is indifferent towards it, seeing as it remains unfinished. The critics themselves that have decided that Leonardo’s work is important and, in 2011, they decided to act upon this mysterious theory and drill holes into the work of Vasari in order to understand exactly what is underneath.

Vasari is known to have respected the work of others in the past by preserving them. Wouldn’t he be offended by the picking apart of his work in order to discover

Research has contributed to the idea that the painting does exist, but there is still no concrete evidence, only more questions. Could it be that Leonardo’s painting is underneath Vasari’s piece? If it is there, is it rotting below because of his failed new oil painting technique? Is it ethical to destroy Vasari’s painting in order to discover Leonardo’s, with only a theory that it could be there? After all, with Vasari’s words “cerca trova” concealed in plain sight, one could argue that he gave the world his consent; so would he mind? If he were alive, would Leonardo have even cared if his painting was found? As for me, I like to think that the painting is there and that Vasari respected Leonardo so much that he decided to protect his work. As for whether or not the painting exists, I cannot say for sure, but there is strong evidence that concludes to a strong “maybe,” and that’s enough for me, as it keeps the mystery of this intriguing phenomenon alive. As for the ethics of the argument, destroying Vasari’s painting in order to get to Leonardo’s does make quite a statement.

I feel as though it says that Leonardo’s work is more important, and this is ethically problematic and all art has value, no matter who creates it. In shielding Leonardo’s painting, Vasari respected Leonardo as a fellow artist, therefore he deserves to be shown the same respect by not having his painting ruined for the possibility of unearthing another artist’s work.

2018 FALL WINTER | 11

art

EX MANIFATTURA TABACCHI

BY ISABELLA ORAMA & ALANA BETANCOURT PHOTOS BY GIOVANNI SALVI With its manufacturing purposes coming to an end

impatiently waiting for their renovated facilities to

in 2001, Manifattura Tabacchi is the former facility

start a revolution. The idea is to integrate different

of a vast tobacco industry in Florence. It consists

areas of the industry under the same roof. Manifattura

of 13 buildings spread out within six hectares,

Tabacchi, otherwise known as “all in one,” will be

and for more than 70 years, it was responsible

home to restaurants, local markets, apartments, hotel

for the production of a large number of cigars

facilities, and retail stores, and most importantly,

and cigarettes, in turn providing jobs for more

it will play host to many magnificent artistic and

than 1400 inhabitants of the area. Consequently,

social gatherings. Furthering its innovation and

it helped flourish the Cascine area and, of course,

forward-thinking attitude, Manifattura Tabacchi is

its economy. However, Manifattura Tabacchi is now

also a sustainable project; every possible aspect

ready for a new life, and a talented group of people

of the project will be green and environmentally-

are ready to embark on the journey together.

friendly. Because a little party never killed anyone,

An urban regeneration is about to begin. With the

Manifattura Tabacchi is currently open to the public

creative industry in mind, Manifattura Tabacchi is

to host different events. With a clear goal of being

“A dynamic, open, connected place.”

BLENDING

art

a center for integration, the institution has already

working in various industries. When visitors come to

begun to host the general public at the facilities for

the Manifattura, resident artists greet them at their

events that explore principles of platform design,

studios and show them their work. The experience is

green cooking labs, dinners, bike tours, cocktail

a wonderful learning opportunity that everyone can

labs, and more.

appreciate, even more so when they are welcomed at a institution with such a historical past, and such

Furthermore, Manifattura Tabacchi also currently

a promising future to come. This is a project that is

hosts resident artists. A group of six young,

planting seeds for a bright future within the artistic

contemporary

community of Florence.

artists

are

invited

to

make

themselves at home at the facilities. They have their own studios where they can work on individual and collaborative projects. They also participate in workshops, where they can learn from mentors

NEW BEGINNINGS. NEW LIFE.

2018 FALL WINTER | 13

art

ALICE

in Wonderland

BY THAIS BOU-MERHI Step into Alice’s very own wonderland, here in Florence! It all began when Alice Esclapon de Villaneuve came up with an idea to start a garden near her family home in the outskirts of the city. Esclapon started the garden for her daughter, but then became so passionate about the project that she wanted to make it available to her friends and family, so that they too could escape the hectic city center. She is now finally opening EdV Garden to the public!

Since starting the garden, Alice Esclapon de Villaneuve has travelled the globe, gathering ideas from different gardens throughout the world. These gardens have inspired her to create something different; bringing a bit of every garden and using it as a form of inspiration to create her own version. A lot of time and effort goes into taking care of the garden, including funds which she invests herself. The garden is located near Piazzale Michelangelo, where the only entrance to it is through a tiny door that leads to a staircase, at the end of which you can find the garden itself.

Esclapon de Villaneuve’s garden has a dreamlike quality to it, featuring interesting Tuscan plants which have been molded into abstract sculptures.

Certain plants that make up the garden are native to Tuscany itself. The garden creates a sense of vibrancy in a small and especially dense city such as Florence.

According to Alice, her garden brings a “sense of nostalgia, taking people back to their childhood and creating a feeling of innocence with a touch of humor.” Esclapon de Villaneuve states that she considers herself as “a creative person, not an artist”; she is constantly creating something abstract to add to the outdoor space. The garden is her version of art and entertainment; the work that Alice puts into the garden, from the sculptures, to how the plants are positioned, to the authenticity of her garden, is a version of her art.

BLENDING

art

Esclapon de Villaneuve’s skill in creating and designing this garden is illustrated in her creation of abstract art using recycled materials. She uses recycled wood and stones to create a design on the beaches where her guests can sit down, relax, and enjoy their time away from the city. She emphasizes on why creating these benches were necessary, and explains that they were purpose-made for watching the sunrise or sunset over the beautiful historic city center.

Since we are approaching winter, the garden is not blooming as it would be in the spring and summer months, but its beauty can still be admired through the skeletons of the garden. Alice focuses on how having this garden is a necessity in Florence, due to the fact that there is not much room in the city to have big beautiful gardens in which the public can sit, relax, and wind down. The park will open during the spring/summer of 2019, so keep your eyes peeled for this exciting, new green space.

2018 FALL WINTER | 15

FOOD & WINE

Community PHOTO BY DONALD BLAIR

BLENDING

FOOD & WINE

DA VINCI'S LAST SUPPER Drawing inspiration from one of Da Vinci’s most famous works of art, The Last Supper, students of Garde Manger I Experiential Learning reminisce on the dishes that best reflect their time in Italy.

Each student has chosen, prepared, and photographed the dish that they would enjoy as their “last supper” upon leaving Florence - What would your farewell dish be?

ILLUSTRATIONS BY ANDREA MANCINI LAMPREDOTTO BY ALON BAR LEV The first time I visited the market in Florence, I saw the meat stalls, seeing something in particular that I did not recognize. I asked the butcher what it was, and more importantly, what to do with it.

He said, “It’s the fourth stomach of a cow, Lampredotto.

Here in Italy we use all the animal's contents.”

He gave me a taste of a dish that he had prepared with the belly of the animal. He told me it was better served in bread, as a sandwich, and that's how it’s most commonly eaten in the street stalls. It was then that I realized I was in love with this dish.

Straight from the market, I went to the nearest stall to buy a lampredotto sandwich as I was told to do. It was excellent. There was no doubt that as a culinary student, I would try to collect all the ingredients and recreate this dish myself. I admired how well-used and delicious the particular part of the cow is, despite it not necessarily being used in every other nation’s cuisine. Lampredotto is excellent street food for any weather and for all meat-lovers; without a doubt I would eat this sandwich as my last meal here in Italy.

GNOCCHI DI RICOTTA AL NERO DI SEPPIA SALTATI CON CALAMARI SPILLO E ZUCCHINI

BY JULIA HSIEH When Julia, of Taiwan, arrived in Italy, she had never tried gnocchi before, because it is not commonly found in Taiwan. The first time she had made it she made Gnocchi di Ricotta al Nero di Seppia Saltati con Calamari Spillo e Zucchini, she reflects on the smoothness created by the addition of ricotta.

She reminisces on the calamari sautéed with tomatoes and zucchini. She remembers the sweetness from the wine that was used the deglaze the dish.

This meal has made a lasting impression on Julia, and she would like to eat this dish one last time before departing from Italy.

2018 FALL WINTER | 17

FOOD & WINE PASTA ALLA CARBONARA BY GASTON LAO Gaston, of Macau, China, wants to bring back the traditional way to cook pasta to Macau, especially Pasta alla Carbonara. This was the first dish that he was taught how to make whilst in Italy, and it changed perspective completely. Most restaurants in Macau do not follow the traditional Italian way of preparing pasta. This dish has given Gaston a reason as to why he must return to his country, and will be the last meals he eats as his parting goodbye, for now

CACIO E PEPE BY MARCO CATERINI

LASAGNE ALLA BOLOGNESE BY AUDREY LO Lasagne alla Bolognese, a typical Italian dish, is one of my favorite foods in the world. I remember that when I was travelling in Europe for the first time, I couldn’t understand anything written on the menu and I felt quite nervous. The only dish on the menu that I could recognize was Lasagne alla Bolognese. Interestingly, it was so well-made and it really amazed me; my anxiety was eased. From then on, whenever lasagne was available to order, I recalled my past experience and I always get a sense of comfort and certainty. If I had to choose a dish as my last supper before leaving Italy, I would definitely pick Lasagne alla Bolognese.

What has drawn you to Italy? For some, it is simply finding the best authentic Italian cuisine.

In most other countries, Italians would call the adapted versions of Italian food a mockery and in others, Italian cuisine is non-existent. From Spaghetti alla Carbonara, to Gnocchi, to Coccoli; these are dishes that you may not find from one country to the next.

Cacio e Pepe is a simple dish, but it needs the best from each ingredient. For me, the most important elements are the perfection of creaminess and flavor from the pecorino, and the complex freshness of the black peppercorn, and that’s it. I would love to eat this dish in my last day in Italy for a few reasons: mainly the ingredients―this cheese, with all the options and textures and different flavors. is something we don’t have back in my country, Brasil.

Using only three ingredients―pasta, peppercorn and cheese―cacio e pepe creates an incredible explosion of flavors in your mouth. Not only that though, from cacio e pepe, you can reach thousands of different dishes: inside ravioli with a different sauce, in a risotto, or even by adding different ingredients on top of the pasta, like truffles.

That is why I would choose this as my last meal in Italy.

Simplicity, flavor, complexity, and great ingredients are what Italian cuisine means to me.

BLENDING

FOOD & WINE SPAGHETTI AL POMODORO BY OTILIA R. NOVO This is the first dish that I ate from restaurant when I first arrived Florence, Spaghetti al Pomodoro. The moment that I will always remember is the first bite that I took and the distinctive flavor. I cook this dish very often at home, for lunch or dinner, and I enjoy playing with the ingredients; I experiment with different kinds of tomato, because different regions produce different types of tomato. This pasta is definitely the flavor that I want to bring home with me after graduating from FUA. It is a unique memory between me and the pasta, using simple ingredients to create a meaningful dish.

COCCOLI CON PROSCIUTTO CRUDO STRACCHINO BY MATTHEW GREINER

E

For his last supper, Matthew, of Iowa, USA, would also enjoy eating something that is not found in the region of his home country. The first time he had tried Coccoli, fried balls of salted dough, his taste buds salivated for more. The saltiness from the dough balances nicely with the rich prosciutto crudo that accompanies it; it seems to almost melt in your mouth. The cheese adds the final touch of acidity that completes this fried sandwich, making it Matt’s choice to eat as he departs.

RAGÙ TOSCANO BY KENNETH SARGENT CACCIUCCO BY BRIAN CHEN Cacciucco is an Italian fish stew native to the western coastal towns of Tuscany and Liguria. It is especially associated with the port city of Livorno in Tuscany, and also with the town of Viareggio to the north. It is a hearty stew consisting of several different types of fish and shellfish. According to one tradition, there should be five different types of fish in the soup, one for each letter “c” in the word “Cacciucco.” A wide variety of Mediterranean fish and shellfish may be used. This dish reminds me of my childhood and it really comforts my soul. The first time I tried this dish it was clear that I have never tasted anything so delicate and flavorsome.

My life is very simple, and I live my life carefully and slowly so that I am able to enjoy every moment of the life I have been given. The same principles apply to the Ragù Toscano. Meat, onion, sage and fresh stock are combined together to make a dish that is a replica of my life. Simple ingredients are taken on a slow adventure to see what happens in the end - This is the way I live my life. If I could choose my final meal in Italy, it would be the Ragù Toscano because it serves me as I serve the life that I have been given.

2018 FALL WINTER | 19

RENAISSANCE MAN Leonardo Da Vinci and his genius are essential to today’s understanding of the Renaissance period and its influence on modern culture, art, and technology.

Students of the Creative Writing class offer their original imaginings of the scope of Leonardo’s influence, exploring his life in Vinci as well as the significance of his legacy after his death.

ART BY DONALD BLAIR

BLENDING

travel A P I E C E O F G E N IUS

BY L E TIC IA GUID INE COSTA

He is just a boy, who has no one to understand his hyperactive behavior. He cannot concentrate on one thing for a long time. Despite his ‘electric’ character, he is very intelligent and has the best grades in school. It has been a while since I first started observing him. As a future psychologist, for my research paper, I chose to focus on observing children’s behavior. I have noticed that he has a notebook in which he is always writing something. However, it never takes long. He writes, he plays, and does a lot of things at the same time.

I approach him.

“Hey! What’s that?”

“My notebook of ideas, why?”

“Oh… Would you mind sharing them with me?”

He approaches me and begins to tell me about all the amazing ideas he has. He is full of creativity. I am impressed by him. A small child, only 10 years old, with so many thoughts in his head. He starts showing me all the new games that he is planning to play with his friends, as well as things that he is willing to create when he grows up.

“Do you want to hear a story?” I ask.

“Yes!” “There was a man, a long time ago…”

I tell him about Leonardo da Vinci, and how amazing he was. That Leonardo was as intelligent and curious as him. I mention that he too kept a notebook. As he was Wleft-handed, he wrote in a certain way that was just possible to read only if you put it in front of a mirror. The little boy is amazed by the story. He instantly starts trying to practice the handwriting technique. Apart from that, I tell him that Da Vinci knew how to draw and how all of his works/studies in his notebooks were based on the knowledge he gained from his observations. His analysis of the human body, nature, technology, ideas and all of his studies in general were portrayed in his art.

The boy is amazed by the genius that was Leonardo.

“But how did he create so many things?”

“He was a really studious man. He loved to wonder and discover. But he did not finish all his works.”

“Why?” “He had so many ideas. His huge desire to have a chance to experience all of them, even just for a bit, possibly was all that mattered to him.”

“But I will finish mine! I want to be as intelligent as him! Even more!”

The break is over now. We say goodbye. And he asks me to tell him more about Da Vinci tomorrow.

For now, I think it would be better to go home and study more about this genius in order to be able to tell him more about Leonardo’s deeds. Perhaps, he one day will be the same or even better, just as he mentioned. The genius that was Leonardo can be found in all of us. Everybody has a piece of him.

2018 FALL WINTER | 21

BLENDING

travel MAN OF VINCI

BY MIA G AGN E

Dawn has not yet arrived but every member of the household has begun their daily motion. Inside the stone structure, the air is stale and thick. The autumnal chill is barricaded from the vulnerable bodies stirring about in a choreographed dance, gathering ingredients for breakfast. Leonardo fetches eggs―root vegetables peeking through the hardened earth, the last dried leaves clinging to the herb plants.

His knees creak and pop as he inches down towards the nodulous soil. The rustcolored robe hangs between his aching legs and the ground beneath him, which, at first comforts him, then becomes cold and wet as the condensated dew absorbs into its gauzy stitching. Leonardo is no stranger to the harvest, but this season has been particularly abysmal. It has evolved from chore to necessity. Nourishment to fuel creative power. The sweeping hills surrounding the home create a textural landscape, a molded environment inspiring and vast.

Vinci serves as his birthplace and residence, a Tuscan town elevated from the populous valley below. Bells chime to greet the sunrise emerging through the peaks in the horizon. It smells of burning wood and crackling oil while the eggs simmer in an iron pan. Leonardo’s students, living communally, assist in the preparation, cutting the freshly picked vegetables and tending to the fire. The house is silent save for the sounds emanating from the kitchen. Early morning light bleeds through small openings in the wood-boarded windows and onto the dust-covered floors.

Stale bread accompanies the meal, eaten directly from the pot placed on the cluttered table. Leonardo does not speak as he writes feverishly on outstretched paper pausing only to cough or eat. The day will be spent rotating around his modest home.

Leonardo’s particularity bleeds into daily operation, his creative obsession with detail dominates the dynamic of the home. Parchment covers nearly every visible surface, flowing from the walls onto tables and chairs, spilling onto the floor or discarded in the stone fire pit. He sketches figures, landscapes, inventions; his hand acts as the vessel to materialize wild thought. His youth has mostly faded, in its place wisdom and experience have emerged. He prefers a modest lifestyle and denies excessive luxuries offered to a man of his stature. He is aware of his own genius, but ego comes secondary to creation.

Decades earlier, Leonardo spent his days training under masters of their time, absorbing technique through study and practice. It was a period of informational download where his potential was recognized and groomed. Processes were explained and expected to be replicated. The fundamentals needed to be mastered, the accumulation of material knowledge and how to skillfully manipulate. Leonardo was educated in the arts and sciences from a young age and built his own skill set from this early crucial period. He migrated from his birthplace around Italy― living and working in Florence, Rome, Bologna, Milan, constantly creating as he went.

Existing and exploring an environment of ancient discovery, Leonardo was exposed to philosophies and writings from the empirical past. Heavily influenced by ancient thought, these inspirations translated into his own work.

2018 FALL WINTER | 23

travel L E O N A R D O A ND TH E WITC H TRIALS O F VA L C A M O N I C A

BY R I A N A KA E M P E N

Leonardo Da Vinci tried to make them understand. All of his drawings and all of his sketches of man meant nothing to these people, as they passed judgement and decided to burn sixty innocent people accused of witchcraft in Val Camonica. Most of the accused were women, and he had not yet had many opportunities to study a female cadaver. It wasn’t until two years after the first burning that he had his first real opportunity to study a female and the fetus within her. Many other humanists wrote counter arguments using reason and science to deny the existence of witches, but none succeeded in dousing the fear.

After the drought brought hard times, people were panicked. The men and women confessed to injuring animals and people, and even cursing the land with spells.

These confessions were not made out of guilt, but out of fear. How could they not grasp that the devil was not at work here, only human nature? The only hope they had was the hope that by confessing, they would be absolved of their sins, forgiven, saved. But the fear of those in power was too strong, as well as their drive to protect, purge, and cleanse the land of that dark mark upon it, restoring the fertility of the fields.

Da Vinci had hoped his detailed studies of the human body could convince them that possession by the devil was not possible. But as he had very few studies of women, and most of his female studies were of animals, he could not convince them that it was not possible for a woman to be possessed or controlled by a malicious entity. Even once he had conducted a study of a woman, and the babe inside her, it still was not enough. The second time, people were accused of spreading the plague with their black magic, and causing vicious thunder and lightning storms.

Despite his recent studies in the eight years since the first witch trial, despite his scientific “proof”, the fear was even more tangible this time. This was not the blight of a drought, the sickness of the land, this was the slow death brought to innocents of all ages, to people with lives and families.

Nothing could quell the fear, that purely humanistic fear of the otherness of black magic. The fear was as much a plague as the sickness itself, spreading faster and wider than any other ailment could. In their desperation to stop the disease, the Bishop Inquisitor and his followers resorted to burning more than sixty women and men, first tortured into giving confessions. This was one of Da Vinci’s biggest regrets as he lay dying, eleven months later: that he could not convey the humanity of those innocent people, that he could not save them.

BLENDING

Art by Donald Blair

2018 FALL WINTER | 25

BLENDING

travel

SECRETS

of Vinci

Leonardo Da Vinci was born in a small Tuscan hamlet, Anchiano, in the Tuscan town of Vinci, from which he received his namesake. Using Leonardo’s birthplace as inspiration, students of the Travel Writing class have written imagined biographies of his life based on their research, exploring the secrets that Vinci holds within its landscape.

PHOTOS BY CATHERINE DAY

QUESTIONS IN THE STARS

How do they do that? He wondered as he blinked his

BY CATHERINE DAY

birds up above him. He quickly awoke after hearing a

eyes slowly and yawned. His eyelids fluttered closed as he imagined what it would be like to be one of the voice calling him in the distance. He instantly recog-

The grass under the big oak tree made a very soft bed. So soft that young Leonardo began to doze as he watched the birds circle in the sky above him.

nized the voice, it was that of his mother; not his real mother, but his step mother, Albiera. Leonardo did not remember much about his birth mother, but oh

2018 FALL WINTER | 27

travel how he adored Albiera.

squirmed his way out of Albiera’s arms and ran to his

“Leonardo!” she called across the field.

favorite place: the barn. He had but a few friends at

“Coming!” he replied, as he quickly got up and began

the time, those being Uncle Francesco, and of course

to sprint across the field to his home. As he ran, he

the animals in his father’s estate. The other children

glanced up at the birds flying above and felt the wind

in the small village were not overly fond of Leonardo

rush over his arms as he extended them out to the

because he tended to spend more time pondering

side, mimicking the birds.

the questions of the world than playing, or he would

“What are you doing, my Leo?” Albiera asked, as

involve the other children in his experiments, which

Leonardo approached her with his arms still outspread.

often led to trouble. His favorite animals of all were his

“I was being a bird, Mamma,” he replied.

father’s stallion as well as the pigeons and doves that

“Oh my,” chuckled Albiera, “And why is that?”

his father kept. Leonardo loved to watch the pigeons

“I want to fly like them, why can’t we fly like

take off and soar above the earth but he had learned

them, Mamma?”

his lesson previously when he was caught releasing

“I do not know, perhaps God did not intend us for the

one of the pigeons without permission. His father had

sky, little one,” she said, smiling down at him.

scolded him severely for letting that pigeon go but

“But if the silly birds can fly, why can’t I?”

Leonardo just could not understand why they needed

“Maybe someday you will my love,” she answered, as

to keep the birds caged up. Why could they not be

she lifted him up and carried him back towards the

free to roam the skies? However, Leonardo knew that

house through the olive grove.

he dare not release another pigeon, or he would face

Once they had reached the house, Leonardo

even worse wrath from his father.

BLENDING

travel After spending sometime with his pigeon friends,

At this, Uncle Francesco laughed heartily, “Come,” he

playing with them and stroking their soft feathers, he

responded, “We will have more time for your curious

returned to the main house. There he encountered his

questions after we dine.”

uncle, Francesco.

“Uncle!” Leonardo yelled as he ran towards him and

As they dined, the sun dipped down behind the horizon and evening fell. Once more, Leonardo burst forth

leapt into his arms.

“Hello my young man,” laughed Uncle Francesco, “What trouble have you been getting yourself into today? Did you push any of your little friends into the river again? Or perhaps you tried to fly out of that

from his home, running at full speed and pulling Uncle Francesco behind him. Alberia stood in the doorway, yelling after them to ensure that they would not stay out too late. They ran through the grove of olives to where Leonardo’s favorite tree sat. It was a gnarled,

tree again?”

A smug smile slid across Leonardo’s innocent childish face as he shook his head no in response to his uncle’s queries. “The only reason I pushed Giuseppe into the river was to see if the paddle shoes I made for him would help him swim,” said Leonardo in a quiet voice.

“Yes, but I’m afraid Giuseppe’s mother was not enthused about the idea in general, Leo,” chuckled

old olive tree, perhaps the oldest in the grove, and it was Leonardo’s favorite place to daydream and gaze up at the stars during the night. They finally reached the tree and threw themselves down on the dewy grass, looking up at the dark sky sprinkled with bright lights. The moon was a beautiful crescent shape and shone down on them dimly.

“Why are the stars so far away, Uncle? What are they

Uncle Francesco.

made of?” Leo asked, as his eyes shined with the

“I suppose so,” sighed Leonardo.

“Well then, what did you do today, young one?” Uncle

reflection of the light.

“I do not know, Leo, but what a breathtaking sight they

Francesco enquired.

“I was lying down in the grass under the big olive tree at the end of the grove watching the birds flying in the air,” Leonardo stated, as he began to brighten up, “And

are,” he replied quietly.

“I want to know more about them Uncle, who has the answers?” sighed Leo. “The important thing is that you never stop asking

I have some questions, Uncle.”

“Oh, do you now? Why am I not surprised in the slightest? Well, what are they then, lad?” said

questions, even if you cannot find the answer. Promise me this?” he said, turning his head towards Leonardo.

“I promise,” Leonardo replied, turning to meet his

Uncle Francesco.

“Why is the sky blue, Uncle? What makes it blue? Why

uncle’s gaze.

is it not another color: green like the grass, or yellow like the sun?”

Uncle Francesco wondered at the boy for a moment before responding. “My, what a curious and wonderful creature you are for someone of such young years.

I cannot say that I know the answer to your question Leo, perhaps it is just how God created it to be?”

“But why blue, Uncle?” Leo persisted, “We can make many colors but surely God can make more, so why did he pick blue? Is it his favorite?”

“THE IMPORTANT THING IS THAT YOU NEVER STOP ASKING QUESTIONS, EVEN IF YOU CANNOT FIND THE ANSWER."

2018 FALL WINTER | 29

travel FRICTION AMONGST THE FAMILY

BY MARIA LARCOMB

old and grown. My father says he agrees with mother, which never happens.” I start making my way down the mountainside, Marco trailing behind me as we weave through the brush on our way back down to the village.

“Leonardo, come inside!”

“Maybe next year when you come and visit Anchiano

I can hear my mother shouting at me in the distance,

on your birthday, your mother will think you’re old

annoyance only slightly apparent in her tone. I sigh,

and grown enough then to do what you want,”

turning back to my friend, “Marco, I have to go.”

Marco offers.

“Already?” Marco asks, slightly upset as he wipes the

I doubt it, but Marco has always had a hopeful heart

sweat off his brow. It’s no use though, the hot April

and I don’t want to upset him. He’s only 10 after all, so

sun continues to beat down upon us. “But we just

I respond, “Maybe! We should hurry up though, I don’t

got halfway up the mountain to our old hideout, just

want my mother to get upset again.”

beyond the cypress trees!”

He nods his head with reluctant acceptance, “Can

“I know, but my mother wants me to come inside,” I

you at least come out later and we can go up to the

reply, shrugging my thin shoulders. I wave my arm

hideout then?”

down the mountain, toward the direction of the village.

“I’m not sure... If my father is here to pick me up and go

“You heard her call.”

back home, then I don’t think so.”

“But it’s your birthday!” Marco protests. “You should be able to do what you want now that you’re 12!”

As I say this, I can feel Marco stiffen behind me. I

“Mother says I don’t get to do what I want until I’m

don’t blame him for being scared of my father. He is a

BLENDING

travel very strong and influential man; most people do not

I can hardly hear them over the sound of my

dare cross him because of his status and power as a

thoughts racing.

Florentine notary.

How could my father bring another woman here to

Marco begins to quicken his stride, perhaps hoping to

Mother’s house? Has he no respect for her? He knows

make it home before my father arrives. “Will you not

that she still cares for him even after all these years.

be back to visit again until next year?”

I catch up to the ambling couple just as they reach

“Probably not, you know how my father is. He wants

the wooden door of the house. My father knocks

me to stay with him, my grandparents, and my uncle,

with vigor as I arrive, gasping for breath. Marco stays

in Vinci.”

several steps behind me.

As we round the curved path running through village,

“Father?” I say.

Marco halts in his tracks. The afternoon sun is so

Without turning his head to face me, he responds.

bright that my squinting eyes prevent me from seeing

“Hello, son. Are you ready to leave?”

him stop, and I bump into him. “Oof!”

The same yearly scene plays out again, as it always does when I respond, “No,” and ask to stay with

Marco stands unmoving, so I lightly shove his shoulder.

“Hey, you can’t just stop in the middle of the road and not warn me.” But my statement does not reach his ears; Marco continues staring straight ahead up the road toward my house. My eyes follow the direction of his gaze and I spot what he must be gawking at.

My father, in his signature cioppa made of lavish material, is strolling up the driveway toward the front

Mother. “I don’t want to leave. I like it here.”

Still facing the door, his arm intertwined with the mystery woman’s, my father responds, “Well, no matter, it is time for you to come home. You cannot live here with your mother. We have been over this before. A peasant’s house is no place for you anymore. You already have enough scandal tied to your name.”

door of my mother’s small brick house. This isn’t an unusual sight, as he does this once a year when he

Moments later, my mother opens the front door

comes to pick me up from visiting my mother for the

gingerly. Her eyes scan the small crowd gathered

day. However, it was the addition to the usual image

before her, stopping only momentarily upon the

that was so surprising. Next to my father, with her arm

woman accompanying my father. She tries to hide

draped through his, was a woman elegantly striding

it, but a flash of hurt briefly appears upon her face.

toward my mother’s house.

“Buon pomeriggio, Messer Piero.”

“Is she going to be your next stepmother, Leonardo?

He nods stiffly to her, the tension between them ever-

You said that your last stepmother died without giving

present. “Hello, Caterina. I am here to bring Leo

your father any legitimate heirs.”

back home.”

Yes, and apparently I do not count as an heir, simply

“Of course,” she replies, her voice laced with

because I was born out of wedlock; thus, sending

pain. Then, minding her manners as always and

my father on this mad mission to secure himself a

with a smile painted on her face, she turns to the

‘real’ heir.

woman accompanying my father to say, “Buon pomeriggio, signora.”

Pushing Marco aside, I ignore his question and begin sprinting toward the couple. Although Marco’s feet

My blood boils when I see the woman give my mother’s plain peasant dress a disapproving look.

are pounding loudly on the packed dirt behind me,

2018 FALL WINTER | 31

travel “Hello,” is all that she says.

see’s are “Leonardo Da Vinci” with a single rose laying

“This is Signora Elena,” my father says quickly, briefly

above the name, the name that the man recognizes

gesturing to the woman standing beside him. “We are

as his own.

to be married at the end of June.”

Though her face falls of only a fraction of a second, I

The Italian man of many interests, including painting,

can tell that my mother is hurting when she cheerily

sculpting, and inventing, among others, is somehow

responds, “Oh, how wonderful!”

back from the grave. How is this possible? And why is

I push past my father and station myself next to my

no one able to see him? Leonardo soon realizes that

mother in the doorway of her small, brick home.

the next course of action is to go back to Italy and see

“Mother is invited to the wedding, right?”

if there’s something he can figure out from there. Da

“Caterina…” my father gives her a demanding look,

Vinci, because no one is able to see him, is able to

which she quickly responds to.

wander to some sort of moving object. The object has

Softly patting my wild hair down onto my head, she

doors, and says the word “Firenze” on an electric sign

tells me tenderly, “No, dear, I won’t be going. I didn’t

of sorts. Recognizing that this is his home, Da Vinci

attend your father’s last wedding, and it would not be

wanders on board of what is known as a modern train.

appropriate for me to attend this one either.”

“But...” I interject.

Many hours later, Da Vinci arrives in the city he knows

“No buts, Leo. This is the way it has to be.” She remains

so well, and yet, things look completely different

firm in tone, but I know her heart is breaking. “Now,

than they did in the 15th century. People are holding

go inside and gather your things so you can go home

some sort of small, book-like object that emit light

with your father and new soon-to-be stepmother. I

from them, using their fingers to touch it. They’re

will see you when you come to visit next year, my son.

touching the object very fast. What could this be?

I love you.”

That’s irrelevant. People can’t even see Da Vinci, and attempting to communicate with them would

THE RETURN TO VINCI

be pointless. The white-bearded scholar wanders

BY WILLIAM MITCHELL

out of the train station, somehow making his way to a street known as Via dei Servi. Da Vinci wanders

It is a cold morning in Amboise, France. All is normal

this city that he once knew so well, but it feels like

at the Chapel of Saint-Hubert. Suddenly, there’s a

someone painted over one of his works, just to call it

flash. A bang. A man walks out of the Chapel. No one

their own. Sure, the skeleton was Da Vinci’s. Florence

sees him. Why is this? The man should be visible to

looks somewhat similar. Yet, the things that are new

everyone. He’s trying to figure out where he is. He

are unfamiliar to him.

makes his way outside of the large, white-ish structure.

He still doesn’t know where he is. The man goes back

Looking around, something catches his eye. The words

into where he came from, and see’s letters on some

are not in Italian, other than a name that he recognises:

sort of tomb-looking structure. As he gets closer,

Leonardo Da Vinci. What is this place? Did they steal

he gasps. The words that the elderly, bearded man

his work? What’s going on? Knowing that no one is

BLENDING

travel able to see him is suddenly an advantage for Da Vinci.

He’s able to do whatever he wants with seemingly no consequences. Leonardo walks into the building with his name on it. Inside, there seems to be a little store selling imitations of his work - What an inexcusable offense! Da Vinci wanders towards a black curtain at the back of the shop. Opening the curtain and looking to the right, Da Vinci sees something incredible. There are hundreds and hundreds of replicas. His work has been mass-produced for the world to see. Should he be pleased? Should he be angry, that people are doing this to his work without his permission? All these questions are blazing through Leonardo’s mind faster than a comet in the night sky.

Examining his own creations, Leonardo sees other people doing the same thing. They’re really taking marvel at his work. He feels an immense sense of pride in seeing this. Obviously, he had hoped that his creations would have an effect on the world. It seems that they did. Wandering further, Leonardo spots her. There’s the Mona Lisa. Surely this isn’t the real one? There are ten little cards that analyse in detail the different aspects of the painting, from the smile, to the gaze of the painting’s subject. Da Vinci never realized that something he created so long ago would be this popular. Where is the real one? He has no idea. Leonardo needs to figure out why he’s here.

Maybe there will be answers to all his questions in his hometown? It seems probably. Reluctantly, Leonardo Da Vinci leaves this museum-of-sorts to go figure out what’s happening, when he is, and what he needs to do. Leaving the museum, one thing is on his mind: he has to go back to the place he was born. He must return to Vinci.

2018 FALL WINTER | 33

travel THE ESCAPE ARTIST

BY KAYLA PADOL

scattered with olive groves and vineyards in Tuscany,

As I sit here today, on the eve of Spring 1519, I realize

journal gifted to me by my parents, I began to imagine

my life is coming to an end. After my 66 years on

what such a world would be like. I named it Leo, and

earth, I know much about the mechanical makeup

I began to manufacture different wild inventions that

of this world and the systems that exist within it. But

would exist there. In Leo, I had wings and I could fly

where my knowledge lacks is within myself. I have

as high as the hills. I had a special suit that helped

spent countless hours understanding the anatomical

me breathe and swim with the fish underwater. I

structure of the human body. I can look at my own

could even take what I saw with my eye and recreate

I wished that I existed in a separate world, one of wonder and possibility. A world where I could be free of the norms and limitations that haunted me. So, with a

skin and recognize exactly which

it perfectly in a physical form

tendons, bones, and muscles

through photography. I could do

are moving underneath it. I have vast knowledge of my physical makeup, but in these final days of my life I still do not know what has made me Leonardo Da Vinci.

"I FELT AS IF I WAS BORN IN THE WRONG GENERATION."

anything there. I could be anyone.

I didn’t have to please anyone else. My life began when I started dreaming of Leo. My sketches of such imaginative

The moment I arrived into the

scenes gave my parents hope

world, I was trying to prove myself.

that I could venture into a new

I was a tainted child, born out of sin to unmarried

career path: artistry. At the age of 15, I began my

parents. The town scoffed at me. I was a reminder of

apprenticeship under the tutelage of Andrea del

my mother’s shame and the object of my community’s

Verrocchio. He took me under his wing and taught

disgust, rooted in the traditionalist culture of 1452. My

me about realistic recreation through the medium of

entire life I felt as if I was born in the wrong generation.

paint. This excited me. Realistic recreation was what

To make a name for myself meant fighting off the

I was trying to do my whole life with Leo! Together,

stigma of my existence day after day.

Verrocchio and I illustrated worlds onto canvases and walls. At first, this intrigued me and sparked my

My father put immense pressure on me to follow in

curiosity. Art became the ultimate quest of accuracy. I

his footsteps and become a legal notary. There is

put so much effort into honestly portraying the people

nothing I wanted to do less than fill out paperwork

in my work, just in case my paintings could one day

and submit myself to such a monotonous lifestyle.

come to life. I knew if it were possible, my depictions

Nevertheless, he continued pushing me to be like

would be able to exist in this life because I made

him. He was strict with me and I resented him for it.

precisely enough room for their organs, muscles and

I could never understand why just being Leonardo

bone structure. I had made their proportions exactly

would never be enough. My birth was wrong. My

right. I was crafting characters with the hope that one

interests were wrong. My entire existence felt like a

day they would live with me in my world.

burden to everyone around me. That’s when I began to plan my escape. If I were to be trapped in this body

I possessed a thirst for knowledge, with the aim of

and in this life, I could always find a sort of freedom

bettering Leo, of course. I went from Florence, to

within my mind. That’s when I began to build Leo.

Milan, to Rome throughout my career and learned so much, but nothing changed. I always wanted to know

Leo is a figment of my imagination that was born

more. My art, over time, became mere work and my

when I was 7 years old. While running through the hills

means to live. It wasn’t my true love by any means, but

BLENDING

travel it was my gateway to discovery. Having the prestige

Now, as I take my final breaths, I recognize that I have

and money that I gained from being commissioned

achieved much greatness and will be remembered

by prominent political figures was secondary to the

by those to come. I have been called a genius and an

opportunities of research that those positions granted

extraordinary polymath, but deep within me, I know

me. I wanted to understand the nature of machines:

I am just a master of escapism. My inventions and

clocks, construction aides, and textile manufacturing

artistry serve as an means to create Leo: my utopia, my

tools, and our own human flesh combined with art

refuge, my dream. I will never adore myself the way

made that possible. I had to see to believe. I didn’t trust

others adore me. To me, I could never be enough on

everything written in ink like my colleagues. I cut into

this earth. Even in these final days, I will keep creating

cadavers myself. I analyzed, alone, why using wings

and striving for a perfection that I can never reach.

to fly on humans could never work. In my solitude, I

No amount of exploration of myself or human nature

had to learn so I could be a better architect for my

has ever resulted in love for myself. I am Leonardo Da

utopia that awaited me. I trusted no one but myself.

Vinci because of my upbringing, my dark mind, and

I built Leo from blank sheets of paper and my pen. I

my lifelong attempt to escape from such things, living

made its architecture and firearms and geology and

in a land of my own. When I die, I hope my heaven is

plants and characters. It was my life’s greatest work. It

Leo in living color.

is a shame that I could never exist within it.

2018 FALL WINTER | 35

GAMES LEONARDO DA VINCI'S CROSSWORD PUZZLE

BY CAM FRAZIER

6 1 7 8 2

9

10

3 4

5

ACROSS

DOWN

1. One of the most recognizable murals by Leonardo Da Vinci which stands in the Covent of Santa Maria delle Grazie 2. The territory under Medici Rule where Leonardo was born 3. One of the most iconic renaissance paintings

by Leonardo which hangs in the Louvre 4. One of the paintings that gained Leonardo notoriety for his work, beginning his reigning career 5. The invention of this aircraft is credited to Leonardo Da Vinci

6. The name of the famous artist who painted the Mona Lisa and many other iconic paintings 7. The place where Leonardo was reburied 8. One of Leonardo’s inventions that goes into effect when falling from extreme heights 9. The period of European history where Leonardo made his influence 10. Leonardo was a painter, scientist, astronomer, and...(think contraptions)

ANSWER KEY 1. The Last Supper 2. Republic of Florence 3. Mona Lisa 4. Baptism of Christ 5. Helicopter 6. Leonardo Da Vinci 7. Chapel Saint Hubert 8. Parachute 9. Renaissance 10. Inventor

BLENDING

FA S HI O N

2018 FALL WINTER | 37

PHOTO BY SYDNEY MCCOURT

FASHION

FLY

LOOK OF TH E SEASON TEXT BY JULIA PAYNE MODELLED BY KELLY CORN, REAGHAN FISCHER, MALIK JOHNSON, ELLEN SMITH MAKE UP AND PHOTO SHOOT MANAGEMENT BY KASEY SALTER Just as humanism looks inward for inspiration whilst focusing on the individual, this semester's Look of the Season encourages expression of individuality and style. On October 16th, 2018, FLY (Fashion Loves You) introduced a new emerging designer, Alice Bloom. Featuring products with a modern-heritage twist, Alice Bloom offers both men’s and women’s garments throughout the clothing line. From suspender pants and overall dresses, to sweaters and blouses, the line features a variety of products that you can dress up or down, making them perfect for any occasion.

Comfortable yet trendy, each piece is functional and yet leaves you looking and feeling your best. Alice Bloom’s line is perfect for those looking for unique pieces to brighten up their look.

Featured here are four looks from emerging designer, Alice Bloom. Alice Bloom’s looks offer a fun and playful vibe, as our models drink wine, eat cake, and relax side by side. Reaghan is styled in gray polka-dot, tailored suspender pants, which have reversible straps and are paired with a white/gray, pocketed blouse and sheer combat boots. Ellen is dressed in a yellow, floral, tailored suspender skirt with a black turtleneck shirt and black booties - Perfect for the fall weather! Kelly is wearing a hunter-green, floral, tailored salopette dress with a white turtleneck and casual, yet cute, off-white sneakers. Malik is styled in plaid tailored suspenders with a black turtleneck and black loafers.

Together, all four looks are perfect for a ‘wine and dine’ party with friends!

Each outfit features unique pieces that resemble playfulness and classiness all in one look.

BLENDING

PHOTOS BY ALLIE STAMOS, MAISIE MCGLYNN, CHLOE ARMSTRONG, AND RACHEL ZUCKERBERG

2018 FALL WINTER | 39

"Ellen is dressed in a yellow, floral, tailored suspender skirt with a black turtleneck shirt and black booties Perfect for the fall weather!"

BLENDING

"Malik is styled in plaid tailored suspenders with a black turtleneck and black loafers."

2018 FALL WINTER | 41

Comfortable yet trendy, each piece is functional and yet leaves you looking and feeling your best.

BLENDING

FASHION

NEW MEDIA AND ITS INFLUENCE ON THE FASHION INDUSTRY

BY CHARLIZE HEBERT

The humanism movement that spread across Western Europe in the 14th, 15th, and 16th centuries helped to connect “prime importance” to humans, rather than to the divine or to supernatural matters. By altering the rigid, medieval and religious mindset, there began to be an increased importance placed on man’s capability through reason and science. Given the increase of intellectual and religious liberty, a dramatic burst of creativity emerged in literature, art, politics, and even religion.

Mankind had finally found the power of freedom that had been abandoned in the Middle Ages, and in turn, embarked upon a journey of self-discovery. We must, therefore, ask ourselves: how is a movement that began in the 14th century still affecting modern day society?

Humanism’s deep influence on modern culture has brought about a renewed emphasis on the self-worth each individual person possesses. This is a notion that has arguably engulfed the 21st century. One field that humanism has specifically affected is the fashion industry. An individual’s cognitive process when choosing clothing can impact not only the way that person feels about themselves, but also the way they are seen by others. Fashion can enable us to feel more empowered and more in touch with our inner selves; the way we present ourselves can often correlate with our personality, identity, and mood. Generation Z is focused on individuality, and now that state of mind is having an impact on one’s perception of self-worth. Fashion is a movement that strives to both empower and to challenge an individual’s notion of their self-confidence. The pervasive relationship between clothing choices and an individual’s feeling of self-worth are closely related; both are a means of self-expression. A person’s perceptions of their own characteristics, abilities, values, ideas, and beliefs may be observed through that individual’s fashion choices.

Yet, individualism can often be skewed to fit certain societal standards. The acknowledgement that how you look and what you wear will impact the initial impression others form about you can create significant mental anguish. Peer pressures that come from society, typically correlated to social media culture, can

2018 FALL WINTER | 43

FASHION

often play an influential and deciding role in one’s fashion choices. This is why social boundaries often define what we feel comfortable wearing. So while fashion is used as a form of self- expression, one is also confined by their own pre-conceived societal perceptions. This is seen in benign, everyday choices. An individual will typically break the mold only within an admissible structure. One can wear a striped tie or loud cufflinks to the office, however it is still necessary wear a “work appropriate” suit. It is wishful thinking to believe that what we choose to wear comes entirely down to an act of individual free will. Even amongst the millennial generation,

BLENDING

FASHION New Media and its Influence on the Fashion Industry

individual style choices are still significantly influenced by external factors and social norms. One of the contributing external pressures that exerts strong influencing power, yet still simultaneously manages to propel the fashion industry higher into the public sphere, is the increased importance of social media and graphic design.

In the 21st century, graphic design plays a pivotal role in various entrepreneurial industries. Whether it’s fashion, social media, marketing, or business, graphic design can be invaluable to strengthen a brand’s image and consumer perception. As a marketing strategy, effective graphic design techniques can create a memorable first impression among consumers and clients alike. The use of digital media for visual communication, especially with the younger generation of active social media users, is an incredibly efficient way to relay a message to your target audience. Consistent imagery repeatedly shown to the public can foster higher awareness and recognition for a brand while simultaneously building on personal identity and brand equity. Brand logos can be used as an example. Well-known companies possess iconic and memorable logos that are instantly recognizable to the general public. For example, Nike’s swoop, the apple of Apple, Chanel’s double C’s, McDonald’s French fry M, BMW’s propeller, and Mercedes’ circular design - Logos are often entirely synonymous with the brand they represent.

Drawing an association back to clothing, a fundamental component of the fashion industry involves making a palpable connection with the consumer. This is where graphic design in the fashion industry can play a specific and central role. Graphic design has the ability to act as an extremely versatile visual communication tool. Packaging, branding, and logos help convey a specific message in a professional and artistic way.

You can tell a customer more about your company with colors, shapes, fonts, and bold designs. A logo possesses the ability to quickly grab individuals attention and communicate a company’s core values

in a unique way that appeals to the individual. Yet, the new media’s connection to the fashion industry also introduces its own set of drawbacks. The social pressures that stem from social media can erode the notion of “individualism.” With increased pressure to be accepted by society, individuals begin to believe they must uphold a certain “image.” The danger associated with the social ‘façade’ that cloaks new media can lead individuals to create an entirely false public image.

Social media enables individuals to completely curate their lives. Even under the circumstance that your life is lacking the glamour or intrigue that excites your following base, photo manipulation can play a role in reaching those sought after approval ratings.

Have you ever used a filter to alter a selfie?

Manipulated angling to intensify a certain body part? Airbrushed a wrinkle?

Our generation is guilty of retouching our posts; everyone does it, but not everyone may admit to it. Instagram, Facebook, and Twitter show only the best and most enviable moments, whilst concealing the struggles of day-today life. Social media has arguably become a warped vortex in which users have a place to make their lives look more exciting than those of others. Despite being aware of the dangers, we all sometimes feel the need to give in to the power of these platforms.

Additionally, a false public image can manifest itself in the fashion choices one makes. Thus, as individuals we must remember to be true to ourselves, not to conform to artificially imposed societal norms, and to appreciate our own self-worth. We don’t need to dress a certain way because society tells us that's how we’re supposed to. The media may advertise certain ‘ideal’ images of men and women, however, we must look back to humanism, remembering the value in the individualism of every human being.

"HAVE YOU EVER USED A FILTER TO ALTER A SELFIE?"

UP NEXT: IL GENIO DI LEONARDO DA VINCI

2018 FALL WINTER | 45

SCIENCE

SCI E NCE

BLENDING Photos by Sydney McCourt

SCIENCE

IL GENIO DI LEONARDO DA VINCI His most famous paintings are Mona Lisa and The Last Supper, and he is considered one of the world's greatest painters and sculptors. His curiosity and genius advanced medicine, anatomy, astronomy, physics, philosophy, and music. Leonardo da Vinci was responsible for many inventions that we use in our day-to-day lives; students from the Italian Advanced I class explore some of these inventions in detail and the impact they have had on our future as a civilisation.

PHOTOS BY SYDNEY MCCOURT

LA MACCHINA BLINDATA

BY CHARLOTTE HYDE

Leonardo da Vinci ha inventato molte cose che la gente sarebbe riuscita a ideare solo secoli dopo. Una di queste è la macchina blindata, la più famosa delle sue invenzioni da guerra. La seguente è una citazione riguardo la macchina: “Posso costruire macchine blindate, sicure e inattaccabili, che entreranno nelle file ravvicinate del nemico con la loro artiglieria, e nessuna compagnia di soldati è così grande da non romperle. E dietro queste la fanteria sarà in grado di seguire abbastanza incolume e senza alcuna opposizione”.

Predecessore del carro armato moderno, l'invenzione di un'auto blindata di Leonardo da Vinci poteva muoversi in qualsiasi direzione ed era dotata di molte armi. È stata fatta per intimidire e disperdere eserciti avversari. Ha avuto l'idea della macchina blindata nel 1485. Aveva molti cannoni disposti su una piattaforma circolare con ruote per un raggio di 360 gradi. Il rivestimento doveva essere di legno e rinforzato con lastre di metallo che ne aumentano lo spessore.

Gli angoli servivano per deflettere il fuoco nemico. La macchina era alimentata da due grandi manopole interne azionate da quattro uomini. Il rivestimento è stato ispirato dal guscio di una tartaruga.

La macchina blindata aveva però dei problemi di progettazione. Era troppo grande da utilizzare su terreni irregolari durante la guerra, e gli ingranaggi sono stati disegnati in ordine inverso e quindi non potrebbero funzionare. Siccome Leonardo era un genio, molti pensano che lui abbia creato la macchina blindata leggermente sbagliata di proposito. Questo potrebbe essere possibile perché non era favorevole alla guerra e potrebbe non aver voluto che chiunque potesse usare la sua invenzione. Nonostante non possa funzionare, la macchina blindata è comunque molto impressionate. Il mondo sarebbe un posto molto diverso se non ci fosse stato Leonardo.

2018 FALL WINTER | 47

SCIENCE

L’ORNITOTTERO

BY GABRIELA REYES

A Leonardo da Vinci sono attribuite molte invenzioni. Nel settore della scienza ha inventato la vite aerea, e sono stati trovati anche suoi progetti per un paracadute, per un salvagente, il modello di una bicicletta, e anche di un carro armato. Nell’ambito dell'ingegneria civile e dell’architettura ha inventato il ponte girevole, il ponte di circostanza, e le chiese a due piani.

Inoltre, era affascinato dall’anatomia del corpo umano. Diceva che gli studi della scienza e dell’arte andavano di pari passo. Leonardo non aveva tempo, soldi, nè la tecnologia per realizzare i suoi progetti, ma annotava tutte le sue idee in quaderni, grazie ai quali lo conosciamo oggi.

Leonardo ha studiato l’arte del volo per 25 anni. Voleva che le persone volassero come uccelli e credeva che avessimo l'abilità di farlo. Per questo lui ha fatto il primo disegno di un aeroplano o ornitottero; lui ha trovato l’ispirazione per questo progetto nella natura. Sui manoscritti lui parla di pipistrelli, aquiloni e uccelli. Si dice che i pipistrelli lo abbiano ispirato maggiormente perché i suoi disegni assomigliano a questo animale; infatti lo ha progettato con le estremità aguzze come le ali dei pipistrelli. L’ornitottero di Leonardo ha ali di 33 piedi, è fatto di pino coperto di seta grezza, e per manovrare l’aeroplano il pilota si sdraia e con le mani e i piedi muove le ali. La difficoltà stava nella forza necessaria per spiccare il volo.

Leonardo era un uomo avanti per i suoi tempi, aveva un’immaginazione incredibile e grazie a lui abbiamo avuto tanti sviluppi nella scienza.

LA CATAPULTA

BY JESSICA SHANGLE

Leonardo è conosciuto come “l'uomo ideale” per tutto ciò che ha fatto nella sua vita. Molte delle sue invenzioni provengono dai suoi schizzi, e la catapulta è una di queste. Sebbene non sia stato il primo a idearla, il suo progetto è stato quello migliore. Si rese conto che la polvere da sparo non era la più affidabile durante le battaglie dell’epoca, pertanto suggerì di sostituirla con la catapulta e di posizionarla nei castelli.

Il progetto di Leonardo è molto creativo. È stato ideato per essere utilizzato dai soldati durante una battaglia: la catapulta può muoversi e riposizionarsi.

Quattro o cinque soldati erano responsabili per lo spostamento della catapulta, mentre altri soldati erano responsabili per il suo funzionamento (tirare e sparare), come per esempio attorcigliando la corda.

Pensò a due tipi di catapulte: braccio singolo e braccio doppio. Quella a

BLENDING

SCIENCE

braccio singolo ha un meccanismo di rilascio facile. La catapulta a doppio braccio invece ha un meccanismo più complicato.

La catapulta sarebbe stata molto efficace durante le battaglie perché può essere ricaricata molto rapidamente. Molti oggetti diversi potrebbero essere sparati dalle macchine.

Non sappiamo se le catapulte di Leonardo siano mai state usate, ma le sue idee sono leggendarie e affascinanti.

IL PARACADUTE

BY MEAGAN TROTTA

Sebbene a Leonardo Da Vinci non sia stata riconosciuta l'invenzione del primo paracadute, lui in realtà concepì l'idea alcuni secoli prima di Sebastien Lenormand. Lenormand fece il primo salto in pubblico in Francia nel 1783.

Nel 1483 Leonardo fece uno schizzo che rappresentava il concetto di paracadute. Nel suo quaderno scrisse che con quel tipo di paracadute un uomo poteva saltare da qualsiasi altezza senza farsi male. Questo blocco appunti lo possiamo trovare nel Codice Atlantico. Il suo progetto aveva una chioma triangolare anziché arrotondata, e per questo motivo non si è sicuri che avrebbe funzionato; prevedeva inoltre che il paracadute fosse lungo sette metri, con una cornice di legno coperto di lino. Anche se Leonardo non ha mai costruito o testato lui stesso il suo design, ha compiuto il progetto facendo calcoli matematici basati su alcuni dei suoi studi di resistenza al vento e di attrito. Nel 2002, a 500 anni dalla sua progettazione, il britannico Adrian Nichols ha realizzato il progetto di Leonardo per testarlo. L'unica modifica apportata consisteva nel rafforzare le imbracature che reggevano il paracadutista. Si lasciò cadere da una mongolfiera a 3.000 metri da terra, dopo aver ignorato il parere di un esperto che la tela e il congegno di legno non gli avrebbero permesso di volare. Il volo è riuscito senza intoppi.

Questo ha avuto luogo a Mpumalanga, in Sudafrica. Tuttavia, con un peso superiore ai 90 kg, il paracadutista si può ritrovare in pericolo nel momento dell'atterraggio. Nichols disse che pensava che Leonardo sarebbe stato contento, anche se la rivendicazione della sua idea è arrivata con cinque secoli di ritardo. I paracadute sono stati usati dai militari per vari scopi sin dalla prima guerra mondiale. Combinando l'aliante, il paracadute, il carrello di atterraggio e l'elicottero, Leonardo ha quasi inventato tutte le forme moderne di trasporto aereo. Sfortunatamente è nato diversi secoli prima che il resto dell'umanità e la scienza fossero pronti per lui.

2018 FALL WINTER | 49

DA VINCI'S HELICOPTER

BLENDING

ARTICLE AND ILLUSTRATION BY JASMIJN SWEERE

Leonardo sits under a tree as he dozes. He stirs when he feels something fall soundlessly out of the tree and land gently on his nose. It was his curiosity that woke him up. How can something fall from a tree and still feel as gentle as a raindrop? He picks up the leaf and lets it fall again, this time through his hands. The wing-like objects feels like one of a butterfly, although slightly thicker and a little more stiff. The leaf turns in circles in a fast motion as it falls. It doesn’t reach the ground immediately, as would an acorn, but instead slowly flutters downwards, just as a butterfly does. When it reaches the ground, however, it doesn’t rise up again like a butterfly, it remains lifeless. It stays where it fell, as if nothing special had even happened.

Leonardo takes the leaf another time, but this time he also picks up a stone. The thick, round shape of the stone fills his hand while the other hand feels rather empty. As he lets them both drop, Leonardo notices again that the propellor leaf takes it time to get to the ground. The stone is peacefully waiting on the ground when the propellor finally lands. The light, spring breeze lifts the propeller leaf upwards, and as the wind dies down, the leaf itself starts to fall down again.

Leonardo is so impressed by this discovery that he rushes home to write down every single detail about the propeller. He had dreamt about flying since he was a little boy. At first, this passion stemmed from his love of birds and other flying animals. He used to run around the fields with his arms stretched out wide, closing his eyes and imagining the views from his flight.

Later in his life, Leonardo’s interest in flying was strengthened by fear. There were many floods and he began to think of ways to escape in case of emergency. With every inch of land flooded with water as far as the eye could see, he figured that the only direction in which he could escape, if needed, was up.

He made plans to fly just like the propeller. He calculated that he only needed a large linen cloth, wood and long ropes.

After making his own bigger version of the propeller, Leonardo went outside and waited for two hours, but there was no breeze or any kind of force that could elevate him into the air.

He decided to come back when there was more wind. The next day, the weather was perfect. Whilst taking his invention outside, Leonardo struggled to hold onto it; this was a good sign. After many attempts, however, Leonardo understood that the wings of his contraption were far too heavy. Leonardo had known this in the back of his head. He returned home and did not rest until he came up with a better idea.

Flash forward to the 21st century, and there are not only birds flying through the air, but also airplanes, helicopters, hot air balloons, and even drones. The aerial screw that Leonardo invented, now better known as the helicopter, would never have existed if not for his sketches from hundreds of years ago. The little boy and his passion for flying finally proved to everyone that anything is possible.

PLAYING GOD TEXT AND ILLUSTRATION BY CAM FRAZIER, PHOTO BY ALEXANDER ANDREWS

There are endless genres of video games and

resulted in the reformation of culture, as many

many ways to play them. Some of the most popular

turned away from religion to instead concentrate on

gaming genres include first person shooter (FPS),

exact sciences and mathematics. In this case, the

multiplayer online battle arena (MOBA), and role

humanistic aspect of video games can be pinpointed

playing games (RPG). These games are all designed

through both the storyline as well as the involvement

with the intent of forming entertainment for the

of the player.

players through action, storytelling and creativity.

Many of them are structured to carry the players

When video games were first developed, the

through the game, while others let the players make

lack of technological advancements demanded

their own decisions and fabricate a new digital world

boundaries. Games could only be constructed in

to indulge in.

two-dimensional sequences, involving left and right, or up and down movements. This specific

So, how does one connect the importance

sequence of movements only allows the player to

of humanism to the idea of

move where the game leads them. This, in turn, is

game design? They do so by

a form of control. Although the player is controlling

discovering the different creative

the character, the game controls the outcome of the

perspectives and figuring out

story. Similar to the humanist views of many, religious

the hidden meaning behind the

followers see their lives as determined by a higher

design. Originating in 13th and 14th

being. They consider their fate to be in the hands of a

century northern Italy, humanism is

god, as is the player’s destiny when playing a game

defined as a rationalist outlook or system of thought

such as Super Mario Bros. He can move forward,

attaching prime importance to human rather than

backward and even up and down, but there is always

divine or supernatural matters. Its development

an end to the level and to the rest of the story. He

BLENDING

runs into Bowser and defeats him in order to save Princess Peach. No matter what the player of the game does, or where he goes, Mario’s destiny will always be to save the princess.

As technology has become more advanced over the years, games like Super Mario Bros. have had major developments into three-dimensional worlds and have brought to life a new fate for players. Games like Minecraft and Sims allow players to traverse through a world that they themselves have created, building their own universe and, in turn, creating their own adventures. In Minecraft, players can construct absolutely anything out of pixelated blocks. They can destroy old projects and build better ones. The game was developed for the sole entertainment of creating, with no definite ending. In Sims, players can create a character and a family, which then move into a home that the player build; they can control the lives of the family members, thus playing god.

People who play these types of games can indulge in their desire to control, as did the humanist thinkers of the past, who chose the factual and evident over the supernatural and superstitious. As humanists, people looked towards fact and an understanding of the universe based on rational thinking, rather than accepting something as fate in the hands of a higher being. These players want to be in control of their own character’s fate, rather than leaving it to the set storyline of the game. Professor Mary Flanagan of Dartmouth College taught a course on video game design, and she had her own input as to how she likes to create a game. She said, “I’m not interested in making a game that’s just entertainment for entertainment’s sake without something else going on. It has to integrate, in a deep way, those questions about the human condition and the humanities as an intellectual home.” Her work make the players ask questions, encouraging them to contemplate reality and the supernatural.

When it comes to more developed and realistic games, the capacity for creativity becomes limited. This, in turn, puts the center of control within the game and not the player. Games such as Tomb Raider have a fantastic story with stunning design, but they take away the control and with it, the potential for true creativity. No matter how well the player does in the game, the fate of the character will always be the same. In the end, it comes down to what kind of game the players are willing to indulge themselves in; to be controlled, or be in control themselves.

2018 FALL WINTER | 53

ALUMNI INTERVIEW WITH

TRINA WHITE

During the Renaissance Period, makeup was already an important element in the morning routine of nobility. Paler skin was considered more desirable at the time, with many women opting to apply white lead, mercury and vermilion to make their skin appear as pale as possible. Eyebrows were usually plucked to ensure that they were not overly prominent, and ideally, eyelashes were short and thin. Today, makeup and the trends surrounding it are almost unrecognisable compared to those of the Renaissance period. With cosmetics, technology and makeup FX being more advanced than ever, makeup artistry is an industry that many arts graduates are venturing into. The FUA Alumni Association caught up with Trina Nicole White, an FUA alum and Special Makeup FX artist based in LA. HI TRINA! TELL US A BIT ABOUT YOURSELF...

My name is Trina Nicole White. I am from Chicago, Illinois. I studied at FUA during the summer of 2008 and I graduated with a Bachelor’s degree in Fine Arts with a focus in Oil Painting from Northern Illinois University.

WHAT HAVE YOU BEEN UP TO SINCE LEAVING FUA? I am a Special Makeup FX artist for TV and Film in Los Angeles, California. Since leaving Florence, I attained my BFA at Northern Illinois University, worked as a freelance artist in Chicago, Illinois and went on to attend Makeup Designory in Los Angeles, California where I continued my creative endeavors through the art of special makeup FX WHY DID YOU CHOOSE TO STUDY ABROAD IN FLORENCE? I chose to study in Florence because I had always been fascinated with its art history since I was a little girl looking at art books in my grandfather’s art studio. I made the right choice because I have so many great memories from FUA to look back on. I especially loved my drawing classes when we got to explore the city with our sketchbooks and I was also lucky enough to make some best friends for life in Florence!

WHAT WOULD YOU SAY TO SOMEONE WHO IS THINKING OF STUDYING AT FUA? I would say to future students that they should not pass up the opportunity to travel and study at FUA. It expanded my perspective and forever gave me the confidence to explore the world and dive deep into my own potential to grow as a creative person. FUA connected me with artists from all around the world, some of which I still work with in the film industry today, and provided me with an unforgettable experience.

WHAT ARE YOUR PLANS FOR THE FUTURE? My plans for the future are to continue expressing myself through art, writing, and film and nurture my own special makeup FX company, Triangle FX.

BLENDING

encourages students to keep a

MIND & BODY b

a

l

a

n

c

e

LA PALESTRA OFFERS FREE CLASSES WITH GYM EQUIPMENT FOR FUA STUDENTS La Palestra - FUA Corso Tintori, 21 - Florence Contact: sld-studentservices@fua.it

B BLENDING