BLENDING Magazine Spring/Summer 2017

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20

YEARS OF APICIUS INNOVATION

APICIUS CONFERENCE 2017

ATTITUDE Mefa Raps Dante

THE LANGUAGE OF INNOVATION Aria Advertising

JOURNALING What Makes Us Human?

FASHION&ST Y LE

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ARTS

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T R AV E L

TRAVEL WRITING Expanding Views through Technology FUA ALUMNI Designer Dominic Sondag

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WRITING

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ALUMNI

Florence University of the Arts Where studies transform CULINARY ARTS

FASHION

into real-world GANZO* is a school but with non-traditional classrooms where the Apicius students and faculty develop seasonal menus and share them with the general public.

INGORDA* The J School campus press creates books on gastronomy, design, travel, and lifestyle in collaboration with FUA students and faculty.

Via dei Macci, 85red tel +39 055 241076

Via dell'Oriuolo, 43 tel +39 055 0332745 jschoolfua.com

FLY* Fashion Loves You supports the FAST fashion academics and collaborates with emerging Italian designers.

Borgo Pinti, 20red tel +39 055 0333174 fly.fashionlovesyou.it

PUBLISHING

experiences

* Ganzo, FLY and Ingorda are respectively the CEMI of the Apicius, FAST, J School academic divisions at FUA. CEMI stands for Community Engagement Member Institution, and represents integration projects that are a part of FUA’s academic campuses and open to the greater community. It is where students and faculty can put into practice and experiment with their academic coursework.

Photo by John Tyson

ԄŚȈɽȃɁʍɽ ɽɨƃǁȈɽȈɁȶӗ ƃɨɽ Ȉɰ ƃ ːɁƺȟ Ɂǹ ɰȃljljɥ ʥȈɽȃɁʍɽ ƃ ƺȟ Ɂǹ ɰȃljljɥ ʥȈɽȃɁʍɽ ƃ ɰȃljɥȃljɨǁӝ ŚȈɽȃɁʍɽ ȈȶȶɁʤƃɽȈɁȶӗ Ȉɽ Ȉɰ ƃ ƺɁɨɥɰljӝԅ ȶӗ Ȉɽ Ȉɰ ƃ ƺɁɨɥɰljӝԅ

- Winston Churchill, UK K Prime Minister Ӡěȃlj ȈȶȶɁʤƃɽȈɁȶ ɥɁȈȶɽ Ȉɰ ɽȃlj ɥȈʤɁɽƃȢ ȴɁȴljȶɽ ʥȃljȶ ɥȈʤɁɽƃȢ ȴɁȴljȶɽ ʥȃljȶ ɽƃȢljȶɽljǁ ƃȶǁ ȴɁɽȈʤƃɽljǁ ɥljɁɥȢlj ɰljljȟ ɽȃlj ɁɥɥɁɨɽʍȶȈɽʰ ɽɁ ɥȢlj ɰljljȟ ɽȃlj ɁɥɥɁɨɽʍȶȈɽʰ ɽɁ ƃƺɽ Ɂȶ ɽȃljȈɨ Ȉǁljƃɰ ƃȶǁ ǁɨljƃȴɰӝӠ ɰӝӠ

- W. Arthur Porter, American rican Educator

Ӡ°ʍɰɽ ƃɰ ljȶljɨǼʰ Ȉɰ ɽȃlj ƹƃɰȈɰ Ɂǹ ȢȈǹlj ȈɽɰljȢǹӗ ƃȶǁ Ȉǁljƃɰ ɽȃlj ȢȈǹlj ȈɽɰljȢǹӗ ƃȶǁ Ȉǁljƃɰ ɽȃlj ɁʤƃɽȈɁȶ ɽȃlj ʤȈɽƃȢ ɰɥƃɨȟ Ɂǹ ƃȢȢ ɰɁʍɨƺlj Ɂǹ ȈȶȶɁʤƃɽȈɁȶӗ ɰɁ Ȉɰ ȈȶȶɁʤƃɽȈɁȶ ɽȃlj ʤȈɽƃȢ ɰɥƃɨȟ Ɂǹ ƃȢȢ ȃʍȴƃȶ ƺȃƃȶǼljӗ ȈȴɥɨɁʤljȴljȶɽ ƃȶǁ ɥɨɁǼɨljɰɰӝӠ ɽ ƃȶǁ ɥɨɁǼɨljɰɰӝӠ

- Theodore Levitt, Harvard rvard Professor

Ӡ9ʍɽ ƃȶ ȈȶȶɁʤƃɽȈɁȶӗ ɽɁ ǼɨɁʥ ɁɨǼƃȶȈƺƃȢȢʰ ǹɨɁȴ ʥȈɽȃȈȶӗ ɨǼƃȶȈƺƃȢȢʰ ǹɨɁȴ ʥȈɽȃȈȶӗ ȃƃɰ ɽɁ ƹlj ƹƃɰljǁ Ɂȶ ƃȶ Ȉȶɽƃƺɽ ɽɨƃǁȈɽȈɁȶӝӠ ɽɨƃǁȈɽȈɁȶӝӠ

- Yo-Yo Ma, Cellist

Ӡ ȴƃǼȈȶƃɽȈɁȶ Ȉɰ ӝӝӝ ɽȃlj ʍȶȈɧʍljȢʰ ȃʍȴƃȶ ƺƃɥƃƺȈɽʰ ɽɁ ʰ ȃʍȴƃȶ ƺƃɥƃƺȈɽʰ ɽɁ ljȶʤȈɰȈɁȶ ɽȃƃɽ ʥȃȈƺȃ Ȉɰ ȶɁɽӗ ƃȶǁ ɽȃljɨljǹɁɨlj ɽȃlj ǹɁʍȶɽ Ɂǹ ƃȢȢ ǁ ɽȃljɨljǹɁɨlj ɽȃlj ǹɁʍȶɽ Ɂǹ ƃȢȢ ȈȶʤljȶɽȈɁȶ ƃȶǁ ȈȶȶɁʤƃɽȈɁȶӝӠ

- J.K. Rowling, Author

ӠKʯɥȢɁɨƃɽȈɁȶ Ȉɰ ɽȃlj ljȶǼȈȶlj ɽȃƃɽ ǁɨȈʤljɰ ȈȶȶɁʤƃɽȈɁȶӝ ƃɽ ǁɨȈʤljɰ ȈȶȶɁʤƃɽȈɁȶӝ ɨɁʥɽȃӝ ČɁ Ȣljɽӡɰ ƃȢȢ ǼɁ ȶȶɁʤƃɽȈɁȶ ǁɨȈʤljɰ ljƺɁȶɁȴȈƺ ǼɨɁʥɽȃӝ ČɁ Ȣljɽӡɰ ƃȢȢ ǼɁ ljʯɥȢɁɨȈȶǼӝӠ

- Edith Widder, Marine Biologist

Ӡ ȶȶɁʤƃɽȈɁȶ ƺɁȴljɰ Ɂʍɽ Ɂǹ Ǽɨljƃɽ ȃʍȴƃȶ ȈȶǼljȶʍȈɽʰ ƃȶǁ ƃɽ ȃʍȴƃȶ ȈȶǼljȶʍȈɽʰ ƃȶǁ ʤljɨʰ ɥljɨɰɁȶƃȢ ɥƃɰɰȈɁȶɰӝӠ

- Megan Smith, US Chief ef Technology Officer

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.

Illustratore / Illustrator ȶǁɨljƃ ÃƃȶƺȈȶȈ

Semestrale / Semesterly Magazine Reg. Trib. di Firenze n° 5844 del 29 luglio 2011 ISSN 2284-063X Anno 7 – Numero 1 – Primavera-Estate 2017 / Year 7 – Issue 1 – Spring-Summer 2017

Pubblicità seconda e terza di copertina / Inside Front and Back Cover Advertisement Pages Concept and Design by ĀƃɁȢƃ :ƃɨɨljɽljɨɁ Photographs by ěȃƃȟɁɨȶ °ƃȶɽɨɁƺȃɁɽ

Direttore Responsabile / Editor-in-chief ÃƃɽɽljɁ 9ɨɁǼȈ Caporedattore / Editorial Director {ɨƃƺlj °Ɂȃ Coordinamento editoriale / Managing Editor ¸ƃʍɨljȶ ĀʍǼȃ ++++++++++++ In redazione / Masthead Team di studenti / Student Magazine Teams led by ȶǁɨljƃ ÃƃȶƺȈȶȈ Layout project by the students of the Special Project Experiential Learning in Visual Communication - Graphic Design course: AƃȶȈljȢƃ °ʍƃȶljɰӗ Ąljȶƃɽƃ ĄɁƺȃljӗ KǁȈɽȃ ČƃȢljɰ Fashion section by the students of the Fashion Magazine Project course: ěƃȢʍɰ ȶǁɁȢɰljȟӗ ¶ƃɽƃɨȈȶƃ 9ɨʍȶljɽɽljӗ ÃƃɨȈƃ :ɁȢƃȢƃȶƺȈƃӗ ¸ljɁȶ yɨȈƺȟӗ ČɽljȈȶȶʍȶȶ ĄɁɰ {ʍǁɰɽljȈȶɰǁɁɽɽȈɨӗ Aljɨlj ȶljʰӗ 9ɨȈɽɽƃȶʰ Ɂƺȃȴƃȶӗ Ȣljʯƃ ¸ɁʍɨɁӗ Čƃȴƃȶɽȃƃ Ãƺ:ƃȶȶӗ KȢʤȈɨƃ ČƃʍƺljǁɁӗ řȈƺɽɁɨȈƃ ČȴȈɽȃ Copertina e pagine di apertura sezione / Cover and Section Openers AƃȶȈljȢƃ °ʍƃȶljɰӗ Ąljȶƃɽƃ ĄɁƺȃljӗ KǁȈɽȃ ČƃȢljɰ

Photo by Sebastian B.

Redazione / Copy Editors °Ɂɨǁƃȶ ¸ljȴȟljӗ ȢȢƃʰȶƃ ÇɁǹɰ

Ringraziamenti / Special Thanks To KȢȈɰƃ yȈɁɨʍƺƺȈӗ ȶǁɨljƃ ÃƃȶƺȈȶȈӗ Ãƃɨɽƃ ĄʍɰɰɁӗ ÇȈƺɁȢljɽɽƃ ČƃȢɁȴɁȶ ++++++++++++ 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 ɨɽȈǼɨƃǹӸěɁƺƺƃǹɁȶǁȈ Via Palestro 11 50013 Campi Bisenzio (FI) Il numero è stato chiuso in redazione nel mese di aprile 2017 / This issue was completed in April 2017 Copyright © 2017 by Florence Campus, Firenze All rights reserved

The Semesterly Magazine of Florence University of the Arts

4Letter from Editor FUA ANNUAL CONFERENCE

5Apicius Conference Recap

TRAVEL

32Expanding Worldviews Through Technology

35Room for Reality in a Virtual World

WRITING FASHION

8Aria Advertising: The

Language of Innovation

12Architectural

Metamorphosis: Studio 10

15L’Abito Che Vorrei:

38What Makes Us Human?

The Journals of Sauro Guarnieri

40The Art of Handwriting: A Triptych

42Casa della Stilografica: Penning Innovation

Fashion Made to Measure

17Reverse Innovation:

Fashion Photographer Riccardo Cavallari

Brunellesca: A Story 20

ALUMNI

46Re-Innovating Menswear: FUA Fashion Alumnus Dominic Sondag

to Be Worn

ARTS

24Attitude: Florentine

Artist Mefa Raps Dante

28The Innovative Process: How Does Your Creative Mind Work?

SPRING SUMMER 2017

TABLE OF CONTENTS

A P IC I U S A N N UA L C ON F E R E NC E

LETTER FROM THE EDITOR

We are excited to share with you the culmination of a semester-long joint effort between FUA students, instructors and staff. As always, our Spring publication takes inspiration from the annual Apicius conference, and this year’s conference title, Teaching Traditions: 20 years of Apicius Innovation, opened the door to many compelling and fascinating articles. This issue also features a substantial section dedicated to fashion, thanks to a special collaboration with FUA’s Fashion Magazine Project course. Ԅěȃljɨlj ƃɨlj ȶɁɽ ȴɁɨlj ɽȃƃȶ ˎʤlj ȴʍɰȈƺƃȢ ȶɁɽljɰӗ ʰljɽ ɽȃlj ƺɁȴƹȈȶƃɽȈɁȶɰ Ɂǹ ɽȃljɰlj ˎʤlj ǼȈʤlj ɨȈɰlj ɽɁ ȴɁɨlj ȴljȢɁǁȈljɰ ɽȃƃȶ ƺƃȶ ljʤljɨ ƹlj ȃljƃɨǁӝ ěȃljɨlj ƃɨlj ȶɁɽ ȴɁɨlj ɽȃƃȶ ˎʤlj ɥɨȈȴƃɨʰ ƺɁȢɁɨɰӗ ʰljɽ Ȉȶ ƺɁȴƹȈȶƃɽȈɁȶ they produce more hues than can ever been seen. ěȃljɨlj ƃɨlj ȶɁɽ ȴɁɨlj ɽȃƃȶ ˎʤlj ƺƃɨǁȈȶƃȢ ɽƃɰɽljɰӗ ʰljɽ ƺɁȴƹȈȶƃɽȈɁȶɰ Ɂǹ ɽȃljȴ ʰȈljȢǁ ȴɁɨlj ːƃʤɁɨɰ ɽȃƃȶ ƺƃȶ ljʤljɨ ƹlj ɽƃɰɽljǁӝԅ »Ǎƭ ǒǵȻƭȦȣȦƭȻƃȻǒȀǵ ȀDž ȻǍƭ ƟȀǵƟƭȣȻ ȀDž ǒǵǵȀɚƃȻǒȀǵ Ȧƭ˵ƭƟȻƭƦ ǒǵ ȻǍƭ ƃƞȀɚƭ excerpt, taken from Sun Tzu’s The Art of War, is the same interpretation that serves as the driving force behind this issue of Blending Magazine.

That is, innovation seen not as the doing away with the old to make room for something entirely new, but rather as a unique combination ȀDž ȻȦƃƦǒȻǒȀǵƃǪ ƭǪƭdzƭǵȻȮ ǒǵ ǵȀɚƭǪ ɛƃɡ Ԝ ǒǵ˴ǵǒȻƭ ȣȀȮȮǒƞǒǪǒȻǒƭȮ DžȀȦ DžɃȻɃȦƭ inventions, applications, ideas and developments built upon the solid foundations of tradition.

In this issue, we have challenged our authors to examine the city of Florence, its history, culture, monuments, businesses, people, traditions Ӻ ƃǵƦ Ȧƭ˵ƭƟȻ ɃȣȀǵ ȻǍƭ ɛƃɡ ȻǍƭ ȣƃȮȻӹ ȣȦƭȮƭǵȻӹ ƃǵƦ DžɃȻɃȦƭ ƞǪƭǵƦ ȻȀdžƭȻǍƭȦ in an original or unexpected way: an up-and-coming Florentine rapper ɛǍȀ ˴ǵƦȮ ǒǵȮȣǒȦƃȻǒȀǵ ǒǵ 'ƃǵȻƭԪȮ Inferno; the relationship between virtual and physical reality in experiencing the world’s most historic monuments; Ȧƭ˵ƭƟȻǒȀǵȮ Ȁǵ ȻǍƭ ǍǒȮȻȀȦɡӹ ƭɚȀǪɃȻǒȀǵ ƃǵƦ DžɃȻɃȦƭ ȀDž ȻǍƭ ȣƭǵ ǒǵ ƃ ɛȀȦǪƦ ȻǍƃȻ ǒȮ ever-more digitized.

With our sincerest auguri that something in the following pages strikes a new and innovative chord in our readers,

Happy Reading, Grace Joh and Lauren Pugh

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SPRING-SUMMER 2017

A P IC I U S A N N UA L C ON F E R E NC E

ĝ ¡Ê èÜ Ã ã«ã¼ Ê¡ ã¨«Ü ú ØʰÜ Õ« «èÜ Êá Ø Ã «Ü 㨠«ÃÜÕ«Ø ã«Êà ¡ÊØ ã¨ Êó Ø Ø ¨«Ã¢ 㨠 ʡ ã¨«Ü «ÜÜè Ê¡ ¼ à «Ã¢ A ¢ ÿ«Ã ʂ «ÃÃÊó ã«ÊÃʈ ĝ Êá Ø Ã Õ Ã ¼«ÜãÜ ùÕ¼ÊØ ã¨«Ü ÂÊã«¡ ¡ØÊ ó Øú«Ã¢ â¼ Üʃ ô«ã¨ Êà ʡãʢØ èØثâ Êà ¼èÜ«ÊÃʂ «ÃÃÊó ã«Êà «Ü «ÃãØ«ÃÜ« ¼¼ú ¼«Ã¹ ãÊ ãØ «ã«ÊÃʈ

T E ACH I NG T R A DI T IONS : 2 0 Y E A R S OF A PICI US I N NOVAT ION ú ;«ó« Zãèؼ Ü ʃ S¨ÊãÊ ú ó« Ã Ø r «ÜÜ This year marks the 20th Anniversary of Apicius International School of Hospitality, celebrated during the school’s 3rd annual ƺɁȶǹljɨljȶƺljӗ ԄěljƃƺȃȈȶǼ ěɨƃǁȈɽȈɁȶɰӖ їѕ ťljƃɨɰ Ɂǹ ɥȈƺȈʍɰ ȶȶɁʤƃɽȈɁȶӝԅ The conference was hosted by FUA at Palazzo Bombicci Guicciardini Strozzi on March 18.

The event covered a full day of talks and activities dedicated to ȈȶȶɁʤƃɽȈɁȶ ƃȶǁ Ȉɽɰ Ȉȶːʍljȶƺlj Ȉȶ ɽȃlj ˎljȢǁɰ Ɂǹ ɁɰɥȈɽƃȢȈɽʰӗ ljƃȢɽȃ and Nutrition, and Food and Wine studies.

This year’s keynote speaker was Ona Ashley, Director of Hospitality Management at Johnson County Community College in Kansas. Ashley shared with conference goers the importance of experiential learning opportunities in Hospitality Programs and how they represent an integral part of the hospitality Industry and the local community.

The conference opened with remarks from the Vice-Mayor of the Municipality of Florence, Cristina Giachi, who emphasized ɽȃlj ȈȴɥɁɨɽƃȶƺlj ɽȃƃɽ ƃʍɽȃljȶɽȈƺ ˎɨɰɽӸȃƃȶǁ ljʯɥljɨȈljȶƺljɰ ȃɁȢǁ ǹɁɨ international students in Florence. Giachi encouraged students ɽɁ ȢȈʤlj ɽȃlj ƺȈɽʰ Ȣljɰɰ ɰʍɥljɨˎƺȈƃȢȢʰ ƃȶǁ ǁljȢʤlj ǁljljɥ ȈȶɽɁ ɽȃlj ƺʍȢɽʍɨlj and traditions that set Florence apart in all areas, from culinary ƃɨɽɰ ɽɁ ȃȈɰɽɁɨʰ ƃȶǁ ɽȃlj ˎȶlj ƃɨɽɰӝ

Nutritionist for ACF Fiorentina pro soccer team, Cristian Petri, together with Andrea Trapani, Executive Chef of ACF Fiorentiȶƃ ƃȶǁ ɥȈƺȈʍɰӗ Ɂɥljȶljǁ ɽȃlj ˎɨɰɽ ɥƃȶljȢ ȴɁǁljɨƃɽljǁ ƹʰ ɥȈƺȈʍɰ Executive Sous Chef Massimo Bocus. Their talk addressed the history and current research trends in sports and nutrition, how ɽȃlj ɥɨɁɥljɨɽȈljɰ Ɂǹ ƺljɨɽƃȈȶ Ԅɰʍɥljɨ ǹɁɁǁɰԅ ƃǹǹljƺɽ ƃȶ ƃɽȃȢljɽljԇɰ ƹɁǁʰӗ and the ways in which these discoveries are incorporated into ɽȃlj ɰɥɁɨɽɰ Ȉȶǁʍɰɽɨʰӝ ěȃlj ɨljƺljȶɽȢʰ ǁȈɰƺɁʤljɨljǁ ƹljȶljˎɽɰ Ɂǹ ƹljljɽroot, for example, have led to innovative ways of consuming the ingredient such as making gelato with it.

After a welcome from Rita Pelagotti from the Florence Chamƹljɨ Ɂǹ :Ɂȴȴljɨƺljӗ ¸ljɁȶƃɨǁɁ 9ƃȶǁȈȶljȢȢȈ Ɂǹ :ɁȶˎȶǁʍɰɽɨȈƃ ěɁɰcana, Tuscany’s most important industry federation, gave an inspiring speech. Bandinelli shared the idea that every tradition was actually once a successful innovation and, as the famous Italian author Italo Calvino wrote, “Memory [and tradition] only truly matter – for individuals, for communities, for society - if they take into account both the mark of the past as well ƃɰ ɽȃlj ɥɨɁȚljƺɽ ǹɁɨ ɽȃlj ǹʍɽʍɨljӝԅ ěȃlj ƺȃƃȢȢljȶǼlj ɽȃƃɽ yȢɁɨljȶɽȈȶlj industries face today, in fact, is how to transform modern innovations into traditions.

Simone Cipriani, the chef of the Florentine restaurant Essenziale, illustrated the history of technical culinary innovation, from French classical and nouvelle cuisine to creative cuisine and the avant-garde revolution launched by Ferran Adrià at el Bulli. Cipriani spoke about how the way we conceive culinary arts has constantly been in evolution. In a time where we are increasingly surrounded by haute cuisine - in the media, on TV, and on social networks - we are in need of something Ԅȶljʥԅ ɽȃƃɽ ƺƃȶ ɰƃɽȈɰǹʰ ɽȃlj Ȉȶɽljɨljɰɽ ƃȶǁ ɥƃȢƃɽlj Ɂǹ Ɂʍɨ ƺʍɰɽɁȴljɨɰӝ However, Cipriani shared, he believes that the future lies in tradition. We already have the techniques, the products, and

SPRING-SUMMER 2017

* 5

A P IC I U S A N N UA L C ON F E R E NC E

fua aNNUAL cONFERENCE the know-how necessary to create a new tradition. Tradition + Tradition = Innovation.

In connection with Simone Cipriani’s discussion, pastry chef Ilaria Di Marzio agreed that a solid foundation in basic culinary techniques, especially in molecular cuisine, was key to the ǹʍɽʍɨlj Ɂǹ ɽȃȈɰ ˎljȢǁӝ ěȃlj Āƃɰɽɨʰ ɨɽɰ ƃɨlj Ȉȶ ƺɁȶɽȈȶʍɁʍɰ ljʤɁȢʍɽȈɁȶӗ but the knowledge and know-how of the profession have deep roots in tradition.

During the lunch break, Apicius Culinary Arts and Baking and Pastry students presented a tasting session with a varied menu created with basic ingredients from our six featured producers: FRANTOIO PRUNETI extra virgin olive oil, ARTIGIANALE FABBRI pasta, PILA VECIA rice, ACETAIA MALPIGHI balsamic vinegar, FATTORIA CORZANO E PATERNO cheeses, and meats from SAVIGNI. Producers were present with Apicius students during the tasting panel.

In the afternoon, a second panel was opened by Sonia PeɨɁȶƃƺȈӗ ƃ ɨljȶɁʥȶljǁ Ȉȶːʍljȶƺljɨ Ȉȶ ɽȃlj ɽƃȢȈƃȶ ƺʍȢȈȶƃɨʰ ɰƺljȶljӝ ȶ їѕѕћӗ ɰȃlj ƺɨljƃɽljǁ {ȈƃȢȢɁ˃ƃǹǹljɨƃȶɁӝȈɽӗ ɽȃlj ˎɨɰɽ ɽƃȢȈƃȶ ǹɁɁǁ blog, which became immediately the top food website in Italy Ȉȶ ɽljɨȴɰ Ɂǹ ɽɨƃǹˎƺ ƃȶǁ ɨljȢȈƃƹȈȢȈɽʰӝ ljɨ ʥȈȶȶȈȶǼ ƺƃɨǁ ʥƃɰ ɽȃlj simple and effective format of easy-to-read recipes explained with step-by-step photos of the entire process, and particular attention to the quality and precision of the recipes.

Domenico Pellegrini, from the Department of Health Sciences, Clinical Pharmacology, and Oncology Unit of the University of Florence spoke about food dependency. For the World Health Organization, addiction today is considered a neurobiologiƺƃȢ ǁȈɰljƃɰljӝ ȶȈɽȈƃȢȢʰ ƺɁȶˎȶljǁ ɽɁ ɽȃlj ƃƹʍɰlj Ɂǹ ǁɨʍǼɰ Ɂɨ ƃȢƺɁȃɁȢӗ the concept of addiction has been extended nowadays to pathological behaviors such as physical exercise dependence, compulsive shopping, sexual hyperactivity, internet abuse and gambling, and the compulsive consumption of palatable food.

Paolo Sacchetti, a well-regarded pastry chef from Prato, explained how tradition is important in pastry, especially in Tuscany. Among the many arts which have made Florence famous ʥɁɨȢǁʥȈǁljӗ ěʍɰƺƃȶ ɥƃɰɽɨʰ ƃɨɽɰ ƃɨlj Ɂȶlj Ɂǹ ɽȃlj ˎȶljɰɽӝ

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Initially enjoyed only in the courts of the wealthy upper class, the sweets of master Florentine pastry chefs were made using ingredients typical of the time and that were oftentimes limited. Such limitations obliged pastry artists to get creative, inventing original and one-of-a-kind desserts. They have since been passed down through generations and exported ɽȃɨɁʍǼȃɁʍɽ ɽȃlj ʥɁɨȢǁӗ ˎɨɰɽ ɽȃɨɁʍǼȃ ɽȃlj ƺɁʍɨɽɰӗ ƃȶǁ ɽȃljȶ ɽɁ ɽȃlj ƺɁȴȴɁȶljɨɰӗ ƃȶǁ ˎȶƃȢȢʰ ɽɁ Ɂʍɨ ǁȈȶȶljɨ ɽƃƹȢljɰ ɽɁǁƃʰӝ ČƃƺƺȃljɽɽȈ is committed to preserving this rich tradition for future generations to come, safeguarding and reinventing the recipes that are an integral part of Tuscany’s heritage.

AʍɨȈȶǼ ɽȃlj ˎȶƃȢ ɰɥljljƺȃ Ɂǹ ɽȃlj ɰljƺɁȶǁ ɥƃȶljȢӗ ÃƃɨƺɁ ěɁȶljȢȢȈӗ sommelier and journalist, spoke about wine communication.

Technology has brought about improvements in the precision of wine production as well as in the tools and speed of wine marketing. Nevertheless, wine seems to be anchored to descriptive stereotypes. Tonelli listed the essential conditions ȶljƺljɰɰƃɨʰ ǹɁɨ ƺɁȴȴʍȶȈƺƃɽȈȶǼ ʥȈȶlj Ȉȶ ƃ ƹɨɁƃǁljɨӗ ȴɁɨlj ljǹˎƺȈljȶɽ and comprehensible way. He shared useful tips not only for understanding wine itself, but also for understanding the wine market in general – a sector in which only those who truly understand the value of what they are buying are willing to spend their own time, money, and resources. ěȃlj Ȣƃɰɽ ɥƃȶljȢӗ ɽȈɽȢljǁ ԄĩȶǁljɨɰɽƃȶǁȈȶǼ ĂʍƃȢȈɽʰӗԅ ʥƃɰ ƃ ƹȢȈȶǁ tasting experience of twelve different high quality Italian wines conducted by the students of the Viticulture and Enology: An Educational Wine Tour II course. FUA wine instructor Massimo Coppetti shared: “Quality in wine, as in life, is fundamental.

Often the idea of ‘quality’ is associated with the subjective perceptions of each single individual. The main goal of this panel, organized and led by the Apicius School of Food and Wine Studies (Wine Expertise Dept.), is to associate the concept of ɧʍƃȢȈɽʰ ʥȈɽȃ ɁƹȚljƺɽȈʤlj ƃȶƃȢʰɽȈƺƃȢ ƺɨȈɽljɨȈƃӝԅ The jury, comprised of students and professors, was asked to analyze the quality of different wine types according to the standards set forth by A.I.S., the Italian Sommelier Association.

The panel aimed to highlight the excellent cognitive abilities of students hailing from diverse continents (the Americas, Africa, ɰȈƃӗ ƃȶǁ KʍɨɁɥljӰӗ ƃǹˎɨȴȈȶǼ ɽȃlj ɰʰȴƹɁȢȈƺ ɨljȢƃɽȈɁȶɰȃȈɥ ƹljɽʥljljȶ wine and the importance of diversity.

Ä€ČƒÉ É˝É ĆšĘ° É¨É˝ČˆËŽĆşČˆĆƒČ˘ Ä€ČƒÉ É˝É ÇźÉ¨ĆƒÉĽČƒĘ°

Fa s h i o n is in the sky, in the street, fashion has to do with i d e a s the way we live, what is happening. ʢ ĂŠÂ?ĂŠ Â¨Â ĂƒÂ—Âź

Fashion &Style

FA S H ION& S T Y L E

Known for his work in movies, photography and advertisements seen world-wide, Michele Pecchioli sits down with ¼ à «Ã¢ A ¢ ÿ«Ã to share what it means to bring innovation to the fashion industry.

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Fashion &Style

CREATIVE DIRECTOR Michele Pecchioli is the Creative Director at Aria Advertising located in Florence, Italy. Pecchioli was born in Florence and raised in an environment enriched by art. He began his career ČˆČś É˝ČƒÇ‰ ËŽÇ‰Č˘Ç É Çš ĆşÉ Č´Č´Ę?ČśČˆĆşĆƒÉ˝ČˆÉ ČśÓ— ĆƒÉ° Ćƒ ÉĽČƒÉ É˝É ÇźÉ¨Ćƒpher and photojournalist, and now works in advertising and the production of short movies.

Pecchioli has traveled the world working with major brands such as Roberto Cavalli, Yamamay, Kiton, Preca, and Kimbo. His love for fashion is one of his main inspirations that has propelled him throughout his career.

Ăş ZÂ Ă‚Â ĂƒĂŁÂ¨Â AÂ? Â ĂƒĂƒ Â ĂƒÂ“ Â—Ă˜Â— )ĂƒÂ—Ăş

Aria Advertising: The Language of Innovation Aria Adv

@AriaAdv

SPRING-SUMMER 2017

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Q&A What does innovation mean to you?

It is impossible to speak about innovation in general terms because it is always changing. The latest innovation in advertising is the new language advertisers are using in their work.

This language has changed the advertising world: it has helped the viewer relate to the advertisements and understand them better. Language is the secret to being innovative in fashion.

How does Italy inspire you to be creative in your projects?

The history, art, and architecture of Italy, and Europe in general, ƃɨlj ȈȴɥɁɨɽƃȶɽ Ȉȶːʍljȶƺljɨɰ Ȉȶ ȴʰ ʥɁɨȟӝ ɽ Ȉɰ ʤljɨʰ ȈȴɥɁɨɽƃȶɽ ǹɁɨ me to be seen as European and not just Italian, because being European means being cultured and well-rounded. I speak the language of Europe. French and Dutch artwork are both big sources of inspiration, despite their extreme differences. The Ȣʍʯʍɨʰӗ ȢȈǼȃɽӗ ƃȶǁ ƺɁȢɁɨɰ Ɂǹ yɨljȶƺȃ ƃɨɽ Ȉȶːʍljȶƺlj ȴʰ ʥɁɨȟӝ Ýȶ ɽȃlj contrary, the dark photographs and backgrounds of Dutch art are also captivating. My work environment inspires me as well: ɽȃlj Ǽƃɨǁljȶ ƹljȃȈȶǁ ȴʰ Ɂǹˎƺlj Ȉɰ ʥȃljɨlj ƃȴ ȴɁɰɽ ƺɨljƃɽȈʤljӝ What inspired your interest in advertising?

For 25 years, it was all about fashion, and even though it's one of my biggest passions, things are different now. I started out as a fashion photographer, and as time went on, I realized that I wanted to write and make movies. The beauty of language got me hooked on advertising. I see with my eyes and that goes beyond anything you could ever hear. Hard work and dedication have allowed me to move forward with my company and my dreams.

What has been your biggest obstacle and how did you overcome it?

The biggest obstacle of working for Aria Advertising is being located in the relatively small town of Florence. One can never stay in one place. Traveling often to bigger cities such as Paris, London, or Milan is inevitable, but leaving Florence means leaving home. Florence gives me the inspiration that I need most.

What has been your biggest accomplishment?

I think that presenting the Opera Del Duomo book, Opera viva, to the Pope was one of the biggest accomplishments of my career. It is a collection of photographs of the women and men who work at the Duomo performing their daily tasks, and the volume captures their contributions to the conservation of this historic religious monument.

Who are your favorite photographers?

Mario Testino and Andrzej Dragan.

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"Language is the secret to making innovations in fashion."

FA S H ION

What is your advice on failure?

In every success there is failure and before every failure there is success. I believe that failures do not exist, and that if you work hard, then you are doing what is important and the mistakes you make are only a part of the learning process. It is essential to explain this to students: learning from failure will lead to success.

What qualities do the best advertising agents have?

In my opinion, a great advertiser has a simple and clever mind, a good sense of humor, and is detail-oriented and engaged in his or her work.

Do you like working with international companies?

I work frequently in China, a country which is perpetually living in the future. It is a large country with such a unique and interesting history, and there is always something new to discover.

One challenge of working with other countries is that it can be ǁȈǹˎƺʍȢɽ ɽɁ ƺɁȴȴʍȶȈƺƃɽljӗ ȶɁɽ ɁȶȢʰ ȢȈȶǼʍȈɰɽȈƺƃȢȢʰ ƹʍɽ ƃȢɰɁ ƺʍȢɽʍɨally, because the pace of life is so different. I enjoy experiencing this unique point of view as a part of my job.

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ARCHITECTURAL METAMORPHIS ú 9 ã Ø«Ã Øèà ãã S¨ÊãÊÜ ÊèØã Üú Ê¡ Zãè «Ê Ⱥȹ

ČɽʍǁȈɁ 10 9ȈƃȶƺȃȈ ƃȶǁ 9ƃƺƺȈɁȶȈ ɨƺȃȈɽljƺɽɰ Studio 10 was created in 2007 by Roberto Baccioni and Simona Bianchi. They are located in a former artist’s workshop in Florence, Italy. The company designs spaces that showcase the true identity of brands. Studio 10 has proudly worked with companies such as Gucci, Replay, Maniboo, and Sundek. The goal of Studio 10 is to incorporate new design processes by using technical aspects for cutting-edge results.

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FA S H ION& S T Y L E

How do art and fashion relate?

We at Studio 10 believe that the art of constructing a store speaks volumes about the brand and what the customers' shopping experience will be like. The design and layout must correspond with the brand's desired image. In retail, there are three fundamental elements: environment, product, and people. These three things determine if a customer will return to the store. The customer will remember the atmosphere and environment of their shopping experience, how the product is presented and its quality, as well as the employees.

Are there any laws or constraints that must be followed when working with a company?

Every project is different in regards to constraints. There are laws which regulate the building along with the impact on the environment and it is essential to request permission prior to construction. Sometimes companies know exactly what they want and already have a formal plan that is presented to us. However, some brands desire a fresh and new layout for their store and collaborate with us to brainstorm a successful plan. This allows us at Studio 10 to have more creative freedom. Also, there are cost and space restrictions when working with each brand.

What is it like working on a fashion store versus other residential projects?

Fashion stores are different from Studio 10’s other projects such as residential homes, simply due to the quantity of people who will pass through the space each day. There is more responsibility when working on a fashion store and you have to work faster. However, for our other projects and from previous ljʯɥljɨȈljȶƺljӗ Ɂʍɨ Ȣljƃɰɽ ǹƃʤɁɨȈɽlj ɽʰɥlj Ɂǹ ƺȢȈljȶɽɰ ƃɨlj ǁljˎȶȈɽljȢʰ ƹɁɨljǁ spouses who do not work, and retired men.

“There is more responsibility when working on a fashion store and you have to work quicker.”

Is working in Florence challenging?

It can at times be challenging because a numerous amount of interested clients and companies in the area may be lacking at times. Most high-end brands are located in historic buildings so we must preserve the original structure. On the other hand, we love being located in Florence because the city inspires us.

Florence is known to be very artistic, historic, and at the same time very creative, and this allows us to come up with many new ideas.

What are the differences between old palazzi, modern design, and functionality when working on a fashion store?

At Studio 10, we try to truly understand each city and building that we are working in, and accentuate the beautiful parts of each. Certain stores are exactly the same in every location. For example, the Prada store in Florence looks identical to the one in Milan. We try to differentiate the chain stores we work on as much as possible, as the individual store's uniqueness will be key to it’s success.

How does your company relate to innovation?

Studio 10 just opened a store in Florence called SOTF, Store of the Future. The goal was to create something that did not already exist. We combined the online shopping experience and the in-store experience. One side of the store has the physical product, the other side has iPads which allow you to order the items and have them shipped directly to your home. People are beginning to prefer this new concept of shopping because many prefer to avoid interaction or be "bothered" by store employees. This method allows the customer to have an independent and streamlined shopping experience. ÚǍȀ ƃȦƭ ȻǍƭ ƃȦƟǍǒȻƭƟȻȮ ȻǍƃȻ ƃȦƭ dzȀȮȻ ǒǵ˵ɃƭǵȻǒƃǪ ȻȀ ­ȻɃƦǒȀ 10’s design style?

We look up to Brunelleschi, the famous Florentine who designed the iconic dome of Florence’s basilica, because we are intrigued by the deeper meaning behind Brunelleschi’s work and projects. ÚǍƃȻ ɃȣƟȀdzǒǵdž ȣȦȀǣƭƟȻȮ ǒȮ ­ȻɃƦǒȀ ѽѼ ƭɠƟǒȻƭƦ ȻȀ ƃǵǵȀɃǵƟƭӿ We have six or seven new on-going projects at the moment. A few that are the most exciting are a showroom in Milan, a Replay store in Brazil, as well as some newly acquired restaurant clients. Stay tuned to see what the future holds!

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Roberto Baccioni and Simona Bianchi, both born in 1970, have worked together since 2000. They have different strengths and skills coming from complementary training experiences.

­ǒdzȀǵƃ ǒƃǵƟǍǒԪȮ education focused on Interior Design and Restoration. In the early years of her career, she worked at one of Florence's top studios for historical building restoration. She has participated in the restoration of many Florentine palaces dating back to the 15th and 16th centuries and has designed homes for prestigious clients.

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Roberto Baccioni developed strong technical and construction skills thanks to his multifaceted training. His expertise in the ˎljȢǁ ƃȢȢɁʥɰ ȃȈȴ ɽɁ ɽʍɨȶ ǁljɰȈǼȶȈȶǼ ȈȶɽɁ ƃ ɥɨɁƺljɰɰ ʥȈɽȃ ƃ ȃȈǼȃ ɨƃɽlj Ɂǹ ljǹˎƺȈljȶƺʰӗ ƹɁɽȃ ǹɁɨ ɽljƺȃȶȈƺƃȢ ƃȶǁ ljƺɁȶɁȴȈƺ ɁɥɽȈȴȈ˃ƃɽȈɁȶӝ

FA S H ION& S T Y L E

L’Abito Che Vorrei:

Fas h i o n M a d e to M e as u r e G

uiliana Becattini is a Florentine dressmaker, designer, and the current emerging designer at FLY. Since 2011, she has operated out of her own fashion house and store, L’Abito Che Vorrei. Her atelier combines tradition with innovation. She concentrates on handmade contemporary clothing for women with special attention to detail. Her devotion for fashion has evolved throughout her life and shows through her designs.

Guiliana’s passion and gift came from her family. Her father and grandmother passed on the gift of constructing and working with their hands. She has always felt passionate about fashion and style. She believes it is something you feel within you throughout your life: passions don’t develop overnight. Her technique is different than most designers, because she is both a designer and a dressmaker. First, she learned how to tailor clothing and make dresses from patterns. Then, she started to put her personality into the patterns which led to her developing the desire to design her own ideas.

Ăş ÂźĂłÂŤĂ˜Â Z èÂ?—“Ê ËŻ qÂŤÂ?ĂŁĂŠĂ˜ÂŤÂ Zã¨ SÂ¨ĂŠĂŁĂŠĂœ ÂŒĂş AÂ Ă˜ÂŤÂ ĂŠÂźÂ ÂźÂ ĂƒÂ?ÂŤÂ Instagram: @Labitochevorrei Pinterest: @Labitochevorrei Facebook: L’abito Che Vorrei Email: info@labitochevorrei.it Studio address: Via Romana, 62/r, 50125, Firenze - Italia FLY address: Borgo Pinti, 20/r, 50122 Firenze - Italia

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Q&A Does your educational background include fashion?

Actually, my educational background is in Business and Finance. I taught myself how to tailor, sew from patterns, and think of new concepts for designs. It wasn’t until 2009 that I decided to pursue my dream and open up a studio. My background was useful in preparing a business plan and being a successful entrepreneur. I knew it would be a risk, but it was a special project I was passionate about and I am proud to be a self-made woman. In June 2011, I opened my atelier, L’Abito Che Vorrei.

What is the meaning of L’abito Che Vorrei? ¸ԇ ƹȈɽɁ :ȃlj řɁɨɨljȈ ɽɨƃȶɰȢƃɽljɰ ɽɁ ԄÃʰ ǁɨljƃȴ ƺȢɁɽȃljɰԅ Ɂɨ ԄAɨljƃȴ ǁɨljɰɰӝԅ ɥȈƺȟljǁ ɽȃȈɰ ȶƃȴlj ɽɁ ljȶƺɁʍɨƃǼlj ɥljɁɥȢlj ɽɁ ʥƃȶɽ ɽɁ ʥƃȢȟ into the shop. Since I am able to both design and construct clothes, my store is a place where women can go to get the exact clothes they want and imagine. They can decide the length, fabric, colors, and more, and I bring it to life for them. More recently, I expanded my products to be sold in other clothing stores around Europe. I wanted a more recognizable name for customers of all languages, so I developed the brand Be Giuls. I picked this name because it is the beginning of my last name, 9ljƺƃɽɽȈȶȈӗ ƃȶǁ ȴʰ ˎɨɰɽ ȶƃȴljӗ {ʍȈȢȈƃȶƃӝ ěȃȈɰ ȶƃȴlj ɨljɥɨljɰljȶɽɰ my personality which I put into all my designs.

Who is your target market?

Women of all ages. Clients can range in age from their 20s to their 80s. The customers that shop my designs are typically looking for something one-of-a-kind. My pieces are the not typical items you see in chain stores. The designs are elegant, contemporary, and made from top-quality fabrics.

How do you research for upcoming collections?

Each collection takes about three months from beginning to end. I develop two collections a year, one for Spring/Summer ƃȶǁ Ɂȶlj ǹɁɨ yƃȢȢӣŚȈȶɽljɨӝ ɰ ɰɁɁȶ ƃɰ ƃ ƺɁȢȢljƺɽȈɁȶ Ȉɰ ˎȶȈɰȃljǁӗ immediately start on the next one.

Where do you do your research for upcoming collections?

I gather ideas for each collection here and there. I don’t necljɰɰƃɨȈȢʰ ǹɁȢȢɁʥ ljƃƺȃ ɰljƃɰɁȶԇɰ ʍɥƺɁȴȈȶǼ ɽɨljȶǁɰӗ ƹʍɽ ɨƃɽȃljɨ ˎȶǁ inspiration in my surroundings and my personality. I do a little research on which colors I want to feature and what fabrics I want to use for a particular season. I fully believe in wearing quality materials and so I source fabrics locally. I looks for fabɨȈƺɰ ǹɨɁȴ ěʍɰƺƃȶʰ ˎɨɰɽӗ ɽȃljȶ ӡȢȢ ɨljɰljƃɨƺȃ ȴƃȶʍǹƃƺɽʍɨljɨɰ ǹɨɁȴ ɽƃȢʰ ɽɁ ˎȶǁ ɽȃlj ƹljɰɽ ȴƃɽljɨȈƃȢɰӝ ƹljȢȈljʤlj ɽȃƃɽ Ȉȶ ɽȃlj ɰƃȴlj ʥƃʰ women care about what goes into their bodies, they should also care and focus about what goes on them.

How do you advertise your name and your brand?

Advertising for a local store is challenging. I have social media accounts on Facebook, Pinterest, and Instagram for L’Abito Che Vorrei that I update with new collections and events. I also use direct marketing by sending mail and email updates to my recurring customers. Currently, I am searching for the right stores for my designers. I’ve been all around stores in Florence and beyond, presenting my line to them.

" The way women care about what goes into their bodies, they should care about what goes on their skin. " What interaction have you had with F ­»ӹ FÂ ԪȮ ­ƟǍȀȀǪ ȀDž FƃȮǍǒȀǵ ƃǵƦ ƟƟƭȮȮȀȦɡ ­ȻɃƦǒƭȮ ƃǵƦ »ƭƟǍǵȀǪȀdžɡӿ The Be Giuls Spring/Summer 2017 collection was featured in an exhibition at FAST, FUA's fashion school. Since then, the products are being sold at the student-run fashion lab and store, FLY Fashion Loves You. Do you have a favorite item that you created?

No, I love all my products. It is a special feeling to see something start on paper then go through the construction process ƃȶǁ ljȶǁ ʥȈɽȃ ƃ ƹljƃʍɽȈǹʍȢӗ ˎȶȈɰȃljǁ ɥȈljƺlj Ɂǹ clothing. I often make changes to my designs through the production process and thinks of ways to improve them. By the end of the designing and tailoring process, I love them all.

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Lastly, how much do your designs cost?

The price range is quite varied. They can run anywhere from around $140 to $1200. ěȃlj ɥɨȈƺlj ǁljɥljȶǁɰ Ɂȶ ɽȃlj ǁȈǹˎƺʍȢɽʰ Ɂǹ construction and the product that is being made, as well as how customized the product is and how long it takes to produce.

FA S H ION& S T Y L E

Reverse innovat ion with

Riccardo Cavallari

P

hotography has an old and rich history, dating back over two hundred years. We live in a period of digital imaging, in a world almost entirely different from that of analog photography. Fashion photography has taken on the role of inspiring, sharing, and perhaps most importantly, selling designer collections. As a result of digital photography, such images can be captured, edited and shared immediately to the masses. It ČˆÉ° ÉĽÉ É°É°ČˆĆšČ˘Ç‰Ó— ČƒÉ ĘĽÇ‰Ę¤Ç‰É¨Ó— É˝ČƒĆƒÉ˝ ĘĽČˆÉ˝Čƒ É˝ČƒČˆÉ° É˝É¨Ç‰ČśÇ É Çš ČˆČśÉ°É˝ĆƒČśÉ˝ ÇźÉ¨ĆƒÉ˝ČˆËŽĆşĆƒÉ˝ČˆÉ ČśÓ— we’ve lost the real reason pictures are meant to be taken: to evoke emotion, to tell stories, and to communicate something that cannot be expressed in words.

Portrait and commercial photographer Riccardo Cavallari believes in going back to the roots of photography. Cavallari started his career with still life products, and then shifted his focus to fashion photography and portraits. Today, Cavallari is beginning to distance himself from the fashion photography industry in order to focus on his personal work, or the "real pictures" that come from his heart. He has dedicated much of his time to the craft by giving lectures, exhibitions, and occasionally teaching photography. He worked almost exclusively with Polaroid for many years, and taught classes at the Pratt Institute in New York.

SPRING-SUMMER Ăş AÂ Ă˜ÂŤÂ ĂŠÂźÂ ÂźÂ ĂƒÂ?ÂŤÂ Â ĂƒÂ“ Ă˜ÂŤĂŁĂŁÂ ĂƒĂş )ĂŠÂ?Â¨Ă‚Â Ăƒ SÂ¨ĂŠĂŁĂŠĂœ Â?ĂŠĂ¨Ă˜ĂŁÂ—ĂœĂş ĂŠÂĄ VÂŤÂ?Â?Â Ă˜Â“ĂŠ Â ĂłÂ ÂźÂźÂ Ă˜ÂŤ

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Back to the f u n d a m e n t a l s “ xÊèʰ¼¼ ăà  ó Øú Ø«ã« ¼ʃ Ü«Ã , ¼« ó 㨠ã Õ¨Êã梯 ͬúʃ «Ã ¡ ã all the arts, are going backwards and not evolving. You could say 㨠ã , ÜãØ«ó ãÊ ¹ Õ Øã «Ã ãØ «ã«Êà «Ã Õ¨Êã梯 ͬúʃ ô¨« ¨ «Ü certain classicism.

“

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Q&A How did you get started in the photography industry? What ǒǵȮȣǒȦƭƦ ɡȀɃ ȻȀ ƭɠȣǪȀȦƭ ȀȻǍƭȦ ȮɃƞǣƭƟȻȮ ƦǒDžDžƭȦƭǵȻ DžȦȀdz ɛǍƃȻ you started with at the beginning of your career?

I started very young, I was thirteen or fourteen years old, and I was actually interested in the stars: I was studying astronomy.

At that time this required darkroom skills, because everything ʥlj ǁljʤljȢɁɥljǁ ʥƃɰ ǹɨɁȴ ˎȢȴӝ ¸ƃɽljɨ Ɂȶ ʥȃljȶ ʥƃɰ Ȉȶ ƃɨɽ ɰƺȃɁɁȢӗ I started photographing people, which sparked my interest in portraits. Portraits are now my favorite subject.

We noticed that you shoot the majority of your photographs in black and white. Do you prefer black and white to color?

Absolutely. I started as a commercial photographer in 1985. I had a big studio with a great darkroom and I loved that process. Still today I use analog photography when I can. Black and white has a dreamier, not as realistic, and not as easily readable quality as color. Black and white can give you more emotion, more communication.

What stories and emotions do you hope to evoke with your photographs?

Well, a photograph is a story, I believe. It’s a frame of a moment, not necessarily a frame of reality, but a moment nonetheless. To be good, a photograph has to somehow inspire what happened before and what is going to happen after the moment. It has to actually bring you in the story. As I said, I like portraits, so this has to happen through the emotions expressed in the face. You have to delve into the soul of the story in order to make a story out of the moment. Going back to fashion, if you look at fashion photography, the good [photographs] are still this way. They’re still a story, an emotion added with a sensation of a moment that’s happening. Fashion photography is mostly an aesthetic. We see a lot of that today.

Aesthetically beautiful, but empty.

Has the evolving technology in the photography industry ǒǵ˵ɃƭǵƟƭƦ ɡȀɃȦ ɛȀȦǧ ȀȦ ƟǍƃǵdžƭƦ ǒȻ ǒǵ ƃǵɡ ɛƃɡӿ Completely changed it, in a negative way I’m afraid. I feel that I, and most photographers my age that have switched to digital, feel this way to some degree. And, unfortunately, I have to shoot with digital because the market requires it. I would need a very inspired art director and a very inspired environȴljȶɽ ɽɁ ɰȃɁɁɽ ʥȈɽȃ ˎȢȴӝ ĩɰȈȶǼ ǁȈǼȈɽƃȢ ɥȃɁɽɁǼɨƃɥȃʰӗ ɽɁ ȴljӗ Ȉɰ a bit like losing the soul of photography. The magic, the unexpected part that you can’t control, not even see, while you are photographing. Also the variety of media that you could use.

It was not only black and white or color, but it was different techniques, different types of paper, different opportunities that made photographs so much richer. Now we have digital cameras that all have the same LCD made by the manufacturers, and Photoshop. Nostalgically, I think back to before, when photography was so much more experimental... experimenting with different techniques, mixing polaroid photos with something else, or painting directly on the polaroids. Meeting other photographers in the lab and talking about their techniques and their jobs. It was a different world; it was more curious. Today most of the photographers are alone in front of ƃ ƺɁȴɥʍɽljɨӗ ȶƃɨɨɁʥȈȶǼ ɽȃlj ːɁʥȈȶǼ ȈȶɰɥȈɨƃɽȈɁȶӝ

What do you consider to be innovative about your photographs? How do you set yourself apart from other photographers in the industry? ťɁʍԇȢȢ ˎȶǁ ȴlj ʤljɨʰ ƺɨȈɽȈƺƃȢӗ ɰȈȶƺlj ƹljȢȈljʤlj ɽȃƃɽ ɥȃɁɽɁǼɨƃɥȃʰӗ in fact all the arts, are going backwards and not evolving. You could say that I strive to keep a certain tradition in photography, which is a certain classicism. It has to be a photograph from the camera. It has to have the least possible intervention from the computer. It has to be aesthetically pleasing, tell a story, and touch your soul. I am, probably, when I work in fashȈɁȶ ɥȃɁɽɁǼɨƃɥȃʰӗ ɽȃlj Ȣljƃɰɽ ԄǹƃɰȃȈɁȶԅ ɥljɨɰɁȶ Ȉȶ ɽȃlj ɨɁɁȴӝ ȢȢ ɽȃlj others are normally fashion victims. I have a point of view that is concerned with going back to the real photograph. Not just capturing an image with a model, who I tend to use less and Ȣljɰɰӝ ɥɨljǹljɨ ɽɁ ʍɰlj ljʤljɨʰǁƃʰ ɥljɁɥȢljӝ ǁɁȶԇɽ ȢȈȟlj ƺɨljƃɽȈȶǼ ƃ ˎƺtitious situation just to sell a product. Innovation in this sense, in photography, is going back to the roots of what photography is and not forgetting the fundamental parts. Today you see so many empty, trendy, and useless photographs, that you are almost unable distinguish these from the old ones. What I feel we lost mostly with digital photography is the intention, why we are doing what we do. We all click, click, click away.

Everyone is obsessed with making photographs and posting them, and so few think of the intention behind the photograph - What do I want to say? What am I creating? It’s not so much about digital photography in and of itself, even though I personally do not like it, it is about what we are doing with it.

What advice do you have for aspiring photographers?

Just take photographs. Shoot all the time. Go on shooting, photographing, and trying to understand. Look at everything with a photographic eye, even when you don’t have a camera in your hands. Analyze and study good photographs. Find what makes them good. Mostly you have to train yourself to take lots of photographs. Always carry your camera and explore.

Innovation in the Industry

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ú a ¼èÜ Ã Ê¼Ü ¹ʃ Zã «ÃÃèÃà VÊÜ #è Üã «ÃÜ Êãã«Øʃ à ¼ ù ;ÊèØÊ S¨ÊãÊÜ ÊèØã Üú Ê¡ Øèà ¼¼ Ü

ɽljƃȴ Ɂǹ ƃɨɽȈɰɽɰ ƃȶǁ ɽȃljȈɨ ƺɨljƃɽȈʤȈɽʰӗ ƃȶǁ ƃȶ ƃɨɽ ǁȈɨljƺɽɁɨ ǹƃɰƺȈȶƃɽljǁ ƹʰ ǹƃƹɨȈƺӗ ƺɁȢɁɨɰӗ ƃȶǁ ƺɁȶɽljȴɥɁɨƃɨʰ ƃɨɽӖ ɽȃȈɰ Ȉɰ ʥȃƃɽ ǼȈʤljɰ ƹȈɨɽȃ ɽɁ 9ɨʍȶljȢȢljɰƺƃԇɰ ɰȈǼȶljǁ ƹƃǼɰ ƃȶǁ ɰƺƃɨʤljɰӝ

A story to be worn

A

sleek art venue in the heart of Florence is where Stefania Alba, art director and fashion designer, works with Andrea Mancini, an artist and fashion illustrator whose background also involved advertising and publishing artwork in the 1980s. 166arte is both a bottega and showcase, a place where artists (Cinzia Fiaschi, Rosario Genovese) create and share their vision with visitors in a space representing ideas, communication, and the exchange of diverse perspectives.

ʥʥʥӝƹɨʍȶljȢȢljɰƺƃӝƺɁȴ

You can follow Stefania Alba on Facebook and Instagram at ʥʥʥӝǹƃƺljƹɁɁȟӝƺɁȴӣƹɨʍȶljȢȢljɰƺƃ and խƹɨʍȶljȢȢljɰƺƃˎɨljȶ˃ljӝ

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Stefania Alba, founder of Brunellesca ČɽljǹƃȶȈƃ Ȣƹƃ Ȉɰ ǹɨɁȴ ěɨljʤȈɰɁӗ ɽƃȢʰӝ Čȃlj ƺɁȴɥȢljɽljǁ ȃljɨ ɰɽʍǁȈljɰ ƃɽ ĀƃȢƃ˃˃Ɂ ČɥȈȶljȢȢȈ ɰɽȈɽʍɽɁ ɥljɨ Ȣӡ ɨɽlj lj ȈȢ ĄljɰɽƃʍɨɁ ӯĀƃȢƃ˃˃Ɂ ČɥȈȶljȢȢȈ ȶɰɽȈɽʍɽlj ǹɁɨ ɨɽ ƃȶǁ ĄljɰɽɁɨƃɽȈɁȶӰ Ȉȶ yȢɁɨljȶƺljӗ ƃȶǁ ɰɽƃɨɽljǁ ȃljɨ ɥɨɁǹljɰɰȈɁȶƃȢ ƺƃɨljljɨ ƃɰ ƃ ƺɨljƃɽȈʤlj ǁljɰȈǼȶljɨ Ȉȶ ɽȃlj ˎljȢǁ Ɂǹ ɥʍƹȢȈƺȈɽʰӝ Ýʤljɨ ɽȃlj Ȣƃɰɽ ɰljʤljɨƃȢ ʰljƃɨɰӗ ɰȃlj ȃƃɰ ƹljljȶ ȈȶʤɁȢʤljǁ Ȉȶ ƺʍɨƃɽȈȶǼ ɽȃlj ɰɽʰȢlj ƃȶǁ ɥɨɁǁʍƺɽȈɁȶ Ɂǹ ƃ ǹƃɰȃȈɁȶ ȢȈȶlj ɽȃƃɽ Ȉɰ ƺɁȶȶljƺɽljǁ ɽɁ ƃɨɽӝ

Q&A ÚǍƭȦƭ ƃȦƭ ɡȀɃ DžȦȀdz ƃǵƦ ǍȀɛ ƦǒƦ ǒȻ ǒǵ˵ɃƭǵƟƭ ɡȀɃȦ ƟȀǪǪƭƟȻǒȀǵӿ Ãʰ ȈȶɰɥȈɨƃɽȈɁȶ ǹɁɨ ɽȃlj ƺɁȢȢljƺɽȈɁȶ ƺƃȴlj ǹɨɁȴ ƃ ɰɥljƺȈˎƺ ƃƺƺljɰɰɁry line in an art gallery in Florence where I spent time as an art director and met many contemporary artists. Early in my project, I concentrated on simple, comfortable, and inexpensive merchandise, but as it progressed I invested in more complicated fashion pieces.

Who is your target market and how do you communicate with them? Ãʰ ɽƃɨǼljɽ ȴƃɨȟljɽ Ȉɰ ɰɥljƺȈˎƺ ɽɁ ȴƃɽʍɨlj ʥɁȴljȶ ƃǼljɰ јњ ƃȶǁ ɁȢǁer, although certain products such as the backpack and wallet can be appreciated by any age or gender. I mainly utilize social media platforms such as Facebook and Instagram to communicate with my clients.

Do you have any educational background that supports your collection? Ãʰ ƺɁȢȢljƺɽȈɁȶ ƹljȶljˎɽljǁ ȴɁɰɽ ǹɨɁȴ ɽȃlj ƺɁȴƹȈȶƃɽȈɁȶ Ɂǹ ljʯɥljriences in fashion photography, advertising, and being an art director at a gallery in Florence.

What about Filippo Brunelleschi inspires you?

9ɨʍȶljȢȢljɰƺȃȈ ʥƃɰ ƃȶ ȈȴɥɁɨɽƃȶɽ Ȉȶːʍljȶƺlj ʥȃljȶ ƺɨljƃɽȈȶǼ ɽȃlj brand’s name, Brunellesca You Art, which is my feminine spin on the great architect. I wanted to immediately capture and communicate the mood of the Renaissance. The label phonetically appeals to women while evoking the subconscious ȟȶɁʥȢljǁǼlj Ɂǹ ȃȈɰɽɁɨʰ ɰɁ ɥɨljʤƃȢljȶɽ Ȉȶ yȢɁɨljȶƺljӝ ÃɁɨlj ɰɥljƺȈˎƺƃȢly, the pattern decoration of my bags came from the chapel Brunelleschi designed. I thought it was a unique idea to use the same shapes and colors to attract people of the same area and culture.

How do you preserve traditional art in a modern way?

There is a poetry to it. I want to touch the feelings of [those] who wear the purse. The purse tells a story, and this connects with the emotional side of people. They are able to wear a piece of the art. Personally, there is also a romantic aspect, because this artwork is made not only by artists, but people close to me. It is very sentimental in a way. Fans of these artists showed support, and this encouraged me to begin production seriously. I started it as almost a joke, but step-by-step the company grew and became a very interesting project. In my mind, the idea is to build a union of artists and art lovers who collaborate on these projects, and develop a way to wear art.

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OKAY LET'S DO

FASHION How is your collection sustainable, and what motivated you ȻȀ ȣȦȀƦɃƟƭ ǒǵ »ɃȮƟƃǵɡӿ Most of the important brands are born and produced here in Tuscany, such as Gucci, Fendi, Ferragamo. I work in outsourcing; I am not a tailor. However, I work with leather craftsmen who are associated with these main brands.

What aspects of local production did you like and dislike?

I liked every aspect of production, because I started with textiles then moved to leather, which is Tuscany’s most famous product. The images of the paintings are printed on the products, and then varnished and protected against the weather.

Why do you produce only bags and no clothing?

I am actually currently making shirts! They are large: almost like canvases for paintings. I want to make cotton sweatshirts that ƃɨlj ɁʤljɨɰȈ˃ljǁӗ ƃȢȴɁɰɽ ȃȈɥӸȃɁɥ Ȉȶːʍljȶƺljǁӝ How much on average do your handbags cost, and where do you sell your bags?

They normally go for around $140-$220. I am currently selling my bags online and through other stores. I am looking forward to getting a space in the city where I can start a boutique and sell my products. Eventually, I would like to be able to open a shop in the United States.

Are you working on any other projects or just concentrating on Brunellesca? ƃȴ ɽɨʰȈȶǼ ɽɁ ˎȶǁ Ɂɽȃljɨ ƃɨɽȈɰɽɰ ɽɁ ʥɁɨȟ ʥȈɽȃ ɰɁ ƺƃȶ ʥɁɨȟ with more designs and prints. Right now I am very busy with Brunellsca, so I dedicate all my time to this project!

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Photo by Daniel Cheung

A work of a r t which did not begin in

emotion is not art. ʢS èŸ Â—ĂżÂ ĂƒĂƒÂ—

ARTS

A RTS

Attitude:

Florentine Artist

Keeping in line with the theme of innovation, Blending Magazine is proud to publish our first Italian-language article written by Advanced Italian students. The group interviews a young Florentine rapper, Mefa, whose first album, Attitude, takes a page from another famous Florentine's masterpiece, Dante Alighieri's Inferno.

Mefa Raps Dante Ăş ,ĂœÂ ÂŒÂ—ÂźÂźÂ Â“Â— VÿÿÊ VĂŠĂœÂ Ęƒ )Ê՗ #ÂźÂ ĂœĂœĂ‚Â ĂƒĘƒ Â ĂƒÂ“ Â¨Ă˜ÂŤĂœĂŁÂŤĂƒÂ ZÂźÂ ĂşĂŁĂŠĂƒ SÂ¨ĂŠĂŁĂŠĂœ Â?ĂŠĂ¨Ă˜ĂŁÂ—ĂœĂş ĂŠÂĄ AÂ—ÂĄÂ Ęƒ ,ÂźÂźĂ¨ĂœĂŁĂ˜Â ĂŁÂŤĂŠĂƒĂœ ÂŒĂş ĂƒÂ“Ă˜Â—Â AÂ ĂƒÂ?ÂŤĂƒÂŤ 24 *

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arts ­ȻɃƦƭǵȻƭȮȮƭӸ GȦƃɫǒƭ ȣƭȦ ƃɚƭȦ ƃƟƟƭȻȻƃȻȀ Ʀǒ DžƃȦƭ ǪԪǒǵȻƭȦɚǒȮȻƃ con noi.

Mefa: Grazie a voi. ­Ӹ ƞƞǒƃdzȀ ƃǪƟɃǵƭ ƦȀdzƃǵƦƭ ȣƭȦ ȻƭӾ ÙȀdžǪǒƃdzȀ ƟȀǵȀȮƟƭȦȻǒ meglio. Di dove sei?

M: Io sono di Firenze, sono nato qui e abito qui. ­Ӹ / ȥɃƃǵȻǒ ƃǵǵǒ Ǎƃǒӿ M: Ho 18 anni. ­Ӹ ¢ƃȦǪƃƟǒ Ƀǵ ȣȀԪ Ʀǒ Ȼƭ ƭ ƦƭǪǪƃ ȻɃƃ ɚǒȻƃӾ M: Allora, ho iniziato il mio percorso musicale quando avevo 11 anni. I miei mi hanno iscritto in una scuola media musicale dove ho imparato la chitarra, e infatti ho cominciato solo con la chitarra. Ho imparato a leggere la musica, per quanto riguarda proprio la teoria musicale. Il percorso della chitarra, proprio lo strumento, l’ho portato anche alle superiori, dato che mi sono iscritto al Liceo Dante di Firenze, che è un liceo musicale, dove ho imparato anche a rapportarmi con altri ragazzi che suonavano altri strumenti. Io suono la chitarra e ho imparato anche a suonare la tromba. In più, ho imparato anche a suonare il pianoforte, solamente per accompagnamento, perché serviva appunto per la teoria musicale. Dopo di che, circa tra la terza media e la prima superiore, oltre a suonare la chitarra (quindi la teoria, ecc.) ho cominciato a entrare nel percorso del canto, della scrittura più che altro. All’inizio era più una situazione dove

ČɽʍǁljȶɽɰӖ ěȃƃȶȟ ʰɁʍ ǹɁɨ ƃǼɨljljȈȶǼ ɽɁ ƹlj ȈȶɽljɨʤȈljʥljǁ ƹʰ ʍɰӝ Mefa: Thank you! ČӖ Ślj ȃƃʤlj ƃ ǹljʥ ɧʍljɰɽȈɁȶɰ ǹɁɨ ʰɁʍ ƃɰ ʥljԇǁ ȢȈȟlj ɽɁ Ǽljɽ ɽɁ ȟȶɁʥ ʰɁʍ ƃ ƹȈɽ ƹljɽɽljɨӝ ěɁ ɰɽƃɨɽ ʥȈɽȃӗ ʥȃljɨlj ƃɨlj ʰɁʍ ǹɨɁȴӞ M: Florence. I was born here and I'm currently living here. ČӖ ȶǁ ȃɁʥ ɁȢǁ ƃɨlj ʰɁʍӞ M: I’m 18 years old. ČӖ ěljȢȢ ʍɰ ƃ ȢȈɽɽȢlj ƃƹɁʍɽ ʰɁʍɨɰljȢǹ ƃȶǁ ʰɁʍɨ ȢȈǹljӝ M: Well, I started down a musical path when I was 11 years old.

My parents signed me up for a middle school with a focus on music where I learned how to play the guitar. On the music theory side of things, I learned to read sheet music. I decided to continue with the guitar when I enrolled at the Liceo Dante di Firenze (Dante High School of Florence) which is a musical conservatory for high school students. This is where I learned to relate with other kids who played instruments. I already played the guitar and there I learned to also play the trumpet, and the piano for accompaniment because it was important ǹɁɨ ȴʍɰȈƺ ɽȃljɁɨʰӝ ȶ ȴʰ ɽȃȈɨǁ ʰljƃɨӗ ˎȶƃȢȢʰ ɰɽƃɨɽljǁ ɽɁ ɰɽʍǁʰ ɰȈȶǼȈȶǼ ƃȶǁ ʥɨȈɽȈȶǼ ȢʰɨȈƺɰӝ ɽ ˎɨɰɽӗ ʥɁʍȢǁ ʥɨȈɽlj ɰɁȶǼɰӗ ƹʍɽ ʥɁʍȢǁ never perform. Then I started to get to know the genre of rap I was familiar with some American rappers and my classmates and teachers introduced me to some Italian rap - and I really felt a connection with this kind of music. So I decided to foƺʍɰ ȴʰ ljȶljɨǼʰ Ɂȶ ɽȃȈɰ Ǽljȶɨlj Ӹ ƃɽ ˎɨɰɽӗ ɰȈȶƺlj ɥȢƃʰljǁ ɽȃlj ǼʍȈɽƃɨӗ it was a sort of cross-over with other music genres like heavy metal and rock. These kinds of music are typically more hard core, and I tried to combine them with rap. Moving forward in my career, I’ve gotten closer to rap and I've always sought to ǁljˎȶlj ƃ ʍȶȈɧʍlj ɰɽʰȢlj ʥȈɽȃȈȶ ȴʰ Ǽljȶɨljӝ ČӖ Śȃʰ ɽȃlj ȶƃȴlj ÃljǹƃӞ M: Honestly, I chose the name Mefa because it doesn’t have any real meaning. When I had to decide upon an artist name, I thought that I’d like a name that’s just a name, not a name that meant something else. So Mefa is a kind of name that a person might have, and I liked that it was short, so it was perfect. ČӖ ťɁʍ ɰƃȈǁ ɽȃƃɽ ʰɁʍ ɰɽƃɨɽljǁ ʥȈɽȃ ȴʍɰȈƺ ʥȃljȶ ʰɁʍ ʥljɨlj ііӝ Śȃʰ ȴʍɰȈƺӞ ÃӖ ɽ ˎɨɰɽӗ ȴʰ ɥƃɨljȶɽɰ ʥljɨlj ɽȃlj Ɂȶljɰ ʥȃɁ ǁljƺȈǁljǁ ɽɁ ǼȈʤlj ȴlj that kind of experience, studying in a middle school for music. It wasn’t my decision. But I thank them for this, because it was the right path for me. Music is certainly something that is a part of my life and that I’m good at. I feel like it is a part of me and so I continued down the path my parents chose for me initially. ČӖ AȈǁ ʰɁʍ ɰɽʍǁʰ ɨƃɥ ȴʍɰȈƺ Ɂɨ ƃɨlj ʰɁʍ ɰljȢǹӸɽƃʍǼȃɽӞ ÃӖ ÇɁӗ ȶɁɽ ɨƃɥ ɰɥljƺȈˎƺƃȢȢʰӝ 9ʍɽ ǁȈǁ ɰɽʍǁʰ ɽȃlj ƺʍȢɽʍɨljӗ ɽȃlj ɁɨȈǼȈȶɰ Ɂǹ ɨƃɥ ɽȃƃɽ ԇʤlj ɰljljȶ Ȉȶ ȴƃȶʰ ǁɁƺʍȴljȶɽƃɨȈljɰ ƃȶǁ ˎȢȴɰӝ ěȃlj genre really captivated me and I researched any information ƺɁʍȢǁ ˎȶǁ Ɂȶ Ȉɽӝ 9ʍɽ ƃƺɽʍƃȢȢʰ ɰɽʍǁʰ ɽȃlj ɽȃljɁɨʰӗ ȶɁӝ 9ʍɽӗ ȢȈȟlj said, I did study music for six or seven years. ČӖ Ɂʥ ʥɁʍȢǁ ʰɁʍ ǁljˎȶlj ʰɁʍɨ ȴʍɰȈƺӞ ÃӖ ʥɁʍȢǁ ǁljˎȶlj ȴʰ ȴʍɰȈƺ ƃɰ ȈȶȶɁʤƃɽȈʤlj ƹljƺƃʍɰlj ɽȃȈȶȟӗ ljɰɥljƺȈƃȢȢʰ Ȉȶ ɽƃȢʰӗ Ȉɽ Ȉɰ ȶɁɽ ƺɁȴȴɁȶ ɽɁ ˎȶǁ ƃȶ іѝ ʰljƃɨ ɁȢǁ ʥȃɁ ȟȶɁʥɰ how navigate within the professional music industry. In this regard I am not very modest. Also, I am in a group called Young Minds, which is actually more of an artistic movement.

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scrivevo e basta, senza espormi musicalmente. Poi mi sono avvicinato all’ambiente rap, mi hanno fatto ascoltare qualche rap in italiano, e io conoscevo anche un po’ di rapper americani.

Comunque, mi piaceva molto il genere, quindi, ho cominciato a spostare la mia visuale più su questo genere. All’inizio ho inɽɨƃɥɨljɰɁ ʍȶ ɥljɨƺɁɨɰɁ ԄƺɨɁɰɰ Ɂʤljɨԅӗ ǁƃɽɁ ƺȃlj ƃʤljʤɁ Ȣƃ ƺɁȶɁɰƺljȶ˃ƃ della chitarra, quindi mi piacevano generi più duri, come il metal ed il rock. Questi generi musicali sono un po’ più cattivi, e ho cercato di unirli al rap. Poi, andando avanti con il percorso, sono sempre più avvicinato al rap e ho sempre cercato un mio stile che fosse più unico nel mio genere. ­Ӹ ƭǵƭӹ džȦƃɫǒƭӾ / ȣƭȦƟǍƮ Ȼǒ ƟǍǒƃdzǒ rƭDžƃӿ M: In realtà, il nome l’ho scelto perché Mefa fondalmentalȴljȶɽlj ȶɁȶ ʤʍɁȈ ǁȈɨlj ȶȈljȶɽljӗ ȶɁȶ ȃƃ ʍȶ ɰȈǼȶȈˎƺƃɽɁ ƺɁȴlj ɥƃɨɁȢƃӝ Quando mi sono trovato a scegliere il nome d’arte, ho pensato che mi sarebbe piaciuto che fosse un nome. Non mi piaceva l’idea di trovarmi un nome che volesse dire qualcosa. Quindi, Mefa è un nome che potrebbe avere una persona e mi piaceva un nome corto, quindi era perfetto. ­Ӹ ǪǪȀȦƃ Ǎƃǒ ƦƭȻȻȀ ƟǍƭ Ǎƃǒ ƟȀdzǒǵƟǒƃȻȀ ƃ ȮȻɃƦǒƃȦƭ dzɃȮǒƟƃ ƃǪǪԪƭȻƔ Ʀǒ ѽѽ ƃǵǵǒӾ ¢ƭȦƟǍƮ dzɃȮǒƟƃӿ M: All’inizio perché i miei genitori volevano farmi fare un’esperienza del genere, non è stata una mia decisione. Però li ringrazio per questa scelta perché comunque era mia strada. Sicuramente la musica fa parte della mia vita ed è una cosa che riesco a fare bene, sento che mi appartiene e ho continuato. ­Ӹ Nƃǒ ȮȻɃƦǒƃȻȀ Ǫƃ dzɃȮǒƟƃ Ȧƃȣ Ȁ Ȯƭǒ Ƀǵ ƃɃȻȀƦǒƦƃȻȻƃӿ M: Per quanto riguarda il rap no, non l’ho studiato in senso stretto, ma ho studiato la cultura, quelle origini del rap che ƺɁȴʍȶɧʍlj ȃɁ ʤȈɰɽɁ Ȉȶ ȴɁȢɽȈ ǁɁƺʍȴljȶɽƃɨȈ lj ȴɁȢɽȈ ˎȢȴӝ ÃȈ ɰɁȶɁ interessato molto al genere e ho cercato informazioni. Però, studiarla proprio, no. Ma ho studiato la musica (non rap) per sei o sette anni. ­Ӹ Ȁdzƭ Ʀƭ˴ǵǒȮƟǒ Ǫƃ ȻɃƃ dzɃȮǒƟƃӿ ÃӖ ¸ƃ ȴȈƃ ȴʍɰȈƺƃ Ȣƃ ǁljˎȶȈɰƺɁ ȈȶȶɁʤƃɽȈʤƃ ɥljɨƺȃNj ɥljȶɰɁ ƺȃljӗ almeno in Italia, un ragazzo di 18 anni che riesce a muoversi bene non sia comune. Non sono molto modesto, sotto questo aspetto. Poi, sono in un gruppo musicale che si chiama Young Minds, che è più un movimento artistico. Ognuno è diverso:

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Everyone is different: there are people who rap, like me, and there are others who sing R&B, in Italian and English. There’s even a producer. Everyone does something. ČӖ AɁ ʰɁʍ ȢȈɰɽljȶ ɽɁ ȴljɨȈƺƃȶ ɨƃɥӞ M: Yes, absolutely. At the moment I really like Designer, who recorded “Pandaӝԅ ƃȢɰɁ ȢȈȟlj ěɨƃʤȈɰ ČƺɁɽɽӗ ¶ƃȶʰlj Śljɰɽӗ ƃȶǁ Aɨƃȟljӝ I like the musical part which is starting to become something separate from hiphop and becoming its own genre. ČӖ AɁ ʰɁʍ ʥɨȈɽlj ʰɁʍɨ Ɂʥȶ ȢʰɨȈƺɰӞ Śȃƃɽ ǁɁ ʰɁʍ ɰɥljƃȟ ƃƹɁʍɽ Ȉȶ ʰɁʍɨ ɰɁȶǼɰӞ M: I write my own lyrics. I am the author of my pieces, and in a way my lyrics are a sort of continuous evolution. Being as young as I am, my experiences are those of an 18 year old, which are differente from those of a 50 year old. Each year is a new year in my life, and so every year brings new inspiration.

When I started with rap, I was only 14, and my lyrics were perhaps a bit banal. But now I talk about more societal themes, and all my lyrics talk about life experiences. Then there is that side of me which plays the part of the smug rapper, other songs about thoughts, or songs that are an outlet for something… but like I said, it’s a constant evolution each year. ČӖ Śȃƃɽ Ȉȶːʍljȶƺljɰ ʰɁʍ ȴʍɰȈƺƃȢȢʰӞ M: In Italy many artists that I can draw inspiration from are emerging because many are adopting the American style of ɨƃɥӝ 9ʍɽ Ȉȶ ɽȃlj ljȶǁӗ ɽȃlj ƹȈǼǼljɰɽ Ȉȶːʍljȶƺljɰ Ɂȶ ȴʰ ɰɽʰȢljӗ ɽȃlj ones that I think will always be fundamental, are those that come directly from the USA. Ultimately, this genre was born there and it is there that it will continue to be reborn. ČӖ ƃʤlj ʰɁʍ ljʤljɨ ƹljljȶ ɽɁ ɽȃlj ĩČӞ M: No, but I would really like to go someday. ČӖ Ɂʥ ǁȈǁ ʰɁʍɨ ƃȢƹʍȴӗ Attitudeӗ ƺɁȴlj ȈȶɽɁ ƹljȈȶǼӞ M: Attitude is the result of my years of experience with the genɨljӝ ɽ ʥƃɰ ȴʰ ˎɨɰɽ ɁǹˎƺȈƃȢ ǹɁɨƃʰ ȈȶɽɁ ěɁɰƺƃȶƃ :ljȶɽɁ 9ƃȶǁ ӯɽȃlj ěʍɰƺƃȶ ȴʍɰȈƺ ƺɁȴɥljɽȈɽȈɁȶӰӗ ʥȈɽȃ ƃ ɥɨȈ˃lj Ɂǹ ˎʤlj ɽȃɁʍɰƃȶǁ ljʍɨɁӝ I placed well, coming in ninth, and with the money I decided to invest in this project. I ended up in Rome, where our group has itsarters. There, in Rome, I met Noone, the guy who worked

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ci sono persone che rappano (come me), ci sono persone che cantano un genere R&B, in italiano e in inglese. C’è anche un produttore. Ognuno fa qualcosa. ­Ӹ ȮƟȀǪȻǒ Ȧƃȣ ƃdzƭȦǒƟƃǵȀӿ M: Sì sì, molto. In questo momento mi piace Designer, quello ƺȃlj ƺƃȶɽƃ ԄĀƃȶǁƃӝԅ ÃȈ ɥȈƃƺlj ěɨƃʤȈɰ ČƺɁɽɽӝ ÃȈ ɥȈƃƺlj ȴɁȢɽɁ ¶ƃȶʰlj West. Mi piace Drake. Mi piace molto la parte musicale che si sta un pochino staccando dall’hiphop e sta diventando più un genere a sé. ­Ӹ ­ƟȦǒɚǒ ȻɃ ǒ ȻɃȀǒ ȻƭȮȻǒӿ 'ǒ ƟȀȮƃ ȣƃȦǪǒ ǵƭǪǪƭ ȻɃƭ ƟƃǵɫȀǵǒӿ M: Certo, ho scritto io i testi. Sono l’autore dei miei brani, e di solito diciamo che i testi sono una continua evoluzione. Essendo così giovane, ho un’esperienza di un ragazzo di 18 anni, che non è la stessa di una persona di 50. Ogni anno è un anno nuovo nella mia vita, quindi ogni anno ho ispirazioni diverse.

Quando ho cominciato con il rap avevo 14 anni, e i testi erano forse un po’ banali. Ovviamente, adesso parlo di tematiche più sociali. Sono esperienze di vita, i miei brani parlano sempre di questo. C’è poi anche quella parte che è il personaggio rap magari un po’ spavaldo, altri brani parlano di pensieri, di sfoghi... ma come ho detto è una continua evoluzione ogni anno.

ʥȈɽȃ ȴlj Ɂȶ ɽȃlj ʥȃɁȢlj ƃȢƹʍȴ ӯʰɁʍ ƺƃȶ ˎȶǁ Ɂȶlj Ɂǹ ɽȃlj ɰɁȶǼɰӗ Infamous, on YouTube). He worked on everything: beat, mixing, mastering, editing all the pieces. As for the concept of the album, Dante’s Inferno came to mind, because it could represent me more fully as a Florentine like Dante was. In fact, each track Ɂȶ ɽȃlj ƃȢƹʍȴ Ȉɰ Ɂȶlj ȢljʤljȢ Ɂǹ ɽȃlj ȶǹljɨȶɁӗ ǹɁɨ ljʯƃȴɥȢlj ɽȃlj ˎɨɰɽ track, Attitude, is actually Limbo. The second, Cadillac, is Lust, and so on. ČӖ AɁ ʰɁʍ ȢȈȟlj ɽɁ ƺɁȢȢƃƹɁɨƃɽlj ʥȈɽȃ Ɂɽȃljɨ ƃɨɽȈɰɽɰӞ M: I’ve worked with many rappers in the past… and in any case, having study music, even if it wasn’t rap, has always been an impetus for experimenting and creating. I liked working in worlds that are so different from mine, but now that I’ve concentrated on one genre, I’ve mostly been working from other people in my group. ČӖ Śȃljɨlj ǁɁ ʰɁʍ ɰljlj ʰɁʍɨɰljȢǹ Ȉȶ њ ʰljƃɨɰӞ ÃӖ ȶ ˎʤlj ʰljƃɨɰӗ ɰljlj ȴʰɰljȢǹ ɰɽȈȢȢ ȴƃȟȈȶǼ ȴʍɰȈƺӝ ěȃȈȶǼɰ ƃɨlj ǼɁȈȶǼ ʥljȢȢ ǹɁɨ ȴlj ɨȈǼȃɽ ȶɁʥӗ ƃȶǁ ԇȴ ƺɁȶˎǁljȶɽ ɽȃƃɽ ɥljɨȃƃɥɰ Ȉȶ ˎʤlj ʰljƃɨɰ Ɂɨ ɰɁ ԇȢȢ ƹlj ƃɽ ɽȃlj ɽɁɥӗ ƃȴɁȶǼ ɽȃlj Ǽɨljƃɽɰӝ Ãƃʰƹlj we’ll be the top artists that will make the new rules for the rap scene… why not?

­Ӹ ¤ɃƃǪǒ ǒǵ˵Ƀƭǵɫƭ dzɃȮǒƟƃǪǒ Ǎƃǒӿ M: In Italia in questo momento stanno uscendo molti artisti che possono fare da ispirazione perché si rifanno molto allo stiȢlj ƃȴljɨȈƺƃȶɁӝ Āljɨɏ ƃȢȢƃ ˎȶlj Ȣlj ȈɰɥȈɨƃ˃ȈɁȶȈ ɥȈʔ ǼɨƃȶǁȈ ȴȈljӗ ɧʍljȢȢlj che secondo me bisognerebbe avere sempre, sono quelle che ʤljȶǼɁȶɁ ǁƃȢȢԇ ȴljɨȈƺƃӖ ɥljɨƺȃNj ƃȢȢƃ ˎȶlj ɧʍljɰɽɁ Ǽljȶljɨlj ǧ Ȣȓ ƺȃlj ǧ nato e si rinnova. ­Ӹ ­ƭǒ dzƃǒ ȮȻƃȻȀ ǒǵ dzƭȦǒƟƃӿ M: No. Mi piacerebbe molto, però. ­Ӹ ȀdzԪƼ ǵƃȻȀ ǒǪ ȻɃȀ ƃǪƞɃdz ɽɽȈɽʍǁlj?

M: Attitude è frutto di tutti questi anni d’esperienza di questa ȴʍɰȈƺƃӗ ǧ ɰɽƃɽɁ ȈȢ ȴȈɁ ɥɨȈȴɁ ǁȈɰƺɁ ʍǹˎƺȈƃȢljӝ M ȶƃɽɁ ɥljɨƺȃNj ȃɁ vinto un concorso indetto dalla regione Toscana che si chiama Toscana Cento Band, che dava la possibilità di vincere cinque mila euro. Sono riuscito a piazzarmi bene - sono arrivato nono e questi soldi ho deciso di investirli in questo progetto. Mi sono trovato a Roma, dove abbiamo la sede principale del nostro gruppo. Lì mi sono trovato con Noone, il ragazzo che ha lavorato con me a tutto il disco (potete trovare un nostro pezzo su Youtube, si chiama Infamous) Lui ha lavorato a tutto: beat, mix, master, editing dei brani. Per quanto riguarda il concept del disco, abbiamo pensato all’Inferno di Dante, perché poteva rappresentarmi di più, essendo io di Firenze. Ogni traccia del disco è un girone dell’Inferno, ad esempio la prima traccia 'Attitude' è il limbo, la seconda 'Cadillac' è la lussuria, e così via. ­Ӹ »ǒ ȣǒƃƟƭ ƟȀǪǪƃƞȀȦƃȦƭ ƟȀǵ ƃǪȻȦǒ ƃȦȻǒȮȻǒӿ M: Ho collaborato tanto negli anni con tanti rapper...comunque il fatto di aver studiato musica anche se non rap - mi sempre dato una spinta in più per sperimentare e creare. Mi piaceva molto lavorare in mondi diversi dal mio, ma essendomi concentrato su un unico genere adesso sto collaborando solo con persone del mio gruppo. ­Ӹ 'Ȁɚƭ Ȼǒ ɚƭƦǒ ȻȦƃ ҁ ƃǵǵǒӿ M: Tra 5 anni mi vedo sempre a fare musica. Ovviamente le ƺɁɰlj ɰɽƃȶȶɁ ƃȶǁƃȶǁɁ ƹljȶljӗ ɰɁȶɁ ˎǁʍƺȈɁɰɁӗ lj ȴƃǼƃɨȈ ɽɨƃ њ ƃȶȶȈ mi vedo in alto, tra i grandi. Magari saremmo noi i grandi che detteranno le regole della scena rap… perché no?

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The Innovative Process:

H ow D o es Yo u r C r e at i v e M i n d Wo r k?

-Maria Donelly

Selected works from the FUA Fine Arts Department Introduction by Prof. Nicoletta Salomon

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omething that can always be innovative is how we question the world. Innovation stands in changing our perspective to discover that things, facts, events, when molded by our questions, respond in new ways. In the Spring 2017 Advanced Drawing and Words, Painting, and Emotions courses, we took a chance in considering our experience in Art ƃɰ ƃ ӠȴƃǼȶȈˎƺljȶɽ ɰɽɨʍǼǼȢljӗӠ ɽɁ ɨljǹljɨljȶƺlj ȴljɨȈƺƃȶ ƃɨɽȈɰɽ {ɨƃƺlj ƃɨɽȈǼƃȶӗ ʥȃɁɰlj ɽɨƃƺljɰ ƺƃȶ ƹlj ǹɁʍȶǁ Ȉȶ ɽȃlj ɰɁ ƺƃȢȢljǁ ӠˎȶƃȢ artwork": scattered, mostly ambiguous traces that call for interpretation, yet refuse to be caught and explained by any rational ȴljƃȶȈȶǼӝ yƃɨ ǹɨɁȴ ƹljȈȶǼ ˎȶȈɰȃljǁ Ɂɨ ǁljˎȶȈɽȈʤljӗ ɽȃlj ƃɨɽʥɁɨȟ ʥlj created throughout the semester was intended as an ongoing visual journal of our travels through our creative minds.

-Megan Stoltenbeg

The question we tried to answer is: "How does your creative ȴȈȶǁ ʥɁɨȟӞԅ Ślj ȃƃʤlj ƹljljȶ ȢɁɁȟȈȶǼ ǹɁɨ ǼɨƃɥȃȈƺ Ɂɨ ɥƃȈȶɽljǁ scores of those invisible journeys our minds undertake unwittingly, while focusing on producing a work of art.

It was not about showing the physical process of creating artwork as much as it was about providing a visual trace of the mental process in the search for vision, guidance, structure, and also fun in Art. Individual paths have been discovered, roads without obstacles taken, and group journeys initiated to understand the experiences of inspiring 20th century artists.

We allowed ourselves to feel uncomfortable while trying to deskill, to get rid of our technical knowledge; we challenged ourselves by witnessing the inner workings of our minds fall freely and unexpectedly onto ruled pages or blank sheets; we were at times overwhelmed by not being able to master what was happening within our established categories of thinking and frustrated by having to resume the effort of traveling day by day; we were unsettled by our decision to refrain from applying our biases about what Art is or is supposed to be (i.e. the ways we were taught to do it).

-Hannah Seemann

-Mackenzie Traut

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We experienced that being creative entails at times a painful and often exciting journey into destruction: of compiled judgements, violent structures of thought, past personal experiences that have been built up in our minds. A journey that revealed wonder and playfulness as well: new micro-movements of our drawing hand, surprises in the revelation of unknown areas of interest and pleasure within the crowded wire of our recurrent thoughts, familiarity with our own inner discourses, freedom of transforming all this into something previously unseen.

AMONG OUR DISCOVERIES I WOULD LIKE TO MENTION: -Hannah Seemann •

A private pictorial alphabet to translate a personal relationship with the city of Florence (Maria Donnelly).

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ȶ ȈǁȈɁɰʰȶƺɨƃɽȈƺ ʤȈɰʍƃȢ ȚɁʍɨȶljʰ ƃƺɨɁɰɰ ɽȃlj ˎǼʍɨƃɽȈʤlj ǹljƃɽʍɨljɰ of human anatomy toward an abstract feeling for the body as a 3D presence (Hannah Seemann).

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A transferring of lines selectively pulled from the visible world to recreate a mysterious emotional landscape (Mackenzie Traut).

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A net of subtle and dynamic thinking, in which connecɽȈɁȶɰ ȴƃɨȟ ƃɨljƃɰ Ɂǹ ȶʍƃȶƺljǁ ɨljːljƺɽȈɁȶ (Megan Stoltenberg).

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A visualization of the aggressive longing of an artist’s mind to capture the world (Emily Franchett).

Throughout the semester, this was a highly private, even intiȴƃɽlj ʥƃʰ Ɂǹ ƃǁǁɨljɰɰȈȶǼ ɽȃlj ƺɁȶƺljɥɽ Ɂǹ Ԅ ȶȶɁʤƃɽȈɁȶԅӖ ȶljʥ ɽɁ ʍɰӗ new to our experience, new in a sense that many of the inner workings of an artist’s mind are similar, even though every artist perceives this in a different way.

Our goal was to leave the journey open, to record it while it was happening, to suspend our judgement.

Poet Mark Strand’s 2013 handwritten notes about Edward Hopper’s drawings* beautifully summarize our feeling of traveling across the spaces of our minds, hoping to discover sometimes, somewhere, some encounter between our inner world and the world we happen to live in:

-Emily Franchett

«Paints and scrapes, paints and scrapes to get something right, the something that is not there at the outset but reveals itself slowly, and then completely, having traveled an arduous route during which vision and image come together, for a while, until dissatisfaction sets in, and the painting and scraping begin again. But what is it that determines the success of 㨠ăà ¼ ôÊعʊ a¨ Ê«Ã « à ʡ ó«Ü«ÊÃʠ¨«Ü « ʃ ó ¢è ã ăØÜãʃ Ê¡ ô¨ ã ã¨ Õ «Ãã«Ã¢ «¢¨ã ʠ à 㨠brute fact of the subject, its plain obdurate existence, just “out there” with an absolutely insular existence.»

* http://www.nybooks.com/articles/2015/06/25/edward-hopper/ SPRING-SUMMER 2017

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-Mackenzie Traut

-Megan Stoltenbeg

Words, Painting, and Emotions student Olivia Scheiber’s description of her own struggle depicts well the road, challenges, and realizations which resulted from her own journey:

The impossible task F

inding creativity within yourself can seem like an imposɰȈƹȢlj ɽƃɰȟӝ ěȃlj ɥɨljɰɰʍɨlj ɽɁ ˎȶǁ ƃ ʍȶȈɧʍlj Ȉǁljƃ ɽȃƃɽ ʥȈȢȢ impress creates unwanted barriers. It halts all runways for your creative mind to wonder. Being in an environment surrounded by others who have the same mindset is encouraging, but also can be intimidating. I see classmates of mine break down their built up walls and I peer over mine, wishing I could do the same. In my head, this is a sign: I am not creative. As I continue struggling with this concept, I begin to recognize a classroom full of students open to their experiences and an instructor that embraces my struggles alongside me. This journey leads me to realize I am the mason inside my own head, the worst critic I will ever face. In the past, an idea like this would discourage me. My creative process would be a hassle rather than an enjoyable experience. Instead, I learn to view these walls as obstacles that I need to climb, not break down. Problems will occur and perfection will never be accomplished, but for once, I accept that. The issues I face are a part of my identity and creative path. They make my ideas, process, and my inner artist unique. These experiences have not entirely cured me of my own creative struggles, but do give me the blueprints to show me how to move forward. Creativity seems like a dynamic attribute we all believe we do not possess, but no matter the person, creativity is always there.

-Emily Franchett

- Olivia Scheiber

-Maria Donelly 30 *

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Photo by Andrew Neel

The world is a b o o k , and those who do not t r av e l read only one page.

ʡ Z «Ãã è¢èÜã«Ã

TRAVEL

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Expanding Worldviews - through Technology ú A « Zã ع ú

Technology today is everywhere and thanks to the dedicated efforts of adventurous individuals, digital media allows for users throughout the world to experience incredible views of remote places.

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travel

Photo by Pedro Pinera

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here is no denying the impact modern technology has had on almost every aspect of our day-to-day lives and culture. Our generation is unique in that we are increasingly experiencing the death of distance through our ability to instantly communicate with one another, easily conduct business and mass production on a global scale, and even experience other cultures without leaving the comfort of our own homes all thanks to computers and smart devices.

I was recently scrolling through social media feeds when I came across a 360-degree photographic feature that allowed me to experience a landscape as if I were there in person. All I had to was stand with my phone in my hand, held in front of me at eye level, rotate my body and observe the screen as it moved with me. I was standing in my living room at mid-afternoon and at the same time balancing on the peak of an obscure mountain in South America enjoying a spectacular sunset. This technology left me with a child-like wonder, in awe of the implications of this kind of technology. Now those who are unable to travel, for whatever reason, can experience incredible views and locations in their own homes.

During recent travels in Morocco, it was my good fortune to meet a young man named Lucas. Lucas is a 23-year-old Argentinian, traveling across Europe and now Africa with just a backpack, a saxophone, and a camera designed to record locations in a 360-degree photographic session just as described above. lj ˎȶǁɰ ʥɁɨȟ ʥȃljȶ ȃlj ȶljljǁɰ ɽɁ ƹʰ ɰljȢȢȈȶǼ ɽȃȈɰ ɽljƺȃȶɁȢɁǼʰ ɽɁ excursion companies, blog websites, and even museums.

Lucas is able to fund his own travels while bringing those same experiences to friends, family, and strangers back home and all over the world through this technology. He has documented

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views from the peaks of the Atlas Mountains at mid-day, the middle of the desert at sunrise, the Saadian tombs, and even a few of Morocco’s most famous marketplaces. Lucas’ ability to ɽɨƃʤljȢ ƃȶǁ ǁɁƺʍȴljȶɽ ȃȈɰ ˎȶǁȈȶǼɰ ɽɁ ɰȃƃɨlj ʥȈɽȃ ɽȃlj ʥɁɨȢǁӗ ʥȃȈȢlj simultaneously funding said travels, is a perfect example of how the digital age can interact with art in an innovative, creative and incredibly meaningful way.

Before modern technology, one would have to plan extensive and expensive voyages around the globe to in order to enjoy different art forms and cultures in person. Various technological innovations now enable us to close the vast distance between locations and reduce the costs to explore those same regions. At the simple touch of a button, we can now research and access information almost instantaneously that includes, but is certainly not limited to: pictures, historical facts, and descriptions of all different types of art forms and cultures.

Now, thanks to innovative, wanderlust-stricken people such as Lucas, beautiful landscapes, historical sights, and culturally ɰȈǼȶȈˎƺƃȶɽ ƃɨɽ ƺƃȶ ƹlj ƃɥɥɨljƺȈƃɽljǁ Ȉȶ ʥȃƃɽljʤljɨ ɰljɽɽȈȶǼ ʰɁʍ ˎȶǁ yourself in, as long as you are digitally connected.

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ROOM FOR REALITY IN A VIRTUAL WORLD ú Zã ó à Z ¢¼«ÊÃ

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hese days, with nothing more than a computer and a headset, virtual reality (or VR) takes away the boundaries that once prevented us from reaching even the ȴɁɰɽ ɨljȴɁɽlj ɥȢƃƺljɰӝ ȶ ԄKʤljɨljɰɽ řĄӗԅ ɨljȢljƃɰljǁ ƹʰ ČɂȢǹƃɨ ČɽʍǁȈɁɰ ƹƃɰljǁ Ȉȶ Ąljʰkjavík, Iceland, it has never been easier to reach the summit of the tallest mountain in the world, a feat that only about 4,000 people have done in reality. The rugged terrain of the Khumbu Icefall or the nearly vertical climb up the Hillary Step are only a few of the scenes one can experience without the aid of supplemental oxygen, ice axes, or a coat. So this begs the question: why should we go through all the effort and trouble, and expense, of actually traveling to a place when we can see the world’s greatest sights from the comfort of our own homes? If the highest of culture, and the most spectacular views can come to us so easily, what is the point of us going to them instead?

According to Sherry Turkle, professor at Massachusetts Institute of Technology and author on how technology shapes the way we communicate, entertainment is entertainment, but in a cultural context, the problem comes when we blend the real ƃȶǁ ɽȃlj ʤȈɨɽʍƃȢ Ȉȶ ƃ ʥƃʰ ɽȃƃɽ ȶɁ ȢɁȶǼljɨ ɥɨɁʤȈǁljɰ ɽȃlj ɁɥɥɁɨɽʍȶȈɽʰ ǹɁɨ ɽȃlj ԄǼɨƃʰ ƃɨljƃԅ nuance and attention to detail that real life demands. Commenting on last year’s release of the popular augmented reality game Pokémon Go, Turkle wrote an opinion piece for the New York Times titled “There Are Dangers to Remaking the Real as ƃ řȈɨɽʍƃȢ ĀȢƃƺljӝԅ Čȃlj ɥɨƃȈɰljǁ ɽȃlj ɥȃʰɰȈƺƃȢ ƃƺɽȈʤȈɽʰ ƺȃȈȢǁɨljȶ Ǽljɽ ʥȃȈȢlj ƺƃɽƺȃȈȶǼ ʤȈɨɽʍƃȢ creatures, but she likewise criticized the high amount of screentime and the way it gives the misleading illusion of interacting with reality without, in fact, doing any such thing whatsoever. It is, after all, only virtual reality.

“We hope that by engaging children with the real, they will be brought into a dialogue with what only the real offers: ɽȃlj ǁljɽƃȈȢɰ Ɂǹ ȢȈǹlj ƃɰ Ȉɽ Ȉɰ ȢȈʤljǁ ƃȶǁ ɽȃlj ɥljɁɥȢlj ʥlj ȢȈʤlj Ȉɽ ʥȈɽȃӗԅ Turkle writes. “The real teaches you to pay attention. It deȴƃȶǁɰ ɽȃƃɽ ʰɁʍ ɰȢɁʥ ǁɁʥȶ ɽɁ Ȉɽɰ ɥƃƺljӝԅ ěʍɨȟȢljԇɰ ɰljȶɽȈȴljȶɽɰ have modeled my own experiences (or lack thereof) of how vibrant the Florentine culture would be before I arrived in Florence. Take the Cattedrale di Santa Maria del Fiore, better known as Il Duomo, and arguably one of the city’s most recognizable landmarks. I had seen the image of its redtiled dome countless times in countless places: textbooks, postcards, and Google Street View to name a few.

Simply put, it was beautiful.

Illustration by Andrea Mancini

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Yet, though a picture is worth a thousand words, an experience leaves you wordless, searching for the right ones to describe it.

Photo by Tolga Kilink

Then I saw it in person - the same Duomo as the images before. It was not simply ԄƹljƃʍɽȈǹʍȢԅ ƃȶʰ ȢɁȶǼljɨӝ ɽ ʥƃɰ ȴƃǼȶȈˎƺljȶɽӗ ƹɨljƃɽȃɽƃȟȈȶǼ Ȉȶ Ȉɽɰ Ȉȴȴljȶɰlj ɰƺƃȢlj ƃȶǁ incredible detail. The intricate features of its enormous doors. Was this absent from the images before? No, all the detail was there, albeit a bit grainier and smaller. Yet, though a picture is worth a thousand words, an experience leaves you wordless, searching for the right ones to describe it.

In that experience, the critical essence of Il Duomo was partially lost when translated into a virtual (or printed) medium, but not all digital media are lacking in this area. In fact, some give us a more realistic view into stories where the present situation may feel unapproachable or even dangerous to travel to, giving news, storytelling, and activism a powerful new medium. RYOT, a Los Angeles-based immersive media company with deep humanitarian roots, is a champion of using VR and 360-degree video to capture the heart of culture, tragedy, and life around the globe. ěȃlj ƺɁȴɥƃȶʰ ʥƃɰ ɨljƺljȶɽȢʰ ƃƺɧʍȈɨljǁ ƹʰ ěȃlj ʍǹˎȶǼɽɁȶ ĀɁɰɽ Ȉȶ їѕіћӗ Ȣƃɽljɨ ɨljȢljƃɰȈȶǼ ȶljʥɰӸɁɨȈljȶɽljǁ ˎȢȴɰ ȢȈȟlj I Struggle Where You Vacation, which voices the concerns of Puerto Ricans during the country’s ongoing debt crisis, and The Crossing, which brings viewers into the heart of Europe’s migrant and refugee crisis from the Greek island of Lesbos. From the Standing Rock protests in the United States to the western Mongolian tradition of hunting with golden eagles, RYOT pays particular attention to local perspectives, including natural-feeling environments that a VR travel or tourism video might deem nonessential. In this way, VR acts not as an escape from the real world but a journey to it.

VR will only become more popular as the technology improves. So when we use this powerful platform, let us learn to distinguish what is best, or only capable of being seen through our headsets and phones, and what is best seen in person, as a gift, perhaps, to our own eyes.

Photo by Paul Gilmore

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Photo by Aaron Burden

EITHER W R I T E SOMETHING WORTH R E A D I N G , OR DO SOMETHING WORTH W R I T I N G ʢ ö «à "Ø Ã¹¼«Ã

writing

W R I T I NG

WHAT MAKES US HUMAN? The Journals of Sauro Guarnieri ú Ü« } ĕ Ø ʃ ) Ãà ¨ B ¢¼ ʃ Ø )à úʃ à ¨ ¼Ü ) ØØ«Ü

Photo courtesy of Sauro Guarnieri

ȦƟǍǒȻƭƟȻ ƞɡ ȻȦƃƦƭӹ ƭǵdžƃdžƭƦ ȻȦƃɚƭǪƭȦ ƃǵƦ ǣȀɃȦǵƃǪƭȦ ­ƃɃȦȀ GɃƃȦǵǒƭȦǒ ƭɠȣǪȀȦƭȮ ȻǍƭ ȻǍƭdzƭȮ ȀDž ƞȀɃǵƦƃȦǒƭȮ ƃǵƦ ȀȣȣȦƭȮȮǒȀǵ ȻǍȦȀɃdžǍ ȮȀƟǒƃǪ ȻǍƭƃȻȦƭ ǒǵ ȦƭDžɃdžƭƭ ƟƃdzȣȮӾ »ȦƃɚƭǪ ÚȦǒȻǒǵdž ȮȻɃƦƭǵȻȮ ǍƃƦ ȻǍƭ ȀȣȣȀȦȻɃǵǒȻɡ ȻȀ ǒǵȻƭȦƃƟȻ ɛǒȻǍ GɃƃȦǵǒƭȦǒ during a guest lecture and interview this semester.

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WRITING

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auro Guarnieri prompted us to change our perspectives by asking us to move our chairs into a circle, forcing eye contact and full participation between our colleagues during the interview. In doing so, he challenged us to understand the concept of limits - boundaries created in the human race - which directly affect the lives of the oppressed. Devoted to creating similar open discussions throughout the world, Guarnieri and three of his colleagues formed a group, MescoȢƃɨɰȈӗ ʥȃȈƺȃ ȴljƃȶɰ ԄɽɁ ȴȈȶǼȢljԅ Ɂɨ ԄɽɁ ƹȢljȶǁԅ Ȉȶ ɽƃȢȈƃȶӝ ěȃljʰ ʤȈɰȈɽ various countries across the globe and develop small communities with local inhabitants, working tirelessly to understand ƹɁɽȃ ɽȃlj ƺʍȢɽʍɨlj ƃȶǁ ǹɁɨȴɰ Ɂǹ ɁɥɥɨljɰɰȈɁȶ ɰɥljƺȈˎƺ ɽɁ ɽȃljɰlj areas. By forming these micro-communities, Mescolarsi offers the world a new, innovative way to view theatre and the forging of social bonds.

During our interview, Guarnieri explained that his work revolves around the concepts of community and conversation.

An example of this occurred in a refugee camp in Thessaloniki, Greece in which he utilized social theatre to convey his ȴljɰɰƃǼlj ƃƹɁʍɽ ȃɁʥ ƃȢȢ ɁɥɥɨljɰɰȈɁȶ Ȉɰ ǁljˎȶljǁ ƹʰ Ɂȶlj ǹɁɨȴ Ɂǹ constraints or another. Through this hands-on approach, he allowed the refugees to share their experiences through both words and body language with exercises that required the individuals to listen to each other with more than just their ears, but also through touch, empathy, and observing one another.

During this workshop in particular, he uncovered a personal ƺɁȶːȈƺɽ Ɂǹ ȃȈɰ ɁʥȶӖ Ȉȶ ȃljȢɥȈȶǼ ɽȃlj ɨljǹʍǼljljɰ ƃȶǁ ȢljƃɨȶȈȶǼ ƃƹɁʍɽ the harsh truth of their day-to-day realities, he felt he had both lost and gained parts of himself. Clearly, Guarnieri does not take these trips lightly and strives to be a harbinger of change, no matter how large or small the audience.

“Are there more borders between our countries or ô«ã¨«Ã úÊèØÜ ¼¡ʊʮ

ěȃƃȶȟǹʍȢȢʰӗ ɽȃlj ɰɥljƺȈˎƺɰ Ɂǹ ȃȈɰ ƃǁʤljȶɽʍɨljɰ ƃƺɨɁɰɰ ɽȃlj ʥɁɨȢǁ ʥȈȢȢ not be forgotten. From an early age, Guarnieri has kept journals, a record of his personal travels recorded by hand. He compared his black leather notebooks to the black box of an airplane, holding the innermost workings of his mind, written exclusively in red ink. Although he describes himself as having “very ɰɽɨɁȶǼ Ȉȶȶljɨ ƹɁʍȶǁƃɨȈljɰӗԅ ȃlj ɥȢƃȶɰ ɽɁ ƹljǼȈȶ ɰȃƃɨȈȶǼ ȃȈɰ ljȶɽɨȈljɰӗ enlightening the world with his experiences and newfound insight. Over the years, he has come to realize that not everything on his pages must come from his own mind. Once, a young girl in Greece asked to draw a picture on one of his pages, and he handed over his journal to her with an open heart and mind.

With this same mindset, he and his colleagues bring communities together and experience them whole-heartedly, accepting ɽȃlj ǁȈǹǹljɨljȶƺljɰ Ɂǹ Ɂɽȃljɨɰ ƃȶǁ ˎȶǁȈȶǼ ʥȃƃɽ ȴƃȟljɰ ʍɰ ɰȈȴȈȢƃɨ – what makes us human. According to Guarnieri, boundaries ƺƃȶ ƹlj ƹɨɁȟljȶ ƹʰ ˎȶǁȈȶǼ Ɂʍɽ ʥȃƃɽ ʍȶȈɽljɰ ʍɰ ƃɰ ȃʍȴƃȶɰӗ ɨƃɽȃljɨ than focusing on the limits of our coexistence. He told us, “When you are here [in Italy], you are not here to consume the ƺɁȴȴʍȶȈɽʰӗ ƹʍɽ ɽɁ ɽɨʰ ɽɁ Ɂǹǹljɨ ɰɁȴljɽȃȈȶǼ Ɂǹ ʰɁʍɨɰljȢǹӝԅ ¶ȶɁʥȈȶǼ exactly what it is like to enter a new place with expectations and limits, Guarnieri encouraged us to break free of these limits and create a personal relationship with Florence. This new approach to compassion and change inspired us to form our own communities by looking at a city for its people rather than its stereotypes.

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-Casey Schneider -Eve Atkins

-Cleary Chizmar

-Emily Lazarus

THE ART OF HANDWRITING The following article series was produced as an interdisciplinary collaboration between two FUA courses Ô™ ÂťČŚĆƒÉšĆ­ÇŞ ÚȌǒȝǒǾdž ĆƒÇľĆŚ ČŚČť ÂťÇ?Ć­ČŚĆƒČŁÉĄ Ć&#x;Č€Č€ČŚĆŚÇ’ÇľĆƒČťĆ­ĆŚ ƞɥ ¢ȌȀDžӞ tÇ’Ć&#x;Č€ÇŞĆ­ČťČťĆƒ Â­ĆƒÇŞČ€ÇłČ€Çľ Ô™ ĆƒČŽ Ćƒ Ç…ÉƒČŚČťÇ?Ć­ČŚ Ȍƭ˾ƭĆ&#x;ȝǒȀǾ ȀǾ ČťÇ?Ć­ art of handwriting inspired by Sauro Guarnieri's journaling experiences.

Â ĂœĂŁÂ Ă´Â Ăş

By Dere Hney

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Ç‰ČˆČśÇź Ćƒ ĆşĆƒÉ°É˝ĆƒĘĽĆƒĘ°Ó? Ä›ČƒÇ‰ ÇšÇ‰Ç‰Č˘ČˆČśÇź É Çš Ç ČˆÉ°ÉĽČ˘ĆƒĆşÇ‰Č´Ç‰ČśÉ˝ Ç‰Č˘Ç‰ĆşÉ˝É¨ČˆËŽÇ‰É° ljʤljɨʰ ČˆČśĆşČƒ É Çš Ę°É Ę?ɨ ĆšÉ Ç Ę°Ó?

In doing so, you have no other choice but to be on constant alert. You cannot completely be yourself. You have heard there are different ways to cope. Techniques, maybe even steps that will help you get through this familiar feeling of being lost. You can try and wear a mask. Pretend to be something different than what you are, and in doing so, perhaps you’ll become one with the mask. But in the end the mask will inevitably crack and crumble right in front of you. Çljʯɽӗ É˝ČƒÇ‰Ę° ɽljȢȢ Ę°É Ę? É˝É Ç ČˆĘ¤Ç‰ ČˆČśÉ˝É É˝ČƒÇ‰ ĘĽÉ É¨Č˘Ç ČƒÇ‰ĆƒÇ ËŽÉ¨É°É˝Ó? ĹĽÉ Ę? ĘĽČˆČ˘Č˘ ÇźÉ¨ĆƒÉ°ÉĽ ĆƒČśÇ É°Ç‰Ç‰ É˝ČƒČˆČśÇźÉ° Ç ČˆÇšÇšÇ‰É¨Ç‰ČśÉ˝Č˘Ę°Ó? ÂŽÉ˝ ĆƒČ˘Č´É É°É˝ Č´ĆƒČ&#x;ljɰ Ę°É Ę? ǚljljȢ ĆşÉ Č´ÉĽČ˘Ç‰É˝Ç‰Ó? ÄŒÉ ÂŽ É˝É É É˝É¨ČˆÇ‰Ç É˝ČƒČˆÉ° Č´Ç‰É˝ČƒÉ Ç Ó?Ô? AÇ‰É˝ĆƒĆşČƒČˆČśÇź ȴʰɰljȢǚ ÇšÉ¨É Č´ É˝ČƒČˆČśÇźÉ° É˝ČƒĆƒÉ˝ É¨Ç‰Č´ČˆČśÇ Ç‰Ç Č´Ç‰ É Çš ČƒÉ Č´Ç‰ ĆƒČ˘Č´É É°É˝ ǚljȢɽ ÇšÉ¨Ç‰Ç‰ČˆČśÇźÓ? 9Ę?É˝ Ô„ĆƒČ˘Č´É É°É˝Ô… ČˆÉ° É˝ČƒÇ‰ ĆşĆƒÉ˝ĆşČƒÓ? Ä›ČƒĆƒÉ˝ É˝É É ĘĽČˆČ˘Č˘ Ç‰ČśÇ Ó? ÂŽ ĘĽĆƒÉ° ĆšĘ?É°Ę° ËŽČ˘Č˘ČˆČśÇź Č´Ę° ČƒÇ‰ĆƒÇ ĘĽČˆÉ˝Čƒ Ç‰Ę¤Ç‰É¨Ę°É˝ČƒČˆČśÇź Ȝljʼӗ Č´Ę° ČƒÇ‰ĆƒÉ¨É˝ ĘĽĆƒÉ° É°É˝ČˆČ˘Č˘ Č˘É É°É˝ ĆƒČśÇ ČśÉ É˝ ČˆČśÉ˝É ČˆÉ˝Ó?Ô?Ô?

Finally, writing. Writing your thoughts and feelings is supposed to not only connect your brain and heart but give you a way to release anything and everything that

-Casey Schneider

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É˝É¨É Ę?ƚȢljɰ Ę°É Ę?Ó?Ô? ÂŽ Ç ČˆÇ É˝ČƒĆƒÉ˝ É˝É É Ó? Ä€ČˆĆşČ&#x;Ç‰Ç Ę?ÉĽ Č´Ę° ɼljȜ ĆƒČśÇ ĘĽÉ¨É É˝Ç‰ ČˆČś Č´Ę° journal. For others, writing is second nature. Like Sauro Guarnieri, who feels his daily journals are an extension of himself. He is and his journals are one and the same. If he could achieve this, then I could too.

Surprisingly, it turned out harder than I thought. I was forcing ȴʰɰljȢǚ É˝É ĘĽÉ¨ČˆÉ˝Ç‰ ČšĘ?É°É˝ É˝É ËŽČ˘Č˘ Ę?ÉĽ Ćƒ ÉĽĆƒÇźÇ‰Ó? Ä›ČƒÇ‰É¨Ç‰ ʼljɨlj É˝ČˆČ´Ç‰É° ĘĽČƒÇ‰Čś ÂŽ was able to get certain things off my chest, but even then, it was as though I had to force myself to write. Frustrated, I began Č˘Ç‰É˝É˝ČˆČśÇź ȴʰɰljȢǚ ɨljË?ljƺɽ É Čś É˝ČƒÇ‰ ČšÉ Ę?ɨȜljʰ ÂŽ ČƒĆƒĘ¤Ç‰ Č´ĆƒÇ Ç‰Ó— ĆƒČśÇ ÉĽÉ¨ĆƒĘ° for future journeys. Before I knew it, my page was full. I was doodling and writing, writing and doodling all over the page.

Now this felt more like me. Thinking with my hands made me feel better. Whether it was making little drawings or writing, I was beginning to understand my feelings about being lost in a new place.

Nevertheless, understanding being lost and coping with the feeling are two different things. To me, coping means you have É˝É ČƒĆƒĘ¤Ç‰ ĆšÇ‰Č˘É ČśÇźÇ‰Ç É°É Č´Ç‰ĘĽČƒÇ‰É¨Ç‰ ČˆČś É˝ČƒÇ‰ ˎɨɰɽ ÉĽČ˘ĆƒĆşÇ‰Ó? ÂŽÉ˝ Č´ĆƒČ&#x;ljɰ ČˆÉ˝ ČƒĆƒÉ¨Ç É˝É ËŽČśÇ Ę°É Ę?ɨɰljȢǚ ČˆÇš Ę°É Ę? Ç É ČśÔ‡É˝ Č&#x;ČśÉ ĘĽ ĘĽČƒÇ‰É¨Ç‰ Ę°É Ę? ʼljɨlj É°Ę?ÉĽÉĽÉ É°Ç‰Ç É˝É ĆšÇ‰ É É¨ČˆÇźČˆČśĆƒČ˘Č˘Ę°Ó? ÂŽČś Č´Ę° ĆƒĘĽĆƒČ&#x;Ç‰ČśČˆČśÇź É˝ČƒÉ¨É Ę?ÇźČƒ Č´Ę° ČšÉ Ę?É¨ČśĆƒČ˘É°Ó— ÂŽ ËŽČśĆƒČ˘Č˘Ę° realized that the familiar feeling of being lost is not something that happened when I came to Florence, but has always been with me and probably always will be. But I’ll keeping on dooÇ Č˘ČˆČśÇźÓ— ĘĽÉ¨ČˆÉ˝ČˆČśÇźÓ— ĆƒČśÇ É˝É¨ĆƒĘ¤Ç‰Č˘ČˆČśÇź Ę?ČśÉ˝ČˆČ˘ ÂŽ ǚljljȢ Ȣljɰɰ Č˘É É°É˝ ĆƒČśÇ ËŽČśÇ ĘĽČƒÇ‰É¨Ç‰ I belong.

-Cleary Chizmar

ú�Ÿ� Ÿ

By Allayna Nofs

I

ĘĽÉ¨ČˆÉ˝Ç‰ É˝É ËŽČśÇ Č´Ę°É°Ç‰Č˘ÇšÓ? ÂŽ ĘĽÉ¨ČˆÉ˝Ç‰ ĆšÇ‰ĆşĆƒĘ?ɰlj É ÇšÉ˝Ç‰ČśÓ— ĘĽČˆÉ˝Čƒ É É˝ČƒÇ‰É¨ people I sometimes lose my sense of self. I write to vent this, and in order to regain that sense, to transport myself somewhere else. I exile myself. I cope by placing myself outside of a situation. I try my best to live in a moment that no one else ĆşÉ Ę?Č˘Ç ÉĽÉ É°É°ČˆĆšČ˘Ę° Č˘ČˆĘ¤Ç‰ ČˆČś ĘĽČˆÉ˝Čƒ ȴljÓ? ÂŽ ËŽČśÇ Ćƒ ÉĽČ˘ĆƒĆşÇ‰ É É¨ Ćƒ É˝ČˆČ´Ç‰ É˝ČƒĆƒÉ˝ ĘĽČˆČ˘Č˘ only appeal to me. I don’t let anyone hold me back. I’m wholly me and I am independent and I do this on my own. This is what writing is for me. An escape, sure, but also an act that is purely for me.

As I move my pen over the paper, I feel my tension release. My breathing comes easier, slows down and my shoulders are no longer tense. My desire and inclination to write is as if I have sucked in a ton of air, and am unable to release it and sigh until Č´Ę° ɼljȜ ČƒĆƒÉ° ËŽČśČˆÉ°ČƒÇ‰Ç ČˆÉ˝É° ČšÉ Ę?ɨȜljʰ ĆƒĆşÉ¨É É°É° É˝ČƒÇ‰ ÉĽĆƒÇźÇ‰Ó? É° ÂŽ ĘĽÉ¨ČˆÉ˝Ç‰Ó— ĆƒČ˘Č˘

M

y journal: the chamber of my secrets, remains hidden and out of sight from others. Inside, the words chosen are intricate, complex, and do not make the most logical sense in most cases. My hand forms letters and sentences in an illegible fashion. This system provides me with a sense of security, for no one could decipher my code even if they stumbled upon it.

Only ink will caress those pages, for ink carves the masterpiece, and it is the only substance that will permanently stain and refrain me from retracting those letters that I placed so carefully. The interior is black and blue, from both the ache of the content and the ink. My words are at no time to be reread, because it is healthier to let the bruises alone to recover than to keep prodding at them.

the air within me is blown out, and I blow and blow and write and write until there is no air left. I write wherever, in the moment I feel compelled to, because not doing so is like holding my breath. Writing allows me to grapple with the stresses of everyday life, distance from my family, culture shock. It is an act of personal discovery. The more I write, the more I am prone to ɨljË?Ç‰ĆşÉ˝ČˆČśÇź ĆƒĆšÉ Ę?É˝ Č´Ę° Ç‰ĘŻÉĽÇ‰É¨ČˆÇ‰ČśĆşÇ‰É°Ó— ĆƒČśÇ ÂŽ ĘĽÉ¨ČˆÉ˝Ç‰ Č´É É¨Ç‰Ó? ÂŽÉ˝ ČˆÉ° ĆşĘ°ĆşČ˘ČˆĆşĆƒČ˘Ó— ĆšÇ‰ĆƒĘ?É˝ČˆÇšĘ?Ȣ ĆƒČśÇ É°ĆƒÉ˝ČˆÉ°ÇšĘ°ČˆČśÇźÓ? ÄŠČśËŽČ˘É˝Ç‰É¨Ç‰Ç É˝ČƒÉ Ę?ÇźČƒÉ˝É° É˝ČƒĆƒÉ˝ Ę?É°Ę?ĆƒČ˘Č˘Ę° ĆƒÉ¨Ç‰ Ȣljǚɽ Ę?ČśËŽČśČˆÉ°ČƒÇ‰Ç Ó?

Usually, I am left with raw material that I can craft into something else if I choose to revisit it—whether it be a poem or a ČśĆƒÉ¨É¨ĆƒÉ˝ČˆĘ¤Ç‰Ó? Ä›ČƒÉ¨É Ę?ÇźČƒ É˝ČƒČˆÉ° ĆşĘ°ĆşČ˘ČˆĆşĆƒČ˘ ĆƒĆşÉ˝Ó— ÂŽ ĆƒČ´ ÇšĘ?Č˘ËŽČ˘Č˘Ç‰Ç Ó?

That chamber can be my escape, my daydream, or my worst nightmare. I am its creator and the reason for its existence.

But, if I am its master, why do I fear it? This release of emotion should install a sense of peace and a rush of calmness from within me. It holds conversations that I have not held with others. It clutches actualities that I am not always brave enough to admit. And for those reasons, to scrawl down my views and emotions can cause more internal damage than peace of mind. ĹšÉ¨ČˆÉ˝ČˆČśÇź É˝É¨ĆƒČśÉ°ÇšÉ É¨Č´É° Č´Ę° ˎǟȴljȜɽɰ É Çš ČˆČ´ĆƒÇźČˆČśĆƒÉ˝ČˆÉ Čś ČˆČśÉ˝É É¨Ç‰ĆƒČ˘ČˆÉ˝Ę°Ó?

So, every morning the sun awakens me, and I lie there ĘĽÉ¨ĆƒÉĽÉĽÇ‰Ç ČˆČś Ćƒ ĆšČ˘ĆƒČśČ&#x;ljɽӗ ÉĽÇ‰É˝É¨ČˆËŽÇ‰Ç ĆƒĆšÉ Ę?É˝ ĘĽČƒĆƒÉ˝ ÂŽ ĘĽČˆČ˘Č˘ Č˘É ĆşČ&#x; ČˆČś É˝ČƒÇ‰ chamber that day.

Â¨Â Ă‚ÂŒÂ—Ă˜

By Angel Richard SPRING-SUMMER 2016

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CASA DELLA STILOGRAFICA:

PENNING INNOVATION

ú ¼¼ úà BÊ¡Üʃ 㨠ثà ;è ØÊʃ â ¼ V« ¨ Ø ʃ à H¼«ó« Z ¨ « Ø S¨ÊãÊÜ ú ; èØ Ã S袨

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S

trolling down Via Camillo Cavour, one of Florence’s central streets, you may come across a quaint little shop known ƃɰ :ƃɰƃ ǁljȢȢƃ ČɽȈȢɁǼɨƃˎƺƃӝ ȶɰȈǁljӗ ɽȃɁʍɰƃȶǁɰ Ɂǹ ǹɁʍȶɽƃȈȶ pens await, all in various colors and styles. The prices vary along with the clientele, and in this case, looks can be deceiving: although the shop is tiny, it possesses an immense history.

In 1944, a young Antonio Sacchetti gave up the secure profession as a banker and became his own employer. The war was over, Florence was slowly starting to spring back to life, and Sacchetti decided to transform his interest for fountain pens into a business. Setting up shop in a small but central bottega, he sold and restored fountain pens. At the time, these writing instruments were a sign of prestige, and were often given as treasured gifts for communions, birthdays, weddings, and ɥɨɁȴɁɽȈɁȶɰӝ Śȃljȶ ɽȃlj ˎɨɰɽ ƹƃȢȢɥɁȈȶɽ ɥljȶɰ ɰɽƃɨɽljǁ ɽɁ ƺȈɨƺʍȢƃɽlj after the war, Antonio invented a mechanism that allowed his ƺʍɰɽɁȴljɨɰ ɽɁ ɨljˎȢȢ ɽȃljȴ Ȉȶɰɽljƃǁ Ɂǹ ȃƃʤȈȶǼ ɽɁ ǁȈɰɥɁɰlj Ɂǹ ɽȃljȴӝ Now, three generations later, the Sacchetti family still takes great pride in the business. Antonio’s grandson, Marco Moricci, runs the shop along with his parents, Patrizia Sacchetti, Antonio's daughter, and her husband, Vittorio Moricci. The three of them in the shop recreate a museum of sorts, recounting the past of these writing tools and safeguarding remnants from the store’s nearly 70 years of operation – from a 1920s antique fountain pen gilded in gold, to the large antique ink bottles ɽȃƃɽ ɽȃljʰ ʍɰljǁ ɽɁ ɰljȢȢ ƹʰ ɽȃlj ȢȈɽljɨ ɽɁ ˎȢȢ ɽȃlj ȈȶȟʥljȢȢɰ Ȉȶ ƺȃȈȢǁɨljȶԇɰ school desks, and one of the earliest examples of a retractable pen. All this is juxtaposed by immense glass display cases, stands, and shelves which advertise the latest developments in stylographic design. The family shares that their favorite part of working in such a particular business is selling beautiful and historic objects, adding that pens have “written and signed ɰɁȴlj Ɂǹ ɽȃlj ȴɁɰɽ ȈȴɥɁɨɽƃȶɽ ǁɁƺʍȴljȶɽɰ Ȉȶ ɽȃlj ʥɁɨȢǁӝԅ

Illustration by Andrea Mancini

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:ƃɰƃ ǁljȢȢƃ ČɽȈȢɁǼɨƃˎƺƃ ƃɽɽɨƃƺɽɰ ƃ ʤƃɨȈljɽʰ Ɂǹ ƺʍɰɽɁȴljɨɰӝ ČɁȴlj may be curious passersby who step into the store to see what treasures it holds, others are local professionals such as notaries and lawyers who are looking for the right pen to suit their taste and needs, but the majority are Florentine "pen lovers" who visit often to browse the large assortment of writing instruments and inquire about the latest arrivals. Besides pens of every shape and style, the company also specializes in accessoɨȈljɰ ƃȶǁ Ȉȶȟӗ ljʤȈǁljȶƺljǁ ƹʰ ɽȃlj ƹȈȶǁljɨɰ ǹʍȢȢ Ɂǹ ȈȶˎȶȈɽlj ɰƃȴɥȢlj Ȉȶȟ cards showcasing every color of the rainbow.

On the day of our interview with Marco and his family, a special delivery arrived in the mail. The shop immediately began to buzz with anticipation as Patrizia and Marco explained what was contained in one of the packages - a one-of-a-kind Pilot pen, hand-crafted by Japanese artists under the Namiki label.

In a compelling blend of traditional craftsmanship and innovation, these fountain pens are created through an intricate process dating back to the eighth century known as Maki-e.

Today, this technique is applied to a pen base which is brushed with layer after layer of Japanese lacquer into which traditional designs are meticulously carved. Gold dust is sprinkled in to contrast with the black lacquer. The whole process takes up to three months and each pen is signed by the artist who created it.

One may wonder how such a specialized business can keep its doors open in a world where writing by hand has all but become a thing of the past and where most of us associate ɥljȶɰ ʥȈɽȃ ȈȶljʯɥljȶɰȈʤljӗ ȴƃɰɰӸɥɨɁǁʍƺljǁӗ ԄǁȈɰɥɁɰƃƹȢljԅ 9ȈƺӸɰɽʰȢlj ballpoints. The future, Marco informs us, is in online sales. The shop has a booming online business and most of the clients are located overseas. They, like Marco, are enthusiasts, collectors, and hobbyists who understand the value of a well-made, stylish pen with just the right weight and grip. In the shop, the biggest sellers these days are low to mid-range priced pens ʥȃȈƺȃ ƺʍɰɽɁȴljɨɰ ˎȢȢ ʥȈɽȃ ɽȃlj Ȉȶȟ Ɂǹ ɽȃljȈɨ ƺȃɁɁɰȈȶǼӝ ɰ ÃƃɨƺɁ puts it poignantly, “in a world where computers, fax machines, and cellphones have taken over the way we correspond, we all feel the need to reclaim a more personalized path of communication. What better then, perhaps, than a unique color of ink ɽɁ ɥljɨɰɁȶƃȢȈ˃lj ʰɁʍɨ ʥɨȈɽȈȶǼӞԅ

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Photo by JJ Thompson

S u c c e s s isn’t just about what

you accomplish in your life. it’s about what

you inspire others to do. ʢa ØØú r«¼ ÂÂ Ã

alumni SPRING-SUMMER 2017

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Re-innovating Menswear "f " ܨ«Êà ¼èÂÃèÜ ,Ãã Øó« ô ô«ã¨ Dominic Sondag Photos courtesy of Dominic Sondag

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alumni

T

he FUA Alumni Association caught up with former fashion student Dominic Sondag. When living in Florence’s rich artisanal culture, Sondag was inspired by the Italian appreciation of fashion, art, history, and craft. Sondag initiated his fashion design career in Europe, working in the design team at London’s Chucs Dive & Mountain Shop. In 2012, he relocated to New York City to work with Engineered Garments’ production and design/development teams. Sondag currently works for one of New York City’s premier clothing factories, where he ǁljʤljȢɁɥljǁ ƃȶǁ Ȣƃʍȶƺȃljǁ ȃȈɰ ˎɨɰɽ ƺɁȢȢljƺɽȈɁȶ ʍȶǁljɨ ɽȃlj ƹɨƃȶǁ s.k. manor hill. »ƭǪǪ ɃȮ ƃ ƞǒȻ ƃƞȀɃȻ ɡȀɃȦ ȣƃȮȻ Ԝ ɛǍƭȦƭ ɡȀɃԂȦƭ DžȦȀdzӹ ǍȀɛ ɡȀɃ got into fashion design?

I was born and raised in San Francisco, California. As early as I can remember I have been interested in fashion and art. I worked in retail starting at the age of 16 because of my fondness for shoes and apparel. I majored in Graphic Design in college but I never seriously pursued fashion design because I didn’t think it was a realistic career option. In my last semester of college, I decided to study abroad at FUA. There, I realized that I wouldn’t be happy pursuing any other profession – that I was meant for a career in fashion design.

Why did you decide to study fashion in Florence?

I chose Graphic Design as my major because I thought it was ƃ ɥɨƃƺɽȈƺƃȢ ˎljȢǁ ɽɁ ɥʍɨɰʍlj Ȉȶ ɽȃlj ƃɨɽɰӝ yɁɨ ȴʰ Ȣƃɰɽ ɰljȴljɰɽljɨ Ɂǹ college in Fall 2009, I only needed elective credits to graduate and my family encouraged me to study abroad. I was interested in studying in Florence because of its rich history in fashion ƃȶǁ ƃɨɽɰӝ ǹɽljɨ ƺɁȴɥȢljɽȈȶǼ ȴʰ ˎɨɰɽ ɰljȴljɰɽljɨ ƃɽ yĩ ӗ ȃƃǁ ɰƃɽȈɰˎljǁ ȴʰ ƺɁȢȢljǼlj ǼɨƃǁʍƃɽȈɁȶ ɨljɧʍȈɨljȴljȶɽɰ ƹʍɽ ȴɁɨlj ȈȴɥɁɨtantly, I had found my life focus along the way. I took a second ɰljȴljɰɽljɨ ɰɁ ɽȃƃɽ ƺɁʍȢǁ ƺɁȴɥȢljɽlj ɽȃlj ˎɨɰɽ ʰljƃɨ yĩ ӡɰ yƃɰȃȈɁȶ Career Program. Coursework included fashion design, draping, CAD patternmaking, and sewing. ÚǍƃȻ ȻƭƟǍǵǒƟƃǪ ȀȦ ƟȦƭƃȻǒɚƭ ȮǧǒǪǪȮ ƦǒƦ ɡȀɃ ǍȀǵƭ ǍƭȦƭ ƃȻ FÂ that are most useful to you in your current career?

Flat illustration is a technical skill that I use frequently during my career. I use it to show patternmakers, sewers, and buyers a clear 2-D depiction of a garment. One of my FUA instructors helped me to improve my drawing skills, which was initially very helpful. Now I do all my illustrations on Adobe Illustrator.

The instructor also taught me about designing cohesive collections with a theme and the concept of seasons. While this may seem like a fairly basic concept, I hadn’t ever really thought about it, having grown up in San Francisco where the weather is really seasonless.

And speaking of your current career - what are you up to ǵȀɛӿ »ƭǪǪ ɃȮ ƃƞȀɃȻ ȮӾǧӾ dzƃǵȀȦ ǍǒǪǪ Ԝ ǍȀɛ ɡȀɃ džȀȻ ȮȻƃȦȻƭƦ ƃǵƦ what are your main goals or tenets. ǹɽljɨ ɰƃɽȈɰǹʰȈȶǼ ɨljɧʍȈɨljȴljȶɽɰ ǹɁɨ ƃ ƺƃɨljljɨ ƺljɨɽȈˎƺƃɽlj Ȉȶ yƃɰȃȈɁȶ Design from FUA in Spring 2010, I returned home for a brief period before returning to Europe, taking on a design internship at Chuc’s in London in 2011. I moved to New York in 2012 to intern with Engineered Garments (a Japanese brand designed and made in NY) with designer Daiki Suzuki. I also started in-

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A LU M N I

terning with a clothing manufacturer in New York’s garment district which provided an excellent opportunity to learn about the production and development.

I am currently working on developing my 5th season – Spring/Summer 2018. My ˎɨɰɽ ƺɁȢȢljƺɽȈɁȶ ʥƃɰ ČɥɨȈȶǼӣČʍȴȴljɨ їѕіћӝ I have been able to grow my wholesale business each season, domestically and internationally. I have also grown my direct-to-consumer business each season with my online store www.skmanorhill. com. My long term goal is to build a well-known, respected global brand.

What elements of Italian and Florentine style, culture, and fashion have dzȀȮȻ ǒǵ˵ɃƭǵƟƭƦ ɡȀɃȦ Ȁɛǵ ȮȻɡǪƭ ƃǵƦ look as a designer?

Living in Florence provided me with the opportunity to see men wearing suits in a stylish yet casual manner. I didn’t have that experience in the US growing up in San Francisco. There, the people who wear suits seem to just be wearing ƃ ʍȶȈǹɁɨȴ ǹɁɨ ʥɁɨȟ ɽȃƃɽ ǁɁljɰȶӡɽ ɨljːljƺɽ personal taste or style. I believe people in Italy have a greater appreciation of fashion than we do back home. »Ǎƭ ƟȀǵƟƭȣȻȮ ȀDž ȦƭƃȻǒɚǒȻɡӹ »ȦƃƦǒȻǒȀǵӹ and Innovation go hand in hand, especially in the fashion industry. What aspect(s) of your work would you consider "innovative"? What sets you apart from other menswear designers?

My clothing is very detail-oriented. I think I have a particular taste and an eye that is unique to me. I like to mix traditional and vintage styles from around the world, to create something timeless yet contemporary.

An integral part of studying abroad is discovery - discovering places, languages, other people, ourselves. What was one of things you discovered during your time in Italy?

I discovered an appreciation for travel.

While I was able to experience a number of different cultures as a child traveling internationally with my parents, I was never especially interested in travel myself until I studied abroad on my own in Italy. I instantly fell in love with Florence and the variety of experiences that it offered. This fueled my desire to explore more locations in Italy, Europe, and throughout the world.

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SPRING-SUMMER 2017

Gǒɚƭ ɃȮ ƃ džǪǒdzȣȮƭ ȀDž ȻǍƭ DžɃȻɃȦƭӾ ÚǍƭȦƭ do you see yourself in 10 years?

In Florence eating pasta. I don’t want to talk about 10 years from now because I try to stay in the present and focus on the now.

What artist or designer do you considƭȦ ȻȀ Ǎƃɚƭ ǍƃƦ ȻǍƭ dzȀȮȻ ǒǵ˵ɃƭǵƟƭ Ȁǵ your career?

My favorite designers are Issey Miyake, Dries Van Noten, and Daiki Suzuki. I like Issey because his clothes are very unique and innovative but still wearable, Dries for his beautiful fabrics and styles, and Daiki for his attention to detail. I try to embody all these elements in my designs.

If you could give one piece of advice to our current and future fashion students, what would it be?

Pursue what you’re passionate about and be prepared to put in the time and work.

"I like to mix traditional and vintage styles from around the world, to create something timeless yet contemporary".

- Dominic Sondag

Florence University of the Arts

encourages students

to keep

a MIND & BODY

balance

LA PALESTRA OFFERS FREE CLASSES WITH GYM EQUIPMENT FOR FUA STUDENTS

LA PALESTRA - FUA Corso Tintori, 21 - FLORENCE contact: sld-studentservices@fua.it