(Rome March 22nd 2015)
We are always tardy us ladies!! It’s the first time that I arrive ahead of time for an event. Starting time at 21:00.
I wait in the foyer of the building before they open the doors to the area where the event is going to take place.
I take advantage of the moment to warm up from the chilly evening and to take a picture of this wonderful retro cinematographic moviola
(photo gallery)
I’m in Tibuntina for the first time, at the amazing and unusual movie theatre former studios of “De Paolis”. The event organized by the “Alda Fendi Foundation” is dedicated to the Lenten period and is written and directed by “Raffaele Curi”. “The temple of the Elephantine” is the title, it takes its name after the Egyptian island where an ancient temple of God Khnum is found but it is also the place of one of the first Jewish temples. So this is where the fictional women drawn by Curi, the unforgettable heroines of this evening come from.
I am instantly relaxed by an introduction leaflet with a marvelous poem by Dylan Thomas.
(Photo gallery)
The industrial space is enormous and the event is all standing the place gets packed instantly. A gigantic screen is the silent protagonist and a luminous runway divides the ample space.
During the entire show the music is very loud and it honestly makes one shiver. Soundtracks by class artists like S. O’ Connor and Patty Smith, and also some Italian music at the end of the event.
The theme starts from India, to condemn the mistreatment against the women in those parts of the world. On the runway they stand motionless in a line, distant about one meter from one another, all of them Indian men dressed in white Kurta, bare feet and with a colorful turban on their heads. I’m impressed by the unchanging expressions on their faces, the confidence they feel in their immobility. They rather look like statues than actual human beings.
(Photo gallery)
While the Indians are lightened by the strong cinematographic spotlights, starting to walk on the platform, in the background as scenery, pictures of a family of elephants are projected. They feel so real like jumping out of the screen, thanks to special effects.
(Photo gallery)
And here it is the most beautiful, the most photographed quote of the entire event. It is of Shiri Guru Nanak Dev Ji and says”
“From woman, man is born; within woman, man is conceived; to woman he is engaged and married. Woman becomes his friend; through woman, the future generations come. To woman he is bound. So why call her bad? From her, kings are born. “
(Photo gallery)
A religious and dramatic representation of the Jesus crucifixion of Mathias Grunevald a painter of the 400’s that is presented with a “hole” that afterwards gets filled to stress out the obvious importance of the figures of the two female protagonists of the painting, Maria Magdalena and Mother Mary.
(Photo gallery)
And then a different act starts on the runway, this time of very young women wearing their hair down messed up, with no makeup, all naked. They are only wearing chains on their wrists and holding whips that probably symbolize the submission and the mortification of the female body. A beautiful symbolic expression of the rebellion of the female power that shows a naked woman wearing only military trousers holding a gun. In the background images of Roman soldiers in a video to contrast.
(Photo gallery)
And then a document of the 449 B.C is projected. A papyrus of a marriage proposal (provided by the Brooklyn Museum) belonging to the XXVII sec dynasty, suddenly sets on fire.
(Photo gallery)
The anticipated appearance of the famous actress “Domiziana Giodano” is the closing scene.
At first she appears on the screen as the leading character in a classic scene of the movie “Nostalgia” By Andrej Tarkovskij, where we watch her discuss with a priest about what is the real role of women in our society. In the discussion Giordano defends that happy female figure that is born to be complete rather than being submissive to the male. To our surprise shortly after she appears in person strutting on the runway with a belly that shows an advanced pregnancy, demonstrating the importance of procreation which is the only way to the human salvation, life itself!
The ultimate hope, as closing scene: The presence of just two men standing on stage one of which, young, half naked with a painting brush in hands coloring the bodies of the women remained on the stage.
(Photo gallery)
The event was indeed very powerful, significant! It leaves us astonished, silent before that aura of mystery that lies within its message, most probably intentionally attempted.
To each one of the guests was given the chance to freely choose the message. The one that concerns them, the one they are familiar with, the one that has marked them.
On that runway we saw walking all kinds of women from the submissive one to the gentle and fragile, to the untamed rebel.
We experienced so many visual messages, negative and positive.
Whichever woman or message you have chosen, I am convinced that for a minute you have felt it as your own. That you got that feeling of carrying it inside you.
A thank you to the “Fendi Foundation” for giving me the opportunity to participate this event / artistic expression. We would like remind you that is one of only a few entrance- free places out all of them that will want to attend in the following four days. Congratulation also for the magnificent initiative, making possible to open the gates of art for everyone, especially in these hard times of the financial crisis and the crisis in the values that we are going through.
by Mayura Malenotti
English
