MARYAM ARIF MASSIMO SANNELLI Lotta di Classico
Maryam Arif Photos Massimo Sannelli Text B O X THOUGHT L o t t a d i c l a s s i c o MMXVI
xploration of the present day human condition and behavior as reflected in the lifeless world of mannequins and store windows. As beautiful as it seems from a visual perspective, there is an ever-present reminder of the lack of emotions, and an almost surrealistic belief of happiness and pleasure derived from the material world. Trapped in a well-conceived, visually stimulating box, these mannequins exude spiritual bliss, presenting a paradoxical interpretation of reality. Maryam Arif
It s a movie. Alexander McQueen is talking. He s in the garden. He says he loves so much the 400-years old tree in the garden. The tree is just a living mannequin in the living set. McQueen bought this set & he loved it, of course. One day the awful couturier decided to die. Why did he commit suicide? He made this way for him. I DON T KNOW. I can t stand it. Is the old tree still there, in the garden? I DON T KNOW, but it can be there: why not?
Some folks say fashion is dead. Some folks say fashion is death. A little bit of silence, please. Life is strange and convoluted here, in the old Western city. There are also city lights and lots of showcases. Some people are used to work hard. Who is the workaholic? It s me. The aerial is a working actor, me, the living tool, me, the sculpture. A free tool. Now, look: the toll charge is enourmous. The actorial task is very hard.
What a work is the footage you re looking at. & what a show in the showcase. & what a plastic beauty in our show. Now look to the mannequins. The gaffer creates the complete set. Lovely plastic bodies, like men & women, come here & don t go, because they can t go. Can you feel the meaning that comes from this show? Really?
I deserve the box I was made for. I was made for doing the things you want me to do, strong director, your Lordship, my technical tantalizer. Do you really think I m a faithful mannequin? (Be clear about it, right now). Am I faithful & brave & so on? Good news. I have the answer: Yes, you are! The director says: You re really clever, man (Man? Me?). You re my arms on the stage I made for you. You re a good fellow & the best tool. Are you happy?
I will not answer to these questions anymore. I m being serious: too rigid to joke, too stable to be insane. & my director is nasty. He does as he pleases. Well with a resolute tone, well, you re but my audience & I m very accommodating when I make an appearance. Keep calm and take a break.
Warning, the joker is calm, despite the stiff emphasis he lives in: it s me. I think I ll live in this showroom, exactly, like the old tree in the garden. The picture is on the wall, tra-la-la & the bottle is on the table, tra-la-la & the grammar is always the same tra-la-la & the old tree is in the garden. It s me. What s going to happen? The workaholic is always on the move. It s an exciting story, I think. We DON T KNOW what we re doing at the moment, but we act, that s for sure. I m the material and I m the complete lull in this stage.
Poetry has some standards. I know you don t like them. Who can violate the standards? Well, there are not standards, & all the late labels don t work now. A new art is coming. A new art is forthcoming. It s the self without selfies. The hunter Narcissus will not be selfish. He will be fashionable, but strong: he will be a sculpture (in the garden) (like the old tree you see in the movie). This is a kind of prophecy: one day there will be a behaviour & there s a right style in this behaviour. It will be all right, at the end. Mannequins are good sources. Dear audience, it s time to change our settings. OK. I don t forget the amazing end you want to listen to. You re right, if you miss the old maxims. Movies have always a common filler: it s all right, no matter with you, all right. It will be all right, at THE END.
JUST ANOTHER MONOLOGUE Massimo Sannelli
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BOX THOUGHT edited by massimo sannelli 2016