The Bite Magazine - Autumn/Winter 2023 - Issue 34

biteexhibition conveyor belt-like catwalk with an atmospheric soundtrack of sewing machines and atelier noises playing overhead. The looks are arranged by colour and inspiration rath- er than chronology. A 1970s silk shirt and skirt with a G cube motif speak to the trompe l’oeil ribbon on an elegantly playful 2016 wool cape by Alessandro Michele. A silk dress with feathers and the delicate swish of a chain-embroidered flapper dress from 2012 by Frida Gi- annini plays off the hedonistic and seductive glamour of Tom Ford-designed unisex suits from 1996. These myriad dialogues further resonate with three looks from Sabato De Sarno’s debut SS24 collection featuring bold outerwear, crystal-embellished details, and leather pieces in the signa- ture Rosso Ancora shade of red. What made this section more unique were the commis- sioned illustrations by four UK-based artists, Nuria Boj, Alexis Deacon, Joshua Donkor and Steve Harrison and four selected Chinese artists, Victo Ngai, Vikki Zhang, Li Jianmei and Peter Zhang (Currynew) from the Shanghai edition. These were projected onto a gauze screen sur- rounding the looks to create a multi-layered globetrotting vision that forged further dialogue and strengthened the creative ties across continents. The finale is Gucci Ancora, a room inspired by creative director Sabato De Sarno’s debut collection and runway show. It’s decorated in the new signature Rosso Ancora red with a central semi-transparent parallelepiped structure containing screens within a mirror-clad inner chamber. A series of personal memories, phrases and other fragments in Italian and English are projected onto the semi-trans- parent walls. As you watch, the words appear and disap- pear in a mesmerising motion. This experiential incarnation of the Gucci soul was dynam- ic, fascinating and mind-blowing. The video art and audio content were curated by Hard Feelings Studio co-founder and creative director Polina Zakharova and producer Sveta Yermolayeva, with sound design composed by Monoleak. Polina and Sveta have venue design and technology inte- grated for major artists like The Weeknd, Bad Bunny, Any- ma, BAPE, Met Gala, Post Malone, Travis Scott, Palm An- gels, Drake, and others. Gucci Cosmos at 180 Studios, 180 The Strand in London, runs until 31 December 2023. www.180studios.com/gucci Images courtesy of Atelier Public Relations