Mythological or hybrid creatures such as Medusa often turned into inspiring figures for artists and fashion designers.
In a way it’s easy to explain why many of us find mutating, morphing or hybrid beings fascinating: such liminal creatures are usually considered as metaphors for society’s prejudice, intolerance, bigotry and oppression, but in fashion and art they are also seen as a celebration of diversity and a way to explore new standards of beauty.
Thierry Mugler’s "Chimera" dress (Autumn/Winter 1997-1998) was for example a sort of celebration of the body in mutation since it featured elements that called to mind amphibian creatures, fish, birds and mammals, transcending sex and gender and almost giving to the wearer new and superhuman powers.
In more recent years we have seen an emphasis on mutating human beings: Alexander McQueen’s S/S 2010 collection seemed to celebrate a new Darwinian diversity in a post-apocalyptic world ruled by aquatic amazons.
The precursors of such beings are obviously mermaids. Sensual, mysterious and vicious, mermaids are the protagonists of various legends, fairytales and folkloristic stories.
Mermaids appeared on the big screen as early as 1907 in a scene from Georges Méliès’ Jack le Ramoneur.
A few years later a performance by Loïe Fuller – varyingly called "Sirènes", "La Mer" and "Sur la mer immense" – revived the curiosity of the audience for sea and mysterious marine creatures.
In June 1925, Fuller produced an ambitious performance of "La Mer" on the steps of Paris’ Grand Palais.
Fuller draped 4,000 square metres of iridescent silk taffeta over the staircase of the Grand Palais for the occasion.
The fabric, with its violet, red, green and orange nuances, was produced by an Indian textile company based in Bombay and was animated by 75 dancers hid under it who created a sort of movable silk sculpture.
In her shows Fuller had transformed herself into a butterfly; in "La Mer" the dancers’ bodies turned into invisible aquatic beings capable of forming waves and undulations and of producing the illusion that the audience was watching the tail of a giant mermaid moving.
Fashion designers often took inspiration from the body of mermaids: sequins or fabric imitating fish scales appeared in Jean Paul Gaultier's ready-to-wear and Haute Couture collections (the design in this image relates to his S/S 2008 Haute Couture collection), turning at times into the perfect antithesis to his iconic stripy sailor tops.
On the big screen we have seen a renewed interest in mermaids, from the futuristic White Silver Sirens in Tron Legacy to the more traditional, yet extremely sensual mermaids (View this photo) in the fourth instalment of the Pirates Of The Caribbean saga, On Stranger Tides, presented a few days ago at the Cannes Film Festival.
While the physicality of mermaids seems to naturally be the most fascinating aspect for most artists and designers, there have been attempts - such as the performance "The Little Mermaid", recently staged by the San Francisco Ballet - to look at these legendary beings as metaphors.
"The Little Mermaid" was originally created in 2005 for the Royal Danish Ballet (as a tribute to the 200th anniversary of Hans Christian Andersen’s birth) with a score by composer Lera Auerbach and with choreography, set, costumes and lighting by John Neumeier.
In this ballet the main character is portrayed as a strong creature who doesn't seem to know any boundaries and who is determined to risk everything for love, enduring physical pain and suffering to live on land.
You can watch the following video about "The Little Mermaid" to discover further about Neumeier's ballet. Please pay particular attention to the bits about the costumes.
The make-up and costumes for this ballet actually borrow a lot from Noh theatre and traditional Balinese outfits and even the Little Mermaid’s (Yuan Yuan Tan) arm and hand movements are reminiscent of classical Balinese and Thai dance.
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