Marseille-Provence is finally named European Capital of Culture.
It has three founding fathers, one from the business world, Jacques Pfister, President of the Marseille Chamber of Commerce and Industry, the other two great cultural figures, Bertrand Latarjet and Jean François Chougnet.
This is a unique opportunity for Maison Mode Méditerranée, whose cultural and economic missions since 1988 have already positioned Marseille as a platform for Euro-Mediterranean cultural cooperation.
We decided to produce and finance an exhibition and a Mook showcasing young fashion designers in the Mediterranean. We're calling on the authors most eager to put their art at the service of Marseille M la Mode.
This event was conceived as a voyage of initiation into the Mediterranean, our motherland and bearer of a rich cultural and fashion history, from the great couturiers who were born there in the past, to the young generation of 21 winners of our OpenMyMed competition today.
An ideal opportunity to work again with Catherine Ormen, who directed the Musée de la Ville de Marseille from 1988 to 1994. Her professionalism, rigor and trust are matched by an exciting team effort.
An international college is being set up, and each member will bring the power of his or her artistic discipline to the table: the evocative text "Le Génie de Marseille" by writer Maylis de Kerangal is the common thread running through Marseille M la Mode, and the hundred interviews by journalist Isabelle Lefort tell the story of "Les Aventuriers de la Mode", while psychoanalyst Pascale Navarri reveals the sources of creation in childhood and the unconscious of designers.
The most important part of the exhibition is curated by Catherine Ormen, a fashion historian's analysis of the Mediterranean stylistic trend. She presents a mosaic for each of the 21 designers, reflecting their imaginary museum and source of inspiration. Catherine's approach is based on the unity of the Mediterranean Sea, the common thread linking the designers together. That's why Artistic Director Mark Blezinger has composed his entire scenography around this dreamlike sea.
We chose the Galeries Layette contemporary art gallery in the center of town as the venue. The artistic direction is both playful - a huge reconstructed arm of the sea - and highly sophisticated in terms of digital engineering. Submerged screens broadcast 21 original clips; around the basin are canvas stools, fishing rods and headphones. The visitor, fisherman and explorer, draws knowledge from the sea.
The original score is by Mediterranean-born, multi-award-winning songwriter Arman Amar. The powerful sound of a multicultural Mediterranean is sublimated by the exceptional voice of singer Sandrine Piau.
Marseille M La Mode is a reality, not only ours, but also that of the people of Marseille, they M la Mode. The eye of the photographer Ferrante Ferranti, a traveler, nobly reveals his freedom of expression, rich in diversity.
