μεταμόρφωσις

Digital photographic prints, 2017

 

The aim of this work is to reconstruct the theoretical and personal path that inspired the evolution of my bachelor thesis μεταμόρφωσις . At its center is a reflection on the aspects of metamorphosis as a general principle of organic vitality but also as transformative energy in constant struggle with the principle of identity and stability. 

In this sense, as we seek to reconstruct the initial historical-cultural outlook, the attitude towards metamorphic phenomena has always been ambivalent: the engine of change, but also the cause of loss and disintegration of pre-established forms. Metamorphosis is what moves against the repetition of the idiosyncratic, stiffening and control. Specifically, as a vital principle, it is associated with the tradition of feminine and sexuality: this is highlighted in the famous poem of Ovid, and exemplified in particular by the mythological role of the Nymphs. 

This dimension, however, was later transposed into its darker aspects: E. Canetti, in “Massa e Potere”, describes the traditional apprehension - but also fascination - towards the figure of the shaman, “master of metamorphosis”, and the witch; the anxiety towards metamorphosis seen as a union of demonic and feminine. A fil rouge therefore follows the theme of metamorphosis, of the female figure understood as a symbol of sexuality and generation, and of the loss of identity. They are all inspirational elements of my design path, described as an open and continuous aggregate of exercises, accomplishments, finds, created and transformed objects, and their related documentation. 

In an overview, the work speaks of the figure of the witch, of the woman in metamorphosis, of eroticism, of the occult, of the bond with the earth, of the mysteries of an obscure cult; but the work at the same time wants to escape a definitive determination, it does not just want to talk about metamorphosis but wants to be metamorphic: an open form to future changes.

This works reflects on the aspects of metamorphosis as a general principle of organic vitality but also as transformative energy in constant struggle with the principle of identity and stability. 

The main theme is the figure of the witch: the woman in metamorphosis, queen of eroticism and occult, as long as her deep connection with earth and nature, priestess of the mysteries of an obscure cult; but the work at the same time wants to escape a definitive determination, it does not just want to talk about metamorphosis but wants to be metamorphic: an open form to future changes.