Preservation versus incarceration

Category: Design

Drawing inspiration through the themes of confinement and liberation as depicted in the film "The Skin I Live In" by Pedro Almodóvar (2017), this sample focuses on the narrative of escape versus preservation. The film centers on a professor's quest to engineer flawless, impervious skin, utilizing a captive woman as his experimental canvas within his secluded estate. Throughout the film, the woman, named Lara, endeavors to break free both physically, by attempting to flee the mansion, and symbolically, through acts of self-harm that defy the professor's imposed ideal of beauty and invulnerability. This tension between confinement and freedom resonates deeply in the design of the sample presented here. Using traditional hand-sewn leather techniques, the silhouette design highlights a juxtaposition of wide shapes and restrictive, close-cut elements, symbolizing the struggle between liberation and restraint. The incorporation of transparent silicone layers over the seams serves as a symbolic barrier, simultaneously revealing and concealing vulnerabilities. Ropes and straps featured in the model allude to both binding captivity and potential tools for escape, echoing the dual nature of confinement as both restrictive and enabling resistance. The deliberate use of white, a departure from Almodóvar's typically vivid palette, signifies neutrality and potential, akin to a blank canvas inviting artistic creation. This choice metaphorically suggests Lara as a tabula rasa, a product of the professor's experiment yet poised for self-expression and emancipation. The sample was meticulously crafted using traditional hand-stitching methods applied to leather, meticulously outlining seams on the pants and shirt with tools including hammers and forks to puncture holes. This process involved the use of waxed thread and specialized heating techniques to ensure both structural integrity and visual refinement. Furthermore, the sample has been chosen to feature prominently in the upcoming Tel Aviv Fashion Week and will be showcased as part of the prestigious Israel Biennale exhibition hosted at the Israel Museum.