Add to collection
Work from the “Pratt + Paper & Ralph Pucci” project is on display in the windows of Macy’s Herald Square.Macy’s Herald Square has unveiled seven new window displays featuring paper looks and sculptures, as well as a series of large pencil drawings, created by students in the Departments of Fashion Design, Industrial Design, Interior Design, and Fine Arts. The work can be seen in the windows on Broadway between 34th and 35th streets through January 26.
The Macy’s display is part of the exhibition “Pratt + Paper & Ralph Pucci” that was on view at Pucci’s Gallery Nine Showroom in December. The pieces for that exhibition were created as part of a collaboration between an interdisciplinary group of Pratt students and Ralph Pucci International, one of the world’s leading mannequin designers.
The semester-long study in texture and form challenged the students to dress Pucci’s Spring 2011 GIRL 2 mannequins entirely in paper using only a white palette.
The project was led by Rebeccah Pailes-Friedman, acting chair of the Department of Fashion Design, with the help of Anita Cooney, chair of the Department of Interior Design; Steve Diskin, chair of the Department of Industrial Design; Josh Longo, visiting instructor in the Department of Industrial Design; and Donna Moran, chair of the Department of Fine Arts. The “Pratt + Paper & Ralph Pucci” exhibition highlighted the best work from the project as selected by Ralph Pucci and others.
“As soon as I saw the students’ work I knew immediately I wanted to showcase it in our Broadway windows,” said Paul Olszewski, director of windows, Macy’s Herald Square. “The creativity and craftsmanship that the students exhibited on this project is just amazing. At Macy’s we truly believe in promoting art and artistry in our windows. It is this fusion between art and fashion that really makes our windows unique, and working on this collaboration has been no exception. I’m excited for the students, as well as for the thousands of people who will get to view these incredible designs,” he added.
From its inception, Macy’s Herald Square was a store unlike any other, and over the past 150 years it has become a true New York City icon. Built in 1902, Macy’s Herald Square was the first building to have the modern day escalator. Since then, Macy’s Herald Square has continued to be a trendsetter and today, “America’s Largest Department Store” covers an entire city block with 10-and-a-half levels of merchandise.
“This exhibition truly highlights Pratt’s exceptional programs and superb students who aspire to work in the art and design fields,” said Rebeccah Pailes-Friedman, acting chair of the Department of Fashion Design. “In every piece, the paper was transformed to a point where we no longer see it for what it was but for what it has become—something completely new and unexpected,” she added.
A panel of distinguished judges selected the top three looks and top sculpture, which were announced at a December 7 event. The winning looks were created by Dana Otto (Industrial Design ’11 from State College, Pa.), Meredith Lyon and Beatrice Weiland (Fashion Design ’12 from Newburyport, Mass. and Bexley, Ohio, respectively), and Thom Forsyth (Interior Design ’11 from Boston, Mass.). Su Ting Chen and Samantha Johnson (Interior Design ’11 from Maspeth, N.Y. and Pullman, Wash., respectively) received the top prize for their show-stopping sculpture. The winning designers received awards in the form of 12-inch mannequins hand sculpted by Pucci designer Michael Evert.
Those on the judging panel represented some of the best and most creative minds from the worlds of fashion and design and included Linda Fargo, vice president of fashion, Bergdorf Goodman; Nicole Fischelis, vice president of fashion, Macy’s; Greg Mills, founder of Greg Mills Showroom; Jens Risom, furniture designer; Anna Sui, fashion designer; Deborah Turbeville, photographer; and Vicente Wolf, interior designer.
“When I saw the work, I was blown away,” said Ralph Pucci in a December 2010 interview with the New York Daily News. “These Pratt students are incredibly talented.”
Select works from “Pratt + Paper & Ralph Pucci” including a sculptural piece by Emily Vislocky (Industrial Design ’11) and 12 paper looks will travel to EuroShop, a global retail trade show in Dusseldorf, Germany, that will take place from February 26–March 2, 2011. COFRAD Mannequins, a French-based family-run mannequin business, will display the work and Pucci’s Spring 2011 GIRL 2 mannequins in a show, titled “COFRAD Presents Pratt + Paper & Ralph Pucci.” In addition, graduate interior design student KC Weakley ‘s (’11 from Brooklyn, N.Y.) large pencil murals of the Pucci mannequins that were on display as part of “Pratt + Paper & Ralph Pucci” will be featured in WALL (Glitterati Press, 2011), a book on Ralph Pucci International’s wall murals.
A full exhibition catalog of “Pratt + Paper & Ralph Pucci” is also being produced and will include photographs of the work by Antoine Bootz.
Photos: Eddie Belaval
http://www.bobbintalk.com/2011/01/pratt-paper-ralph-pucci-at-macys.html
Add to collection
