MAGAZINE
J U L Y 2017N.04 NEW WIRED COLLECTION A TOUCH OF VANNITY VANNI TOUR OF THE WORLD
01 New WIRED collection
02 Technology and Style
03 VANNI tour of the world
04 A touch of VANNIty
01/COLLECTION
VANNI CONNECTED AND WIRED We at VANNI pride ourselves on being a brand on trend without losing touch with the world around us, continuing to build our own original style stimulated by a rich and contemporary culture. WIRED is the name we have given to the new acetate block created by our dedicated design team.
A metaphor for the myriad of connections that make up our lives: entertwined coloured lines accentuated by the transparent crystal acetate. WIRED is testament to our complex bonds and networks; material and intangible, relationships between people and races. Raw material: exclusive acetate created by the VANNI design team.
block
Design details: the original weaves of WIRED come in distinct coloured lines, sinuous and irregular that move from parallel to intertwined, immersed in a transparent acetate. Shapes and colours: there are 5 different colourways in the WIRED collection: bordeaux/ grey, turquoise/purple, red/bordeaux, blue/ brown and black/grey. The glasses show off their exclusive materials in a single block or in combinations of bright tortoiseshell or block colours which underline this very contemporary collection. Shapes are both masculine and feminine, the classic rectangle or slightly rounded or panthos. VANNI also presents the ultra-thin version of WIRED, with temples in flat metal or acetate.
02/ Technology and Style F L A M E 2007
10 YEARS OF EXCLUSIVE ACETATES IN 2017 VANNI REACHES AN IMPORTANT MILESTONE When a birthday reaches double figures it’s always an important milestone.This year VANNI celebrates 10 years of creativity and innovation in its bid to become a flagship in the international eyewear community. 2007 saw the birth of our first exclusive acetate blocks. Today, 10 years and 7 blocks later, we can claim with pride that our choice was visionary, adding value to our collections and bringing us recognition and rewards and building our brand and reputation. To not allow this anniversary to pass without celebration, we want to tell you what happens
BL A D E 2011
PI X E L 2012
TA N G R A M 2013
M A PS 2015
R A S T E R 2016
W I R E D 2017
in the “VANNI kitchen”, what processes make up the birth of a new and original acetate. Just like a pizza chef (see the last edition of our magazine) our designer searches for the right ingredients to create a perfect result. The right mix of the right components creates the right acetates to produce the right glasses. How are these “ingredients” chosen to create our reknowned acetates? Why do we choose one particular colour combination or create certain shapes? We study it. Study is always fundamental. We apply ourselves, we do research because creativity requires constant and meticulous study.
I N S PI R AT I O N
Colours are always dictated from “above” by what is trending in fashion in a particular season. If it happens to be blue, we invest in blue, following catwalk shows, design events, new happenings in art and music, seeking out any relevant contemporary stimulus to grab our attention and create the latest “finger-onpulse” VANNI collections. Seeking inspiration is not something that always happens during office hours. The creation of a new acetate doesn’t just come from a magazine article, an art work or a news event. It comes from a Zeitgiest and an infinite number of contemporary inputs, that after a period of “distillation” begins to takes shape as a theme, in line with our brand identity.
I N S PI R AT I O N
But it is not only the initial concept that contribute to the creation of our acetates but also the perception that we are creating a complex and multi-layerd material that can also be applied to our most slim-line frames. The design starts big but is then developed and reduced and magnified. The designs are the starting point that must be technically translated into the final product. Now for a test. Where do you think WIRED comes from?
I N S PI R AT I O N
03 VANNI TOUR OF THE WORLD
TO ATENE WITH VANNI It is a capital city that has shaped the development philosophy,
of
modern
government
and
civilization; aesthetics.
Athens is a city to which we owe much. A city that must be visited at least once, the lucky few returning many times. We at VANNI belong to the lucky few. We have always felt a strong desire to return to our roots, and for years we have been fortunate to work with our Greek partner -who has not only become our friend but a family of friends that have acted as superlative tour guides. Under the expert eye of Paris Papavassiliou we are taking you to Greece. Let us guide you without pre-conceptions and the negative influence of the bad economic news of recent years. Do you remember how The Iliad and The Odyssey teaches us about the importance of hospitality? Greeks are fundamentally welcoming and hospitable. And if you decide to visit not only Athens but also further afield, know that it is easy to explore: good roads, good food, clean and affordable accommodation. Although road signs are
in Greek, don’t panic, just try an learn the alphabet, it’s fun! We begin our journey in Athens. This city is unexpected and you understand that immediately as your plane lands along a long strip of low, white houses, like an urban sheet that extends between the azur waters and the hills that hug the profile of the coastline. Of course we have to talk about Athens’ famous landmarks. The Acropolis and the Parthenon must be visited, particularly at sundown, cooler and romantic with an amazing view.
The ruins powerfully conjure up the greatness of a past civilization. Although the Temple of the goddess Athene was sacked and stripped of its beauty by ancient and more recent archeogolgists, the impact is immense. Take time to visit the Museum of the Acropolis to understand this place, consecrated by the Gods. Even better if you arrive at dinner time, you can combine good food with an incredible panoramic view at the restaurant Attikos (http://www.ghattikos.gr/). Athens is not only the Acropolis and if the civilization that created our modern world
M U S E U M O F T H E ACR O PO L I S
interests you, don’t miss out on Agorà , the beating heart of the old city as well as the National Archeological Museum where you will experience first-hand the sculptures that illustrate your art history books. If you have a few hours we suggest a magic trip to Cape Sounion (described in the Odyssey) about an hour from Athens, a spectacular promontory that juts out into the Attica adorned with the ruins of the Poseidon Temple. If treasure hunts are your thing, you can search for the engraved signature of the romantic English poet Lord Byron on the ancient columns - him, who loved and
CAP E SOU NION
ACR O PO L I S
returned to this place many times. On the road have a pit stop at the Noto Café at the waters’ edge. http://www.notos-cafe.gr/. But Athens not only looks to the past but also to the future. Check out the newly opened National Opera, funded by the Niarkos Foundation, situated in a beautiful seaside park. A bold construction blending cultural and green spaces, designed by Italian architect Renzo Piano https://www.snfcc.org/ about/vision/the-greek-national-opera/ . The city is vibrant, with a mix of more touristy
N AT I O N A L O PE R A
neighbourhoods and those a bit more off the beaten track, lived in by Athenians. Make note. For night life the hippest square is the Agia Irini Church, but if you enjoy the more laid back atmosphere of the old port let yourself be enchanted by Mikrolimano, or the local hustle and bustle of the Mea Smymi square. Or go to Glyfada, the shopping district. As you are obviously eyewear fans, don’t miss out on Occhio, one of the 4 boutiques of the Papavassilou family, with a personalized selection of designer eyewear, including our
AG I A I R I N I CH U R CH
new VANNI collections http://www.occhio.gr/ en. As you are already there you could stop for lunch at Mezze, a creative Greek tavern with an original but affordable menu. For now we’ll take a break, hoping that this stop on the VANNI World Tour has inspired you to discover or rediscover an incredible city.
MIKROLIMANO
04 A TOUCH OF VANNIty VANNI on show Press Release A season full of starring roles. Here are a few frames from the latest realeases. “La verità, vi spiego, sull’amore” “Smetto quando voglio” “I bastardi di Pizzofalcone” “Che Dio ci aiuti” “Questione di karma”
Arts/Autofocus It’s not Picasso, it’s not Van Gogh. Autofocus is about young contemporary art. We are not looking for the Picasso of the future, but thanks to our Autofocus competition we search Europe to discover young artists that have something to say, artistically speaking. It seems like the blink of an eye, but for over 10 years VANNI has been dedicated to young art, a journey that began with the sponsorship of the Turin Art Fair Artissima and that developed into our own art prize in 2009, now in its 9th edition. Autofocus is an international competition for young artists under 35, that, over time has developed its own innovative identity and has become recognised by the art world. We are proud to have discovered artists that have become known and appreciated and sold by important galleries, or exhibited in world art fairs. Many of the most important global fashion brands, not only eyewear, are dedicated art world followers and supporters. The big houses have created foundations, museums and organize thousands of extra expensive exhibitions. Many have utilised art only as a communication strategy, to say “look at us” in a different way, with some art celebrity or an art work in a photo shoot, in a bid to capture press attention. We at VANNI decided 12 years ago to get into art. Autofocus is not just a communication strategy but a consistent and dedicated passion project because we believe that art can act as a consolation, a stimulus, a poetic discovery. Art makes life better, richer and a more interesting place to live, it inspires our everyday work.
With Autofocus we have left no stone unturned, seeking out art that is not also easy to understand and appreciate but that always has something to say. Artistic intention and expression is a world to uncover though pictures, shapes colours and media. We have chosen to help young artists to find their way, to create work through passion without expecting too much in return. We select the artists, organize their exhibitions, print the catalogues and promote them with targeted communication.
Throughout the years we have created many interesting relationships. More often than not our winners are new art school graduates that only dream of making a living from their art. They are articulate and worldly, able to explain their artistic processes and live in a totally cosmopolitan world, travelling and gaining artistic residences abroad. For you that follow us, we ask for you to dedicate only a few minutes to the art section on our website, to scroll through the photograhs and exhibition articles. We are sure that something will speak to you in some way, we guarantee it!
Vanni and emerging art. What are we talking about exactly? We put the question to Olga Gambari who has been curator of the Autofocus Art prize for the last 8 years. What is emerging art, who are the protagonists and where do they operate versus the non-emerging art world? OG- Emerging art is the start of a new conversation, analysing as it develops, with a new set of sensory antenna. They are young artists that have the desire and necessity to find something that needs to be heard and to find a way of structuring and expressing it. What are you looking for when you assess candidates and their artwork? It is both a gamble and a challenge, a bit like a plant that begins to germinate. It is like an interesting greenhouse, where I am looking for elements of new trends or something I haven’t seen before; mutations of a genetic patrimony. The protagonists are artists that frequently move on the fringes of the system, that come out of art schools seeking new ways of working, even though they can be immediately spotted by gallerists and curators. I am looking for conceptual coherence in work that reveals a certain necessity and energy. Work that demonstrates research, originality and a deeply personal way of expressing it. Nothing fashionable or echoes of the past. Talent is a doorway, a gift and a responsibility. Are there converging lines of emerging art? Is there a dominant artistic language or media? Contemporary art is, in itself, spurious, contaminated, omnivorous and free to be expressed in any material, form or media. This living and breathing freedom it what characterizes it beyond any trend or focus. Recently there has been a lot of attention dedicated to ceramics, and above all
to the study of sound as a total sensory dimension. From a practical point of view, the concept of collective project space as a way to share, debate and communicate. Whay has AF added Performance as a creative category? Is it not less tangible and difficult to understand? It is not always important to “understand� but to feel. When you feel something you understand something. There are different levels of understanding an artwork. The first is the initial impact, the way in which the artwork welcomes the spectator. It can be critical or hostile, but it must have movement. Performance is dynamic within the space and recognises the physical presence and observation of the spectator making him/ her part of the experience and therefore more vulnerable, their reaction stronger. Corporeal hand to hand combat, the artist integrates the conceptual and the physical to create a contemporaneous artwork: the performance. I felt strongly about introducing a performance award because in Italy it is an artistic area that is repetitive, less innovative and rooted in the past. Few performers are offering the conceptual diversity of the current international scene. Most interesting is the experimentation with sound as a 360 degree experience.
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