Art That Moves: Jordan Roth and Laurence des Cars on Crafting a One-of-a-Kind Performance Piece at the Louvre
It is a first-ever moment for Roth, whose fearless embrace of outré style and affable theatricality have gone a long way towards building a persona beyond his career as an acclaimed Broadway producer and philanthropy-focused impresario. To him, this 'narrative fashion performance' doesn't represent a reinvention so much as an evolution; he describes it as 'an artistic practice that is synthesizing so much of my professional, creative and emotional life so far.' With the support of six dancers and music by Thomas Roussel, he is part of the larger programming for La Nuit de la Mode, an evening that marks the last celebration of the blockbuster 'Louvre Couture' exhibition (even though it runs through late August).
We have found each other in a remote wing of the building, inaccessible from the museum, where we will be joined by Laurence des Cars, director of the Louvre since 2021. Roth will spend the next week rehearsing, but has arrived at our meeting dressed très chic in a Dries Van Noten ivory top with sculptural pleating, a black straight skirt and pointed heels from Saint Laurent, and a small bag adorned with a Claude Lalanne bronze flower.
So, what to expect? 'We are taking static, solid icons and exploring them through fabric and emotion and movement, which is the vocabulary of fashion,' Roth says. 'Clothes speak very loudly to my body and tell me how they want to be moved.'
Consider how most of us visiting the Louvre will find ourselves enthralled by any number of ancient artefacts and masterpieces, or else the architecture itself. Roth has transposed all of this into three themes—'Red,' 'Wings,' and 'Pyramid'—and translated those themes into digital images, to be projected onto white garments of his own design.
'Red' is centered around John Galliano's empress gown from the Christian Dior spring 2005 collection, currently displayed in the Napoleon III apartments as part of the exhibition. 'Wings' entails some 50 wings from across the collections—from the obvious Winged Victory of Samothrace and Raphael's depiction of Saint Michael to small Egyptian amulets. 'Pyramid' takes a cue from the changing sky above I.M. Pei's glass pyramid structure, as well as painted skies by the likes of Andrea Mantegna and Hubert Robert.
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Forbes
an hour ago
- Forbes
Muse Reaches The Top 10 For The First Time In A Decade
Muse's "Unraveling" debuts at No. 9 on the Official Singles Downloads chart, marking the band's ... More first top 10 hit on the ranking in 15 years and signaling a new era. UNSPECIFIED - JANUARY 01: Photo of Chris WOLSTENHOLME and MUSE and Dominic HOWARD and Matt BELLAMY; L-R: Dominic Howard, Matt Bellamy, Chris Wolstenholme - posed, group shot (Photo by Mick Hutson/Redferns) After several years of relative quiet, it looks like Muse is preparing the world for a brand new album. The English rock band, which has ranked as one of the biggest in the country for well over a decade, dropped a new single titled "Unraveling" in mid-June, and unsurprisingly, it has become a quick hit on a number of charts in the United Kingdom. The tune even helps the group score its first new top 10 smash on one sales ranking in 15 years as it arrives. "Unraveling" Debuts Inside the Top 10 "Unraveling" opens at No. 9 on the Official Singles Downloads chart, which ranks the top-performing individual tracks on platforms like iTunes and other digital download storefronts. Muse has only scored a trio of appearances within that loftiest space throughout the years, and it has been quite a long time since the band pushed a track into the region. Muse's First New Top 10 in More Than 15 Years "Unraveling" marks Muse's first new top 10 on the Official Singles Downloads chart since 2009. In September of that year, "Uprising" debuted at No. 9, in the same position where "Unraveling" begins. The group earned its first placement on the downloads tally and its debut top 10 with "Apocalypse Please," which only spent a single frame on that list at No. 10. "Unraveling" Earns a Lofty Debut Muse also sees "Unraveling" kick off its time on the Official Rock & Metal Singles chart at No. 9. On that list, the superstar musicians have seen 23 of the 40 songs that have reached that genre-specific ranking enter the top 10 for at least one week. The group even doubles up on the tally, as "Supermassive Black Hole," one of its most famous releases, sits at No. 24, 676 frames into its tenure on the list. "Unraveling" Misses the Top 10 on the Main Sales Chart "Unraveling" just misses out on the top 10 on the Official Singles Sales chart, as it enters at No. 12. It also reaches the main ranking, the most closely watched list of the most consumed songs throughout the U.K., the Official Singles chart, but it does not approach the top 10. Instead, Muse has to settle for No. 85 as a fairly low starting point for the first single from what may be an upcoming new album.
Vogue
2 hours ago
- Vogue
Rihanna Teaches Riot Rose What Fashionably Late Really Looks Like
What does the concept of being 'fashionably late' mean to you? 10-15 minutes to give your host some grace? Well, for Rihanna it means being the one to close out every Met Gala red carpet (while announcing your third baby and still winning with your look) and the final star to take your fashion week front row seat. It doesn't look great on everyone, but the world stops and starts for Rih Rih. Except for yesterday evening, in Paris. Rihanna and her young son Riot Rose stepped out in the city for an appointment at Dior on Avenue Montaigne, to find the boutique was unexpectedly closed. By reports, though, it was 1a.m. The pop star kept up her striking maternity style street style though, wearing a navy layered shrunken polo by Alexander Wang that sat above her bump, as well as some turned down gray cargo pants from the brand, and black ballet flats. And despite her vast and varied handbag collection, she's kept her new canary yellow and red stitched Dior book tote on her arm for her entire Paris trip so far—the Bram Stoker's Dracula-emblazoned bag by new creative director Jonathan Anderson, who Rih has supported through both his Loewe days and his eponymous brand. She wore her hair up with loose curly pieces, a slick two-tone lip, and a pair of oval spectacles. Son Riot Rose—who she shares with partner A$AP Rocky—looked adorable in a striped blue and gray two piece, checkerboard Vans slip-ons, and a pacifier as his own star accessory.
CNN
2 hours ago
- CNN
She ditched New York for Paris at the age of 79 and says it's the best decision she's ever made
She first traveled to Paris when she was 21, and nearly six decades later, Mary Jane Wilkie decided that it was finally time to move to the French capital for good. In December 2021, Mary Jane, who was 79 at the time, relocated from New York to Paris to start afresh. She's been living, and working, in the City of Love ever since and has no intention of returning to the US. 'Ultimately, I knew that I didn't want to say on my deathbed, 'I always wanted to move to France but didn't','' Mary Jane tells CNN Travel. 'Once you know what you don't want to say on your deathbed, you know what to do with your life.' While she grew up in Texas, Mary Jane, who works as an independent contractor, was eager to leave at a young age. 'I have a loving family and all that,' says Mary Jane. 'But there were just other horizons beckoning.' She traveled to France in 1963, spending a year studying at the Sorbonne University in Paris. 'I was confident that I could get a job, and study French,' Mary Jane explains. 'And so I did that.' When she 'found an opportunity in South America,' a destination she'd be been keen to visit for a while, Mary Jane traveled from Lisbon, Portugal to Buenos Aires, Argentina by boat. She went on to live in various Latin American countries, including Bolivia and Paraguay, developing a 'near-native proficiency in Spanish.' Mary Jane eventually ended up in New York, where she began shape note singing, a form of American choral music developed in the early 19th century. 'There are no rehearsals, no performances,' Mary Jane explains. 'We simply meet and sing, and everyone is welcome. 'The sound is not refined, but it's strong, and people either hate it or love it. I'm one of the latter.' Mary Jane was drawn back to Paris around a decade ago after traveling to France for singing opportunities and making many friends there. 'New York City is great,' she says. 'But at different stages of your life you want different things. 'So the fantasy kind of took shape, and I thought, 'Well, I think I'd like to move to France.'' She would travel to France at least twice a year, and spent a lot of time getting to know the European country with her 'singing buddies.' 'I thought, 'Oh my, I kind of like it here,'' she says, adding that she 'wanted more quiet' and felt that New York was 'getting louder.' 'I made friends, and I liked the food.' After returning from an extended trip to the city, Mary Jane decided to bite the bullet and begin the process of relocating from New York to Paris. 'I sold my apartment for a very nice price,' she says. 'Not enough to buy an apartment in Paris. But here we are.' Rather than retiring, Mary Jane chose to continue working remotely from the French capital, explaining that she enjoys her job as an independent contractor, which involves interviewing job candidates, immensely and has no plans to stop working. 'I've been doing this the longest I've ever done anything,' she says. 'Because I've never been bored… 'Candidates are interesting. They tell me stories, and maybe I'm just nosy. But it's a window into America.' In December 2021, Mary Jane flew to Paris to start a new life. Her family and friends were hugely supportive of her decision. 'I am fortunate to have a family whose members like it when each of us is doing what makes us happy,' she says. However, Mary Jane suffered a setback early on, as her age made renting an apartment much harder. 'There's a law in France that (states that) a landlord cannot evict a tenant aged 80 or over,' she explains. 'So if you're 75 or over, they start to hesitate. That's why I was having a problem… And I couldn't have known that (before).' Thankfully, she was able to rent a one-bedroom apartment. Although her move to Paris happened to coincide with the Covid-19 pandemic, which brought about international border closures and lockdowns across the globe, Mary Jane points out that this didn't impact her experience in a negative way. 'That (the pandemic) gave me time to explore even more and work on my French,' she says, describing how she would watch old French movies and songs. 'Not only the language, but the associations. That's what really makes your life rich.' But Mary Jane's first few months in Paris proved to be tougher than she expected, as although she'd spent a lot of time in the city previously, she found shifting from being a visitor to a resident something of a challenge. 'My metaphor is finding the right laundry detergent,' she adds. 'Because friends would say, 'Are you going to a lot of museums?' 'And I would say, 'No, I'm trying to find the right laundry detergent.' Because when you're a tourist, you don't have to do all those things.' Mary Jane goes on to explain that it took her a little while to figure out where to get many of the food and products that she liked. 'Things aren't where you expect them to be,' she adds. Eventually, she was able to find almost everything she needed, including the right laundry detergent. But there's been at least one thing that she's had to live without — kale. 'I'm very disappointed about that,' she says, explaining that she's only been able to find the leafy green vegetable in Paris a couple of times. 'I love kale, but I found a substitute.' Once she had an internet connection and computer set up for work and found a church to her liking, and, Mary Jane says she felt ready to take on Paris. She found it relatively easy to meet people as she's a 'pretty chatty person.' However, Mary Jane says she realized early on that she'd have to adjust her approach slightly when starting conversations with locals. 'I learned if you're going to interact with someone, the first words out of your mouth are 'Bonjour,'' she says, noting that she's found that people in France prefer to exchange pleasantries before being asked a specific question. 'A soldier taught me that when I was in a train station in Lyon and needed the toilet.' While she notes that there are many cultural differences between the US and France, Mary Jane stresses that she hasn't had much trouble adapting. However, she concedes that she finds the customer service in France to be lacking somewhat. 'I have many negative things I can say about America,' she adds. 'But Americans understand customer service. 'The French are a little bit behind. So I just learned to change my expectations. 'They're not going to change for me, so I just realized that they're not going to be as efficient in responding to me as a customer. But that's the way it is. Mary Jane also feels that people in France have different spatial boundaries than those she was accustomed to in New York. 'People looking for something at the supermarket here, would stand more closely than they would in the US,' she says, noting that she experienced this in Latin America also. 'So I just had to adjust my expectations and realize that they weren't creeps. They were just being French people.' Mary Jane loves the Parisian lifestyle and says she's still amazed by how 'pretty' the city is. 'They have their new ugly buildings as well,' she says. 'But they're still nice.' Now 82, Mary Jane notes that many of her new friends in Paris are significantly younger than her, but this hasn't proved to be an issue at all. 'Some of the people I know are my age,' she adds. 'My cheesemonger is about 50, and he's going to introduce me to his grandmother, who is my age. 'And I have some of my other singing buddies who are about 10 years younger than I am. Some of the other singing people are 20 years younger. There's a whole variety.' While she hasn't really noticed much of a difference in the cost of living in France, Mary Jane, who lives in Issy-les-Moulineaux, in southwestern Paris, points out that she initially wanted to buy an apartment there, but ultimately couldn't afford it. 'At least not in a neighborhood where I would live,' she adds. 'That was a surprise to me. 'Although apartment ownership is another kind of bureaucratic nightmare. 'So maybe I'll just be a renter… I have simple needs at this point in my life. That's one of the advantages. I have simple needs, and I know what I want.' Mary Jane has a Carte Vitale ID card, which covers most of her medical costs, but admits that she 'avoids doctors like the plague,' unless it's 'for injury or things like that.' She explains that she's been practicing yoga daily for around 30 years and feels that this has helped her physical health tremendously. 'I do it so that I don't end up, like a lot of people my age,' she adds. 'Unable to do anything except sit in front of the television with the remote… And so far, touch wood, I can move. And I can see.' Mary Jane has published a book, 'Bodies Speak Truth: So listen up!' which details the practices she's developed for her health care and physical wellbeing. 'I'm an educator at heart and believe that what I've learned will be useful to others,' she says. 'The book traces how I came to value my own intuition.' When it comes to the language, Mary Jane admits that, while she's still 'stronger in Spanish,' her French has improved, and her confidence has grown over time. Mary Jane tries to practice her French as much as possible, stressing, 'I don't have decades ahead of me to master' the language. 'The phrase, 'She speaks French,' is meaningless, because it says nothing about level,' she says. 'There's reading comprehension. There's listening comprehension. There's talking. There's all these different categories. 'The fact that you can order in a restaurant, do your shopping and take public transportation doesn't mean you can address the Assemblée nationale (one of the houses of the Parliament of France).' Although she still enjoys her job considerably, Mary Jane doesn't work full time anymore, and feels that she has a good work/life balance. 'I get my social security (payments). I worked hard for it,' she says. 'I mean, I'm 82 years old, if I hadn't learned how to balance that by now. I mean, God help me… 'I was telling my client the other day, 'As long as we have our sight and our hearing, we can do this until we drop dead.' So that's the plan.' After nearly four years in France, Mary Jane, who currently has a renewable Carte de Séjour residence permit, feels at home in the European country and plans to apply for French citizenship in a few years time. 'I don't tend to go back to the States,' she says. 'Except, God forbid, (if there's) a death in the family. 'People say, 'Oh, so are you going home for the holidays?' No, home is where I am. I'm here.' Looking back on her decision to move to Paris at the age of 79, Mary Jane says that she doesn't necessarily think of this as a brave move, but a necessary one. 'People say, 'Oh, at your age, it's very courageous to move to France,'' she says. 'But it's not courageous. Courage means that you have fear. You're afraid, but you're able to act anyway. I wasn't afraid.'
