GREECE: New York based Greek artist creates opera costumes from 20 thousand beer and soft drink cans instead of fabric in art exhibition
- 00:03:16
- ITN Source
GREECE: New York based Greek artist creates opera costumes from 20 thousand beer and soft drink cans instead of fabric in art exhibition
When you raise a can of beer to your lips you are probably not thinking about the opera, but one artist was when he created costumes from scores of aluminium cans for an exhibition in Athens. New York-based Greek costume art designer Nikos Floros sliced 20,000 soda and beer cans into strips and used them to create shoes and costumes inspired from the famous operas of the late Greek diva Maria Callas for an art exhibition in Athens. Flowing, puffy gowns of silver, red and green, with collars and tassels, all created with tightly interwoven strips of aluminium, fool the blind eye, such as the rippling silver gown from soft drink cans inspired by the opera Tosca, or the ballroom style gown inspired by La Traviata made from 2,500 beer cans and beer caps as tassels. "I wanted to do something with consumable products, because I believe our modern temples today are supermarkets and malls, where you feel you exist, in other words, "I consume therefore I exist," said Floros. The designer's works follow in the tradition of Pop Art, associating fashion, art and commercialization, reminiscent of Andy Warhol and his Campbell's soup can designs. Some of the pieces took one year each to complete, as Floros sat for more than ten hours a day cutting the cans into strips and cross weaving them together by hand, held together only with staples at the edges. It took more than five years to complete the 14 piece collection, with the artist receiving raised eyebrows from restaurant owners where he went to gather boxes of empty cans. A large portion he bought himself. One of his most memorable moments was at John F. Kennedy airport in New York when he was flying to Greece for the exhibition with the artworks, and underwent an excessive security check by airport officials. "When they saw the works they couldn't understand what these things were, I explained they were sculptures from aluminium coke cans but they didn't believe me," he said. The costumes were inspired by the garments worn by Callas during famous operas including La Traviata, The Barber of Seville, Tosca, and Madame Butterfly. Floros' exhibition is part of a campaign to raise funds for a new opera house and Maria Callas Academy of Lyrical Arts in Athens. One design inspired by the Callas opera "Ifigenia in Tauride" has already been sold to a Greek museum. His art form has gained notoriety and awards in Europe and New York, and "Red Elizabeth", an earlier work on display, made of soft drink cans and lids inspired by the lavish gowns of Queen Elizabeth I, is one of his award winning creations. Visitors said they were shocked and surprised that the gowns were made of aluminium cans. "I think anyone would be overwhelmed," said 38-year old visitor Medusa at the exhibition, "Its incredibly tedious and meticulous work,"
ITN Source | October 15, 2007
