Marseille Je T’aime – Simon Porte’s upcoming project

Bohemian designer Simon Porte Jacquemus is going back to his basics and roots for the presentation of a fashion show and tandem exhibitions in a southern French city where he spent the big part of his youth: Marseille.

As the special guest of the city’s upcoming OpenMyMed festival planned to be held May 13 and produced by Maison Méditerranéenne des Métiers de la Mode, French designer is announcing a very special and extraordinary project. Titled “Marseille Je T’aime” – the project includes several parts: ‘Maisons’, ‘Archives’, ‘Images’ and the parade of his SS17 collection. And finally a book.

The exhibition titled “Maisons and Archives” will present a series of geometric concrete sculptures at the Museum of Contemporary Art (MAC) from May 12 to 14 January. For the «Maisons» project Simon Porte Jacquemus created his first sculptures by playing on the structures of his signature rounds and squares. He integrated his archives by staging them indirectly.

«maisons» exhibitions / mac / may 12th, 2017 – January 14th, 2018

The «Archives» project, including a photographic experience designed by Simon Porte Jacquemus and realized by David Luraschi, takes us deep into the heart of Willi Dorner’s human sculpture. Willi Dorner’s «Bodies in Urban Spaces» performances were the inspiration behind this unique production.

«archives» exhibition / mac / may 12th, 2017 – January 14th, 2018

“I really wanted to present my archives as a patchwork sculpture in Marseille’s Calanques, as a nod to the opening credits of movie «My Father’s Glory», which begins in the Provence hills.” – Simon Porte Jacquemus.

After the mentioned exhibitions a video – “Bodies in open spaces” will be presented inspired by the French classic soundtrack La Gloire de Mon Père and created in collaboration with photographer David Luraschi along with performance artist Willi Dorner.

Trailer

The latest, “Images”, will be held from 13 May to 31 July and will screen on the walls of the Chapelle Saint-Jean video and images depicting the designer’s inspirations and creations.

Simon says: “I imagined a more playful and direct installation by staging my personal images and inspirations, in a patchwork of real and poetic videos. A flower, a shoe, my cousin, a moment of life… The audience goes into my phone.”

«images» / exhibition /mucem may 13th, 2017 – July 31st, 2017

Parade of the SS17 collection “Les Santons de Provence” will be presented as an outdoor runways show. The 32 models will cross the aerial walkway that links the MuCEM’s architecture, imagined by Rudy Ricciotti, to the historic Place d’Armes du fort Saint-Jean. This will be the first ever runway show held in Marseille, produced by the MMMM and open to the public.

runway show / mucem / May 13th, 2017

After featuring in a fashion show and three exhibitions, the designer will represent “Marseilles”, a 300-pages book structured like a poem that includes an exclusive selection of images dedicated to the city by contemporary artists, painters, and photographers.

“I always wanted to make a book about Marseille for a long time, and I wanted to make it with friends, artists from all around the world, bringing them together in this city that I love, mixing their work, Marseille and my vision. Sharing Marseille beyond borders.” – says Simon Porte Jacquemus.

«Marseille je t’aime» / book / launch may 13th, 2017 in the mucem

A book signing will be organized on May 13th, just after the runway show at the MuCEM, and the book will be available for sale on the website www.jacquemus.com.