Roth’s sculpted shadow: a met gala spectacle of classical echoes
Jordan Roth, the theatrical provocateur, isn’t merely attending the Met Gala this year; he’s constructing a miniature, menacing sculpture that will share the red carpet. This isn’t about fleeting trends, but a deliberate, unsettling exploration of form and narrative.
A two-body dialogue in velvet and steel
The centerpiece of Roth’s ensemble – a slate gray velvet dress by Robert Wun – features a sculpted, almost skeletal figure attached to his back. It’s a deliberate invocation of classical sculpture, specifically the idea of multiple figures engaged in a complex, often fraught, interaction. ‘It started with a curiosity about classical sculpture,’ Roth explained, ‘and, well, really the multifigure classical sculpture.’
He describes the impulse as wanting to capture the dynamism of these scenes – the romance, the violence, the unspoken tensions inherent in a group of figures frozen in time. ‘A solo figure is often posing for the viewer,’ he says, ‘but multiple figures are usually in some kind of heated moment.’ This isn’t a simple homage; it’s a reimagining, a layering of historical reference with a distinctly contemporary sensibility.
The weight of contemplation
The construction itself was a protracted process, involving roughly a dozen sketches to nail down the secondary, ‘shadow’ figure’s pose. ‘The ability to really dance together and have a story that evolves was crucial,’ Roth emphasizes. Numerous Zoom meetings and fittings were necessary to ensure the flowing stretch velvet, with its iridescent sheen resembling stone, harmonized with the molded figure. The three-strap harness at the waist holds the weight – a surprisingly substantial burden, a fact underscored by the fact that the original sculpture proved too heavy to wear.
‘All the weight is carried at my hips, which is exactly how my Schiaparelli fan dress was structured,’ Roth notes wryly. The current iteration, crafted from a lighter material, is a testament to the iterative nature of design, though the 3-D printed figure remains undeniably weighty – a consequence, he concedes, of the ambition. The sculpture body and the flesh body are inextricably interconnected, a visual and tactile echo of the Renaissance masterwork, Pygmalion and Galatea.
A gérôme reverie
The entire presentation is a subtle nod to Jean-Léon Gérôme’s 1890 painting, depicting the moment Galatea comes to life. ‘It’s the blur,’ Roth muses, ‘it’s a moment of transformation between art and life. And it’s a moment of transcendence between artist and art.’ The meticulous detail extends to the flocked fabric covering the sculpture, a perfect match to the velvet dress, and even the Rick Owens boots, similarly enveloped in the textured material. Gloves, meticulously crafted from the same flocked textile, complete the look – a seamless integration of form and function.
‘It all blends into the dress,’ Roth concludes. ‘And so, again, the idea is that the sculpture body and the flesh body are interchangeably, inextricably, interconnected.’ This isn’t just a costume; it’s a proposition, a provocation, a quiet, unsettling meditation on the nature of creation and representation. The final detachment of the sculpture for the evening’s dinner service – ‘I don’t want to be serving my neighbor’s soup to my sculpture!’ – underscores the deliberate, almost ritualistic, quality of the endeavor. Roth’s Met Gala installation is a reminder that Fashion, at its most compelling, is a conversation with the past.