👜 Italian director Carmelo Bene erased Hamlet from his production of Hamlet. In Romeo and Juliet, he deleted Romeo.
Instead, he focused on minor characters. Ophelia, Polonius, Gertrude murmured on stage.
He asked: "What remains when you remove the protagonist?"
Then he filled the stage with excess. Excessive makeup, extreme gestures, intentionally fragmented dialogue—he deconstructed the center of the play and elevated the periphery. This went beyond directing; it became a philosophical work.
The audience watching Bene's work could not be comfortable.
They questioned: "Is this Shakespeare?" And they had to construct meaning for themselves.
The traditional Shakespeare audience left.
But scandal became publicity.
The rumor of "an absurd performance" sparked curiosity and a sense of challenge in a different audience.
Even when the audience couldn't precisely interpret what Bene was showing, they experienced that very "uninterpretability" as a form of shock.
In 2002, he passed away in Rome, having influenced contemporary performance art as a pioneer of post-dramatic theater.
That same year, 2002, Alessandro Michele emerged as a designer at Gucci.
Ⓖ The Fashion Echo
Italian designer Alessandro Michele erased "Gucci" from Gucci products. In his collection Luxury, he deleted "clarity."
Instead, he focused on the periphery. Vintage, kitsch, the boundaries of gender murmured.
He asked: "What remains when you remove Gucci?"
Then he filled the collection with excess. Excessive embroidery, extreme patterns, intentionally mixed eras—he deconstructed the center of fashion and elevated the periphery. This went beyond design; it became a philosophical work.
Consumers viewing Michele's work could not be comfortable.
They questioned: "Is this Gucci?" And they had to construct meaning for themselves.
The traditional Gucci customers left.
But controversy became publicity.
The rumor of "absurd Gucci" sparked curiosity and a desire to possess in a different consumer base.
Even when consumers couldn't precisely understand what Gucci was saying, they consumed that very "unexplainability" as a form of attraction.
In 2022, he left Gucci, having influenced contemporary consumer culture as a redefinitor of luxury fashion.
Today, February 9, 1937, Carmelo Bene was born in southern Italy.
These two masters never met, never even saw each other.
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