Crystals à Go-Go
Prince Rogers Nelson (born June 7, 1958) is best known to us as the musician Prince.
Prince, over his long career, is known to have attracted media attention for his choice of wardrobe both off and on stage. He would often don high-heeled boots or shoes and exude powerful sexuality in his music as well as his stage performances. He flirted with androgyny and, in 1981, whilst an opening act for The Rolling Stones at two Los Angeles Coliseum shows, was scandalously pelted with rubbish when sporting bikini briefs, leg warmers, high-heeled boots and a fetching necklace of raw bacon neatly combined with a trench coat. Booed off the stage for his choice of costume, one is saddened by such boringly provincial, puritanical predictability. That outfit took (and showed) guts!
Prince’s flirtation with flirtation continues. He has been seen with what appears to be a glass cane, although it is not exactly easy to tell if it is carved glass with a brushed white gold knob, or a diamond cut steel (and more solid) display piece. Glass canes are truly magnificent items, but predestined for the collector as opposed to the user. That rule applies inversely to bacon given that it is more practical inside the stomach rather than around the neck (particularly when perspiring beneath spotlights). However, this is Prince we are talking about so why not use a cane in glass to simply hold and point at people?
These photos kindly contributed by Luca Bolognese do not show much of Prince’s shoes. It might be a little dangerous to venture forth with a glass cane on rather too high a heel. I would therefore conclude that these are not and that the chances of the object’s being made of glass are probable as it is maintained carefully far from contact with the ground: a wise move. Shattering a cane in public would not be very good for one’s carefully groomed fashion image –or one’s sex appeal.Â
Prince released Crystal Ball, a 5-CD collection of unreleased material in 1998. In 2006, he was awarded a Webby Lifetime Achievement Award in recognition of what was termed his ‘visionary use of the Internet.’ Prince had been the first artist of major importance ever to release and album in this way. This was, of course, the Crystal Ball album. Who knows, perhaps because of this he has a taste for crystal? Could this cane be Bohemian cut crystal or a cunning way of setting Swarovski gems in glass?
This season crystal is everywhere. It’s difficult to find designer eyewear without it, key rings (even without Porsche attached), mobile phone jewels and so – why not a cane? It’s not so much Bling-bling, as sparkle this year – tasteful sparkle.
The cane certainly gives Prince a touch more – if that is possible. It would appear that in the past he did have several custom made canes made. We wish him well and hope that he continues to promote our collectable objects of beauty and meaning.
Luca Bolognese Addendum
Further to our article featuring Luca Bolognese and his Gaunt Contemporary Canes,
Luca has been kind enough to send us some photos of himself featuring some favourite models of his own design.
We add them here for you to enjoy even more of the Gaunt Contemporary Canes range.
Don’t hesitate to send us photos with your own personal favourites: we will publish the best ones.
Luca Bolognese – Gaut Contemporary Canes
Comedia dell’arte and Comedia dell’iPod
The masks of the characters of the Comedia dell’arte, as well as the real life people of whom they are frozen timeless caricatures can be found thronging in the most magnificent yearly Venice Carnival, from Friday 13th February – Tuesday 24th February 2009.
Canes Abound!
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The sense of Italian costume and style; daring mixed with more than a zest of extravagance and a peppering of pizzazz can be savoured at this feast of timeless flamboyancy.
The Italian architect and modern cane designer Luca Bolognese of Gaut Contemporary Canes boasts a vast array of which many could suit each of the dramatis personae of the Comedia dell’arte. Coincidence? I think not from a man so well schooled in design. They extend from the flamboyant with elegance to an almost Dadaèsque echo of the Swiss sculptor, Jean Tinguely (1925-91), whose work was focussed for the most part upon movement and the machine. What more perfect an inspiration for some of these high tech canes? Surrealist in their conception, they do not lack daring in their flagrant exhibitionism even if questionably practical. But since when does practicality enter the world of fashion as opposed to the world of architecture?
Harlequin, also known as Arlecchino, is a clown and can be found reflected in the below illustrated cane with its burst of colour, iron inlays and bolts. Columbina (Columbine), his female counterpart is clever, cunning and rather wild. She is often portrayed wearing coloured patches echoing Harlequin’s style. Here is a perfect cane for them both.
A Hint of Harlequin and A Cadence of Columbine?
Pierrot, the loyal servant, is also known as Pedrolino. He is usually portrayed in a loose fitting white outfit with a neck ruff and pompoms in a row.
An Art déco Pierrot
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The pompom theme can be found permeating several of Bolognese’s canes, be they manifest in crystal, metal, glass or even golf balls.
Cane For A golfing Pierrot?
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A contemporary nod towards the grands bals of centuries past can be sensed in the use of crystals in many if his spectacular designs. This brings to mind the astonishing umbrellas of Alexandra Sojfer with their own scintillating applications dancing in the sun rather than singing in the rain.
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For The Comtessa of The Masked Ball?
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Surely Luca Bolognese’s many crystal designs are more suited to the lady - just as those with iPhone, Play Station, iPod and mouse are more appropriate for the weary male escort or fatigued fop, who, having had enough of such Venetian frivolity, wishes to keep connected to his own contemporary universe?
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High Tech Canes
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It is impossible to remove theatre from these designs; in fact their existence is rather a means of bringing it into the daily lives of those who dare to ornate themselves with such bold statements when the Festival is no more. These designs live in the imagination of Luca Bolognese and are not restricted to the City of the Doges.
For sheer audaciousness, there is little to surpass Dada. For sheer bravura, it takes a great deal to outshine Italy in Art and always has. After the stunning surprise of the surreal even the extraordinary can appear mundane.
