Trends
Music & Art
Follow the same rhythm
Words Alessandra Albarello
24/04/2024
Music, art and glasses are increasingly connected. They follow the same rhythm, chasing the same harmony on stages and catwalks. Bold or delicate shapes, in search of beauty
“A Complete Unknown” will be the title of the new biographical film about Bob Dylan starring Timothée Chalamet, directed by James Mangold. And of course the French actor, to fully identify with the role of the rock star and immerse himself in the atmosphere of the 60s, in addition to leather jackets and plaid shirts, could only wear the legendary Wayfarers. A timeless model that, not surprisingly, has been chosen by EssilorLuxottica to be transformed with Meta Platform into one of the Ray-Ban Meta smart glasses, equipped with artificial intelligence and a live streaming function, with advanced audio and photographic capabilities. Each pair of glasses is equipped with five integrated microphones that allow you to easily switch from music to phone calls, and the possibility of inserting hearing aids into the frame is also being studied... A strong sign of how past and future can coexist in an iconic accessory.
Hearing and seeing are therefore certainly two closely connected actions and, in particular, the link between music and glasses has always been very strong, especially on the stage: so much so that many participants in the last Sanremo Festival wore glasses, also "to have more charisma and symptomatic mystery", as Battiato sang. Among these was Dargen D'Amico, who has never taken them off for a moment, flaunting models with asymmetrical temples from the DDX23°capsule collection, which came about from his collaboration with 23° Eyewear and is made only of eco-sustainable materials (recycled and recyclable).
From theatres to fashion catwalks, it's a short step. The rhythm of hip-hop defines the futuristic shape of Balmain's Espion model (in the opening photo, credit Gorunway), a limited edition (only 300 pieces for each of the three colours) and the protagonist of the A/W 2024 men's show. It fits perfectly into the tradition of the house that saw its founder Pierre Balmain dress the most famous musical stars of his time. In fact, with its wraparound and bold outline it conveys "Hip-hop's requisite VIP attitude", as creative director Olivier Rousteing points out.
For Vava Eyewear, it is the electronic dance music of the Acid House movement of the 80s that infuses energy into its models with decisive and modern lines, created in vibrant acid and vitamin tones such as orange and green. Another intangible element that often influences glasses is certainly art that, like music, transforms and dynamises surfaces with rhythm and harmony, making use of different languages and codes, including the colour that distinguishes the colourful and original Clay Collection by Nina Mûr, a limited edition of 150 unique numbered pieces, made by hand by applying the new Clay polymer material for the first time and winner of the New York Prize as best sunglass 2024 at Vision Expo. For the Rigards RG1032T model, matter is completely abstracted from form to become poetry, a delicate irregular sculpture where the luminous, coloured and natural reflections of the gemstones emerge, defining the features of a true talismanic work of art that also recalls the ancient stained glass windows of the cathedrals.
How is the Visum capsule collection, made by Vanni with the artist Teresa Giannico, a work of art? The two metal models are characterised by side shields with the words "see beyond" engraved internally. A kind of mantra to always keep with you, in direct contact with the skin because, in addition to beauty, it will surely be art and music that will save us.