The project began quite simply. I noticed that as I walked around the streets in Italy, I was always filled with a rush of emotions when I heard someone saying Dimmi, Amore to one another. I loved the feeling that I would get, so I decided to print the phrase and divide it up as I liked the repetition of the letters. This simple print taped on my wall was beside my computer, almost one full year went by before the project developed further into the manifesto, letterpress prints, and garments.

The Dimmi, Amore manifesto is translated in over 100 languages, and are handed out in different countries around the world.

Manifesto

The Dimmi, Amore manifesto was created in a response to the Italian Futurist's manifesto written in 1909. I was an invited to do a show in Milano, at the exact place where the Italian Futurists gathered to speak about the future of food. The Italian Futurists were well known for their manifesto which seemed to inspire Italy in the 100 years to come. When I agreed to do a show in the exact space where they gathered, I believed it was my responsibility as an artist to rewrite a manifesto to inspire the next 100 years.

I am always inspired by my location and histories of the place where I create or show my artwork and this collection is no different. Seasonal is inspired by the Italian Futurists and their event at the on November 15, 1930. The Italian Futurists established themselves in the early 20th century as an artistic and social movement. Marinetti launched the movement with the Manifesto of Futurism which was published for the first time on February 5th 1909.

MANIFESTO OF FUTURISM

1.
We intend to sing the love of danger, the habit of energy and fearlessness.

2.
Courage, audacity, and revolt will be essential elements of our poetry.

3.
Up to now literature has exalted a pensive immobility, ecstasy, and sleep. We intend to exalt aggressive action, a feverish insomnia, the racer’s stride, the mortal leap, the punch and the slap.

4.
We affirm that the world’s magnificence has been enriched by a new beauty: the beauty of speed. A racing car whose hood is adorned with great pipes, like serpents of explosive breath—a roaring car that seems to ride on grapeshot is more beautiful than the Victory of Samothrace.

5.
We want to hymn the man at the wheel, who hurls the lance of his spirit across the Earth, along the circle of its orbit.

6.
The poet must spend himself with ardor, splendor, and generosity, to swell the enthusiastic fervor of the primordial elements.

7.
Except in struggle, there is no more beauty. No work without an aggressive character can be a masterpiece. Poetry must be conceived as a violent attack on unknown forces, to reduce and prostrate them before man

8.
We stand on the last promontory of the centuries!… Why should we look back, when what we want is to break down the mysterious doors of the Impossible? Time and Space died yesterday. We already live in the absolute, because we have created eternal, omnipresent speed

9.
We will glorify war—the world’s only hygiene—militarism, patriotism, the destructive gesture of freedom-bringers, beautiful ideas worth dying for, and scorn for woman

10.
We will destroy the museums, libraries, academies of every kind, will fight moralism, feminism, every opportunistic or utilitarian cowardice.

11.
We will sing of great crowds excited by work, by pleasure, and by riot; we will sing of the multicolored, polyphonic tides of revolution in the modern capitals; we will sing of the vibrant nightly fervor of arsenals and shipyards blazing with violent electric moons; greedy railway stations that devour smoke-plumed serpents; factories hung on clouds by the crooked lines of their smoke; bridges that stride the rivers like giant gymnasts, flashing in the sun with a glitter of knives; adventurous steamers that sniff the horizon; deep-chested locomotives whose wheels paw the tracks like the hooves of enormous steel horses bridled by tubing; and the sleek flight of planes whose propellers chatter in the wind like banners and seem to cheer like an enthusiastic crowd.

MY DECLARATION OF INTENT
To have a show in such a historically important location, I said I would only do so if I can write my own manifesto. With many issues at hand with the Italian Manifesto such as pro-war, and anti-feminism, I believed it was my duty as an artist and as a female artist to declare my manifesto and ideas of the future. If I display my art in this space, and stand where these men stood at Via Cecilia 6 in Milan, I have a duty. The Italian Futurists manifesto directed Italy in one way of the future, a type of future and type of Italy that can no longer be. I is necessary to put my words together for a new type of world that I hope will inspire not only Italy, but being available in over 130 languages - this manifesto will inspire the world.

MY MANIFESTO // Dimmi, Amore

1.
Tell me that everyone will strive to be their truest self, while also knowing that they can continue to grow into the person they wish to become. We will learn to see challenges as opportunities to learn and grow.

2.
Tell me that we will hear each other out, whether we agree or disagree. We will try to understand each other’s behavior and actions—even if we find them frustrating. We will let go of anger and hate. We will not force our opinions on others or try to prove that we are right. We will understand that we all live in different realities, even though we share the same earth. There will be no more war. We will earn each other’s trust.

3.
Tell me that everyone will be treated equally, no matter their gender, sexuality, or race. We will support each other as we work through past traumas.

4.
Tell me that there will be no gossip or attempts to shape the lives of others. We will treat others as we wish to be treated. We will strengthen our own minds and share knowledge, rather than turning to gossip as the only form of sociality.

5.
Tell me that we will strive to help another person every day. We will reach out a hand to those on the margins. We will listen to the elderly and the young. We will understand that every person has a story

6.
Tell me that, collectively, we will have the power to change the world for the better. There will be no more centralized control, only communities collaborating

7.
Tell me that we will follow the ideas that excite us and embark upon career paths that we love. We will reclaim the word “work,” which will no longer signify a burden or labor, but something that we are excited to do. We will understand that not following our passions can be dangerous

8.
Tell me about a world in which parents understand how their actions shape their child’s life. Tell me that, in the most formative years, they take care of their little ones, hold them close, let them know they are surrounded by love. Tell me that those parents apologize to their children when they make mistakes, that they recognize their fallibility and let their child know that errors are opportunities for growth

9.
Tell me that we can expand the concept of family beyond the bonds of blood. How can a community enter the life of and help raise a child

10.
Tell me that every rooftop will be a sanctuary for birds and gardens. Tell me that every abandoned lot will become a place for communities to grow their vegetables and, in doing so, will understand the labor that feeds our society. Tell me that every structure we build will become part of a thriving ecosystem

11.
Tell me that we will learn together about where food comes from, how it affects our bodies and the earth. Tell me how the different plants take from and give to the soil. Tell me how the animals grow, how they nurture their young, and how their death helps us to provide for ours. Fruits and vegetables come from the earth. Meat comes from bodies. No more disconnect between the farming of animals and plants and the food we see on our plates. No more processed food. We will eat seasonally and locally. We will use as much of the animal or vegetable as we can

12.
Tell me that there will no longer be any waste. All homes will be furnished with reusable containers and natural products. Stores will all be package free and will no longer offer plastic bags. All neighborhoods will compost. We will build a circular economy

13.
Tell me that everyone will have access to clean and safe drinking water

14.
Tell me that medicine will embrace science, ancient wisdom, and natural remedies. We will protect our bodies from the damaging side effects of pharmaceutical drugs

15.
Tell me that we will meditate together and recognize the power of consciousness. We will practice kindness, unity, and peace with each other and ourselves. We will see the interconnection of all things. We will understand that we have everything we need. We will have faith in the universe and accept its gifts and challenges. We will know that reality is more than what we see, hear, and touch

16.
Tell me that there will be no lack. There will be no pain. We will not fear. We will be safe

17.
Tell me that we will love living in this world, that we will wake into each day with gratitude. We will not dream of a future life in a future world, but rather will reinvest in preserving the earth that gave shape to us.

18.
Tell me that everyday life will be infused with art and poetry. Art will be accessible to all because it will be everywhere.

During the infamous and historically important design week of Salone, the Dimmi, Amore Manifesto’s were spread around the city of Milan. Since the location of the via Cecilia 6 was also the neighborhood of newspaper print houses, the concept of sending physical messages across the city was important to me. The Dimmi, Amore manifesto’s are stamped with the date and time of the Seasonal show, and hand delivered to people around the city, as one would hand out a newspaper when La Penna D’Oca was alive.

Video Recordings

In addition to the physical manifestos, the manifesto is also shared through video recordings.

Letterpress Prints

A series of letterpress prints repeat the phrase “Dimmi, Amore” in many different fonts, an echoing encouragement to enunciation. The posters are produced by the Veneto-based letterpress atelier Tipoteca, on handmade paper from an atelier on the Amalfi Coast. Following my guidelines on text and scale, the Tipoteca printers will choose the font and arrangement of the letters, opening the transactional nature of fabrication processes to collaboration.

Manifesto Distribution

Color Coded Clothing

During the rise of fascism from 1919 to 1943, Benito Mussolini’s armed forces came to be known as Blackshirts, so called for the black shirts worn as part of their uniform. Like the propaganda that littered Italian streets, the black shirt was an easy identifier that separated fascist soldiers from citizens and other armed forces.

Learning about this dark history, I have often wondered what propaganda for the cause of good would look like. The posters and clothing in this series follow this concept, pairing a message or cause with a type of apparel. For example, “How to stop pollution?" with a organic cotton worker style jacket. Or "How to wake from the nightmare?” with a pajama-like set—intended for use during the day.