The pitch had me at "a satirical take on holiday consumerism."
I entered the makeshift gallery space at 254 Newbury St. not knowing what to expect. The email invite sent to me, although was the perfect pitch (it involved the words tech, art, and food), was deliberately ambiguous on the details.
I walked into what is most likely a studio apartment bathed in dim, red lighting and candles. To my right was a rack displaying leather jackets and leather pants in what looked like a trash bin, to my left was a motorcycle and a mannequin dressed in gothic garments. And, I was looking straight ahead at a graffiti-covered coffin that was modeled like an ATM.
Not that the ATM facilitated any transaction. The tablet displayed an e-commerce site but the only thing you could buy was the artist Sam Fish's sass by "depositing your $oul."
Fish, the artist behind the project 'Fastest Fashions' broke the ice with "Hello, welcome to my art installation, it's a satirical take on capitalism and the consumerist society we live in."
It was.
It was akin to walking into a meme. The clothes displayed were not meant to be worn or for sale — the design made that obvious. The art pieces also made by Sam Fish, were a statement and carried Sam's attitude with titles like "Eyes on The Prize," "Steal My Disguise" "Trying to Touch" and "Failing to Feel."
Fish's idea to create a fake storefront on Newbury St. served two distinct purposes: To put vacant storefronts to good use and second, to banish the notion that galleries are static spaces.
"I wanted to create a ripple effect with my art," Fish said. "I want real estate developers to see the value in art and think about spaces differently." Over the summer, Fish worked with Downtown Boston's Business Improvement District where his work was on display on Washington St.
For this particular project, Fish collaborated with So We Flew Inc., a catering company that specializes in experiential dining. According to its website, it takes the "'venue to menu' approach and tailors each food experience to the vibe of the venue or the story they want to tell"
And for Fastest Fashions, the dinner was a four-course, fast food-themed vegan meal. The dinner itself was an experience. Partly because of the layout and the format, which was meant to resemble an intimate candle-lit family dinner with a long table. But more so, because of the guest list.
The guest list was an eclectic mix of artists, tech entrepreneurs and musicians. Needless to say, that facilitated engaging conversations punctuated by shots of winter whiskey cocktails before and after each course. Fun fact: That day happened to be Frank Sinatra's birthday, who apparently drank only Jack Daniel's. And hence, as a tribute, so did we.
"We wanted to create a living room vibe," said Natasha Woolfson, vice president at financial management firm AB Bernstein, who organized the event along with Fish. "The idea is to realize what a cultural melting pot that Boston is, and get people together to converse and collaborate."
Fastest Fashion launched Friday at 254 Newbury St. Click to see pictures from the evening.
