RITARITA x Dana Stirling
The myth of the past brings RITARITA’s SS17 collection and Dana Stirling’s ‘Dead Water’ series together for their second visual story brought by Acreati. Suggested by the title of the collection, RITARITA’s SS17 collection is inspired by the monstrous Greek mythological creature Chimera. Bearing told memories of a miraculous oasis in the Dead Sea, Dana Stirling documented a different present of the once glorious water amusement park Atraktzia.
RITARITA’s Chimera collection is based on the concept of skin, the thin layer that covers our inside and gives a clue about our race, personality and belongingness. In Greek mythology, the Chimera was described in story and depicted in artwork as a beast that melded three completely different animals together - a lion, a goat and a snake. Being a combination of different animals, different traits are embedded, just as individual beings and how the society is formed. Graphic is the keyword of this collection in the choice of colors. Continuing RITARITA’s tradition for producing high quality clothing based on the concept of daily uniform and comfortable long lasting ready to wear, the collection consists of technical crispy textures mixed with the smoothest hues and soft silk fabric.
Dana Stirling’s ‘Dead Water’ series captures the current state of Atraktzia Water Amusement Park - once an oasis of sweet water in the Dead Sea. Many Israelis share memories of Atraktzia as part of their tradition of family vacations and weekends. Stirling has never had the chance of experiencing Kalia’s Atraktzia herself, and yet she grew up knowing of a miraculous fantastic oasis in the middle of nowhere. When she finally encountered Atraktzia, it was a different experience - hot, dry and colorless, a pale reflection of its past glory. The once amazing water park stood empty, abandon and waterless. The water park had been standing empty for 13 years after it was shut down due to the political tension in the area as well as financial and legal problems. Even though Stirling has never visited the park before, she still felt nostalgic in regards to the fall of the attractions from its glory, as she said: “In this body of work I do not try to recreate the park, or resurrect it, but document a place that so many people had strong feeling to, as children, and try and understand that glorious period that me myself had never got to experience.”
Featuring
Fashion design // RITARITA
Photography (non-fashion) // Dana Stirling
Fashion photography // Pierluigi Anselmi
Model // Delicia Jones
Styling // RITARITA
MUA // Marvi Leddi