The 75th anniversary celebrations for Serpenti have started.
Last Friday, Bulgari opened an exhibition in Madrid to get the ball rolling and throughout the year its icon will slither across the world following the Serpenti Factory series of special collaborations with artists.
The first collab with award-winning media artist and director Refik Anadol premiered at Milan's Piazza del Duomo. From Nov 25 to Dec 23, Bulgari presented his Serpenti Metamorphosis installation at the Saatchi Gallery in London, as a prelude to the momentous milestone.
The Bulgari x Refik Anadol digital installation is now a highlight of the "Serpenti 75 Years Of Infinite Tales" exhibition at Madrid's Thyssen-Bornemisza National Museum.
A pioneer in the aesthetics of data and machine intelligence, Anadol interprets the concept of metamorphosis by transforming nature into data and data into abstract, poetic images.
Generated by AI, the multimedia artwork results from algorithms trained with 200 million images of nature.
The exhibition features a curated selection of Serpenti creations from the Bulgari Heritage collection as well as the maison's historical archives, while an AI-developed fragrance, Rainforest Serpenti, permeates the immersive room of the installation for a multi-sensory journey.
Bulgari's first Serpenti creations appeared as jewellery watches in the late 1940s, and over the years the iconic motif expanded its presence on jewellery and leather goods.
The serpent, however, has long been symbolic since it deceived Eve to eat the forbidden fruit in the Garden of Eden.
Shedding its skin, the snake in Greek and Roman mythology was believed to possess transformative and regenerative powers. This constant renewal was symbolised by the ouroboros, depicting a serpent biting its tail to form an infinite circle.
The exhibition traces the evolution of the Serpenti, starting from the jewellery watches launched in 1948. The stylised snake featured a supple linked body, crafted employing the ingenious Tubogas technique. The flexible tubular band of precious metal, obtained without soldering, was an expression of Bulgari's innovative spirit.
In the 1950s, a more figurative orphidian boasted a precious head embellished with ruby, emerald or diamond eyes.
In the following decade, its alluring scales were articulated with gemstones and coloured enamels. The Roman jeweller also created the first Serpenti secret watches with the head concealing a dial.
The emblematic creature further evolved through unconventional materials, striking colour combinations and interpretations of the hexagonal scale motif, as well as the tubular scales being inventively connected to a supple inner core.
"For 75 years, Bulgari has shown its audacious creativity, ingenious craftsmanship and modern spirit through its emblematic Serpenti creations inspired by the jewels of Cleopatra, in a Rome of more than 2,000 years ago. The Serpenti was and is our ultimate icon of endless metamorphosis," said Jean-Christophe Babin, CEO of the Bulgari Group.
The milestone is also marked by the Serpenti Blue Heaven high-jewellery necklace with two snakes masterfully intertwined, and the colours of tanzanite and aquamarine layout evoking Roman and Spanish skies.
The exhibition runs at the Thyssen-Bornemisza National Museum until April 16, while throughout 2023, the snake will remain a source of creative productions under the Serpenti Factory project.
Besides Anadol, it will involve other contemporary artists such as Davide Quayola, Daniel Rozin, Sougwen Chung and Cate M, whose exclusive works dedicated to the Serpenti reflect its eclectic nature.
Bulgari has also launched a campaign to illustrate the metamorphosis behind Serpenti iterations. Captured by the Scandebergs duo, the images portray the Bulgari icon sinuously coiling around ladies of different eras, representing the evolution of women and their self-determination.
