Alebrijes, Piazza Santa Trinita

Jessica García lives and studies in Florence, Italy. She is an undergraduate student of Multimedia Arts at Istituto Marangoni Firenze.

A few squares and buildings in Florence encapsulate the city’s architecture and the essence of individuals who contributed to its cultural revival. Piazza Santa Trinita, for example, houses historical buildings such as Palazzo Spini Feroni, which is also the venue for Museo Salvatore Ferragamo, preserving and enhancing the work of a visionary designer who disrupted fashion and his company’s heritage.  

Multimedia Arts student Jessica García chose this location inspired by Ferragamo’s focus on a more sustainable and better future, combined with her interests in animals and ecological issues.
The inspiration behind her project is rooted in elements that shaped her childhood. In this case, it’s the small wooden figurines called alebrijes she used to collect as a child. 
Alebrijes are unique imaginary sculptures of Mexican Folk Art.
They combine body parts of several animals, usually including elements of dragons with fangs, wings, and claws. Hence her project is a conflation of her cultural heritage, a cherished memory of her childhood and her encounter with a specific corner of historical Florence.

The work combines parts of elephants, crocodiles, rhinos and armadillos and is a tribute to the famous Rainbow wedge Salvatore Ferragamo made for Judy Garland in 1938. 
This digital chimaera is supposed to be experienced as one would look at a sculpture in real life: its vast proportions allow spectators to let the details and patterns guide their eyes.

This “imaginary animal” is a colourful reminder of society’s many unresolved and urgent issues: endangered animal species.
The digital creature is not static; its animation makes the animal pulsate slightly to make it look like it is breathing because there is still time to take action.

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