The suit titled ‘Portable Organ : to catch the sound’ – the designer Sara Pernatsch produced it in collaboration with Margherita De Candia for “Il Teatro della Moda”, School for haute couture training in Milan, inspired by Leonardo’s homonymous sketch and remained unfinished; the pencil drawing is present in the ‘Madrid II Codex’ (1491-1505), at the ‘Spain National Library’. The thirty suits of the exhibition “Leonard prisoner of flight” www.leonardoprigionierodelvolo.com are already offered for sail ‘by public auction’ : the proceeds will be donated to V.I.D.A.S. for the first children hospice in Lombardia (Italy).

Reproducing sounds in Nature, as they are catched by our sense of hearing, inspired the two young women authors, Sara Pernatsch e Margherita De Candia who interpreted and translated Leonardo’ sketch ‘Portable Organ’ by which Leonardo Da Vinci began to project a bellows vertical keyboard, ancestress about 300 years earlier of the accordion which uses the pressure of the fingers of both hands to modulate the sound just entered by the player in exhalation. The sketch by Leonardo has been happily taken up by the luthier Mario Buonoconto[1] who made with it a fully functional accordion.

“…It was not so obvious to find a source of inspiration that didn’t make me fall into the ‘banality’ or in a ‘bad copy’ of the original. So, I wondered, what would help make me feel so close to Leonardo Da Vinci to be able to understand his own works to the point of creating one myself ? I had to find something in common with a man lived 500 years ago, which would allow me to give free rein to my imagination, but remaining at the same time connected to his own studio. Really, I haven’t found anything that unites us, if not just the love and passion for our respective jobs. That’s exactly where I started from to develop my project. We can’t be more sure that everything Leonardo worked on, was the fruit of great love and passion…

I liked reproducing the immensity of sensations which a melody can give, right through the grandeur that characterizes this dress. The inspiration almost came by itself within the walls of my apartment, listening what is, at the end, the real source of inspiration for the whole projects : music…”[2]

                                               Marina Bilotta Membretti / Cernusco sul Naviglio – February 29, 2020

[1] Mario Buonoconto, workshop ‘Antichistrumenti’, at Majano – Udine (Italy).

[2] Cited from the description of ‘Portable Organ’ suit, shown at the exhibition “Leonardo prisoner of flight” www.leonardoprigionierodelvolo.com at ‘Palazzo Morando’ in Milan, until last January 5.