Today is Tuesday and our first full day in Rome. Although, because we covered so much last night, it feels like we have been here so much longer.
With the morning off, our peer mentor, Sarah, lead an excursion to the Museo dei Fori Imperiali at the Mercati e Foro Di Traiano, which several of us opted to go on.
A bunch of us met at 8:30am in the lobby, our usual meeting place, where we were able to plan our route on the giant map that is printed on the wall. We then went to the café on the corner, Gourmet via dei Gracchi, for cappuccinos and Nutella filled croissants, delicious!
We traveled to the markets via the Metro, the underground train transportation that runs through Rome. While waiting for our train, we witnessed our first mugging. Two women were yanking a purse while screaming at and hitting each other. Sarah swiftly moved us further down the platform and away from the action. While we were thoroughly forewarned of the mugging scene that occurs here, it was still surprising to see it first hand and it was shocking that no one stepped in to help the woman.
We then continued on to have an uneventful train ride to our destination.
To get to the museum from the metro stop, we had to pass by both the colosseum and the arch of Constantine. It was unreal to finally see the colosseum and amazing to see my arch, that I now feel possessive of after studying it this past semester, in person.
The museum was not at all what I expected. If I had to describe it in one word I would choose the word ‘juxtaposition’. While the architecture of the building is made of brick, stone and is evidentially historical, the interior is much more modern. The second I walked in, I noticed the metallic reflecting ground and puffy bright white dresses dangling from the ceiling, contrasting the darker, aged, rougher building foundation. Both the museum pieces and building itself were incredible.
Not only was the architecture of the building beautiful, the view was unreal. The space was designed with multiple viewpoints towards the market. There were several windows, decks, and exits onto the grounds. It was so fun to discover new views around each corner!
On the inside of the museum, the entirety of the exhibit was about food and fashion (two of my favorite things), displayed amongst fragments of Roman architecture such as columns and carvings.
The museum was far from quiet, reflecting the culture of Rome through the street noises that echoed throughout. Besides the environmental sounds, were the noises from both the visitors of the museum along with some of the digital works that continuously played in a loop.
The premise of the exhibit, incorporating food into fashion was so unique and very well executed. I enjoyed the various approaches in the prompt. While some created food images through usual ornamentation (rhinestones, beads, fabrics, printing), other designers were more literal and created clothing composed of food.
Despite my love for the pieces, the whole concept of combining this food based fashion amongst ancient ruins in such a monumental historical place was a little alarming to me. Although I was a big fan of the exhibit, I did not think that this more playful work was worthy of being amongst ancient ruins and would have been more well received in a modern art museum.