Soon after he discovered that at the 2008
Whitney Biennial, artist Fritz Haeg
installed a work entitled Animal Estates 1.0:
New York, New York, which explores the
same motif by reimagining 12 indigenous
species, such as beavers, bats and eagles,
returning to Manhattan.
“I’m fascinated by nature and the fact
that the High Line, which takes into
account regeneration of flora, is next to the
Whitney,” Griffiths says. “We also looked
at intellectuals like Robert Smithson, who
saw the inevitable return of nature to the
city as a sign of decline. But now we see it
as positive, encouraging nature to come
back.” Bobcats, eastern mud turtles and
barn owls were among New York City’s
first inhabitants and so their likenesses“I’M FASCINATED
BY THE HIGH LINE,
WHICH TAKES
INTO ACCOUNT
REGENERATION
OF FLOR A”appear printed on crepe de chine T-shirts
and oversized cashmere sweaters.
The final pieces, including a scarlet
pantsuit that hung languidly on the body
and a resplendent crimson coat, harken
to a 1971 performance art piece by
choreographer Trisha Brown in which
ballerinas wearing flowing red costumes
danced on rooftops in SoHo.
After all, it’s that possibility of something
magical happening at any moment that
defines New York City. And Griffiths has
felt it first-hand. “This whole collection has
felt very personal,” he says. “I remember
I came to New York one January like this,
freezing cold, in 1985 or 86. I went to have
dinner with my friend and he said: ‘Let’s go
to the Roxy. It’s Naomi Campbell night.’” ■VOGUE.COM.AU – 83DAN LECCA
Models backstage at
MaxMara pre-fall ’15.