The JAREL ZHANG SS24 Collection takes inspiration from the episode “The Very Pulse of the Machine” in “Love, Death & Robots.”
The story in “Helping Hand” revolves around a female astronaut who, in a desperate act, breaks her own arm and hurls it into deep space, using the resulting reaction to propel herself back to the spacecraft and thus achieving a miraculous survival. In “Helping Hand,” the female astronaut’s survival is defined in biological terms.
“And now I see with eye serene.
The very pulse of the machine.
A Being breathing thoughtful breath,
A Traveller between life and death”
In contrast, in “The Very Pulse of the Machine,” astronaut Kivelson’s physical body has already perished, yet her consciousness persists, transcending into a state of “eternal life” and “symbiosis.” In one particular scene, when I.O. establishes a connection with the remains of her colleague Burton, she begins to recite, “I was the world in which I walked and what I saw, or heard or felt came not but from myself.”
Following this, I.O. confides in Kivelson, revealing that she is, in fact, a machine. Kivelson then asks I.O., “If you’re a machine, what is your purpose, your original intent?” To which I.O. responds, “To know you.”
Upon receiving this answer, Kivelson leaps into a lava lake, merging and becoming one with I.O.
In reality, I.O. is a moon covered with volcanic lava, and it’s a highly active satellite. Here, I.O. is a machine. I.O.’s existence is meant for understanding a person in their entirety.
Music, nature, poetry
What is “understanding”? “Music, nature, poetry—sometimes they touch the essence of it all, bestowing upon the conscious body a serene and sacred ‘narrow gate, only just passable by people,’ a sudden and exhilarating feeling.
It feels as though every atom in your body longs to return to its original source, like currents of electricity flowing through your heart. Perhaps this very experience is what you’ve been seeking all along.”
Every conscious entity consists of billions of atoms, and these atoms originate from nature, born from the explosions of stars. These atoms, arranged and combined in unique ways, give rise to your existence, and your consciousness is a manifestation of the motion of these elemental components. The body borrowed from the natural world will eventually return to it, seamlessly merging with the environment. This integration resembles a return to the initial cradle, representing genuine understanding, comprehended by nature itself. The ultimate culmination of life is not death but an existence with an “alternate configuration mode.”
The JAREL ZHANG SS24 Collection aims to disrupt the conventional categorization of fashion genres by blending and reconfiguring their distinct characteristics, striving to achieve a state of mutual enhancement.
Concept of JAREL ZHANG SS24 Presentation
We have assembled 16 exceptionally talented artists from diverse countries to join us on-site. Our aim is for them to capture their perceptions and insights, recording their interpretation of this season’s collection after thorough analysis and thoughtful contemplation. “To Know You, JAREL ZHANG Spring/Summer 24”
