AN/ARCHIVE: Blue Revolution

Exhibition Design, Polimoda, 2025

blue r/evolution is the second chapter of AN/ARCHIVE, a research and exhibition platform by Polimoda, curated by Massimiliano Giornetti and designed by (ab)Normal.

Hosted at the Manifattura Campus during Pitti Uomo 107, the exhibition explores the symbolic and material evolution of denim and indigo blue—from garments of labor to expressions of rebellion, identity, and global fashion.

The exhibition brings together diverse narratives across history, art, anthropology, and sociology, proposing denim as a cultural mirror: worn, faded, and continuously reinterpreted. Central to the project is the Roy Roger’s archive, which displays 150 years of authentic workwear—mining overalls, military garments, and railway uniforms—marked by time and use. In dialogue with this, Charles Fréger’s photographic series Bleus de travail portrays young vocational students whose subtle gestures personalize their uniforms, and Rowland & Chinami Ricketts’ large-scale textile installation uses Japanese indigo ikat techniques to reflect on the themes of origin, transformation, and resistance.

A curated library section complements the spatial experience, offering research materials on denim, subcultures, and the politics of workwear. The design of the exhibition reflects the fragmented, layered nature of the archive itself—creating a space that is immersive, open-ended, and activated by memory and speculation. As part of AN/ARCHIVE, blue r/evolution positions the archive not as a fixed repository, but as a living tool for education, debate, and collective imagination.


Credits
Project Team: Mattia Inselvini, Davide Masserini, Luigi Savio, Andrea Derni, Ginevra Conchetto
Graphic design: Sarah Micheli


Photos by Tiziano Ercoli, Riccardo Giancola