THERE SHE GOES, BEAUTIFUL AND SAFE
Scooters from João Seixas Collection
23 JULY / 24 OCTOBER 2010
MUDE – DESIGN AND FASHION MUSEUM

Comissariado: João Seixas e Pedro Teotónio Pereira

Leonor sung by Luís Vaz de Camões, who went barefoot to the fountain, beautiful, but unsecure, was reinvented by António Gedeão in 1961, and instead went Flying off to where life is better, Leonor on the black tarmac. Burnin’ on her Lambretta. Spurred by this new Leonor and lulled by the poem’s cadence, we called the exposition which presents the evolution of the scooter between 1945 and 1970 There she goes, Beautiful and Secure. There she goes has several meanings. In the feminine, it can apply to both the scooter, a major symbol of a time and of an urban lifestyle, young and democratic, while also being a tip of the hat to the new, more emancipated and professionally active woman, asserting herself in post-war society, now secure and beautiful, driving herself to work and back home, or just going for a ride around town.

With this exhibition we will become more aware of the plurality and specific features of each scooter, gaining a better understanding this phenomenon that swept Europe and the United States. But it is undeniable that among scooters, the Vespa became so popular that it has almost become synonymous with it. Symbol of good Italian design, today it is a classic of the 20th century and a cult object. A paradigmatic example of the unity between modern and organic form and new technology, the Vespa also signified the economic renaissance of Italy and of the Piaggio brand. Economic, functional and beautiful, the Vespa has to be regarded within the context of the global movement of the affirmation of Italian design as a distinctive factor. It is the amalgam of all of these characteristics, and not only its form and style, that makes something an excellent object of design, as represented in a number of museum collections.

If the scooter was once the protagonist of reconstructed post-war cities, today it can look forward to fresh horizons as a result of the challenges facing large metropolises, as, together with an articulated public transport network, it can be part of an effective response to their problems with traffic, parking and noise/atmospheric pollution. The contemporaneity of scooters is one of the reasons that led us to organise this exhibition where we placed scooters into dialogue with fashion, emphasising the transformation of contours and outlines, beyond the alteration in form, colour and materials, so as to better highlight the evolution of mentalities and different socio-cultural contexts.

The 1st floor of the MUDE has once again morphed in the quest for fresh geometries and temperatures.

So, let’s take a ride on a scooter through these 25 years of the 20th century, but with our eyes set on the future.

Press Release (doc)