Karl Joonas Alamaa

“MANIA GRANDIOSA. From Tallinn to Paris” was the world's longest fashion runway, created in collaboration with Lisette sivard. It took place in the summer of 2023, from the 4th of July till the 8th of July, spanning over the period of 5 days. The total length of the runway was over 100 kilometers, it started from Tallinn Airport and ended in the Estonian village of Pariisi which is located in north-eastern Estonia. In Estonian language, the name of this small village “Pariisi” is the equivalent of the metropolitan city of Paris. The finissage of the performance took place on July 8 in the local equestrian arena. The models were hiking on the fictive runway for five days in a row, wearing identical ensembles designed as hiking haute couture. Along the way, costumes changed as nature and the journey altered them, thus becoming physical symbols of the performance. The journey was be broadcasted, captured, and most importantly, created in collaboration with local communities.
"MANIA GRANDIOSA. From Tallinn to Paris" was a statement on the art scene and the ideals, as well as on values of a small North-Eastern European country. Due to the history of the Baltics, the mentality of being suppressed and the need of working hard to be seen is still very present: the mindset that "determination leads to the goal" and the only sure way to find satisfaction and happiness is through hard work. Suppose we add to the aforementioned the hunger for achievement and the desire for competition that is widespread in the fashion and art scene. In that case, the work took on the complex and everyday components of the cultural creatives of a small country and tied them together into a self-ironic-critical whole. The longest, the hardest, and the greatest are the prevailing slogans - because as by acting accordingly, one should get far. But what if, instead of the fashion capital and cultural metropolis, a country home awaits at the end of the difficult ordeal? The project raises several questions: what are the dreams we are dreaming of? Are they really ours, or are they constructed by the environment we have surrounded ourselves with? What happens when dreams transform? What if the desired becomes distant? If and when does the journey end?