In 1915, Giacomo Balla and Fortunato Depero signed the Manifesto “Futurist Reconstruction of the Universe,” a text that marked the beginning of a new phase of Futurism. It envisioned a total art, capable of transforming every aspect of daily life: from furniture to fashion, from theater to cinema, from music to dance, even advertising posters and everyday objects.
Balla, with his art house, designs and creates complete furnishings; Depero, on the other hand, experiments with tapestries, cushions, furniture, toys, and models. His creations are simple in form yet dynamic and playful: they resemble puppets or cartoons, designed to make the environment more lively and joyful.
Balla and Depero wrote: “We want to achieve this total fusion to reconstruct the universe by cheering it up, that is, by recreating it entirely.”
And again: “The futurist toy will also be extremely useful to adults, as it will keep them young, agile, cheerful, casual, ready for anything, tireless, instinctive, and intuitive.”
L’attività
Ispirandoci a queste idee, realizzeremo un burattino futurista in movimento, proprio come quelli di Depero, trasformandolo in una sorta di giocattolo meccanico.
Required materials:
- Colored cardstock
- Skewer stick
- Sticker tape
- Thin wire (0.7-0.8 mm diameter)
- Glue and scissors
- Photocopy of the cube template (7 cm side), which you can build or purchase in PDF format below.
Puppet Design:
- We draw the figure inspired by Depero’s creations, with simple lines and an almost cartoonish look.
- We can assemble parts from different images, thus creating a unique and personal mannequin.
Cube construction:
- Print and cut out the template, assembling a 7 cm cube (if using a photocopy, cut out all solid lines, and fold all dotted lines).
- The cube will serve as the base, with two supports for the wire mechanism.
Making the crank and assembling the puppet:
- By bending the wire according to the provided template, we’ll create a small crank that can be inserted into the two cube supports previously drilled for the wire.
- When operated, the legs of our automaton will move, giving the impression that the mannequin is walking.
- The figure will be glued to a skewer to secure it to the cube.
- The feet will be attached to the wire with tape, loosely but allowing them to rotate freely.
At the end of the activity, our “Futurist Automaton” will not only be a creative exercise, but also a tribute to Depero’s playful and visionary spirit. And, just as the Futurists wrote, it will remind us to always remain “young, agile, joyful, and ready for anything.”
The reference video was created by students.
With the purchasable and downloadable worksheets, it is also possible to build a “neutral” mannequin, without decorations, which can be dressed and used in other ways, for example by making a self-portrait or dressing and decorating it as a character of our choice.
