Isaac Mizrahi: An Unruly History

The Jewish Museum, New York NY
3/18/16 – 8/7/2016

PRODUCTION
Three-channel film and video installation for Isaac Mizrahi's exhibition at the Jewish Museum in New York. Working directly with Mizrahi, this 16-minute non-linear cinematic collage was narrated by Mizrahi and constructed entirely from archival material consisting of runway shows, news footage, interviews, commercials, film, television, theater, and other visual material serving as influence and inspiration for Mizrahi's development and creative process. The installation was the final room in the exhibition of Mizrahi's work and career.

CREDITS
Directer and Producer: Matthew Shattuck
Executive Producer: Chee Perlman
Editor: Curtis Tamm
Archival: Amy Khoshbin

THE EXHIBITION
Isaac Mizrahi: An Unruly History was organized by Chee Pearlman, Guest Curator, with Kelly Taxter, Assistant Curator, the Jewish Museum. The exhibition was designed by Galia Solomonoff and Talene Montgomery of SAS/Solomonoff Architecture Studio.

Mizrahi’s creativity is highly cinematic. For inspiration he draws on endless references from film and television, as well as other pop and high-culture sources. The many facets of his world are seen in this montage, a potpourri of clips from his runway shows, held between 1989 and 2010 in New York City, and other images. Glimpsed here is his brief scene in the film Fame; passages from the documentary Unzipped; archival footage from his television programs The Isaac Mizrahi Show and Isaac Mizrahi Live!; his work on Project Runway All Stars; his theatre cabaret LES MIZrahi; and his numerous film and television cameos and interviews. Along the way, the iconic models Veronica Webb, Linda Evangelista, Naomi Campbell, Christy Turlington, Shalom Harlow, Iman, and Karlie Kloss all make appearances.

Intermingled with these scenes are classic moments from a few of the many film and television figurers who have inspired him: Marcello Mastroianni in La Dolce Vita, The Lone Ranger, Woody Allen, Fred Astaire dancing with Eleanor Powell, and more. The great Hollywood divas are especially important to him - Bette Davis in All This and Heaven Too, Lucille Ball in I Love Lucy, Moira Shearer in The Red Shoes, Jean Harlow in Dinner at Eight, Mary Tyler Moore, and Natalie Portman.

New York Times
March 17, 2016
Isaac Mizrahi Unbound at the Jewish Museum
"An exceptionally appealing exhibition now on view at the Jewish Museum, doesn't attempt a comprehensive presentation of all that Mr. Mizrahi has done. Rather, it concentrates on his high-end clothes for women, leaving most of his other activities to be sampled in a hectic 16-minute, three-screen video that's like an extended trailer for a Fellini-esque movie."

Wall Street Journal
April 18, 2016
“The exhibition concludes in a room where visitors can watch a video collage of Mr. Mizrahi's life: a set of colorful "swatches" from his Brooklyn childhood, inspirational films, his best collections, television profiles, the talk show he hosted, the couture he still designs for private clients, and recent clips of him on "Isaac Mizrahi Live!" selling his QVC collection. "I am a person who works from a position of love," he says in the video. Love is unruly and leads to strange places. Mr. Mizrahi refused to play the industry's game and won.”