To celebrate the launch of The Medievalist, our first print issue, we’re publishing a selection of stories from the magazine, plus a few newsletter-only additions, for all of you wenches to enjoy. Today, behold Francky Knapp’s photo series “Chivalry is a Feast.” The Medievalist is available for purchase online, now!
***P.S. If you're local, go snap a photo of yourself at our Medievalist window display at SoHo News International and post it to Instagram with @mixed.feelings tagged — you'll be automatically entered to win some loot from one of our favorite purveyors: Anmé.***
Francky Knapp makes medieval-inspired garments out of vegetables. A core tenet of their art practice is the belief that plants are the keepers of soft magic, folklore, and collective memory. An artichoke and a cabbage can be ethereal mediums for continuing a long-standing tradition: to play with the idea of chivalry — not as it actually existed in the 12th century, but as it was reimagined by Victorians, 1960s hippies, and now, medieval yearners on #castletok.
Francky’s photo series, aptly titled “Chivalry is a Feast,” in which they reimagine chainmail and armor using plants, was one of the first pieces of art we confirmed for The Medievalist. The brilliance of constructing garments that are meant to be hard, enduring, and tactical using materials as tender and ephemeral as vegetables felt so mf-ian to us. We’re so delighted to include this piece in our issue.
We spoke with Francky to share more detail about each creation:
Asparagus “Corset”
“Everything about asparagus, from its sturdy stalks to its spear-like silhouette, makes it ideal for a low-key horny battle corset (on a technical level, this vegetable is excellent for corset boning). The ancient Greeks also associated it with Aphrodite, goddess of love, due to its phallic shape; their word aspharagos literally means ‘to spring up.’ It would have been a delicacy amongst aristocracy come the middle ages, and I imagine the character who owns this armor is a bit of a flirt.”
Clover “Chainmail”
“I love working with whatever is in season, because it makes the piece feel that much more like an homage to the plant or vegetable. This clover chainmail was made last spring in Santa Barbara, and set to the backdrop of blooming concha, aka California lilac. As a symbol, clover is so charged with luck, hope, and a little mischievousness. I loved the idea of bringing that into armor.”
Artichoke “Helmet”
“Artichokes experienced a big resurgence during the Italian Renaissance — they were considered a flex for the culturally affluent, like a 15th century tabletop Labubu. There's also an inherent ferocity to the dragon scale-esque shape of the petals that I found ideal for making a very regal battle helmet.”
Cabbage “Armor”
“Cabbage is perhaps the dearest vegetable to my heart and personal folklore. I’m of primarily Slavic descent, and it features prominently in the history, cuisine, and medicinal practices of Slovenian and Czech cultures. I revere its hardiness. There is simply no better vegetable to form a versatile suit of armor.”
Corn “Gauntlet”
“There’s a beautiful impracticality to this gauntlet made of corn silk, which has been rolled into a fine Rumpelstiltskin-pilled gold thread of sorts and latticed together with corn kernels, which kind of feel like gems. The idea of a knight throwing down their heavy gauntlet to commit to battle is such a classic image, and the medium of corn ended up feeling both salt-of-the-earth yet dainty.”
Follow Francky on Instagram for more of their art!
Not something you see every day. Fab!