Asparagus

USA, 1979. Director Suzan Pitt. 17min.

Working across a spectrum of artistic media, Suzan Pitt also made a significant mark as a fashion designer, most notably through her hand-painted coats (first introduced in 1984), which brimmed with bold graphic imagery inspired by her film and art works. Pitt’s preoccupation with dress and adornment is vividly explored in her film Asparagus, now recognised as a landmark animation for its portrayal of womanhood and femininity as surreal and always in a state of transformation. The film centres on a faceless woman whose domestic environment becomes a stage for constant metamorphosis. Here natural motifs appear as adornments – asparagus serving as jewellery, floral patterns decorating her garments – while she moves through spaces where the organic and the inorganic intersect.

Past screenings

Grounded: Fashion’s Entanglements with Nature – London
Saturday 31 May 2025, 15:00 | Rio Cinema