Never Fail Novena. May the immaculate heart of Mary and the Sacred Heart of Jesus be praised, adored and glorified throughout the world, now and forever. Most Sacred Heart of Jesus, pray for me. St. Theresa of the Child Jesus, pray for me. St. Jude Patron of Hopeless Cases, pray for me, and grant this favor I ask for... (insert your favor here). Amen. X.X. You have to pray this prayer Nine times a day for Nine days and make a commitment to publish this prayer. Try it and you will experience a miracle.Â
âCostume Design Is Character Creation,â Edurne Fernandez On Superhero Getup
Superhero costumes have come a long way. From rubber onesies to Batman armor, things have taken a swift turn since Ruth E. Carterâs Oscar-nominated Black Panther costumes helped changed the game, as have costume design for Wonder Woman to Birds of Prey.
Next to dazzle the screen are the costumes for the forthcoming Cinestudios fan series Impulse, which is slated to have a September release on YouTube, after itâs completed in Australia.
The film, directed by Joshua Hoareau, follows Bart Allen, son of The Flash, who is a boy with super speed powers and the ability to time travel. Since Impulse made his debut in DC Comics in 1994, weâve known him as a sprightly kid with zingâand zig zags.
Impulseâs costume designer Edurne Fernandez shares exclusive drawings, photos and stills from the forthcoming production, which tells the story of one untold superhero. Though the costumes have been built in Los Angeles and shipped to Melbourne for production (which has been put on hold because of the pandemic), Fernandez speaks from her L.A. studio about 3D printing masks, fabric hunting and Hollywoodâs greatest lesson.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PflHgyFRN9o
From Impulse to Perfectly Natural and FLOTUS, you have worked on a lot of sci-fi film sets, where do you start with this kind of costume design?
Edurne Fernandez: Doing sci-fi has always been fun for me. I see it as a mixture of styles and elements we know and recognize with things that are totally new and made up from the imagination. The key is to keep close communication with the director and, with the production designer, come up with a world that resembles as much of the original idea as possible. Research and mood boards are helpful because they are a great way of visualizing what we are trying to accomplish.
How different is it designing contemporary style in a film or TV series versus costumes for a sci-fi or fantasy superhero series?
People always say that designing contemporary style projects is easier, but I donât necessarily agree with that. When something has a contemporary style, of course you relate to it because it is something that is happening right now or happened in the near past but costume design is much more than just going to the most popular clothing store and buying the new style of jeans and t-shirts. Costume design is more of a character creation and comes from figuring out deep down who this character is. It is almost as if you and the director were building the personality of the character and that is going to determine what they are going to wear. We sit down to analyze what aspects make each character different from the rest.
What kinds of things do you talk about?
We talk about personality, likes, dislikes, background, among other things that influence what the actorâs costume is going to be when he or she is portraying the character. We talk about the background and baggage of these characters, what makes them who they are, and this background is influenced by the situation or the time period they are living in. So designing for contemporary or sci-fi features requires deep understanding of who the person is, even if you are bringing back someone from World War II, using Barack Obama as a reference or making up a character for 50 years in the future â who they are and how they are living is going to determine what they wear and what they look like.
What was it like working on Impulse, and what did you want to achieve with the costumes?
I am so lucky I got connected with this amazing group of filmmakers and that they trusted me from the beginning with their vision. Even though we have been working long distance because they are based in Melbourne, we are in close communication. Since Impulse characters are based on the DC Comics, we had to keep a close eye on who they were, with and without the superhero costumes. Joshua Hoareau, the director, and creator of the production company Cinestudios wanted to stick as close to the original DC Comics costumes as possible
Where did you begin?
After doing a lot of research on this acclaimed comic, and following Joshâs intuition and expertise, I started digitally sketching each costume. Then, I started searching for the right materials to create these costumes. I sourced a great variety of fabrics and textures here in Los Angeles that fit the needs of each character. I also had to keep in mind while looking for the fabrics that because the actors are portraying superheroes, they are going to perform their own stunts, so I had to make sure the materials were not going to restrict their movements in any way and were as comfortable and practical as possible.
How did you realize your designs?
With specific silhouettes and designs, we decided to build the costumes with the help of a tailor. I had to draw a series of technical sketches to help the seamstress get the correct details of the design. We are also using a 3D printer to mold and create all the accessories such as masks, visors and belt buckles. For the moment, we had to pause the work because of the pandemic. For now, the only costume that has been completed and sent to Australia is the main Impulse costume. The other three superheroes will have to wait until everything goes back to normal.
What has working in Hollywood taught you?
Hollywood has taught me that there is no small project, job or task; and that there is a place for everyone, if you have the passion and drive to do it. Iâve always been a person who doesnât give up and works hard to achieve what she wants and, while being in Los Angeles, out of my comfort zone, Iâve come to realize that it is never easy, but it can be done.
What else?
Hollywood has also taught me that there is no small story and that every story is worth telling, if it is told right. It has also made me realize that we are in charge of giving a voice to those who donât have one and that it is our duty to use this amazing vehicle of expression to bring these voices to the front of the line and let them speak. When I am working on a project, it is not about me, it is about the character I am designing and bringing to life, to tell their stories, their pain and their successes. Every single late night, extra hour or early call is worth it if you have the passion for it.
Check out the website of Edurne Fernandez and check out Impulse on Patreon.
Career advice for artists:Â Donât stay stuck doing something you donât want to do
This is an excerpt from the ebook, Getting Your Shit Together.
One of the wonderful people Iâve had the chance to interview is Peaches. The Canadian artist and musician started off in theatre school, of all places. That led to music and art. But what struck me as the most interesting thing about Peaches is that she didnât hit the stage with electronic music at 20; she was working other jobs and making music part-time. She found herself somewhere that didnât make her happy (theatre school), made a huge overhaul, but had to stick with part-time jobs to pay the bills. Then, she fled to Berlin. Here is one quick excerpt from our interview which I found fascinating â how she financed her life before making a living off her art. It shows that you need momentum to keep yourself moving:
âI taught kids music and drama. I got a job bussing tables two nights and broke all the plates. They gave me another chance, but I didnât want to do it. I got a really boring job in a day care and I used to sneak kids away and started to play guitar and tell stories. They would role play, it was awesome. The school director saw me and said: âI would like you to teach teachers to do this.â I started to teach teachers and got hired to teach nine classes a day. I would teach rich kids in their homes and I made good money. It got to ten years and all the while I was doing music at night, three times a week. I always felt like I would get fired tomorrow. One day, things started moving. I got an offer in Berlin. I never thought I would have a music career.â
How you can give yourself a push
If thereâs anything Iâve learned from Peaches, itâs that you need to push yourself to not be in a rut! That means you need to keep your business going, even when things are tough. Keeping friendly business is one of those ways to keep your shit together even when there is a storm.
People mistake friendliness or kindness as a sign of weakness. Nothing could be further from the truth. You can still be a tough business person and be friendly while doing business. It is a sign of strength. Here are ways to keep your clients and grow your business with just a few tips:
·    If someone really helps you, say thank you, I cannot stress this enough. Go out of your way to say thank you to someone who has helped you out. Buy them dinner, give them a hug, send them an email, but say thanks.
·    Remember peopleâs birthdays, if you can. Itâs thoughtful.
·    Show up to things that you are not directly involved in. It shows extra effort.
·    Introduce yourself at parties.
·    Be open. Answer questions people have about yourself.
·    Pick up the phone instead of letting it go to your machine and then texting them back.
·    Reply to emails in a timely manner - some donât even bother to reply at all.
If youâre getting resistance, youâre on the right path
It is a popular saying, but the path of least resistance is not the right way. Nobody said business would be easy, so when difficulties hit, you cannot give up. If youâd prefer not to deal with the difficult parts, your art can be your hobby. You can always get a job. But if youâre willing to stick it out, it can be rewarding.
Resistance can mean many things, it can mean challenges, obstacles, haters, enemies, financial difficulty, among other challenges. But as long as you identify them as that exactly â challenges, not problems â then you can adapt and change them to your advantage.
Often, when Iâve had huge challenges I could never get around, they ended up being blessings in disguise. They made me tougher, smarter, faster and more dynamic. Understand challenges are a huge part of making any dream come true, theyâre there for good, so deal with them and keep moving!
Buy the ebook here:Â Getting Your Shit Together.
Image above by Hayden Clay Williams, courtesy of gestalten press.
This is an excerpt from the ebook, Getting Your Shit Together.
Dreams without deeds are delusions. And you canât get your dreams if you arenât even chasing them. Once you figure out where youâre going, and how youâre going to get there.
Your sales plan should be more than just what youâre doing to promote. If youâre also marketing your work but just advertising, that is also not enough. There are many artists who get a lot of press but no sales. Hence, people in their mid30s who are totally well-known in their industry (mildly famous in their own city or country) but have nothing to show for it financially, sadly. This is totally unfair but totally possible to change. In fact, itâs never too late to change.
Press does not equal sales. Effective marketing produces sales. So does a sales plan. Do you know how to price the work? How many must you sell each month to cover all your costs?
Do you have sales goals? What will drive the growth of your business? If you know where your business is going to come from (who to reach out to: potential clients), you can start targeting them. That means expanding your market and starting making sales of your product or services immediately.
Prospective ClientsYou need clients to generate sales. You can first organize a list of prospects. Before going through your collected business cards of people who you have met through networking, what two or three industries can you pitch your work to? I only ask that because sometimes you can get what I like to call âoverlapping industries,â for example, fashion and nightlife, arts and dining, music and dance. Could you collaborate with a fashion designer, gain new collectors in the science world (if your work is related)? What about the education system? Try and think outside of your industry but in a complimentary industry. There are many crossover industries once you expand your prospects.Â
Reach out and touch someone
It really comes down to legwork. If you can narrow down where your work fits into two categories, you can then list 100 potential prospects through people you know and by cold calling or cold emailing people through your own research. You must have a number goal of how many sales calls and sales emails youâre willing to do per week. Writing 10 new people a day? Pitching to 50 people a week? Or maybe just five? It depends on your motivation level and how far you want to get ahead.
You can contact the following categories:
People in your network who youâve never really approached
Art fairs and festivals
People you went to university with
Schools, both universities, private schools and think tanks
People you went to university with, former professors
Record labels, bookers, promoters
People you need an e-introduction to, but need to ask a mutual contact
Cold calls: weâve all done it
Follow-ups, even months after youâve met someone
Placing an ad somewhere
The mass reach-out of a newsletter
Public directories where peopleâs contacts are available
Asking friends who comes to mind if you need someone who âŠ
Tip: Make sure you establish the key contact of who makes decisions, as getting a hold of the top person is better than the third person down. You might have to claw for their attention, but itâs worth it.
When you write or call or meet with your prospective clients, be prepared to prove yourself. Before going into every meeting, you should know already what you want to get out of it â specific meeting goals. A sale? A show? An introduction? A job? The key question you must be willing to answer (without being asked) is this:
·      How can you meet your clientâs needs?
·      If you provide a solution, you make a sale. What problem are you solving in your business?
i.e. By doing something no one else has done, you provide a new outlook or angle on things
·      Tip: By bringing support material, you strengthen your case (digitally or not).
While the days of walking into an art gallery wanting to show your portfolio to a gallerist is long gone, there is still hope. If you have a specific meeting with someone, you have the opportunity to show them what you do.
Hiromitsu Kuroo Revives The Art Of Origami, One Fold At A Time
Many of us stuck at home are glued to the screen. For those of us compelled to get away from our glowing laptops, tablets and televisions, there is always offline exercises, even reviving the art of puzzlesâas well as origami.
With crafting on the rise, there are zoom courses devoted to life drawing, YouTube how-toâs on origami bookmarks, and even origami umbrellas for DIY quarantini cocktails for at-home drinking, not to mention no-sew origami masks made from unused vacuum bags or even Kirigami, a kind of origami gaining popularity on YouTube.
The art of origami became popular in Japan in 17th century, with the rise of the paper crane. It became widely recognized throughout the 20th century, with how-toâs and the distribution of patterned origami paper throughout the world.
One artist using origami as a reference point for is art is Hiromitsu Kuroo, a Japanese artist based in New York City. His artwork, which was recently part of a group exhibition at the SAGG gallery in New Berlin, New York, uses collaged pieces of canvas, which are folded and overlaid to create almost three dimensional paintings. He also has a series of folded works on paper, where he has used only red, black and white acrylic paint.
The Brooklyn-based artist bridges his experiences of living in New York and Japan with his abstract works, which fuse together modern art, origami simplicity and minimalism. Having exhibited in New York, Tokyo, Fukushima and beyond, what makes his artwork different is how he uses paint and folding techniques to create artwork that is both timely and timeless.
Kuroo spoke from his New York studio about growing up in Yokohama, how heâs keeping busy under quarantine and the beauty of simplicity.
What does Origami represent in Japanese culture, and how do you apply it to your painting? It's such a different approach.
Hiromitsu Kuroo: I think itâs a characteristic of Japanese culture, and origami is the beauty of limited expression. Origami is basically made from a piece of square paper, while the Haiku (a Japanese poem) is made from the rhythm of 575. Meanwhile, Bonsai is an expression of a flowerpot. All these beauties are expressed in a limited size, line and space.
Why is the beauty of limited expression an important element of your artwork?
Folding is an expression. Itâs difficult to express in a round shape or curve because it is a straight line. To make up for it, I need to think carefully about design, sketch, calculate size, make many prototypes, and so forth. The concept of my work is not how to make a beautiful perfect circle or complicated shape. In a restricted situation, I really treasure how to show the process and traces in the canvas of my work.
What do the different folding patterns represent to you?
I am very attracted to the repetitive design of the same form. It might be because there were several scarf dyeing factories near my birthplace, I grew up watching many beautiful repeating patterns since I was a child.
The idea of the current work is influenced from here. In addition, the repeating shapes and colors in my ideas can be obtained from everyday life such as nature, scenery in the city, conversation with people, reading, listening to music.
From repetitive squares to circular patterns, itâs almost a meditation?
I put my ideas into a visible form while making origami. I Keep the shape as simple as possible. There are patterns that neatly aligned, random, or perspective among the repeated patterns. I select the best folding pattern from that.
You've been called a collage painter, what does this philosophy mean to you?
I consider myself as a pure painter. Rarely, am I called a mixed media artist, but I don't like being called that because I put the canvas on the canvas, and the only material I use is the canvas, the wooden frame, and I use paint, so I'm creating with the same materials as a painter.
How do you bridge two different worlds, coming from Japan but living in New York?
I want to tell young Japanese artists my experience in New York and spread the good habits of New York artists. What I feel as an artist in New York is that artists work together and help each other, itâs also important to value peopleâs meeting and proactively create and present my works as openly as possible. Artists working in the same studio building exchange information with each other, such as friends we met at the residence. We cooperate open an open studio and invite customers while we work.
How has growing up in Yokohama influenced you as an artist?
I grew up in Kaminagaya in the southern part of Yokohama city. There was Ooka River near this town, many dyeing factories made scarves using the water from the river. There are no such factories today, but I used to visit dyeing factories and friendsâ houses selling scarves when I was a kid. I had learned the fun of using colors from the bright colors of scarves I used to see.
You were awarded the Pollock-Krasner Foundation Grant in both 2019 and 2010, what influence do modern artists have on you?
I visited at New York when I was a college student. At that time, I was impressed by the size and boldness of Jackson Pollockâs pictures. I make works such as he did. I love Pollockâs earlier works than the famous drip paintings. I sympathize how he built his own style while struggling with an influence of Pablo Picasso and Joan Miro. I also visited his old studios. I became a big fan because knowing his life was in a small house compared to the big artworks, it was great walking on the floor where he once energetically painted.
How has the pandemic changed your view on life?
I feel itâs very inconvenient to make artwork, as well as the day to day. I soon ran out of canvas and paint. Even if I want to buy art materials, the art supply store has been closed for over a month and I cannot buy them by online because of no prospect of receiving items. But I have a lot of time fortunately, I have been making works with a different approach.
What kind of artwork have you been making?
Now I started a new project called Bleach Painting. The concept is that we can easily make it anywhere, and it is a work that is made only with bleach, using as little paint as possible. I got this idea from native American mural. When I traveled to Utah, Colorado, five years ago, I saw many murals. Native Americans at the time were hiding from the strong sunlight in the daytime, as well as the wildlife that came at night, while painting on narrow valleys and rocky walls. I think the current lockdown resembles their lifestyle. Iâm having a good time creating artworks with this primitive approach.
âWhat is Chinatown?â artist Jiawei Zhao looks at Chinatown under lockdown
Jiawei Zhao is a Chinese artist based in New York City. As the country is under lockdown, Zhao uses familiar Chinese symbolism in his artwork to create a feeling of familiarity and comfort in this time of crisis.
The Brooklyn-based artist looks to Manhattanâs Chinatown, and the various Chinatowns across the country, as a point of inspiration for his artworks, be it his series that looks at the closed Chinese-language movie theatres, to his Wallpaper series, which reexamines historic public monuments and their relevancy in our current pandemicâlooking back to see a clearer future, so to speak.
Zhao is not your average photographer. He has a knack for looking at everyday issues with a fresh lens, encaptulating history of various Chinatowns, with the present, at once. He also uses photography paper as a 3D object for his collages, like his in his Dragon series, which folds, pastes and wraps photo paper into a sculptural object.
He moved from Beijing in 2008, studied at the Pratt Institute and has shown everywhere from the Masur Museum of Art in LA to the Woodstockâs Center for Photography and the Van Der Plas Gallery, in New York. His artworks will be part of the Other Art Fair Brooklyn, and the virtual edition of the fair is opening tomorrow on their website (his online booth can be found here).
Zhao spoke from his studio in Brooklyn about Chinatown, forgotten monuments and those familiar yellow gates.
What was it like living in Beijing, as a cultural city, before you arrived in New York?
Jiawei Zhao: Beijing is a cultural city, but also a business hub. Although I have been away for 12 years, I can see the huge changes since Beijing has become a modern metroplex. As far as the arts go, there were only a few galleries in 2008, now you can see many new private museums, art centers, and galleries in various art districts. Beijing is culturally inclusive.
What do most people not know about Beijing?
It still retains the aura and characteristics of the ancient and classical Forbidden City that it has been throughout the centuries; it was the capital of China for over 800 years, and the architecture has been well-protected. People can see the treasures of imperial history through the gates, houses and buildings. There are so many parks, lakes, gardens and gated buildings which were used to serve imperial families, and are spread across Beijing, and are open to the public.
How has your experience in China influenced how you work as an artist today in NYC?
My Chinese culture heritage has a profound impact on my work; I lived in a small town before moving to Beijing when I was 12, and this first move inspired me to think about the âspacesâ among cultural heritage. There are many various cultures among different towns and regions in China. In the US, Iâve lived in Wisconsin, Texas and New York. My educational experiences in China and the US are interlinked and influence my current artwork. Working as an artist in New York, I focus on making the photographic âspaceâ that connects my educational experience in the US with my Chinese cultural heritage.
What do you think about the pandemic, and what are people saying back home in China?
The pandemic is a catastrophic disaster for all mankind. In China, people have worked very hard to combat this situation. After all of this, Chinese people would like their life to go back to normal, as I think people all over the world are hoping to do.
Your artwork includes Chinese culture, like New Yearsâ greetings, as well as photos, calendars and newspapers. How do they all connect?
These are all Chinese cultural references as part of my Wallpaper project. It taps into the common practice of pasting newspapers on the walls of oneâs home, a handy and affordable solution for wallpaper in China. I used The New York Times because it reports on Chinese current affairs. My artwork creates photographic âspaceâ for immigrants, like myself, who come to the US for education.
Which framed photos do you use?
These photos are all buildings in Manhattanâs Chinatown, which has Chinese cultural connections, and Iâm questioning if these spaces give us comfort, a feeling of security. These calendars and the photos are all created by me. Some of them are found photos or archived photos, some of them are taken by me. I highlighted subjectivity and objectivity in my work. In other words, not just portraits, all those small images framed are either from found photos or taken by me.
Your artwork includes photos of public art monuments, which ones are they and why?
Those monuments are in various Chinatowns throughout the US, most are statues of famous Chinese people. But do we still care about them, or are they just symbols? My goal is to provide a sense of comfort and security. In Wallpapers, I question and doubt Chinese connections which did not provide such a space.
Why did you call one of your pieces What is a Chinatown? from 2018?
In America, when we think of âChinese culture,â we always think of Chinatown; we always think of the big entrance gates with yellow roof and red pillars. Chinatown is symbolic. It has nothing to do with current Chinese culture or Chinese people. Chinatown was an enclave and now it is a tourist attraction. With media stereotypes, many people have the same impression of Chinese immigrants as they do about Chinatown. But the young Chinese immigrants who come here for education, Chinatown does not offer real âspace.â I call Chinatown a cultural context of historical, first-generation Chinese Americans.
How does your series Once Upon a Time at Chinatown Movie Theaters look at a disappearing Chinatown?
There used to be eight movie theaters in New York Cityâs Chinatown. Those movie theaters, which only showed Chinese language movies, were the only form of community and entertainment for new Chinese immigrants seeking their own cultural comforts. The theaters all closed down around 20 years ago. My artwork shows a movie of American academic buildings composed of installations of letter-size of traditional Chinese rice paper and gold paper at the sites of these former theaters.
We spoke to filmmaker-turned-artist Gus Van Sant about his new art exhibition at Vito Schnabel Projects in New York City. The art show is called "Hollywood B...
ArtStars* 73 - Gus Van Sant! We spoke to filmmaker-turned-artist Gus Van Sant about his new art exhibition at Vito Schnabel Projects in New York City. The art show is called "Hollywood Boulevardâ and runs until October, enjoy the interview!
Spatial storytelling: an interview with experiential designer Ozora Onuki
Experiential designer Ozora Onuki
Thereâs a new burgeoning trend in design and itâs called âexperiential design.â But how can it be defined? "Itâs a very new concept that is revolutionizing traditional marketing,â says Ozora Onuki, a Montreal-based experiential designer. âIn a nutshell, it's branded environments for events and activations.â
Onuki has an extensive list of clients she has done experiential design for, including Live Nation, CNN, Glossier, Audemars Piguet and Nike. She has also won several awards for her work, including the 2018 BizBash Event Style Award for Best Staging and Set Design and Best Event Decor Budget over $250,000 for New York Interconnect Upfront, Event Marketer's Fab 50 Award for Pink Sparrow with American Express Experience. Ozora started out doing experiential design work while still studying interior design at the University of Cincinnati. Since then, she has amassed a huge portfolio of work with projects in South America, the U.S., Canada, Japan and Europe. She spoke to us about design, photo-ops and the best way of taking a brand offline.
What is experiential design?Â
Ozora Onuki:Â Experiential design is about creating a memorable customer journey. In marketing, it is used to describe branded spatial experiences, often temporary, and with a focus on social media. Brands need to have a cohesive narrative that flows from online to offline. Experiential design is how you bridge that gap.
Is this new?
It is super new. I have to describe my job to people all the time. The rise of social media is the driving force behind experiential - it is how brands measure engagement, which in turn result in sales. Most people have shopped in a pop-up, or taken a selfie in front of a photo moment. Behind that, there is a designer thinking of the placement of every element, the graphics and the lighting. I'm using computer programs to calculate the camera angle of an iPhone and the average arm-length of the target audience, to make sure that when users snap a selfie, they are capturing exactly the background that is going to make a brand stand out on Instagram.
How do you approach experiential design differently than anyone else?Â
I try to forecast trends rather than follow them. When you design an event and build the scenic, by the time your ideas have hit the audience, it is already several months old. The only way to be relevant is to put your energy into creating environments that are going to be new and unique in the future, rather than copy something that is a hit now. My goal with every project is to design something that is new and exciting.
Great Big Story at SXSW, 2017
Your exhibit for Great Big Story taps into the burgeoning trend of pop-up Instagram/selfie museums. What made this one stand out from the crowd?
What made it different from similar activations is that Great Big Story was focused on being immersive. When you are asking people to take pictures in front of something, you have to give them an opportunity to create content that is interesting. It needs to be more than smiling in front of a pink wall. With the human-sized claw machine, for example, users could interact with the oversized toys, which in turn makes taking the picture more fun. Meaningful experiences become memories they want to share. There is the key to successful experiential design.
Great Big Story at SXSW, 2017
For your American Express experience pop-up lounge, how did you bring so much creativity and warmth to a brand that isn't known for such?
The pop-up was at a music festival in Austin, and we took advantage of the Texas heat. Cardholders felt connected to the brand when they were able to come upstairs, sit on a comfy lounge with A/C, and have a VIP view of Jay-Z's performance. We used AmEx's signature plant wall but made it more dynamic by using local flowers. We used their blue brand color only as an accent - we wanted people to feel warm and welcomed and blue has the opposite psychological effect.
American Express Experience at Austin City Limits, 2017
How do you bring the online identity of the brand into the offline space, as in your project with LinkedIn?Â
The easy part is using the brand's colors and logo in the space. The hard part is figuring out the essence of the brand and translating that to a physical experience. LinkedIn's core function is professional connections and networking. By creating seating that facilitated interactions, and having insights about the job market around the space that prompted conversation, we managed to tap into LinkedIn's concept throughout the user's journey. It was a hugely successful project that set the standard for LinkedIn's professional conferences going forward.
LinkedIn Talent Connect Conference, 2018
For your design of the New York Interconnect brand launch, why did you decide on Ikea-style mini-environments and how effective were they with visitors?Â
The client was launching advertising solutions for the New York Metro Area market, so we wanted to show marketers all the different ways that people consume media in the city. We created the mini-environments to mimic different rooms; the children's room had cartoons playing on an iPad, the man cave had a Yankees game playing on a flat screen, and so on. The most popular installation was the kitchen where we were also serving lobster rolls. The design won two BizBash awards so overall it was a very effective project.Â
New York Interconnect Brand Launch, 2018
What grand idea do brands still have to catch up to when it comes to taking their online presence offline?
A common mistake brands make is trying to center experiences around a photo-op. While users uploading content on social media is important, the most successful campaigns incorporate opportunities for shared experiences. The more digital the world gets, the more it leaves us craving to connect to each other. People care about brands that give them a sense of community, and experiential design needs to give them a place for interactions to happen.Â
What do you have upcoming this summer and fall?
I am working on a brand launch for @wedousssss and their pop-up store in Montreal, a booth for @goodessence.oficial at NaturalTech in Sao Paulo, a bar experience in New York City and the brand presence of @bec_cola, among other things.
Check out Ozora Onukiâs website and her LinkedIn profile.
Agniya Tolstokulakova is a freelance illustrator in New York City who brings a bright palette to an otherwise grey, concrete city. She has won awards with the Society of Illustrators and is part of a forthcoming exhibition at Usagi Gallery opening May 23 in Brooklyn.
Her visual style is marked with bold colors, a cartoonish flair and playful patterns. Her content is linked to landscapes, pop culture as well as fashion, and she has illustrated for The Atlantic and other top tier publications.
She won the merit award with 3x3 Magazine and has exhibited at the 7th Annual Madison Avenue Watch Week, the Itsy Bitsy Biennale at Green Kill Gallery. She has also been featured in Ramona Magazine, the Illustrationist and Creative Digest and has designed everything from wrapping paper to jewelry trays. She spoke to us about humor, city vibes and the art of the visual language.
When did you start illustrating and what brought you to New York?
Agniya Tolstokulakova: I have always been artistic and often expressed myself through visual or color associations. So I started drawing when I was 6 or 7-years-old and have not stopped since. My relationship with New York started when I first visited it with my mom in 2012 and immediately fell in love with the city, it also happened that New York is one of the main cities for art, so I decided to come back in 2014, this August we will be celebrating our 5th year anniversary of living in New York.
What defines your style of illustration?
I love textures, patterns just as much as I love flat bright colors. I mix those together to achieve the look I like. I do still refer to myself as a visual poet sometimes, as I believe that art can speak to people regardless of what their language is.
Who do you look up to the most in terms of design and illustration?
I love everything about the work of Maira Kalman. She is an American illustrator and writer, Maira has written and illustrated Eighteen childrenâs books. the things that catch her eye lead to the most unexpected revelations, she is able to combine humor and tragedy.Â
What drew you to make a piece featuring David Bowie?
I admire him not only as a musician, but also as an activist who blurred gender roles, helped a lot of people open up and challenged their traditional way of thinking. Although music is considered part of entertainment industry, I believe Bowieâs music contained moving and transformative messages. As a chameleon he was able to parlay his natural theatrical to create characters like aliens, geniuses and Goblin Kings to. He was a brilliant storyteller. I picture him in a look by Japanese designer Kansai Yamamoto from 1973; as I love fashion and it was so fun to draw.
How do you attempt to capture New York unique angles?
Light and shadows can change everything, their elusive quality can transform a scene in just seconds. I strive to convey that sense of place by capturing the atmosphere of it, rather than realistically rendering the composition. New York inspires me endlessly, I love drawing in coffee shops or parks, because it helps me to stay present and still be able to experience.Â
What draws you to fashion illustration, in what it can capture that photography cannot?
I think while photography is an excellent documenting medium, illustration often offers a point of view and captures the voice of the author, atmosphere, mood and the voice of the artist.
 What kinds of clients do you work for and how do you help them get their message across?
I work with a variety of clients from small indie magazine to major news channels. I have just done a piece for The Atlantic about domestic abuse. I think when it comes to getting the message across in editorial world, itâs important to just express your opinion using your creative skills as a visual form of language and try to really connect to the subject matter; create something that you care about and is fun for you. I come from Russia, a country where domestic abuse is decriminalized, so for me it was especially to be able to illustrate that article and raise awareness about this issue. I hope to create more illustrations focusing on social and political issues in the future.
Lastly, what do you have upcoming next?
I am participating in a show at Usagi Gallery in Dumbo, Brooklyn. âNew York State of Mindâ is a group show that runs from May 23 to June 6 and is curated by Naoko Kuriyama. Itâs a beautiful gallery, bookstore and a coffee shop, please come check it out.
Whether youâre up for the 5 minute boat ride or not, one key piece of public art to see is a work called âWhy People Canât Fly?â by Russian artist, Vasily Klyukin.
Itâs part of his sprawling exhibition on Arsenale Nord called In Dante Veritas, an exhibition that runs until November 26 at Tesa 94 on Arsenale Nord. This public artwork has a person holding a cluster of balloons, upside down. Itâs the opposite of what we might expect.Â
âI, much like most of us, have baggage, problems and worries that drag me down,â says Klyukin. âBecause of this baggage, I feel like I canât fly, metaphorically. Iâm being pulled down by my obligations and my inner immaturity.â
The artist says thereâs more than just seven sinsâthe eighth one is pollution and the human inability to keep the planet clean. âEach year, one of us procures nearly a ton of trash that isnât recycled,â he says.
The sculpture has eight balloons. I see myself in this sculpture. Everyone has their own eight balloons. I was looking for the meaning of them. Seven of the balloons are the mortal sins but the eighth is pollution.â
The balloons are filled with plastic, which were donated from a call out for sumbissions through social media. âI invited people to send me their garbage,â said Klyukin, who got plastic waste mailed to him from Europe, the Americas to New Zealand. Over 100 countries. âItâs to fight pollution.â
Christina Son is a beauty artist from Toronto who founded Sugarin Studio now living in Los Angeles. After getting a chance client who works in the movie business in 2013, she started doing eyelashes for Hollywood celebrities. Her clients range from the rapper Eve to Marvelâs Cloak & Dagger actress Ally Maki and Greyâs Anatomy star, Sarah Drew. She has been written about in Entertainment Tonight, which has called her one of the best cosmetic artists in the business, and has been called a lash specialist by Popsugar.
Why did you decide to relocate from Toronto to LA?
Christina Son: As much as I love Toronto, I wanted more diverse opportunities in my field. Beauty industry is more saturated in LA and I wanted to explore. It's a very diverse place with many great talents from all over the world. Â
How did you first get into doing lashes in LA?Â
I was very fortunate and did lashes for a prestigious movie producer and she loved my work. From there, I started to get inquiries from other great talents in the industry and my career took off from there.Â
When you started in 2013, lashes weren't as prominent as they are in beauty culture. When did you see their shift into the spotlight?Â
I believe the social media platform played a big role as it is global. People can easily find the newest beauty trend. On Instagram, everything is visual. You may see people wearing lashes and artists sharing their lash work. People get intrigued, curious and want to know more.  Â
How can you determine what lashes are a perfect fit for each person, is it about their face shape, their personality, their on-screen persona?Â
My clients usually know what they want. Majority of my clients are quite natural and prefer the "untouched" look. If they are unsure, I would ask them if they are looking for more of a natural appearance or something more glamorous and the purpose of getting lashes. If it's for a red carpet/on-screen role, the questions would go deeper to find more information regarding same. Then I would assess their own lashes such as health, thickness, length. Understanding their daily beauty regime also help to determine the style and technique.
What has it been like working with celebrity clientele such as Noureen Dewulf, Whitney Port, Jodie Sweetin, Sarah Drew among others?Â
I am very fortunate to have this kind of opportunity. I'm more fortunate to work with such wonderful people. It's very exciting to hear about their projects and work. For them to have my work be part of theirs is a great privilege. I recently did lashes for Ally Maki's press tour for Toy Story 4. This was a lot of fun and exciting as Toy Story is one of my favorite movies. Â
I saw on Instagram that you've worked with the rapper Eve, what is she like to work with?
Eve is simply wonderful. I really enjoy working with her. She is incredibly sweet and down to earth. She is very natural and prefers the natural look when it comes to her lashes. I'm also obsessed with her dog, haha.Â
Is the 'lash lift' procedure still new to some people?
Absolutely. This is currently one of the biggest beauty trends however there's still some people who have never heard of lash lift. They are curious about what exactly entails in the service, and my most asked questions are how long it lasts and if it's damaging to the lashes. This is a fantastic alternative to eyelash extensions as it is very low maintenance. Lash lift was Google's most popular beauty searches of 2018. Special thanks to my client who has posted in social media several times, she was contacted by Google to let her know about this information and that she was the closest person associated with this trend. Â
What are some of the pros and cons of lash extensions?
Eyelash extensions are fantastic for those who are willing to take care of them. It really transforms the eyes and women love them, whether they are natural or prefer more of a glamorous look. It saves a lot of time from beauty regimen and most women do not wear any makeup once they have their eyelash extensions. It makes a person look wide awake and rejuvenated. Unfortunately lash extensions is not for everyone. It is high maintenance and gentle care is much needed. If they are rough with their lashes, they can easily lose their own lashes or the extensions may shed very quickly. It is also very costly and quickly adds up as a refills and touch ups are needed in order to maintain the lashes. Â
How did you get into brows?
I wanted to explore further in the cosmetic artistry industry. I have a passion to help people boost their confidence and self-esteem. Lashes and brows go hand-in-hand so I wanted to learn natural-looking permanent makeup. IÂ enjoy working patiently and meticulously. Microblading brows also gives me the freedom to explore my artistic abilities by designing and customizing everyoneâs brows according to their desire and needs. The transformation is very rewarding especially for clients who have suffered hair loss from cancer and alopecia.
What mistakes do you see in microblading today?Â
Not enough research and improper training. Microblading artistry is a journey. It is not a skill that you can develop overnight. It takes patience, commitment, skills and experience to be able to draw, create your own unique patterns, understanding pressure and technique so you're not damaging the skin. Unfortunately, there's many facilities offering training holding a large number of students in class with lack of supervision during live model work. You need to be able to trust your artist. My recommendation is to invest some time in doing research and ask questions whether you are looking to get microblading or seeking training to become a microblading artist. Â Â
Ombre Shading is the newest trend in permanent makeup. Both the style and technique are different than microblading. Ombre Shading is performed with a machine whereas microblading is done with a manual pen. The beauty of Ombre Shading is that it works on all skin types unlike microblading. It is also versatile as it can be mixed together with microblading technique to give texture, density and definition. Ombre Shading gives a soft cosmetic penciled look. Once healed, it looks very natural. Microblading is creating and mimicking natural hair strokes not a solid cosmetic look. Both techniques are wonderful depending on the person's skin, lifestyle and other factors.Â
What keeps you going as an entrepreneur?
I have always been driven to have my own business since I was 13 years old. When I was in school, I was constantly thinking about the possibilities of having a success business. It has also been my goal to retire my parents so that keeps me going. They have sacrificed greatly for my brother and I. One day I would like to retire them so they can just enjoy life to the fullest.  Â
Is working with celebs the same as your regular clients?
Yes, it is, to some degree. If they're very highly profiled clients (unfortunately I'm not able to disclose their names) the appointment arrangements are a bit different as they prefer to keep everything strictly confidential.
Check out Christina Sonâs company Sugarin Studio on Instagram and her website here.
Sarah Nind is a Toronto-based artist who has played with a pyshcedelic palette - as well as memory - for decades. Whether its her mixed media series Re: Development, from 2011, which brings a digital tinge to photos of landscapes, or her Broken Landscapes series from 2012, which looks at urban life through the lens of belonging and otherness. Now, Nind is looking inward for her latest series.
Her new exhibition at Galerie Youn in Montreal is called âTime lost, time found.â In her new paintings, she looks to the backs for a series of spooky portraits that somehow feel familiar. Playing with patterns, polka dots and stripes, this new series is informed by what the artist explains in a succinct, poetic phrase: âWhere thereâs an image, thereâs a story. These stories are not necessarily lineal, but can allude as much to memories of the future as to the past.âÂ
It sounds like a door waiting to be unlocked. Nind spoke to me about the art of painting, inspiration drawn from family and the warm, familiar spirits that fill her canvases. To learn more, keep reading.
How did this new series come about?
Sarah Nind: I was working in photo-based mixed media for years, but initially started my art production as a painter.  About two years ago I stopped creating photo-based work and started to exclusively paint again.  I think this was largely because the change from analogue to digital photography meant hours on the computer, and I found myself feeling disconnected to the immediacy of painting. Also, working with photography and paint in the same piece had caused me to become very careful and tentative in how I painted and also what I painted.  This new series, and the specific images in it, developed out of personal events, current and past, and my reinterpretation through colour, paint, and image.  Paint allows for âslippagesâ in memory and image to a much greater degree than the photographic image, that is, the possibility of the psychological meeting the physical, the abstract meeting the realistic. Â
How important is family, versus strangers, an important role in this work?Â
This is an interesting question for me, because my true response is that family is not especially important in my work, as I have rarely used specific imagery and memories that relate primarily to my personal family in my work.  At the same time, I basically never use strangers in my work, or for that matter ideas or concepts that are removed from my personal life and memories.  My work has rarely used figuration in a traditional way, although my imagery often alludes to times and places that reside in my past but in terms of objects or fragmentation, or the emotional suggestion of colour.  The paintings in my current work that are depicting beach towels in space definitely allude to figuration, although without the figure⊠For me they refer to the essence of different people who have been part of my life, but reside in this dimension of memory and emotion.
What attracts you to patterns?Â
I have been intrigued with pattern for several years. Â Colour has always been an important aspect of my work, and much has been written about the psychological meaning and reaction to colour, and itâs relationship to music, also mathematics. Â Almost nothing has been written about the psychology of pattern. Rather, pattern is often described as being decorative. Â It is interesting that we can understand a possible link between colour, music and mathematics in relationship to âwavesâ, ie. light waves and optics in terms of colour; soundwaves in terms of music; and repetition in terms of mathematics. Pattern is also intrinsically connected to repetition, and I personally think has a profound psychological effect upon us. Â I think that pattern is much more than visual decoration, and its meaning resides in our core, perhaps even echoing a preconscious memory of the heartbeat that we all must have heard before we were born.
Who are the ghosts underneath the blankets, carves and coats in this series? Â
I have a sense of who the âghostsâ are in a couple of the paintings, but others reside in me as sensations that allude to people and places in timeâŠalthough I do think that one of the images has something to do with me (and my anxiety over Canadian winters).  I think the âghostsâ come from a world that is a little off, that is, the meeting of the physical with the psychological, and how this reverberates in my memories of times past.  Memory tends to be non-lineal and often confused with imagination or projection.
How do you feel about portraits from behind someone's head, which seems to be a recurring theme in this series?Â
This is something I have actually been asking myself. Â I have no real interest in the genre of portraiture in my own art production. Â My images have much more to do with emptiness and loss, rather that the specifics of past family or personal relationships. Â So, in my paintings I am consciously not depicting the faces of my âghostsâ. Â They are faceless, no longer present in the physical form, but rather in the psychological dimension. Â These images are really shrouded figures, not portraits.
What can you tell us about your mother's pearls and their connection to these paintings?
The pearls are the earliest works in this new body of paintings, and were the catalyst to my movement toward the faceless âbeach towelâ paintings, that is the floating, but very colourful, shrouded âghostsâ. There is a personal story behind these pearl images. Â My mother died this past winter. Â I went with one of my brothers to pick up her ashes, came back to Toronto, went to my studio, and without even thinking about what I was doing, started to paint her pearls. I suppose it was my way of sorting through her loss and saying good-bye to her. Â Or perhaps saying goodbye to her through the act of âtouchâ, touch being an important dimension of the meaning and physical sensuality of painting.
Is a feeling of emptiness more apropos today's world than we realize?
Yes. Probably. Â Itâs ironic, living in a world with so much access to information, continuous visual imagery, and an ability to communicate instantly with a multitude of people, both friends and strangers, that emptiness and loneliness seem to be so pervasive for so many people.
Headbanging Sculptures: An Interview with Mimosa Pale
Wandering Shocks at Art Fair Finland, 2017 photo Neo Aarnikotka
Mimosa Pale is unlike any other artist you know. The Finnish performance artist brings sculpture to life through colorful materials, dance and artworks inspired by the carnival, jazz and old fashioned side shows. You might have heard of her hat shop Himo, where she sold handcrafted hats she made in the Berlinâs district of Neukölln (long before it became hipster paradise). Thatâs not all. Pale has also created technicolor, headbanging sculptures in Helsinki, leafblowed a public monument she covered in fringes and once even created a Marie Antoinette-style headpiece made of shot glasses.Â
As she gears up for a book she is making with Justyna Koeke about Tinder dating in the forest, sheâs also looking forward for the Stamp Festival in Hamburg, as well as an exhibition at Hilsbach Kunst & Kultur and a performance in The Hot Box. In the meantime, Pale spoke to us about carnival culture, hat-making and recycling for land art sculptures.
Wandering Shocks 2017, photo Lisabi Fridell
There is a great crossover between art and fashion in your work, where does it all come from?
Mimosa Pale: Well, actually I was never so interested in fashion, but more in masquerade! the idea to make my hatshop himo was out of the wish to have an art studio, where people, just anybody could pop in and have a reason to be there. I think people often have a fear to encounter art, as its  traditionally placed on a pedestal or golden frame. So Himo was my studio and a performance space and it was disquised as a hatshop. it had an himo-rosa velvet sofa and a little stage. but the most amazing thing for me was that people believed in my hatshop from the first moment. They came with their hat problems and surprisingly I was able to help them with  "turn it upside down and it looks great" mentality. This led to my real interest in millinery and I started taking courses in hatmaking. but in short: I wanted to combine performance art and sculpture in my hatstore, so I felt most succesful when a person came in and bought a hat, and would go out of the shop with a sculpture on their head creating  street life performance.
Mimosa Pale, Blow, Streetlevel Festival, Helsinki, 2015, photo Antti Ahonen
Why is a DIY approach important to your practice?
I think it has to do with my desire for borderless art. Art is for everybody, and everybody who wants can make it. The more people are encouraged to make art, the more interesting the world becomes. More people practicing self-realization in the form of art reduces stress and anxiety, makes you happier. so maybe it can be described as a social approach to art.
How does the history of costume influence your work?
Iâm interested in carnevalism, and in the effects it has on people practicing it. Now that Iâm in an artist in residency in Horb am Neckar and there is a vast culture in carneval, which is called "SchwĂ€bisch-Allemanische Fasnet" . I have entered a fools guild just to study this whole thing.  We are carrying the "HĂ€s" with a wooden mask, each weekend between january and march we go parading in an other town scaring the audience or throwing candy to them... and we meaning about 3000 fools from different villages. Its quite a blast!Â
Mimosa Pale, Blow, Streetlevel Festival, Helsinki, 2015, photo Antti Ahonen
You really know how to create an atmosphere full of imagination, is your starting point playfulness?
To me, the performances have to make sense somehow. I guess I have a certain kind of logic there but maybe it comes across as something else! for example I just made a performance in Munich where I tried to transform myself into a living diamond. It kind of makes sense, doesnt it?! Who wouldânt want to be a diamond? At the same time the visual aspect of an idea is very important; its part of the way an idea is transmitted.
You made feminist art before it was trending, what can you tell us about why the Mobile Female Monument counteracts the history of male, phallic sculpture?
The fact is that there are many sculptures in the history of art that are made by men, are huge, and are phallic. Mobile Female Monument encounters them being soft and mobile and as a place to go inside. Â
I call myself a feminist and Iâm often being labeled as a feminist artist but I still want to say that this work is more intuitive than its political (that there is more to it). It celebrates the vulva, carnivalizes it, lets everybody touch itself, invites people to create their own little spontaneous performance around it. Â At that time I was interested in Commedia dell arte forms of present day, side shows and performance artâs borders. Naturally pissed off by the omnipresence of sex in the advertisements of this ostensibly sexually liberated society, I was curious to see what happens when the taboo is performed exaggerated in the bright daylight. I had to find something where people would stop without me having to stop them; Â At the same time the work was personal: what is my sexuality, where is it going, it seems to be evolving. These are, I believe, universal thoughts. Yet there is not so much talk about it; and thatâs where it I guess became interesting: showing something that everybody is thinking of. Â
Mimosa Pale, Foliage 2018, photo Oona Heleena
Why did you want to do Foliage with your artist group, Wild Angelicas?Â
I wanted to create more wearable sculptures, and I always have this feeling of discrepancy between sculpture and performance art. In this I made one piece for a tree and one for humans. I like the contradiction in the idea, being in a foliage one usually wants to hide, the reflecting fabric makes one extremely visible though. It was made in the time of #metoo debate, and I had the Story of Daphne in the back of my head. Feeling ill about the abuse on women and yet being relieved that something is changing.
What are the Wandering Shocks and why are they so fun? How do they interact with each other and the public?
The Wandering Shocks (shock is apparently another word for haystacks) are  performance sculptures (made of baking paper). They can visit a festival, or a gallery or just walk on the street; it always works! People love them! If there is music they dance, if not they still dance or do the headbanging. Sometimes they also just stand and people next to them forget there is a human inside. They interact with the public in a silent, friendly way. Its a fun way to bring art somewhere where its not been expected. They are sometimes mistaken for an advert (for example IKEA had something similar recently)...this reflects how people think nowadays.
Mimosa Pale: Foliage 2018
What was the goal of your piece Blow? It seemed to have some rock/metal undertones?
Do you mean the one where I decorated the public monument with fringes and was blowing it with the leaf blower? Im interested in how we perceive public art, monuments, its interesting how these become part of our daily life.  Also I think these monuments, and also our perception need airing from time to time. Decorating a monument changes the daily stage setting for a short time but I believe it can have inspiring effects on people for a long time.
Maternal Bio Power Plant (2014)
Where do you get your materials? How do you feel about recycling?
Good question! I wish I was the fair trade organic artist, but Iâm not! When Iâm sad about this I tell myself: Iâm just a very very small artist... My best work material-wise was the Maternal Bio Power Plant (2014), a land art sculpture which was made of 170 tons of bulls manure. It was a huge breast, that also was functioning as a bio gas collector, built for an art exhibition taking place on a field. After the exhibition the farmer would just spread the 170 tons of manure as fertilizer on the field. At that time, I was breastfeeding and the breast was the most important organ of the daily life! It was quite funny really how I was working a month on the field covered with this shit (it was a rainy summer) and would now and then get a call from the house to run up to feed the baby. The stripping off the scum became almost like a ritual: in order to stay clean it had to be done carefully despite the urgency.
Performance in the exhibition "Stage" by Jukka Rusanen, Helsinki Contemporary, 2014, with Mimosa Pale and Joakim BerghÀll, photo Mikaela Lostedt
What is your approach to performance art?
Performance art was one of the first art forms I started doing passionately and it has been an important part of my work. I think performance art is a very difficult form of art to work on continuously. I do now understand why most people are performance artists in their youth and stop doing it when getting middle aged. It is a direct, immediate, energetic, demanding art form. It requires extremely lot of energy if you want to regenerate your work every time. So doing an in-between thing seems to suit me personally. A bit of Sculpture, performance, music, head pieces... in a way Iâm happy there is a form of art where I can combine all these things.
Who are your greatest influences in terms of art, fashion and culture?Â
Iâm a fan of Niki de Saint Phalle and the Nouveau Realistes, Meat Warlop, Meg Stuart.
Performance in the exhibition "Stage" by Jukka Rusanen, Helsinki Contemporary, 2014, with Mimosa Pale and Joakim BerghÀll, photo Mikaela Lostedt
What do you try to communicate with your performance art?
I want to keep my work intuitive and I really try hard to stay truthful to myself and create a socially interesting atmosphere. I try to create a situation where people start communicating, not with me necessarily, but with the surrounding or within themselves. Â Sure it varies from piece to piece, the location and venue effect greatly. but as a performance artist Iâm aware that Iâm taking peoples time, and as it is something so valuable in our world, I try to make the moments they spend watching me profitable! I was thought at art school that performance art is always going towards death. but in my opinion it can be far from it; away with the painful notion of performance art, the self suffering, vomiting artist sorting emotional crisis on stage. I wish my performance can be healing, entertaining, funny, interesting, empowering.
Where do performance art and sculpture intersect for you?
A sculpture is seldom enough for me as it is. !t needs some action! and that is very simply, where my sculptures intersects performance art. A humans size, My size, the body is in relation to the surrounding architecture, landscape, heaven, cosmos. This is what gives it already the frame: we are here on the planet in this size; what can we do? The truth is, my ideal sculpture is moving or changing or evolving.... I'm seldom content with an object that doesnt move! This applies to people and animals too !! So if I was good at engineering I propably would be making kinetic art. But as Im not into that, Me myself Iâm the motor for my sculptures and thats what keeps me doing performance art.
What did you learn the most about making couture hats for your HIMO hat shop in Berlin?
I learned that selling hats is a difficult art of its own! Â I learned how hard it is to make so many things in the same time; like producing head pieces, selling them, being present, making performances. The Himo time was a great time, I met many interesting people, having a shop makes you visible even in a big city like Berlin, and so I had the opportunity to work with people from fashion, theatre and music. Â
What shows or exhibitions do you have upcoming? What are you currently working on?
Iâm currently working on new sculptural work, its going to be art in public. Iâm also working on a book with Justyna Koeke about Tinder dating in the forest. Iâm also looking forward for the Stamp festival in Hamburg, an exhibition in Hilsbach Kunst & Kultur and a performance in The Hot Box.
Snapshot exhibition showcased the projects designed by ChengWei Chiang, and the stories behind the projects.
ChengWei Chiang is an interior designer who is based in New York and Taiwan. After graduating with an AAS degree in interior design from the Fashion Institute of Technology in New York a few years ago, he has worked on theatre interiors and is currently working as an interior designer at Fogarty Finger Architecture in New York, where he focuses on multi-family interior projects. Now, the designer is having a solo exhibition on at the NUMBER NINE Exhibition Space in Taipei, Taiwan called Snapshot. Chiang spoke to us about Feng Shui, backpacking through the Middle East and why his personal design philosophy is decidedly zen.
Black single line frame the showcasing projects on the wall.
Tell me the story about how you got into design after backpacking through the Middle East and Asia, when you saw a hostel manager doing interior design. How did it happen?
ChengWei Chiang: I backpacked in the Middle East and Europe and I got fascinated by the concept of hostel, where backpackers from around the world meet each other and creates connections. I went back to Taiwan and started to learn all the required skills to design a hostel. I first start working at a hostel in Taipei, Taiwan, observing the work flow of staffs, and customers' behaviors. And then I started to learn all the technical skills such as drafting and computer software to practice interior design. All these experience are critical and become my expertise when I later on worked for PL interior design, a hospitality design studio specialized in designing boutique hostels. Â
What is your design philosophy?
Air, daylight, and water are my triangle rule when I design a space. These three elements are also the key to our survival. Air means ventilation, daylight means daylight, water means circulation. In order to create a space where users love to stay, no matter itâs a hotel or a residence, I believe the triangle rule is the key. Air: A good ventilation allows a space to breathe and always brings fresh air into the space. Daylight: A dingy room might apply to some spaces such as karaoke room, or movie theater. But users will get tired overtime and needed some daylights to brighten their mind. Water: A good circulation ensures a good quality of floor plan and allows users to practice whatever programs in the space more efficiently. Imagine a space with circulation flows as smooth as water, it will always create a lively and dynamic space. Some people also call this good Feng Shui.
Elleggage NY Flagship, a project inspired by travel.
Where does the magic lie in putting together pieces in interior design?
I used to believe a great interior design must contain a lot of layers of materials, geometry and features, the more the better. However, at some point I started to practice Zen as my lifestyle and realized that it can actually applies to design as well. Zen encourage people to get close to nature and get only what we need rather than what we want. In interior design, I used to believe that multiple layers of finishes creates a beautiful space. But when I apply Zen to my project, what we actually need for a space is far less than I thought. In the end, a good ventilation, daylight, and smooth circulation are all we need for a great space, everything else is secondary.
Where does the crossover lie between fashion and interior design for you?
Fashion in a study of trend and business. Interior design requires a lot of skills, and fashion is one of them. To be a great interior designer, one doesnât need to know fashion, but to be an interior designer who wants to make profit, one must know fashion.
What famous quote do you live by?
Less is more. Itâs adopted by the Zen philosophers and Iâve been adopted it in my design and my life.
What interior design trends can we expect to see in 2019?
I think Maximalism and Zen still dominates the current interior design market. They are two completely different styles, one believe the more the better, while the other think less is more.
A viewer kneel known to see the images on the ground, a new way of experiencing the exhibition.
Can you explain the story behind the gender-neutral theater space ONE?
The concept of ONE Theatre Society is inspired by my travel experience when I was in the Middle East. Arabs are modest people and perceive religion guidelines as their lifestyles. Every day I hear sound of prayers, made me feel peaceful and wonder what the meaning of life is. Before I went to Jerusalem, I already heard about the conflicts between Arabs and Jews and the battle of settlements. But when I actually went there, I saw Arab kids and Jewish kids play soccer together in the streets. That scene impacted me so strongly that I can still remember it clearly. When I had the chance to design a theatre society that aims to resolve conflicts and promote peace through shared experience, the first thing that came up to my mind is the sound of prayers and Arab and Jewish Kids I saw in Jerusalem. I think that conflicts often result from lack of understanding between each other, and if everyone has the same look and same status, there shouldnât be any conflicts anymore. Thatâs the concept of ONE.
The frames and checkered patterns serve as graphic design and create visual impact of the space.
What is the most memorable design piece youâve ever done and why?
I think itâs the set design I did for my solo exhibition in Taiwan. This is an exhibition that tells pretty much my life story, combining my travel experience and my theory design projects, through multiple media such as photography, interior design, literature, and set design. It not only showcases what Iâve done for the past couple years, but identify myself as a designer in many ways. Â
What is the exhibition you have in Taiwan?Â
Itâs my solo exhibition called âSnapshot.â Inspired by the moments I still remembered that happened in different times and spaces, serving as inspirations of my design projects. There are three chapters and each chapter has three snapshot moments each paired with a photograph, and finally leads to a design project. Therefore, the exhibition date is on 03.03.2019.
What makes the exhibition experimental and interactive?Â
I try to design the set with simple way finding and consider it as a whole space not just walls hanging my pieces. I did many sketches and model study just to figure out a simple yet powerful way to invite the audience to my story and guide them through the exhibition. The result is to create lines and patterns on walls and floor, suggesting the connection between both, the former serves as inspiration with photographs, the later showcase my design projects inspired by those moments.Â
6 Element Restaurant, a project inspired by self-discovery.
An art world video game? Check out âArt SqoolâÂ
 A gamer named Julian Glander recently launched the video game of our dreams - one based around the first few years of attending art school. Art Sqool is about a rotund character with geek glasses named Froshmin who is destined to be a great artist... just doesn't know how to get there. But attending art school is one way? We're not so sure. This game gives tasks, like painting portraits, and grades them accordingly. We love the MS Paint aesthetic.
Karl Lagerfeld gets a photo retrospective of his celebrity photos
To honor the passing of the iconic German fashion designer, Galerie Gmurzynska is honoring Lagerfeld with a retrospective of the best photos he took over the past 50 years in an exhibition in their Zurich gallery. Until May, catch his photos of Claudia Schiffer to Nicole Kidman alongside his experimental photo processes and stunning shots of Paris. âFor us a dear friend, a true Renaissance personality and a visionary photographer has gone,â said Mathias Rastorfer, the CEO and co-owner of the gallery. âHe had an in-depth knowledge about everything cultural; as one of the most well-read people I ever met, he was a connoisseur collector and creative genius through and through.â
