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Keni

JVL
"I'm Dorothy Gale from Kansas"
Three Goblin Art

Product Placement
art blog(derogatory)
noise dept.
styofa doing anything
trying on a metaphor

@theartofmadeline
todays bird

tannertan36

祝日 / Permanent Vacation
Cosmic Funnies

Kiana Khansmith
Misplaced Lens Cap
Show & Tell

★
Stranger Things
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@manic-maniac-man
QUOTATION Worldwide Creative Journal n°2
Interview With Peter De Potter
Peter De Potter, a friend and advisor to fashion designer Raf Simons, is a freelance artist who began collaborating with Simons in 2001 and has created visual images for numerous collections to date. His collages and hand-drawn typography can be said to visualize the world of Raf Simons' fashion. In this issue, we introduce some of the visual images he has created for Raf Simons' collections and also provided him with an interview.
art work for RAF SIMONS 2009 SPRING/SUMMER
art work for RAF SIMONS 2008-2009 AUTUMN/WINTER
art work for RAF SIMONS 2008-2009 AUTUMN/WINTER
1. art work for RAF SIMONS 2007 SPRING/SUMMER
2. art work for RAF SIMONS 2008-2009 AUTUMN/WINTER
3. art work for RAF SIMONS 2008 SPRING/SUMMER
4. art work for RAF SIMONS 2006-2007 AUTUMN/WINTER
5. art work for RAF SIMONS 2006 SPRING/SUMMER
6. art work for RAF SIMONS 2007-2008 AUTUMN/WINTER
7. art work for RAF SIMONS 2008 SPRING/SUMMER
How do you think about the relationship of visual and fashion?
The good thing about visuals and images (in any shape or form, be it hanging in an art gallery or printed on a T-shirt is that they can stand on their own. So I prefer making images instead of fashion, because fashion wants to force a look or a garment on people, while a visual just sneaks inside people's brains and does its magic. But I'm fine with images being used in fashion, the force, as with anything, is in the combination.
Where does your creativity come from? What is the inspiration?
I create images because I have always loved looking at images and collecting images, even when I was a little boy. Images are the brain food of my generation, so it's a natural thing to indulge in them. The world now accepts that images can be important and inspirational (a painting, but also a photograph or a collage) and I think the image will become even more important for future generations.
Who is your favorite creators or artists? Which creators do you pay attention recently?
I no longer believe in being a fan of one particular artist or designer. Instead I believe in the spirit of things: the spirit of punk, the spirit of pop, the spirit of the internet generation, the spirit of protest movements, the spirit of abstract art. Ok, if you want names: a constant inspiration are Manic Street Preachers. And the best thing I have seen in years on television recently is the American TV show The Wire, which is Shakespeare set in urban grime.
How do you work with Mr. Raf Simons in terms of creation?
Raf is foremost a longtime friend. When he asked me to collaborate on his collections, it grew very organically. I was never an official member of his atelier because I prefer to stay freelance and independent. Raf allows me great freedom to make visuals (on T-shirts, invitations etc) because he and I know we have the same way of thinking. Normally we have a little talk about a direction and then I go home and brew up some stuff.
What does creation mean to you?
Doubting, erasing, reworking, thinking, dreaming of a result. And in the end there is result, good or bad. And then the process starts all over again.
QUOTATION Worldwide Creative Journal n°2
Interview with SHOWstudio®
1.Fred Butler's coverage of "Arnhem"
2. Nick Knight's "Wonderland" films
3. Fred Butler's film for "Political Fashion"
How was 2008 for SHOWstudio?
4. "Future Tense" films (films by Peter Jensen, Mary Katrantzou, Lutz, Todd Lynn)
Every year in SHOWstudio s history is eventful and this year was certainly no exception The team work extremely hard to produce content that is innovative interesting and inspiring to our viewers Over the past year we have published 20 projects incorporating a plethora of fashion film including 2 major film series interviews essays live broadcasts and audio textual and visual coverage of the bi annual fashion weeks The SHOWstudio team has also experienced a few structural changes bidding a fond farewell to our long serving Editor in Chief Penny Martin and Art Director Paul Bruty whilst welcoming new faces As the year comes to a close we are currently working on a whole host of projects planned for 2009 namely a multi faceted monograph of the esteemed fashion designer Antony Price and a retrospective of SHOWstudio which will open at London's Somerset House later in the year
What were the most impressive projects from the past year?
It's incredibly difficult to pinpoint the most impressive projects you'd have to ask our viewers! 'Fashion DJ's was particularly ambitious bringing personalities from the worlds of music and fashion at a three day event broadcast live from Abbey Road studios in London and featured performances from Naomi Campbell Boy George and Katy England Our recent Let There Be Light project provided backstage access to Nick Knight s shoot for V magazine featuring model Lily Donaldson wearing a raft of next season s greatest designs from the likes of Lanvin Balenciaga, Jil Sander Alexander McQueen and Maison Martin Margiela As well as a live broadcast of the 3 day shoot the project also incorporated interview shorts with the key creatives on set in depth
clothing analysis and instantaneous uploads of Nick s un retouched images Our Wonderland project created in collaboration with fashion designer and artist Helen Storey documented the construction of Storey's first fashion collection in 12 years using chemically fabricated biodegradable materials created in front of a live audience The project was recently shortlisted for the British Design Awards and will be showcased at London's Design Museum from February
What does creativity mean to SHOWstudio?
Who does SHOWstudio believe to be the most exciting, upcoming talent?
Creativity can mean a whole host of different things However one of the key things that interests Nick is the process of creativity and has one of the main reasons he started SHOWstudio Frustrated with only being able to show the end product in a magazine he was extremely excited by the way in which the internet could allow him to record his own working process as well as unpack that of creatives and the fashion industry as a whole One recent example would be our Violence project a groundbreaking initiative to create a fragrance on the internet over the coming months. Nick Knight is currently working with the scent artist Sissel Tolass and every stage-including initial research sampling and email correspondence is being documented on the SHOWstudio site aiming both to shed light on the mysterious machinations of the perfume industry as well as to use the internet as a platform for scent for the first time Another aspect of creativity that SHOWstudio is committed to is the immediacy of fashion communication. and this is reflected most of all in our coverage from the bi annual fashion weeks Using camera phones our in depth reports are often published minutes after the show has finished We also believe creativity stems from collaborating with others breaking from traditional magazine allegiances SHOWstudio has continued to invite all the key players of the fashion industry to contribute and collaborate and over the past years have built up relationships with 500 talented contributors
As well as working with established industry figures we are always keen to seek out and support new talent Our Future Tense fashion film series which ran throughout August and September is a perfect example of this Offering a global platform for an exciting new generation of fashion design to use the medium of moving image to express their creativity this programme showcased emerging talent notably recent Central Saint Martin s graduate Mary Katrantzou and virtuoso knitwear designer Sandra Backlund Another important name to mention would be the London based props stylist and accessories designer Fred Butler who has been on our radar for a couple of years now She has collaborated with us on numerous projects bringing her kitsch yet elegant aesthetic to live camera phone coverage of the 2007 Arnhem Fashion Biennale and a wonderfully humorous film short for our Political Fashion film series And it's not just us that have noticed the talents of these promising young designers it was recently announced that both Mary Katrantzou and Fred Butler are recipients of the British Fashion Councils coveted New Generation sponsorship allowing them to show their designs during London Fashion Week in February 2009 We have supported Gareth Pugh from the early stages of career and made the unprecedented step of dedicating an entire project around the designer entitled 'Fash Off' in 2006 comprising a series of live performances archive catwalk footage and press clippings self portrait films and a gallery of Polaroids taken throughout the project We have continued to work with Gareth over the past couple of years the most recent example being Insensate Featuring a film created by Nick Knight showcasing Gareth's Spring Summer 2009 we also offered our viewers the exciting opportunity to download an exclusive individually numbered giant Nick Knight print
SHOWstudio, run by fashion photographer Nick Knight, is an online fashion media outlet that launched in November 2000, focusing on art and fashion. The original idea itself was conceived by Nick Knight and Peter Saville in September 1999, making 2009 its tenth anniversary.
Nearly 10 years later, the environment surrounding the web and creativity has changed dramatically, but SHOWstudio, which leverages the characteristics of the internet as a medium to constantly engage in experimental and new creations such as video and live performances, remains a site that continues to attract the attention of many creative professionals.
QUOTATION Worldwide Creative Journal n°2
SARAH KING
Sarah King is a young designer who works while commuting back and forth between London and New York.
1. Typography piece "Seven Foot With A Wooden Leg."
2. Work published in Untitled Magazine
3. "Perfume" by Salk and Samovar
4. Illustration created for [the purpose of the project]
5. Work published in the book "Graphic 12] Customise"
6. [Playful Type]
7. "Red gocco" postcard
8. Work created for London real estate company "Douglas and Gordon" (right: studio scene)
Like Owen Gildersleve and others, Sarah King, who just graduated from university this year, has already produced numerous noteworthy works. Her hand-drawn typography is reminiscent of Kevin Lyons, but the meticulous finishing touches give it her own unique style.
"Since I was a child, I was the kind of kid who would draw illustrations on my school desk and textbooks. The moment I started studying graphic design at university, I realized that my hobby could become my job. Now I'm interning with Mike Perry, a popular designer in New York, while traveling back and forth between London and New York, creating my work as a freelancer," says Sarah. She says that what always inspires her is the endless wonders of nature and science. Considering that Newton, who discovered the law of universal gravitation, and Professor Hawking, who is at the forefront of cosmology, were both British, that's perhaps not surprising. "I spend a lot of time in New York now, but there's no doubt that the London design scene is getting more interesting. The most appealing thing about it is that it's a city with many designers who have created their own unique styles." In today's information-saturated world, maintaining one's individuality is an important challenge, but if, as Sarah says, London is overflowing with individuality, then there's nothing more wonderful than that.
QUOTATION Worldwide Creative Journal n°3
THE ENVIRONMENT OF YOUNG DESIGNERS
The environment surrounding young fashion designers
author: Geoffrey B. Small
As Paris Fashion Week, which I would be participating in for the 58th time, approached, I received a request from NJAL (NOT JUST A LABEL) to write something about small brands, young fashion designers, and the problems and current situations they face.
The reason I present my collections in Paris is because it remains the most competitive place in the world for high-level research and design. Based on my 15 years of experience participating in Paris Fashion Week, I would like to share my honest thoughts.
First of all, the chances of a young fashion designer succeeding these days are very low.
Furthermore, young designers will quickly disappear unless they present truly outstanding collections. Nobody wants to see ordinary collections anymore. During Women's Designer Week, more than 1,500 collections are presented in Paris alone, with each brand competing to gain attention. However, only about 4,000 buyers from around the world gather to purchase for the next season. By the time they arrive in Paris, they have already seen countless collections in New York, London, and Milan. They are at their peak of exhaustion, and their true desire is to quickly finish their buying at Paris Fashion Week for brands like Dior, Comme des Garçons, and Runpin and return to their own countries.
Due to the economic downturn, a decline in middle-class customers, and rising travel costs, buyers are becoming increasingly stressed about managing their time and money. Furthermore, sales of designer items have decreased, leading to cuts in their purchasing budgets. To further reduce costs, many buyers have stopped attending collections in person and are instead purchasing from domestic distributors.
Even the buyers who are able to do so are very careful about how they spend their money and time, and no one can visit every collection.
Buyers attending Paris Fashion Week typically stay for 3-4 days, seriously viewing 10 to 20 collections they intend to purchase. If time permits, they might also visit one or two trade shows, seeing hundreds of brands. Consequently, at least 1,000 collections are not even seen. The probability of a collection failing is quite high. 95% of brands participating in Paris Fashion Week fail to sell anything and go bankrupt within three seasons. In reality, the average budget allocated to purchasing collections from up-and-coming or unknown designers is less than 3% of the total budget. As a result, the chances of young designers surviving are quite low.
Nevertheless, thanks to fashion media strategies seen worldwide, the number of people wanting to become designers is soaring. The problem is that while competition continues to heat up, the market itself is shrinking. Globally, the number of consumers who can regularly buy clothes above the price range of H&M and Zara is decreasing, and fewer stores are able to increase or retain such customers. In addition, the polarization between high and low and the decline of the once-thriving middle class market have made it difficult for designers to succeed.
They are forced to choose between fading away or challenging the luxury market, as they are completely outmatched by the big corporations in the lower-priced market. But of course, the luxury market is not easy either. The bar for image, exclusivity, product, and quality continues to rise, and giant global companies are trying to monopolize both the high and low end of the market, using their vast capital, advertising power, distribution power, production capacity, and media influence.
The current fashion business may be a huge lie. Big corporations, wanting to make many people dream and spend money, pay to manipulate fashion media strategies around the world. The wealthy, wanting to show off to other rich people, spend a lot of money buying famous brands. And many people who used to pay $100 for a Diesel jeans book are now only buying $14.99 Zara jeans. Meanwhile, aspiring fashion designers attend fashion school on their parents' money, move to Paris, London, Milan, or Tokyo, do years of unpaid internships, and if they're lucky, get a job at a big fashion house or big corporation. Or they start their own brands and continue to spend a lot of money on new businesses. And in major cities like Bali...
When you present a collection, you'll need even more money for showrooms, trade shows, advertising, PR, catwalks, magazines, and so on. On top of that, you'll be told that nothing can be done without the people in charge of each aspect. They have power, and young designers are practically powerless. Paris is incredibly expensive. During Fashion Week, you have to pay over 100 euros just to rent a one-meter steel rack. And that's not all. Of course, you mustn't forget that the people around you won't work for free either.
The harsh reality is that this entire system views designers as nothing more than pawns in a chess game. In other words, to those who control the industry, designers are nothing more than commonplace figures. This is where influential select shops in major cities become crucial, as buyers visit them for research purposes and purchase collections from the brands they carry. In fact, it might even be worth paying money to a well-known select shop.
However, even in business with select shops, various contracts can prevent designers from securing enough money to cover their risks. The larger the shop or the city's influence/scale, the less the buyers will likely pay for their purchases. While a large number of orders means a larger initial investment for the designer, they may quickly be abandoned by the buyers because they've discovered the next promising new designer. If a designer were to protest, they would likely end up on the industry's blacklist for the next 10 years. In short, trends and talent are irrelevant; what matters is power and money. Talent can be bought cheaply in this environment.
Even if you manage to develop your business to some extent on your own, for the reasons explained above, you will soon realize that you can't do anything more alone. You've already spent a lot of money, but you will need even more. And of course, power. You will need partners, supporters, agents, and production staff. Furthermore, pattern makers, seamstresses, presses, people to do the final finishing on your clothes, and people to guide you to success are absolutely essential. It is a nightmare, the beginning of a dangerous game. There is a good chance that you will lose not only your collection, but your soul as well.
I'm running out of space to explain any further, but I've survived this terrifying game. Only a true master of this game could manage to maintain both their collection and their soul.
Becoming a master at the Parisian level requires a multitude of skills: art, fashion, technology, research, commerce, production, logistics management, finance, accounting, languages, media knowledge, graphic design, textiles, law, physical fitness, perseverance, stress management, and managing money and people, among others. In principle, all of these are necessary, but sadly, even if you search fashion schools around the world, you won't find a course that will prepare you to survive and succeed in this world.
In the end, I'm all alone.
If you're lucky, you might find an advisor who isn't overly greedy and who can share information, knowledge, and experience with you. I once launched a show in Paris to support independent designers, but I was only able to help a very small number of them. Incidentally, I once received advice from someone who used to work for the most successful independent design firm in the UK, and their motto was, "No need for agencies. Do everything yourselves. Trust no one."
In addition, passion is essential. Without passion, you won't survive this seemingly impossible game. Those without passion are logical and quickly give up (which is the right choice). Those with true passion persevere no matter what. Only those who survive and continue to train in this industry can own collections under their own name, or produce and distribute their own work. To survive independently in the artistic and financial fields, without relying on sponsors, licenses, parent companies, or agencies, and to attract a great clientele—that is what a true master should be.
I believe that only such designers can create truly original works and new fashion based on design and innovation, without relying on media hype or the flow of the system. Only designers who possess passion, training, dedication, and perseverance can reach this level and gain customers, their only financial supporters. Try not to go along with the flow of this game's system as much as possible.
If you keep making what your customers truly want, they will follow you. If they don't, you have to keep improving the quality of your work until they do. In the end, it's very simple. Make things and sell things. It's cool if you can do both. If you can't do either, it's game over, or you have to ask someone for help. But nobody will help you for free. Moreover, they rarely do the work you expect. Often, you just end up losing money.
Unfortunately, I have to go now. There are less than 15 days until the new collections begin in Paris. And I myself have a lot of work to do to survive. The banking system in New York is starting to collapse, and there are already 2,500 collections presented, with buyers vying for attention. Even after presenting my 57th collection, there is a saying from the masters of the past that I must not forget: "Every new season creates entirely new business opportunities, and you are only as good as you were with the previous collection." If I can survive this 58th collection, maybe we can talk again, but to be honest, the situation is tough for me too.
The new collection has to be truly amazing, more so than ever before.
Geoffrey B. Small
QUOTATION Worldwide Creative Journal n°3
Hussein Chalayan: Sartorial Sultan
Hussein Chalayan: The Emperor of Clothing
While few fashion designers truly possess both intellect and talent, Hussein Chalayan, born in Turkey and educated in England, is one of them. A two-time British Designer of the Year and creative director at Puma, he is light-years ahead of the fashion circuit, much like his futuristic laser dresses. He dislikes calling his new exhibition at the London Design Museum, "From Fashion and Back" (January 22 – May 17, 2009), a retrospective, but it is the first comprehensive exhibition of his work in England. Showcasing his work over the past 15 years, the exhibition includes short films and art projects that Chalayan has directed, and deals with his trademark themes such as cultural identity, portable architecture, mechanics, aeronautics, and migration, all of which converge on a single vision: the artistic fusion of garment durability and technology. Then, the morning after the exhibition opened, I met him at Covent Garden, a place he used to frequent, and talked to him.
A little while ago, when we were walking around New York and talking about the name Hussein, you asked me if I thought the name was viewed negatively in New York, right?
That's right. Back then, I was thinking about shortening the brand name by cutting out a bit from my own name.
But the new President Obama's middle name is also Hussein, so the situation is completely different from back then. What do you think now?
The connection to Islamic names... I don't think my name is an obstacle. The only time I thought I might need to change my name was when I found out that a boutique in America was worried that my name might be perceived negatively. In my case, there was also the problem of my brand name being too long. Sometimes I think I should just call it Chalayan. That might be more appropriate as a brand name, and it might be less likely to be perceived negatively.
Politically, things are moving in the exact opposite direction...
Ironically, Saddam Hussein was sentenced to death.
On the one hand, Barack Hussein and Obama became presidents of the United States. But that's what's great about America, and I think it shows that the possibilities are endless. America has a very liberal system, so if it goes in the right direction, it can become the most modern country in the world. Since Obama became president, there's also the possibility of starting things from scratch again. I don't know if that will have any influence on designers like me. I want people who buy my clothes to see what I'm doing, not just my name. If the brand name "Calvin Klein" was "Rabbi Eisenstein," I think it would have been difficult to sell.
The main theme of this exhibition, and something that Chalayan regularly explores in his work, is the issues of identity, migration, and movement. It always gives the impression that we want to know who we are, where we are, and where we came from.
Where I was born is a mix of many different races, like a soup. My genes are formed by a truly diverse range of cultures. Nations always try to create a single culture, so we've always wanted to know who we really are. Everyone is our...
People probably only see us as either Turkish Cypriots or Greek Cypriots, but our island was actually ruled by many different races. That's where my main theme comes from.
Does moving to the UK have anything to do with it?
That's right. I moved from Cyprus, a multi-racial island, to Britain, another multi-racial society. In Britain, immigration feels like a recent phenomenon, but in Cyprus, immigration was something that happened over a very long period of time. We're kind of descendants of the Ottoman Empire, which was a very racially hybrid empire. The emperors married Russian, Italian, and Polish women, and the women in the harems were always non-Turkish. A hybrid culture was already being born there. It might be the same in Britain in a few hundred years.
Hybrid culture is definitely expressed within the collection. For me, and for many others, I think the experience of watching Hussein Chalayan's show is very emotional.
Because I'm very emotional.
But clothing is technical and scientific, isn't it? How do you reconcile emotion and technology? Which takes priority?
I'm very emotional, but also rational. I think I exist somewhere between the two. I start a collection emotionally, and then I create it theoretically. There's a poetic part of my brain that tells stories, and a functional part that's necessary to actually bring ideas to life. Maybe it's the influence of my mother's side of the family—the way I look at things and interpret them. The ability to look at something and give it a different interpretation is something I inherited from birth. But I learned how to actually bring it to life in England.
You moved to London when you were still young, right? Did you receive most of your education in London?
I used to go back and forth. Now I've spent more time in London, so I feel more like a Londoner. But I also received my education in Cyprus from age 5 to 12 and again from age 16 to 18, so that has had an influence. It was only nine years out of my life, but it was a period of growth.
What impact did Cyprus experience?
Cyprus is a small island with a beautiful ocean, great weather, and delicious food. While it lacks a strong design culture, I think it fostered my sensibilities and historical curiosity. However, my exploration of fashion design was probably influenced by my time in London.
If you lived in another city, do you think you would have been able to create the kind of works you've produced so far?
I don't think it would have worked at all. London is more progressive and tolerant than any other city in the world. New York is too, but London has a longer history of immigration compared to other parts of Europe. That's why it's tolerant of newcomers. Also, the bad weather makes me stay indoors more often, which means I spend more time creating. When the weather is nice, it's more fun to be outside. It's a simple thought, but the influence of the weather is immeasurable.
Certainly, in warm, coastal environments, there's more of a culture of playing on the beach.
What makes London unique is that everyone comes from somewhere else. This generosity.
I think it's a consequence of past actions. They had to atone for the atrocities committed during the colonial era by accepting immigrants from other countries.
When we first met,
You were working on your graduation collection, burying dresses in the backyard and digging them up.
Some people might think that doing something ordinary or unsophisticated is regressive, but that's not actually the case. I think embedded dresses are just as progressive and modern as dresses with LEDs.
Yeah, it's both cutting-edge and ordinary.
That's what you'd expect from someone you've known for so many years. Technology is necessary, but it's not always necessary.
What was it like at Central Saint Martins?
Central Saint Martins is a very harmonious university. You can get in with a portfolio of still lifes, or even with a complete fashion victim background or an architecture background. Central Saint Martins is a very colorful place, like the movie "Fame."
Perhaps that's why London's design is so witty.
Maybe it's because they don't have money. There might be money in the economic sector, but there isn't in the fashion industry. When you don't have money, creativity and passion are born.
Yes, passion.
You seem to have a lot of interest in technology, art, architecture, film, and anthropology, but why did you choose fashion?
I don't think I would have been successful in any other field. I think my approach to fashion is unusual. I let the clothes generate the ideas. If I had pursued film, I think I would have stuck to film.
Why clothes?
It was when my parents divorced, and I was living surrounded by women. I was very young. They were very strong women, but socially vulnerable. That's why I've always been interested in women's rights, and I've also been very interested in women's bodies. Buildings, vehicles, systems, etc., the things we create
Everything we do is based on the body, so I always wanted to praise it. My parents wanted me to become an architect, but I didn't want to. I chose fashion because I wanted to study the body.
But architecture is also very much related to human size, isn't it?
I think fashion is more relevant. Not just the shape, but the movement as well.
The custom-made mannequins featured in this exhibition look like they're working, but what exactly are they doing? Were they modeled after any real people?
I based the work on Sarah Ziff, a former model from New York. She's always been gorgeous and a warm person. The mannequins were watering olive trees, painting walls, cleaning cups, writing on the walls, and I thought it was a pretty good way to cleanse the exhibition space. Half of the show was something I presented four years ago at the Groningen Museum in the Netherlands, and the other half is from a new collection. I liked the idea that wherever the mannequins go, they interact with the new space in a unique way. Of course, there are also the latest works, such as wind dresses, parachute dresses, and laser and LED dresses on the mannequins.
He's won numerous design awards, represented Turkey at the 51st Venice Biennale with a collaborative film with Tilda Swinton, and been awarded the Order of the British Empire for his contributions to the British fashion industry, but he's still the hardest on himself.
There was no need to give the Queen an award. That kind of thing is done to please your mother or grandmother. I didn't understand what the benefit was. It seemed meaningless, but maybe it wasn't.
I'm always working hard and I don't cling to my past glory, but do I recognize that I've created some amazing works up until now?
The work will never end. I think there are some wonderful pieces, but all of my past works are prototypes for future evolution. I want to finish the LED fabric not just as a prototype, but as a proper fabric. I also want to make a dress that can change shape. I just have to move forward one step at a time.
QUOTATION Worldwide Creative Journal n°3
Artist Norimichi Hirakawa challenges the limits of imagination.
1. a circular structure for the internal observer (2008)
The latest work, themed around "real-time"... By continuously observing the driving sounds and generating them through a feedback structure. The sequence of images unfolds as a video that is "impossible to reproduce."
2. GLOBAL BEARING (2004)
Created during my student years, it won an award in the Art Division of the Japan Media Arts Festival.
An award-winning work. When you operate the control device, it extends to... The "other side of the world" is pointed to.
Everyone understands that the Earth is round as a given. However, perceiving this grand concept as a real-world issue is not so easy. Artist Norimichi Hirakawa is attracting attention for his works that translate such principles of the world into an everyday scale, expanding the viewer's level of perception and imagination.
"Just as we can imagine something by looking at a painting, I think there's a kind of imagination that expands when we're confronted with facts proven by science. I want to challenge myself to see how far we can extend that imagination. For example, before the Big Bang, time and space did not exist."
Even if it can be logically concluded that it didn't happen, there's a "wall" to clearly imagining that. Perhaps that's also why I choose cosmic themes for my work."
Despite having a well-thought-out concept behind his work, Hirakawa prefers not to theorize or explain his own creations. What he emphasizes is that a dialogue through the body is born when the viewer experiences the work.
"My ideal is not to convey what I'm thinking, but simply to give the viewer something to think about. Of course, those who are observant will understand my thoughts, but even for those who aren't, I want my work to give them something they don't usually think about."
I hope this will give people something to think about deeply. Ultimately, it's more about the "experience" than the "message."
While the dramatic advancements in technology have brought greater possibilities to the world of media art, they inevitably carry an air of complexity. That's why Hirakawa returns to the essence of art. "I want to call something art if it can bring us back to the kinds of questions that people who have been called artists have pursued for hundreds of years: What is the world? What is existence? The same applies when using multimedia; it's always about the 'question' first. Technology should be used to guide us to that question."
QUOTATION Worldwide Creative Journal n°3
danhaspotential
"danhaspotential" is an artist who seems to have stepped right out of a Michel Gondry film.
A work by Daniel Brereton, also known as danhaspotential.
Daniel Preleton, also known as danhaspotential, spent New Year's Day 2008 in Edinburgh. His musical drawing work, unconstrained by conventional forms of expression, is brimming with a sense of freedom. "When I was a child, I won an award in a butterfly drawing contest hosted by the Lancaster Butterfly House."
"By the time I was 15, I was obsessed with record cover art and I was making all sorts of things. Being at Camberwell College meant I was remaking my favorite movies like 'Jaws' and 'Alien.' Yeah! It was just like Michel Gondry's movie 'Be Kind Rewind'," says Daniel. Who would have thought someone like that actually existed... His first job was the cover art for Shitdisco's album 'Kingdom of Fear.' "My friend Damian Good and I made a photograph using neon tubes and a lightbox. They seemed to like the cover, so they made small silkscreen prints of it and made T-shirts." Now he's in the band Golden Silvers.
Daniel, who is working on video projects and a zine called "Yo! Fest" with Colin Henderson, was asked what he would do if the sun exploded and disappeared. He replied, "I would hide in a cave and grow my hair out, and in the cave
"I paint pictures on the walls. I'm sure the next civilization will discover my murals!" Daniel replied. Hopefully, the next civilization will also have "art"... and of course, music and VCRs.
QUOTATION Worldwide Creative Journal n°3
create-vil
create-vil" - a handmade, shapeless record label.
1,2,3. Published in Create-vil
Works by illustrator Hajime Heijo
4. Create-vil logo design by illustrator Gen Hirashiro
5,6. The cover and contents of the fiction magazine.
"Create-vil" is an amorphous record label formed in 2007 by Hajime Hirashiro and Ryo Kuramoto, where everything is handmade. It is a rejection and irony of mass-produced goods that are developed to appeal to the lowest common denominator of the masses, and its DIY methodology, which does not involve external parties, is the appeal of media that is broadcast on an individual scale using easy methods that anyone can do.
It is said to be an exploration of possibilities. Designer Ryo Kuramoto hit on a cute Caucasian woman at a live music venue, and for some reason hit it off with Mike Tracy, a young man with a yuppy-like appearance who was with her. They were both impressed by each other's bands, "Duchesses" and "thaw," and formed a new band called "Bottoms." Hirajo Do, "Topping" The original drawings and copies will be exhibited in the studio
They collaborated on live performances and creative projects, including those held in O, which led to the creation of the literary fanzine "Fiction magazine." Later, it resonated with the many little publishers and DIY zine galleries on the American West Coast, and is now sold at Needles & Pens (CA), Tender Loving Empire (PL), and other retailers. It's limited to 150 copies, and the next issue is scheduled to be published from Mexico.
QUOTATION Worldwide Creative Journal n°3
Ayumi Togashi
An illustrator who loves nature and communicates with the power of art.
"AYUMI TOGASHI"
1.2. chloeT-shirts dessin 2007
3.Carlin international tendence book
4,5,6. cacharel enfant and babyjane
7. foulard ninaricci
8. dessin personel 2006
9. Carlin international tendence book
Having gone abroad early to study fashion, she breathes in the European atmosphere, subtly blending it with her own unique nuances, breathing it slowly and deliberately. She says her passion for art began with a portrait of herself as Sally the Witch, drawn by her mother.
Lines that seem about to fly away, faint, disconnected colors, yet a solid presence. The colors and lines that Ayumi Togashi creates exude a unique sense of weightlessness, as if they have stepped out of a fairy tale. Even now, having worked with renowned big fashion houses, she herself remains completely normal, simply swaying gracefully and nonchalantly in the wind. When she appeared at our long-awaited reunion, she stood tall and poised, lightly holding her large hat in her hand, like a delicate flower eagerly awaiting the arrival of spring.
Human creations, nature, unconscious actions. By focusing on everything that "exists" there, discarding prejudice as much as possible, and loving it thoroughly, lines naturally emerge on a single canvas. "I want to leave behind works that can bring smiles to people's faces," she says, always with the biggest smile on her face. Today, once again, she leans her face close to the earth, or stretches a little to look into the distance. I want to see with her what she is looking at with a smile.
"I felt a natural surge of joy. Perhaps it was the power of the painting, or something like that. It might have represented the person who painted it, and the relationship with that person. Paintings evoke emotions and stir feelings, just like music. Even Sally's paintings do." After graduating from a fashion school in Paris, she began an internship at Cacharel without a clear goal. However, her paintings were well-received there, and she quickly became interested in illustration. Later, while interning in the Broderie (embroidery) department at Chloé, she was discovered by Broderie designer Sarah. "She liked and remembered some of my old doodles. She's good at finding people's talents and good points."
Currently, her work extends beyond fashion; she's also working with Monoprix, Bali's largest supermarket chain. No matter how large the scale of her work becomes, she always remains warm and carefree, like a spring breeze. Along with her warm smile, her work overflows with a gentle feeling that is simply true to her own sensibilities.
QUOTATION Worldwide Creative Journal n°3
Jonathan Seow
"Woods & Woods": The Aesthetics of Extension and Intension
Photo: Ivanho Harlim & Shysillia
Styling: Woods&Woods
Hair & Make-up: Shysillia
Assistant: Anastasia Hoeng
Model: Vadim Rudakov
His work is inspired by many photographers. During the interview, Jonathan pulled a book out of his bag that I really liked, "Pull My Daisy." It's a photobook that contains particularly precious images, even among Robert Frank's other visual books.
"I always carry a photobook with me so I can look at it whenever I have some free time to myself. Like things that exist in nature, photographs are surrounded by a multitude of unclear meanings, and they are also incomprehensible. That's what I find interesting. The brand name Woods & Woods has a classic allusion to it, and I like its non-fashionable sound. It feels like a brand created while wandering through a deep, mysterious forest, in defiance of the rigid fashion image of today."
In 2004, Jonathan Seow, a young fashion designer from Singapore, became the first Singaporean to debut on the Paris Fashion Week runway. He won second place in the Best Men's Collection category at the 12th MittelModa Fashion Awards, Italy, and was also selected as one of the five winners of the "Who's Next Concour Jeune Createur in Paris" competition. He has gained international attention through his work at Milan Fashion Week and other events.
The Fall/Winter 2009 collection is inspired by the photomontages of Russian artist Aleksandr Rodchenko. Rodchenko is particularly outstanding within Russian avant-garde art for the clear paradox of swinging between romance and reason like a pendulum. This collection uses portraits of people who were involved in Rodchenko's social life, such as Mayakovsky, Tatlin, Popova, and Varvara Stepanova, as models. The collection was created by carefully juxtaposing their personalities and considering the fabrics, textures, volume, and ease that reflect their individual silhouettes. Jonathan likens the strange feeling, which seems to have a cosmic breath and is somehow detached from reality, to "constructed beauty."
The designs, which bring out conceptual beauty while concealing profound inner depths, embody a universal aesthetic reminiscent of Rodchenko's photography. Jonathan Woods, under the leadership of Woods & Woods, provided these new designs for QUOTATION, specially photographed for the occasion. He is a designer to watch.
QUOTATION Worldwide Creative Journal n°3
Jacob Kierkegaard, a Danish artist, attempts to hear even the sounds of a silent "vacuum."
1. Portrait of Jacob Kirkegaard
2. "NAGARAS" by Jacob Kirkegaard
Jacob Kierkegaard, a Danish artist who fuses sound studies and art, says he has always been interested in sound since childhood. "I would secretly set up microphones in my father's room and record, and my interest in sound grew and grew until I picked up a musical instrument. When I realized that all of nature is a single instrument, I realized that there are fragments of music all around us."
He said, "I understood that." What sets him apart from other artists is that he tries to hear even the sound of a "vacuum" where there is no sound at all. This is especially true in the case of Chernobyl, a city filled with radiation. "In Chernobyl, I may have been trying to depict silence. In the case of the work "NAGARAS," which I filmed in the desert of Oman, it's the opposite; the sand is really crying out. If you run your finger over the surface, you can hear a high-pitched sound."
He says that even if there was an "eternal silence" at the beginning of the world, if there was a "perception" that tried to hear it, then that sound should have been heard as well. So perhaps he would even try to record the moment of the Big Bang.
QUOTATION Worldwide Creative Journal n°3
phunk studio
With love from Monsieur Lobo, "phunk studio" Around the World, Across the Universe
Title: Monsieur Robo and New World series
Lithography with artist hand-written text on Lennox Paper, 100cmx70cm Year: 2009
The four members of Funk Studio all derive their ideas from their childhood play experiences. Amidst a swirling crossroads of multiple cultures—Chinese, Malay, Indian, and more—their unchanging theme of universal truth in modern society seems to be subtly revealed against the backdrop of globalization and high technology. Their multicultural identity is expressed through a unique visual language and witty, satirical myths, all centered around this theme.
Universal Studios is opening on Ttosa Island next year, and Singapore is truly becoming a Disneyland, or perhaps even the theme park of Asia, as the famous cyberpunk writer William Gibson described it. In the process of moving towards globalization, our world is also seeing the creation of increasingly massive amusement parks, and new characters are constantly being born within them." Jackson Tan of Funk Studio, a Singaporean creative unit known to those in the know in Japan, spoke with enthusiasm.
The four-member group, who recently sold out all of their prints, including "Monsieur Robo" and "Monsieur Gainsbourg," at "The BMW Young Asian Artists Series II" exhibition held at the Singapore Tyler Print Institute (STPI), are actually former bandmates. They apparently got their name inspiration from "Mo Phunky" by Acio Jazz Record Label's "Mo Wax," but they don't limit themselves to one genre, freely and hop-hoppingly drawing on a wide range of fields including art, music, design, publishing, and fashion.
His shifting conceptual approach seems to have been heavily influenced by Fluxus, Archigram, Warhol, and even the manga of Osamu Tezuka.
Robots living in the park.
NASA made a stylish attempt to transmit the Beatles song "Around the World, Across the Universe" towards the North Star. This year, at the end of 2009, this pop-culture-oriented Singaporean quartet will tour the world with an exhibition themed "Around the World, Across the Universe" in America, Europe, and Australia.
From an amusement park called the Electric Circus, Monsieur Lobo is apparently delivering love scattered throughout the galaxy, humming a Daft Punk song: "BIGGER BETTER FASTER STRONGER"!!
QUOTATION Worldwide Creative Journal n°3
Natsuki Otake
Artists captivated by glittering idols
“Natsuki Otake”
Idora Specus #4 (230cm x 525cm, silk, acid dye, pigment, fusible interfacing, batik dyeing)
Beautiful, dazzling colors on smooth silk
Natsuki Otake is an artist who dyes the images of modern female idols. The method of expression she uses is "batik dyeing," a dyeing technique that has been familiar for a long time for dyeing bolts of cloth and other materials. She only graduated from the textile department of Tama Art University Graduate School in 2008, but the originality of her work is attracting attention in various places. The reason she chose batik dyeing instead of ordinary canvas is the vividness of its colors, which is almost psychedelic. Furthermore, by using silk with a glossy surface, she is able to create an expression that is unparalleled in terms of vividness of color, brilliance, and transparency.
In her solo exhibition "idola specus," held at Point Gallery in Ebisu in January 2009, she depicted female idols such as Kaho, Maomi Yuki, and Shoko Hamada on gigantic silk canvases, creating divine female figures that exuded overwhelming power. The colossal works, measuring 5 meters wide and 2 meters tall, sparkled brilliantly, transporting viewers to an unreal world. Her reason for representing female idols, as a woman herself, is simply that "idols are the best."
It's because it's an uplifting theme. Idols are people who cheer everyone up, they don't have any particular ideologies or beliefs, they're just cute and they spread smiles. They have a charm that makes them seem like girls who have been influenced by them. Because idols allow you to freely harbor "dreams," "hopes," and "fantasies." A magical girl manga magazine that appears in Nakayoshi.
Otake loves the existence of idols, and somewhere
"I genuinely believe they are good girls," says Ohtake. "The lifespan of an idol is really short; no matter how cute they are, they can only shine as an idol for a fleeting moment. I want to know more about what that brilliance is. Is it freshness, or novelty...?" Ohtake says. Her pure curiosity towards idols is the driving force behind her creativity and is what creates the sparkling feeling that overflows from her work.
QUOTATION Worldwide Creative Journal n°3
Slow and Steady Wins the Race
A brand that has established a new stance in the world of fashion.
"Slow and Steady Wins the Race"
Are experimental ideas and avant-garde designs only possible in the realm of expensive high fashion? Conversely, are affordable brands only possible in the realm of mass production by large corporations? —The New York brand "Slow and Steady Wins the Race" (hereinafter SSWTR) answers NO to these questions.
The designer's name is not revealed, production of each item is limited to 100 pieces, the price is a uniform $100 (with some exceptions), collections are released periodically throughout the year, and past collections continue to be sold even after new collections are released... This style seems to break the unwritten rules of fashion, but there is a reason for it, and it raises questions about the current system and way of doing things in the fashion industry. SSWTR, which started in 2002 and has always attracted attention with its conceptual and sometimes challenging style, presented its 21st latest collection in New York in February. In the United States, the age of majority is considered to be 21, and drinking alcohol is also legal from that age.
Therefore, her 21st birthday was celebrated in grand style. The theme for this 21st collection was "Birthday." Instead of clothes, the presentation venue had 21 cakes and various colorful paper decorations called piñatas hanging from the ceiling. Many attendees were confused, asking, "Where are the clothes?" but it was later revealed that the clothes were inside these piñatas. Originally, piñatas are used at children's birthday parties to hold candy and presents, and then are broken open for fun. So only lucky buyers were able to break open the special piñata and see SSWTR's latest collection. It was a tricky and playful presentation, very typical of SSWTR.
We asked the designer about the current fashion scene.
I asked him what he thought about it. He seemed to sense the current recession, saying, "Consumption has decreased, and people have become more thoughtful." However, regarding the future of SSWTR, he remained his usual laid-back self, saying, "We plan to continue with the same policies as before, paying attention to quality, design, and affordability."
The brand name translates to "Slow and steady wins the race," reminiscent of the fable of "The Tortoise and the Hare." But perhaps in times like these, the day is near when the tortoise will rule the fast-paced world of fashion, which moves at the speed of the hare.
Currently available. In Japan, it is sold at THE CONTEMPORARY FIX (Aoyama), Isetan Shinjuku Store re-style, CIBONE, etc.
QUOTATION Worldwide Creative Journal n°3
Jason Orton
All that remains there are my etched memories.
"Jason Orton"
350 Miles
From the "Paris" series, which captures abandoned apartment buildings in London; to the "River Themes" series, featuring dilapidated boats washed ashore; to the "Dublin" series, depicting abandoned factory sites where people no longer come... The photographs taken by young London-based photographer Jason Orton leave behind a lingering sense of what happens after people have left.
"For me, the most important thing is to have enough time to ruminate on my ideas that lie between landscape, identity, and memory, and to give them body to my work." Jason's style involves interpreting his own personal memories, selecting locations, and photographing them there. Currently, he is photographing the post-industrialized landscapes of East London. "It's like a blank canvas; all that's there is my memories etched into it." The landscapes he captures evoke in the viewer a lack of awareness of the historical and cultural footprints contained within those places.
Let me make it.
One of the series he is currently working on is called "350 Miles." As the name suggests, it is a collection of photographs taken along the 350-mile stretch of Essex coastline, located slightly north of London. Forgotten beaches, uninhabited construction sites, houses that show no signs of human habitation. Among them, one in particular stands out.
There is a striking photograph of a single white horse standing in a meadow. Where is this horse's owner? Or has he left it behind and gone somewhere else? Leaving these questions unanswered by the horse, he continues his 350-mile journey. It is a question posed to the viewer, and at the same time, a lingering trace of the questions Jason himself had.
QUOTATION Worldwide Creative Journal n°3
Lina Scheynius
Photographer "Lina Scheynius" Captivates
Fantastical Reality
Beyond the boundary, jewel-like talents shine brilliantly. Since the internet became commonplace worldwide, it has been a transformative moment for young photographers in particular, for whom the internet has become an everyday part of life, as they have gained a platform to present their work themselves. Among these jewels, Swedish photographer "Lina Scheynius" shone with a particularly beautiful and pure brilliance.
I gazed at her work displayed on my browser and felt it. The moment I encountered her work, I felt as if I were facing her, gazing at the clouds drifting in the enchanting cloudy Swedish sky, watching the flow of her hair in the wind, and feeling the wind on my body. Her work was so quietly alive that it made me believe this illusion was reality
Her works are as if she has captured the subjects and landscapes while they were still alive. At first glance, her style may seem closed off, but her work is undoubtedly an "open world." She clicks the shutter as if picking up the small miracles of everyday life that we might easily overlook.
Just as as a child, she used to fill cardboard boxes with "treasures" that radiated such trivial beauty—pretty stones, sparkling seashells, shards of glass washed ashore—she seems to be collecting the small miracles of the world she lives in through the medium of photography.
It is not linguistic at all, but rather prompts us to engage in a purely sensory mind-touch. She picks up the secrets of a beautiful, and sometimes alluring, world and spreads them out to us. As I become captivated by the world she encounters, I myself feel as if I am a part of her world.
At that point, I lose sight of the boundary between her world and my own, and realize that there is no meaning to that boundary
The door that the internet opened not only brought information from all over the world to our fingertips, but also made us experience the true meaninglessness of invisible borders. The door she opened reveals a magical world that seems to erase even the boundary between the world we see and the world she sees. So close that you can feel the gentle breeze on your fingertips if you reach out your hand.