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DIGITALTEMPLE
DESIGN PHOTOGRAPHY FASHION ILLUSTRATION PAINTING MOTION MUSIC //////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////
Si Scott Esteban Karborn ValpNow Laundry! Ben Frost Sruli Recht Phil Toledano Young Meagher MWM Graphics Vera Biryukova Annie Woodford
UNION issue
POLA ADDICT / Vera Biryukova
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Vera Biryukova / POLA ADDICT
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Editorial / 3nd Issue : Union
Editorial
3nd ISSUE : Union. Digital Temple Magazine www.digital-temple.com
Time and tie wait for no man This is it. Here we are. DIGITAL TEMPLE is in English. It’s a new step and the first one for the magazine so don’t be rude with it. And you can notice that this english version is a rough version. All interviews, texts and words are exactly what our artists have answered for the magazine. Now, let’s go for a real editorial part. In this issue emerged a question : Does union always make strength ? One thing is sure, Union is a hard task. How can we manage several energies and how can we centralize them into a one and unique canal ? Maybe this is an answer : It’s necessary to have Patience. Personally, I never had patience so I took a hard decision. I must rethink my own way of life. And for this, I took radical measures. These past months, I stand alone in a world without any existence. My only contact was my master and I made my apprenticeship with him. I am here, no one else can help me, I have no contact with people for a long period. I’m just alone with myself and I have to face my own fears. How can I eat something in this place with this strange vegetation ? How can I sleep in this cold night ? What are all theses noises, theses cries, am I really alone ? I think that something is turning around me. When I suddenly wake up, all my bones make me suffer. This night was hard and I’m not ready for all these events. Welcome in the real world. I’m hungry. When I stand up, all my fears fly away. In front of me is a man without any age. His face lets me think that years had run on him. He is serene. He doesn’t tell me anything and he goes away. I make the same and I follow him. We walk during many hours. It’s really hard to follow him and this makes me realize how this man is agile. 4 | DIGITAL TEMPLE MAGAZINE
3nd Issue : Union / Editorial
And this is how I met the man who will be my professor. I will learn all rules to follow. The goal is to not waste energy for little things. Days pass quickly. We know us now without speaking. It’s in this monastic condition that I begin my evolution. The way is long, the road is sinuous and I just made my first steps. My courage is growing every day and I will use it for right causes. After several weeks, my imperturbable host says one unique sentence which strikes hard inside me : « Every obstacle is destroyed through rigor ». I wouldn’t have understood the meaning of these words the first day, but everything seems so pure now. During the evolution of a man, he has to move mountains, these same mountains that he built himself. Today I’m back and I have found my own way to the serenity. I know the direction I want to take and this encourages me to go through obstacles. It’s now my unique goal. Today I accept things which inevitably fall down, I accept to be in union with him, with the others, with myself. He, my master, my teacher, is nothing else than the Time. Now he is with me, he walks beside me. He is my necessary and thanks to him, my longest actions become real. This theme in these pages is my personal way to show you that union makes strengh when you accept it.
I wish you a good reading and great creative’s ideas. The servant of the Temple.
Cover : Sruli Recht in union with Karborn. Item Font : « Bourier » by Boris Schandert. www.boodas.de DIGITAL TEMPLE MAGAZINE | 5
Contents / 1/3
Contents 1/3
p.20
ESTEBAN
p.34
VALPNOW
p.48
MWM GRAPHICS | Matt W. Moore
p.68
LAUNDRY!
p.84
KARBORN
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1/3 / Contents
Digital Temple FEATURE
p.12
ASSOCIATE
p.16
NEXT ISSUE
p.222
p.223
REQUEST
Design
Painting
Motion
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Contents / 2/3
Contents 2/3
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PHIL TOLEDANO
p.100
BEN FROST
p.126
SI SCOTT
p.136
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Photography
Music
Illustration
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Contents 3/3
ANNIE WOODFORD
SRULI RECHT
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p.150
p.170
YOUNG MEAGHER | Liam Maher
p.186
VERA BIRYUKOVA
p.206
3/3 / Contents
Art
Fashion
Pola Addict
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Feature / Esteban
Feature
ESTEBAN. For this Issue, ESTEBAN releases a special work on the theme UNION. His subject is the miner’s union in England. This is the text which is in his work : « The miners’s unions were the largest and most powerful industrual combinations of their day, and exercised a great influence on the rest of the British labour movement. The first working class Members of Parliament, Thomas Burt and Alexander Macdonald, elected in 1874, represented mining constituencies and were funded by miners’ associations. Miners’ unions continued to enlarge labour representation in the House of Commons in the years which followed, although they tool little part in the founding of the Labour Party. »
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Esteban / Feature
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POLA ADDICT / Vera Biryukova
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Vera Biryukova / POLA ADDICT
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Associate / Leftism
Associate
LEFTISM. We don’t want to explain his life. We don’t want to tell you why he has this chair in his hands. We want to keep all theses details for us. But we want to explain you why Leftism is our Associate in this publication : He has collaborate actively in this issue. He was an translator for interviews, an adviser and an editor. He made a long and a hard work for us. For his work, we thank him. We can’t stop here because Leftism is more than a collaborator, he is more than this. For Digital Temple Magazine and for all things which turns around this universe, Leftism is a friend, our friend. And we hope that he will be our friend for a long time. Leftism, our doors are never closed. You can take your handkerchief and wipe you.
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Leftism / Associate
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POLA ADDICT / Vera Biryukova
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Vera Biryukova / POLA ADDICT
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Vera Biryukova / POLA ADDICT
core member KDU
KARBORN
long lost with you.
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DESIGN / Karborn
STORY with KARBORN. Sticky trainers on dirty pavements. The horizontal light made gold trees with concrete boxes left and right and centre. Blue and cold and fresh. There were adventures to be had like this in a city, new and old. The desire to be independent, to be the trees and not stuck in stone like concrete.
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Vera Biryukova / POLA ADDICT
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POLA ADDICT / Vera Biryukova
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Karborn / DESIGN
«
»
The girl in the window winks. She is pretty too. Not so bad then.
Pockets full of gold leaf but usually no gold to spend. Imagination made most of it, when your poor you knew it was because you had got a bit comfortable or hadn’t been quick enough. It still happened often though. The girl in the window winks. She is pretty too. Not so bad then. The road gets layered and cleverer as you walk and move and you glow. Changing groups and individuals enter into the manifestations. Some keep you sane and evolve ideas, some work with you, the best kind are very different from you. An element you miss in yourself, and they miss in you. Those relationships go deeper than a moments need, and seemed to be honest. DIGITAL TEMPLE MAGAZINE | 25
DESIGN / Karborn
You Step out of the arch-shaped hole in the brickwork into a garden which was imperfect and beautiful and never finished. Learning answers to the unasked questions on the way, when the deepest desires lay unknown was always a pinching irony of life. Each step more assured, finding his legs as an adult was all in the mind. It perhaps wasn’t what something was, it was what that thing represented to others around him. The power of this things environment, its mind, just there, deep in the shining glowing flower of the living world he looked for a language of beauty and of example. The mind can make imaginations. It can manifest. Midnight in London, the only time you can feel the solitude is in quiet streets and along the canals. An old receipt drops from your pocked as you pull out a lighter. 26 | DIGITAL TEMPLE MAGAZINE
Vera Biryukova / POLA ADDICT
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POLA ADDICT / Vera Biryukova
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Vera Biryukova / POLA ADDICT
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POLA ADDICT / Vera Biryukova
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Karborn / DESIGN
«
Where was I trying to go ?
»
What always makes you feel alone ? « Do you want to be alone ? » said the night. « Do you want to be a monk, suffering ? Sacrifice your life for this then, to it, be it, or it will offer you nothing.» said the wind. « Do you want to feel the world ? Feel deeply and colourfully ? Then don’t be lazy » said the air. There is no face. Sharp alien features dock grass eyes and sunshine freckles. The fox sits and watches from a wall. Step in the circles, watch the rhythm for the beat, and move in and out of time together. Where was I trying to go ? Paint hits my shoes, but I’m bleeding. Beautiful white cloth frames and billows across her face. DIGITAL TEMPLE MAGAZINE | 31
DESIGN / Karborn
Long slender limbs hold my hands, pull me up. Touch, a scent like honey and hops and warm skin and grass. Clouds move by her hair and stories of unity and the infinite fall as each lock drops. ÂŤ Stand and face towards the water, I want to take a photograph Âť, you whisper as the subject of your life is under your eye once more, and you paint again. Dark blue jeans. The oversized hood. The rucksack. Walking along pavements with a mind in hand. Trying for what he might, to build, to make projects. Text by Karborn. 32 | DIGITAL TEMPLE MAGAZINE
Karborn / DESIGN
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POLA ADDICT / Vera Biryukova
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Vera Biryukova / POLA ADDICT
ESTEBAN Fields of All.
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DESIGN / Esteban
ITW with ESTEBAN. Can you introduce you ? Working under the alias of Esteban, I am one half of Fields of All, a design collaboration between two like minded Graphic Designers from Newcastle upon Tyne, England. How did you became a designer and what was your very first influence ? I have a diverse and somewhat unusual background in the field of design, studying Industrial Design at University. The latter stages of study that followed saw me take a stronger interest in the more Graphical element of the course, and in-turn I decided to pursue a career in Graphics, with experiences in product design, interior design and a small journey into floristry along the way, plus many many hours of my spare time spent teaching myself I began to mould a career. From my first doodle drawn as a child, I now work 9-5 as a Design Manager, with most my personal time split between my girlfriend and fieldsofall. My first influence would be my mother, the person that 36 | DIGITAL TEMPLE MAGAZINE
Esteban / DESIGN
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POLA ADDICT / Vera Biryukova
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Vera Biryukova / POLA ADDICT
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DESIGN / Esteban
ÂŤ
Of late I’m hugely interested by Paris, the french language as a visual means.
Âť
first showed me how to daw and to express myself on paper. Today what is your most important inspiration ? I gather inspiration from everywhere, everything I look at, I hear. Of late Im hugely interested by Paris, the french language as a visual means. I generally just love anything creative that makes me stop and think : I wish I did that ! Can you explain us your way of work ? I would say I work in a very experimental way but in a structured pattern, I often start with some typography produced and treated in AI, the type usually revolves round words or a saying that I have heard or seen that I ever think has a strong feel or visually has strength. I then work with PS over many layers to produce work that is both strong but can breath, to have clear space is a must for me and this is often balanced with the use of very strong repetitive grids or patterns, again produced in Illustrator. 40 | DIGITAL TEMPLE MAGAZINE
I must admit I do set most of my work up in Photoshop using smart layers from Illustrator, often only designing in greyscale, I will then add a final layer of detail and colour to give the overall piece some definition and focus. Where do you find your ideas on a project ? A lot of my ideas come from things I see visually but I also take inspiration for ideas from the news, politics and lyrics of songs. What will be the next step of creation tomorrow, what will be the new rules in your opinion ? Design like everything else is changing at a rapid pace, the world can view, learn and develop like never before, rules are there to be broken. Tell us your best experience ever on a work ? Every time I see something positive written about something I produced, I design because I love it, Im lucky enough to do something I love and I get paid. Its
Esteban / DESIGN
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POLA ADDICT / Vera Biryukova
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Vera Biryukova / POLA ADDICT
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DESIGN / Esteban
a great experience most of the time. What will be the best work that you dream to create ? I would love to do more work in the music sector, album covers for various bands. I think some of my more experimental work would suit artwork for music. Although in the future, any of NIke, Adidas, MTV and Diesel would also be nice. If you have the opportunity and the choice to do a work in « UNION » with an artist, can you tell us who it will be ? Im open to working with anyone who inspires me, but I have great respect for Steven Harrington’s work.
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What is the feeling that you want to communicate in your global work ? Clean, bold, slightly deverse modern artwork with a strong message within my experimental work and a general quality within my design overall. Have you got other projects ? Constantly working on Fields of All which should be live soon, not to mention the various projects I design/ manage on a daily basis. Your latest words ? Thanks for looking and listening, I hope you have found something to trigger the design bug.
Esteban / DESIGN
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POLA ADDICT / Vera Biryukova
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Vera Biryukova / POLA ADDICT Top 5 : Artist : - Henri Toulouse-Lautrec - Picasso - Antony Gormley’s - Andy Warhol - Steve Harrington
Band/musician : - Sigur Ros - Jose Gonzalez - New Order - Stone Roses - Air
Website : - cpluv.net - theserif.net - fffound.com - madethought.com - fieldsofall.com
Brand : - Diesel - Nike - MTV - Adidas - Factory Records Drink : - Water - Strawberry Milk - Lucozade Original - Newcastle Brown Ale - Tea
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POLA ADDICT / Vera Biryukova
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Vera Biryukova / POLA ADDICT
core member KDU
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DESIGN / ValpNow
ITW with VALPNOW. Can you introduce you ? I’m self taught graphic designer and illustrator, working as freelancer in print and web media. 27 years old, located in Poland. Working for few years decided to go full time freelance in June 2007. Always want to find my own path in this field, with joy and passion. I love this job ! How did you became a graphic designer and what was your very first influence ? I used to play with computers, games and being interested in everything around that. Starting from Commodore and so on, but while got PC I was experimenting with software and stumbled over Photoshop (4.0). I didn’t think about graphic design at all, just want to play around and fascination began to grow up while I was feeding it more and more. Today what is your most important inspiration ? I’m trying to be inspired by imagination – it may sounds very general but I really do. Music, movies, fashion and 50 | DIGITAL TEMPLE MAGAZINE
Vera Biryukova / POLA ADDICT
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POLA ADDICT / Vera Biryukova
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ValpNow / DESIGN
«
You want inspirations, take a look into fashion magazine, there are lot of crazy connections.
»
indoor design – everything just creative and somehow connected to graphic design. For example I always draw attention into film titles, which can be absolutely brilliant. And more : always stuck in store to catch some outstanding cd covers – I’m buying some of them just because of intriguing cover. You want inspirations – take a look into fashion magazine, there are lot of crazy connections – everything says me “experiment”. Can you explain us your way of work ? I like running, going for a long walk and think a lot. Almost all ideas born while I am doing something else. It seems very traditional, if I say « sitting in front of computer and drawing/designing » but that’s also part of the process. Besides that I am always trying to experiment with something new but also found what I can do best and mix it both into one. Where do you find your ideas on a project ? There is no rule. Often I got an idea or few for one project and can’t decide which one is better but also can stuck with no clues what’s next. I hate that feeling, it makes DIGITAL TEMPLE MAGAZINE | 53
POLA ADDICT / Vera Biryukova
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Vera Biryukova / POLA ADDICT
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DESIGN / ValpNow
me feel retarded (laugh). But that’s true, it happens. Anyway I’m always saving images if find something inspiring. Next, while making preparations for new project, take a look into them and mark those which are somehow connected to current work. What will be the next step of creation tomorrow, what will be the new rules in your opinion ? I am not sure if there are any rules. I mean I believe (graphic) design is very spontaneous and it’s brilliant. I’m really looking forward to see how all media mix up all over again and again. Like in fashion, where current trends draws something from past years/decades. Tell us your best crazy experience ever on a work ? I don’t know which one is most crazy, almost every last project seems to be most crazy ever. What will be the best work that you dream to create ? Fashion, music, movies, games. Everything creative and challenging ! 56 | DIGITAL TEMPLE MAGAZINE
Vera Biryukova / POLA ADDICT
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POLA ADDICT / Vera Biryukova
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Vera Biryukova / POLA ADDICT
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DESIGN / ValpNow
What is the feeling that you want to communicate in your global work ? Spontaneous, spectacular and outstanding beautiful images. To feed your eyes and mind. I want my art to be positive but also intriguing and always exercising imagination. What is your artist’s leitmotiv ? Lines and polygons. I really like them, and feel it’s my way but that’s only a part of overall design which varies from project to project.
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ValpNow / DESIGN
If you have the opportunity and the choice to do a work in « UNION » with an artist, can you tell us who it will be ? Scott Hansen. Have you got other projects ? Currently none. Your latest words ? Thanks for interviewing me, it was a pleasure. Wish good luck for the crew and all readers !
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DESIGN / ValpNow
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ValpNow / DESIGN
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DESIGN / ValpNow
Top 5: Artists : - Scott Hansen - Dj Shadow - Jonathan Carroll - Clint Eastwood - et plein d’autres ...
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Band/Musician : - DJ Shadow - DJ Krush - Amon Tobin - Alice in Chains - Goldfrapp
ValpNow / DESIGN
Website : - ffffound.com - cpluv.com - google.com - designyoutrust.com - fwatheater.com
Drink : - water - coffee - orange juce - coca cola light - green tea
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POLA ADDICT / Vera Biryukova
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Vera Biryukova / POLA ADDICT
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POLA ADDICT / Vera Biryukova
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Vera Biryukova / POLA ADDICT
core member KDU
MWM GRAPHICS Art for the pleasure.
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PAINTING / MWM Graphics
ITW with MWM GRAPHICS. Please introduce yourself to our readers. My name is Matt W. Moore and I run my studio, MWM Graphics. I am currently based in Portland, Maine, but I have traveled extensively in the last 10 years. I work across disciplines, everything from traditional graphic design to vector illustration to traditional painting to graffiti and beyond. My goal is to always explore new ideas and techniques. I don’t want my work and style to ever fit into a simple category. I believe « Range is conducive to growth ».
How did you get involved in the design world ? Design has always been my path. Even my oldest sketchbooks from high school are filled with “graphic” drawings and doodles. I was fortunate to be in the right place at the right time, and had the opportunity to design lots of stuff before I learned the programs. Tees, CD covers, logos, flyers, zines… anything I thought would be fun. Later, I went to college for graphic design and new media. This education prepared me for the design and illustration jobs I have had. 70 | DIGITAL TEMPLE MAGAZINE
What is the main concept that you wish to convey in your work ? Wow, this is a tough question. Just as I like to work across disciplines, I also like to work across the spectrum of messages. Much of my work is very abstract, colorful, and psychedelic. My illustration work is very loud and intricate, funky style. I guess the “main concept” behind everything I do is to expose another way of seeing things, A fun, twisted, scrambled reality. There have various creative roles including gallery artist, screen printer, art director, publisher and many more ; how did you find the balance among these roles in your creating ? Each role I have had was an opportunity to crosspollinate skills and ideas from the last. It is almost impossible to learn how to do stuff without immersing oneself in it. Since I have always wanted to do my own tees, my own books, and my own projects, it was a natural step to work jobs where I could learn how the process works from the inside. The balance comes from having an understanding of how each process works. I
MWM Graphics / PAINTING
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PAINTING / MWM Graphics
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MWM Graphics / PAINTING
«
I have a reocurring dream of walking on a beach and all the beautiful women are wearing bikinis with my designs on them.
»
am always trying to push myself out of my comfort zone and try new things. It has helped me broaden my skill set, and look at things from a fresh perspective. You also publish a book of personal illustration work each winter ; any special reason makes you keeping this mission done ? I do a series every winter called B/W Bangers. It is a 100% personal, 100% analog art project where I have fun exploring new ideas away from the computer. Art for fun, not for client, no rules, no timelines, no feedback. I’m always working on a series of personal work, but B/W Bangers is something I look forward to because I have told myself it will always be paint and ink. No computer. A great way to stay close to my love of illustration and handmade art. I also think it is important to have a cohesive project that spans my lifetime. A visual autobiography that explores my new ideas and visual vocabulary. Is there any career type that you would like to try or do except design and art ?
So many things I would love to do ! I want to build things. Sculptures, tile mosaics, furniture. I really want to do more work in fashion and textiles. I have a reoccurring dream of walking on a beach and all the beautiful women are wearing bikinis with my “vectorfunk” designs on them. Could you describe your work process ? It varies. Sometimes I am very calculated, and work a traditional process of sketching, exploring, and refining. Other times, I just go at the blank canvas and let things happen organically. It really depends on whether there is a brief, or if it is a client asking me to “be me and do what I think would be great”. Generally, I don’t noodle around too much. I am the type to do three versions rather than spending the same amount of time tweaking one version. What goes through your mind when you’re creating ? Good question. Sometimes it is like I’m meditating almost, because it is so calming to be doing what I love to do. And the things I am pondering and decisions I am
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PAINTING / MWM Graphics
making are my intuitions and aesthetics. I am always listening to music too, so part of my mind is always engaged in the rhythm and lyrics of the track. What would it be when friends talk about you (your character) ? Dedicated. Unique. Integrity. Optimist. Compassionate. Hustler… I hope these are things my friends would say of me (laugh). How does your family think of your career as being a designer ? They are very proud. Being a professional artist and designer is a long up-hill-hustle. It isn’t easy, and everyone knows it. They have always been supportive and they are very proud to see me doing well, living my dream. Could you please share a memorable creating experience you had with us ? I recently had the honor of working with Citroen in the
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UK on a really fun campaign for their cars. The campaign highlights ways we can be “green” without spending lots. So, it was not just highlighting their 70 MPG cars, it was also reminding us of easy ways to save energy and be positive earthlings. It is always great to be hired to do fun jobs that are good for the world. This project was also great because it forced me to try new things. I was asked to do very detailed “vectorfunk” style illustrations of the cars, light bulbs, clothes pins, batteries, etc. The artworks had to be very realistic and consistent with the support photos, but they also had to be very fun and stylized in hypercolor. It was a blast. Which artists or people do you admire most ? Why ? So many “big brothers” and “big sisters” in the art and design world. I have been fortunate to get to know hundreds of super talented creative people in my travels and affiliations. The KDU is the strongest group of designers, my graffiti crew WUT are some of the best muralists and illustrators, ROJO has an amazing network of artists, Depthcore represents an amazing sector of digital illustrators, the list goes on. In recent
MWM Graphics / PAINTING
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POLA ADDICT / Vera Biryukova
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Vera Biryukova / POLA ADDICT
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PAINTING / MWM Graphics
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MWM Graphics / PAINTING
years I have started to follow fashion and architecture more. I am always inspired by the innovations happening in these disciplines. I hope my path leads me further into these realms. What new projects are you working on currently and what’s the next big thing ? So many plates spinning right now, I don’t know where to begin. Currently I am working on a few massive installations for retail stores, a couple gallery shows on the horizon, a bunch of commercial illustration jobs, a couple websites, logos, tee graphics… so much stuff. A very busy time in my studio for sure. This summer I am also trying to return my focus to canvas painting. New ideas, really big. If you have the opportunity and the choice to do a work in « UNION » with an artist, can you tell us who it will be ? I have always been a huge fan of Bob Parington’s work. I respect his drive to work across disciplines and he is always on point with his executions. It would be a
really exciting collaboration if we could take a three day weekend and create something that was the sum of our crazy ideas. Maybe a sculpture with a mural on it, maybe a 3D life-size chess board, a crop circle... Who knows. It would be a blast. Where do you see in the future ? I just want to stay busy and inspired. Always trying new things and always staying balanced between art, design and illustration. Hopefully more fashion projects, massive murals, new techniques and disciplines, and much more travel. What words of wisdom do you have for anyone interested in entering the world of the illustration ? Do “you”. Be your own artist, develop your own style, make your work with the intention of having anyone that sees it say “oh, this is definitely so-and-so’s work”. Be original. And be a good businessperson. Half of this hustle is business, networking, communicating. Being a great dude to work with will always be an important factor in long-term success.
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PAINTING / MWM Graphics
Top 5 : Artist : - MC Escher - Doze Green - Picasso - Rime - Banksy
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Band/musician : - Aesop Rock - Jay-Z - Bob Marley - Bob Dylan - Grateful Dead
MWM Graphics / PAINTING
Website : - FormatMag.com - PSFK.com - TheKDU.com - Rojo-Magazine.com - CPLUV.com
Brand : - New Balance - Apple - Burton - Mercedes - Google
Drink : - Fresh OJ - Strong Coffee - Organic Cola - Dark Beer - Water
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POLA ADDICT / Vera Biryukova
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Vera Biryukova / POLA ADDICT
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POLA ADDICT / Vera Biryukova
View Artist’s Videos on www.digital-temple.com
LAUNDRY!
Motion Metaphor.
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core member KDU
Vera Biryukova / POLA ADDICT
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MOTION / Laundry!
ITW with LAUNDRY! Can you introduce you ? My name is PJ Richardson from Laundry! in Los Angeles, California. We are a Design, illustration, and motion graphics company. Our studio combines a team of people passionate about media and moving images, lead by myself and Anthony Liu. How did you become videomakers and what was your very first influence ? I came into in with a design and art background, and Anthony through film. Some of our earliest influences were from the late 90s when Kyle Cooper was making his mark in film title design, especially the SE7EN titles. At the same time, design and motion work out of England from Neville Brody to Why Not Associates, Chris Cunningham and the Designers Republic were inspirational, but i really gravitated towards Tomato and the Underworld collaborations to push me into doing motion. Their experimentations were instrumental to me because it proved you could make moving imagery that was interesting without pedaling a product and still get peoples attention, it was a breakthrough for me 86 | DIGITAL TEMPLE MAGAZINE
to see that and revealed that I could almost bring the personal quality of art for arts sake to motion graphics. Today what is your most important inspiration ? Today ? I think my most important influences are family and co-workers on a day to day basis. A lot of visual inspiration comes from both high fashion and streetwear brands for visuals and cultural references, as well as fine art. We really enjoy the technical aspect of more visual effects driven projects to inspire stories we come up with as well. Generally without giving too much away we really get inspired by things in life that are very hard to achieve or get your hands on mostly because they aren’t easily copied because of it. Originality to us isn’t always about doing something completely new from scratch but doing it so well that its not easily are obviously mimicked across many boards. What is Laundry!, can you tell us a little bit more about it ? Laundry! was a humorous metaphor we came up for ironing out out and washing out stinky ideas and
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MOTION / Laundry!
concepts and making them very presentable. What we are cleaning up depends on the story and concept. Can you explain us your way of work ? Lately, we start every job writing concepts down in words that we share with each other. we brainstorm with each other and see what everyone else thinks and if it sounds like a promising concept we go into making designs and storyboards for it. Usually here we determine which of those ideas were good or bad, as sometimes it sounds a lot cooler written than when it is an image. A lot of the time we will build 3d, or 2d or take photos or make stop animation scenes in this phase so should they like it most of the elements are ready to go into animation with minor tweaks. From here we run these storyboards and concepts by
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clients, and if they pick one we either revise the idea or take it into doing animation tests. from the animation test we basically go through a bunch of rounds of revisions until we get to a final piece. Sometimes the clients are paid but sometimes they are us. Where do you find your ideas on a project ? Creatively, I collect a lot of imagery and graphics, either found magazines, objects, music, or links on the internet. Im always feeding the pot of stuff I like as I often come back to certain things later on for inspiration.
What will be the next step of motion design tomorrow, what will be the new rules in you opinion ? I don’t think there are any new rules in fact I think its sort of the opposite in that the rules that might have once existed are probably way more blurred. Motion
Laundry! / MOTION
studios are doing full on character animations for game trailers for instance, or special effects for movies, or audio visuals for concerts. There’s been chatter that motion graphics or commercials or trailers are a dying breed, but I think it is very far from that. As long as there is the internet, and as long as there is a moving image format like quicktime for instance, we are and will be very actively employed. We are doing exactly what we were doing 10 years ago but instead of our final project playing only on TV it plays on iphones and web browsers and on projections in times square, the only major difference is the computers are getting much faster as tools to help us realize our ideas on a much larger scale faster.
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POLA ADDICT / Vera Biryukova
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MOTION / Laundry!
«
I was [...] with the director Jonas Akerland in a pool with a bunch of hot swedish girls swimming around in South Beach Miami.
»
«
»
There is always a solution to find.
Tell us your best crazy experience ever on a work ?
your global work ?
I once had a creative meeting about doing film title animations for a film about Madonna with the director Jonas Akerlund in a pool with a bunch of hot swedish girls swimming around in South Beach Miami. It really didnt matter how well it came out after that ha! he ended up being one of the coolest dudes in the world to work with.
All the usual stuff, originality, and executing with excellence. When it pertains to clients I think we aim to make the most innovative work that makes our clients happy and successfully sells itself. In regards to our personal work we aim to simply get a reaction of awe from the viewer. What is your artist’s leitmotiv ?
What will be the best video that you dream to create ? Our long term goal is to move to longer form pieces either short films for animation or features for live action down the road. We have found we write a lot and put a lot of words behind what we come up with so it has become a natural extension to eventually go that direction. I have also had a revival of dark electronic music (like drum and bass) inspiration lately, it would be great to get into more abstract music videos within that realm. A dream would be to bring a William Gibson novel like Neuromancer to life. What is the feeling that you want to communicate in 92 | DIGITAL TEMPLE MAGAZINE
Our leitmotiv is to never do anything twice, both design and animation wise, and to always tell a story or solve a design problem or both. Even when the projects are completely open ended theres always a challenge and always a solution or many solutions to find. Have you got other projects ? We recently finished a big campaign for Wrigley’s gum, of which we made a Doublemint, Juicyfruit and Big Red gum commercial. We recently designed and illustrated a Mountain Dew soda bottle, which you can view at greenlabelart.com under PJ Richardson. We also just
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MOTION / Laundry!
finished up some animations for Nike, and are starting some new ones for some of their in-store displays. If you have the opportunity and the choice to do a work in « UNION » with an artist, can you tell us who it will be ? This is complicated for me because there are so many people, projects and things I respect, and for many different reasons I would like to participate with them. I’ll give you a short list though with a brief reason why. - Nigo of Bape or Hiroshi Fujiwara / I love what both of these guys seperately represent of fashion and culture in Japan, and though motion graphics doesn’t exactly overlap with what they do, if there was a way to collaborate, I would be very excited to do so if nothing but for their taste and excellence in their craft and vision. - Sergei Eisenstein / Simply this man is where it began for me in regards to film and motion graphics in its most 94 | DIGITAL TEMPLE MAGAZINE
pure story telling form. I would be too nervous to be able to collaborate with him, but would love to sit down for a long afternoon over tea and pick his brain about all kinds of crazy ideas and thoughts. - Kaws / I have been collecting Kaws stuff for ages from his glow in the dark toy to the Poo screen print that happily sits outside my bathroom to his first edition chompsta collab. with Bathing Ape. I love the Simpson’s inspired approach to his illustrations, it lends itself so well top animation and I would love to find a way to collaborate to find a narrative to bring those characters to life! - Murakami / I think this ones pretty obvious as to why I would want to collaborate. - Louis Vuitton - they are pretty far from the brand aesthetic that we are known for, but the pure elegance and classic quality is so timeless and beautiful. I would love to make a film bringing that to life.
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MOTION / Laundry!
Your latest words ? I just got back from my first real vacation in years, for once I don’t have a ton to say, except that we are still stoked to make new and different projects and to constantly evolve. The longer I work in motion and film related media the more exciting it gets !
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Laundry! / MOTION
Top 5 : Artist : - Andy Warhol - Kaws - Murakami
Brand : - Visvim - Louis Vuitton - Marc Jacobs - Marahishi - Adidas
Band/Musician : -The Fugees - The Almighty Ghostface Killah - Midnight Juggernauts - DJ Krush - A Tribe Called Quest
Website : - honeyee.com - break.com - google.com - wikipedia.com - hypebeast.com
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PHIL TOLEDANO
When the Light comes down.
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PHOTOGRAPHY / Phil Toledano
ITW with PHIL TOLEDANO. Can you introduce you ? My name is Phillip Toledano, I’m an artist, living in new york. I grew up in London, and Casablanca, and have been in America for about 14 years. How did you became a photographer and what was your very first influence ? I’ve taken photos since i was 11 or 12. I suppose my first influence was my father, who is an artist, and after that, the photographer Bill Brandt (my father had a book of his work, and I’d look at it, as a child). 102 | DIGITAL TEMPLE MAGAZINE
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Phil Toledano / PHOTOGRAPHY
«
»
I have no idea. It’s like asking : Where does air come from ?
Today what is your most important inspiration ? Everything that surrounds me. If you’re awake and looking, that’s all the inspiration you need. Can you explain us your way of work ? I tend to work on a few ideas at once, and once I’m finished with an idea, I don’t look back. Where do you find your ideas on a project ? I have no idea. It’s like asking « Where does air come from ? ».
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PHOTOGRAPHY / Phil Toledano
What will be the next step of creation tomorrow, what will be the new rules in your opinion ? The new rules are the same as the old rules , the work is good, or it isn’t, the work is new, or it isn’t. Tell us your best crazy experience ever on a work ? That’s very hard to answer. The best experience is when a project is well received, even if it’s years later. What will be the best work that you dream to create ? I don’t really have a dream project. There are things I’d like to do, but I’m not sure they have anything to do with art, like go into space. That’s been a dream since I was a child. 108 | DIGITAL TEMPLE MAGAZINE
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Phil Toledano / PHOTOGRAPHY
If you have the opportunity and the choice to do a work in « UNION » with an artist, can you tell us who it will be ? Well, if it was ANY artist, I’d say picasso, because he was interested in EVERYTHING. What is the feeling that you want to communicate in your global work ? The feeling depends on the project. Each idea I work on is specific to itself. What is your artist’s leitmotiv ? I suppose I’m interested in sociology, and politics, in DIGITAL TEMPLE MAGAZINE | 113
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PHOTOGRAPHY / Phil Toledano
the way we are, and the way we’d like to be Have you got other projects ? Yes ! I’m working on something to do with plastic surgery, and I’ve just launched a new site with sculptural pieces I’ve had made. It’s called AMERICA THE GIFT SHOP. The idea is : If American foreign policy had a gift shop, what would it sell ? 116 | DIGITAL TEMPLE MAGAZINE
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Phil Toledano / PHOTOGRAPHY
Top 5 : Artist : - Edward Hopper - Henri Rousseau - Vermeer Website : - Digg - Boingboing - Arts and Letters Brand : - I don’t really like brands very much. I don’t want to advertise someone else’s ideas. Drink : - Water - Peach Juice DIGITAL TEMPLE MAGAZINE | 121
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MUSIC / Ben Frost
BEN FROST Theory of Machines. Review. This time it’s for a review for DT. They ask me to listen and write an article about Ben Frost. He is a musician, an artist, an australian productor, based in Island and he made an EP « Theory of Machines. ». They give me the cd and they say me : « Do something for us ! ». First listening … first questions … It’s frosty, hypnotic and enveloping. Generally, when I listen music, I play it loudly. With Ben Frost, I’m suddenly surrounded by a sort of sound cover with all actual asperities. All these aspects lay on a frequency in adequation with ourselves, with our planet. 5 tracks and 38 minutes 42 seconds later, I’m hurt. Appeasement and suffering are coming in my mind for a first listening of the music of Ben Frost. Indeed, he gives us a ticket for an oniric journey. We are listening sounds of our world. His music can hurt you by its frankness. The author gives the impression of an awarness man who listens all sounds. I must take a break and listen it later for a new approach. This disk tired me or maybe was just a little 126 | DIGITAL TEMPLE MAGAZINE
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MUSIC / Ben Frost
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Ben Frost / MUSIC
«
I can write a lot of adjectives : epic, lively, wide, imposing, psychotic.
bit to testing (personal note : this guy must be a fan of Terminator when he was young). Second listening … or maybe second day … This time I know that the journey of Ben Frost needs a lot of attention. This guy is really meticulous. I made my inquiry – post minimalism. Personally, I would say « Sound Fields » for the reference of « Color Fields » from Mark Rothko. It’s easy, I put the cd and close my eyes and the imagination does the rest. I fly above mountains and a second later I’m claustrophobic. Every sound, every tone can be stressful (electronic bip for example). This structure is a strange and a complex sound’s architecture. For introduction, Ben Frost and his « Theory of Machines. » give me an opera with a perfect acoustic but some strange sounds are present like sizzling, crackling, perturbations. Some of these sounds are maybe too present in our personal playlist but these sound transport us near an ultra comtempory world,
»
electronic and chaotic. I can write a lot of adjectives : epic, lively, wide, imposing, psychotic. These adjectives define this EP. « Stomp » is eloquent. « We love you Michael Gira » is a minimalist groove, a heart’s beat with some rock influencies, maybe punk. Tyler Durden incarnates this two tracks. « Coda » completes the cd with an extrem saturated rock with its fury of a Pixies’ live or a concert of Robert Smith on his « pornography » tour. There is genius and madness. Finally « Forgetting you is like breathing water» calms down. An emotional acoustic and a full of humanity conclude these forty minutes of the journey. This EP is strange, coherent and very rock. From the sweetness to the sadness, a sort of an electronic « Spleen ». Third day …
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MUSIC / Ben Frost
time that « Coda » is in repeat mode. I have class this EP between « Velvet Underground & Nico » and UFO from « The Orb ». I estime theses two albums, Ben Frost is in a good place. For a conclusion, Ben Frost had signed a real UFO with « Theory of Machines. ». This a collection of punk rock and electronic, an Avant-garde. He is not a simple productor and musician, he is a real contempory artist. This man listen us. His production is a reflection, his reflection. Introspective, his approach is sensitive, refined. This is his way to show us a neurotic and automatic world.
Thank you for this journey Mr. Frost.
Review by Leftism.
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ILLUSTRATION / Si Scott
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Si Scott / ILLUSTRATION
View Artist’s Videos on www.digital-temple.com www.digital-temple.com
core member KDU
SI SCOTT
Secret of Drawning.
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ILLUSTRATION / Si Scott
A look at SI SCOTT. Si Scott Studio was established early 2006. The studio specializes in a unique blend of hand inked and penned design with a mix of modern & traditional typography which has seen the studio gain a large and prestigious ever growing client list. Working on a variety of projects including design, illustration & art direction for a wide range of clients including – Hugo Boss, Volvo, Audi, Pentagram, Miller, Nike, Guinness, Orange, MTV, The BBC, Non – Format, Tiffany’s & Audi. The Studio has also had worked featured and been profiled in Creative Review, Grafik, IDN, Graphic International, Notion, Type-Addicted, Shift as well as many others including books. Si Scott Studio regularly exhibits & talks around the world.
This is maybe the reason of his long silence. We never had a response of our INTERVIEW. So, you can watch without a word.
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Si Scott / ILLUSTRATION
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ILLUSTRATION / Si Scott
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Si Scott / ILLUSTRATION
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POLA ADDICT / Vera Biryukova
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ILLUSTRATION / Si Scott
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Si Scott / ILLUSTRATION
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ANNIE WOODFORD The line between the past and the future.
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ART / Annie Woodford
ITW with ANNIE WOODFORD.
Can you introduce you ? I am a sculptor and printmaker who studied at the Royal College of Art in London. In 2008, I won the Bronze Award in the Taiwan International Ceramics CompetitionHow did you become a designer and what was your very first influence ? I knew I wanted to be an artist when I was a small child and I could paint and draw well when I was very young. The first influence I can remember was when I was a teenager and I just loved the graphic work of Roger Dean. Today what is your most important inspiration ? Time and the concept of hidden universes - hidden worlds. 152 | DIGITAL TEMPLE MAGAZINE
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Annie Woodford / ART
«
I see more collaborations happening between artists and scientists.
»
Can you explain us your way of work ? Well I travel a great deal so that I can experience other cultures and landscapes. In addition, I read many books and visit museums. From that I receive new influences All the time and these are married with my enduring interests and new ideas are formed. I try to make sure I draw every day. Once I begin making something, I work intuitively and quite fast. What will be the next step of creation tomorrow, what will be the new rules in your opinion ? I think filmmaking has always been and will always be the most effective way to reach people. The very best films speak of the great issues – life, death and mankind’s origins. In addition, I see more collaborations happening between artists and scientists. Tell us your best crazy experience ever on a work ? I was once finishing an important piece of work while my house and studio were being flooded. DIGITAL TEMPLE MAGAZINE | 155
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ART / Annie Woodford
What will be the best work that you dream to create ? An installation in the Musee Quai Branly – one of my favourite museums in the world. If you have the opportunity and the choice to do a work in « UNION », can you tell us who it will be ? I would like to collaborate with Martin Puyear the American sculptor. What is the feeling that you want to communicate in your global work ? Control, concealed danger, mankind’s destruction of nature, mystery. What is your artist’s leitmotiv ? « A fine line divides the past from the future » Have you got other projects ? I am going on a study trip to Japan and then on to New Zealand to study the blue ice on the Franz Josef glacier 158 | DIGITAL TEMPLE MAGAZINE
Annie Woodford / ART
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ART / Annie Woodford
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Annie Woodford / ART
Your latest words ? I am very interested in ice cores and frozen places so my next work will involve those ideas. Also making pieces appear to be floating in space. DIGITAL TEMPLE MAGAZINE | 163
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ART / Annie Woodford
Top 5 : Artist : Sir Eduardo Paolozzi Yves Tanguy JMW Turner Frances Bacon Tony Cragg Band/musician : David Bowie Mum (Icelandic Band) Satie Phillip Glass Mark Ronson Website : Royal College of Art : www.rca.ac.uk Iceland Review : www.icelandreview.com British Antarctic Survey : www.antarctica.ac.uk Nathalie Doyen : www.nathaliedoyen.be Stanton Hunter : www.stantonhunter.com 166 | DIGITAL TEMPLE MAGAZINE
Annie Woodford / ART
Brand : Tod’s shoes VW Karman Ghia cars Mulberry Handbags Georg Jensen jewellery Moleskin notebooks Drink : Coffee Lime Daiquiri New Zealand Sauvignon Blanc Fresh Mango Juice Fresh Carrot Juice
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core member KDU
SRULI RECHT Beauty is context.
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FASHION / Sruli Recht
ITW with SRULI RECHT. Can you introduce you ? Currently Sruli Recht. 29 Reykjavík North Atlantic. I am very easily bored, and hungry for new things all the time. My own blood gets on everything I make. How did you became a fashion designer and what was your very first influence ? By accident – in the finally years of high school I was doing a graphic design project for a store in Melbourne affiliated with the Rave Movement My very first and still current influence comes from cyberpunk and the future. So the futurism of Rave clothing was a very early expression of that. As it was, the first clothes I designed and made were for that store in 1997.
I made a switch from fine art to design around 18. I wanted to study Industrial Design in mid-high school but I was not let in due to not being neat enough. So I went over into fine art more. After some time it was obvious to me I liked things too much. Material possession and objects always connected me to the real world. Grounded me. Around that age it seemed a living could be made from the accidents of my hands and head. Today what is your most important inspiration ? There could never be just one. It can change by the hour. Change, innovation and the future. Challenge. The impossible. Limitation. Need. Accidentally realising what is missing in my world. Can you tell us a little bit more about your name ? It is and Anglosized version of my Hebrew birth name. I was born under one name, and it changed a few times when i was young as we travelled. It translates to Israel, or to be o from Israel, ‘Israelite’.
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Sruli Recht / FASHION
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FASHION / Sruli Recht
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Sruli Recht / FASHION
«
Design is a perversion of the natural current order ... designer are pervets.
»
Can you explain us your way of work ? It’s all about making things that people didn’t know they needed – but now can’t live without. New products allow you to experience life in a new way. I make ‘non-products,’ reproducible things that have a place and a function. They are in essence special and with a humorous subtext. Mostly the style is a reflection of the processes that are employed to make each product. It is geometric, levelled, functional and composed… like a home or small world. The style that has been developing in here recently is influenced by utilising natural products in a computerassisted world. We call it “Robo-Coco” - Technology mediated design, not achievable by hand tooling alone. So we have been using the terms Robo-Coco and NeoDandy. You could call it those depending on whether you wear it or sit on it.
It seems Product design in the modern day is taking the role of Social Commentary once found in art. It aims to describe the relationship between man and his environment, the event horizon of need function and desire. Product design is very personal; it is an insight into the lives of people - solid trace elements of purchase, purpose and action... reproduced for man’s unique idiosyncratic compulsions, obsessions and identity. Design is a perversion of the natural current order… designers are perverts, always tinkering and testing limits and new ways. Where do you find your ideas on a project ? Necessity. It is almost always things I need, or things I see missing. What will be the next step of fashion design tomorrow, what will be the new rules in your opinion ? The next step will be a more intimate integration of soft technology Cross-disciplinary design is picking up
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FASHION / Sruli Recht
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Sruli Recht / FASHION
«
If there is any one thing we have learned from the dinosaurs it is that over specialisation will limit your ability to adapt and cause early redundancy.
»
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FASHION / Sruli Recht
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Sruli Recht / FASHION
and will become a norm Rules. I don’t believe in rules. Rules are inhibitive in the design process. There are no rules to evolution. You need to think and respond like a cage fighter. For example, graphic artists can employ skilled professionals from other disciplines to develop work on their projects and bring designs into being. In that way you see the opening up fields for pretty much anyone to do anything. Essentially your skill set and communication ability is all that is important in this world mediated by the Internet and digitised personalities. The more readily you can convey your idea, the more fluid your transition will be from one medium to another. I think the point is that there are less and less rules. If there is any one thing we have learned from the dinosaurs it is that over specialisation will limit your ability to adapt and cause early redundancy… most often exemplified in Moore’s Law.
Tell us your best crazy experience ever on a work ? Mmm… During the making of the Unfurl Holograms, I pushed hard on the garments, quite literally going days with no sleep. On the day of the shoot I was coughing up mouthfuls blood, but refused to go the hospital till it was complete – my walls of my lungs had torn and were filling slowly... What will be the best work that you dream to create ? Space suits. Clothing for Robots Right now I am working with CCP Games on Virtual Reality clothing and new theories of its intellectual economics. What is the feeling that you want to communicate in your global work ? Change.
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FASHION / Sruli Recht
What is your artist’s leitmotiv ? Is a good question. I’m not sure I know the answer yet. There is a consistence of a darker irony and a visual rhythm in each piece… and often an abstraction and experimentation with new technologies for use in mundane mediums. Have you got other projects ? I do. Actually just now we just posted a typeface set made with Jarred Ebehardt [www.wearenotyou.com] Our glasses collaboration with Oliver Goldsmith is close to finish, collection two of the shoe line is under way, as well as a crossover limited edition samstarfí with Ben Frost - dark wolf of electronic composition [www. ethermachines.com]. The photographer’s pen is near completion as well… mmm yep. And the production of the Umbuster is beginning. Yes, there are new projects, always new projects. We are releasing a three meter long pleated skarf on our webstore this week for winter. Your latest words ? Beauty is context Design is a perversion of the natural order Designers are perverts 180 | DIGITAL TEMPLE MAGAZINE
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Sruli Recht / FASHION
Top 5 : Artist : [in Alphabetical order] I take it here that art is a given in any creative field. - Frederic Molenac - Rebeca Mendez - Alexander Rodchenko - Bruce Sterling - Moritz Waldemeyer Band/musician : [in a relatively particular order]
Website : [in no particular order]
According to my lastfm page apparently they are something like - Ben Frost [bedroom community] - Leonard Cohen - Atmosphere - Bob Dylan - Nick Drake
Each morning, instead of reading what killed who and where, I read design site feeds like - Better Living Through Design - Design boom - Megan Herbert - Samantha west - Lucy and Bart Brand : [in no particular order] Dear friends and respected colleagues - Alexander Fielden - Saskia Diez - Kei Kegami - Oliver Goldsmith - Marloes Ten Bhomer Drink : [in a particular order] - Water - Laphroac Whisky - Apple Juice - Japanese Brown Rice Tea - Coke in a glass bottle from Iceland
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core member KDU
YOUNG MEAGHER Co-Inspiration.
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FASHION / Young Meagher
ITW with YOUNG MEAGHER. Can you introduce you ? My name is Liam Maher. By the time this is published I’ll be working as head of design at Jason Denham’s new label, DENHAM in Amsterdam. But, I think my connection to Digital Temple comes via my status as a « core member » of the Key Stone Design Union (KDU) and the exposure my own Young Meagher project (and the Militant Guild of Rural Tailors) has received partly as a result of my affiliation with the KDU and Behance. How did you became a graphic designer and what was your very first influence ? I’m not a graphic designer. I guess I don’t really know what I am. I studied painting and fashion back in American during my art-school days. I worked as a stage-technician when I was young which maybe got me interested in a sort of story-telling but I went on from there to work as a window designer, fashion stylist, and eventually ran the global creative departments at The Timberland Company and Burton Snowboards. I’ve been called a creative director, design director and occasionally just « a pretentious asshole ». I’m enough 188 | DIGITAL TEMPLE MAGAZINE
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of a jack-of-all-trades that I can evoke an impression pretty quickly and pretty effectively but if I had to pick one discipline I most enjoy it is definitely working directly with garments. Today what is your most important inspiration ? Like Paul Smith has famously said, «you can find inspiration in anything». I think that’s true. Right now I’m fascinated by the simple but profound notion of QUALITY. I see different trends like Steam-Punk and Otaku Culture arriving at new higher-degrees of quality from different angles. Taking different roads to the same destination. I think it’s a good thing. Whether it’s the inventive fantasy and nostalgia of Steam-Punk or the uber-cool understatement of the Ura-Haru brands it’s very inspiring to see this surge in interest regarding fundamental quality. I also get pretty switched-on by movies. I’m a big fan of TCM. -And archival photography. I just bought a 5-volume set of work by August Sander for 100 euros. That’s pretty cheap even if it were measured by the 192 | DIGITAL TEMPLE MAGAZINE
pound. Great great stuff between those book jackets but carrying them to the car-park was a nightmare. Can you explain us your way of work ? There was once this concept of the «the Tinker». There’s a famous rhyme that starts out; «Tinker, Tailor, BeggarMan, Thief». That’s an accurate description of my own process (if you can call it that). Tinkering makes me think of the idea of INVENTION. Not super hightech like the more mainstream and overused concept of innovation, but more down-to-earth. Just fiddling around trying to solve a problem in a new way. A tinker or inventor. -But I like the tools of the Tailor as well. And, besides being a beggar-man, I’m a big Thief. I talk a lot about the idea of COINSPIRATION. It’s the idea of individuals who are part of a scene pushing each other to improve their work. You see it happen in board sports all the time. Guys in a halfpipe pushing each other to outdo each other’s best trick. I think design works that way too. If you’re working in the scene you get inspired by other people’s work. Copying isn’t cool (don’t boost steez) but picking up on a concept and pushing it further
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«
In women’s fashion it’s more acceptable to start towards an idea with a loose focus on a feeling or an emotional tone.
»
than the last guy, that’s who our shared tradition will progress. It’s co-inspiration.
Joseph Corre of A Child of the Jago... at least people like this that I interact with are interested in a fusion of QUALITY, NARRATIVE and PROVOCATION.
Where do you find your ideas on a project ? Besides working in functional mens-dominated fashion I’ve also spent several years in female fashion. This has given me a greater comfort level with the idea of starting with an ATMOSPHERE. In women’s fashion it’s more acceptable to start towards an idea with a loose focus on a feeling or an emotional tone. A quality of light, a temperature, a mood associated with a particular time and place. In parallel to this I’m a big people watcher (Thief) and amateur inventor (Tinker), so I’l be inspired to work out new details or technical elements that may either compliment or contrast the initial atmosphere. What will be the next step of creation tomorrow, what will be the new rules in your opinion ? I’m not sure about an overall trend. I’m not a coolhunter so you probably shouldn’t ask me. -But, when I speak with people like Jason Denham and his crew (who I’l be joining) or David Gensler of SvSv or Barnzley/ 194 | DIGITAL TEMPLE MAGAZINE
Tell us your best crazy experience ever on a work ? I was making this « Tailor’s Crown » for Young Meagher events at the Gallery of An Ernest Cut & Sew in New York and Isetan in Tokyo. It required that I dismantle a whole bunch of tailor’s shears and «sew» them using heavy brass wire to a steel headband coated in victorian era leather. This involved drilling the steel and pushing/ pulling the wire through the assembly. As I added each pair of broken scissors to the piece, the space for me to work became smaller and smaller. And, since the space was constricted by more and more unprotected scissor blades, the shrinking space also became more and more dangerous to access. I didn’t really give a shit because I thought the thing was coming out pretty good. My wife looked over at me working and told me that my hands were bleeding. I gave myself so many scissors cuts in the process that there was blood allover the place. At first I felt a panic like I was going to get « in trouble »
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Young Meagher / FASHION
for being such an idiot. Then I remembered that I’m all grown up now and my mother (bless her) will never find out about these sorts of hi-jinx. This realization, that I was free to work stupid if I wanted to, gave me a very very good feeling inside.
The Royal crew...
I should also mention that I did an ill-fated garment design collaboration with Confederate Motorcycles last year. Before the project slid to their back-burner and our relationship cooled they invited me to spend an hour on one of their $80,000 Hellcat motorcycles. That was also a good fuk’n’ day at the office.
What is the feeling that you want to communicate in your global work ?
What will be the best work that you dream to create ? Leading up to now I’ve been lucky. I got to do something with the folks at Ernest Sewn, I did get a chance to meet the designers at Confederate Motorcycle, the folks at Visvim were very generous letting me work with them in the early days, Barnzley and Corre were kind enough to let me to contribute to their shop and magazine, I loved working with Ilan Bitton on his LEGION LA concept, I value my connection with David Gensler and his KDU/
As to the future I’m very very stoked to have hooked up with Jason and to become part of his DENHAM label. For now that dream is plenty high-enough for me.
Timeless cool. Mysterious funk. Brooding soulfulness. Intelligent humor. Modest originality. Subtle humor. Unapologetic boyishness. Hey, I’m not saying I achieve any of this, but since you asked.... What is your artist’s leitmotiv ? Fashion Revisionism. Locate only the deepest and most durable natural character inherent in the past and expose it to only the most compelling and energizing provocations of the future. The past and future owe each other that. If you have the opportunity and the choice to do a work in « UNION » with an artist, can you tell us who it will DIGITAL TEMPLE MAGAZINE | 197
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Young Meagher / FASHION
«
»
I could tell you but I’d have to kill you.
be ? David Wilson at the Museum of Jurassic Technology. Have you got other projects ? I could tell you but I’d have to kill you. Your latest words ? Not yet.
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Young Meagher / FASHION
Top 5 : Artist : Joseph Beauys Annette Messager Jurgen Bey Anish Kapoor Matthew Barney
Band/musician : The Bee Gees Scott Walker Roots Manuva Cee-Lo Green Paul Weller
Brand : DENHAM A CHILD OF THE JAGO BUZZ RICKSON WILLIAM GIBSON EDITIONS GRIFFIN PAUL HARNDEN WIM NILS SVSV MARTIN MARGIELA
Drink : I don’t.
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POLA ADDICT / Vera Biryukova
VERA BIRYUKOVA Live through yourself. I was born 12 Dec, 1985 in Moscow, Russia. I lived with my mother and my sister far from the city center, ran with boys in the yard, learned to ride a bike, my childhood was just like all the rest. Mom and my sister were not often at home, I had a family and I could watch over the old family photos, try on mother’s clothes, this was the most popular time.
I was very quiet and a shy child.
The past years, I was all the same quiet and shy. I always had a lot of thoughts that I could not express,and did not want to. At these moments I take the camera in my hands and just do selfportraits. This makes me free. Text by Vera.
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NEXT ISSUE / Sueur
NEXT ISSUE ////////////////////
SUEUR [fr] / SWEAT [eng] Sweat is the production of a fluid, consisting primarily of water as well as various dissolved solids, that is excreted by the sweat glands in the skin of mammals.
For the next Issue of DIGITAL TEMPLE, we will have a rendez-vous in the most humid places, on the strongest moments for the most hottest actions. And of course, you will always see Design, photography, motion, music. I could go on and better. Hmmm yes, I already feel the first drops of sweat dripping along my neck. ROCK’N’ROLLA !
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Digital Temple Magazine / REQUEST
REQUEST
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Keep turning it. If you appreciate Digital Temple, say it. It will be an honor to meet new readers. If you want to contact the Magazine, it’s so easy. Send us an email and we will do our best to treat your demand : dtmagazine@digital-temple.com
Artist. If you want to be published in the pages of the Magazine, you can send us a request by email. We will carefully watch your folder. The next issue, now you know it. So if you think you are the man : dtmagazine@digital-temple.com
Editor. If you want to join the team and you have a special thing when you write, if you have published books that are real Best Sellers, we can maybe do something for you. If not, you can do some crosswords : dtmagazine@digital-temple.com
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THANK you You have something to say, it’s sure. dtmagazine@digital-temple.com
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