C O VER I M AG E U N T I T L E D , 2 0 0 9 F R O M L A D Y T H I N G S B Y R O B Y N C U M M I NG
MA RC H ISSU E 20 13
dream anatomy
DREAM ANATOMY
1
F
A
I
N
T
M
A
G
A
Z
I
N
E
D R E A M A N AT O M Y M A R C H 2 0 1 3
mi c h a e l ta y l o r | ro b y n c u mmi ng | sougw en chung | al ex fi scher
d a a n ro o s e g a a rd e | ro b e rt w un | chri sti na exi e | j anti ne van peski
m ar ina m o s h k o v i c h | l u z e n a a d a ms | zac stei ni c | cri sti an di stefano | rosel l a vanon
All rights reserved. FAINT accepts no responsibility for loss or damage to material submitted for publication. The views expressed are those of the contributors and are not necessarily those of the magazine. No part of this publication may be reproduced, copied or transmitted in any form by any means without the express written permission from FAINT magazine. ISSN 1839-6208
FAINT
Alexandre Dubois Editor & Art Director editor@faintmag.com General Enquiries info@faintmag.com Submission Enquiries submission@faintmag.com Advertising Opportunities advertise@faintmag.com
Social Media www.facebook.com/faintmag www.twitter.com/faintmag
3
DREAM ANATOMY
FAINT MAGAZINE
4
SYNCHRONOUS BLOOM aaron michaels
Hair and Make-Up KATHERINE TAYLOR featuring MADISEN TAYLOR at Rise Model Management
5
DREAM ANATOMY
FAINT MAGAZINE
6
7
DREAM ANATOMY
FAINT MAGAZINE
8
9
DREAM ANATOMY
mescaline _madnes cristian di stefano
Previous Page Jacket MARTIN LAMOTHE Vest MOSCHINO Skirt VENENO DE PIEL Shoes LEVI’S Bag KOROKUM Glasses PRADA Bracalet KOROKUM Pants PINC This Page Shirt HARBORT Pants PINC Shorts PINC Shoes JUST CAVALLI Visor REEBOOK
This Page Coat ALEXIS REINA Pants PINC Shoes BURBERRY Opposite Page Skirt SITA MURT Body ZAZO&BRULL Shirt SEE by CHLOE shoes PRADA
FAINT MAGAZINE
12
13
DREAM ANATOMY
FAINT MAGAZINE
14
15
DREAM ANATOMY
M E S C A L I N E _ M A D N E S S c r e d i t s fashion editor ALEGNA MERLINO illustration EUGENIA ALEJOS hair & make up ALIZIA MORENO featuring INGRID MOE AT VIEW MANAGEMENT
Page 14 Dress ZAZO&BRULL Shoes LEVI’S Pants PINC Glasses CHANEL Bracalet KOROKUM Page 15 Skirt SITA MURT Body ZAZO&BRULL Shirt SEE by CHLOE Shoes PRADA Page 16 Pants MARTIN LAMOTHE Shirt DESIGUAL Jacket PINC Bag KOROKUM Shoes GUCCI Bracalet KOROKUM Necklace HARBORT
FAINT MAGAZINE
18
Previous Page vintage bustier worn as headpiece This Page Wig James Todorov
by Zac Steinic fashion editor James Todorov
HYPNÔSE
Jacket and Skirt Vintage Whip Clutch James Todorov Shoes ASOS FAINT MAGAZINE
20
Headpieces James Todorov (Ccustomised) Robes Vintage Brooch Shag 21
DREAM ANATOMY
Opposite Page Headpieces & Bodices James Todorov (customised) This Page Bodice Vintage Necklace stylist’s own ‘Papas Panties’ Molly Herben Shoes Kurt Geiger
FAINT MAGAZINE
24
Gown, Veil & Necklace James Todorov (customised) top Kenzo Jeans Shoes ASOS Dress James Todorov (customised)
DREAM ANATOMY
25
FAINT MAGAZINE
26
Whip Clutches James Todorov
DREAM ANATOMY
27
MICHAEL TAYLOR Infra : photography using infrared light by Michael Taylor
“The speed of light is currently regarded as a fixed constant, it’s the fastest known speed and is the constant in the relationship of energy to matter; light is thus foundational in cosmology. It is ultimately the basis of all life.”
Words and Interview Anna Horan
With ideas like these powering Michael Taylor’s vision, it is easy to see why light is the focus for his photography and the subject of a lifetime project. His images are imbued with an otherworldly quality, mirroring the primordial characteristics of light, and exploring its ability to reveal the unseen. Around 2009, Michael decided to begin Lumen – a lifetime photography project focussing on exploring various aspects of light through separate bodies of work. Each enquiry in the project “has its own process that emphasises an attribute of light.”
Bachelor of Design and a Masters in Fine Art. These degrees have all aided Michael’s study of light in some way, giving him a much more holistic perspective of light and his photography.
Light is something that seems to have always been a fascination to Michael. “I used to watch light move across the sky and land: everything was constantly transformed,” he remembers. “When [I was] young I started drawing and always loved light and shade.” At the age of 12, when he was handed his first camera, this interest in light was channeled into photography and the careful consideration the art form required. “I never viewed photography as ‘instant’ but always appreciated that planning, time, energy, light arrangement, location, people, composition etcetera, were all important to the final image,” he says.
“I have always loved abstraction and a sense of mystery. Reading holistic science – such as Goethe, Bekoff, Bohm and others – shows how phenomena should not always be reduced down to the lowest level, but that the entire phenomenon should be simultaneously viewed from many different perspectives. Although I often focus on one property of light such as refraction, diffusion, refection, colour… I always remain open to the whole phenomenon.”
“Science has always been a background,” Michael explains. “Especially the origin of the universe, life, and paradoxes. Such as light simultaneously exhibiting properties of both particles and waves. While [my studies in] design further emphasised abstraction: the reduction to pure form and colour.
But Michael’s fascination with his chosen subject goes further than just skin-deep science. His interest extends to how blind we are to it, given that it is an innate part of nature and life. “Light is primeval – the beginning of the universe was a massive flash of light – it is energy, the origin of all matter,” he says. “The vast majority of living organisms ‘see’ via light receptors imaging different wavelengths. Light is so intrinsic to our existence we often fail to really see it. I regard light as the most amazing ph ysical phenomenon in the universe.”
“Some of my first ever images were close abstracts and reflections; diffused images of my hometown in warm evening light viewed through steamed-up windows, silhouettes, images into sunlight and flares. These all emphasised the qualities of light.” Though in hindsight we can see where Michael’s interests were leading him, it was a roundabout journey in terms of his studies. First starting with a Bachelor of Zoology (and followed by a Masters in the same field), over a ten-year period Michael also obtained a
It’s for this reason that throughout history humans have associated this omnipresent agent with God, and this is something Michael 29
DREAM ANATOMY
His most recent Lumen project, Infra, uses infrared imaging in conjunction with styled fashion fabrics to explore this idea. Scenes of the shoot were not lit by visible light; instead the images capture the reflection of infrared radiation. This is a process Michael has been refining for 25 years. First starting with a roll of Kodak 35mm high-speed infrared film, switiching to digital technology in recent years to reveal this “unseen world.”
thinks about. “CS Lewis once described how a simple sunbeam can be traced back to its ultimate source,” he offers. “Gothic cathedrals use coloured light illuminating interior spaces as a similar metaphor. Abbot Suger inscribed on the bronze doors of St Denis Abbey: ‘The dull mind rises to truth through that which is material. And, in seeing this light, is resurrected from its former submersion.’ Material light can symbolically point us to another world… I also loved the cosmos sequences in The Tree Of Life… The universe is a light symphony.”
For Infra, Michael aimed to convey “something magical and transcendent,” more than just recording an experiment or assuming the object being shot is the focus. “Photography is indexical by always referring to reality in some way,” Michael says. “But there can be more abstract approaches in which the subject is much less important than light.” This is evident in all of his works, where he chooses ways to enhance light’s characteristics in different ways rather than an object of focus. It’s a method modernist photographer Lazslo Moholy-Nagy advocated and a practice Michael follows – ‘Objects are chosen for their light-modulating characteristic; their reality and significance disappear,’ Maholy-Nagy said. For example, in his work for Infra, MIchael uses special fashion fabrics to highlight the infrared reflections. “ I select according to reflectance,” he says. “Modern manufacturing has produced amazing pearlescent, holographic and metallic fabrics.”
These are ideas Michael works into his personal outlook on life and can be seen to ripple through his photography. “I also constantly read theology and cosmology to keep a viewpoint from many perspectives,” he says. “The world cannot simply be reduced to a set of basic particles: reality is multi-layered, unified and ultimately grounded in meaning and purpose.” But how exactly is this outlook presented in Michael’s photography? Quoting the words of poet William Blake, “‘If the doors of perception were cleansed every thing would appear to man as it is: infinite.’ Any study of light emphasizes transcendence,” he says. “Light is both revelation and mystery. I aim to let light reveal itself.” FAINT MAGAZINE
32
But even just the idea of capturing infrared wavelengths rather than the reflection of light has a futuristic and transcendent edge. It’s something we might see a lot in sci-fi films but not so much in the everyday. In fact, the images he is shooting are familiar but he manages to put an x-ray up to the invisible side of them. “I love the unseen in the everyday,” Michael says. “Nothing is really commonplace, everything has further depths to be explored.”
When first delving into Michael’s work and his concentration on light, it can be easy to dismiss it as one-dimensional. But as you move through each collection in Lumen, you come around to his way of thinking and are taken over by the same revelation of light. It’s something everyone can connect with and find reverence in. As Michael says, “there is something latent within light that is pure, eternal.” We can choose to look at only the surface, but if we open our eyes a little wider, the ordinary will reveal itself and its multilayered depths.
The modern equipment Michael uses also leans toward these futuristic elements, which isn’t a surprise considering the same technology is used for scientific and military purposes (another aspect that interests him). He uses a specially modified DSLR that receives only infrared wavelengths, and has to employ different exposures and focusing to your standard black and white digital photography. “I have evolved my own workflow using RAW file processing in Capture One Pro and Adobe RAW,” he says. “Having already worked with analogue film I know the aim point.” In Lumen, Michael identifies a mixture of discovery and revelation through this method. “Sometimes I see light effects and record or emphasise them,” he says. “Other situations are more staged but light produces unexpected events. Those gifts of grace are why you work as a photographer.”
michaeltaylorphoto.com
33
DREAM ANATOMY
FAINT MAGAZINE
34
35
DREAM ANATOMY
High Tide (Étude Op. 2, No. 4), 2012
SOUGWEN CHUNG Like the art she creates, Sougwen Chung is a product of tension. Culturally, she has been influenced by nearly every corner of the globe; born in Canada, raised in China, studying at a prestigious school in Sweden and now happily based in Brooklyn. With a background in graphite drawing and interactive design, she uses the tension between the traditional and digital to create works that are turbulent and full of movement, but simultaneously serene – a futuristic landscape that seems somehow familiar, but with something sinister rippling quietly under the surface. sougwen.com
Words and Interview Sinead Stubbins
FAINT MAGAZINE
36
kind of like an extra-terrestrial Rorschach test. Are you at all
It is this balance between clashing places, periods and skills that has allowed her to pursue work with major clients such as Nike and Chanel, while maintaining her own challenging, unrestrained and supremely creative work. Her combination of interactive design and drawing has led to live performances of her art in Japan, France, and the U.K, and collaborations with record label Ghostly International.
influenced by science fiction? SC: Last year, I stumbled into reading an article about Optogenetics, an emerging sphere of neuroscience in which researchers discovered a way to stimulate the Hippocampus region of the brain using lasers to trigger memory. The notion of using an immaterial medium like light to invoke memories struck me as being imbued with a kind-of poetry. Deriving inspiration from the scientific metaphor is, I suppose, a sort of science fiction in a way.
Sinead Stubbins: Tell me about that first big move to Brooklyn. Sougwen Chung: I moved to Brooklyn in my early twenties, in the spur of the moment. It was a uniquely invigorating time… getting lost in the city’s iconic landscape heightens the awareness of one’s personal narrative; a lingering latent perception of what came before and being part of history. Whether or not that’s true for everyone I do think New York is unlike any other city in the world for that reason.
SS: I’ve read that your work is a balance between improvisation and experimentation—how planned is your work when you pick up a pencil or tap the keyboard? SC: I quite like the idea of a work becoming itself on the page, a process that is as transformative and surprising for the maker as the viewer. The influence of technology as it becomes ever more invisible and pervasive can result in false sense of control. Undo, delete, pause, reformat… the free-form process of improvisation expresses the desire to step out of other influences and into an a priori cognitive space.
SS: The art community in Brooklyn is incredibly competitive—was that intimidating, or nourishing in a weird way? SC: Competition can be a sort of creative nourishment. The entrepreneurial drive of the creative community in Brooklyn is like a high-speed current -- momentum plucking people up by the reins of their interests and propelling forward. Perhaps that’s true of many urban environments, but it rings particularly true in New York.
I like this quote by the late Louise Bourgeois. “Drawing… puts an order in disorder and control over chaos… I do, I undo, I redo. I am what I am doing.”
Creative peers can be signposts along the way, and one’s success can elevate exposure for community as a whole. Ultimately however, creating authentic work is the aim and competition is very disposable.
SS: What first attracted you to the idea of live performance? SC: Chiaroscuro is an installation I debuted last year at Of Art and Artifice, presented by Ghostly International at The Art Directors Club in New York. It is a large-scale sculptural drawing installation in which strata of abstract, monochromatic linework are suspended on a wall, giving off the illusion that lines themselves are extending beyond the flat plane. Audio-responsive coils of light were nested asymmetrically within the form, and projected light mapped onto the exterior from a distance, revealing and obscuring the piece throughout the course of the installation. I perform the light projections live, improvising based on the environment and the music. I’m working on developing the piece further and will be installing it at Mapping Festival in Geneva in May.
SS: When did you first begin to consider yourself an artist? Often there’s a disconnect between actually being a professional artist and feeling like one… SC: I’m only starting to become more comfortable with that word. In actuality, I simply want to continue doing the things that come naturally, chasing inspiration and giving it form. The work has become the vehicle by which I am able to be in the world. Even now I feel as if I’ve just scratched the surface, there are so many things I have yet to try. SS: Tell me about the process behind your Études Op. 2 series? SC: In 2012, I began a set of drawings that ended up being part of Étude Op. 2, a series of works titled Cocoon, Bloom, Flight and High Tide. I was experimenting with how an abstract image could evoke the sense of a narrative, recall memory, and how an image can echo beyond its surface. There is a mystery to it that remains compelling to me.
Additionally, over the past year and a half I’ve been developing the visual show for musicians Sepalcure. I modulate the arrangement depending on the venue, and I emphasize using striking and original imagery to accompany their warm and emotive sounds, as opposed to any generic filters in software. In 2013 I will be creating another live show for them – we’ve already discussed ways in which to develop the relationship between sound and visuals and it’ll be an exciting evolution.
SS: Your work reminds of the fragile relationship humanity has with nature. One minute it’s all placid ripples and the next it’s churning and spewing like a volcano. Is that dual side of nature something that interests you? SC: My piece High Tide attempts to describe the moment before a great upheaval and transition; that sudden force. When the work was being made, I endeavored to create a formal composition that would express that particular tension. The resulting motif being reminiscent of a wave wasn’t something I realized until after it was finished.
SS: How did your art evolve past the pen and paper? SC: At first my intention to incorporate software into my process was to integrate a temporal element into the works. I enjoy how a visual experience can take shape through time, the considerations are much differently than those of the still image. As some of the work traipses into the digital sphere and projections, it also affords the opportunity to play with scale. Smaller works require more of a peering eye; there is a sort-of voyeuristic quality to the discovery of details. Grander works seem to soar and bellow through space, eliciting a different type of contemplation.
SS:Your work has a timelessness to it, but more in the sense that
SS: What do you love about technology and its possibilities for artists? Do you think it’s sometimes considered a means to an end, rather than a valuable tool?
it’s futuristic while very much being grounded in the present… 37
DREAM ANATOMY
Opposite Page The Phoenix, The Flying Fox, The Swan This Page Chiaro / Oscuro - No 2, 2012 SS: How did you become involved with Ghostly International? SC: Danny Scales, one of the creative directors of Ghostly brought me on board. It’s been quite a mutually beneficial relationship – Ghostly International is constantly reinventing itself and re-defining what a modern label should look like.
SC: Artists working with digital technologies is a worthy challenge, in that there are complexities to overcome when harnessing the vast potential of working with and creating tools that express a larger aim or intent of the artist (particularly when coding is not one’s strength or background). Technology can easily supersede the artistic intent. That being said, it is a challenge and accepting that and growing within it is just part of the ineffable appeal of making art.
In 2012 they brought together all the artists and their work for Of Art And Artifice, a group exhibition in New York. It was a unique opportunity for the artists to share our creative processes and artistic intentions in a public forum. I was able to share how I’ve carried over the experience of being a musician and instrumentalist into drawing and performance, which I’d not shared before.
SS: I’m really interested in how different artists work. I remember reading that Hunter S. Thompson considered himself a binge writer– making art all night and then sleeping during the day. What is your process? SC: I’m still in the process of learning my optimal working states. To work in the soothing solitude of an early morning or feverishly through the night? A fixed studio or a more transient setup? In drawing, however, I find my time most fulfilling when I’m out in the world. It allows me to create a contemplative space within my environment that is both influenced by and a reaction against the sometimes raucous experience of modern life.
SS: You’ve collaborated with other artists, designers and musicians; is that something that really fuels you creatively? SC: The opportunity for collaboration is growing as we head towards a more cross-disciplinary creative landscape— it’s a fun space to navigate. I’ve had the fortune of working with a range of eclectic talents from different fields and I look forward to more in the future. That being said, a collaborative relationship is like any other; there’s volatility to it. Within it lies the potential to be transformative and destructive. Still, I find the risk exciting and there’s a mystery to it. SS: Leo Burnett said “Curiosity about life, in all its aspects, is still the secret of great creative people”. What are you curious about? SC: Life and all its aspects. I suppose I’m curious about what the future holds.
SS: You’ve worked with such huge brands, but were there any times you felt compromised between artistic integrity and pleasing the client? SC: Shouldn’t the creative control fall to the artist if the charge is to make art? I have been very selective with the clients I choose to work with (not to mention, lucky). I am interested in using projects to build collaborative relationships that can grow with time.
FAINT MAGAZINE
SS: What’s your favourite piece of work and why? SC: I would say my favourite piece of work is always my next work – the one that is in the process of its own becoming. 38
39
DREAM ANATOMY
ROBERT WUN Words and Interview Tully Walter
Robert Wun is an electric talent. At just 21 years of age, the Hong Kong born, London based, wunderkind
presented his graduate collection from London college of Fashion (BA.) The collection, entitled Burnt is a mesmerising exploration of the paradoxical bond between mankind and nature. FAINT talks to Robert Wun about his work and his universe. robertwun.com
FAINT MAGAZINE
40
Tully Walter: Tell us about the Inspiration behind Burnt?
cate craftsmanship. We hope to bring in a new dimension to luxury
Robert Wun: Curiosity towards the bonds between Nature and
garments and also to the young London fashion industry.
Man has always been a main inspiration to me. Discovering the
TW: You seem to delicately balance both a sense of histori-
symmetrical flaws in nature led me to a deeper attraction of mi-
cism and futurism, what eras inspire you most and why?
crophotographs of butterflies and moths. Insects we perceive to be symmetrical and consequently, beautiful. Yet it was the flaws
RW: I would say I am more attached to the idea of the balance
in nature that triggered my interest. Nature designs many things
that exists between the two - nature and human, the clash of the
in symmetrical proportions yet both left and right sides are slightly
organics and artificials. That, as well in terms of colours, like the
different.
black and white from the burnt collection, to embrace the harmony of the two extremes through the ombré effects.
The idea of nature versus artificial, generated a vision of a striking,
TW: What else inspires Robert Wun?
independent women’s wear collection - bizarre in a sophisticated, yet appealing way.The fabrication and techniques used in the col-
RW: Nature phenomenon at all times. Also the relationships of all
lection are particularly interesting; can you please tell us about
other elements around it, including human. That’s why I really en-
them and where the ideas stemmed from.
joy being in tubes or buses. By observing the others around you, I find it very fascinating in an inspirational way.
To achieve this particular idea I had to use techniques whereby you cannot control the outcome, like burning and melting. Delving into the idea that nothing is perfect. All those ruffles are created by waddings with burnt out gradient patterns, highly crafted in-between with glass organza. This also led to a very artificial fabric range: neoprene, organza, lycra, foam and waddings. I used artificial based resources to regenerate an idea of nature with organic working
“The cure to anything is salt water. Sweat, tears and the Sea.” - Isak Dinesen
I would say humans and our specific behaviours will be that next factor besides nature which inspires me most. TW: How do you like to work? RW: Very personal. Surrounded with plants and orchids. Alone. And with music like Alt-j, Woodkid and Joe Hisaishi. TW: What do you like to do in your down time? RW: Dreaming and spending time in my green house, taking care of my plants. Movies perhaps.
methods, symbolizing the relations between man and nature.
TW: Had you always wanted to be a fashion designer and if so what steps did you take along the way to get to where you
Accessories’ detail development looked towards the structure of
are now?
insects under a microscope, examining the scales and limbs in-
RW: It would be back to 10 years ago when I was 11-12. The time
tricately and transporting these spiky visuals into platform heels with a horned toe.
when I started realizing the concept of fashion within my artistic
TW: What drew you to work with a monochromatic palette?
realistic dimension, based on the idea of ‘Human Body’. Since
interest. To me it is the perfect way to transform imagination into then I never looked back, I knew that was the path.
RW: The ombre effects created by digital printings and hand dip-dyed works like a harmony between two extremes. Man and
TW: What’s next for Robert Wun? RW: Currently I am working on my new collection which will be launching in June. More of a couture idea as I believe at least to create one more personal collection before kicking up the S/S collection. As everything is rapidly setting up and the crew is steadily forming together. Also we had our online shop launched a month ago and will continue expanding. Hopefully Robert Wun and our design studio will be ready to roll on track in London Fashion week soon.
Nature, Black and White. Something I am always fascinated and inspired from. TW: How would you describe the Robert Wun Design Ethos? RW: Robert Wun is a luxury fashion label, aimed to create ingenious garments with sophistication visions to inspire independent individuals who carry originality beliefs. The chaos between nature and artificial forms the centre of the design ethos. Robert Wun is dictating the new ‘futuristic’ through innovative working methods, yet with uncompromising attention to traditional values, eventually
Do you have a motto you live by? “The cure to anything is salt water. Sweat, tears and the Sea.” -
creating that harmony by combining enlightening ideas with deli-
Isak Dinesen 41
DREAM ANATOMY
FAINT MAGAZINE
42 42
DREAM ANATOMY
43
DREAM ANATOMY
ROBYN CUMMING
Robyn Cumming is a photographer based in Toronto, who would be a ‘creepily strong and totally adorable’ troll baby if she could. She completed her Master of Fine Art at York University (Toronto) in 2007, and has since consistently created unsettling images that question a distinctly female perspective. A self-professed creepiness is a common
characteristic of her work, often coupled with the urge to inappropriately laugh. FAINT magazine speaks to Cumming about her need to deconstruct and re-imagine.
From Lady Things, 2008
FAINT MAGAZINE
44
Words and Interview Stephanie Han
Stephanie Han: I am fascinated by your work and the sense that there is a continued narrative, quite elusively, beyond the edges of the image. Like a traditional tableau vivant, there is an aspect of theatrical construction and simultaneous deconstruction in your photographs.
SH: The material and textures in your images seem to be loaded in the feminine. For example the scalloped petals (in the cover image Lady 9) which reappear in the Frissette series as well as lace and a boudoir-like palette. What is the significance of these reoccurring feminine motifs? RC: I’m very drawn to romanticism in general, whether in film, literature, art, the dollar store, or love letters. I suppose I find these motifs very romantic. They play into clichés and are relatively ubiquitous in relation to photography, though at this point I suppose you can say that about anything. Much of my work engages with sentimentality in relation to our fascination with objects.
This seems more pronounced since your 2007 series Little Legs, to Frissette in 2010. Could you talk a little about the process of creating (or constructing) your images? Robyn Cumming: I used to spend a lot of time on the planning of my images, sketching out compositions, scouting locations, and gathering props. Now I essentially take an object of interest and stage it in scenarios until it works. I usually have an image in mind that includes the space and quality of light. These can change of course. Much of the time, the process is about animating something, giving it a different sort of life than it naturally has.
These things are quite loaded. They’re often interrelated and I’m attempting to exploit these relationships or subvert their apparent meaning, but also play into them. Flowers, sunsets, hands - these are probably some of the most popular photographic subjects. I question whether there is a method for making light of these tropes or attempting to recontextualise them in such a way that helps us re-engage. Much of the time this is what I’m trying to do.
My current process comes mostly from an attraction to an object I’m engaging with. I’ll find an object and recontextualise it in a fictitious, photographic space. It often evolves from my original vision; almost everything begins as a figment.
SH: What have you been working on since your last body of work, and in what direction do you find your work developing?
I think most would read my earlier work as far more narrative (based) than the later pieces. The sense of deconstruction is now more pronounced and, in that deconstruction, parts of the narrative are lost as the ‘subjects’ become ‘objects’; though there is usually a hint of the subject still existing, invisible but present. But to counter that, we could consider the narrative of the photograph the story of its construction. In that sense I think my newer work reflects that story more explicitly.
RC: I’ve realised I really only like to engage with funny things. They don’t have to be strictly humorous but (humour) needs to be there. I’m also that person that laughs when nobody else does, the inappropriate laugher. So I only want to make things that make me laugh. I think I’ve just recently admitted to myself that I’ve always, ever-so-slightly, pulled back when it comes to my own work because I tend to like things that are marginal, things that not many other people like. I felt my work would be alienating if I really made it the way I wanted to, but I’m not worried about that anymore.
SH: How did the decision to deconstruct or further fragment the objects come about? I know you’ve talked previously about how you feel you focus on the detail of personalities and people you meet. Is it part of a process of ‘understanding the parts’ to see the whole?
I’m currently preparing for a solo show here in Toronto this May. It’s a combination of photographs, videos and sculptural objects. The new work is funny but also kinda dumb and goofy. All of the things I like.
RC: Perhaps that’s part of it. I’ve never considered it as a process of understanding. In the work it seemed a natural progression. I had always used people as props, never as they were. I was attempting to create ruminations on human nature but much of the story was told by the space or the objects and the intermingling of those things. I suppose I realised that I could simplify the images and still tell the same story or at least a more concise version.
robyncumming.com
45
DREAM ANATOMY
From Frisette, 2010
DAAN ROOSEGAARDE
+lotus dome Words and Interview Stuart McFarlane
FAINT MAGAZINE
48
49
DREAM ANATOMY
M
ulti award winning ‘social design lab’ Studio Roosegaarde develops interactive installations which explore the complex intersection between “space, people and technology”. Spear headed by artist Daan Roosegaarde and supported by a team of designers and engineers, the Rotterdam based Studio offers delight and insight through their creative use of emerging technologies within the public domain. From a wistful array of artificial reeds that respond to human proximity through light and sound (Dune), to the more futurist vision of a new ‘Smart Highway’ that doesn’t consume any electricity to provide light for driving at night. Studio Roosegaarde presents us with the imagined, and what Daan describes as “techno poetry”.
a lot of material research and development in our studio in the Netherlands, and out of an intensive process of trial and error we created the Lotus Foil. SM: The Lotus flower is inundated with symbology, particularly within Buddhism. Can you explain the relationship between this symbology and the Lotus concept? DR: I would rather real-time interactions, than an icon, but of course I have been inspired by it. The Lotus Flower is a beautiful symbol, certainly the meaning of enlightenment; to have a free spirit. When you interact with Lotus Dome you realize that it is has its own bright character too. On my travels though Asia I realized there is something magical about the physics of the lotus flower; ‘a flower in the water!’ This is the same sensation going though you when you approach Lotus 7.0 or Lotus Dome, that it is creating beautiful watery shadows in its idle state. This relates more to why we named Lotus, Lotus. The Lotus flower is also known for the fast pace of opening and closing its petals, something that ‘our’ Lotus does as well.
This poetry is most evident in his two projects Lotus 7.0 and more recently the Lotus Dome, “a living dome made out of hundreds of smart flowers which fold open in response to human behaviour”. I spoke with Daan from his Rotterdam studio to explore his vision of the Lotus projects and the wider ethos of his Studio Roosengaarde.
SM: Could you speak briefly about the technical development of the project, and how this informed the final design of the Lotus Dome?
Stuart McFarlane: Lotus has evolved over two installations, Lotus 7.0 and Lotus Dome respectively. What was the initial inspiration behind the Lotus concept?
DR: Buckminster Fuller and his domes had always been a great example for me and I realized we should capture light in a dome, covered with foils that fall open when this inner light starts to shine. When Lille commissioned Studio Roosegaarde to participate in Lille 3000, I came across the renaissance church ‘Sainte Marie
Daan Roosegaarde: I want to merge nature and technology. We looked at nature and dragged it into a more contemporary urban experience. It began by creating a living facade, something urban, yet intuitive (interactive and responsive). We did
FAINT MAGAZINE
50
SM: What was the most rewarding experience for you as a practitioner in producing the Lotus series?
de Madeleine’. We wanted to update this beautiful old church and spent an incredible amount of time in the development of technology and smart materials, to place this renaissance architecture in a new experience. This is what we call ‘techno poetry’. We always had been very fascinated about the shadow play of Lotus, since it moves when light (and warmth) touches the surface of the foil. When literally hiding the church in dark, the building and its angles reveal itself when people approach and Lotus Dome wakes up.
DR: I Have 16 Year olds sending me love letters. SM: How important do you see the role of multi modal interfaces as a means of enriching our built environment? I believe technology jumps out of the computer screen and becomes embedded in our walls, floors and landscape. It’s not about the interface, but about upgrading the reality you and I know.
SM: The Lotus Dome and Lotus 7.0 in both cases are described as ‘living’. Could you describe your definition of ‘living’ in relation to these projects?
SM: There is a strong link between objects responding to human presence within your work. Can you describe what drew you to this method of communication?
DR: We want to connect people with their environments again, using technology and materials that are alive and responsive. Lotus Dome is a beautiful example of technology and nature becoming one. All organisms in nature, certainly plants live and respond to their direct environment and the light that is available there. Our Flow project is also a beautiful example of living and ‘intuitive’ responsive technology.
DR: I want to create things that are alive. SM: Roosegaarde is described as a studio that ‘explores the dawn of a new nature’. How does your studio envision this ‘new’ nature evolving?
SM: The Lotus Dome is aesthetically attractive and seductive. What role does aesthetics play in relation to the projects objective?
DR: We live in a world that is changing, the old system is broken and doesn’t work anymore. So what does work? I do not know the answer to this question, but I like to come up with new proposals and update the segments that are broken. We are in a transition of a new world and system, which is not there yet.
DR: The objective is to create interaction between yourself and the artwork, between people and their environment, using every type, tool, tech or aesthetics in order to enable this. As I often say: “It’s not about the colour of her lipstick, it’s about whether she can kiss or not”, it’s not about appearance but behaviour.
“I WANT TO CREATE THINGS THAT ARE ALIVE” - Daan Roosegaarde
51
DREAM ANATOMY
Adobe Mask, 2012
FAINT MAGAZINE
52
the art of ALEX FISCHER Words and Interview Harley Young
The visually compelling artworks of contemporary Canadian artist Alex Fischer are a complex view of modern life in the age of information technology and social media. Using elaborate digital techniques to render portraits, landscapes and other abstracted forms, Fischer explores themes related to online identities, the diversity of broadcast information and the development of subcultures on the internet. In an ever changing, developing world of new digital forums and “likes”, Fischer presents images that speak more broadly to the human spirit and ascend the media that was used to create them. Harley Young: Your back catalogue of artworks appears to be quite varied in terms of medium, from paintings and sculpture to your current digital collage work. Can you please tell us a little about your techniques and if you have any preferences?
digitality will continue to have an enigmatic effect on peoples’ social behavior and sense of self. A digital assemblage then seems most apt for representing the phenomena of being in a digital environment. I try to create something or someone new through the layering of many images of faces. In the end I think one my portraits may be well understood as an image of many people at once, all with their metaphysical baggage on display.
Alex Fischer: I’ve always been interested in using what was at hand, and with computers being so ubiquitous in life, today it seems the digital is most natural place for me to make artwork. I still like to combine the techniques of several traditional media in my sculptural work, but as far flat work goes the digital feels like the most rich environment for me to explore. I collect things like images and interesting materials and then through either digital or physical methods assemble them together. Photoshop is my workhorse, it’s where I sketch out, layer, and complete most of my work. Even the sculptures I’m working on today are often digitally sketched out or 3D modeled before they’re constructed or ordered. That mixing of different media is really one of the few general constants across in my practice.
HY: From looking at photographs of some of your past exhibition installations it appears that you explore a variety of images in terms of size and even style, while most artists make variations of the same work or theme when they exhibit. Do you prefer not to be limited by conforming to one overall consistency in an exhibition or do the works stand alone not as part of a larger group? AF: Whether they are shown on blogs or gallery walls I feel liberated knowing that the works will have a life independent of each other. I come up with work with that independence in mind and treat each as having a unique character. Though changing my style may seem to be a bit counterintuitive for establishing a recognizable oeuvre as an artist it makes sense to me to use, combine, and re-imagine the styles at my disposal.
HY: The semi-abstracted human figures you present in some of your images evoke intrigue with their visual complexities. Are these portraits based on people known to you or where do your draw your inspiration from to create these character studies?
Also, because the digital has no natural characteristics the style and scale of a work can vary a lot. I like to practice such a versatility of style as means to represent the variety of visual languages being broadcast and blogged everyday. I also tend to suit style to scale. If I’ve set out to do an image on the scale of
AF: Well, I think portraits still make up a relevant part of culture. Social media portraits are prolific. Many people put a great deal of themselves into their digital identities. It seems inevitable that
53
DREAM ANATOMY
computer manipulation or is any paint used at any stage in the process?
great history painting it makes sense to use that scale to do a digital simulation of brush or paint. Smaller works are prone to have a more photographic aesthetic, and some smaller still may only exist as a screen based work.
AF: These days my flat work is made entirely through digital techniques. Sometimes I’ll scan a particular texture or photograph something for reference but the assemblage is all done in Photoshop and Corel Painter. I’ve done experiments but never really thought that applying paint or traditional collage to a printed work added all that much. I’m more interested in simulating those traditional textures in order to suggest that the digital versions can be just as authentic as the printed work.
HY: Are your landscapes taken from the Canadian countryside or are these constructed environments drawn from the imagination? AF: I grew up in the countryside outside of Toronto so I definitely have that influence but they are normally not of any place in particular.
HY: Your sculptural works both compliment and enhance the two dimensional representations you also create, and yet the techniques used to make the works are very different. Do you find it challenging to assemble objects in free standing form that appear as if they have walked straight out of one of your digital works on the wall?
HY: It has been said that you explore themes relating to technology and the internet and how this has influenced modern human beings. Can you please elaborate on this or tell us a little about your main inspirations and themes? AF: Firstly, I think one of the most interesting things spawning from the internet today is the concept of cyberbalkanization. Basically, it’s the concept that people will search out and cultivate similar interest groups to the exclusion of others. It’s contrary to the traditional idea of the internet facilitating globalization and public discourse. Those things undoubtedly happen, but it’s easy to forget that Instagram will only show you who you’ve subscribed to. The nature of the web means it’s unlikely you’ll exist within a completely closed circle, but the effect has been to support and accentuate an ever-broadening array of subcultures.
AF: It’s definitely a challenge I welcome. The tools and materials are obviously quite different but there are still the same underlying principles of authorship being applied. Both the sculptures and flat works involve a blending of memory, observation, criticism, reasoning, imagination, and reconstruction. I find there isn’t as much of a difference as people might think between throwing layers around in a digital space and a physical one. I also think that as 3D printing technologies and augmented reality become more accessible that it is good practice as an artist to hone skills for creating both the illusion of space and actual physical objects. The difference between the two is likely to get less and less distinguishable.
More generally my themes relating to technology stem from an aim to represent the time in which I live. It’s easy to see the world today as being heavily influenced by our symbiosis with technology. However, I like to have the entire history of media inform my practice and so I also take up a historical approach to understanding context. The emphasis we put on contemporaneity itself is a pretty recent trend. In big history we’ve come a long way very quickly, and looking to the future, if Moore’s Law stays true we must expect that people will continue to have to adapt to huge technological advances. These advances are not necessarily noticeable game changers but are much more likely to be introduced day by day to us as iterations and updates.
HY: Your work is represented in distinguished corporate and private collections, you have exhibited regularly and are represented by prestigious O’Born Contemporary gallery in Toronto. Would you attribute your artistic success at your young age to anything in particular or offer any advice to aspiring young artists? AF: Make connections and utilize them. While in art school I applied for as many grants as I could in order to advertise my thesis exhibition to the Toronto arts community. It was a combination of self-promotion and becoming familiar with the gallerists and artists in my local scene that let me know where I wanted to be and who would be interested in showing my work. It’s important to keep some network of peers too; people who are happy promoting each others’ work and who can also offer some critical discourse. Networking is an inherent part of any arts education today but really is integral for keeping up a practice.
There is a sense that we are tumbling forward hastily in in a world so rapidly changing. Truly, in 2005 no one could have predicted that to “Like” something would hold web-culture-clout. Today’s vocabulary had just not been invented yet. Similarly cultural language from 2005 now already seems dated. Instagram, Vine, Tumblr; these are just the latest. This shift of language will continue to happen as it has, but now it is augmented and hyper-accentuated by the torrents of digital subculture and social media. I think as an artist I try to brush aside the languages that I think won’t have cultural resonance 10, 20, or 100 years from now. I’m representing the human beings I know in their man-made scene both for people today and those who will look back on what we were.
HY: Your first published artists book Smarter Today was published by O’Born Contemporary and Wassenaar in 2010. Can you tell us a little of what it is about and do you have any current plans for future publications?
HY: While some of your digital work looks somewhat minimalist, many others are complex layers of photography and very painterly information. Are these works created solely by FAINT MAGAZINE
AF: Speaking about self-promotion… As I approached my first major solo exhibition I was interested in translating my digital works into take-home editions. A book is usually a great 54
Bluenose, 2011
55
DREAM ANATOMY
Opposite Page Grandfather Wreath, 2010 This Page Untitled Body Landscape (Part 1), 2007
Are there any artists who have inspired or influenced you in the past, or are there some favourites you would recommend to our readers?
introduction to an artists work and is affordable for a collector on any budget. I was fortunate enough to have made a connection with Wassenaar publishing and so it seemed apt to produce a limited edition publication basically introducing myself with a catalog of early works. It also offered up a written interview and description of my artistic process, which is still a primary talking point when someone sees my work for the first time.
In the past Daniel Richter, Nigel Cooke, and Peter Doig inspired a lot of my flat work. These days some of my favourites are Enrico David, Mai-Thu Perret, Matthew Ronay, and Tom Friedman.
I think as nice as it is to hold a book in hand my next project will have to be digital. Maybe an iPad style feature that offers some video or detail shots. I’m always working on the design and function of my websites too, which I tend to think of as sort of fluid publications. artofalexfischer.com
FAINT MAGAZINE
56
57
DREAM ANATOMY
LITHIUM DREAMS Žiga Mihelčič Fashion Editor Carlos Mangubat Hair and Make Up Monica Gingold Stylist’s Assisstants Chloe Naughton & Ross McCallum Photography Asssistant Wanda Chin FAINT MAGAZINE
58
Opposite Page Jacket etal Jumpsuit Lisa Taranto Choker Sportsgirl Ring Paro Paro This Page Pants Phillip Lim 3.1 Vest Etal Jacket Lisa Taranto
59
DREAM ANATOMY
Jacket Louis Vuitton @ Mio Tesoro Shirt etal Skirt Scanlan & Theodore Rings Paro Paro Glasses Stylist’s Own
FAINT MAGAZINE
60
Skirt etal Shirt Givenchy Bangle Fool Belt Lisa Taranto Ring Alexander McQueen
61
DREAM ANATOMY
FAINT MAGAZINE
62
Opposite Page Dress Phillip Lim 3.1 Coat ASOS Bangle Fool Bag Chanel Ring Paro Paro This Page Top Gareth Pugh Pants Fool Shoes Lanvin Belt Stylist’s Own
63
DREAM ANATOMY
CHRISTINA EXIE Words by Tully Walter
I
n a virtual reality, a cyber space vortex with a grid-like floor, where everything is computerised and everyone is dressed in black, there is one woman with bright orange hair, wearing a sensual,
sculptured dress in electric blue. She paces through the crowd to the thump of dubstep, while
all those surrounding ask “who is she? christinaexie.com This is Christina Exie’s parallel universe - a dreamlike state she
Exie’s signature pieces are created out of an intense, design de-
has fabricated out of the transcendental powers of creativity. Exie
velopmental process, creating a visual translation of conceptual
believes that in a society framed by regulation, the function or
notions such as emotion and sound, through the juxtaposition of
meaning of design is to pose notions of escapism and challenge
shape and textural elements, intricate pattern making, applique
reality. “We live by laws and guidelines,” Exie says. “So creativ-
and print. The results are exquisite, yet highly wearable garments
ity or the idea of creation is like the construction of another di-
with a modern, directional aesthetic. With nods to classicism and
mension - building an alternate reality for both the designer and
an emphasis on tailoring and quality construction, Exie delivers
the wearer to be transported to. It’s a fantasy or an escape.” For
the essence of each original, exploratory concept, with refinement
Exie, part of this transportation process is the way she wants a
and sophistication.
woman to feel wearing her garments. Exie describes the mood she wants to evoke through her designs as one of empowerment. “The
From a young age, Exie displayed a keen passion for garment
Christina Exie customer is daring and confidant,” Exie says. “And
design and construction, often creating ‘little projects’ on her
even if they are not always so daring and confident, at heart, I
grandmother’s sewing machine until her mother enrolled her
want them to feel like they are when they are wearing my clothes.
into a local sewing class aged, 13. She simultaneously juggled
I want them to feel a change, feel an energy.”
Design Technology in high school, a Fashion Design course at Melbourne School of Fashion and work experience with a local
After winning the fourth season of Project Runway Australia in
designer. Next, Exie’s VCE workload of creative subjects was bal-
2012, Exie is launching her signature, woman’s ready-to-wear
anced with a pattern-making course at CAE, and a short course
label at IMG’s Australian Fashion Week, 2013. What delineated
in Fine Arts, resulting in the talented young designer securing a
the exciting creative talent from the Project Runway pack was an
place in both VCE’s Top Designs, Season of Excellence 2011 at
unbridled vision to be daring and confident, herself. “It was about
The Melbourne Museum and RMIT’s Bachelor of Design [Fash-
taking risks and initiative, being honest with my design aesthetic,
ion]. During her studies, she attended the fall semester of 2010
not caring about what people think,” Exie says. “Yeah I am scared
at the prestigious Fashion Institute of Technology, New York, to
shitless some times, trying to create an idea out of my head, but I
be placed on the Dean’s list for her academic achievements in
refuse to play it safe.”
2011. Exie was awarded First Class Honours upon graduation from RMIT in the same year.
FAINT MAGAZINE
64
65
DREAM ANATOMY
FAINT MAGAZINE
66
Exie’s graduate collection was selected for RMIT’s Runway show
nods to classicism and an emphasis on tailoring and quality fab-
at MSFW, 2011 and shortlisted for MSFW’s Student Prize, with
rics and construction. Exie describes the inspiration behind her
an internship to Italy. Following this momentum, Exie’s work was
debut collection entitled Bass, as as the visualisation of sound
selected into various national and international competitions,
frequencies. “Sound frequencies cause vibrations which then
From L’Oreal Melbourne Fashion Festival’s Spirit of The Black
form matter,” Exie Says. “Basically, if you throw salt on a drum,
Dress to New Zealand’s prestigious iD - International Emerg-
and blast sound in different volumes, the particles form into
ing Designer Awards 2012. During that time she also curated a
geometrical shapes. So the collection is based on these shapes.
collaborative exhibition, Ex[ie]perimental Collective for LMFF’s
And the geometry informs not only the silhouette of the collection,
Cultural Program. Amongst a number of exhibitions, Exie has
but also the design lines, the print and laser cutting. It’s a visual
also displayed her work at TFIA’s The Concept to Collection
translation.”
Exhibition at Melbourne’s GPO and the Parallel Tensions Exhibition
at
Melbourne
Spring
Fashion
Week’s
Conceptuality and creative thinking has defined the way Exie
Emerg-
views the world, while she describes visual communication as
ing Designer Series. Later that year, Exie went on to win
her means of its navigation. “We live in such an organised and
Project Runway Australia and was a finalist for Australians in
chaotic world and I feel the only way to enjoy it is to release my
New York Fashion Foundation 2012. Exie has also gained vast
energy through making and designing.” Exie says. It is hard for
industry experience through her work as a freelance stylist
me to communicate my feelings and emotions through words so I
and various internships with internationally renowned design-
express them through visual communication and physical
ers, from Lui Hon and Trimapee to threeASFOUR in New York.
exercise.” Continually inspired and influenced by everything around her visually and symbolically, from music, movies and dreams to
The Project Runway journey has resulted in a whole new venture
nature and freedom, Exie is filled with boundless, regenerative en-
for Exie, who is launching her ready to wear label at MBFWA. Exie
ergy, rendering her compelled to create. “Being creative and free
describes the aesthetic for her brand as remaining consistent with
is what drives me,” Exie says. No matter how chaotic I am whilst
the signature, conceptual, Christina Exie design principles, (that is
doing my work, my energy is clear and focused. I feel when my
fantasy world is clear it’s an energy reactor and it fuels me to work
an edgy juxtaposition between structural and soft elements,)
really hard and forget about anything around me.”
reinterpreted into modern, directional , high-end sportswear, with 67
DREAM ANATOMY
FAINT MAGAZINE
68
Opposite Page Beetle in Resin Septum Piece Metal Couture Thia Page Noserings Givenchy Beetle Rings Metal Couture Earring Fionnbahr Pfeiffer 69
DREAM ANATOMY
FAINT MAGAZINE
70
Jewelled Headpiece Richard Nylon Necklace Fionnbahr Pfeiffer 71
DREAM ANATOMY
FAINT MAGAZINE
72
Teale Coco at Darley Models |AUS| www.darleymodels.com
73
DREAM ANATOMY
Opposite Page Rattlesnake Head Necklace Fionnbahr Pfeiffer Skull Rings Fionnbahr Pfeiffer Ring Metal CoutureThis Page Dress Tettmann.Doust Snake Spine and Copper Necklace Fionnbahr Pfeiffer
FAINT MAGAZINE
74
75
DREAM ANATOMY
FAINT MAGAZINE
76
Bird Brooch Fionnbahr Pfeiffer Necklace Vinatage Moschino at Parisian Street Society
77
DREAM ANATOMY
FAINT MAGAZINE
78
JANTINE vanPESKI Interview bySophie Castley
SC: What was your theme and inspiration behind Wires 10.0? JVP: The Wires 10.0 collection started when I found amazing books about old 70’s textile objects. They are very old fashioned but rich in colour, shape and technique. Because of these objects I started to experiment with the macramé technique and quite quick I felt that it was the perfect way to shape the pieces that I had in mind. The material and technique are the starting point and from there on I sketch and make try-outs at the same time. The atmosphere is something that builds itself along the way by choosing and mixing colours and shapes.
Sophie Castley: Can you tell me a little about your background and first interest in fashion? Jantine Van Peski: I am originally from the Netherlands and after a few years of study at the Amsterdam Fashion Institute I continued to study fashion at the Royal Academy of Fine Arts in Antwerp, Belgium. In between my years at the academy I gained working experience at the Fashion Houses of Haider Ackermann and A.F. Vandevorst, both located in Antwerp. Fashion is for me the perfect way to bring everything I love, together. I don’t see a big difference between professional and non-professional interests, as work is a great and important part of my life.
SC: What fabrics and construction techniques have you used in your current collection?
SC: What did your course of study involve? JVP: Every collection start with a long period of doing research. These weeks or months are centred around gathering information on garments, cultures and techniques. This period is always very challenging to me, as on one hand I love to collect all kinds of materials but on the other the pressure of the designing part starts from the first second. To translate your inspiration into something new and contemporary is always a difficult thing, but as soon as I created the key elements of my collection, the fun part starts!
JVP: My last collection is Louise, a capsule collection created as part of the High Fashion Low Countries Project, a project initiated by the Dutch Embassy in Brussels. This capsule collection is an extension of Wires 10.0. I developed the macramé-technique into new shapes and colour-combinations. Besides the silk yarns I use for the macramé, I love to work with leathers and silk fabrics.
SC: How and when was the label Jantine van Peski born? JVP: My label unofficially started with my MA graduation collection Wires 10.0 in 2011. It was the end of my years at the academy and the first step towards real life in fashion.
JVP: Yes it was very labour-intensive. The big beige cape of the Wires 10.0 collection took me about 70 days, the jackets around 30 days.
SC: I understand this collection was extremely labour intensive! How much work went into the construction of a single garment?
SC: How do you see your label evolving in the next 5 years? JVP: I am currently focussing on new work and will continue to build on my identity and presentation. At the moment I am not yet thinking about commercial purposes, I believe that will naturally develop by time.
SC: What is your design aesthetic for your label? JVP: My love for handcrafts is the foundation of my work. I love to innovate with techniques that exist already for centuries. Fashion is for me a contemporary outing, like art but then wearable, and also handmade and one-of-a-kind. Fast fashion is not something I admire; I would love to create awareness again for the value of a garment.
SC: Five words that describe your current collection, Wires 10.0. JVP: Craftsmanship, complex, expressive, cocooning, poetic. SC: If you weren’t creating fashion, what career would you most likely be in?
SC: Who is the Jantine van Peski customer? JVP: I am currently only focussing on exhibitions and presentations. The pieces are more like haute couture, you can buy them but they are unique and hand-made, so this results in a price range that is only affordable for a small group of customers.
JVP: I feel really connected to product design too. I love vintage furniture, interiors and buildings, especially from the Bauhaus period. For me there is a grey zone in which I would like to work which is balancing between fashion, design and art.
79
DREAM ANATOMY
Photographs Rachel Schraven Hair & Make Up Christel Man featuring Nikita @ Elvis Models
FAINT MAGAZINE
80
81
DREAM ANATOMY
by Marina Moshkovich Jewellery worn throughout by Hila Kaminer
FAINT MAGAZINE
82
83
DREAM ANATOMY
FAINT MAGAZINE
84
OSSOMATERIA
Jewellery Design by Hila Kaminer Ossomateria - derived from Italian, meaning ‘bone-matter’, the material of essence. The very base of humanity, our body and its unique structure, inspired me to explore the inner architecture of our physical vessel, the shapes and meaning of the internal organs and led me to create pieces in their image. The outer body distinguish one person from the other, however, the inner body is shaped and structured similarly, making us all, by essence interlinked and connected to one another with the bond of resemblance. The project examines the transformation of flat surfaces into three dimensional objects and the relations between structure and mantle. The collection presents artistic stage and custom jewellery alongside dainty and commercial pieces. The process of creation combines classical crafting and contemporary tools such as vacuum forming, rhino design program, laser cut and burning. The components are made of PVC, alpaca and cordura fabric, newspaper, plugs, brass and zirconia rhinestones. kaminerdesign.com
85
DREAM ANATOMY
FAINT MAGAZINE
86
87
DREAM ANATOMY
Opposite Page Dress Katharina Domokosch This Page Jacket, top and trousers Heohwans Simulation Shoes Katharina Domokoch Necklace Rachel Boston
N A T U R A L G R O W T H Rosella Vanon
Stylist Marina De Magalhaes Prop Designer Chrissie Butcher Makeup Artist Lara Himpelmann using Laura Mercier Hairdresser Kazuki Fujiwara using Oribe Featuring Rusne Kasetaite @Profile Nail Technician Suzan Kerlo
89
DREAM ANATOMY
Top and skirt Khrystyna Fomenko Choker Kat Marks
Dress Heohwan Simulation Gloves Katharina Domokosch Tights Calzedonia Shoes Katharina Domokosch FAINT MAGAZINE
92
93
DREAM ANATOMY
Dress Trine Hav Christensen
Dress Leena Muley Necklace Rachel Boston
Dress Leena Muley Necklace Rachel Boston
FAINT www.faintmag.com