2009
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a change of perspective.
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CAST Bryan Lewis Saunders (cover) Rose Packer Magenta Fox A Grahovsky Stephen Kirby (back cover) David Benson Camilla Storgaard Katie Jones Michael Corr Tony Fitzsimmons (inside cover) Lesley-Jo Thompson Larry Ziman RIchard Donnelly Robert Garnham Steve Klepetar Juan Patino Herraiz Maria Sobral Mendonca
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collaborators & conspirators Mark Doyle Hope Grimson Glyn Davies Sarah Ahmad Rebecca Sharpe Helen Moore Emily Pickthall Marianne Jarvis Richard Thomas Christine Platt Dani Parry Sam Rowe Peter Griffiths Dan McCluskey email [firstname]@tribemagazine.org
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Artists have given permission for their work to be displayed in tribe magazine. No part of this publication may be reproduced without the permission of the copyright holder(s) If you would like to contribute art or articles to tribe magazine, then please send us an outline of your article to our main contact email. If you would like to submit your artwork, then please send us up to 8 samples of your work to the submit email. We have a rolling submissions policy and accept work at all times and throughout the year. Further details can be found on the contact section of our main website, or by emailing us at: contact@tribemagazine.org To submit work directly: submit@tribemagazine.org tribe is committed to working with creative organisations and individuals, to help promote awareness of their work, to promote best practice and collaborative working. If you would like to work with tribe then please contact us, we would love to make a connection. tribemagazine.org
ISSN: 2050-‐2352
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Rachael Gallacher rachaelcgallacher.com
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Michael Corr michaelcorrartist.co.uk
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Camilla Storgaard “I still believe the artist needs oxygen, in the sense of personal freedom and inspiration, to not die out” Here is a wunderkind with a camera, a crew cut and an otherworldly visual lexicon. Camilla Storgaard is not only a diviner when it comes to the metamorphosis of bodies, light and objects in the cavernous club interiors and squats of her mythologised stomping grounds in Berlin – she is also in possession of a clear and intelligent vision of how she wants to live, work and crack open minds. Since making the move to Berlin and getting serious about photography, Storgaard’s presence online, in and between the alternative gallery scenes of Berlin has grown prodigiously. Originally born in Denmark, many of her earlier images are captured in the woods and snow of her Northern home country, in a nostalgic swathe of supple leather, skin and furs. They are unsettled, but palpable with – believe it or not – her tender age of twenty four years. This said, the tour de force of her work is in the documentation (in her own words) of the ‘clubkids, queers and other run-a-ways’ of underground Berlin. Honouring the legacy of photographers such as Nan Goldin and Francesca Woodman, her mature style has a fever of storytelling about it, which is at once seedy and sumptuous. As opposed to selling itself through the objectification of the ‘subject’, the pantheon of Storgaard’s work is populated by close friends and hook ups with transvestites, performance artists and other ‘characters’ from beyond the main belly of society – from the ‘other nature’. Without any formal training, Storgaard has a ravenous and raw approach to photography as life, which refuses to be out-riddled in exclusive ‘boxes’ of fashion or art. Keep an eye out for this one.
Interview by Emily Pickthall
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Your artist bio claims that you are self-taught – when did you first start practising photography? Were there any strong influences or interests as you matured which have fed into your visions? My interest in photography had started already as a child. But it was not until I got my first digital camera when I turned 15 years old that I found the true joy in it. To see the images immediately on the screen gave me a lot of drive to do it more. I didn't get serious with my work until I moved to Berlin at the age of 20. This was where I started the whole journey of figuring out who I was and who everybody around me was. Some would claim that your work is a form of realism and the social documentation of lives, not unlike the work of photographers such as Nan Goldin – how far would you agree with this? This is an extreme compliment and I can agree with this to a certain level. Nan Goldin documented the queers, the punks, sexuality and a lifestyle of drug-use in her time. These lifestyles are still not seen as the norm and that inspires me. Anything that challenges the norms pushes me to go further and that's why I document the same socially unapproved existences, as Nan Goldin did. Because I'm one of them and think this world needs more room for diversity. This said, my photos are mostly staged, which often separates them from the category of ‘documentary’. The characters in my photos are, despite that, real characters. I encourage them to be themselves doing a shoot and they inspire me because of their lifestyle and appearance. I document my experimental youth and the generation around me, but in our time, we’re not allowed to bring cameras of any kind into these sexually challenging clubs. What happens inside stays inside. I accept this rule and, therefore, invite my characters home for a personal session. This also gives me a more personal relation to the people I work with and a network of beautiful, messy existences which is growing day by day. As an artist, you appear to operate exclusively through social media platforms such as Facebook, Tumblr and Flickr – you do not attach yourself to a single official website, gallery or patron. What are your motivations for this and how do you feel it affects your work as an artist? I think sometimes people put too much effort into making a fancy website that into just getting your work out there. People can search and share my work by a click on social media which is important for me as an emerging artist. I'm in the progress of building a website at the moment, but still sure most of my updates will happen on social media.
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I'm not a well-known artist yet, but I've experienced that some of my most popular images are known many places around the world thanks to Tumblr and Flickr. To get my work out there is the only thing that really matters to me. I still believe the artist needs oxygen, in the sense of personal freedom and inspiration, to not die out. This can be hard if you can't make money from your work. If you work with something that you don't think you are meant to do, you will slowly wither. This is why only the best artists survive. Do you feel that unlimited, free access and the sharing of images online (e.g. through search engines) is transforming the profession of the photographer? I don't think it transforms the profession of the photographer, but it sure does give emerging artists a greater chance of getting their work out and known. I know artists with social phobia who still have carriers working from home. Skipping the mingling and being at the right place at
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the right time and knowing the right people gives many artists room to breathe again. Similarly, much of your work and activity online features self-portraits, but also phone captures of your daily life and friends –how do you feel about the culture of the ‘selfie’? Would you consider personal shots part of your portfolio? I don't consider personal shots with my iPhone a part of my portfolio. The culture of the "selfies" is emergent, but they have always been there. People have always wanted a person to relate to when they look at art and especially in photography. Many great photographers like Francesca Woodman did self-portraits. I never found my self-portraits that exciting as it's a lot of work, but since then, I have started I get much more response and support on self-portraits. 80% of the prints I sell are self-portraits as well, so it's definitely something I have started doing more. Snapshots from my everyday life are more a way of interacting in a more personal way with my followers. As an artist you expose yourself to the world. Give them the opportunity to pick on you and your work. I never felt comfortable with this, until I decided that if I'm going to go some of the way, then I'm going to go all the way. So I will continue to show the world who I am in hope of them being able to relate to my work. Do you believe that your work should be classified as art, or fashion photography or is it blurred outside these classifications altogether? How would you tell the difference between art and fashion? I guess it's art, but I don't mind being called a photographer either. All through I don't see myself as a fashion photographer. When people ask me what I do and my answer is "Photography" I get a cheesy uncomfortable feeling. Maybe because of the whole hipster instagram scene or maybe because I just hate to put myself in a box. I don't see much of a different between fashion and art, art is just a broader aspect and I like to not limit myself. Actually just answering interviews can be hard as It can feel like putting all your thoughts and feelings in little boxes. One of your most recent and captivating series GLASS (2013), features a triangle of purple tinted glass. Do you believe that objects that feature in your photography – as
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well as the make-up and costumes in ‘dressing up’ your models– take on a symbolic meaning? In some cases they do but not always. The purple tinted glass was from my time working for the artist Olafur Eliasson. Some times the glass was cut wrong and I could take them home. The purple or pink triangle is the queer and gay symbol. Other pieces by Olafur Eliasson shows rainbows which also is the trademark for gay lifestyle. He inspired me a lot to experiment with light and objects to create deeper meaning in my work. And do you believe in the power of storytelling in photography? Yes I do. This is also why most of my work is staged. In some cases even cinematic. I aim to make photos you want to look at for longer and which stays in your mind for a while. Trans and male gay subcultures have been very heavily documented the years – but what sort of myths do you hope to dispel about the less well documented queer culture of women, in group exhibitions such as ‘Photographing Queer Women’? I like to document different sides of the queer women, the butch, the femme and the gay-man look-a-like lesbian. I think the male gays has been so documented through time because of their more open minded and aggressive interaction with sex and changing partners. Not to forget that they have been un-accepted in society in a higher sense than lesbians have. But the same scene has appeared for women in Berlin and I know there is a lot of shocking facts people never knew women could do. This is a liberating battle for feminism. Even though I don't see myself as an exclusively queer or feminist artist either. What is most important to you as a photographer and artist? To shoot real people with a special story to tell. What projects and future visions do you anticipate for the future? I’m starting my Bachelor of Arts in October. I think it will be a fresh start for me to evolve my work and ideas. Despite that I don't know where my life will take me and isn't that exciting? camillastorgaard.tumblr.com
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Maria Sobral Mendonca behance.net/sobralmendonca
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'Slab City” depicts the escape from the constraints of the norm, by illustrating the tale of a group of nomads who to avoid the modern world leave the cities for the desert and create a new tribe. Influenced by the outsider art of Salvation Mountain in Slab City, traditional crochet costumes documented in Phyllis Galembo’s: Maske and the modern tribes of Tanna. The collection renders the tribe in 10 obsessively crafted, fantastical and colourful crochet looks. Taking a fresh look at a traditional craft and a clever take on modern tribal dress. The collection uses a range of materials textures and colours to create a fantastical second skin, covering the wearer into its new modern tribesman persona. The colour pallet is a reflection of Salvation Mountain, as if the creation has grown out of the hillside art itself. The shapes of the S/S collection blur the line of costume and fashion offering dramatic looks which can be transformed into wearable pieces. Such as tribal masks, which can be rolled up into hats, and jumpers with face coverings, which can be converted into fold down roll necks. Offering the wearer to be man or god, holding both personas at once. The Collection was debuted at Brighton Fashion Weeks, Zeitgeist show.
Katie Jones is a UK based Knitwear Designer who graduated from the Fashion MA at Central Saint Martins in 2013. Her work takes focus on expanding the boundaries of handcrafts into high fashion. Katie has previously worked at John Galliano, Diane Von Furstenberg, Mark Fast and Romance was Born, and has just produced a new vibrant collection that launched at Brighton Fashion Weeks 2013 Zeitgeist Show. katiejonesknitwear.tumblr.com
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Crea%ve People with Asperger Syndrome can have a desire to be crea@ve and oAen immerse themselves in some kind of ar@s@c prac@ce. Be it drawing, sculpture or photography for example. With his aJen@on to detail, a lot of the @me this specimen’s work can be quite intricate and detailed.
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Hoarding A person with Asperger Syndrome can gain a feeling of great comfort from objects and has difficulty disposing of any that he has accumulated. This results in hoarding large amounts of random paraphernalia or specific collec@ons. This usually only ceases once he has ran out of money or space. If you offer this specimen objects that you are disposing of, he has an inability to say, “No thank you I really have enough”.
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Humour A person with Asperger Syndrome can have a quirky sense of humour, usually simple in its approach. Some can have a dis@nct lack of humour understanding altogether or at best, a basic humour interpreta@on – like this specimen, slaps@ck and child-‐like.
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Interpreta%on A person with Asperger Syndrome can some@mes be baffled by metaphoric speech, taking meanings quite literally. He can also misinterpret the meaning of speech for something that sounds phone@cally similar. Here the specimen was asked to ‘Get up at eight o’clock’ so he ‘Got a potato clock’ like he was asked.
Joot jootdraws.com
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Knowledge A person with Asperger Syndrome can have an insa@able appe@te for knowledge, oAen reading about many and various subjects with depth. This specimen has no problem reading instruc@on manuals from cover to cover, he also has a tendency to keep a @ght hold onto links to the past, par@cularly his own.
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Objects A person with Asperger Syndrome can have an aJachment to objects that oAen leads to double purchases of many things. This specimen usually explains this double purchasing as a logical backup if one of the objects is lost or fails to work but most of the @me it is just an unrelen@ng urge that he ‘MUST HAVE’ …twice!
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Solitude A person with Asperger Syndrome can feel comfortable in his own company and spends a lot of @me alone, oAen deep in thought. He can have difficul@es with social situa@ons and can feel out of place surrounded by many people. It is usual for him to avoid social situa@ons completely. An unannounced visit to this isolated specimen can throw him into a panic so it is advisable to let him know of any such plan well in advance.
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Spaceship A person with Asperger Syndrome can feel deeply about specific topics. Spaceships obsess this specimen. Any spaceship related décor fascinates him and he can watch science fic@on films repeatedly just to look at the spaceship scenery. He has a tendency to construct spaceship related decora@on, some@mes devo@ng an en@re room to this construc@on then stare at this for hours.
David Benson
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Bryan Lewis Saunders “What I communicate depends on what medium I use. As a performer doing stand-up tragedy I deal with personal and social issues in an attempt to make strangers cry or feel like they are immediately going to die.” Interview by Hope Grimson
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Can you describe your creative process?
uncensored workings of the sleeping brain. With
My personality is such that I'm not easily troubled by things, so when something comes along that does bother me I tend to throw myself at it artistically. By doing this I can learn things about myself and others,
these works my primary goal is to communicate that it is ok to not censor yourself. The things we often censor from ourselves and others are what makes us unique as individuals, but beyond that there is an underlying bond of feelings we all share that unite us
conquer fears and open up all kinds of new doors for myself and art. That said, I could also be considered a contrarian of sorts because for a long time now I've been subconsciously creating new forms that are the polar opposite or antithetical to forms that are in
together in our REM dreams. A by-product of this work "le Bobcat" was the first ever valid attempt at dream transference. Unfortunately the perfect dream I had and attempted to transfer to the listeners was one which nobody else really seemed to want to have
wide use today; stand-up tragedy, stream of unconsciousness (narrative mode), the third ear, to name a few. I'd say the process of creating an actual work is about 70% cognition and 30% execution or materialization.
transferred. The second attempt titled, "The Confessor" is a lot more involved and with that work I am not only attempting to transfer dreams from one individual to the next but I'm also attempting to create an entirely new state of consciousness
You have done one self-portrait a day since March 1995 accumulating over 9,000 so far, what first attracted you to the concept of self-perception and what continues to interest you about this
altogether between the hypnagogic and hypnopompic realms, but yet not actual sleep. As a visual 2-D artist anything goes. For example, I just completed a series of portraits of Gregor Mendel. They were arranged on the wall in Punnet squares
topic? What first attracted me to the idea of doing a selfportrait every day was the fact that the possibilities just instantly seemed endless within the work. Because we as humans are constantly subjected to internal and external influences and experiences the act itself has the potential to be infinite. The mind/ body then serves as a filter or vessel where anything is possible, a place where even contradictions are acceptable and I still feel this way about it today. As a performer, artist, videographer and poet what issues do you like to explore with your work, what do you feel your work communicates?
that represented his personality traits instead of his physical traits. They were extremely engaging because we aren't used to interpreting people's psychological and mental states with terms and forms from biology or genetics. In 2001 when you produced your ‘Drugs’ series, what were the practical challenges you faced with a project like this? I don't think there were any except that the style of the images were so wildly varied and exciting to me that I got carried away and ended up doing too many drugs in a short period of time.
What I communicate depends on what medium I use. As a performer doing stand-up tragedy I deal with personal and social issues in an attempt to make
The biological impact of drugs on one’s perception is to alter the brains chemical makeup were you specifically looking for a biological slant on perception, or just a new process? The process isn't new. People have been doing this
strangers cry or feel like they are immediately going to die. It's all about breaking people down so I can insert important messages in their minds more easily. As a poet using the stream of unconsciousness method, I mainly deal with the unconscious and
sort of thing for years they just never had the overabundance and extreme variety of drugs that is available to us today. For the most part I just wanted to see what I would be like as the scientist as well as the lab rat and embrace that bias.
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The contrasts between the portraits produced
I don't do drugs so I can't really answer that. Anything
under the influence of drugs are striking. Do you feel like the images reflect the reputation of each drug or take on a style of their own in the moment of creation?
can alter your self-perception, you just have to practice identifying the changes the moment when they occur. What's on the horizon for you? What are you
Both, but the reputation aspect at the onset of each experiment was unconscious. And had I purposely tried to only document the effect of damage to my motor control I wouldn't have learned anything at all about myself. You have gained much of your notoriety from this particular series why do you think people are so fascinated by them? Unfortunately it's an extremely easy concept to grasp thus easy and perfect for the media to exploit. "This is your face on drugs." Something they can make accessible to the dull and ignorant with no need for further inquiry.
working on currently? I just finished acting in a short film called "Trial Run" directed by Lawrence Klein that should be hitting the festivals soon. I'm working on my second art exhibition for MIKA Gallery in Tel Aviv. Tentatively titled, "We Don't Need Another Doctor We Can Run Our Own Tests" consists of self-portraits on personality test cards. It is like art therapy painted on the diagnostic tools totally cutting out the middle man, or doctor, so to speak. The first exhibition with them, "Gregor Mendel Mutations" was really successful and so this next one I know will be over the top for sure!
You seem willing to suffer for your art what has been the most challenging experience you have undergone?
The drug pictures will be on exhibition in Vienna at Museum Quartier this September along side artists like Marina Abramovic and then after that they will go on display in Amsterdam.
The third ear experiment was the most challenging so far. For 28 days straight I totally blocked up my external ears and attached a copper funnel to my mouth in an effort to reroute sound and connect my
I just had a poetry book published by Firework Edition in Sweden titled, "Authentic Soup Kitchen Menus" it is a truly wonderful little book. It is available now.
eustachian tubes to my pineal gland. And it worked! However, for as meditative and educational as it was, it was equally grueling and torturous. The sheer amount of new and unique experiences I had mixed with the lengthy duration of hallucinations (10 days
I just recorded a track for the group Clipping's next album on Sub Pop. That album is going to be massive! I've got another sleep album in the works too. I've started working on a Third Ear book that includes
straight at the end) made the experience so overwhelming that I could literally dedicate my entire life to just documenting that experience more thoroughly but I've since moved on to other ideas.
some art and audio documents from that experience. I'll be performing in Lausanne at the LUFF (Lausanne Underground Film Festival) in October as well as having an art exhibition at Librairie Humus. I'm sure that I am forgetting some things. I've been
Is there any dichotomy between your use of drugs to alter your perception of yourself and the impact drugs have on your artistic process/vision?
really super busy. < http://bryanlewissaunders.org
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Bryan Lewis Saunders bryanlewissaunders.org
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Two Worlds Apart: A Tale of Avant-Garde and Realism by Sarah Ahmad sarah@tribemagazine.org
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She lay on a round bed, of salt, sand and twigs, woke up at night time to start her day, walked down a rope of plastic and bamboo to get to her studio, a quarter of a mile back in the alley way, and just before she left to do her work she opened her stack of thorn and stems, wrapped in a muslin cloth, immersed it in a jelly of mint paste leaves to brush those pearly whites, the bath deep down in the ocean, floating amidst sea, snakes and whales. She was always in her wide world, smothering past eucalyptus trees and pine wood barks. As she walked across the landscaped indoors of her studio, she could find Cloy the rabbit and Balee the bee, straddled in their corners. The wilderness under her feet, Ayam prepared her paints, coloured sticks of translucent wetness, the room revolving like a potter’s wheel, the brush gathering paint from her hands, splashing and licking the walls, glazed glass windows and baseboards. The music flowed through the walls like electricity, strong gasps of thundering light, traces of Beethoven and trims of madness, the pavement outside led her to gigantic surroundings, and sometimes on pieces of snow flakes and ash dried leaves she took pictures of trails of trains, never ceasing to move, and jet planes which landed in her backyard lanes, almost swishing past the village ants and elephants. Her wish was to ride that train and fly on the jet plane. Ayam had made her paintbrush paint windows of those gigantic never ending trains and wings of jets which came and went, somehow she managed to create her own world inside those windows; people, she thought who went by and colours she thought she saw. The night lights that flickered on the wings of the plan she had envisioned to be mere illusions, then one day she saw lights flickering through the palms of her hands and across her iridescent hair tails. Things were becoming more illustrative and graceful every night, intoxicating sounds and smells of the forest in her studio, industrial metal of trains and planes outside and wet strands of prickly grass in her moonlit studio. Ayam had often tried to stall the never ending train, waving and running along the tracks, painting pictures of a halted train, the hazy lines of movement vanishing in the deep forest. And every day, a speck of sunlight
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meant that it was time to head home as she carried a basket of berries, cherries and bread up the bamboo rope, she often walked up and down the walls of her home, climbing on the ladders and gripping on knitted walls of wool and silk, often pockets of grains and cake would come in handy for breakfast. Her house had been intricately built, wool from the sheep was sheared and made into metres of yarn, Ayam had spent days to knit walls, she had carefully selected sand dunes to build her bed and strewn salt grains for pillows and blankets on wax sheets, she had added art work of snow flakes and painted windows of trains and wings of planes around the house, some on tulip leaves, held up with ants and meteorite chips, her cooking space was a maze of water streams from the ocean and fire from the dragon that lived around the silver lane, she had vessels of ocean reef and shells, and little places to sit, erected with twigs, leaves and trims. Ayam was happy, as happy as one should be, yet in the deep daylight she had wondered of ways to halt the train, thinking and painting them on her studio walls, the skin of her studio walls slipping hastily to reveal a blank canvas after every piece of art was enamoured. On one sunny day, on Ayam’s return to her house, she welcomed a visitor, someone who had flown past her house on a jet, the wings of those she had painted. Ayam excitedly prepared roasted bark tea and sea sand biscuits for her green eyed guest, murmuring and repeating questions to herself, the ones which had often bewildered her. As the green eyes stared at the things and uttered words of awe at the sight of peculiarity, Ayam descended to the sunken threshold which had caught the sudden movements of her guest. She asked him about his voyage, and how she was eager to meet at least one of the voyagers and never had before. He had travelled too for his first time, on that jet plane he had dreamt of, he told her he was dreaming still and she was only just a part of it, he had seen her in the real world where she was his friend, “a whimsical friend my childhood had only imagined, as my mother often declared,” and he just a boy in school, he said, “and in that world there are trains and jet planes everywhere, which often arrived and departed, but
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there was misery and hatred too, bamboo ropes dividing states and oceans dividing people, there was pain in some eyes yet hope in others, and day time particularly was meant for chores, at night one descended to a bed of foam and coir, imagination was often stifled for fame,” he told her that there was much happiness too, yet there were wars to solve problems, wars becoming problems too, he told her he yearned to stay in this dream every night, and the day he fell ill he turned to sleep through the day light, so he could still see glimpses of this world before his mother brings him chicken soup and bread to his room, he told her that there lay a train track near his old house too. And he had travelled to the station with his family as a very little boy, but the tracks now lay in ash and dust, the chatter of people and plush trees and kiosks now might have vanished, the trains he told her, “were simply spectacular,” the architectural splendour of rolling engines and the whiff of never ending carriages is what he often scribbles down in his memory notes. The boy then told her about the train chairs which people sat on “covered in leather with a metallic framework, the trains are metal too, the people carry with themselves clothes made of cotton and silk, scarves and sweaters, and the things are all bundled up in fairly box like suitcases, there is the train driver, the one who stops and starts the train, the food is fine, so are some people who string in a conversation of dreams and history.” He told her that he likes to watch her paint, she paints without the wait for something, without the want of something, she might be painting his little world too, and how he enjoys the swaying movements of her brush and the brashness, he dotes on the rabbit, but the bee is the one which had stung him the other day at the park, he remembers it clearly, Balee is the bully he encounters in school and Cloy is his the friend he met in his science class. He explains to her that he likes to paint too, just like her he paints things he had seen and thoughts in his head, he paints with soft yet imperious strokes, but on thick white sheets and rough white canvas, which he prepares, he imagines the world revolving around in his mind, he paints the barbaric wars which his family escaped from, the subtle leaves of gigantic eucalyptus trees outside his white windows, the allure and the
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beast he sets out to confront, and in the real world he talks to her too, of crayons his mother bought him and the chalkboard which his hung on his wall now, he loves a jungle safari and little things he finds when he accompanies his mother to the flea market early Saturday, every week. He had found little rainbow coloured shells and knitted lamp shades, he had found pearl door knobs and mirrored wall hangings, he tells her about his love for craft, his origami dragon and the twig tied toy case, his knitting needles tied deep in colourful unfinished yarns on doll houses, his never ending stories of trains and planes and people. Never ending stories, which Ayam now painted on her studio walls the next day, quickly rummaging through all the things he had said, she was not willing to wither off in someone’s dream nor were her paintings, skin after skin, the walls were painted, then one day the train halted in its tracks and the jet plane switched off the engine in her backyard and out of the train emerged people, some in khaki uniforms and others in ever flowing gowns of silk, however there was sadness in their stance and dissent in their eyes for the world they had arrived in; more visitors and residents, Ayam thought, people to stumble upon her work, more houses to knit and built, biscuits to bake, fire she thought, grains she thought, friends she thought, then someone from the jet made a frightening scream of “war,” war, she could not think. The lights were then switched on, followed by a gasp, he was awake in the middle of the night, the world as he had known, the wildest dreams disappeared, ordinary paint brushes and extraordinary thoughts; the boy was back on his bed, of coir, the outside of swaying trees and barren patches, concrete roads and stagnant metallic vehicles, the inside of colourful man made things, people by silver lanes, in deep slumber, flicker of lights in the horizon, the real world, however, far away. < Sarah Ahmad sarah@tribemagazine.org
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I'm a self taught artist, I studied biology at university due to my interest in wildlife though it was more genetics and microbiology rather than lions, tigers and bears. I think it's from my scientific background that I get the detail from as I think about exactly how the things I draw would work but also have to look like they would work. I first started doing posters and flyers for a friends punk band not longer after I graduated and really got into my art (I'd always doodled from a child). I started a free collectable poster based comic called 'Stink Like Dog', every couple of weeks when I finished a picture I'd fly poster them and flyer them around Bristol. When I had enough work I'd collect them into mini-comics to sell which would pay for the next posters. I devised an open-ended storyline where pretty much anything I drew would fit into the narrative, last month I self-published a 92 page A3 book of my work that has taken 17 years and is essentially my screenplay for an animated film, each one comes with a 24 page A5 booklet of explanations for the main book along with various bits and pieces from my sketch books (I guess it's too late to send you a review copy). As well my black and white pieces there are full colour photos of the murals and street art I've done. Whenever I sit down to draw something I always try to draw something different, obviously there are repeating themes but I always try to include something extra in each piece, be it a tiny bit of detail to spot to pieces which have a start point and then progress around the page (assembly lines and mousetrap-esque contraptions). As for influences I've always loved Ian Miller's work and that of Katsuhiro Otomo, Geoff Darrow, the black and white artists on 2000AD in the early to mid-eighties and the art in the Haynes Manuals for cars, perfectly drawn exploded diagrams in perspective but each bit does something (I loved airfix kits as a child). Etienne Le Comte facebook.com/stinklikedog
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A Grahovsky pinterest.com/agrahovsky
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Kalopsia Kalopsia are a new textile collective consisting of Adam Robertson, Rachel Lobban, and Nina Falk. ‘Kalopsia’ take traditional textile skill and pass it through a sieve of cross collaboration, exploration and techniques you may not expect. ‘Kalopsia’ hope to push the boundaries and challenge preconceptions of how textiles is perceived and what it means to be a textile practitioner today. Interview by Helen Moore
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What is Kalopsia, and how did it come about? Kalopsia started as a reaction towards the lack of opportunity for contemporary Textile creators to exhibit their work in the UK. After graduating we found it difficult to have our Textile work featured
Textiles is not a medium usually associated with art - in broadening people's appreciation of textile art, do you hope to widen its appeal? Yes, definitely. This is one of our main goals with Kalopsia. Textiles
within the contemporary art community, as we were not considered “Fine artist” nor “designers”. Because of the lack of opportunity for contemporary Textiles, we decided that someone needed to give this field a voice within the Fine arts
are one of the first historical forms of art. But today, many people still think of quilts and curtains which, yes, it is but it is also so much more. Textiles today often has a lot of negative connotations. We at Kalopsia want to change this and show the
and at the same time open up the public’s perception of Textiles.
diversity of the medium, in all its forms, such as performances, apps, videos, etc.
Could you tell me who the current members of this group are and their specialised areas of
Can you talk us through some of the challenges of working with textiles? And what are the
work?
benefits?
There are three main members of Kalopsia. Adam Robertson, Nina Falk and Rachel Lobban. We are also working closely with other creators such as Tim
The biggest challenge we face, is that people already have their preconception of the subject - it is seen as a hobby rather than an artistic form. It
Kloed, Louise Weeden and Rikki Crouch.
takes a lot of time and energy to work with Textiles, but once you gain those skills and knowledge it becomes a really intuitive way to engage with people and an audience. It is not only a tactile
Adam Robertson works with system design and algorithm to create pattern design from data. He is especially interested in non-observational forms of drawing and the idea or non-repeating pattern design. Nina Falk’s work focuses on identity in relation to
subject to work in but it engages people in an intimate level, anyone can appreciate Textiles. Do you feel funding concentrates on preserving the history of textiles rather than supporting
reality and fiction within Textiles and Fashion. She does so through a range of mediums such as video installations and traditional Textiles technique. Rachel Lobban works with performance art where she is exploring dance and movements relation to
emerging contemporary talent?
mark making.
make a place for Contemporary Textiles that involves a variety of creators to produce work that
Yes definitely, we almost have to go to other funding programmes to support the contemporary talent emerging in this field. As creators wanting to
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engages with the public – it is not easy to find
anything which people might not expect? And
suitable funding, as most funding’s are drawn towards historical conservation or projects considered being more “artistic”.
what skills have you learnt which have benefitted your practice?
Even though we appreciate the historical aspect,
One of the key things that we learned from
Textile’s seems to always be looking backwards. We almost seem to have lost the idea that Textiles is truly innovative. Textiles has always been in the fore front of advancement with innovations such as the jacquard loom. But today, we do not seem to allow
University, is the strength in collaborating. We believe that no form of artistic practice should stand alone. By working with other creators, from different fields, it has opened up other doors for us. Working
this field to progress. This is were we think that funding is lacking - for the development of new and exciting Textiles. Because Textiles should not only be seen as a Historical craft but also as a contemporary art form.
together with practitioners from different fields has given us the opportunity to learn other skills. All our Textile practices have some overlap with other artistic forms and to different extents we have used in collaboration with our Textile skills. Whatever it is,
On your website you say “Kalopsia brings textiles to its rightful place as one of the key mediums and ways of thinking within the contemporary art scene.” Do you feel
filming Textiles performances or designing digital pattern Apps, we have all discovered the importance of embracing and combining other practices to expand and develop our own work. Although we combine skills and techniques from
collaborating in a group strengthens your position within the contemporary art scene?
other fields, we still consider our work being Textiles.
Yes, collaborations are not only exacting but it also
How will the Kalopsia collective change our
helps us develop our practice. Through working with people from a variety of fields, we have been able to innovate within our work as it brings out new directions to this subject. These collaborations have also helped us to expand our audience and
preconceptions of what textiles can be? And what response have you received so far? Are people excited by contemporary textiles?
create work that can appeal to a broader range of people. Kalopsia itself gives us a support network that is valuable when developing new skills and ideas.
exhibition advertised, that they come with a very preconceived notion of what they will see. But they always seem to be pleasantly surprised by our exhibitions. The feedback that we get is that they find our exhibitions refreshing as we actively make
Your textile work crosses into many other areas of contemporary art. What have you learnt from exploring other areas? What other areas have you explored within the group? Is there
them engaging. We are trying to make them as relaxed and friendly as possibly. We think that it is important for art to be accessible for everyone and that there shouldn’t be any elitism within our
We have often found, when people see a Textile
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exhibition space. Doing this, gives us
since then. It is so important to
the best chance of changing the audiences preconceptions. One of our main exhibitions “WhatIsTextiles” is doing this. People are not expecting to see video
promote the subject as a whole; it is very diverse which is making it more interesting and exciting. Everything that is now historical craft, was once contemporary. We believe in
installations, performance art, have discussions about systems, mathematics and the notions of existence in a Textiles exhibition. It is a pleasant feeling when you realise that
promoting what will become historical Textiles in the future. We are fascinated by historical techniques, which is the key to having a rounded contemporary practice. We
everyone leaving your exhibition, is excitingly talking about what Textiles can be.
feel that it is important to have a good understanding of historical Textiles to be able to really understand the context of your practice.
In the UK at the moment, there is a vast amount of innovative Textiles art being produced and Kalopsia’s role is to bring that work to the public. Kalopsia is a platform for anyone working with contemporary Textiles to have the
Finally what is textiles to you? Textiles is systems, it is a logical way of problem solving in a creative fashion. It is a thought process.
opportunity to change the public’s perception of Textiles. Our goal is to open up the debate of what Textiles can be.
Nina – It is a social, historical, and cultural artefact. Textiles can be seen as a tool to show emotions, experiences and thoughts.
Why it is important to promote textiles as both a distinct artistic practice, as well as a historical craft? Why can you not have one without
Rachel – It is a thought process (Textiles-thinking) and learning skills which you can develop and use in a variety of situations that aren’t commonly known as Textiles.
the other? How can something become historical without being contemporary at that moment? Work develops and evolves, therefore there has to be both. We learn from the historical to inform the contemporary. Textiles is considered contemporary
It is one of the oldest art tools, and it is a privilege for us to continue to work in this industry and to push the boundaries of the subject. <
kalopsia.co.uk
from the 60s/70s. It was quite big in the 70s but the industry died in the 80s and sadly nothing has really happened
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The Contemporary Chinese Art Market by Christine Platt christine@tribemagazine.org
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Over the past few decades, the contemporary Chinese art market progressed from birth to breaking records. According to art economist Clare McAndrew, China had 25% of the worldwide art market in 2012, making it second only to the US. While many factors contributed to the development of this market, it undeniably arose from a context of unparalleled economic growth in China combined with global cultural exposure and the unprecedented growth in the international art market. With the rise of China and contemporary Chinese art, you might be interested in collecting work from China or selling work in China. However, be aware that the internal Chinese art market functions differently from the global and Western art markets you may already be familiar with. During 2008 and 2009 I researched the contemporary Chinese art market by conducting interviews with artists and arts professionals in China, visiting major art centres and immersing myself in the many articles and researches about contemporary Chinese art held at the Asia Art Archives in Hong Kong. I created a model of the contemporary Chinese art market based on key players developing taste in this market. Several years later, as I have continued to follow contemporary Chinese art, I share this still relevant model with you in order to provide a basic framework for understanding this market and how it functions, especially in comparison to the global art market.
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We will start with a review of the global art
including solo and group shows, publications
market as a baseline to compare to the contemporary Chinese art market. The model below visualizes the flow of internal factors as enforced by the major art market players, whose level of influence is noted by the relative
and advertising as well as courting individual, corporate and public collectors.
heaviness and size of the font. Additionally you find a list of notable external factors.
the market mechanism. Collectors also secure the reputation of an artist by choosing to purchase works throughout an artist’s career, sometimes providing philanthropy around specific artists and movements, sometimes
The artist plays an essential role as creator. In fact, the market has been developed to
The collectors ensure value by actually purchasing works, arguably the key element in
encourage artists to create the product and let the other players in the market define its value. Art’s value is myriad yet less easily economically defined than commodities with single, obvious functions, such as a cooking pot. This allows the
participating in price increases, as well as donating works to institutions and participating in the secondary market.
other players in the market to build taste and value by highlighting their choice of various aspects of an artwork, including its decorative nature, its commentative nature, its emotional power, its educational value, its entertainment
prices possible for any given work. They also provide a level of transparency for the market, in addition to an increased level of competitiveness.
value, or its cultural significance, to name some possibilities. However, occasionally, some artists work outside the system, such as Damien Hirst, who creates value through promotional and
The museums canonize the artworks and artists through their collections, exhibitions and publications. By adding artworks into art history and the public consciousness they play a
marketing tactics. And while the Damien Hirsts of the world are relatively few, the general level of artist marketing has minimally increased as of late with social media (Facebook and Twitter especially) and personal web pages.
crowning role in the art market. Once an artist has work in the museum they are more likely to sell at stable or higher prices and for a sustained period of time.
The dealer (usually a gallery, although sometimes intermediaries such as consultants) often makes the first selection of artists to promote and therefore gives an artist’s works their initial market value. The dealer then builds a taste for an artist through promotional activities
The auction houses try to create the highest
The critics equally support artists through their evaluations of the merits in an individual work or in an artist’s career. Increasingly less formal critics hold power in this realm as well, including web magazines and individual social media users (Tweeting, Blogging, Facebooking and more).
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In China, the Communist government halted
With the same players and factors in mind as in
commercial art sales in the country for several decades. In addition the government heavily directed art styles and continues to censor art content to varying degrees, depending on the current leader, the art and the context for display.
the global art market, the contemporary Chinese art market differs most markedly in terms of the artistsâ&#x20AC;&#x2122; role in generating value. The artists in China sell their works through dealers, but also sell works themselves. Importantly, according to
With this in mind, the nascent contemporary art market developed distanced from its historical predecessor and with that the opportunity to redefine roles in the market. Below find a model of the contemporary Chinese art market defining
Chinese art expert, Richard Vine, Chinese artists often work with galleries in non-exclusive contracts, having shows at multiple venues and retaining the rights to sell works from their own studios. Moreover, high numbers of Chinese
the roles of the same players as those working in the global art market.
artists have no qualms about selling directly through auction houses, presumably to fast-track their careers in a much less entrenched dealer system.
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Dealers must share their role with artists in
Chinese-produced art, Chinese collectors still
China, as well as share the primary market with the usually secondary market auction houses. Another factor diminishing the overall power of the dealer in China is the lack of art education and therefore the difficulty for collectors to
focus primarily on domestic art. These collectors and many young corporations often buy works to create their own museums, art hotels and other exhibition spaces. Art purchasing provides a major means of spending their new money and
differentiate quality and style between competing dealers. On the other hand, foreign dealers in China tend to do well at the upper reaches of the market as they have global clout attracting these new Chinese collectors.
a way to upgrade their cultural and social capital. This is common across the global art market, but the scale is much larger in China in tandem with a fast-growing, newly rich population that tends to have lower levels of art education and
Over the last decade countless auction houses have operated in China. These houses remain largely under-regulated. Most international critics agree that Poly Auction (interestingly
therefore are arguably more susceptible to speculation and market frenzy. These relatively active Chinese collectors play a proportionally larger role in the market than other collectors, out-with the few Saatchi-style collectors
under the People’s Liberation Army) and Guardian are the only two local houses you should consider. However, many western news outlets have shed light on several scandals over forgeries, price-fixing and non-payments over
sprinkled across the globe. This may change with the special economic zones set to open over the next few years in China, where taxes affecting art transactions will be lowered for international parties.
the past few years, so great caution is required. Nevertheless, as artists deal directly with these houses, and as the auction room is a great attraction for Chinese collectors, investors and
The nature and number of private museums has resulted in a decrease in museum authority in China. Thousands of museums have opened in
many speculators, the auction house arguably creates more value in the Chinese art market compared with those in the West. Notably, Christies recently held their first auction on Chinese soil, profiting from this auction-heavy
the past decade in China, many of which opened before having a complete collection or using a collection of fakes. Numerous museums in China currently seek museum experts to professionalize their institutions. This lack of
system. It remains to be seen if their global standards and experience will influence Chinese standards or alternatively if Christie’s will localize.
rarity and the low level of expertise in museums keeps the current influence of these institutions relatively low.
Collectors in China have steadily increased in
Only a handful of critics work in the
numbers. Whether it be due to a drive to support their nation or a better understanding of
contemporary Chinese art field. This prevents intense influence on the overall market.
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Additionally, outside critics remain under-educated on the realities of China in broad terms of the economy and culture as well as specifically the art market and local art history and trends. Active social media users on blogs and sites such as weibo and sina play a role, but this appears minimal on the commercial market. In comparing the contemporary global art market to the contemporary Chinese art market, many differences in the level of influence and the development of taste become apparent. In China the artist has greater control over their personal market in a system that is more overtly commercial overall. The population lacks general art education which affects the collectors, and those collectors often see art as a symbol of social status first and foremost. The more institutionalized elements of the market have yet to prove their metal, and thus will remain less influential for the time being. All of these differences have developed in a particular socio-economic and political atmosphere. The system will inevitably change over time as the exterior and interior factors change and develop. I am most curious to see how the Chinese system will influence the global system and vice versa. Note: If you are interested in a more thorough discussion of the development of this market, please contact Christine Platt for her full dissertation. < christine@tribemagazine.org
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Sylwia Kubus
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Metaphysical Assassin He was so mad he stormed out of the house and dragraced downtown, but he couldn’t get away from the pain. When he crashed his car into an alley behind a bar, he massacred a row of garbage cans and scared the wits out of a cat. On the way into the bar he slaughtered the backdoor with his hands and feet and tried to bury it in the ceiling. He bombed the barstool with his butt as his arm bazooka’d a plastic ashtray into the barroom mirror reflecting the battlefield on his face. He occupied the bartender’s time like an invading alien army. An armada of beers sailed down his throat and punched a Panama Canal thru his head. Heartwrecked in a Caribbean Sea of oblivion, he tidalwaved back home and ebbed into the house as if a female cloud had eclipsed the man on his moon. In the quiet bedroom darkness he shucked off his clothes and slid into the sheets beside his wife whose arms snuck around his chest. Suddenly all the pain died away and paradise reclaimed its throne as he kissed her murmuring, “I murdered us all over town.” Larry Ziman Larry Ziman lives in Los Angeles, California, where he publishes The Great American Poetry Show, a serial poetry anthology, www.tgaps.net
Image: Rose Packer
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WHORE she called me a whore for money but I'm not I'm a whore for life for love for the mystery of a woman's narrow ankle but not money and if I am I'm putting out for almost nothing
Image: Juan Patino Herraiz
Richard Donnelly Richard Donnelly's first book, The Melancholy MBA (www.themelancholymba.com), is published by Brick Road Poetry Press of Columbus, Georgia.
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Poem I put all of my emotions in containers, My hopes and my dreams and my fears In containers. And I placed them before A grizzly bear Who snuffled his big wet nose On the box Which interested him the most. I opened it, Eagerly, Excited, Only to find it was the one I had put my lunch in. Robert Garnham Robert Garnham is the host of Poetry Island performance poetry nights in Torquay, Devon, UK. He has won slam competitions in Devon and London and recently supported John Hegley.
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Image: Rose Packer
Sit With Me Tonight Sit with me and we will pass the night companionably, like two old horses in a pasture munching grass, nuzzling quietly in summer soft moonlight. Or if you prefer we can drink ourselves silly on the wine I brought and sing old songs in all the false keys we love so well, my whiskey tenor and dogs braying through fences and yards. We can climb the black rungs of night hand over hand until we find ourselves halfway between the ancient stars and
Image: Magenta Fox
twinkling lights of shining Earth below, water rushing, disappearing into shadowy land. Steve Klepetar
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In the body of work called S.NOB, Lesley-Jo Thompson seeks to look into the way in which we use the places we inhabit as the extension of our ego's, and how that translates to how we perceive and are perceived by our choices. The way others pass judgement about our social standing by these visual markers, and how we are constantly engaging in this pre-occupation either consciously or subconsciously. The book S.NOB concentrates on two households in the Devon County, firstly that of Lord and Lady Devon at Powderham Castle and the other on a single parent family's household in Devon who relies on state benefits to survive. Lesley-Jo plays with he audiences own prejudices and misconceptions by leaving it up to them to decide who's house and possessions are on the page, indicating the similarities between us no matter what our inherited status.
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Lesley-Jo Thompson lesleyjophotography.4ormat.com
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(c) 2013 tribe magazine