issue 7 by plateform mag

Yann Audic / Fanny Montlouis / Ulric Collette / Marina Bychkova / Simon Kolton / Laurence Guenoun / Mehdi Benabid / Eric Rose / Wirrow / Costas Masseras / Isabel Reitemeyer / Mackeson Wayne / Antoine Josse / Torsten G. / AxlTM

ISSUE 070609

S U M M A R Y

TRAVELLER

MULTI FACETTES

HEARTS

PURE DARK

PIECES

« DAVAÏ » Yann Audic INTERVIEW of the illustrator Fanny Montlouis « GENETIC PORTRAIT » Ulric Collette INTERVIEW of the Enchanted DollTM designer Marina Bychkova « IN THE MOOD FOR… » Simon Kolton INTERVIEW of the coach Mehdi Benabid « HIDDEN » Eric Rose INTERVIEW of the artist Wirrow « WINTRY SUN » Costas Masseras INTERVIEW of the illustrator Isabel Reitemeyer

LAND

FREE

« AL ALBA » Mackeson Wayne INTERVIEW of the sculptor painter Antoine Josse « LOW FIDELITY » Torsten G. INTERVIEW of the illustrator AxlTM

TRAVELLER

« DAVAÏ » Yann Audic INTERVIEW of the illustrator Fanny Montlouis

DAVAÏ How did this project come to life ? Davai is, above all, a one man trip round Russia and Ukraine, and therefore it is a project that got put together “a posteriori”. Nonetheless, I did have this idea of exploring the common memories of Russian people though, via interviews and portraits based on a theme I called “I was 29”. It was about asking people to remember the time when they were 29: when, where, what had happened since then, etc… The aim was for me to link their personal memories to their country’s history. I did manage to do it, in a way and it was a very rich experience, although the interviews were quite intimidating since these people had been through incredible times. In the end, unfortunately, I could only create three portraits that got published in the book, as I had miscalculated how difficult it would be for me to converse in Russian. Nonetheless, it was very exciting to meet people who had witnessed such historical moments.

Y A N N A U D I C

This meant that I had to do things a different way, through the iconic elements present in everyday life in Russia, the bits of the Soviet era that still survive, which are the first things one sees when entering a Russian apartment for the first time. People sleep, eat and drive Soviet, many things have remained the way they were, be they the objects or the people themselves. I came back to France with a large body of work which La Sauce aux Arts (a publishing company in Caen where photographers, graphic designers and slammers meet) helped put together my first book. An experience The most amazing experience of the trip was probably being in Sebastopol for Ukraine’s Independence Day, on the 24th of August. In this Crimean town, Russian flags are flying even though it is Ukrainian territory: Sebastopol harbor is the main base for the Russian marine force in the Black Sea and therefore it is a highly strategic place for Russia. Because of its history, the town is mainly Russian speaking (70% of the population is Russian) and pro-Russia. People want only one thing there: to leave Ukraine and go back to Russia, which borders Crimea. On that day, the Ukrainian government had organized a concert with an outsized stage, which was a clear signal for the audience that Sebastopol was controlled by Kiev. The audience reacted by booing the artist (straight from the Ukrainian equivalent of Pop Idol) and by chanting the name of Russia until no one could hear the singer any more. It was a difficult moment also because of the fact that this was not a nationalistic rally: the crowd was made up of men, women, children and adolescents who waved Russian flags and even wore T shirts with the portrait of Vladimir Putin on them. Living such a moment of hate and disrespect is very difficult. Many Ukrainians were present but had to remain silent: now was not a time to engage in any discussion with excited Russians. It was a tragic moment, as they were probably neighbours and their children probably go to the same school, but that night they hated one another. At such a time it is easy to imagine the worst, the region being so important for both countries.

A few words to describe Russia as you experienced it? It was fascinating because I lived there while there was a war in South Ossetia. From August 2008, travelling in the south of European Russia, I was a few hundred kilometers away from the conflicts near the Black Sea, where Russians go for the summer holidays. At the beginning of the trip the mood was towards euphoria. The successful Red Army offensive in Georgia gave the Russian people I met at that time a feeling of empowerment, incarnated obviously by Vladimir Putin, who resisted the Western leaders, who were themselves supporting Michael Saakachvili, the Georgian president. I myself was taken by this feeling of powerfulness: the giant country, the military might, the glorious past and even if I didn’t understand more than 10% of what was being said in the TV newscasts, I felt that Russia couldn’t do anything wrong, although I had reservations about the whole of the Georgian affair. Then two or three weeks later came the first financial crisis, the international economy got worse and the Moscow stock market collapsed, going down 50% in a few days, the worst performance in the world at the time. This collapse was so important that the stock market was actually shut for a few days. I witnessed the Russians realizing the utter worthlessness of their economy, when they had so many military and diplomatic successes. This is, after all a condensed version of Russian history: great military successes alongside economic catastrophes, like a giant with feet of clay, but we can expect them to work and get things better. www.flickr.com/yann_audic print sales (signed and numbered) Contact Elise Malafosse +33 (0)6 30 60 61 58 // emalafosse@msm.fr Davaï Editions La Sauce aux Arts, 44 Pages format A5, parution Mars 2009. http://www.lasauceauxarts.org/images/stories/evenement/2008/davai/bulletin%20de%20souscription.jpg http://www.lasauceauxarts.org/

CALLTO

SQUARE IN GRENOBLE

ARTISTS

PLATEFORM MAGAZINE AND CHRISTOPHE DILLINGER ARE PUTTING TOGETHER A SERIES OF SHOWS IN GRENOBLE, FRANCE, BASED ON THE SQUARE PHOTOGRAPHIC FORMAT. EXHIBITION DATES : OCTOBER AND NOVEMBER (dates to be finalized) To participate, email 9 images in square format, low resolution, to info@cdillinger.co.uk DEADLINE FOR SENDING YOUR IMAGES :

10th August 2009 FOR MORE INFORMATION AND TO DOWNLOAD A REGISTRATION PACK : www.cdillinger.co.uk/square-application-pack.pdf

F A N N Y M O N T L O U I S

INTERVIEW How did you become an illustrator? I am originally a graphic artist, which is pretty close to being an illustrator, but where the creative impulse remains motivated by contractual constraints. Illustration is a breath of freedom. It enables me to explore various ideas; it is like a laboratory where I can work on a purely aesthetic approach to the image and towards a personal narrative. It is a kind of inner space that many designers like setting aside, away from commercial demands. I like to think now that I am both a graphic artist and an illustrator, one needing the other to function. What inspires you? This is a difficult question. It is a mixture of graffiti art, drawings, posters, paintings, like a distillation of images and stories that touch me. I also admire people who can ally hand and mouse intelligently. Music is also very useful. I like to think about music using images and mix audio and visual narrations. And above all I try to do what I like doing and to find my own way through my work. In any case every day I am hit by all sorts of visual stuff, which drives me to work harder and explore further both the concepts and the materializations of my projects (there are a lot of very talented people out there). Any commissioned work? Maybe an exhibition if I am ready, some artwork for musician friends and a big project for a screenplay (which monopolizes my time and is pretty scary, I must confess). I work for an agency at the moment, so it is all a bit complicated. The choice of colours? As one of my teachers used to say: “start with black and white, we’ll see about colour later”. I still think he was right. Therefore colour is for me a bonus, a smart developer. I like stretching it, dotting it around, abuse it… In short, colour dresses up my narrative. Your projects? I would really like to work with an author, in a kind of Neil Gaiman/Dave Mackean collaboration. Such complementarities would be very enriching, who could ask for more? I confess I am more and more interested in interactive illustration; I like the idea of a direct dialogue between man and image. I am working at the moment with designers of audio and graphic architecture, I am learning, learning and learning some more and I love this. www.stan-gd.com contact@stan-gd.com

MULTI FACETTES

« GENETIC PORTRAIT » Ulric Collette INTERVIEW of the Enchanted DollTM designer Marina Bychkova

U L R I C C O L L E T T E

GENETIC PORTRAIT How did you become a photographer ? I started photography as a means to express myself, using this medium to illustrate the ideas and themes that are of interest to me. I have been working in the creative field as a graphic designer for more than 10 years and I think it is advertising that really pushed me towards photography. About this project : If we were to go back to the origins of humanity, we’d see that we are all somebody’s parent, everybody is made out of everybody else’s genes… I thought it could be interesting to use family roots, genetic resemblances and ageing as main factors in this research. Your future projects : First of all I want to carry on with this series, with new models. I am going to exhibit my work in Quebec and in Brussels A collaboration with Belgian photographer Vk Duvivier: “C’est pas du gateau”, an association with a few European photograhers: www.flickr.com/photos/cpdg www.ulriccollette.com

INTERVIEW M A R I N A B Y C H K O V A

How do you start creating dolls? I started out playing with dolls just like all the other girls, but I became dissatisfied with the ones I had very quickly. They were your very generic baby dolls: boring and very mainstream and I wanted an adult, developed female. Not surprisingly, I couldn’t find anything to match my high standards and that forced me to start making my own dolls. I began experimenting with all kinds of different materials: fabric, wood, paper, electrical tape, flowers, whatever…Once I raided my grandpa’s tool closet and my love for metal things, hammers and pliers was born. So at the age of six I already had a mission objective for my life - create the perfect doll the likes of which the world has never seen before. Twenty years later I think I’m finally getting close to making my dream doll. It’s a good thing I started early. Your inspiration... My inspiration comes from many places, everywhere really. It’s almost impossible to single out and identify all the sources. The most insignificant thing, such as a dinner fork can trigger some hidden association and inspire me to make a crown or something. Some of the biggest influences come from the Art Neuveau era painters, illustrators and fashion design such as William Whaterhouse, Alphones Mucha, Erte, William Morrison, Kay Nielsen as well as Karl Faberge, Edmund Dulac, Arthur Rakham etc. My biggest inspirations is perhaps Sulamith Wulfing. Everything is hand made? Everything pertaining to Enchanted Doll™ is hand made. I design everything and make most of it. When in comes to metal clothes, such as corsets and shoes, I design and make the prototype and have a casting technician helps me with reproduction development. I am an extremely tactile person and love to interact with and handle all kinds of textures. In fact, touching something is just as important as looking at it because a lot of times it helps me see things clearly. You know how babies always need to put pretty much any object they come across in their mouths to identify it and learn about it? Well, I’m kind of like that. If I see something beautiful, I compulsively need to touch it to know what to do with it. It’s as if I see through my fingers. Making stuff with my own hands is what I love doing. The joy of my work comes from handling materials, learning their characteristics and creating new compositions with them. Designing things on paper alone is not enough. I need to make what I design.

Your projects, whishes for the future... More of the same: Dolls, dolls and more dolls. There are so many things I want to do and so many projects to make. There is never a shortage of ideas in my head. They buzz in my brain like a swarm of bees on any given moment and never let me rest. If I began listing them for you I wouldn’t know where to begin or end, so I’ll just name a couple. I plan to begin work on a Dorian Grey Doll and a Romeo and Juliet composition as well as design more metal clothes. Another plan is to film a short, stop motion animation for an erotic film festival. I’m also going to St. Petersburg to attend a doll expo on June 11-14th and then a Fine Art fair in Cologne, Germany in September. After that I need to start getting ready for my next solo show in Berlin, Germany in the summer of 2010. As I’m doing all this, I’m also simultaneously working on a book, but it will be a couple of years before it’s ready for print. It’s all very exciting. www.enchanteddoll.com inquiries@enchanteddoll.com

Photos BY Chad Isley www.chadisley.com

HEARTS

« IN THE MOOD FOR… » Simon Kolton INTERVIEW of the coach Mehdi Benabid

IN THE MOOD FOR… S I M O N K O L T O N

How did this project start? My work has been about Thailand for a while now. Two years ago I started a series about Bangkok and its inhabitants. Bangkok is a very touristy city, where it is easy to fall for the clichés. As for me, I wanted to be close to the people and their environment. I had already done a project about Bangkok, in colour and black and white, but now I wanted a new angle, I wanted to do something else. To me this new project would be about going further than a simple portrait and to show people in their environment. In this series, the settings are essential, they belong to the subject, every little detail counts. Colour photography soon naturally imposed itself as the correct media to use, but a special kind of colour that would be re-worked, selected, being an intrinsic component of the photograph and not left to chance. Contrary to my previous projects, this relationship between colour and picture means a lot of post production work. It is something I really enjoy: I like facing the screen, I like working the way a painter works the light and the pigments, straight to the heart of the image. It is a very calm and peaceful moment for me, during which I remember how I felt at the time I took the pictures. The title of this series, “In the mood for…” is of course inspired by Wong Kar Wai’s movie, because of the light and its unique ambiance. A certain approach to people I am more attracted by people than I am attracted by places; this is the essence of my work. I like showing people as they are; I like to meet people and to see them in their own environment. This means of course long hours spent walking, working and watching. Sometimes it all snaps into place, quickly, and the eye starts analyzing the moment, the person, the place, the light and the background. One essential thing for me is that I do not want to intrude or to “steal” a shot. I am always careful to respect the image of the people I take pictures of, apart from when they are asleep sometimes, I don’t want to render them grotesque or ridiculous. If all of these things happen together, then the magic can start working.

We feel a certain intimacy with the people you take pictures of. This is the basis of my work, and it means empathizing with them, so that everyone feels comfortable. It is a practice in between journalism and portrait that requires time and care. We must not forget that it is a pleasurable experience too, to meet people, to share, to listen. I want everyone I photograph to feel unique and, for me, I want that person to be unique on my image. We live in a time when everything is going faster and faster and for this project I wanted to take my time. One problem I had to overcome was the language though. This is why I have worked accompanied by Thai friends who translated for me. My practice is a bit like a movie documentary. We meet, people start talking and then end up forgetting about the camera. http://www.doggyshow.com/bookphoto simonkolton@yahoo.fr

M E H D I B E N A B I D

INTERVIEW Your career... I started boxing around 17 years old, it wasn’t planned. Ten month later I was on my first fight and I never quit ever since. And for nearly 20 year now, it gave me an healthy way of life, and allowed me to travel : Malta, Thailand, Japan... I had the chance to pass my exams and have my federal instructor diploma... So far so good. A passion was born... Little by little and I wasn’t familiar at all with that sport. I was in high school, a friend of mine ask me to join him so I came along. It was at the André Zeitoun siam boxing club. The atmosphere was great and with a hard level back then. Those were the best years of Thaï boxing of my life. I joined an other club since but I never quit. The training... First you have the warm up. You jump rope for 20 minutes. You keep warming up by exercice with your legs and fists. Each works with its own group and level. The high skilled ones could do pao or sand bags for a start. Beginners could practice in order to learn how to do a proper movement. Then sparring (little fights with protections so you can hit but not hurt) every level permitted and you have close fight in the same spirit. And to finish, push-ups with abs and stretchings. You bow and then shower. The fights...We’re having some problem with the federation, so everything is possible to change as we speak. But you have basically, first category: class C. 3 rounds, 2 minutes each, with protections beacause these are the first fights. If participants are of age and if they wish, it could be without any protections. You have class B: 5 rounds, 2 minutes each, and at last class A: 5 rounds, 3 minutes each. You have differents rules according to countries and boxers today. In France for instance, hitting with your elbow is forbidden. In Thailand it is an obligation

ThaĂŻ Boxing in France... Like I said, there are a lot of problems with the federation and problems of structure, which leads to leave France behind when you see country like Netherlands or Japan. Even if it remains a very mediatic sport with the up coming of sport like free fighting (MMA). Boxe.coach@gmail.com

Photos BY Laurence GuenounÂŠ www.laurenceguenoun.fr

PURE DARK

« HIDDEN » Eric Rose INTERVIEW of the artist Wirrow

E R I C R O S E

HIDDEN How did you begin photography ? Photography has punched me in the gut twice in my life. When I was, 8 my mother handed me a Pentax K1000. I looked at it and thought, I hope all of these numbers aren’t very important ! I remember envisioning a photograph in my head while staring out the window of our farm house in Connecticut. I was in awe whenever she came out of the darkroom. It was like Christmas every time I went to the town camera shop to pick up my prints. The second time at 20, I went to Italy, setting foot in Florence, I shot 12 rolls of film the first day, the light, the people, the alleyways, what heaven. Hooked ever since. How do you choose between color or black and white ? I used to shoot exclusively in black and white, color, to me, was boring, plain. I became fascinated with the collaborations of Junet & Caro, Wong Kar Wai & Christopher Doyle, and later Saul Leiter. After viewing their work, color began to make my blood boil. In different ways it was vibrant and timeless. After opening Leiters book, I was looking at everything in a new way. As far as choosing between color and b&w, it’s a gut reaction. I often immediately lean toward black and white as I want to pull the time out of the shot. For me it is the first step in removing the ability for someone to date the photograph. I’m heavily influenced by the cinema, so if an image seems more dramatic in black and white I’ll drain the color. While I shoot a lot of digital, I have a strong love for film, I keep a variety of film cameras loaded up, so on occasion I will only have black and white to work from, it all depends on what I grab as I’m out the door, expired film, instant, the grainiest I can find, I love it all. The best part is never knowing what will be around the next corner. Do you have current projects ? I have never been one for rules, especially in art, so putting in place any kind of structured project is not on my list. That said, I love the work of August Sander, and to be able to set up portraits in the fashion August did would be a dream, so it’s something I’d like to work on. The thing is, I’m a fairly shy person, and while I have no qualms getting close in my street shooting, or taking portraits of friends and family, asking a total stranger I’m intrigued by to sit for me is another question. So I’ve been making a point of getting outside my comfort zone and asking a stranger a day if they will sit for a portrait. Soon, I hope it will become second nature. Not exactly a project, I know... www.filmesque.com

W I R R O W

INTERVIEW About your drawings… My drawings are kinda like if Tolkien had tried to write lord of the rings when he was 4. I’m trying to build a bit of a mythological world with my little characters, but I have no plan. And also I can’t really draw so I’m just a cat banging on the piano keys really and letting randomness work its miracles. Nothing I draw ever looks like what I thought it would look like when I started drawing it, which is kinda cool I think. Your inspiration from snippets of overheard conversations, being outside, unfamiliarising my surroundings, mythology, kids drawings, randomness A perfect mix between depth and apparent simplicity I’m not really sure why I like simple drawings, but I do. I love kids drawings. I think it allows people to attach their own significance to them because they are not being spelt out to them with overcomplications. Everyone can relate to a kids drawing the same way you relate to a rorschach ink blot. [am I being too symbolic?] Your vision of humanity… In my head, all people and things are made up of tiny little dragonflies… When we come close to a person or a tree or whatever, we give them some of our dragonflies and they give us some of theirs. We keep exchanging and inspiring with these tiny dragonflies that flutter vigorously. I think the downfall of humanity is when people want to swarm over everything and give nothing back. That’s like taking drugs or something... You end up wanting a massive hit and you use up all the good stuff in your head in a big dose and then, you’re left with emptiness. It reduces humanity to simplicity, but we have sparks of divinity. I believe the good stuff should seep into our souls little by little… Like little dragonflies that come to us when we create music. When we create art. When we kiss someone. When we show compassion. When we play games. When we run in fields. When a cat plays with its tail. When we crush citrus leaves on our fingers… This is the good stuff. This is real happiness. At least it is to me :/ Your projects, wishes for tomorrow I am animating some of my very very very short stories. And I am making some music videos. Hopefully one of my own songs too. My wishes ? To create magic and make friends who are willing to play along with me : ) http://wirrow.blogspot.com/

PIECES

« WINTRY SUN » Costas Masseras INTERVIEW of the illustrator Isabel Reitemeyer

C O S T A S M A S S E R A S

WINTRY SUN What is this serie about ? I started shooting harbours under a winter sun and I tried to see them not only as utility spaces of coming and going, but also as places where the absence, the dramatic effect of light, and the mixage of different materials resulted in a visual artistic effect, taking me back to past decades, giving me the impression of immobility, while at the same time of return. Very colorful, why ... The use of colour was inevitable, since everything under a sun which disseminates through the clouds seem rather awesome and familiar, the tension of light had to be accentuated by the high contrast, on the other hand the saturated colour reacts in addition to the marks of passing time on different materials. The sea is ... The sea is the beginning, the point from which everything started, and harbours are the link. It is the great mystery, a promise and a longing, it is the unsatisfied and desire, death, and the small parenthesis called â&#x20AC;&#x153;lifeâ&#x20AC;?. www.masseras.gr www.myspace.com/costasmasseras

I S A B E L R E I T E M E Y E R

INTERVIEW About typographie... Typografie and illustration where always an essential part of my graphic-design studies and are still part of my daily working routine. I enjoy experimenting with typography and fonts, though in the end the aim of my work is to reduce the design to its essentials for maximum effect. Similar to my collages, it is also important to me to give the elements their individual space and create clarity. Where do you find your inspiration? I get inspired by things that lay in front of me and things that surrounds me like music, weather, people or situations. The idea of the dadaismus, to use chance as a design principal and to make use of all things around us is also one of my work practices. That means, among other things, that my collages are without plan, they are free of concept. Everything around me as well as my daily moods and emotions influence my work. It is a process which changes permanently and thus always new ways are open to me and my work. The tide always turns and provokes myself to reconsider everything and it requires me to stay flexible in my thinking. In contrast to the applied arts, the graphic-design, where the route is defined and where are tasks and clients with specific expectations, I can give freedom to my intuition while at work with my collages. I admit myself to chance and I can be led by it. You mix collage and painting in your art ... This combination of painting and collage makes it possible for me to create a more or less strongly structured surface which is impossible to be reproduced by other techniques like painting alone and particularly not by technical (clean/abstract) computer work. Due to the constantly changing influences new ideas and approaches arise all the time that I often destroy my so far existing work and I start all over again. That way different layers develope which give depth to the picture. Each collage runs through different stages and has a life and an individual development within it-sometimes a shorter, sometimes a longer one. A film, which supports my point of view and impressed me very much is the film : LE MYSTĂ&#x2C6;RE PICASSO (1956) directed by Henri-Georges Clouzot. This fascinating documentary shows by using timelapse the development process and the different stages a picture passes through before it becomes what it is / before its finalisation www.isabel-reitemeyer.com info@isabel-reitemeyer.com

LAND

« AL ALBA » Wayne Mackeson INTERVIEW of the painter sculptor Antoine Josse

W A Y N E M A C K E S O N

AL ALBA Why do you choose photography? My father was a master sergeant in the U.S. Air Force. While stationed overseas, he picked up a camera (my bet is that it was a Yashica) that has a green string instead of a strap. And with it, he took beautiful Kodachrome slides, still some of my treasured possessions. I take pictures in part to emulate him but also for my own amusement. Otherwise, I canâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t sing or dance ~ much to the chagrin of my Peruvian wife. About pinhole photography? I like the purity and simplicity of light, motion & film with no lens in between. Moreover, I donâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t see through a viewfinder very well these days, so I dispense with the need for a viewfinder altogether and take pictures by aiming a little wooden box in the general direction of my subjects. Your projects? I would love to convince Uma Thurman to pose for a pinhole portrait. http://wayne@epuerto.com http://www.flickr.com/people/waynemackeson/

A N T O I N E J O S S E

INTERVIEW Tell us about your artistic education My dad was an architect and an amateur painter, which means that I have always bathed in creativity. I got my Baccalaureate and went to university, then got a PGCE and became an art teacher in a college. Alongside this, I have always carried on producing art though: drawings, paintings then sculptures. After 20 years spent floundering about, I have finally found my artistic vocation: I have created a figurative and narrative universe in which man, as a reluctant hero, inhabits a world dotted with solitude and melancholy. How do you build your sculptures? The practical part of the production leaves little to chance. I start with a series of drawings and, after letting them mature for a few days, I select the most pertinent projects and then I can start 3D production. I use polystyrene frames which I cover with a few layers of plaster. My characters are built from wire and mud rock. What are your inspirations? I am chiefly inspired by everyday life and the news: I observe the world around me and how incoherent it can be… This provides me with an unending source of ideas and projects! If I tell you : equilibrium, vertigo, loneliness... I would answer yes, yes yes! With a strong verticality (probably some kind of spiritual search!), with melancholy too and a questioning of the place of man in its environment. Nonetheless, I prefer letting people experience my work according to their own sensibilities and create their own impressions, like you do so well yourself! Your projects? Firstly, I want to carry on showing my work in France and abroad… I have more and more contacts and I am getting good feedback on my work, which is to me very encouraging and motivating. Secondly, I need to find a way to exhibit my sculptures outdoors, which I can’t do at the moment, as my work is primarily made out of plaster. The best solution would be bronze casting. I need to give my work to a professional. www.myspace.com/antoinejosse

FREE

« LOW FIDELITY » TORSTEN G. INTERVIEW of the illustrator AxlTM

T O R S T E N G

LOW FIDELITY About photography... My pictures are a creative contemplation of daily life. They express lightness and humour. It works well because photography is a very serious matter to me, but at the same time I donâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t take myself seriously. I try to picture the subject as it is in real life. Subject is much more important to me than the equipment I use. Polaroids and lomography are what I cherish the most. Your inspiration? Daily life is my main source of inspiration. I cheerfully observe what is going on in the world and try to keep up my viewersâ&#x20AC;&#x2122; attention. Current projects? Experimental act photography through a slide project. The first shots will be available in the fall of 2009. www.myspace.com/torsten_s_g http://www.flickr.com/people/torsten-g/

A X L

INTERVIEW How would you present your pratice? This is a very good question, and I thank you for asking it… Well, joking apart, I think I am at the crossroads of many different things, which is a reflection of my taste for the eclectic and of the variety of my inspirations. I have often been told that I do keep a kind of personal style, but I find this notion rather alien and in any case I find this idiosyncratic style difficult to define, if it does exist at all. I suppose then that my practice is fragmented into many categories such as montage (close to digital mate painting), to graphic art via drawing, collage, photographic touch up, etc… Why choose illustration ? I am a workaholic, so I suppose that illustration, graphics and visual art in general are a format and a genre that suits a daily production such as mine. To draw, to assemble, to modify, to alter… I like the ludic side of this activity and the freedom it gives me. I don’t like boxes, labels or listings (apart from at the local supermarket, where I must admit that it does help for the shopping). I try to get all that out of my life; as soon as I feel that I start getting cramped in a particular style, I do my best to get rid of my habits and start something new. Tell us about your inspiration I am like a sponge. I eat, digest and then recreate it all according to my own recipe. I am inspired, obviously, by what is being done by others in music, cinema, arts, everyday, Jean Claude Bourret, communication, other people, life in general… The final product depends on what’s on on the day, on the quality of my digestion and of course on luck. It is a kind of quantum physics, a chaos which I try to model until I master it, although I do stumble sometimes at the beginning. If God plays with dice, I must humbly confess that mine are loaded and that it’s fine by me. Any commissioned work ? Not at the moment. In fact, I am looking for a job. I do come up with a few things here and there for free for a few friends, so as to keep in practice, because working for free and answering a precise contract with exterior constraints are two different things, and it is always nice to know you can do both. Your projects and wishes for the future? I am going to exhibit a few things in a Dutch gallery, start my own business, revamp my website... and of course carry on exploring the visual universe. http://fantasybox.free.fr/

Have participated to this issue : LAURENCE GUENOUN - PUBLICATION DIRECTOR / AD CARINE LAUTIER - EDITOR IN CHIEF CANDICE NGUYEN - COMMUNICATION & ADVERTISING +33 689 921 043 JORG FISHER - GRAPHIC DESIGNER / AD MATHIEU DROUET - WEBMASTER ÉRIC BATTISTELLI - JOURNALIST CHRISTOPHE DILLINGER - TRANSLATION VANESSA COQUELLE - TRANSLATION VINCENT BENHARTT - TRANSLATION VÉRONIQUE DE LAUNAY – FRENCH CORRECTOR CHRIS FRIEL© - PHOTO COVER Thanks for their help and support to : BENOIT MARTINEZ www.ensp-arles.com FREDERIC HIARD www.virusphoto.com ANTONY BARROUX www.pixfan.com CEDRIC DUMENIL www.unjourunsite.be