9 minute read
The Open Eye with Robert Masciave - ANNE VECK
Hair Biz are proud to be the host of Roberts’ journey as he interviews fellow connoisseurs of the avantgarde in a series of features – in this issue he meets multi award-winning Anne Veck.
"I’ve known Anne for many years she’s charismatic, motivating and creative – she’s also a hairdresser with a mission!" says Robert. "Her mission being, to make hairdressing more professional, ethical and sustainable and she is certainly making her mark on the UK hairdressing scene. Creative Director of her carbon neutral salon Anne Veck Oxford, she also enjoys the roles of Hairdressing Ambassador for the National Hair and Beauty Federation, Brand Ambassador for Easydry and Green Libertine for Green Salon Collective. She is also proud of her title of Fellow with Honours of The Fellowship for British Hairdressing and Alternative Hair Master Educator."
Advertisement
Anne and her team are 18 times finalists and twice winners at the British Hairdressing Awards. The Anne Veck Artistic Team is honoured to have presented at The Alternative Hair Show on ten occasions including the 2020 virtual edition “Imagine”. Her avant-garde work was shown at The Erarta Museum of Contemporary Art / Hairdressers’ Journal International exhibition in St. Petersburg and at Oxford Art Weeks 2020. Her video “Toxic Fashion” was shortlisted for the Royal Academy Summer Exhibition and has won an Excellence Award at the Videography Awards and a Platinum Award at the Muse Awards, all in 2020.
Anne’s passion is sharing her skills and creativity with her peers. She presents and teaches online and at shows, academies, and salons throughout the world. While best known for her avant-garde and long hair styling, Anne is also an expert colourist, cutter, and extensions specialist. We find out more in her own words…
VALKYRIES 2012
Since I was a little girl, I’ve always been fascinated by Thor, Loki, Norse mythology, Valkyries, etc. So, a few years ago, I created a collection inspired by the Valkyries myth. Strong women without a doubt!
A DAY AT THE RACES 2013
I wanted to create a collection all about femininity merging with fashion. Inspired by classic English summer events such as weddings, Ascot, Henley Regatta, and a hint of vintage fashion the hair almost resembles beautiful hats and accessories completing the entire image of an elegant feminine silhouette. I have 2 passions bordering on obsession, when It comes to hair. One is intricate plaiting, the other one is Finger Wave. This picture from A Day at the Race took 3h to do with 3 stylists working together. I love the precision of the work.
COQUILLAGE 2011
Coquillage is French for shellfish or shells and my inspiration for this collection was the delicate beauty of sea creatures and happy memories of collecting seashells on the beach when I was a little girl. For this picture, I use a series of small knots to create a texture resembling the coral reef.
SILHOUETTE 2016
My creativity thrives when faced with the challenge of creating inspiring, timeless collections. For this collection I felt a desire to pay homage to the stylish impact of French haute couture and, in particular, the inspiration Alexandre de Paris has had on my work.
Therefore, I harnessed my energy to create iconic and extreme images in black and white which focussed solely on the hair, featuring textures, shapes, and styles within the shadows.
TOXIC FASHION 2019
I have created a photo collection and video called Toxic Fashion in which I try to express my horror and outrage at the damage the fashion industry is doing both to the environment and to people’s lives. I aim to encourage people to look at hair as a canvas to create inspirational and awe-inspiring artworks. Avant-garde hairdressing pushes the boundaries of hair colour, texture, and styling in order to deliver a powerful and important message. I shot this collection in a scrap yard and the intention is to shock and to bring to the attention of the hairdressing industry how destructive the fashion world is to people and the planet. Each image illustrates a theme, e.g., the cotton industry, ghost fishing, overuse of plastic, pollution of our rivers by chemical discharges. To achieve the looks I incorporated waste materials including daubing the hair with paint, melting plastic into the hair, and plaiting the hair with wire. Look 1 Ghost Fishing. The model is trapped, caught in her hair, dying, suffocating like millions of birds and fish in fishing nets. Look 2. Denim This image shows the hands of the modern slave! The hair is blue to mimic the highly toxic Indigo Dye used to produce the colour of your jeans in a sweat shop somewhere in a developing country
ROOKED 2020
A 3-dimensional world shattered into a million black and white pieces, litters and fills the rolling hills of Shropshire. Horses run wild and models hang from trees, contorting into shapes of morphed masked shadows as oil paint drips from their fingertips. Slender high fashion skywalkers rule and roam the fragmented fields of a Huxley dreamscape.’ A weekend camping project to create a video for The 2020 Alternative Hair Show involving a fabulous team of creatives with this collection and video as the results.
MOONLIGHT 2007
This was my first AG collection, and it was shortlisted for BHA Avant -garde Hairdresser of the Year back in 2007. I wanted to create a collection which was beautiful but where the model looked like an alien. I was so pleased with the result. Marie & Marco Loumiet, the team I worked with at the time, really captured the vibe I wanted to create.
Rolling back the years, when did you first take a walk on the wild side and enter the world that is avantgarde?
I did my first collection back in 2007. I wanted to get away from the day-to-day stuff at the salon, so AG is a way to escape.
What made you delve into this creative side of hairdressing?
I love expressing myself through my hands. I’m patient and impatient at the same time so working out intricate things calms me down. So, you could say I got into Avantgarde as therapy!
Did it make you feel any different to how you generally felt about hairdressing?
Yes, I realised Hairdressing is ART. I truly believe Hairdressing is Art. I love creating images, it’s another medium to express, Ideas , Vision, thought and emotions that can be difficult to say with words.
What do you think avantgarde has taught you?
To be patient and to solve problems. I’ve also learnt how important it is to surround yourself with like-minded creative artists. It’s only with the right team that you can make magic! If it’s Avant -garde, I usually work on different textures first then try to link it together with a storyline. The Avant garde collection is definitely a team effort where the photographer, make-up artist and stylist are working closely together to create an image.
Whose avantgarde work do you most feel inspired by – hairdressing wise?
Difficult to say as different people inspire me for different reasons. I really like the work of Laetitia Guenaou from Haute Coiffure Francaise, in fact I found all the HCF team very inspiring. You can feel a real passion in their work. Social media is great for inspiration as you now have access to images and tutorials of other hairdressers from all over the world. I love the guys from X-pression in Spain, they break boundaries and are not afraid to take risks. Charlie Le mindu...Totally bonkers. I’m also a great fan of Alexandre de Paris, classic, timeless beauty. And I love the work of “mon copin Robert Masciave”, totally different from mine but a true trailblazer.
Where do you get your inspiration outside of hairdressing?
It’s all around you; it could be the lamp shade in a hotel lobby or a flower in the countryside, or a building. I try to have an open mind and expose myself to things that I don’t particularly like but can spark an idea, like going to see a wide range of exhibitions. So, as well as things I love, it’s also about getting out of my comfort zone for an intellectual challenge.
Do you think it’s an invaluable asset to have?
You need to walk before you can run. It’s the same with hair. You need your classic base and your foundation before you can learn to defy gravity, but once you know how to break the rules you can tackle any challenges in the art of avant-garde hairdressing!
I personally feel that my job as visagiste really does come into play with avantgarde hairdressing – do you agree?
Yes, as for me AG is not just creating a texture and plonking it on the model’s head. It must go with her face shape and looks like it’s her hair not a hat. It remains vitally linked with the purpose of hairdressing which is to make your client look and feel beautiful.
How important is it to teach avantgarde – what role does it play in the national curriculum?
Usually there are some very interesting participants in the classroom so it’s never boring. I love sharing my passion with likeminded fellow hairdressers and like I said above If You can do AG hair you will be able to do any hair. In the UK, avant-garde as a subject is taught in film and theatre degree courses and the techniques are covered in the apprenticeship curricula, especially ( in England) The Advanced Hair Professional Standard.
If you had to choose what is it that you most like about avantgarde hairdressing?
Losing myself in intricate technique, and creating beautiful images, so when other people look at them, they are wondering how it was done. Creating or experiencing art can relax and sooth us. I know for myself when I work on a really intricate hair piece I get into a zone, and I find this really therapeutic. The process of creating art engages both the body and the mind and provides us with time to look inward and reflect.
OPEN EYE SERIES BY ROBERT MASCIAVE
Celebrating 21 years as founder of Metropolis Hairdressing – a true destination for some 3,000 clients Robert Masciave’s love and passion for the avantgarde has also earned him international acclaim.
“Outside of the salon I have always used hair as a form of expression that in turn makes sense of what I do with hair. Over the course of the next few months, I will be speaking with like-minded people and asking them to share their experiences. I am curious to see what their point of view is, what they have learned from it – did it notice the way that they see things? Does it make them think outside the box? Does it increase your problem-solving skills? Does it make you more creative? I know what it did for me, I know what it does to me, I know the benefit I just want to find out if it is the same for everyone.”
