random Magazine
aug 2013
danseur etoile
philippe starck
living fashion
the opera ballet of paris
design phenom
the photography of katrin thomas
random
Magazine
3
r a n d o m // da n c e
Contents
Random Aug 2013
fe atu r e s
36 Living Fashion The Photography of Katrin Thomas 46 Danseur Etoile The Opera Ballet of Paris
r eg u l ar s
10
56
Nomad Luxury Jenny Lewis
Phillippe Stark Design Phenom
14
co lu m n s
Nightlife James Blake
58 Spotlight Thomas Cain
25 Hotels Amanda Elliot
60 Seasonal Trinity Tos
28 On The Record Amanda Elliot
62 Last Look Sumner Stole
30 Itinerary Tomara Petty 32 Nightlife James Blake 34 Hotels Amanda Elliot
5
r a n d o m // co l u m n
Hotel Het Arresthuis A 1997 photograph that she shot in Los
one of the girls’ yawning, exemplifies the care
Angeles shows two young girls–each barely
that Thomas took in elucidating and, in effect,
twenty years old–exquisitely decked out in
demystifying the everyday life of privileged
fetching single-breasted, Chanel-insipred
Beverly Hills girls. Luptatio. Iquibusanti dolo-
plaid suits. Their bodies are criss-crossed with
ria eceptam harum dolorem vendio in net as
lemon-yellow and ochre chalk-bands beside
mo blatur sequia net autetur, volupta tiatemo
a gleaming blue swimming pool, accentu-
luptae cus dolo totatur re ratae net rem. Nam
ated by the girls’ pale nude legs partially
faccull oriam, esed eumquiam hil mod quiatur,
immersed in the pool. The alluring saturation
optat volecto dolorit iuntibu saectem poraes
characteristic of the California sun is evident, with its attendant aura of leisure, but the ironic subtext of chic boredom underscored
photogr aph by k atrin thomas entitled untitled
in this picture, and not least punctuated by
7
r a n d o m // p h oto g r a p h y
living
fashion The Photography of Katrin Thomas By Evan Walker
Getting Katrin Thomas to explain her own photographs is a daunting task, nonetheless, everything that she needs to say about her work is deftly woven and crisply realized. Asked how she would describe her photography to the average person, she answers, “I would have to say that it is related to movies I’m creating at that particular moment. I've always been inspired by the films of Godard, Antonioni and Truffaut. They are very real, yet they are not. Like the way all these directors use simple but profound language in an abstract, humorous, romantic way. In my photography, I try to explore in a similar way.” Thomas’ photography re-enacts slices of everyday life and trends, to create a poetics of glamour, misery, ambivalence, attitude, ennui, etc.
photogr aph by k atrin thomas entitled untitled
9
r a n d o m // p h oto g r a p h y
Fashion and desire have a clear purpose in fashion: People want to look through and not at fashion photographs.
A 1997 photograph that she shot in Los Ange-
Fantasy and desire have a clear purpose in
(not through) Thomas’ sepia-toned portraits
les shows two young girls–each barely twenty
fashion: people want to look through and not
of impressionable young boys and girls one
years old–exquisitely decked out in fetching
at, fashion photographs. They want to be en-
by one, we find that, a touch cruel, she cata-
single-breasted, Chanel-insipred plaid suits.
tertained, amused, comforted and, hopefully,
logues all the pretenses of “cutting-edge”
Their bodies are criss-crossed with lemon-yel-
live vicariously through glossy photographs of
fin-de-siecle: from punk grimace, homeboy-
low and ochre chalk-bands beside a gleaming
beautifully posed, manicured models. But in
wannabe, Rastafarian anti-coif, to Soho pseu-
blue swimming pool, accentuated by the girls’
celebrating these iconic, spoiled girls, Thomas
do-downtown art scene. Gone are the days
pale nude legs partially immersed in the pool.
also betrays the limitations of luxury that
when bohemia, underground, cutting-edge
The alluring saturation characteristic of the
under-privileged girls — unaware — long for.
or rudeboys meant something. Nowadays
California sun is evident, with its attendant
faking it succeeds more than being it. A pose,
aura of leisure, but the ironic subtext of chic
The edginess of Thomas’s photography is de-
a look, an attitude or a style can be bought or
boredom underscored in this picture, and not
rived not from its casualness, but from its cin-
sold in a second. In a five-minute makeover, a
least punctuated by one of the girls’ yawn-
ematic urgency, which stirs the viewer while
suburbanite can be transformed from a pale
ing, exemplifies the care that Thomas took in
retaining a photographic stillness that invites
young thing into the it girl of the moment.
elucidating and, in effect, demystifying the
contemplation. The urgency of the cinematic
“Escape from reality” is no longer necessary;
everyday life of privileged Beverly Hills girls.
style captures fleeting moments. Looking at
reality has become an escape
photogr aph by k atrin thomas entitled untitled
11
r a n d o m   //   p h oto g r a p h y
photogr aph by k atrin thomas entitled untitled
photogr aph by k atrin thomas entitled untitled
13
r a n d o m // p h oto g r a p h y
and perception the only reality. Our life has become as real as cloning, test-tube babies, breast implants, nose jobs, face-lifts, sexchanges, race-changes, spin doctors, clever lawyers or sexgate. What are we left with but our true picture, a silhouette whose true color is greenback? Hardcore capitalism commodifies everything and anything. In Puff Daddy’s words, “It’s all about the Benjamins”. As the popularity of fashion as a worthy cultural phenomenon grows in learned circles, so the role of fashion photography will progress from a mere decorative medium to a demanding one with critical framework that can enable us to see beyond our glamorized decorum. Fashion is not only contagious, it is also worth catching, regardless of cultural, religious or gender homogeneity. Perhaps playing, for instance, with the homogeneous trope and stereotype of what it means to be Asian, female, and probably Buddhist, Thomas photographed a young Asian girl in two frames. In one frame, dressed in a Maoesque revolutionary white suit against a background horizontally banded in green, white and black, this young girl sits leaning on a white table, her back slightly bent with anxiety,
“Escape from reality” is no longer necessary; Reality has become an escape and perception the only reality.
peering in enigmatic contemplation at her white plate of food. Clearly Kate Moss, not the
photogr aph by k atrin thomas
photogr aph by k atrin thomas
entitled untitled
entitled untitled
Buddha, is the icon of faith and salvation in the picture: faith and self-starvation, salvation in thinness. The charged symbolic analogies of sanitation and purity, anorexia and thinness, bulimia and ambivalence, fashion and body, culture and nature bear witness to the collective psychological damage we are suffering from. As if to drive her point home, Thomas’ second frame freezes her subject’s evident expression of mea culpa.
15
r a n d o m // p h oto g r a p h y
A 1997 photograph that she shot in Los Angeles shows two young girls — each barely twenty years old — exquisitely decked out in fetching single-breasted, Chanel-insipred plaid suits. Their bodies are criss-crossed with lemon-yellow and ochre chalk-bands beside a gleaming blue swimming pool, accentuated by the girls’ pale nude legs partially immersed in the pool. The alluring saturation characteristic of the California sun is evident, with its attendant aura of leisure, but the ironic subtext of chic boredom underscored in this picture, and not least punctuated by one of the girls’ yawning, exemplifies the care that Thomas took in elucidating and, in effect, demystifying the everyday life of privileged Beverly Hills girls. Fantasy and desire have a clear purpose in fashion: people want to look through and not at, fashion photographs. They want to be entertained, amused, comforted and, hopefully, live vicariously through glossy photographs of beautifully posed, manicured models. But in celebrating these iconic, spoiled girls, Thomas also betrays the limitations of luxury that under-privileged girls — unaware — long for. The edginess of Thomas’s photography is derived not from its casualness, but from its cinematic urgency, which stirs the viewer while retaining a photographic stillness that invites contemplation. The urgency of the cinematic style captures fleeting moments. Looking at (not through) Thomas’ sepia-toned portraits of impressionable young boys and girls one by one, we find that, a touch cruel, she catalogues all the pretenses of “cuttingedge” fin-de-siecle: from punk grimace, homeboy-wannabe, Rastafarian anti-coif, to Soho pseudo-downtown art scene. Gone are the days when bohemia, underground, cutting-edge or rudeboys meant something. Nowadays faking it succeeds more than being it. A pose, a look, an attitude or a style can be bought or sold in a second. In a five-minute makeover, a suburbanite can be transformed from a pale young thing into the it girl of the moment.
photogr aph by k atrin thomas entitled untitled
17
r a n d o m // p h oto g r a p h y
“I’m more interested in taking an interesting picture from a seemingly uninteresting situation.
The eldest of three children, Katrin Thomas
in Pasadena California, on a Fulbright-scholar-
Occasionally, fate or providence dictates
any suggestion that her subjects are posing,
was born in Bonn, Germany on January
ship. For as long as she can remember, she has
that an impresario will discover a great and
Thomas succeeds in capturing an emblematic
5th 1963, at the start of a decade that was
been a child of the arts: she was an actress for
lasting talent. Carmen dell’ Orefice, the ageless American beauty who is still working as
By realizing this “bathroom” picture without
marked by anti-bourgeois values, sexual
a while, and from the age of fifteen to twenty-
all-too-familiar insatiable consumption that
promiscuity, “free love” and unashamed
five, she sang and studied opera. Throughout
a fashion model at the age of sixty-seven,
characterizes the so-calle d Generation X.
drug-abuse; hence, in many ways, it created
these formative years, she also studied modern
was discovered one day in a Manhattan
This is not a rehashed, trendy photograph of,
a template for the continuing moral decay of
dance, which explains her evident agility.
cross-town bus. Iman, the enduring Somalian
say, heroin-chic, designed to affect a cutting-
today’s Generation X. At the age of seven,
Faced with her competing talents, she increas-
beauty, was discovered as a fashion model
edge gesture in order to shock the bourgeoi-
she left Bonn for Frankenthal, where she
ingly turned to still and motion pictures.
while attending college in the United States.
sie. Like Edouard Manet, who insisted that
spent the rest of her childhood. Later she
Likewise, Katrin Thomas was “discovered” — a
“We must accept our own times and paint
studied Visual Communications and Graphic
thorny term — as a photographer by Thomas
what we see,” Thomas fully embraces her own
Design at Darmstadt. In 1991 – 1992, she
moment of decadence, guilt, shame, and the
time and photographs what she sees.
attended the Art Center College of Design
N. Stemmle, President and Publisher of photogr aph by k atrin thomas entitled untitled
Edition Stemmle, in Photo News, a German photography magazine, when one of her photographs adorned the cover. His curiosity aroused, Stemmle determined to meet Thomas and see more of her work; impressed by what she showed him, he offered to publish her photographs — a decision based on the strength of her work rather than on her apparent lack of celebrity. But of course, Thomas had been working for at least the past ten years; and like all “discovered” heroines and heroes, her discovery owed as much to the eye of the discoverer as to her untapped talent.
photogr aph by k atrin thomas entitled untitled
19
r a n d o m // da n c e
danseur etoile The Opera Ballet of Paris by Clive Barnes Photographs by Gérard Uferas
When nearly forty years I switched (overnight and a subsequent lifetime) from being
American Ballet Theatre or its
a native Londoner to becoming an immi-
women as strong as
grant New Yorker, I
the Kirov’s. But the
knew that one of the
Paris Opera Ballet is a
things I would miss
fantastic company. It
most about London
was not always so.
would be Paris, and
company on my
what is nowadays
first trip to Paris, in
their tunnel-blessed
1949. I was already
proximity. What I
not young--well,
didn’t know was that
And this is not simply because I am a Francophile,
one of the things I
although I am; it’s
would miss most
more a reflection of
about Paris was the
the important place
Paris Opera Ballet.
the Paris Opera Ballet occupies in world
for their matinee performance
sophisticated dance aficionado (actually, over-sophisticated) and emerging dance critic (although,
classical dance.
armed with industrialstrength binoculars, I was still paying for
even as individual as
my own tickets in the
The Royal Ballet’s--for
farthest, cheapest
one thing, the Paris Opera Ballet has for centuries not had a major choreographer to call its own. Its traditions are not as securely preserved as the Royal Danes’, nor are its male dancers as strong as those of
21
And I was already a
fascinating as New York City Ballet’s, or left : dancers rehearse
not that young.
reaches of theaters).
r a n d o m // da n c e
left : dancers perform swan l ake at the paris oper a house right : dancer stretches before a performance
I switched (overnight and a subsequent lifetime) from being a native Londoner to becoming an immigrant New Yorker, I knew that one of the things I would miss most about London would be Paris, and what is nowadays their tunnel-blessed proximity. What I didn’t know was that one of the things I would miss most about Paris was the Paris Opera Ballet. I am a Francophile, although I am; it’s more a reflection of the important place the Paris Opera Ballet occupies in world classical dance. fascinating as New York City Ballet’s, or even as individual as The Royal Ballet’s — for one thing, the Paris Opera Ballet has for centuries not had a major choreographer to call its own. Its traditions are not as securely preserved as the Royal Danes’, nor are its male dancers as strong as those of women as strong as the Kirov’s. But the Paris Opera Ballet is a fantastic company. It was not always so.
The Paris Opera Ballet is a fantastic company. It was not always so.
I first encountered the company on my first trip to Paris, in 1949. I was already not young — well, not that young. And I was already a sophisticated dance aficionado (actually, over-sophisticated) and emerging dance critic (altho-ugh, armed with industrial strength binoculars, I was still paying for my own tickets in the farthest, cheapest reaches of theaters).
23
r a n d o m // da n c e
25
r a n d o m // da n c e
The company did not impress me overly — it seemed I switched (overnight and a subsequent lifetime) from being a native Londoner to becoming an immigrant New Yorker, I knew that one of the things I would miss most about London would be Paris, and what is nowadays their tunnel-blessed proximity. What I didn’t know was that one of the things I would miss most about Paris was the Paris Opera Ballet. I am a Francophile, although I am; it’s more a reflection of the important place the Paris Opera Ballet occupies in world classical dance. fascinating as New York City Ballet’s, or even as individual as The Royal Ballet’s — for one thing, the Paris Opera Ballet has for centuries not had a major choreographer to call its own. Its traditions are not as securely preserved as the Royal Danes’, nor are its male dancers as strong as those of women as strong as the Kirov’s. But the Paris Opera Ballet is a fantastic company. It was not always so.
left : young dancers pr actice their pefroamance for the school recital
27
r a n d o m // da n c e
I first encountered the company
would go to the company as a
on my first trip to Paris, in 1949. I
mild evening relaxation. Journalis-
was already not young — well, not
tically I at least made copy out of,
that young. And I was already a
say, John Cranko’s 1955 La Belle
sophisticated dance aficionado
Helene (underrated, by the way)
(actually, over-sophisticated) and
or Gene Kelly’s 1960 Gershwin
emerging dance critic (although,
piece Pas de Dieux (Claude Bessy
armed with industrial-strength
was divine, but Jerry Lewis could
binoculars, I was still paying for
have done better choreography)
my own tickets in the farthest,
or Pierre Lacotte’s 1972 adequate
cheapest reaches of theaters)..
reconstruction of La Sylphide (not
infinitely less interesting than the
as good, I thought, as Victor Gs-
various independent troupes of
ovsky’s earlier attempt for Petit),
Roland Petit and Boris Kochno. In
but my rating of the company
fact, apart from my first sight of
among the majors was pretty
Symphony in C (with the original
much the lowest of the low.
Paris east minus Tamara Toumanova) under its French nom de
There were fine dancers, but no
guerre of Le Palais de cristal, and
company. I caught the occasional
with those fancy Leonor Fini de-
“event” — Helgi Tomasson’s guest
signs, I was totally underwhelmed.
debut as Albrecht in Giselle, for
I stubbornly remained so on many
example, or the revival of Yuri
later occasions.
Grigorovich’s Ivan the Terrible, with the marvelous Jean Guizerix
Even a two-week immersion
(a great Robbins interpreter, by
season by the company at Covent
the way), Dominique Khalfouni
Garden in 1954 (my diaries note
and, also a favorite at ABT, Mi-
that I saw eighteen ballets, mostly
chael Denard. Yet I still didn’t take
by Serge Lifar, spread over four-
Paris’s dancers as seriously as its
teen performances) did nothing to
cooking until I had an awakening
make me a fan, despite the pres-
in October 1977.
ence of both the wondrous Yvette Chauvire and the lustrous Nina Vyroubova, two of my most beloved ballerinas of the twentieth century. Subsequently, when in Paris I
left : dancers engage in dress rehearsal the day before their first performance
29
r a n d o m // d e s i g n
philippe starck
design phenom by stephen o’shea
stark recalls spending his childhood underneath his father’s drawing boards; hours spent sawing, cutting, gluing, sanding, dismantling bikes, motor cycles and other objects. endless hours, a whole lifetime spent taking apart and putting back together whatever comes to hand, remaking the world around him. Several years and several prototypes later, the Italians have
Abroad, he continues to shake up both the traditions and
made him responsible for their furniture, President Mitterand
cultures of the major cities around the world, with the deco-
asked him to change life at the Elysées Palace, the Café
ration of the Peninsula Hotel restaurant in Hong Kong, the
Costes has become Le Café, he has turned the Royalton and
Teatron in Mexico, the Hotel Delano in Miami, the Mondrian in
Paramount in New York into the new classics of the hotel
Los Angeles, the Asia de Cuba restaurant in New York, and
world and scattered Japan with architectural tours de force
a whole clutch of projects under way in London and
that have made him the leading exponent of expressionist
elsewhere. His gift is to turn the object of his commission
architecture. His respect for the environment and for hu-
instantly into a place of charm, pleasure and encounters.
mankind has also been recognized in France, where he was
commissioned to design the Ecole Nationale Supérieure des Arts Décoratifs in Paris, the control tower at Bordeaux airport, and a waste recycling plant in Paris metropolitan area.
31
below : bl ack metal chairs by philippe starck
r a n d o m // d e s i g n
below : hotel room in hotel marmont designed by philippe starck
right : hotel bathroom in hotel marmont designed by philippe starck
33
r a n d o m // d e s i g n
left : portr ait of philippe starck by avedon
An honest and enthusiastic citizen of today’s world, he considers it his duty to share with us
crazy, warm, yet terribly lucid, he draws
his subversive vision of a better world which
without respite, out of necessity, driven by a
is his alone and yet which fits up like a glove. He is tireless in changing the realities of our
sense of urgency, for himself and for others.
daily life, sublimating our roots and the deep-
est wellsprings of our being into his changes.
The world’s museums are unerring. Paris, New
He captures the essential spirit of the sea for
York, Munich, London, Chicago, Kyoto, Barce-
Béneteau, turns the toothbrush into a noble
lona - all exhibit his work as that of a master.
object, squeezes lemons but the “wrong” way,
Prizes and awards are showered on him:
and even makes our TV sets more fun to be
designer of the year, Grand Prix for Industrial
with when he brings his “emotional style” into
Design, the Oscar for Design, Officier des Arts
Thomson’s electronic world.
et des Lettres, and many more.
He also takes time out to change our pasta,
Always and everywhere, he seems to under-
our ash-trays, lamps, toothbrushes, door
stand better than any other our dreams, our
handles, cutlery, candlesticks, kettles, knives,
desires, our needs, and our responsibility to the
vases, clocks, scooters, motorcycles, desks,
future, as well the overriding need to respect
beds, taps, baths, toilets … in short, our whole
his fellow citizens by making his work a politi-
life. A life that he finds increasingly fascinat-
cal and a civic act. Crazy, warm yet terribly
ing, which has brought him now closer to the
lucid, he draws without respite, out of neces-
human body with clothes, underwear, shoes,
sity, driven by a sense of urgency, for himself
glasses, watches, food, toiletries et al., still de-
and for others. He touches us through his work,
termined that his designs shall, as ever, respect
which is fine and intelligent indeed, but most
the nature and the future of mankind.
of all touches us because he puts his heart into that work, creating objects that are good even before they are beautiful.
35
r a n d o m // d e s i g n
Where do you get news from? I live like a monk, so there is no news. I read only the scientific magazines. Do you design for the masses? Do you have any preferences on how
I have been trying for 20 years now. How I
women dress?
make life better for my tribe. And you have designed hotels, clubs
Yes. I like the dress that is like a double skin. What kind of clothes do you avoid What is the best moment of the day?
wearing?
When you make love to the person that
Cannot say.
Do you listen to the radio? Bollywood radio.
You once said that it is your dream to
and restaurants... Again, a different
Anywhere in front of the sea.
most satisfaction?
make the world a better place...Is it
approach?
The next.
beauty you are looking for?
It is the same thing. just the scale is different.
which is a cultural concept, with goodness,
is there any architect or designer from
Do you have any pets?
Nobody. There are already thousands of really,
tion guns” lamps for flos.
which is a humanist concept.
the past you appreciate a lot?
No.
really good chairs. There are thousands of good
The guns collection is nothing but a sign of
lamps. There are thousands of everything.
the times. We get the symbols we deserve.
want to be?
Do you discuss your work with other
Can you describe an evolution in your
Nothing.
designers?
work from your first projects to the
Never. I am not interested in designers.
present day?
You design shoes, eyeglasses... is your
More honest.
approach to fashion design different to
What are you afraid of regarding the
that of industrial design?
future?
I have no reason with fashion but am interested
The loss of civilisation.
above : bl ack leather chair by philippe starck
Describe your “style”, like a good
bedside table?
friend of yours would describe it.
So many. I read 12 books at a time. “Europ-
Freedom.
of the twentieth century). It is very important
I am not interested in architects or designers. The beauty of intelligence?
I no longer wish to talk about design.
Yes. Of intelligence. The elegance of intelli-
When you were a child, what did you
What books do you have on your
eana” by Patrik Ourednik (a brief history
No, not for beauty. We have to replace beauty,
Who would you like to design someAmong the most recent work is “collec-
at the moment? Everything is good.
Which of your works has given you the
thing for?
you love. What kind of music do you listen to
Where do you work on your projects?
above : metal l amp by philippe starck
gence and the beauty of happiness.
Any advice for the young? Advice? Make a job useful.
to make clothes for my friends. above : gun l amp by philippe starck
above : w . w . stool by philippe starck
above : clear chair by philippe starck
to read. above : citrus juicer by philippe starck
37
r a n d o m // d e s i g n
To Life, To Death First there were attempts at life, then the draftof life, then Life itself. It didn’t have much value — life and death altogether. It was something of an accident, without importance. But Mankind kept working. A lot. A civilisation was crafted so that Life could live. Sublime by obligation, Life became sacred, untouchable. The great, beautiful Life, guaranteed to everyone, surged und survived until today, the 21st century, the third millennium, the advent of civilised civilisation. Bravo! Rest in peace.
left : corkscrew by philippe starck right : small sculptures by philippe starck
Crash! It’s never what you think. After just a short period of enlightenment, the shadows return, fast, dense and menacing. Rewind, death is at the door. Nowadays we kill — religiously, militarily, civilly, indeed very civilly sometimes. We kill out of ambition, out of greed, for the fun of it or of the show. Republics turn bananas. Tyrant are our masters, Designed, manufactured, sold, dreamed, purchased and used, weapons are our new icons. Our lives are only worth a bullet.
light, functional, affordable and elegant, with over 100
The Guns Collection is nothing
million copies officially produced to date, the kalachnikov is one of the industrial design success – stories of our age.
but a sign of the times.
mr kalachnikov has never received any royalties for this design.
We get the symbols we deserve.
he often complains about it. thus, i intend to pay him a commission for the sales of the model that replicates his invention. poor
Happiness is a hot gun.
guy. the remainder will be donated to
“medicins sans frontieres”, though sometimes i wonder why. aux larmes citoyens.
Glory to our dictators To Life, To Death
39
r a n d o m // co l u m n
Last Look Zaha Hadid Always and everywhere, he seems to understand better than any other our dreams, our desires, our needs, and our responsibility to the future, as well the overriding need to respect his fellow citizens by making his work a political and a civic act. Crazy, warm yet terribly lucid, he draws without respite, out of necessity, driven by a sense of urgency, for himself and for others. He touches us through his work, which is fine and intelligent indeed, but most of all touches us because he puts his heart into that work, creating objects that are good even before they are beautiful. Ga. Itatur? Iberum et et fugiasi temque vellam quiaeresci doloremporem ist, quatis aciat utectur atquam aut offic totatatemodi cus, optat maximus nonsequatem asi doluptis nonse dolorempos doluptiis dolupta ssitem rera doluptis nullabo rrovid quam quatemq uament.Gendae nihicient as mod quisti aut od qui officipic tem que verro erspel int adicae net alibus. Qui dolut venitae evenim apedit remporrovit di culpa sam, sus.
right : protot ype dr awing for hadid building
41
Colophon The display type is Gotham. The text is Gotham Narrow. Text for the body copy is 9 / 13.5. Text for the captions are 6 / 7. by Michelle Olaya-Márquez risd
summer 2013
random
Magazine