The Forumist #10 MAKERS by The Forumist

The

Forumist

issue 10

Makers

Makers Issue 10 Our focus and attention is challenged by an endless stream of information every day. We are bombarded from multiple sources, with facts and figures moving rapidly like flashlight beams projected in a dark forest by a search party looking for the last bit of the puzzle to solve the mystery of life. This search intensifies and becomes more challenging when all of our perceptions and expectations based on statistics and researched strategies turn out to be wrong and result in a disappointing outcome. Therefore, we think it’s perhaps time to reconsider the importance of the subject and settle on the most thoughtful and logical way of moving forward. We are talking about shifting our focus to the essence of the existence of all creation, as well as the force, knowledge and life stories of the creators themselves. So we decided to dedicate this issue to all of those who we consider to be makers — those who, through their power of creation and imagination, provide the platform for us to find new reasons to exist. Enjoy the varied stories gathered from the makers we reached out to for this issue. We hope they inspire you to join the force of all these individuals and become a maker, too. Editor-in-Chief Pejman Biroun Vand

Paris Editor Sophie Faucillion

Creative Direction See Studio

Berlin Editors Veronika Dorosheva Ole Siebrecht

Fashion Co-ordinator Emma Thorstrand

Music Editor Filip Lindström (Sthlm)

Marketing Managers Magnus Rindberg Emma Viberg

Art Editor Ashik Zaman (Sthlm)

Online & Production Manager Gustav Bagge

Tech Editor Dr Ashkan Fardost (Sthlm)

Beauty Editor Céline Exbrayat (Paris)

Contributing Designer Daniel Björkman (Sthlm)

Contributing Fashion Editors Maria Barsoum (Sthlm) Delphine Brossard (Paris) Veronika Dorosheva (Berlin) Manon Hermand (Paris) Kalle Hildinger (Berlin) Koji Oyamada (Tokyo) Maroussia Sampsidis (Paris) Contributing Editors Johanna Bergström (Sthlm) Camila-Catalina Fernandez (Sthlm) Contributing Photographers Léo d’Oriano (Paris) Oskar Gyllenswärd (Sthlm) Motohiko Hasui (Tokyo)

Andreas Karlsson (Sthlm) Estelle Rancurel (Paris) Daniel Roché (Berlin) Ivan Rudolfovich Nunez (Sthlm) Dan Sjölund (Sthlm) Henrike Stahl (Berlin) Web Producer and Partners Fröjd Printing MittMedia Advertising ad@theforumist.com

© 2016. All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced in whole or part without permission from the publisher. The views expressed in the magazine are those of the contributors and not necessarily shared by the magazine

CoVER: Photography by Motohiko Hasui. Styling: Koji Oyamada. Make-up: Rie. Model: Kako Takahashi. Top: KeisUkeyoshida. Choker: Christian Dada

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Follow suit

In a world bloated with fast fashion, you need to look a bit harder for that increasingly elusive blend of craftmanship and true style. The Forumist found it on a quiet street in London’s Soho, in the workshop and fitting rooms of tailor Mark Powell Words by Johanna Bergström

The London-based, self-taught tailor Mark Powell is an icon in his field. Having started out in the late 1970s, working for Washington Tremlett on Conduit Street, Mayfair, and learning from some of the best, he opened his own shop in 1985, just a few streets away in Soho. With his pioneering approach, he soon became known for his combination of craftsmanship and style. Over the three decades since his doors opened, an impressive list of clients has walked through them, including celebrities such as George Clooney, Harrison Ford, David Bowie, George Michael, the Olympic cyclist Sir Bradley Wiggins and Hobbit actor Martin Freeman. Powell has, since the start, maintained a consistent sartorial vision, steadfastly resisting the distraction of seasonal trends and short-term solutions. He describes his way of doing things as diverse, but still featuring an unmistakable signature look. In his work, he always strives to get the right balance, using historical, classic features and then adding a modern edge to the mix. The result is timeless design that stands out with impeccable cuts and elegant details. “Some of the old-school tailoring elements that we see trending today are what I have been doing for the past 30 years,” says Powell. “Tailoring is a way of expressing individual 04

style. And style, again, is your individual expression.” That word – “style”. Powell maintains it’s not something that can just be bought. He sees many examples of very rich people who don’t seem to be able to hit the mark and, conversely, “there are some very humble people who have a great sense of style”. Thanks to his eye for detail and the bold elements of his design, Powell is one of the few bespoke tailors in London who can also cater for the younger generation, too. Some have been referred to him by their fathers, who in some cases have been his clients for decades. Powell also makes women’s suits – clients for these have included Naomi Campbell, Bianca Jagger and Keira Knightley, stars who are all known for their public appearances in effortlessly chic outfits. While a women’s suit can obviously create a somewhat androgynous look, Powell is keen to point out the importance of still making it look feminine and sexy, something he more than succeeds in achieving. The relationship between a tailor and his clients is an intimate one. After all, your tailor is one of the few who will know your body the best – the shape of it, at least. Therefore the human connection between two such people – the tailor and the client – is of great importance and requires a lot of personal involvement. Most of Powell’s customers are returning clients, with some of them having up to 25-30 of his suits hanging in their wardrobes. He quickly learns to anticipate what they would like to wear and they know that he will be able to provide it, every time. Over the years, many customers have also become good friends. “The other day a client came in and asked me to dress him for his second wedding. Of course, I did the first one, too,” he says with a smile. With quality as one of his core values, Powell prefers working with genuine modern English fabrics, those with a bit of body, such as tweed and cotton. All the bespoke garments come to life in his Soho workshop and Powell is always personally involved in the measuring and fitting, as well as in the sessions for alterations. This kind of engagement is not to be taken for granted among the London high-end tailors, but for Powell it’s a natural part of his process: “I love what I do!” And that is probably why he is where he is today.

clockwise, from top left: © Keith Martin, Simon Frederick, Patrizio Di Renzo, Rich Maciver

Since Powell opened up his first atelier, the corporate climate in central London has become a lot tougher. Factors such as global market trends, international apparel conglomerations and rocketing rents in the area have been making things difficult for shop owners, especially for the smaller independents. “Saturdays are not what they used to be,” says Powell. Thankfully, though, he is determined to carry on doing business as he always has: without compromising on service or quality. And we would love him to do so – for ever. In the fast-paced digitally centred society of today, it is comforting and inspiring to be reminded of the beauty and importance of craftsmanship and individuality. And to see style and creativity challenge marketing-driven mass production and high-street fashion. Undoubtedly, that’s a challenge for the win. markpowellbespoke.co.uk

DIRTY BEATS

IN-STORE NOW @ DR. MARTENS STOCKHOLM KATARINA BANGATA 15 07

feel the love Make-up is more than just a pretty face. It’s about attitude, too. And that comes from within both the person wearing the make-up and also the person creating it. Imagination is the make-up artist’s only limitation. And with artistry she creates a transient magic – a living artwork that fades away every night and is reborn every day, always in a different shape Photography by Léo d’Oriano Make-up by Céline Exbrayat Styling by Maroussia Aampsidis

this page, clockwise from top: Supracolor Clown White, Illusion Silk cream in Chiffon and Aquacolor Soft Cream in 288 by Kryolan, Shirt by Sacai. HD Micro Foundation Smoothing Fluid in 430 and High Gloss lip shine in Crystal Rose by Kryolan, Top by Marc Jacobs. Aquacolor in white and yellow by kryolan, Jacket and top by Ignacia Zordan opposite page: HD Micro Foundation Smoothing Fluid in 300, High Gloss lip shine in Noble and Aquacolor Metallic (on hands) by Kryolan. Dress by Drome

this page, clockwise from top left: Supracolor Clown White, Illusion Silk cream in Chiffon and Aquacolor Soft Cream in 288 by Kryolan. Dermacolor Camouflage Creme, Metallique eye shadow in Sparkling Silver, Eye Liner in Black, Mascara Color Intensifer in Black and High Gloss lip shine in Crystal Rose by Kryolan, Dress by Ellery. Aquacolor in white and yellow by Kryolan, top by Ignacia Zordan. HD Micro Foundation Smoothing Fluid in 430, Contour Pencil in 909 and High Gloss lip shine in Vamp by Kryolan, Jacket by Guntas, top by CĂ´me Ă&#x2030;ditions opposite page: Dermacolor Camouflage Creme, Metallique eye shadow in Sparkling Silver, Eye Liner in Black, Mascara Color Intensifer in Black and High Gloss lip shine in Crystal Rose by Kryolan Talent: Luna, Anna, Mia and Aurea. Casting: Maxence Orard

Sashay – shantay! Meet Leni and Hungry — two Berlin-based gender-fluid performance artists who are self-made advocates for freedom of expression and nonstop fun Words by Ole Siebrecht Photography by Henrike Stahl Styling by Veronika Dorosheva

Leni Bolt What inspires your looks? “I’d say New York’s club kids from the 1980s and ’90s. I find it cool how the scene came up from the underground, with them defining themselves through their crazy looks – I just love it.” Do you define yourself as a boy or as a girl? “I define myself as in between. For me, gender is more than just male or female. I see it as a spectrum with a lot of different possibilities to express yourself. Platforms such as Facebook show that there are a lot of names for it, but for me, gender means self-articulation, to live out your social gender and to be free to do so.” When did you create Leni? “I didn’t create Leni. It was more like a natural process. During my performances, I’m in a certain character, but I’m the same as a private person. That’s why I’d rather say it’s not a just a fictional character I made up, but a part of me, of my real identity.” What’s Leni’s intention? “To give the community an understanding of gender because, even in 2016, I still have the feeling that a lot of people don’t really understand. But that’s why I’m here now – to rescue the world from evil politicians and other creatures putting stones in our way. I want to spread queerness in this world and I’m doing it with my pictures and performances.” What did you discover or learn about people since you started defining yourself as Leni? “It definitely got a little bit harder. When I’m on the streets, I cause confusion – people look at me, asking themselves if I’m a man or a woman. People always try to categorise you and that makes it hard, but you get used to it, although it’s exhausting to be put in boxes… I learned that. But I also got to know a lot of different people from the scene that understand. They share my point of view and I enjoy that because you can’t fulfil this mission when you’re all alone.” What can other people learn from Leni? “I want to make people understand that gender is nothing you’re born with, but something everyone can develop. I’d love to make people understand that they also have the freedom to express themselves. It’s hard in other countries, I know, but that’s why I think it’s cool that some people on Instagram see me as their role model and ask me for advice.” What’s the idea behind Boltish, your choker collection? Tell us about your vision. “To be honest, it kind of came from itself. I design my own performance outfits and a choker is always part of them. After my performances, people often ask me where I get them from, so I tell them that I make them myself. Because of that, I decided to focus my label on these chokers and, since the middle of 2016, I’ve been selling them on my online shop.” Do you see yourself as a role model, teaching people that gender doesn’t define us? “Gender is always an important topic for me. If people want to see me as their role model it’s up to them. But some people ask me about gender, for example on Instagram, and I’m happy to be their contact person.”

Hungry Your style and make-up is outrageous. Where do you get your inspiration from? “Well, as cheesy as this might sound, watching Party Monster as a teenager definitely changed my view on things. I started sewing looks and going to school in self-made heels. But inspiration is a tricky word, as I approach things very technically. I find one piece I really like and start building a concept around it. Some take a day, some will take a few weeks. And since these concepts can go in very different directions, the inspirations vary just as much. I’d say my main inspirations are anatomy, fetishism, religion and, to get very vague, symmetry and distortion.” When did you create Hungry? “Hungry surfaced in 2014. What was I thinking? She started as a blonde, pouty hipster girl, then became an artsy pouty hipster girl and then had a full conceptual makeover after moving to London in late 2015.” Why did you start to do drag? “It wasn’t my fault. I wanted to try it once, so a friend took me out to buy hair and another gave me the femme face and some heels and we went out to this big drag party at Monster Ronson’s. And people loved me! I did! It wasn’t for another four months that I went out again, this time as Hungry. That second time I met Pansy Presents, who asked me to perform right away, so I was pretty much forced into feeling comfortable in drag. Thanks for that. No seriously.” What does Hungry stand for? “Hungry wants to give people a glimpse of a reality that could be. An organic, breathing image of another dimension’s life form. Like Alexander McQueen’s Plato’s Atlantis collection, Hungry is the human that adapted to completely new surroundings. And with Hungry being that, I just want to inspire people to be more. Put more passion into things.” What did you discover about people as Hungry? “I instantly learned how real the objectification of women is. I was being catcalled, followed and grabbed way too often. As a teenager I dressed to provoke, I wanted the stares, I wanted the insults, but just looking like a woman gave me all of this without me asking for any of it. And the moment they realised they were dealing with a boy dressing up as a cute girl, things got scary. These things are behind me now, though. Mainly because I look bloody scary most of the time, but also because you learn to carry yourself in a way that people don’t want to mess with you. “A more positive thing to discover was how genuinely appreciative people can be. Seeing someone be thankful for all the time you put into your work can make a day. And being out as Hungry had me discovering incredible people, incredible artists.” Why Hungry? Hungry for what? Why did you choose this artist name? “So, I’m really bad with food. We’re not talking anorexia or anything serious, but I will just forget to eat for a day, or eat a bag of crisps for dinner and call it a meal. It mostly happens when I’m working on something I’m very excited about or when I’m sewing. “I also just saw how genius a drag name this would be. It’s so open to anything. Hungry for fame. Hungry for love. Hungry for presidency?” Does being in drag make you feel more confident? “Of course it does. Every drag queen/king or club kid will say the same. No matter how much of yourself you allow to shine through in your drag, it is still a mask and it’s one that lets you decide how crazy you can go.” Is uploading a picture or Snapping in drag as exciting as performing in front of a live audience? “It’s a completely different kind of exciting, but in my case it’s pretty equal in importance. As soon as I am finished getting ready, I take the pictures that will go on my Instagram. From that point on, knowing that the look is documented, I can go into a night, relaxed and focused. And I can ruin as much of my make-up on stage as I need to, because that always sells.”

Do you have a life motto? “I have a friend from London who used to say, ‘Be nice or f*** off !’ That’s a pretty cool motto.”

Where will we see Hungry in the future? “On a stage near you soon. Spreading world hunger? I’m not sure what the future holds for Hungry. I travelled a fair lot this year and loved meeting new and like-minded people. I hope I get the chance to keep on exploring that way. I’m not going to think further than that, as I didn’t pick the careers with the steadiest future chances. We will see. Ta-dah!”

lenibolt.com

Instagram: @isshehungry

THIS PAGE: leni bolt Opposite page, top and right: hungry. left: leni bolt Hair and make-up: Patricia Piatke at Double Studio Photographerâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s assistant: Mila Clothes: Altendorfer Studios and Zoe Keogh, from AA Collected Special thanks to: Urbanspree and Nicolas Defawe

A perfect

match

The Forumist have brought together footwear icon Dr. Martens with local streetwear label and ethical fashion platform This Is Sweden in a collaboration that showcases both brandsâ&#x20AC;&#x2122; rebellious approach to the world around them Words by Johanna BergstrĂśm Photography by Ivan Rudolfovich Nunez Styling by Maria Barsoum Special thanks to Dr. Martens

THIS PAGE: BOOTS (1460) BY DR. MARTENS Opposite page: BOOTS (8761) BY DR. MARTENS

this page: boots (8761) BY DR. MARTENS opposite page, from left: OUMIE WEARS SHOES (1461); FATIMA WEARS BOOTS (8761); ISABELL WEARS BOOTS (1460); BEA WEARS BOOTS (8761), all BY DR. MARTENS jackets and trousers (throughout) by this is sweden. JEANS (THROUGHOUT) FROM BEYOND RETRO

Hair: Karolina Liedberg at LinkDetails Make-up: Josefina Zarmén at LinkDetails Models: Oumie J at Mikas Stockholm and Isabell T at Elite Stockholm Talent: Nora Fazel, Bea Macintosh and Fatima Jelassi Special thanks to: Dr. Martens store, Katarina Bangata 15, Stockholm

Ana Londono and her brother, Pablo, are the designers behind the creative platform This Is Sweden. Born in Colombia, the siblings arrived in Sweden at an early age with their parents, as political refugees. Theirs was a creative family, with their mother sewing clothes and other items for the household for as long as they can remember. Ana and Pablo both always loved drawing and, after leaving school, it came as no surprise when they chose to pursue an artistic education: Ana studied fashion design at Central Saint Martins in London, while Pablo went to the Gerrit Rietveld Academie in Amsterdam. Ana chose fashion as her subject because she saw it as a way of combining many different disciplines. Her ambition from the start was to work not only with clothes, but also with other creatives within fields such as photography, art, film and stage performances. Today, with This Is Sweden, that ambition is finally becoming true. Both Ana and Pablo felt that there was more to do with design than just relating to the “next big” global trends. They founded This Is Sweden in 2013 as a reaction to the current political and social situation in Europe, building up a creative hub that has fashion as its base but at the same time works across the borders, tapping into different artistic fields and sectors. The siblings draw a lot of their inspiration from strong personalities who fight for positive change not only within the fashion industry but also in other areas of society. For This Is Sweden, they don’t work with seasonal collections but rather with a more sustainable, long-term perspective. With their design, This Is Sweden always endeavours to create things that reflect the world around them and that have a story to tell. They see art as a powerful tool for communicating important messages and this philosophy shines through in all of their projects. Today, This Is Sweden is partly based in an atelier in Stockholm, but they also have a studio in Amsterdam, where the custom-made and limitededition manufacturing takes place. As a part of their conscious agenda, Ana and Pablo work with so-called “dead stock” – in other words, the surplus remaining from the fashion industry after the sales. Using a combination of imagination, skill, technique and a lot of fingertip feeling, the sibling designers lovingly transform the discarded garments into something new. The results are kind of a streetwear take on couture, giving new life to what would otherwise have soon added to the growing amount of landfill. Besides production ethics, craftsmanship is another of This Is Sweden’s core values and their hand-stitched garments have been shown at several exhibitions and museums around Europe as examples of what, today, is a rare kind of dedication to quality. When it comes to future plans, the design duo are determined to continue developing the company slowly and sustainably, preferring to prioritise their brand ethos over quick growth and profit. The goal is to find new, more sustainable and inclusive methods of working with fashion. And to take good care of the struggling industry they have inherited from the previous business generation. This inspiring combination of genuine quality and uncompromising attitude is something that This is Sweden share with a small number of brands, artists and profiles, some of whom have become true icons of their times. They all represent a movement that connects people and communities with their creativity. At the same time, they are reaching out to generate awareness of what the society we live in actually looks like, if we would only dare to take our blinkers off. One of the labels where you immediately see parallels with the This is Sweden agenda is Dr. Martens, which is why The Forumist brought the two brands together for a collaboration that goes beyond trend and season. Ana explains that, for her, this alliance was a bit like closing the circle. Just as the iconic footwear label is seamlessly associated with the punk legacy, so This Is Sweden has a strong and growing relationship with the world of hip-hop. And if hip-hop can perhaps be seen as the punk of this decade, then Ana and Pablo will do what they can to be a part of dressing its advocates – just as Dr. Martens has always been there to cater for the rebels. With timeless designs that never go out of style and manufacturing processes that deliver products that are made to last, the two brands use artistic licence to create stories that span decades – and beyond. Stories where personality beats mass production and passion paves new ways for good things to happen.

True story Love can revolve around many things — another person, a city or a creative expression. When pop singer-songwriter Jonathan Johansson writes music, he uses his own feelings to express himself, because he knows it’s the only way to make us feel the way he does Words by Filip Lindström Photography by Oskar Gyllenswärd Styling by Emma Thorstrand Special thanks to Lee Over the course of the 11 tracks of his album Love & Devotion, the Swedish singer Jonathan Johansson explores the topics of affection and relationships. The love that is spoken of is between himself and the person he lives with, but I also find other meanings in the record and its title. You may perhaps hear traces of Johansson’s love/hate relationship with Stockholm, the place that has made his career in music a reality and the city he has lived in for the past 17 years after moving from Malmö. You may also hear his passionate devotion for the music he makes, partly because he has put everything else aside to make it. Another interesting relationship is the one between the artist Johansson and the private person Johansson. “I use myself quite sincerely, so the artist self and Jonathan Johansson are not that far apart, but they are absolutely not the same person,” he says. “Music that I love, that I get struck by, is mostly written by people who wring out their own hearts. I am perhaps not as emotional in private as I am on my records, but if I feel something powerful I can remember it, write about it and mediate on it. If I am true to myself when I write, true to my feelings and experiences, you will feel it. As soon as I start faking it, as soon as I don’t do the work properly, you will feel it.” Every new album of his is different from the previous one. The topic can differ significantly, but the way he delivers his inimitable lyrics is consistent. He moves forward by challenging himself, and making an entire album about love can be challenging enough. “It has been done a thousand times before, so what do I have to add? Probably nothing. I don’t think there is anything on this album that hasn’t been said already. That was the biggest challenge – taking a worn-out subject and making it mine, doing it without feeling like I am burping out one-liners that others have already done countless times. I don’t know if I succeeded, but I am incredibly pleased with the album.” Johansson’s will to develop himself defines him and pushes his creativity to new limits. At times, such as before the release of Love & Devotion, it can be painful to open one’s heart to strangers, but the pain

is a necessary factor in the process of creation. Johansson’s growth as an artist is conscious and he sees it as natural for any creative person. “For me it is odd not to demand development, not to challenge oneself by doing something you don’t know how to do and mastering it. That is nothing new, but it’s an attempt not to die from boredom. When you have mastered an expression and refined it, I think it is your duty to do something else. It’s a professional pride – you can’t just copy yourself.” Under a classy black coat, Johansson is wearing a tight-fitting denim jacket and a brightly coloured sweater. We dive into the topic of style, since he strikes me as a person with knowledge of fashion. His dress sense is not extravagant but always on point, which leads to an assumption of an interest in the subject. Apparently, looks can be deceiving and assumptions can be incorrect. “I don’t have a talent for fashion – I’ve always felt like I am one year behind. When I walk into a store to choose something to wear I always take the cowardly way out and I don’t see what would work for me. In that sense, I have felt disturbed by fashion, because I’ve had my eye on those who have talent. I am provoked by the power that clothes impart. There is a psychological and aesthetic ascendency that provokes me, and of course that it is shallow. I know that many people use clothes as a language to express their identity. I have an ambivalent view of that, but I have also used it myself. From when I was 13 to when I was 20 I went through 700 subcultural styles, but that depended mostly on the music I was listening to.” Considering his complicated relationship with fashion I ask him if he changes his look from album to album, to match the variation of topics and the artistic development. “I have, but it is very subtle. Of course, you must make adjustments. I certainly take it seriously. I’m annoyed when I see a band that doesn’t look like the music they’re playing, I think it’s sloppy. It’s an art – I know that because it’s so difficult and I respect that it is.” Johansson deserves respect for the way he relates to himself as a performer. He evolves naturally, honouring his craft by refusing to remain in one place for too long. And as he stated: if his feelings are true, you will feel them, too. Just like if his self-respect is true, it will echo in you. Love & Devotion is out now on Sony. Lee have a long history of supporting music, such as the Lee Jeans Living Rock Concert of 1969, at which The Byrds recorded a live album. From its launch in 1889, Lee has changed rapidly and always walked side by side with the great musicians of the time

THIS PAGE: BUTTON-DOWN SHIRT by LEE Opposite page, clockwise from far left: top AND LUKE JEANS BY LEE;â&#x20AC;¨RIDER JACKET; rider jacket AND BLAKE JEANS; gilet, all BY LEE ALL AVAILABLE AT brothers. se and LEE.com Grooming: Lillis Hemmingsson

Creation stories Forget gallery walls covered in static works — a look at the pieces born from the minds of Stockholm-based artists Anton Alvarez and Gustaf Nordenskiöld shows that their focus is firmly on objects, our interaction with them and the process behind how each comes into being Interviews by Ashik Zaman

“The scale of the project was the human body, since the objects were being used for physical use by people. In the end I decided to explore the scale of the architecture, which for me means the transition has been made when the object can look down on you from above, so to speak, or when you can enter the object with your entire physical presence. Take, for instance, a simple arch that is 3-4 metres tall. For me, it is architecture when the piece creates a space around your body.”

clockwise, from left: the thread wrapping machine, wrapsody, salon 94 (2015) © sasa stucin. ttwmc 130715 © gustav Almestål. the extruder (2016) © michel bodiam. thread wrapping architecture (2015) © Katrin Greiling. anton alvarez © Märta Thisner. F-1704161510 © Michel Bodiam. bottom right: thread wrapping architecture (2015) © Märta Thisner

What is the actual process of making something with The Thread Wrapping Machine like? “At the start of the day, I would choose colours of the thread that would be used during the day and my assistant would fill the machine with glue. I would collect pieces of wood from the studio and then use the machine to wrap them together with glue-coated thread. Sometimes I would have a clear idea of what object was going to be made and other times it would be a process of an object organically coming together in the process of making.” The latest direction of your work sees yet another self-constructed machine, the ceramic press The Extruder, with which you now distance yourself from the making process, creating ceramic objects and sculptures without physically being involved. “Here again I took the position of not really needing to be part of the actual process of creating. I can, if I choose, be a part of it but it’s not a necessity. The Extruder was first shown to the public in the exhibition Alphabet Aerobics at The National Centre for Craft & Design in England. There the idea was to bring the machine, which had just been finished, together with 2,000 kilos of clay. The staff at the museum were dressed up by me in blue work clothes and, instead of just attending the space and waiting for visitors, they were highly involved in the exhibition and the making of the ceramic objects extruded by the machine.” Given that your work intersects design, art and invention and your role as an author and creator is so vastly multi-layered, how do you define and regard your practice? “I see my practice as divided into several parts. When I create my machines I take the role of engineer and inventor. I sit by the computer and design the machines and collaborate with technical specialists of, for instance, electricity and programming. When I’m in the studio, later on in the process, I take on the role of artist or craftsman, operating the machine to create objects of various kinds, mostly in the context of exhibitions in a gallery or institutional space to present my work to the public.”

Anton Alvarez Your earlier project Foreversunset puts forth the idea of “the design machine”, which revolves around finding ways, as a designer, to recreate the reproduction and distribution of the manufacturing industry, here specifically through measures of the internet. “Foreversunset was my first attempt at creating my own autonomy from other existing contexts, such as the manufacturing industry. I wanted to have full control over the production in my studio, in this case through the extension of the world wide web and all the employees of the web, who I called the participants of the project. Every person who uploaded an image of a sunset became part of the project and, in a way, also a part of my studio. Foreversunset was also my first attempt at creating a project, an outcome, that was not as physical as the other things I had been doing up until then.” With the noted and very publicised The Thread Wrapping Machine you continued the same objective of an autonomous path, casting yourself as an inventor as much as an artist/designer, creating a machine to make what were initially functional design objects and later architectural structures. How did it come about? “In a way, the project was a return to the process of hands-on making, where I was again physically involved in the result. I realised at this time that it is very difficult to predict an outcome. A good result and innovation can only happen in the moment of actual making. With The Thread Wrapping Machine, after a long time of engineering, I arrived at a tool for wrapping thread. Initially I wasn’t allowing myself to use it to make functional objects, but used it to create abstract objects that had no other purpose than to let me explore and understand the technique itself. Later it became used for objects with the purposes of seating and offering light.

Lastly, what’s coming up for you in 2017? “It’s been very hectic in the past few years, with requests to do exhibitions all around the world – I’ve been telling myself I need to find time for myself in the studio. Some of the large projects next year involve a big public commission, which will require making a new version of the The Extruder and a new way of working with machine that will see it be able to produce large-scale outdoor sculptures in cement. There will be about 16 sculptural pillars measuring 3-4 metres in height that will be placed around a new building. I will also be working on an entire new machine that I’ve been planning for a long time.” antonalvarez.com

Gustaf Nordenskiöld You are currently in the process of preparing your new solo show at Stene Projects in Stockholm. What will you be showing? “The exhibition is titled Site no.16 trail and, like much of my work, alludes to ethnological and archaeological artefacts and objects with unspecified origins. I like a certain ambiguity to find itself among the presented objects, where with something resembling a tool, for instance, it will not be entirely clear what it is and what utility it bears. I like to think of the exhibition itself as an excavation and dive into the present day, where the ancient and the contemporary intersect.” From where do the interests and influences that are present in your work stem? “I grew up in a home filled with artefacts and objects from all corners of the world, having world explorers among my ancestors, which I definitely think has impacted on my perception of objects and interests. I guess, generally, we are prone to digging down into our own history. I work partly very intuitively and partly by using historical references and archaeological books that set me off in my practice. I tend to react to objects that exude something primitive, carnal and rough and generally would want there to be something curious about them that inspires the mind – ideally even something queer.” You strike me as one of a handful of artists in Sweden whose practice successfully combines functional design and contemporary art with a gallery context. Distinctive rationales that exist in functional design aside, what is the common ground running through the branches of your artistic practice? “I like objects, whether art or design, to have a distinctive character, an air of having a physical body and its proper space. I’m very much into the idea of transitions of force between myself and the object, the imprints of what should be there. Using ceramics as founding material works so well in this regard because it’s very immediate in terms of capturing the moment where applied force reacts with the material.” You’ve previously said your work should be seen as a collection of solitary units creating one whole. On that note, what is your relationship with the notion of collecting and being a collector? “I think, as an artist, you are constantly working on what could be attributed as your ultimate collection, which in essence is your collective body of work, to which you are constantly adding and extending works. The objective of reaching something ultimate of course isn’t entirely feasible. As a person I’m generally the collecting kind who enjoys going to auctions and flea markets, constantly looking for things that represent a force or have something peculiar about them that titillates me.” A distinctive element of your work is letting traces of the manufacturing process become a part of the object as a memory of its making. Why is that? “I think it really comes down to the notion of memory and time, leaving imprints of the space in time in which something was actually made and the process of getting there, which can easily get lost in an object after completion.” What’s next for you in 2017? “I will be teaching occasionally at Konstfack in Stockholm and will also be presenting an exhibition at Galerie Nec in Paris, where I’ve previously exhibited before.” gustafsweden.com

Artwork by Gustaf Nordenskiöld © Gustaf Nordenskiöld. portrait photograph: © Johannes Molin

In the zone

Psychedelia is made possible by the world’s beautiful outsiders breaking down the boundaries of the inner self and exploring their true passion for expression. The Forumist met up with two pioneering acts of the genre that flowers outside of the popular culture we know today Words by Filip Lindström Photography by Dan Sjölund Styling by Maria Barsoum Special thanks to Whyred

this page, clockwise from top: Ramie blazer and Biate top; Dora jacket; Rora dress; Laurent top and Kele Cut skirt; Dora jacket, All by whyred opposite page: josefin wears Shollo jacket and Sinni skirt by whyred

Josefin Öhrn + The Liberation During the past few years, psychedelic music has been having a revival all over the world. The sound has grown modern with time, making it less retro and more timeless. Josefin Öhrn and Fredrik Joelson make psychedelic music together as Josefin Öhrn + The Liberation, a band that has played mostly in Europe, including the UK. Joelson, who is wearing a striking green parka when we meet, describes what the band members have in common and the way psychedelia opens up the realm of thought: “We don’t really live within mainstream laws for how you’re supposed to exist in a social system at the moment. What Josefin and I share is that we are in a condition that is constantly dreamlike. The psychedelic boom for me is about living not only in the visible world – the inner reality and invisible aspects are as concrete as anything else.” “It’s from there you get your ideas, musical visions and lyrics,” says Öhrn, agreeing with Joelson’s view of the world. Joelson is very outspoken and eloquent, whereas Öhrn is more thoughtful and reflective. She sees two sides to the psych wave: one being that the boom is a passing hype; the other that the music may turn into a genre of its own. According to Joelson, psychedelia has grown hugely popular in Europe and the UK and he speculates about why this is the case: “I take it as a sign of people having had enough of the conventional form of materialism. We have come to a point where we can’t arrange our lives exclusively in relation to possessions and material aspects any more. We have to get in contact with our inner selves and that is what the psychedelic is all about – there is a different form of storytelling that isn’t linear.” The visual effects are a vital part of Josefin Öhrn + The Liberation’s live performances. Their monotone, almost krautrock-like psychedelic sound is brought to another dimension by mind-expanding light shows. Among others, they have worked with light engineer Marcus Karlsson and projectionist Inner Strings, using visually outstanding artistry to create a separate world to step into. Öhrn also tries to connect clothing with the visual big picture that is a concert experience, which Joelson sees as connecting your inner self with the way you look. When speaking of what she wore for the Whyred shoot for The Forumist, she says she could identify with the garments. “They were things I could wear on stage – it felt like me.” The quite psychedelic Whyred looks would all fit in perfectly in the visual world formed during a Josefin Öhrn + The Liberation concert. josefinohrn.com

Dungen When it comes to influential acts of the new psychedelic movement, Dungen is a name that is respected and renowned. They have managed to bring music sung in Swedish to international fame and inspired a future generation of psych bands since the start of the new millennium. The band has always acted without pressure from the outside world, almost making their music untouchable. Josefin Öhrn and Fredrik Joelson remember with joy when The Liberation and Dungen were on the same line-up at this year’s Liverpool Psych Fest, honoured to be billed alongside these psych icons. Many people, including Joelson and Öhrn, see Dungen almost as mythological creatures living in their own world, left alone to do everything on their own terms. This idea of the four members being mysterious must come from the integrity they emit and the respect they are given. Those qualities, in turn, come from the way Dungen’s music is conceived – band leader Gustav Ejstes writes the group’s material and has a special relationship with the process. “For me its creation has always been very intimate and private. You have a vision for what you create on your own and you don’t want anyone to take it away from you. It’s a bit pathetic, but it’s a course of action based on that I was often alone when I was a child. I’ve always been something of a loner, but during the past few years I’ve started working together with the people close to me. I am a member of Amason as well, which is a collaboration of five individuals [The other members are Amanda Bergman, Petter and Pontus Winnberg and Nils Törnqvist.] and completely different. You learn how to throw something in that gets eaten up, and out comes something more beautiful than what you had imagined on your own.” Ejstes is truly viewed as a hero within the music community. Meeting him and realising he is a very kind man with a fantastic passion for music and artistic expression makes it obvious why. He tells me what he gets from exchanges with fans or someone who has been inspired by something Dungen or Amason has done. “When someone you have no relationship with comes forward and says that your music means something to them, that channel is God, it’s incredible,” he says, hesitating before saying the word “God”, but saying it anyway, because it is the only one that can describe that spiritual feeling. People who spread the loving, spiritual feeling that music can bring the world are the salt of the earth. Spirituality flows freely through psychedelic music and that is the simple beauty of it. dungen-music.com 22

THIS PAGE, clockwise from left: gustav wears all jacket, stone zip shirt, matti Poloneck and syd jeans; Kramer Zebra jacket and orwell trousers; all jacket; kramer jacket, t-shirt and earl leopard trousers, all by whyred Opposite page, from left: Kramer Zebra jacket; kramer jacket, matti poloneck and syd jeans by whyred all available at whyred.com Hair: Jacob Kajrup at Adamsky Make-up: Elva Ahlbin at Adamsky

brave new

world Japanâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s captivating mix of contemporary spirit and centuries-old customs in everything its designers produce has long been an inspiration for the fashion world. We headed to Tokyo to find the emerging designers creating modern silhouettes with tradition in every stitch of their garments Photography by Motohiko Hasui Styling by Koji Oyamada OPPOSITE PAGE: SHIRT AND CHOKER BY CHRISTIAN DADA

this page: SHIRT BY KEISUKEYOSHIDA, jeans AND CHOKER BY CHRISTIAN DADA opposite page: DRESS BY AKIKOAOKI, CHOKER BY CHRISTIAN DADA

this page: TUNIC AND TROUSERS BY AKIKOAOKI, SHIRT BY KEISUKEYOSHIDA, CHOKER BY CHRISTIAN DADA opposite page: JACKET AND CHOKER BY CHRISTIAN DADA, SKIRT BY AKIKOAOKI

23 01

THIS PAGE: TOP AND CHOKER BY CHRISTIAN DADA, SKIRT BY AKIKOAOKI opposite PAGE: TUNIC AND SHIRT BY AKIKOAOKI, CHOKER BY CHRISTIAN DADA Hair and make-up: Rie Model: Kako Takahashi

Cousins Anna and Thure Melander are currently pursuing their respective creative paths of music and tattooing. They have made similar journeys to reach this point, journeys that started among the fields around the Swedish ski resort Åre, where they have been going to ski with their families every season since their the start of their childhoods.

Anna Melander Based in London, Anna Melander is studying and producing music. She goes by the artist name TO and is just about to release her debut EP, I Am, which she wrote and produced herself. In the process of shaping songs, Anna draws her inspiration from fragments of her surroundings – phrases or rhythms – which she then transforms into her own signature sound. She is influenced by artists such as Karin Dreijer Andersson, Joy Division and Massive Attack – “Artists who embrace imperfections and have a kind of punk attitude towards music that makes you feel like you can create it yourself,” she says Music has always been a part of Anna’s life, as has skiing. Born and raised in Östersund, in the north of Sweden, she pretty much grew up among the ski slopes. Her grandmother still has a cottage in Åre, the Swedish ski mecca, and she has been going there with her parents and siblings every year since her early childhood. This background has given her a strong connection with nature, which also shines through in the ambient soundscapes of her musical output. The move to London from Sweden was a way for Anna to break new ground, by challenging herself and facing her fears of the unknown. Anna explains that, for her, in addition to bringing her close to nature, skiing has always been a lot about being with friends and family. She also likes the physical strains that skiing poses on her, such as going down the slopes in crazy weather conditions, even when it’s -30C. “It’s painful, like diving into icy water,” she says, “but it gives you an adrenaline rush – just like when you get up on a stage. Performing your own songs can be a similar experience.” Even though Anna no longer skis on a daily basis, which she did throughout her childhood during the winter, skiing is still present in her life, only in a more subtle way: “I associate it with a strong feeling of togetherness and freedom, which I also have in my current city life as a musician.” Today, Anna’s focus is to start doing live performances in London and Stockholm and writing more material, as well as working on new musical collaborations. In between, though, she will now and then pay a visit to Åre and her grandmother’s house, to go skiing with her nearest and dearest. “The community there and the closeness to nature – it instils calm in me and helps me gain new energy.” When she’s back in London, Anna experiences the same sensation on a smaller scale by strolling around the many parks of the city – Primrose Hill in north London is her favourite.

Something redefined The route from outdoor to urban is not an unusual one to take. It is something a lot of us can relate to. And just as many creatives shift their lifestyles to be based in cities such as London and Stockholm, so Peak Performance is now giving a more stylish touch to their functional designs. Because they want to follow such people on their journeys. And they want people like them to follow their brand Words by Johanna Bergström Photography by Andreas Karlsson Styling by Emma Thorstrand Special thanks to Peak Performance

this page: ana wears SUpreme MEGEVe, FROST Down, MONTANO AND COLE JACKETS, TECH TROUSERS AND HELIUM SOCK SLIPPERS by peak performance opposite page, clockwise from top: supreme megeve JACKET AND HELI BACKPACK; ELEVAnTE TROUSERS, WARM SOCKS AND HELIUM SOCK SLIPPERS; PHOEBE COAT AND HELI MId TIghts, All by peak performance

this page: ana wears SUpreme MEGEVe JACKET (WORN INSIDE OUT) AND TRACKIS AND TECH TROUSERS by peak performance opposite page, clockwise from top: thure wears FROST Down JACKET, Golf ACE SWEATER, MERINO t-NECK, HELI MId tights AND HELIUM SOCK SLIPPERS; ana wears LEVIN GILET, HELI MId AND PENDER TIghts; TECH HOODIE; thure wears golf TEMPLE Jacket, ADELe SHORTS AND WARM SOCKS, All by peak performance ALL available at PEAKPERFORMANCE.COM Hair: Karolina Liedberg at LinkDetails Make-up: Josefina ZarmÃ©n at LinkDetails Location: House of Gather

Thure Melander A Stockholm-based tattoo artist, Thure Melander has always gone his own way and followed his heart, rather than doing what society expects of him. He grew up among a family dedicated to downhill skiing and so spent a lot of time at their holiday home in the iconic Swedish ski resort of Åre. Thure’s first words were “I decide for myself,” which he has continued to do to this day. As a child, he would sometimes insist on staying at home so he could draw instead of going skiing with the rest of the family. The drawing eventually developed into tattooing. He got his first machine at the age of 15 and from there the art grew to a passion and then a profession. Rather than following the traditional path of apprenticeship and step-by-step learning, though, Thure took an alternative, “more artistic” approach to his tattooing education. An autodidact through and through, he started out working from his home atelier, in a small house in sprawling countryside outside Stockholm. Today, he is to be found in a more urban environment, his studio being located inside a restaurant in the city centre. While Thure says that he was “born on a pair of skis” and is “like a fish in a pond when on the slopes”, he has never competed or skied professionally, unlike the rest of his family. For him, skiing is all about the freedom you have out there on the mountains and the unlimited playfulness you can allow yourself when hurtling down the slopes. There are many parallels to be drawn between his love for skiing and his tattooing work. Regarding both, he talks of “something quite weird that grows into a strong feeling of being able to do whatever you want”. When he’s on a pair of skies he becomes at one with the mountain; with his tattoo machine he is a visionary, creating images that mean the world – or nothing at all. Like most skiers, Thure feels a strong connection with nature and also a responsibility to protect our environment. And just as it was nature, or “the mountain”, that taught him to ski, it is nature again that inspires him daily when he’s designing his artworks. “Standing on a pair of skies is a strange thing to do, but at the same time it makes you feel larger than life,” he says. “Being out there with the mountain makes you feel whole again.” He explains how he tries to express some of these sensations in his tattoos, perhaps as a way of creating awareness and of saying thank you. Åre has been a second home to Thure for as long as he can remember – and even before that. Today, he goes there not only for the skiing, but also for the the growing creative community of the area that he has also become increasingly involved in. His work as a tattooist has helped him get to know several artists and professionals there. Again, a strong connection between sport and creativity can be found – “If you love the liberty of the mountain,” he says, “then often you will want to choose a freer, less-restricted path in life, such as an artistic profession.”

dance with

When creating art through movement, self-confidence is key. Kacie Noel Garland, a professional dancer who has worked with Rihanna, knows how to keep her head held high, firmly believing in her creative expression. Follow her as she moves to the rhythm of New York’s streets Photography by Daniel Roché Styling by Kalle Hildinger

OPPOSITE PAGE: JACKET BY 3.1 PHILLIP LIM. JEWELLERY TALENT’S OWN

THIS PAGE, TOP: BLOUSE AND TROUSERS BY HAUSACH. ABOVE: LEOTARD BY AMERICAN APPAREL, TIGHTS BY WOLFORD Opposite page: TOP BY HELMUT LANG. SHIRT (ROUND WAIST) BY KENZO, TROUSERS BY GUCCI, BOOTS BY TIMBERLAND

THIS PAGE: JACKET BY 3.1 PHILLIP LIM Opposite page: DRESS AND BOOTS BY HAUSACH

THIS PAGE, TOP: JACKET BY TOMMY HILFIGER, SHIRT BY SUPREME, TROUSERS BY PUBLIC SCHOOL, HAT BY GUCCI, SHOES BY CONVERSE. ABOVE: CLUTCH BY KATE SPADE, TIGHTS BY WOLFORD, JEWELLERY TALENT’S OWN Opposite page: GILET BY HELMUT LANG, TOP BY CTRL, TROUSERS BY TORY SPORT, SHOES BY CONVERSE Hair and make-up: Helena Narra at Liganord using Estée Lauder and Balmain Talent: Kacie Noel Garland Special thanks to: Impossible-Project.com

In the fold

Do paper crafts still have a place in our digitalised, virtualised and augmented reality? It seems the answer is yes. The Forumist talked to two Berlin-based artists to find out more about their cutting-edge work with this medium and the appeal of tactile experiences Words by Veronika Dorosheva

Lacy Barry’s artwork can be found in shop windows and the spaces she decorates for special events and commercial projects. She creates paper-craft artwork for installations, both art and commercial, and designs sets for print and web advertisements. She also makes paper and tinsel costumes and headpieces. In her Little Wing and Exploding Florals series, 3D wings and florals embellish a mural canvas, creating the effect of an explosion that breaks the two-dimensionality of the canvas and brings the artwork to life. Cris Wiegandt is a paper-craft artist who specialises in stop-motion animation – her work comes to life through film. She implements tactile illustration and stop-motion techniques to create 3D, animated and colourful worlds with an extraordinary finish and texture, showing the versatile qualities of paper. Talking to Barry and Wiegandt, you quickly realise that, for them, paper craft is a creative tool for expressing their visions and ideas, and the medium they work with is a conscious and aesthetic choice. They both love the tactile qualities of paper. Wiegandt talks a lot about imperfections and how little mistakes can make paper craft look real. Some people love the playfulness and cuteness of what she produces and how it reminds them of their childhood. For others it is the complexity of these meticulously created works that they find fascinating. When telling me about her favourite projects, Barry mentions the many layers of paper and cardboard she adds to her artworks to create a mesmerising three-dimensionality of colours and gradients. Most of Wiegandt’s animated stories are also a good example of the complexity that paper craft can achieve – everything she creates, from little rice corn to the large-scale sets, is made solely from paper. Stunning. Wiegandt has been working in the stop-motion business for six years and has created a large number of paper-craft animations. She acknowledges that as the technology behind 3D printing improves, it will become a major competitor for paper-craft technique, but she believes many people still enjoy analogue sensations, which require skill and many years of practice to produce. Also, it is often cheaper to produce something crafted than to hire a good 3D artist. And besides, people are still attracted to tactile sensations, especially nowadays, when digital technology is accessible to everyone and every teenager can use a cameraphone to shoot images and videos. This is why so many of Wiegandt’s clients consider paper projects especially creative and they like to see how she creates something that looks so different from the glossy digital images they’re used to seeing all the time now. For Wiegandt, paper is a fascinating material – simple but versatile. “The texture and the finish are so beautiful. I like to touch it,” she says. She believes that, for older generations, paper craft is connected to memories of their younger years, but she is not sure if future generations will feel the same way.

Barry started to work with paper six years ago by accident. “I had just moved from LA to Montreal,” she recalls. “When I was living in LA, my life was all set up. I was doing a lot of work for film, assisting my dad when he was assigned to paint sets [Barry’s father is a professional painter.]. When I moved back to Canada, I wasn’t sure what I was going to do, but I ended up staying in Montreal. I quickly started to integrate. I got a studio place and my first seamstress jobs through Craigslist. I also made props and designed costumes. Through personal connections I found out there was this paper artist whose work I really liked and who had a studio in the same building as me. I thought, ‘Oh my God, I should introduce myself,’ so I emailed him. “We never met as he was moving out to a better studio, but he referred me to a music-video director who hired me to make props and with whom I ended up working for a while. I didn’t have much experience – I had only done a few prop-styling jobs before. I didn’t know if I could do everything, but I was willing to try. It was like a new adventure for me. And it worked out very well. We did another project together, for which we had to build paper sets. I had low expectations of what I was capable of, but I was so excited about the project – it just set my imagination on fire. I remember having this nasty cold, as I had to work on this project for three days in a row. The video director came by with a bottle of whisky to help me work. At some point he went home to see

his kids and to get some sleep and I just kept going. The next day we set up in my studio. It was a mountain scape with a water filtration system. It looked so good. It was my first big project and is probably still one of my favourites. After that, things snowballed. I started to get a reputation and build up a portfolio. Any time I was trying to do something else I was always coming back to paper, so I thought, ‘Why am I trying to fight it?’” When asked about why she chooses paper as a working material, she says it’s because it’s a fun material to work with: “You can sculpt, cut and adjust it. You can make something bigger or smaller. You can paint it. And the end result is always kind of surreal. When it’s done, you are looking at it and you see a sort of land – you know, a paper land.” Barry is not particularly worried about paper craft disappearing, though. “People have always used paper as an art form – just think of origami or painting. I have been working with paper for six years and it has been only three years since paper craft became very popular. For me, paper is still recreating itself as a medium every day. I am finding new ways to work with it and new ways to form and sculpt it. I don’t think the tactile world will ever go away. “Many artists still use materials that have been around for ages and they often mix them with new, cutting-edge materials. Of course, now it is possible to create paper renderings on computers and it can look very good, too, but the renderings don’t have that special tactility. Sometimes it is just about the right combination of analogue and digital that can make ideas shine through. “For me, paper is just the right medium to express myself. It is a vehicle for making my ideas materialise. When I work on personal projects, where I can take my time and don’t have to stress about deadlines, the work becomes a sort of meditation. I turn off my phone, I shut down my computer, I put my earphones in and I ignore everything and just focus on the work. It feels like having a siesta with paper. I am not sleeping – I am relaxing, exploring and experimenting.” lacybarry.com; criswiegandt.com

THIS PAGE: paper craft by lacy barry opposite page: works by cris wiegandt, seen in her studio, centre bottom; barry at work, centre

The art of playing God There are 70 million billion intelligent civilisations in our universe, so why haven’t we met anyone from them yet? And why haven’t they explained teleportation to us? Maybe it’s down to us to sort out Words by Dr Ashkan Fardost

I’ve been making things for as long as I can remember. In the mid-1990s I made music and hacked Napster to spread my music worldwide. What I made landed me a record deal at the age of 17. I’ve never felt so rewarded for making something with my bare hands and my bare mind. It felt so powerful and surreal. Almost godlike. As a scientist in the world of chemistry, I’ve made molecules by smashing together atoms with my bare hands, figuratively. When that breakthrough result showed itself on the screen of the analysis computers, I had the same feeling again. This time even more powerful. I was messing with the very fabric of space and time! Even more godlike. I’ve made electronic circuits, drawings, wooden sculptures and what not. Regardless of what I’ve made, it’s always felt godlike. That’s why I’m so obsessed with making stuff. And that’s why I’ve written this story. A story about aliens, about why I believe you’re a god, and about the importance of making stuff.

The alien

You’re in a cabin, far away from the hustle and bustle of the city. You’ve never heard silence like this before. It’s a clear and chilly night. Not a single cloud is to be found. Now look up. Two thousand. That’s what you’d see. Roughly 2,000 stars gazing down at you. “That’s a lot of stars,” you might think. They almost cover the entire sky and you have to concentrate just to find a patch of emptiness above you. But this is where things only begin to get crazy. Because those 2,000 stars represent only 0.000001% of all the stars just in our own galaxy, the Milky Way, conservatively speaking. Because there are an estimated 200-400 billion stars in the Milky Way. That’s... a lot. What’s crazier is that, for every star in our galaxy, there’s another galaxy in the universe, which means there are about 70 sextillion stars in the observable universe. That’s 70,000,000,000,000,000,000,000 stars. Did I mention things are going to get crazy? Good, because we’ve barely started. Now, for all these stars in the universe, add the fact that most of them have planets around them. Just like our star, the sun. That’s a whole lot of planets. However, many of these stars are way hotter or way colder than our sun, which means that an earth-like planet is unlikely to exist around such stars. Scientists believe 5%-20% of all stars are like the sun. Let’s stay on the conservative side and go with 5%. That means there are

“only” 3,500 billion billion stars similar to our own sun in the universe. Of all these sun-like stars, scientists believe 20%-50% of them have an earth-like planet around them. Let’s go conservative and go with 20%. That means there are approximately 700 billion billion earth-like planets in the universe. This is the point where we run out of scientific data. So we have to make guesses. Again, let’s try to be as conservative as possible. So let’s assume that for every earth-like planet, only one in 100 contains biological life. That’s 1% – 7 billion billion earth-like planets with biological life. Then let’s assume only one in 100 of these (1%) are inhabited by intelligent life on the

simple. I think a portion of our fascination with intelligent aliens stems from a secret belief that they have answers to everything, from existential issues all the way to technical solutions for things we can’t even begin to imagine. If an intelligent species lands on our planet, the first thing I’d ask for (after some ice-breaking and a drink) are the blueprints for an infinity drive and a teleportation device. They made it all the way to our planet – of course they’ve figured that stuff out already. Also, they might have figured out how and why humans came to be. But this is dangerous, you see, because I’m delegating responsibility to something I’m

same level as us humans. That’s 70 million billion earth-like planets with human-like intelligence in the observable universe. If that doesn’t blow your mind right out of your face, I don’t know what will. But it begs the question: if there are so many of them out there, why haven’t we heard from them yet? This is known as the Fermi paradox. The paradox of why we can’t see a single trace of any intelligent life, even though the universe should be sprawling with it, statistically speaking. And there’s a vast number of theories that try to explain it. For example, one is that we are the first intelligent civilisation; another is that intelligent civilisations tend to annihilate themselves once they reach a certain level of intelligence, which eliminates the chances of several intelligent civilisations existing at the same time. That’s not implausible, considering the amount of nukes we have on earth. But again, they’re all theories. We can neither prove or disprove them with the current level of scientific understanding we have today. Which begs the question: do you believe there are aliens? If yes, how come we haven’t seen them yet? If no, how do you explain the statistics that are extremely in favour of them?

not sure actually exists. And in doing so, let’s say in the case of teleportation, I’m giving the concept of teleportation a stamp of “impossibility”. Because I’m hoping that aliens will figure it out and then give it to us for free. Thus, I decide to not dedicate my life to figuring it out myself. But imagine if the inventor of vaccines had delegated the concept to an alien species (or an act of God – it’s the same thing), because of how impossible such a concept seemed before it was invented? The same goes for antibiotics, cars, computers, mobile phones, the internet… The concept of an airplane was as alien to humans 2,000 years ago as teleportation is to us today. The same goes for many different works of art and design. But when we use our imaginations, creativity and passion for making things, every now and then we manage to surpass reality, in a sense. So making things is a bit like being God for a while. Because making something that didn’t exist before is godlike (or alien-like – your choice). It’s as complex as it is pure and simple. And I think all of us know this subconsciously. That’s why we are so afraid of making things. Because first of all we have to take the responsibility of making the thing we so strongly believe should exist, which is a huge burden on its own. And then we have to put our entire dignity on the line when we show the world what we’ve made. IT’S SO DAMN SCARY. And that’s exactly the way it should be. Because who said being God is easy? I sure as hell didn’t. I just said you’re a god.

The god

from top: vintage vaccination; The Four Laser Guide Star Facility for the adaptive optics system on the European Southern Observatory’s Very Large Telescope in Chile; the art of chemistry; and the nazca lines in peru, possibly created by the nazca people to be seen by their gods. above right: the milky way

I have chosen NOT to believe in aliens for philosophical reasons. In fact, I’ve come to the conclusion that I use the same reasoning in my active decision to not believe in a god. So from here on, you’re free to exchange the word alien with God. And my reasoning is pretty

www.tavernabrillo.se

Needle work

How did you initiate your project? Did you find it difficult to share the creative process with another creative? Love Dahlstedt: “To share my ongoing work with another person is almost out of the question. Although Slobodan is a friend of mine, I’m not ready to let him take part in my everyday mess. Not that he would want to, but still. So anyway, when he suggested this collaboration I felt like, ‘Okay. That feels okay. Still difficult and shaky, but okay.’” Slobodan Zivic: “It went quite smoothly and effectively. I believe it’s because we know each other from before and originate from the same place – in a sense, we think alike.”

What happens when you ask two artist friends with very different approaches to take part in a joint project? With Slobodan Zivic and Love Dahlstedt, their results for The Forumist were, unsurprisingly, a visual treat

Please tell us about the results of your collaboration? Slobodan Zivic: “A while a go, Love obtained a tattoo machine and started to tattoo all over himself. The tattoos are his own work and some of it

Words by Camila-Catalina Fernandez Photography by Slobodan Zivic At first glance, combining the work of conceptual visual artist Slobodan Zivic with that of drawing artist Love Dahlstedt may seem an unusual choice, considering their respective output. Zivic is known for his unrestricted work that blurs the lines between commercial pieces and pure art projects. His creative endeavours include directing music videos, creating art installations and designing logotypes for musicians such as Poliça, Icona Pop and Tove Styrke. To say he’s an art director/artist with a broad audience is an understatement, considering the amount of people who must see his work every day, probably without realising it. Dahlstedt’s background is less commercial and more traditional, even though his art screams more punk rock than Renoir. An alumnus of the prestigious Swedish art schools Konstfack and the Royal Institute of Art, Dahlstedt has the background of a classically trained illustrator. However, his work is anything but conventional. Since his graduation there has been a steady roster of solo and group exhibitions of his work, with his drawings leaving no one unfazed. His black and white illustrations provoke a myriad of emotions, giving the viewer a nostalgic taste of suburban adolescence and the subtle beauty of daily life. Zivic and Dahlstedt are makers in the true sense of the word: creating and accomplishing art and visual sculpting, infused by inspiration from their surroundings, just to be consumed by their surroundings again. The Forumist spoke to the collaborators and long-time friends about their art and creative processes and how they ended up making collages out of Dahlstedt’s homemade tattoos. As artists, what would you say is your biggest challenge when working on commercial pieces versus working with your own art projects? Slobodan Zivic: “The perks you get from an art exhibition are the ultimate validation, but also super self-revealing. Commercial stuff is something else, where you’re in a context of the client, with briefs, processes, lead times, deadlines. I also love that it’s controlled and structured and the opposite of art, where there’s a lot of uncontrolled creative mess and you have to dig into your own consciousness. I like the variation in doing art and commissions.” Love Dahlstedt: “I don’t really work with commercial pieces. It’s not necessarily because I despise that kind of work, but I just don’t know how to do it, nor visualise someone else’s vision of creative work. It’s sad, because I do love cash.” The theme of this issue is “makers” and we want to focus on the creative process, skill and craft behind art. What would you say is the biggest misgiving about the role of an artist today? Love Dahlstedt: “I love that question. I could fill pages with my answer to that question. If I had the motivation, skills and the pay, I could write a book on my answer to that – The Biggest Misgiving of Being an Artist Today by Love Dahlstedt. However, an honest answer to that question would most certainly jeopardise my career as an artist in today’s Sweden, so I’ll have to pass. I’m not ready to let go just yet. The short answer, though – it’s a struggle. That’s a fact.” How do you ignite a creative process? Slobodan Zivic: “Without my favourite music it would be hard for me to be able to create. I have music on almost all the time when I work. I also get inspired discussing creativity with friends.” Love Dahlstedt: “My process is just an ongoing mess of everything. It’s not like it starts at any given point, like when I walk into the studio or when I pick up a pen. I would really love to work with my art like a normal job and be able to not think about accomplishments and artistic value. That said, I am absolutely convinced that one of many important ingredients of being an artist is hard work. Never wait for ‘inspiration’. Never try to come up with something clever as a prerequisite for working. Just work and try to make it simple at first, and if possible, do exactly what you want. There’s no boss in your studio beside yourself.”

clockwise from top: familjen by zivic; dahlstedt in front of his work; a collage from the artists’ collaboration

What was your initial reaction when The Forumist asked you to team up? Slobodan Zivic: “Love and I go way back. We are both from the city of Norrköping and we used to do graffiti back then. I suggested Love for the collaboration. His work is great – it’s dark and gloomy. I love the absence of colours and the roughness. There’s also a dose of nostalgic references with some part of humour that I like.”

associates with his real art. So we thought, ‘Why don’t we take photos of Love’s inked body parts and do a collage of this?’ So Love’s body became the ‘canvas’, where he expressed himself over a period of time. So in this collaborative context he appears as an object. I don’t photograph and I don’t call myself a photographer – this is more a documentation, where the result presents work from a period of time that becomes new material through this collaboration. “Our intention was to blur the outlines of the body and we chose to work with collages instead of straight-up images. The purpose was simply to gather the tattoos to get more intensity within the result, but also to erase the person and gender. Now there’s a feeling that there’s a group of different people involved, but it is only Love’s body. We added warped forms to create some gap and space between the photos.” Love Dahlstedt: “I mainly make my own tattoos. They are what they are. I had a period of dark thoughts, and what started as a hobby quickly became like a substitute for cutting my arms with razors. Initially, I had an abstract thought about making a living from tattooing friends, but the business failed because I can’t take requests. Until I realised this, I mainly practised on my feet and legs. It felt nice when Zivic wanted to mix it up with his own work and do so without taking into account what I’ve done or having any opinions regarding my, in many cases, f***ed-up flesh.” slobodanzivic.com; lovedahlstedt.com

Out in the open Raise the chill factor by layering up in casual yet carefully constructed looks. No one needs to know Photography by Estelle Rancurel Styling by Delphine Brossard THIS PAGE, CLOCKWISE FROM ABOVE: top by Maison Standards, Coat (round waist) by Julien David, Shorts by SacaI, trousers by Wat Pants, trainers by Vans. Coat, Jacket and trousers by Lacoste, Necklace by REgina Dabdab. Ollie wears coat by Le Mont St Michel, coat by Julien David, top by Wait, Necklace by REgina Dabdab; Kiki wears kimono by Dunasteia, Dress by Kenta Matsushige

OPPOSITE PAGE: Ollie wears Jacket by Hed Mayner, top and shorts by Bernhard Willhelm, trainers by Nike; Mila wears dress by 69, jumper by Fête Impériale, trousers by Tsumori Chisato, Boots by Guibert Paris

THIS PAGE, CLOCKWISE FROM RIGHT: Dress by Kenta Matsushige. Kimono by Christian Wijnants, Dress by Victoria/Tomas. from left, Mila wears Jumper by Moomin, poloneck by Tsumori Chisato; Ollie wears jacket by Andrea Crews, top and trousers by Golden Goose Deluxe Brand; Kiki wears Coat by Isabel Benenato, jumper by Roseanna, trousers by Tsumori Chisato, Necklace by Regina Dabdab. top by avnier OPPOSITE PAGE: jacket by Andrea Crews, jumper by Golden Goose Deluxe Brand Make-up: Céline Exbrayat at Call My Agent Models: Kiki and mila at supreme, Ollie at metropolitan and WinslOw at 16men Stylist’s assistant: Elise Accart Make-up assistant: Florence Benaddi Retouching: SophieK

Flaming desire The innovative designer behind FESWA is changing the way we think about jewellery, creating sculptural pieces that have no need of a body to make an impact Words by Camila-Catalina Fernandez Photography by Felicia Swartling Portrait by Seena Shamardi

What’s the fuel behind your creative processes? “I don’t think I ever stop processing – that’s my fuel. Everything is a continuous everlasting research and a creative process. You know when you see something and get that tingly feeling in your stomach – that is how I feel when I find something that sort of depicts it all. So I get addicted. “I don’t depend on or follow trends, I rather see my collections as a continuous exploration where pieces will be updated, developed and transformed into new shapes and silhouettes. I want my jewellery and pieces to be timeless. It’s more about generating alluring and eternal objects, where timelessness and conventional elements are combined with futurism to emphasise, provoke and deconstruct classic jewellery for an ageless clientele.” What are your favourite methods and material to work with? “The torch is my favourite tool. Melting, sand or cuttlefish casting, playing around with gold and silver and soldering – there isn’t really anything that beats it. It’s the thrill. You spend hours and hours sawing, filing, preparing and carefully putting together a piece, to then ensemble it all with a few solder joints, knowing that if I use my skills right, it will either be perfect or end up in the molten pile and I’ll have to start again from the beginning. “I spend a lot of thought and consideration behind my use of materials – the quality, origin and production. It’s important to be aware of the powerful, intimate and immediate communication through the language of materials. Finding the right material becomes crucial to capturing and translating what I’m trying to convey in the most genuine way. As a jewellery designer, you’re in a way much closer to the audience than a painter, for example. “The choice of different and contrasting materials and textures allows you to access and communicate with the audience in a way most artists can’t. I work with a large range of contrasting materials and textures in my pieces, such as oxidized silver and gold in organic and raw textures, freshwater pearls, furs and smoky quartz.”

If you’ve always considered jewellery to be discreet and refined artefacts for the human silhouette, then jeweller Felicia Swartling’s creations will make you think again. FESWA, the name of her brand, is all about recreating and reconstructing when it comes to how we wear and view jewellery. Following a jewellery design degree from Central Saint Martins in London, the young jewellery designer set out to “open up, question and provoke people’s conventional preconceptions about what jewellery stands for”. Looking at her creations, we must admit she’s doing a pretty good job of fulfilling her ambitions. The sculptural pieces that she creates have a stronger resemblance to art than traditional body ornaments. The rings have a prehistoric and uneven character, the oxidized gold chains have a primal aura and the rustic pendants look more like they belong in a museum than on a night out. Then again, that is what Swartling is consciously trying to do with her creations. She wants us to view our jewellery as independent pieces that can stand on their own without a human body attached to it. According to Swartling, she is constantly trying to enforce a dual aspect on her pieces, she wants each of them to have the transformative power to live on its own and be self-reliant with its beauty. The human body attached to the pieces is flattering – but not necessarily mandatory. This is not the type of jewellery you take off in the evening and hide away in your jewellery box. They are rings and bracelets that demand their own podium, audience and admiration. We reached out to the woman behind FESWA to try to figure out what life is like for a jewellery designer, what if feels like to embrace traditional craftsmanship with an innovative mind – and how cool it actually is to play with a torch. Tell us about how your journey as a jewellery maker began. Did you always know you wanted to become a jewellery designer? “I didn’t know until I knew, if that makes sense. It started out as a flirt that I couldn’t resist and an urge to find out more. And the more I knew, the more I needed to learn, see and explore to nurture my curiosity. I picked up the torch for the first time seven years ago and, since then, my obsession, love and hunger for jewellery and its craftsmanship has grown beyond anything I’ve ever felt before, to the point were jewellery has become more to me than something that you just wear. It has become a part of me, almost like a language through which I can express myself.”

beautiful pieces from the feswa range. above left: the designer felicia swartling at work in her studio

What does the start of your creative progress usually look like? “Sketches have never really been my thing – they’re too flat and I can’t fully visualise how the piece will sit, stand and function or feel on the body. My childish drawings do in some ways give me an idea of a starting point, but I tend to, as soon as possible, test out my new ideas, shapes and designs in either wax, air-dried clay or directly in silver. “My pieces are very sculptural and I want them to work, satisfy and allure as much as when they are adorning the body as when they are not worn. I want them to become autonomous objects of pure contemplation and admiration, like a sculpture.” If you could describe your creative process with three words, what would they be? “Thoughtful, messy and delicate.” What are your next projects? Have you got anything exciting lined up? “I will be releasing a limited-edition necklace series. It’s my own take on the classic faith, hope and love charms. Though instead of using the traditional symbols, which are a heart, cross and an anchor, I will deconstruct it with my own archetypes. They will soon be launched exclusively at JUS in Stockholm.”