ELOQUENCE magazine

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contents

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place

COVERNAT

cover

EUN ME AHN

art

Dirk Fleischmann

brand

HYUNGSEOK YUN

music

Robb Harker

art

KATO AI

media

CHANG SUK JONG

fashion

FASHION DESIGNERS IN SEOUL

collection FACE EXPRESSIONS drawing

POJANGMACHA in Seoul

art

JUNK HOUSE

project

BADABIE NEVER DIE

creators

4 Swedish Artists

web

SOCIAL FUNDING PLATFORMS

photo

SHIN HYE RIM

fashion

BEIJING REVELATION by Vincent Sung

fashion

November Night by freaks

project

NON:TEMPORARY SOLUTIONS

Cover. EUN ME AHN Photographer. CHOE YOUNG MO

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staff Editor in Chief Jeon WooChi / jeonwoochi0625@gmail.com Art Director Yom Snil / yomsnil@gmail.com Editor Jean Choi / younjean.choi@gmail.com Anna Choi / egoidealism@gmail.com IDA Gr채nd책s-Rhee / idaateloquence@gmail.com UNA SeungEun Lee / unalee2180@gmail.com South East Asia Editor Vincent Sung / vsbangkok@gmail.com London Editor Suk Kyung Yun / yurusi@gmail.com Tokyo Editor Yuta Sugihara / yuta.sugihara@gmail.com Amsterdam Editor EunKyung Hwang / ikben.ekh@hotmail.com Writer / Contributor Andy St. Louis / andy@concreteexperience.org Tae Ho Kim / t4eho@hotmail.com Hyo Bong Chong / ggg6999@naver.com Head Designer Yoon Jeong Lee / ggong1110@naver.com Assistant Designer Mi Kyung Kwon / ggmmgg@naver.com Hae Ran Jeong / rinhol86@naver.com Ji Eun Kwon / kwonje0508@nate.com Su Rim Nam / s2sr1003s2@naver.com Photographer Jun O Hwang / raphip@gmail.com Max Eeow / max.zhihong@gmail.com Translator Esther Hwang / soyoonie87@gmail.com Web Designer Yong Hoon Kwon / kwonyh@teentimes.org Ji Young Kang / 357@hanmail.net Advertising Kyu Soo Bang / giftbang@naver.com

Chairman Deog Soo Lee / president@teentimes.org President Jung Sik Lee / core@timescore.co.kr Chief Manager Kevin Tak / starbiggy@gmail.com Julia Baik / cutejuliabaik@gmail.com IT General Manager Kang-il Kim / kang_il@teentimes.org IT Management Team Jung Hun Kim / kjh@teentimes.org Yo Han Kim / tolerance@teentimes.org Distribution Sung Sook Choi / choi740710@teentimes.org

ELO QU ENCE international creators magazine

Times Core Co. E&C Tower 8th Fl., 46 Yangpyung dong 3ga, Yeongdeungpo gu, Seoul, Korea 150-103 Phone. 02.392.3800 / Fax. 02.392.1800

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contributors

Natali Jacobsen

Vincent Sung

Jeong Ho Kim

Natali, who modeled for the <November Night

by Freaks> pictorial, is actually a creator who majored in video documentary in London.

She was willing to become a wonderful model for us as soon as I sent her an SOS for the pictorial shooting. She must have been very tired due to the RUFXXX performance she attended every weekend, but she did her best during the shooting. Eloquence has prepared special fashion pictorial sections to show her free, lively energy. So please keep your eyes wide open!

I was so lucky to came across with Vincent at the gallery party. We started a conversation and talked about the fashion trends and Asian trends. We ended up agreeing to work together for the November issue with his Beijing pictorial. Vincent is playing an active part in Asia, including Seoul, Bangkok, Beijing, and Cambodia. He is the real International Creator we have been looking for! You can expect to see more of his creative work as he promised to keep working with us! www.wix.com/vsbangkok/loft16

Eloquence conducted its first ambitious collaboration project, <POJANGMACHA PROJECT>, with photographer Jeong Ho Kim. His angles are warm and considerate.

He made street stalls at Gwangjang Market, Namdaemun, and Jongno shine with his angels. Jeong Ho Kim’s active direction and nice attitude helped make the shooting pleasant. We wouldn’t have been able to complete the details of the project if it wasn’t for him. We will keep doing our <POJANGMACHA PROJECT> next month with Jeong Ho Kim. Please show us your magic again!

Jae Min Son

Ozak

Jangsoo Rho

Photographer Jae Min Son showed up in front of me like savior when I was nervous about interviewing Ahn Eun Me, who is known as a sensitive celebrity. He is a talented photographer who is running a studio 915 Gallery in Garosugil. His magical, sensible skills that made the shooting go smoothly even made Ahn Eun Me, who could spare only a short time for the interview due to her tight schedules, say “Thank you.” We were extremely lucky to have a chance to work with such a wonderful photographer. www.jaeminson.com

So many people have helped make the November issue, but if I have to choose only one person who contributed the most, I would pick Ozak without any hesitation. He helped Eloquence have its own unique color by conducting the fashion shooting artfully.

He created cubic visual effects by using the hidden spaces inside the studio and produced smooth but strong mood with the combination color lightings. I hope to see his photos in Eloquence in the next issue, too. www.studiodummy.com

It wasn’t easy to find a quiet and nice place for an interview with Shin Hye Rim on Saturday morning. When we were panicking about the location, Jangsoo Rho suddenly appeared from nowhere and invited us to Grafolio Cafe before its grand opening. Grafolio Cafe is now open to the public in Hongdae. It is the creators’ playground, so you’d better stop by and show your creativeness there. Or check out the famous website. www.grafolio.net

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place

COVERNAT

Eloquence visited the first showroom of the famous COVERNAT. It is nestled in a sequestered residential area in Seoul, free from the throb of the center of the city. It looked like a quaint mountain cabin.

Editor. Jean Choi Photographer. Jun O Hwang

I had to check the navigation on my smartphone so many times to find COVERNAT. As I walked along the quiet alley in the residential area, I doubted whether the showroom really was here. But then, when I found the entrance of COVERNAT, I smiled.

“The concept of COVERNAT’s showroom is a ‘mountain cabin’.

Previously, a mountain cabin used to mean a space where we could be protected by, as well as communicate with, nature. I wanted to provide the visitors with a quiet, peaceful place, staying away from the noisy, hectic world.”

Yun Hyungseok, the CEO of COVERNAT, chose Nonhyund-dong instead of boisterous Hongdae and Garosu-gil as the base for the company.

Another reason was that popular areas with a lot of circulating population may not able to show the identity of COVERNAT. He remodeled a house into the first showroom which holds the misshape and warmth of a mountain cabin.

When you enter the place, with its wooden floors and brick walls, the first thing that you probably will notice will be the imported stuffed deer and the wooden chandelier. However, you should take a close look at the iron hanger, cabinet, and counter. These interior items were created by Shin Hyung-soo, the vocalist of the punk band Johnny Royal and a metal craft designer for Sheen TripleSix. While taking a look at the metal plaques on hand-made items at the COVERNAT’s showroom yard, you will notice that the showroom itself is a work of art just like a piece of clothes.

“I hope many people come here even if they don’t actually purchase my clothes. I would be happy if they feel the spirit of COVERNAT. I also hope my showroom can offer them a little leeway to forget about the hectic life for a moment.”

COVERNAT’s showroom in Nonhyun-dong may be the first one and the last. However, one thing is for sure. It is one of the must-go places in November.

covernat 23-12 Nonhyeon-dong, Gangnam-gu, Seoul 82-2-388-3316 www.covernat.net

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exhibition review

2011 HAEIN ART PROJECT : TONG Defining a new paradigm in contemporary art exhibition praxis at Haeinsa Temple.

Editor. Anna Choi Writer. Andy St. Louis

Atta Kim, Ice Buddha (2011)

Buddhism and contemporary art don’t often go hand in hand; the former’s tradition, discipline and uniformity presenting a seemingly impossible obstacle to any sort of conciliation with the latter. And yet, in keeping with the Buddha’s tenet of non-duality, a temple in rural South Korea is attempting to do just that. The theme for this, the first exhibition of its kind in Korea, derives from the Eastern concept tong, or “link.” Inaugurated at Haeinsa Temple to commemorate the millennial anniversary of its prized treasure—a UNESCO-designated collection of hand-carved woodblocks containing the Buddha’s teachings called the Tripitaka Koreana—the exhibition brings together works by 34 artists in a platform for exchange between different ideologies, cultures, traditions and genres of art. The common ground revealed to exist among these disparate elements, combined with the dialogues that emerge through the interactions between contemporary art, exhibition visitors, the temple’s monastic community and even the physical temple itself, renders the 2011 Haein Art Project a landmark exhibition, not just for the Buddhist community here, but indeed for the entire nation.

The exhibition’s conceptual framework, which also nurtures notions of passage, opening or deep understanding, encourages visitors to explore their own personal interpretations of tong via the works installed throughout the temple complex. Yu Araki foregrounds magnitude and materiality in his site-specific outdoor installation Big Numbers (2011), in which a veritable field of 80,000 hand-numbered river stones stands in for the Tripitaka Koreana itself; its enormity, its longevity, and its existential significance as the concrete form of an ideology and worldview. Three Women (2008), Bill Viola’s single-channel video

installation from the 2007 Venice Biennale, explores the human condition vis-à-vis the lenses of spectatorship, introspection, and meditation. Nonverbal communication of a relational variety finds resonance in Meeting of Beings (2011) by Tammy Kim, the exhibition’s most accessible installation, drawing its artistic power via its absolute aesthetic simplicity, ergo beauty. Shades of meaning are excavated and re-evaluated throughout the exhibition, each work contributing to an ongoing discursive exchange with visitors on an individual level.

Given the location and occasion for this year’s Haein Art Project exhibition, references to Buddhist imagery were inevitable, yet curators Yu Yeon Kim and Jiwoong Yoon made the right decision to avoid overtly religious work. Atta Kim’s temporary installation Ice Buddha (2011) was the only exception to this policy, but its effortless coupling of sacred and secular lent it a transcendence beyond classification. Installed at the head of one of the temple’s largest dharma halls, Kim’s 5 foot-tall ice sculpture of a seated Buddha slowly melted away into nothingness over the course of the exhibition’s opening week. Visitors’ reactions to the piece reflected its potency to engage all manner of audiences within the framework of the exhibition’s theme; children stood in awe, dumbstruck by the translucent refractive properties of the ice, while adults performed ritual prostrations in its presence, a show of respect conventionally offered only to official Buddha images enshrined on altars.

These participatory—not performative—interactions with Kim’s work were testament to the pre-cognitive responses to art that represent the essence of tong, and the unique strength of the exhibition at-large.

2011 Haein Art Project : 通 | 통 | Tong September 23 – November 6, 2011 Haeinsa Temple Gyeongsangnam-do, South Korea

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music

SAYCET

Young French musical project group ‘Saycet’ is coming to Seoul in November. It is the perfect time to enjoy dreamlike music live.

Editor. Jean Choi

Saycet is the brainchild of Pierre Lefeuvre, a French composer hailing from Paris who cut his teeth listening to Boards of Canada and Múm.

His first solo album entitled <One Day at Home> was warmly acclaimed by the national critics including TRAX and Les Inrockuptibles. The nine atmospherical tracks evoke abstract landscapes and fairly tales for adults from song to song.

Now joined by vocalist Phoene Somsavath who brought her delicate signature voice, Saycet embraces vivid arrangements and crafts a unique brand of experimental pop. The year long collaboration has given birth to a second album <Through the Window> to be released this year. With waltzing melodies, layered keyboards, detailed electronics

and discrete vocal samples that breeze in and vanish, Saycet takes the listener on a timeless journey.

Some people say that Saycet’s music is completed by VJ Zita Cochet, with her video projections emphasizing the cinematic aspect of their music. The images are colorful shapes and shades, bright lights fading out, playing hide-and-seek with the melodies, and underlining the poetry of their universe.

These amazing musicians are now preparing for a concert in Seoul on November 4th. It would be a great opportunity for music lovers to experience the French daydreaming emotion live.

Saycet – 1st live in Seoul

opening band : Sogyumo Acacia Band November 4, 2011 (FRI) Rolling Hall, Hongdae Presale : 25,000 won / At door : 30,000 won (+ ONE FREE DRINK) Ticket info and reservation : Mint Shop / shop.mintpaper.com (KR) English/French booking: send an email to info@brokenteeth.kr Presented by Brokenteeth - Panda Media Supported by Sky Music, Table Sound www.brokenteeth.kr

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issue

COLLABORATION NEWS Editor. Jean Choi

Versace for H&M

Versace for H&M will finally go on sale worldwide on November 17. Perfectly prepared collections for women from leather decorated with studs, dresses with colorful prints, high heels, and jewelry as well as collections for men including bold-colored tuxedoes, belts, and jewelry are appealing enough to catch fashionable people’s attention. Don’t be sad if faster fashion leaders take them all. In this collaboration, homewear items have been included for the first time and you can buy items from the spring collections designed by Versace online in January next year. www.hm.com

Rhodia X Bob Foundation

The French brand Rhodia, which has been loved by artists and creators, recently invited a design group called Bob Foundation to newly create the cover design for the RHODIA No.11 Notepad. Bob Foundations produced three kinds of covers with a bi-folding rubber construction to protect the orange signature of Rhodia. The covers are called ‘Button’, ‘Zipper’, and ‘Necktie’ and they are not available in Korea. But you can get them on a Japanese website QUO VADIS for ¥945. www.quovadis.co.jp

Maison Martin Margiela X Cutler & Gross

Maison Martin Margiela and the London-based eyewear brand Cutler & Gross will introduce their sunglass lines for the second time, after last year’s successful collaboration. The sunglasses feature details inspired by four different themes. The collaboration sunglasses, which are handmade in Italy, will go on sale this month at Maison Martin Margiela boutiques and selec shops for glasses.

Daft Punk X Coca-Cola

Daft Punk has been continuously collaborating with Coca-Cola and the soda company recently introduced a new edition. Daft Punk attracted the fanatics’ attention once again by covering the Coca-Cola logos with 925 silver and 18k gold and by designing caps inspired by their helmets. Although you may want to drink Coca-Cola while listening to their funky music, they produced and sold only 20 of them. So, we will have to enjoy them only in the picture.

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cover

EUN ME AHN

Dressed in a red outfit, Eun Me Ahn moves her florid body as her voice emits an impressive amount of energy.

A person had warned me about her scary personality, but throughout the interview, I only felt the air of pleasantry.

In fact, I was able to leave the place charged with a load of Eun Me Ahnâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s energy.

Editor. Anna Choi Photographer. Jae Min Son

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Q. How were you able to strive and live your life out as an artist and choreographer?

It’s because I love it more than anything else. Body language is less complicated than speech. That’s why it’s very fun and limitless. People can reach satisfaction with their work, lose interest, and then stop doing what they’ve been doing. But that satisfaction is never-ending for a creator. That’s why I can always challenge myself and strive for more as a composer.

Q. I’ve heard that you studied Korean Dance since a young age.

What was it that got you started?

As a child, I’d barely sleep and just run around and play. Since I wasn’t learning any language at that age, I didn’t know what that kind of energy signified. One day I saw a bunch of performers on the street and remember liking their costumes a lot. I thought, “If I learned to dance, I could be wearing these kinds of clothes too.” I was five at that time.

Q. What were you parent’s opinions then?

Those were difficult times, and my parents would not let me study dance.

So, I just fooled around by myself imagining what dancing would be like.

If I think about it now, I think it was probably better that things worked out that way. If I started dance in a classroom, I probably would’ve ran away right from the start. I don’t really sit well with commands and directions.

Q. I can feel the strength behind your words. Do you ever get frustrated with only using motions to express yourself on the stage?

Not really. Only dancers know the taste of dancing. I sometimes view speech as an act of diminished accuracy. Sometimes speech just flies away. Speech is only a reciting of letters based on what we know in our system of meanings. But movement is another type of language.

Expressions of the body can be frightening and dark, but once a movement is completed, it feels as if you’re coming out from a dark cave after an expedition; a feeling of being born again, as if you’ve re-entered your mother’s womb, and are coming out again. Every time you come out, you gain a new life. This is possible because we don’t use speech.

Q. What kind of merits does dancing have for you?

At the very least, body language is a superior way for me to be more detailed in my communication. I like people, and dancing is tool I use to use to communicate with them. Dance does not include words, but it helps the communication with another to develop faster. The language from the body is a lot more honest than the language of words. It even has the advantage of transcending international borders.

Q. I guess that’s why you’ve turned classic Korean tales into a dance and introduced them to the international world.

I’ve worked on <The Chunhyang Story> and <Symphoca Princess Bari>.

I started working on <Symphoca Princess Bari> since 2002. When people who don’t know much about Korea watch these performances, they get to think about Korean culture and sentiments, or they get the desire to find out more about Korean culture.

Q. Why did you want to do traditional Korean topics?

It’s because I’m Korean. Isn’t it proper for a daughter to know about her family? Fundamentally, it’s easier for people to understand things better once they have a good grasp of the spatial and chronological aspects of their roots. Because I’m Korean, I have a certain uniqueness, and I believe it’s very important for us to be curious about that originality.

Q. I don’t think it’d be easy job to get audiences of different cultures to sympathize with Korean folk culture.

That’s the same for any situation. Being Korean is not the only difficult thing, because touching others and getting people to sympathize are difficult for any country’s culture. The real difficult job is communicating a subject with sophistication and purpose. That is why it is my job as well as a job for many other creators to figure out how to recreate a traditional subject into something that would fit a modernized world. A lot of effort is needed for this.

Q. For what reasons did you recreate <The Chunhyang Story> and <Bari> in a modern point of view?

I just really like the original stories. I believe these kinds of stories are like a cultural heirloom. Even as much time passes by, such wit and literary skill surpasses those of the people today. And there’s just so much to learn from a language, including its humor, view on life, ways of solving

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problems, and more. Especially, the main characters in <The Chunhyang Story> and <Bari> are first and foremost female. These courageous female characters can be representing mothers and just feministic power in general. We cannot allow ourselves to forget such stories. We need to make it so that future generations could meditate on such tales. It also may be that the birth of classics like <Chunghyang> and <Bari> has become more difficult to achieve in this generation. Even if one was achieved, it wouldn’t be able to have the same kind of impact. That is why we keep the classics as they are, re-analyze them, and use the aspects that will work with this day and age.

Q. What were the reactions of foreigners like after watching a Goot[traditional exorcism] and other Korean folk culture in <Symphoca Princess Bari>?

The main purpose of a Goot is to deliver good energy. Since this is the fundamental mindset of the play, foreigners really like it. Developed countries that have been culturally educated well have a positive attitude towards ‘differences’ and consider them as things to be thankful for.

Things like Goot and other traditional Korean customs have the great significance of being passed down for thousands of years, so one can’t describe the awe a foreigner may feel when experiencing such a play.

People are also really grateful to have their pent up emotions released through my intense costumes and choreography. All people have a kind of lukewarm strength. When I dress up in an outfit that only exists in people’s dreams and start dancing, people can’t help but get excited.

Actually, even the colors and decorations that the Korean shamans wore were not normal at that time either. Getting in touch with spirits won’t happen easily dressed in ordinary clothing. The spirits won’t be able to recognize you. I believe the spirits will come and find you faster if you’re dressed and dancing like an oddball.

language that delivers those images and that strength. Every sea cannot be blue. [In fact] My sea can be red. Depending on the performance and what needs to be expressed, any color, or language, can be chosen.

Q. Your shaved hairstyle has become somewhat of a trademark.

What made you want to go with such a style?

All women try to look for a hairstyle that matches them the best. When I was 29, I had cut off my hair and found a style that would be mine.

It suited me really well and was very appropriate for dancing. Once I shaved my head that way, any other style became too much of a hassle.

Instead of taking years to grow out and carry around a heavy mane, I prefer to buy wigs. I probably have a couple hundred of wigs.

Q. <The Bee> is currently playing at the Myeongdong Theatre.

What’s the story about?

This play points out the problems of life and current society through ‘bee’.

I’ve participated as a choreographer, so I directed the actor’s movements in the play.

Q. Please give us your knowhow on how to live on as an artist. I’m sure it’ll be a big encouragement for our readers.

The first thing is to be strong. Second is immense love. The third thing you need is a lot of selfishness. Fourth would be beauty. (That’s sort of embarrassing coming from my own mouth.) The fifth and last thing you need is friends. I probably would have quit almost immediately if not for my friends who gave me help and became my mentors.

Q. You use striking colors in a bold way. What kind of meaning does color have for you?

Color is energy. Since I don’t use words, I use colors instead. Even when making a sign, people take a lot of time to think about the individually colored images that will go on it. Colors help us think of images, and they have the strength to influence a person’s mentality. To me, ‘colors’ is the

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art

Dirk Fleischmann

A conceptual artist by definition, German-born Dirk Fleischmann fits this title to perfection. Which is to say he completely refuses to adhere to any one subject matter, medium or mode of presentation in his work. Acting as both a businessman and a business, as an artist as well as art itself, he unifies the distinct worlds of commerce and creativity through his perceptive insight into contemporary culture and capitalist structures.

Editor. Anna Choi Writer. Andy St. Louis Photographer. Max Eeow

Q. In your own words, what is conceptual art?

I don’t have a unique definition of conceptual art. I think most art nowadays, even if it’s not called “conceptual,” always has a conceptual element. As Sol LeWitt said, it starts with an idea, or an idea can even be enough. But I don’t see this in a dogmatic way. It’s just something that makes it easier for an artist like me to operate since other artists have already opened up this field. Artwork doesn’t necessarily have to have a physical form, or you can develop other forms—the forms that you are working with can be more immaterial or ephemeral, for example. This is an important condition that was not created by me. I just refer to what already existed in art history.

Q. As a conceptual artist, your work largely exists independently of the commercial art world. How would you describe your artistic practice with regard to the market economy?

From the days when I was an art student, I simply did not believe in selling art. It has always been a complete miracle to me how that transaction works and what the motivation is to buy art. It goes beyond my imagination, but I’m not against it. I think it’s totally fine if people sell art, but I simply could not imagine it. I can only achieve things that I’m able to imagine. So I imagined a way that I could keep my work going—even without selling art—and this is what I developed over the past decade or so: a modus operandi that allows me to continue my work both financially and also motivation-wise.

Q. So your goal was to be an artist without actually selling any artwork?

Yes, but I was already in my second year of art school when I made a work of art that made money. Not by selling art; just by selling regular chocolate bars [mykiosk]. I sold them in the studio and I made profit from them, and these profits were the funds used to maintain the project, to make it bigger and eventually to start up a new enterprise. This is how I built up a kind of business conglomerate with eight different businesses so far that are all financed through this same process.

Q. With eight projects, you must be constantly involved in several different enterprises at the same time. Do you like this way of working?

I like it because it’s schizophrenic, and it’s as schizophrenic as what goes on in the business world around us. It’s totally beyond my expertise— every project is a challenge for me. I’m a total dilettante on all these things that I’m doing.

Q. In addition to being financially connected, are all these businesses conceptually linked as well?

I think there is one big project that I am working on and it comes in different chapters. Every business is a different chapter and all these different chapters have different paragraphs, represented by exhibitions or other kinds of forms. This is what you do as an artist: maybe you have a conceptual idea, but it can never have a definite form. I mean, what

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is a business conglomerate? What kind of shape does that have? So at different points you have a concept store, for example, or you sell carbon credits, or there’s a clothing collection. These are the forms that these ideas take on and this is what I’ve put into the world. You have to put all these different pieces together to get the big idea and that is what is now represented with myconceptstore [at the 2011 Gwangju Design Biennale].

Q. When you start a new project, where does the spark come from?

How does each project begin?

There are aversions and fascinations I have towards certain things that go on in the world and this is how it always starts. I begin with a personal interest, and through each project—in the literal sense of “interest”—I try to go into it, into the problem. My art is a means for me to enter places and situations that exist in the world that I’m interested in and that I want to explore.

Q. These interests have evolved over the years, beginning with chocolate bars in art school, where you were working on a very local level, to your current work, which is much more global. How do you measure this change?

Of course, all my projects have a place. My works are not like clouds that circle around the world—they are very much located in specific places.

This is why I got interested, for example, in the Kaesong Industrial Complex as a place. The production of the Made in North Korea collection made me enter this very specific location in between North and South Korea. In one sense, this is only “global” from an outside perspective, since I’m a German artist in Korea. But from a Korean perspective, this is super-local; it’s just around the corner. Meanwhile, the Kaesong Industrial Complex itself has no global business dimension because there are no foreign investors involved in it — they are not attracted to its business environment, which is a bit unstable from a global perspective. But locally it works very well.

Q. You left Germany in 2006 for Singapore and now you are living and working in Seoul. What were the reasons for this move and how has your work changed as a result?

One reason why I was interested in Singapore was that its image is so strongly branded as ‘global’. I simply wanted to see how a place like that functions and what sort of role art has in such a place. At that moment, another dimension was achieved in my art because I left my home country where I lived for 20 years and where all my early art projects started. After coming to Korea, one of the first things I learned was that LG and Samsung and Hyundai and Kumho are Korean brands.

I had no idea; I thought they were Japanese. And then I realized that Hyundai is not only producing cars. In Germany, Hyundai produces cars and Samsung produces electronics. But when you come to Korea, you realize everything else they are producing. The second thing I learned about Korea is that these Korean brands perfectly embody this structure that I have a problem with. These highly diversified conglomerates that are operating in this totally schizophrenic way are able to build ships, houses, electronics, and so on at the same time. This is something that I don’t understand, and so building up my own conglomerate was my

myconceptstore, Dirk Fleischmann / 2011

personal confrontation or polemic towards this problem that is beyond my imagination. I feel attracted to it in my urge to better understand and relate to such structures.

Q. Your work has always shown a strong concern for the environment as well. How did that start, and how did you come to incorporate that in your art?

I grew up beside a nuclear power plant. It was 5 km from my parents’ house and there was constant fear of nuclear power. I was twelve years old in 1986 when Chernobyl happened. For us [in Germany], Ukraine and eastern Europe represented a totally separate world from where we were living in West, and then suddenly this cloud comes with all this radioactivity and it reaches you. You cannot run away from it and it’s raining down on you. So I had to stay at home for several weeks and I could not play outside. I could not forget what was going on outside, especially not the nuclear power plant in front of our house - I could see it from the window of my room in my parents’ house. This fear is deep and it’s still there. When I was fourteen, I was really interested in science and physics and I read about solar power. I thought, wow, this is beautiful idea, that you can create electricity out of sunlight. For me, this alluded to peacefulness and safeness and it was the total opposite of what was happening outside our house. That was a dream for me. Then when I was graduating from art school, I built a solar power plant on the roof of the art school in Frankfurt, and I called it mysolarpowerplant. This was maybe the most important moment of my art career.

Q. And does that power the art building?

I am selling the electricity. Since 2000, they created a special law in Germany that says if you produce solar electricity privately, the local energy provider has to buy the electricity from you for a higher price so that you can re-finance your solar power plant. So overnight, Germany got the biggest solar power market in the world because so many private investments were generated. I was one of these private investors, among maybe 100,000 other Germans who took the initiative to build solar power plants on their rooftops. This was my response to the nuclear power plant. I mean, all of us can make demonstrations, and we all have different ways to psychologically relate to such problems and fears. What I’m doing is not activism, but I find it interesting that in my art I can make statements and realize the processes that confront these things that I either love or hate.

Q. Would you say that most of your projects have been financially successful?

So far, yes, except the forest farm [myforestfarm, a reforestation project and carbon credit program begun in 2008], but I’m sure it will be successful in the future. They all make profits, more or less. But nothing’s ever completely successful, when you see how much time and effort I spend - it is totally inefficient. My success is not based on efficiency or profit maximization; I define success in a different way.

Q. So what is your definition of success?

Creating meanings.

mysolarpowerplant, Dirk Fleischmann / 2004

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brand

HYUNGSEOK YUN From now on, Eloquence will take a closer look at competitive local brands that can go global.

COVERNAT, a local brand that was launched in 2008, is our first subject.

Hereâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s what the director of the brand, Hyungseok Yun, has to say about his brand.

Editor. Jean Choi Photographer. Jun O Hwang

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Q. Please tell us about COVERNAT. COVERNAT is an American-style casual clothing for men. We try to modernize the style of physically active men in the 19th and 20th centuries, such as minders, carpenters, and cowboys. We develop corresponding patterns, high quality cloths, and other details while keep our clothing durable. Since our debut in fall, 2008, we are doing well.

Q. Why did you pick American casual for your brand concept?

When I was in my early 20s, I was into hip-hop culture and I used to enjoy wearing American brands such as Sean John and Polo. I learned that these American brands were originated from work wear and cowboys. At first, I was disappointed because I thought the brands’ designs and spirits were just the cloning of the old culture. However, as I studied more about clothing, I learned that the cultural, historical roots have been renovated by modern designers’ perspective. The films and pictures of the 19th century also had influence on the designs. I keep collecting vintage clothes for reference. Whenever I visit Japan, I always make sure to stop by secondhand bookstores and bookstores for imported books to get more information on clothing. I’m still learning.

Q. A local brand for American casual style seems a little unfamiliar.

Did you think that this concept would work in the domestic market?

I really hoped so, but I was nervous because I didn’t want to fail. In the first season, I made some clothes that would appeal to the public and prepared for the next seasons. Of course there was a time when I had a doubt about my brand and sometimes I didn’t feel attached to it.

I didn’t even wear some clothes I’ve made however, I learned how to compromise with myself because I was aware of the difference between the clothes I have to make and the ones the public need. COVERNAT wouldn’t be here today if it were not for the clothes. As the time passes, I’m working in a better environment where I can try more things. Out of 10, I can score my brand 7 or 8 these days, in terms of satisfaction. If you take a look at my look books, you will be able to learn how my brand is changing and what I want to do more.

Q. What makes you launch the brand?

I was into clothing when I was in college. At the time, I could get a T-shirt for 80,000 won at a multi-shop in Korea, which costs 20 dollars in the U.S. Then, I came up with an idea of buying clothes directly. So I saved money for three months and send 1.5 million won to my friend who was in Canada. He bought 100 T-shirts with the money and sent them me. Although I loved clothes so much, I couldn’t wear them all.

So, I chose 30 T-shirts for myself and sold the rest online. I didn’t have digital camera 11 years ago, so I took pictures of the T-shirts with my old camera. After developing the photos, I scanned them to upload on the Internet. My T-shirts were popular because they were cheaper than the open market price. As a result, I ended up earning a lot of money – more than the money I invested in. I thought this was it. Then, I started doing it professionally. I sent money to my friend and increased the number of items. Two years later, I was a young CEO of the number one online shopping mall. I was still a college student but I was making a lot of money. At the time, I checked everything myself when the boxes of clothes and shoes arrived – I smelled them, tried them, and even slept with them. I was really into clothes and shoes, but I lost my interest in clothes as the number of imported items increased to 50-60. After a while, I fed up with the domestic circulation market system because cheap imported clothes are sold for high prices. So I wanted to make clothes myself. Everyone disagreed with me, but I quit my business and went to London and Japan to learn more about clothes and markets for four years. As soon as I came back to Korea, I launched my brand.

Q. Your brand is growing very quickly since its launch in 2008. What are your secrets?

I’m fearless. I’m also a wonderful planner. However, I never make a plan B. I think focusing on my initial goal without considering other options helped me grow quickly in a short period of time. My past experiences also helped me run my new business successfully.

Q. Then, what makes COVERNAT competitive?

When COVERNAT was launched, there were many independent brands made by individuals with genuine passion. These brands produced T-shirts and hats with messages and graphics in project formats to appeal to the public. However, not many brands introduced new styles consistently every season. COVERNAT was the first independent brand that produced total items from accessories to clothes. My brand highlights three concepts – details, high quality, and fit – and they make COVERNAT competitive until now.

brands made by individuals with genuine passion. These brands produced T-shirts and hats with messages and graphics in project formats to appeal to the public. However, not many brands introduced new styles consistently every season. COVERNAT was the first independent brand that produced total items from accessories to clothes.

My brand highlights three concepts – details, high quality, and fit – and they make COVERNAT competitive until now.

Q. Have any brands inspired you when you launched COVERNAT? I got inspired by American vintage clothes such as RRL, Ralph Lauren.

RRL shows what Ralph Lauren really wants. RRL sells their bags after dipping them into corrosion liquid to add vintage hue and as for hats, they puncture their hats and make them worn out through washing.

Since those items involve much labor, jeans and bags are sold for about 400,000 to 500,000 won, 2 to 3 times higher than Polo. I admire the interior of the shops, delivering system as well as marketing system because they work harmoniously. I wish they had shops in Korea, too.

Q. What makes COVERNAT’s designs unique? I guess you don’t create new designs due to the concept of your brand.

COVERNAT is making clothes that people wanted to wear, but were not available. Many people are not satisfied with the fit, colors, and textures of vintage wear. I like to add necessary parts and remove unnecessary details in order to create upgraded clothes. Some customers even fulfilled their needs from COVERNAT that they couldn’t fulfill with the American casual brand Polo. I hope more of these customers would fulfill their needs with COVERNAT. I guess creating original designs is other designers’ job. I don’t want to make everyone my customers.

Q. What are the main items of COVERNAT? We are focusing on producing denim clothes, clothing made from functional cloths, and bags. American vintage wears don’t use functional cloths. Currently, COVERNAT is making windbreakers and mountain parkas using functional cloths. I’d like to make various clothes using functional cloths. I’ll keep working on them.

Q. COVERNAT has been doing a variety of collaborations with other brands.

Starting with Italy’s Bike Vespa, we’ve done collaboration works with Silver Artist Sheen TripleSix, the local house brand Leata, Dickies, and the French outdoor brand Millet. Except for the first season, we’ve done collaboration projects every season.

Q. How did you make them happen?

I was introduced to some brand managers and we exchanged ideas with each other while having conversations over a cup of coffee. Then, we came to an agreement to work together while having dinner together or drinking. Fortunately, these collaboration projects proceeded without any business plans or presentations.

Q. What are some good and bad things about collaboration?

The good part is that we can supplement each other’s weaknesses through collaboration. For instance, when making wind breakers, Vespa didn’t have to find new workers by using my workforce and COVERNAT, which was only one-year-old, could promote itself. It was the same when we collaborated with Millet recently. We wanted to use functional fabrics, but Gore Korea, a Goretex fabrics brand, wasn’t favorable to us.

Outdoor brand Millet wanted to appeal to the younger generation, but they couldn’t forsake their previous designs and customers. COVERNAT, which wanted to make functional wear and Millet, which wanted to add some fashionable elements held hands together and created clothes that have advantages of the two brands. I think 1 + 1 should be three, not two. So far, our collaboration projects derived more than two results.

Sometimes, one brand might think it is working harder than their partner.

Many people see it was the setback of collaboration projects, but I think differently. I just don’t think about that.

Q. Is there any collaboration project you would like to challenge?

I really want to do shoes. I don’t want to produce shoes under the name COVERNAT. I want to collaborate with American shoes brands such as Redwing and Alden or with Vans sneakers. Since I need to know the

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basics about shoes to proceed collaboration projects with shoes brands, I’m studying hard to learn more about shoes.

Q. I heard that you would visit the U.S. at the end of October for market research. Are you planning to extend your business abroad?

Yes. I will learn the silhouettes and patterns of their clothes while staying in the U.S. and make plans for trade shows. In Korea, department stores are playing major roles in circulating clothes at 80 percent. In order to be successful in Korea, I have to have a stronger voice than the circulation dinosaurs and I think the only way to do it is to secure circulation networks overseas. I decided to extend my business abroad in order to survive in Korea.

Q. Where are your overseas target markets ?

My target market is Japan. Since COVERNAT is made for Asians, its patterns don’t go well with Americans. Although I love American brands and I make American style clothing, I don’t want to become famous in the U.S. The reason why I’m going to the American trade shows is to meet buyers from Japan, Hong Kong, and Europe, not to extend my business in the country. Japan has a lot of successful selec shops that have the best items from all over the globe. I hope COVERNAT will be able to survive in the fierce world of competition.

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Q. What would you like to be remembered by?

I want COVERNAT to be remembered as the brand that tried to break the walls. Although it didnâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t made its debut in the Seoul Fashion Week, I hope it could be remembered as a brand that succeeded in making a debut in overseas markets, surviving in the domestic market, and always trying new things. I also want to surprise the overseas market as an outstanding Asian brand. Personally, I want my brand to go well for the people around me. Younger designers around me get motivation

from COVERNAT. They hope to launch a brand like COVERNAT and have showrooms and staff. I also did my collaboration projects in hopes of inspiring them. Our generation grew up with the collaboration of Nike and Supreme and awed by it. Now COVERNAT is ready to cooperate with the world-famous brands Vespa and Millet as a partner. I want to let the younger designers know that we can do it and give hope to them.

Also, Iâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;d like to let show them that we have an independent brand with a production system and philosophy about design here in Korea.

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music

Robb Harker

Robb Harker was the head of legendary production company â&#x20AC;&#x2DC;Sickboyâ&#x20AC;&#x2122; which started the Seoul club culture. Now the person who invited international super DJs to Seoul for 17 years plans new party.

Editor. Jean Choi Interview. Woochi Jeon Photographer. Jun O Hwang

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Q. Please introduce yourself.

I am the owner and director of Supermodified Agency. Originally from Canada, I’ve been living in Asia for the past 14 years. I’ve spent most of that time based in Seoul but have traveled extensively in Asia and throughout the rest of the world.

Q. How long have you been in Korea?

I first came to Korea in early 1997. I’ve come and gone over the years but in total have spent about 10 years here.

Q. What kind of team was ‘Sickboy’ (the first party promoter in Korea)? And what kind of projects did Sickboy work on?

I created Sickboy and ran it with my partner, Morgan Wilbur. We launched our first event in March, 1998 at a club in Hongdae called Nbinb which is where NB is now located. We started with small club nights featuring local DJs with an international headliner. As these events continued to grow, we moved to larger venues.

Q. We all know you were the first one to hold club parties and produced the first outdoor party in Korea. What were the names of these parties, and which DJs performed?

Our first club event was called “Infinity,” and featured a DJ friend of mine from Vancouver, Canada called Troy Wolf. We put the event together on a shoestring budget. He came out and played for the cost of the airline ticket. He slept on the sofa in my living room and I picked him up from the airport on the bus. We didn’t really know what to expect from the event, as it was the first time this had happened in Korea, but we had a strong turn out and it was a great night. Our first outdoor event was a beach party on the East Coast at Kyung Po Dae. We had a DJ duo from the UK called Hybrid headlining and although it didn’t draw too many people from Seoul there were a lot of vacationers on the beach and it was an amazing night.

Q. The party you worked on at Marriott Hotel during 2002 World Cup games became legendary. You invited Fatboy Slim that time. Can you tell us a little more about that?

These days an event driven by electronic music that attracts 5,000 people is not unusual. There are a few production companies in Seoul now that really stand out and put on amazing events for 10-15,000 people. But back in 2002, no one expected to draw in 5,000 people to an event based around EDM (electronic dance music). The process was the same as any party process really. Book the talent, secure a venue, sort out production and promote the hell out of it. We managed to catch the attention of FIFA who got involved and the event became the Official Opening Party of the 2002 World Cup. This was probably the first event in Seoul, which crossed over beyond the usual party crowd and reached some of the mainstream market.

Q. Sickboy disbanded in 2003 with its last solo party. What was the reason for that?

Mostly it was just time to move on. We’d been running the company for 6 years and my partner and I both wanted a change. Morgan moved back to the US and got involved in a different industry. I did a few more events as the solo director of Sickboy but was becoming disillusioned by the lack of big venues in Korea. Events were either held in small Hongdae clubs or big soulless hotel ballrooms. I needed a break so took off to Bali to organize events there.

Q. After the break up, you stayed in Bali for 6 months and came back as an executive director at M2, which is a legend among the major clubs in Korea. How did you help to make that a success?

I can’t take sole responsibility for the success of M2, but I definitely played a major role. M2 was special because it was the first ‘big’ club in Korea to take on the format of an international club (as opposed to a Korean Style ‘booking club’) and it followed a 100% electronic music policy. M2 was a purpose built venue dedicated to parties and EDM. In many ways M2 became a template for all the big clubs that have since followed. It didn’t exactly follow the vision I personally had for the club, but it’s still going strong to this day.

Q. After the success of M2, you went back to Bali and established a new agency called ‘Supermodified’. What kind of company is Supermodified? What kind of work does it do?

Supermodified is a talent-booking agency. Our roster mainly focuses on the top international DJs but we also have clients who play live.

Supermodified brings them out to Asia and arranges their tours. Our promoter/venue clients now range from the Middle East through to Japan and everywhere in between.

Q. Who were the some of the major DJs on your roster when you started? And who is the most memorable DJ? Why? Supermodified started as the Asian representation for a major UK based agency called Excession. Excession was Sasha’s agency and had a strong roster including Sasha himself, Nick Warren, Steve Lawler, Lee Burridge, James Zabiela and many more. This was our base and from this base we established relationships with other major international agencies to look after their artists in Asia. In 2004, China was a major market and we had DJs playing 7 to 8 city tours throughout the country.

We also booked acts into Singapore, Kuala Lumpur, Jakarta, Tokyo, Hong Kong, Taipei and of course, Seoul. Since the conception of the agency, I’ve expanded the roster to cover more genres of music. We work with some great techno acts like MANDY, Fergie, and recently signed an amazing Italian producer called Dusty Kid. On the more commercial side we work with the likes of the Swedish House Mafia members, Fedde Le Grand, Afrojack etc.

Q. What did European and American DJs think about the Asian market?

DJs have mixed feelings about Asia, I think because of the wide range of experience they can have here. Some markets in Asia are more advanced than others. Party-goers are more educated in some places, less in others. In some markets the people just stand around trying to look good where others they really go for it. Seoul is actually one of the more favored places to play. Even if people here don’t really understand the music, they like to party and they’ll react to good music. Tokyo and Singapore are also great places to play.

Q. You successfully ran the agency in Bali and had a family there, too. Why did you come back to Korea in 2009?

The advantage of my agency is I can run it from anywhere in Asia as long as I have an internet connection. My wife wanted to pursue a career in film so we decided to move back to Korea where’d she be in a position to do so (she’s Korean). Also our son was learning to speak and we wanted him to learn Korean properly as well as English.

Q. We now know that you link most of the major DJs to big clubs in Korea. Which clubs do you work with now, and who are the major DJs? Music styles have changed a lot of the past couple of years. While I still represent many of the DJs who were on my roster from the beginning, I’ve also developed the roster to reflect the changes in the Industry. Two of Supermodified’s biggest “new” acts are Afrojack and Avicii. We’ve been working with them for the past couple of years now and their profiles just continue to grow. In the past year Afrojack not only had a Billboard #1 hit but also took home a Grammy for a remix he did. In terms of venues in Seoul, Supermodified is an independent agency so we are not aligned with any one specific venue. Over the years our acts have played at M2, Answer, Mass, Volume, Heaven, Rococo, and most recently Ellui. We also book acts to some of the festivals and other one off events.

Q. You have retired from being a party promoter and now only work as a booking agent. But we heard that you are preparing a party on November 19 by yourself. What is this party?

Yeah, I said I’d never do it but I have decided to start promoting my own night again. I’m launching a small underground night called “Mine”.

Basically I just want to strip things down and create an intimate night that is purely focused on the music. I’m bringing in a sound system to the venue as good sound is integral to the event, but apart from that there will be no big production or visuals to distract people, no dress codes, just quality underground music.

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Q. We also heard that you are inviting a DJ who is coming to Korea for the first time. Who is this DJ, and how popular is he?

I’m bringing Ernesto Ferreyra who originally comes from Argentina but is now based in Berlin. He’s associated with a major record label called CADENZA. In certain international circles he’s very well known and highly respected but I doubt there will be many people in Korea who have heard of him before. That’s part of the concept of the night though, to introduce new acts to Korea, artists who are amazing DJs and who will create a really special atmosphere, even though people here don’t know who they are. There has been a massive shift to playing music in a digital format the past few years. Ernesto still plays on vinyl, which is rare but it’s also going back to the roots of things and that’s what ‘Mine’ is all about.

Q. It seems like this is a smaller party than the kind you are normally associated with. Is there a reason for this?

‘Mine’ is going to launch in a small venue in Sinsadong called ‘Money Lounge’. I like the venue because it has a very minimal feel to it so there are no distractions. ‘Mine’ will be pushing a deeper style of music that isn’t really conducive to a big room. I want to keep things intimate so there’s a tighter vibe at the events. Big events can be fun to attend but there’s a certain vibe you can create in a small, dark underground space, which can’t be matched in a big room. While I believe that there is a core group of people out there looking for quality underground music, I think the core is small. It’s ironic that I left Seoul a few years back due to the lack of big venues and now that Seoul has plenty of big clubs, I want to take things back to small rooms. Start small and build from there.

Q. What is the difference between this party and major club party?

Please tell us about the new project you are planning.

There are a lot of big clubs in Seoul these days and new ones planning to open soon. There are also some major event companies organizing big one off events and festivals with amazing production and a big attendance. This is all great as it’s a sign that the scene is healthy, still growing and finally reaching the mainstream. Seoul needs this but it also needs a solid underground scene to balance things out. But no one seems to be trying to develop this. With some of the big clubs, the music and the crowd are disconnected in a way. Music isn’t their priority.

Their main focus is to meet a girl or a guy. With ‘Mine’ my goal is to bring quality people together, take out the meat market factor and focus purely on the music.

Q. You are the expert of club culture that introduced a number of foreign DJs to Korea and Asia. What are the essential items Korean club culture needs to be more mature?

I think people involved in the scene here need to be more forward

thinking. Instead of just focusing on where they are now, I think they really need to question where they want to be 5 years from now and how they are going to get there. Most cities around the world have major clubs that have been around for 10, 15, or even 20 years. Korea is big on ‘fads’ so there doesn’t seem to be a lot of customer loyalty, As such, clubs don’t have staying power. People just move around to the next “new place” and it’s hot for a while until somewhere new comes along and people then shift over there. There has yet to be a venue in Seoul that has built itself around a music policy and I think if someone took a chance with this they’d be surprised to find it could actually work.

Q. You introduced a number of foreign DJs to Korea. Did you introduce Korean DJs to other countries? If so, who are these DJs? I’m working with a local act called East Collective and these guys really have something. In October we had them play Ministry of Sound in London and they’ve also performed at SONAR in Spain, as well as venues in Germany and cities around Asia (although SONAR and the gigs in Germany were not booked by Supermodified). I’m attending the Amsterdam Dance event with them in October also so hopefully we’ll be making some connections there that will help them further in Europe.

Q. Do you think these Korean DJs can become a success in a foreign market? If so, what is the reason for this?

Yeah I definitely think they have a chance to break internationally. They own and operate their own label called ECI, which is putting out quality tracks on a regular basis. They have the drive and they have the skills so for now it’s all about getting them as much exposure as possible.

Q. Besides these DJs you mentioned, are there any other DJs that you think are good enough to introduce to the foreign markets? If so, who are they?

The level of skill with the DJs here in Korea is overall very high. The problem is there are so many DJs out there that it’s difficult to stand out. Production is really the key. If a DJ produces a major track, this can launch their career immediately. So yeah skill-wise there are plenty of Korean DJs that can hold their own on international dance-floors. Will they be given an opportunity to do so though? I’m not sure about that.

Q. We hope your new attempt start another revolution in Korean club culture is successful. Lastly, as a pioneer, do you want to give any advice to clubbers in Korea?

If you’re bored of the same old thing, and willing to open your mind musically, take a chance and come to ‘Mine’.

www.supermodifiedagency.com

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art

KATO AI

Modern artist Kato Aiâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s main theme is beautiful girls. Ai, who was highly praised by TOKYO AKIHABARA CULTURE, came into the spotlight after she received an extreme evaluation from critics. Eloquence sat down with her to take a peep at her artwork.

Editor. Yuta Sugihara

<MADONNA> Model Year 2011-12, Collaborated with GILAFEE (snow-board brand), Photo/Kazufumi Mitsutome

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Zetsumetsu no wake - / 2010 Mizuma Aciton

Q. Please tell us about the main theme of your artwork.

My name “Ai” means “love.”In an attempt to live up to my name, I usually work under the theme of ‘love.’ My motif is ’2D beautiful girls’. I chose the theme because a beautiful girl is an ultimate being that you can never come into contact with, no matter how lovely she is. I guess the subtly tantalized being shares a certain similarity with my twisted expression of affection and habits. And I am very fond of the phrase in Japanese. I feel the real, fascinating twist of time and space when the nonsensical, sarcastic expressions peculiar to Japan is combined with girls. I hope I can deliver this feeling to the audience as well. I want to keep working on expressing twisted love.

Q. Why did you choose beautiful girls as your motif?

I became interested in girls’ body lines, visually, during my adolescence.

Naturally, I was drawn to beautiful girls. You could call it a

Zetsumetsu no wake - / 2010 Mizuma Aciton

simple fetishism. Then, I went on to become interested in two dimensional girls. The unrealistic girls, who can only exist in a twisted world, are the real inspiration to me.

Q. Which quality of beautiful girls inspires you to keep working?

They are just cute! In my case, my body secretes adrenalin whenever I think my own painting is cute. This keeps me going.

Q. There can also be beautiful boys and beautiful middle-aged lady.

Are there male or aged figures in your artwork?

I have never been interested in boys or other men as my motif. Adding the world “beautiful” in front of a boy or lady doesn’t inspire me.

Sometimes I need a man for my cartoon stories, but I don’t really want to draw males.

wall paint / 2011 Shibuya Tokyo

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ⓒ COLINYOUNG-WOLFF.COM

mutonchaku-kun house - / 2008 “Tokyo Nonsense” in Los Angeles, Photo/Documentation

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Q. Your paintings are sexy and somewhat slutty. What do these elements mean to you?

My paintings are not about just eroticism.I strictly calculate nudity. It’s not naked. The point is that how much I can fuel and evoke people’s imagination. Naked is just perfect and closed to imagination. So I don’t draw naked so that people can continue making stories in their minds.

Q. Can you tell us about your current work?

I’m working on cartoons. I’m especially putting my effort into the Dong-inji “Usagicco club(means Bunny club).” This is the year of the Rabbit, so I’m planning to hold an exhibition at the end of the year at the club. The world of cartoons is an exciting field to me. It requires a lot of physical and mental energy, endurance, and flexibility. Drawing cartoons is like an ascetic exercises for me.

Q. What does Dong-in-ji club do and how many team members does it have?

Dong-in-ji is the opposite of a commercial magazine. In other words, they are not professional cartoonists, but Indie cartoonists. The field of Dongin-ji has expanded and deepened already. I organized the “Bunny Club” with Ootsuka Satoru and Sakurai Takashi. Our goal is to publish each of our cartoons as a collective book.

Q. What is your cartoon like?

I draw original cartoons. Of course my main character is a cute little girl.

The story is a little similar to an erotic gag from the 1980s.

Q. What has been changed and what has stayed ever present throughout your drawing career?

I think the ‘lines’ have changed. Previously, I liked sketched lines and I thought that they were the coolest lines. However, as I started drawing illustrators and cartoons, I realized that the completed lines are also beautiful. Well, it is like saying that being sexy is cool, but being slutty is not. I guess it is a miraculous feeling that not everyone understands.

Q. You are neither a designer, nor an illustrator. What do you think is attractive about drawing as modern art?

Drawing doesn’t feel like work to me as it doesn’t affect my daily life.

Just like designers and illustrators, modern artist also draw pictures, but I think the nature of my work is totally different. Designers and illustrators are very closely related to our daily lives and they need customers or clients in order to do their work. They are working for people and working with the world. On the other hand, the world could work perfectly well without modern art. Therefore, modern artists create artwork to comfort themselves and others. But, modern art is fun and it can deliver the creator’s characteristics. It is a field where creators can express their feelings freely without limitations. This is why modern art is so attractive.

Q. Is it like enjoying non-realistic things in our daily life?

Yes, maybe. But it does not mean at all.

Q. Where would you choose to go for your creative work other than Japan?

Taiwan or Amsterdam. I’ve been to both places in the past for exhibitions and performances. I liked Taiwan’s streets and hotels right off the bat because of the country’s minimal interior, kind people, and delicious food.

Now I’m even thinking about marrying a Taiwanese guy to stay in Taiwan for good! I feel like I can draw pictures as much as I want in that country.

Amsterdam was sensational because the whole city was artistic. I could feel the spirit of the artists on the streets. So many talented artists reside there. There were plans for me to have my own exhibition there, but it didn’t happen. I would love to spend some more time there and I hope to go to Amsterdam again one day to get some fresh inspiration.

Q. What are your goals in your drawing career?

I’m thinking about quitting live painting. I will tell you the reasons once I have quit. I can’t explain it to you right now. If I am lucky enough to have an interview with Eloquence again in the future, I will certainly tell you!

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media

CHANG SUK JONG Street fashion magazine <Cracker Your Wardrobe> has reached its 4th anniversary.

Creator Suk Jong Chang talks about Crackerâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s beginnings and the magazineâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s first step into Japan.

Editor. Jean Choi Interview. Woochi Jeon Photographer. Jun O Hwang

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Q. How did <Cracker Your Wardrobe> first start off?

I began <Cracker Your Wardrobe> with my college friends Ji Hyuck Shin and Hee Seok Rhee. Ji Hyuck and Hee Seok were in charge of advertisements and management while I took on the role of editor-inchief. We also had another friend who became an employee, but he left to study abroad in Japan. So it just became the three of us.

Q. What the ownership structure?

Ji Hyuck Shin, Hee Seok Rhee, and I have divided company shares in equal amounts.

Q. Cracker’s well known for having a family-like working environment. What are the pros and cons of that?

We naturally became like a family because of the small number of employees we have. A good thing about a family-like working environment is that the employees don’t get stressed about coming to work. (This is actually a pro for employees but a con for managers like me). Also if you do get stressed because of a co-worker, you can easily work it out through a friendly conversation. Like a real family, even if a conflict arises, that doesn’t mean you’ll start loathing them, right? A con I have to deal with is that my employees think of me as a brother more than an editor-in-chief. There are times when some of my journalists pick articles by themselves without my approval. I guess they don’t want to bother with things like asking for permission. We need to work under a system of regulations to create a unified concept, but that sort of thing is kind of hard to do in a family-like working environment.

Q. Cracker’s capital during its first publication was only three million won, and I heard that the executive team and employees did not receive salaries for two years. Please tell us what it was like during that time.

Our situation during the first publication was very bad. Ji Hyuck, Hee Seok, and I all had to get part-time jobs at a PC station to make up for the printing and management fees. We lucked out by leasing a place in a printing shop owned by one of our friend’s parents in Sanwangshimni for 30 thousand won and no security deposit. We just used all the furniture such as chairs and desks that the previous leaser had left behind. One of our top editors even worked part time at a café in Insadong for a time. In order to save on the printing fees, we only started off with two thousand copies of the first publication. Even though we were working in tough conditions, our passion for the magazine was indisputable. After we had raised profits a bit, we were able to give our top editor her first salary which was about 40 thousand won. Then we were able to raise her monthly salary little by little, and she was finally able to quit her part time job at the café. Although we were able to pay our top editor, we still were not able to pay the salaries of our design team.

Q. What’s the situation like now?

Now we publish about 23,000 to 25,000 magazines a month. The company’s increased to 16 employees, all of which are getting paid, and we’ve relocated the office at least twice. All this happened in a time span of four years.

Q. Did you have any operational risks?

Honestly I don’t pay much attention to the operational aspects of the company. As an editor-in-chief, all my focus goes into making the book.

But I’m sure the other two board members felt operational risks more, because they were in charge of operation. Hee Seok, who’s the oldest among us three, was in charge of the funds during the first publication.

He must’ve received a lot stress trying to fix the deficits that came up every month. I even remember hiding out in the basement, because we didn’t have the 70 thousand won needed to pay the delivery service.

We’ve also been chased because we couldn’t pay for the 200 thousand won printing expense. These debts of course have fully been paid off as we relocated our office from Wangshimni to Hongdae. Looking back now, we couldn’t acknowledge the serious extent of our situation at the time because of our lack of business experience. We just continued to work in ignorance assuming that all publishing companies struggled like that.

That has become the case for our editors now. I guess if we had even the smallest bit of business experience, we probably would’ve gotten sick of our pitiful situation and most likely quit in the middle.

Q. I hear you successfully celebrated Cracker’s 4th year publication anniversary in September.

Personally I was hoping that we wouldn’t have to do an anniversary event or party in general. But the other board members thought differently. They wanted to show that we’ve matured and wanted to receive approval from our readers and advertising companies. So we came up with an idea for an exhibition-like party. Our magazine has a very strong propensity for minor things. ‘Take something minor and turn it into something major’ has always been our mentality, so we wanted to create a unique birthday party. The concept for a ‘video store’ also came from that mentality. Through this 4th Anniversary Party, internally we were able to organize all of Cracker’s various materials, and externally, we were able to leave with the thought, “As expected, Cracker gave us something special” imprinted in the minds of others.

Q. What has changed the most since Cracker’s beginning?

The biggest change is that our situation’s gotten a lot better financially. In the past, due to financial difficulties, even if there was some project we were interested in we didn’t have the liberty to do whatever we wanted.

We all felt drained out because of the limitations of our funds. Now that we’re better off monetarily, our writers and editing department can work with more freedom than before.

Q. You become an editor-in-chief right away even though you had no experience. There must have been some difficult moments for you.

There were a lot. There are still a lot. The most difficult thing was dealing with my inferiority complex. For example, I’d have a meeting with my editors, and when there was a clash in opinions, I would think that my editors weren’t listening to me and ignoring my directions. I would feel bad for myself and think, “I’d probably be more respected if I had more experience...” One day, all my pent up emotions just came out as I truthfully told my editors, “I would like you all to show me some respect as your editor-in-chief.” My editors responded, “We do respect you. But we want to do what we want.” As you can see, my editors are not only young but also stubborn as mules.

Another problem is my uncertainty regarding the proper structure of Cracker’s production system. Since I’ve never worked at another publishing company, I don’t really know if our system is the proper system or not. I actually had a lot of help from a previous editor-in-chief for <NYLON Korea> named Jung Hyun Bae. I’d visit her whenever I had time to ask about how normal publishing companies operated. However she’d repeatedly say to me, “If Cracker already has a system that’s working without problems, keep it that way.” I didn’t know those words meant then, but now I think I do. But I still worry about my editors who might switch jobs and get ridiculed for not knowing about the normal system.

Q. There’s a rumor that you don’t make any compromises regarding the capital or the concept of the magazine.

That’s true. But that’s not always the case now. In the past, I’d only think about the things that I wanted. I would only focus on the things that I wanted and not consider the feelings of others; I didn’t even try to think about them. What’s even worse is that when the other board members came to me with ideas for profitable projects, I’d reject them without a hesitation if they went against my editing directions. Now I try to put more effort into going along with the thoughts of others. I don’t see the good in hurting another’s feeling just for the sake of forcing out my wishes. Now, I try to think more about ‘we’ and less about ‘me’. In some aspect, I guess I’ve matured into a stronger person.

Q. The majority of the first publication was pictures of street fashion, but now you include more feature articles. Is there any reason for that?

Truthfully speaking, we just didn’t have the capacity to make feature article with our lack of experience and manpower. Now we can continuously increase the amount of features. Actually, in the past during our beginning times, when someone would ask me this similar question, I’d just respond stating that street fashion was our main focus. I guess I didn’t want to lose face.

Q. During your first publication, which magazine did you hold as a role-model?

I didn’t have any role-model, but I did get inspired by the Japanese magazine <TUNE>. As much as I would’ve liked to create something way

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cooler than <TUNE>, at the time it was impossible. Not only was I lacking in the experienced department for editing, but I also lacked the materials to fill my pages of with. Korea is not overflowing with fashionable people like Japan is. So, I tried in my own way to collect pictures of cool street fashion and publish them in the magazine, but we still couldn’t get any positive reactions from advertising companies. At that time, the only notion advertising companies had of ‘our concept’ was of being a kind of magazine appendix.

Q. What’s one concept unique to Cracker?

Ordinary people appear on our magazine. Stars are not featured in our magazines. Actually, if a star comes out in the magazine, it’s probably because I didn’t know that person was a star or I personally like the person. I’m just not interested in stars and just never had the desire to work with them. Lots of other magazines focus on celebrities already anyways, right?

Q. What’s something an ordinary person wants to see in your magazine?

Everyday fashion. They want to see realistic fashion that looks good.

We don’t make fashion pictorials. Those things are visuals that have been nit-picked by professionals to show off unreality. It’s the same thing as stars being dressed by stylists. Fashion should be self-constructed.

I consider the fashion of ordinary people to be genuine fashion. When Cracker was first being published, there wasn’t any other domestic magazine that gave light to the fashion of ordinary people. I wanted to introduce realistic fashion, an attainable fashion, and a fashion that existed within our midst.

Q. As an editor-in-chief, what’s the most important thing you’d like to instill upon editors?

Three things. First, be tidy. Second, be courteous during interviews.

Third, be fashionable. Since we are a magazine that strives on interviews, our interviewees are our lifeline. Also, many of our editors are required to go out a lot; and so as a face representing Cracker, I believe they should be looking their best. When I’m interviewing candidates for a job, I always look for these three things, but it’s quite hard to find someone who’s got all three.

Q. How were the sections of the magazine planned out? What do you prioritize?

I freely plan out materials related to everyday fashion. Among all the contents, I like to prioritize details. We are meticulous in dealing with topics that are completely different or unexpected. Our readers like that preciseness that Cracker has to offer. For example, even if we’re doing a project about a shoe, we will focus on the sole of the shoe more than its appearance. We would then write about the differences between shoe soles and how to take care of them.

Let’s take a look at ‘The Lunchbox Series’. We are extremely thorough with our materials as we consider things, such as who prepared this lunch, where’d they get the ingredients, how’d they package it, how do you eat it, etc. We sometimes get reviews from readers stating, “I don’t think I need to know this many details about this person...”

There’s another section where we dig through the closets of ordinary people called ‘Attack Your Wardrobe’. Normally, eight or nine shots are chosen for this section, but I suddenly had the thought that this wasn’t a true ‘attack’. So, during the next photo shoot, I told them to try on everything in the closet and get at least eighty different shots! The editor in charge worked for twelve hours and brought back fifty shots. The images weren’t as fun as I’d expected them to be, so I just decided to go back to using ten shots. This was something I found out later on, but during the photo shoot, I heard that the interviewee got quite annoyed after the fifteenth shot.

Q. Is there any specific section that you’re especially fond of?

Attack Your Wardrobe. I actually came up with this section, and it continues to receive a lot of interest by readers even now. I think Cracker’s probably the only media outlet that’s been digging through the closets of ordinary people for four years. I’m very proud of the work from this section, and we’ve been able to develop a great archive because of it.

Even though there are a variety of brand contents, I’m also attached to the contents that have been styled in the Cracker way. Cracker has three principles in dealing with brand contents. We don’t use press releases; we don’t make advertorials; we don’t list prices on products. It’s just that I don’t think these things fit with our book or pictorials, so we deal with paid pages in a contents format. Fortunately, we have some advertising companies that like our planning ability.

Q. I heard you’re going on a business trip to Japan. Can you tell us what that’s about?

There’s a company in Tokyo called HP France. Every year, this company introduces Korean brands in an event called ‘Seoul Planet’ at the multishop ‘Wall’ in the Laforet Mall in Harajuku. Last year, I was invited by the company and introduced a couple of unique Korean brands which they ended up really liking. Somehow, not only did Cracker end up getting formally invited to ‘Seoul Planet’, but it also will be imported temporarily by the multi-shop until next February. Although it’s only a short-term contract, Cracker is the first magazine to be imported into this multi-shop.

My main purpose during this business trip is to use this great opportunity to develop a sales route for Cracker in Tokyo. One of my goals is for Cracker to be sold abroad. I guess you can call it a long cherished ambition. Korea imports and reads tons of foreign magazines, but the amount that we export is relatively small. Even though Cracker has a slight disadvantage because it’s written in Korean, it’s a magazine that is highly focused on visual aspects. That’s why I believe it has the potential to have a lot of appeal to foreigners.

Q. How would like Cracker to develop from now on?

My employees, who I call my family, are my number one priority. I want the vibrant colors of Cracker to persist on so that my family does not have to worry about the magazine’s transformation or their individually unclear futures. I hope that this family of mine believes that it is their magazine they’re working to create. www.thecracker.co.kr

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fashion

FASHION DESIGNERS IN SEOUL Eloquence meets with four of their favorite fashion designers. What will they be bringing to the 2012 Spring/Summer Seoul Fashion Week?

Editor. Jean Choi Photographer. Jun O Hwang

INSTANTOLOGY / JI IL KEUN Q. What’s the theme of this collection?

Contemporary New York. But it’s not the title of the collection.

Q. Where did you get your inspiration for the theme and the concept for this collection?

I have made this collection with the American market in mind. I want to make clothes for those young, fashionable New York men who are making a positive impact on current menswear. I really like the word ‘contemporary’.

Q. In your last collection, you had a very eye-catching, uniquely designed hat. Can we expect another interesting point in this collection too?

I’m in the process of creating a pair of signature sunglasses. Sunglasses are going to be in the show, but they won’t be used like a cliché. Honestly, things like hats and sunglasses are created as extras to add to the show, like hair and makeup. Personally, I like to put more of an emphasis on practicality.

Q. Is there any part of the fashion show you would recommend viewers pay attention to particularly?

The focus on suits has definitely been lessened in this collection in comparison to the last one. I hope the audience will be able to notice and feel that this show is a turning point for INSTANTOLOGY, and I hope that they focus on the overall look of the collection. After the show ends, I hope to hear people say, “This brand has broadened. The designer must be working hard...” www.thisisinstant.com

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Doii / Doii LEE Q. What are your keywords for this collection?

Orientalism and Art Deco.

Q. Where did you get your inspiration for the theme and the concept for this collection?

Orientalism and Art Deco have always been my greatest interests. Bringing the geometry of Art Deco jewelry to my motive, I created my own printed fabric and flavored Orientalism with a kind of intense romanticism. It’s my first time using balanced lines, shape combinations, and geometric patterns, but I think they’re going to match well with the bold and popping look of today.

Q. It’s been said that the looks in a Doii Collection portray perfection from head to toe.

That’s true. But the focal point of every collection is different. If in the last collection the focal point was shoes, this time it’s the hairstyles and accessories. I’m pretty much finished with the organization already. Confirmed items include a hat with a wide brim, almost like a traditional Korean Gache, a dramatic looking veil, and more. I’m still in the process of planning the makeup, which will include sequins and glitter.

Q. I can’t wait to experience the atmosphere at the show!

I believe it will be a kind of ethnic style show; something that reflects orientalism. Personally, I’m a fan of Arabic music, and I have feeling this kind of music will make the show seem unique and fulfilling. www.doiiparis.com

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SOFTCORE / Sena Yoon Q. What’s the theme of this collection?

In full bloom.

Q. Where did you get your inspiration for the theme and the concept for this collection?

I got my inspiration from nature and the changing of the seasons this year. After experiencing a much shortened spring then an intense monsoon season, I got the idea that summer was the demolisher of seasons. I started picturing girls dressed in lovely clothes going out to play in flower fields despite the cold snap and bitter spring rain. I also got similarly inspired through a concert that I randomly got to see in Hongdae by a band called ‘Yimoha’. Listening to their music made me feel like I was strolling in a garden. It [the music] matches the theme, so I’m planning to use it as the background music for the fashion show.

Q. Is there any part of the fashion show that you recommend viewers pay attention to I particular?

I would like the SOFTCORE Fashion Show to be more about creativity and fantasy instead of what the 2012 spring/summer trend will be. Designers, both local and foreign, will make more suggestions about the fashion yet to come and at the same time, try to show off new looks. But I would like to be a leader on the other side.

Q. What stands out as the most ‘SOFTCORE’ element of this collection?

There are actually a lot of uniquely styled pieces in this collection. There’s a vest with a bag attached to it! You can expect to see individual materials that have been matched with others to bring out a kind of twofold yet gentle style. www.senayoon.com

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RIETTA / Rietta Youn Q. What’s the theme of this collection?

Warm Hearted.

Q. Where did you get your inspiration for the theme and the concept for this collection?

I got my inspiration from my mother who is actually a sculptress. Her work portraying every aspect of life and my developing awareness of all the thoughts of mankind becoming a potential masterpiece made me want to interpret that freedom and peace of mind into a RIETTA collection.

Q. Is there any part of the fashion show you recommend viewers especially pay attention to?

I guess I would like people to notice that this collection is a bit more ‘young’ and ‘active’ compared to the last one.

Q. The last collection had a lot of black and gave off a chic Parisian look.

Instead of the usual monotone colors used during previous collections, I’ve tried out some new things with this collection. While the main colors are white and beige, the collection also has some point colors such as mint, blue, and red. Black, which has always been chosen as the main color for my collections, will most likely make an appearance during the finale. www.riettayoun.com

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Editor. Anna Choi

You can express your feelings without a word by moving your eyes and mouth. Facial expressions are an international language. Hereâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s what the photographers from all over the world who use facial expressions in their pictures have to say about this special communication tool.

FACE EXPRESSIONS

collection

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Dirty Portrait

by F. Scott Schafer

by Kim Suk Jun _ vivast

The Original Face

5 Sec Faces

by FLEECIRCUS & DANNY SANTOS

Chaos Face

by Yasuhiro Tominaga

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5 Sec Faces 48

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www.fscottschafer.com

Q. Tell us your personal considerations about facial expression and emotion after crying.

I love the human face as a canvas for light! As a photographer it’s part of my job to bring out all kinds of expressions for my subjects. Expressing emotion, whether it’s through tears, elation or rage, is healthy. When you crack these emotions open and experience them you become closer to understanding the truth about yourself. It takes courage to really look at yourself, to face your demons. More than that, it takes tremendous courage to share these emotions with others as we can feel unsafe and exposed. These images are brave, intimate expressions of strength, trust and spirituality.

Q. Who are models?

The models are a mix of friends and actors. As a portrait photographer I am drawn like a magnet to the face. I love the way light wraps around the human face and reflects off the various tones and subtleties of the skin. I wanted ordinary people with incredible visual impact for the portraits, faces that you might not notice if you passed them walking down the street. That to me is the magic of photography and light!!

Q. Did you shoot the models after they cried or is this a technique using make-up?

The idea was to capture the models stripped away from the mask of makeup. Unlike the typical ‘beauty’ portraits that I shoot, these women were groomed and posed to look ‘undone.’

Full make up was applied on each model, then the models washed their faces with soap and water and immediately sat for their portrait. I have a make-up artist on set to aid the girls in creating the desired effect, but the participation of the models was vital. I needed energy from each model while the make-up ran down their faces. Much effort was needed to keep their eyes open and maintaining focus was quite difficult. On my commercial shoots, I have a full crew of assistants, stylists, etc, but the process for these portraits was very intimate and simple. I only used my model, one assistant and a make-up artist on set. The experience was stripped down and raw, which allowed a more intimate environment, enabling them to present their true selves, without the aid and safety of makeup and styling. What first appears as pain or sadness is actually revealed to be strength, pride, and acceptance.

Q. Why did you make this series?

It was actually a fortunate accident. I was shooting a test of my girlfriend and wanted to try out a couple of lighting ideas. When we finished she washed off her makeup and it looked amazing, there was a raw quality to her skin and a beautiful texture due to the contrast of the makeup running down her cheeks. When she sat and faced the camera, there was a pride and strength she exhibited without any direction from me. It was uncomfortable, but it was honest and powerful.

F. Scott Schafer / US

Dirty Portraits

www.vivast.net

Q. What do you think is the most important part of making facial expressions? And why do you think that is?

Eyes. I open the iris of the camera lens as wide as possible and focus on the model’s eyes. I also use illuminators to draw people’s attention to the eyes. I think we deliver our emotions through our eyes first. If you can’t suppress your feelings, you cannot make a stony face.

Q. When do you think people can make their most The Original Face?

I guess the moment comes when we are looking into the mirror and talking to ourselves. I try my best to capture the image in the mirror in my photos.

Q. Who are the models?

I’ve worked with about 150 models and I’m still working with more. In the beginning, I chose familiar people, such as my parents and friends, as models. Sometimes, I chose people who have unique life stories in their faces.

Q. What did you to do bring out the model’s The Original Face?

I asked them to have an expressionless face in front of the 4x5 inch camera. Then, I asked them to make different expressions. When the right moment comes, I capture the facial expression using my intuition.

Q. What made you produce <The Original Face>? Please tell us why you planned it.

Most of my works are based on a familiar ontological view. I started taking pictures with the question: “Is an expressionless face the result of an absence of expression or emotion?” It is meaningless to distinguish the gender of the people in the pictures, which seem like portraits. Each person radiates a different aura and these pictures make you think about each person’s natural facial expressions.

Kim Suk Jun _ vivast / South Korea

The Original Face

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www.flickr.com/photos/fleecircus www.dannyst.com

Q. What did you discover through this project?

We both agree that people are nice in general. We were honest and upfront with our intentions, and our subjects were obliging to our request. Of course, we learned how to pay attention to our subjects, treat people with the respect they deserve. Looking at the different personal styles of each subject and how they reacted in the same situation, you can clearly see how each one is unique, yet they perfectly balance and complement each other, showcasing a portrait of Singapore’s beauty and variety, as well as its cool attitude towards something as spontaneously unusual and fun as having their pictures taken by complete strangers in the street.

Q. At the moment you shot the photos of street people, what were their expressions like?

We had no idea how the people would react to us. But after shooting a few subjects, we realized this wasn’t going to be that hard at all. A lot of people we approached were actually open to the idea of being photographed – some were hesitant and needed a little more convincing, some were just confused but said yes anyway, some were pretty happy to be asked, and heck, some even just shouted ‘yes!’ before we could finish our sentence. However, the best reaction for us came after a few weeks of shooting – some would say ‘oh, I heard about you guys!’ Hearing this just made us smile from ear to ear.

Q. Why did you start this project? And what’s the purpose of it?

It all started when Fleecircus saw this YouTube video of Clay Enos, a celebrity photographer from New York who set up a street studio composed simply of a white wall, camped on a street corner, and asked random passers-by if he could take a portrait of them. We loved the results, and even more so, we loved the idea of taking portraits of different people in the streets. We immediately got inspired and knew we had to do the same here in Singapore. We worked on this project every weekend while the people are in ‘fun & rest’ mode. We were hoping to capture as many faces as we could to effectively create an overall picture of the beauty and variety of today’s Singapore.

Q. Please explain <5 Sec Faces> project simply.

This is a street portraits project between Fleecircus and Danny St to capture the different personalities that make up the face of Singapore. We roam around the streets of Singapore with an illustration board for a makeshift background, look for strangers with distinct faces, then ask “Can I take your picture? It’ll just take 5 seconds...” If they agree, we quickly click away.

FLEECIRCUS & DANNY SANTOS / Singapore

5 Sec Faces

www.tominagayasuhiro.com

Q. The strange facial expressions of <Chaos Face> are very strong and attractive. What is the reason for this?

I think this is because the subjects for photography are alive. Interestingly, the models usually make victimized faces during the shooting. But as they aim for higher goals, they become more enthusiastic. I’d like to put their passion into my photos.

Q. What were some of the difficulties you experience when asking your models to make certain facial expressions? Any interesting anecdotes?

I usually ask them abstract things such as, imagine a pyramid that comes out of your nose or make the facial expression of the most famous alien model in the universe. People don’t know what these abstract images look like, but they try their best. It is very fun to see their faces. I don’t know what these images look like, but it is not very difficult to take a wild guess.

Q. Who are the models?

Most of them are my friends or my friends’ friends. I also approach total strangers and ask them to become my models.

Q. Do you actually pull chaotic faces yourself? If so, when do you do pull them?

Well, I think I make chaotic facial expressions in my daily life. I pull them when I’m eating, laughing, and putting contact lens into my eyes. But then, my face goes back to normal immediately and it doesn’t really create chaos! I think the vestiges on each person’s face, such as lengthened cheeks and wrinkles, show a true “Chaos Face” as they grow older.

Q. What does the title <Chaos Face> mean?

It doesn’t have a specific meaning. I just wanted the title to have an impact so I used the word ‘chaos’ instead of ‘strange’ or ‘funny.’

Yasuhiro Tominaga / Japan

Chaos Face

drawing

POJANGMACHA in Seoul

In the November issue, Illustrator Choi Seung-guk will take you to the world of street stalls in Seoul for the ‘Pojangmacha Project” in his line drawing.

Illustrator. Sngoog Choi

Ahyun-dong Pojangmacha

Ahyun-dong Pojangmacha is also known as the “Henhouse Macha.” The stall cooks food and sells drinks inside a metal box-shaped place, not a tent. It once gained huge popularity among office workers in Ahyun-dong area. However, now only a few of them are left to keep the Henhouse Macha alive.

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Jamsil Station Pojangmacha

In the 1970s, Jamsil area was filled with factories. Jamsil Station Pojangmacha was a place for the factory workers to share joys and sorrows with each other. Several dozens of street stalls were thriving around Jamsil Station area, creating a great sight when factory workers started gathering after work. Today, some of the street stalls are still in business.

Yeomri-dong Pojangmacha

The street stall near the market place in Yeomri-dong used to be a rest place for the residents of the hillside slums. There used to be such street stalls in every town in Seoul. Citizens used to relieve their stress while drinking at the street stalls on their way home after work. Today, many of the street stalls around towns disappeared, but some of them are still thriving, comforting the exhausted common people.

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Yeonsinnae Handmade Knife-cut Noodles Pojangmacha

Handmade knife-cut noodles are Korean traditional food. People used to spread the dough and cut it straight with a knife and then boil the noodles in anchovy or beef soup. Handmade knife-cut noodles were instant food in the past and now it is still loved by many people because it makes a quick meal. Yeonsinnae Handmade Knife-cut Noodles Pojangmacha is a popular place among office workers who love drinking.

Jongno Pojangmacha

Jongno has the most modern scenes in Seoul, but Pojangmachas are still thriving in the district. Street stalls are important places for Koreans, who like to drink at many different places. Pojangmacha is the last spot for the drinkers to wrap up their pleasure before going home.

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Hoddeok Pojangmacha at Seobu Station

Hoddeok (Chinese stuffed pancake) originated from Chinese emigrants who settled down in Korea. At first, they baked the dough inside a brazier, but as traditional braziers disappeared, Koreans started baking it on a frying pan with oil. You can cherish the memory of past at the Hoddeok Pojangmacha at Seobu Station.

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art

JUNK HOUSE

Street artists co-exist with the buildings in the city. Eloquence met with Junk House, a rising star in the world of street art, to listen to what she has to say about the way she co-exists with the skyscrapers.

Editor. Anna Choi Photographer. Jun O Hwnag

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Q. The way Junk House looks at objects is different from other

my workspace. Their lifespan may not be long because they disappear

people. How do you have such a different point of view?

with the buildings, but I think it is still meaningful for them.

I studied design in Melbourne, Australia from 2001 to 2003. At the time, my goal was to have a different point of view when looking at objects.

Q. It is interesting that you don’t sign on your paintings to let the

I grew up in an apartment and the city always looked dull. However, in

world know that they “belong” to you.

Australia, residential houses were everywhere and everything looked

Sometimes parents let their children enjoy their freedom. They think their

different and new – from sidewalks to telegraph poles. I changed the

children will find their own ways to live their lives. The same goes for

way I looked at the world, all the while I was observing, taking pictures,

my paintings. This is why I don’t usually sign my artwork. I just want my

and making my own database. I also loved reading sci-fi books since

children to enjoy their lives individually.

I was a child. When other children were reading biographies of famous people or teen novels, I was into the world of science fiction and my

Q. Don’t you get complaints from the residents about your

own imagination. I often think about the existence of robots and other

drawings?

futuristic objects. I think that lifeless beings have dignity and they grow

I’m luckier than other graffiti artists and I don’t really get complaints about

older with time just like human beings. I’m working on the process of

my artwork. This may be because I’m a woman. Sometimes people

putting life into these lifeless objects.

say they want to keep their walls clean. So, these days, I draw in public places. Then, people don’t really say anything because I don’t draw on

Q. What made you start street art and when did you start it?

their private walls. If someone complains about my work, I just say, “It

After coming back to Korea from Australia, I worked for a design firm

can be erased easily with water. I will erase it soon” and then I run away!

for about a year. However, I wanted to create my own artwork with my

On the other hand, many people often ask me to draw on their walls. In

own spirit, so I quit. It was 10 days before January 1st 2004. I wanted to

the process, I meet many different people, from workers in village offices

make something over those 10 days. I came up with an idea of drawing

to residents of big towns.

my characters on 100 pieces of paper, every 10 minutes during that period! My brother was working for a paper manufacturer, so he brought

Q. How did the monster, Junk House’s signature character, come

a variety of paper for me so that I could complete 100 pages. I held a

about?

self-exhibition with my 100 characters in front of my house. Since then, I

While staying in Australia, I started looking at inanimate objects and

started working on the junk art concept. I practiced scribbling on boxes or

personifying them. I can always feel the existence of inanimate objects.

used paper. Then, I displayed them on the streets.

Then, I came up with the idea of creating the ‘Monster House’ in order to put all of my ideas together in a simple format. I called myself the

Q. Then, what made you start drawing on the walls of the streets,

‘Junk House’ and I tried to create a house-shaped object with a feeling

instead of on paper?

of liveliness because I could feel the lively characters in their house.

Drawing on the walls suit my drawings better than white paper. Also, the

Since then, I’ve been using the word ‘monster.’ I’m not the only artist who

walls – the second canvas – are everywhere and I can draw anytime

is obsessed with monsterism – many other street artists are also into

without having to be in a studio. In addition, I can put them into action

monsters. We express our own stories by creating monsters or other new

right away whenever I feel like drawing.

beings, as opposed to human characters. Monsters help me to visualize my imagination easily.

Q. You’ve been working in various locations. What do you take into consideration when picking a location for your artwork?

Q. In comparison to the past, your monsters are becoming simpler.

First, I choose a wall that is suitable to draw on. If the wall is covered with

What are the reasons for this?

dirt or dust, or if it has a rough surface, it is not suitable to draw on. The

As the buildings in the city become more modern and as the urban

second most important thing is the texture the wall has. The combination

structure becomes simpler, the city is moving continuously as if it is alive.

of the wall’s texture and my painting is important. Selecting a wall with a

Through construction and the progressions of the natural environment,

beautiful texture is like picking a canvas with a half-complete artwork on

many lifeless beings are moving like organisms. Like this, my monsters

it. Thirdly, I take safety into consideration. The location has to allow me to

mingle and combine together, depending on the environment. As the

work without any troubles. Sometimes places with a floating population

scattered small organisms combine together as one, their forms are

can be safe, and other times, secluded places can provide me with the

becoming more abstract.

safety I need.

Q. Do you think that other people see inanimate objects as Q. But I have found that you have drawn paintings on old, weary

characters? Do you think that this is something that the average

walls in small alleys. Why did you choose such places?

person could understand?

Old relics are disappearing as the city is developing. I wanted to leave

No, they don’t. All of us already recognize it. Most people can see

my footprint on the old walls to record our time. My paintings are

characters when they look at a car, they say ‘that car looks like a cat’

disappearing as the old buildings and walls are disappearing. This is why

or ‘it looks mad.’ Everyone sees things that way, but not many people

I always take pictures of my artwork. I want to record the disappearing

actually express how they feel. I’m just trying to feel the characters more

time. I feel sympathy for the old, disappearing relics and this is how I

sensitively.

became interested in junk art. I think it is another form of documentation to record humanism. Just like human beings grow older as time passes,

Q. You are primarily a painter, but you also do a lot of tapings. What

inanimate objects grow older in the rain and wind. I capture these

are some of the good things about tapings?

moments with biological visions in my paintings.

I’m changing the materials of my artwork as I study the techniques of using colors, textures, and expressions. I choose fun, strong materials

Q. Don’t you feel sad about your artwork disappearing?

that can stay longer on the streets, and are less affected by the

The reason why I display my paintings outside is that my ideas and

environment. Then, I came across tape. I draw to make myself happy. I

inspirations are from the streets. I feel like I’m returning my children (the

don’t make things difficult. Instead, I like to go out to the streets and work

paintings of monsters I drew on the streets) back to the streets, where

in easy, fun ways using tape. It costs a lot of money to paint and the tools

they came from. I think it is more meaningful to have them outside and

are heavy. Whereas, tape is light and simple – I just need tape and a

allow them to be enjoyed by many people rather than putting them inside

knife in my bag. Taping doesn’t make my hands dirty, either.

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Q. Do you make outlines for your paintings in advance or do you create the forms as you go along?

I use automated techniques for drawing. I don’t make any plans for the concepts or layouts of my paintings, I just sort of release my imagination. My brain and hands feel images of objects even when I don’t realize it. So my paintings are drawn based on the things I see.

Q. How do you think the monsters and mutants will be changed as time goes on?

I’m not sure how they will evolve. I’m studying configurations these days. I didn’t know that these monsters would change just like the city and its environment has changed. Currently, I’m studying harder to add a subtext and psychological meaning of existence to this evolution. Some people ask me why I don’t draw pictures about my own life. But what I’m drawing is based on my life. I just don’t talk about relationships and love like other people. This is the kind of sentiment I have. I will continue to study expression and technique. I’m in search of the materials, scales, ways to make my paintings last longer, and how to create interesting artwork.

2011 street art / Sangwangsipli

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2011 street art / Busan Songdo area

2011 street art / plastic tape on container / Platoon Kusnthalle, Seoul

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2011 street art / krink ink / Busan Songdo area

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2011 Mutants / Acryris on Canvas

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project

BADABIE NEVER DIE

137 Korean indie musician groups arranged the biggest indie music festival in Korea for 11 days. The reason was novel. They organized the festival to raise money for ‘Salon Badabie’ which was about to close down, and to pay for WooJoongDokBoHaeng(雨中獨步行)’s brain surgery. What is ‘Salon Badabie’, and who is ‘WooJoongDokBoHaeng’? Eloquence speaks to the musicians behind Badabie Never Die.

Editor. Anna Choi Photographer. Jun O Hwang

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1. What kind of place is ‘Salon Badabie’?

2. Who is ‘WooJoongDokBoHaeng’?

3. Tell us about the ‘Badabie Never Die’ festival.

Dringe Augh

1. Salon Badabie doesn’t have a good sound system, or a professional engineer. But it is the only place I can play without rehearsing. I can enjoy a little nap before or after the show there. It is the venue where audiences and musicians can come together in a humble atmosphere.

Becks & Josh

2. ‘WooJoongDokBoHaeng’ makes the unique atmosphere of ‘Salon Badabie’.

He is the ‘Salon Badabie’. He is also a poet. His words are full of wit. He has a great love of indie culture, and loves smoking and drinking. When this festival started, Project Bureau was organized in an instant and a lot of musicians came forward to volunteer. This festival explains what kind of person ‘WooJoongDokBoHaeng’ is to many people.

Guten Birds

1. The meaning of ‘WooJoongDokBoHaeng’(雨中獨步行) is ‘walking in the rain alone.’ Just like the name, I got impression that ‘Salon Badabie’ never got carried away by the flow, but kept walking. The Salon had hard time operating, but it overcame its difficulties with strong bond.

Galaxy Express

1. Around 2005, I started a band called ‘Mowgli’. We were a Ramones cover band at ‘Badabie.’ After that, I started a solo project called ‘Guitar Mowgli’. Now I perform there as ‘Galaxy Express’. This venue is a playground and real stage for me. ‘Badabie’ have wide a range of performances, too. I once remember watching modern dance and Pansori.

Baek-ja

1. The best part of ‘Badabie’ is that there is no audition for the ‘Thursday Concert’. Any musicians can apply and get up on the stage. It is a good opportunity for people who just started playing music. That’s why ‘Badabie’ is recognized as an incubator for new bands. Second best part is the strong social party vibe. A lot of musicians socialize there. ‘WooJoongDokBoHaeng’ always organize the parties.

Sogyumo Acacia Band

1. We played our very first concert at ‘Badabie.’ A lot of our friends played their first concerts at the venue. ‘Badabie’ is a precious memory to Sogyumo Acacia Band, and is so valuable to musicians. There will be a ‘Badabie Homecoming Day’ concert soon. It is a celebration for the musicians who have come through the place over the years. It is a great opportunity for them to gather together again. The concert will be on November 30th. I think it will be a great night.

Victor View

2. ‘WooJoongDokBoHaeng’ is a unique person. He lives life by his own rules.

He gives fair opportunities to all artists. He can make people feel like they are very special, because in his mind, they are.

Cosmos Hippie

1. It is the place where you can meet a lot more artists than anywhere else. It is the home of amateur musicians who struggle to find places to perform. I was one of them. When I think about the first time I visited ‘Badabie’, I remember it being a bit depressing and messy for a concert hall. The sketchy interior often makes people leave the place. I am only one name in a long list of musicians that had my first concert at ‘Badabie.’

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Chang Keun Yang

1. Every Thursday, there is a ‘Thursday Concert’. It is a completely open stage.

Open to any performers, regardless of their experience. One Sunday a month they have the ‘Poem Theater’, giving local poets the chance to come on stage and read their work. ‘Badabie’ is open to experimental performances and tries to combine diverse genres including music, plays, exhibitions, screenings, poetry readings and more.

Hi Mr. Memory

2. ‘WooJoongDokBoHaeng’ is like a child near a riverside. We have a tough relationship. Sometimes I don’t know why I have such a hard time with him, but it is hard to hate this wonderful man.

The Quip

1. It is a comfortable place that feels like home. Since the venue covers all different genres including music, art, and literature, you can meet various different people and find lots of opportunities to work together. The frequent drinking parties are obviously another good feature!

Apollo 18

1. To Apollo 18, ‘Badabie’ is a warm home that reminds us of our identity.

‘WooJoongDokBoHaeng’ is like an older brother who we love and respect.

There is no musician in the Hongdae indie musician scene that didn’t go through ‘WooJoongDokBoHaeng’. Sometimes he is a sea and a ship. The drinks ‘WooJoongDokBoHaeng’ bought us after our first concert were stronger and sweeter than any other drinks.

Scarfish

1. ‘Badabie’ is the place where Scarfish went through their adolescence. We had a lot to learn when we first visited ‘Badabie.’ The people we met there were making something we never thought was possible. That vibe helped us find our identity organically. ‘WooJoongDokBoHaeng’ gave us a nickname ‘The Married Couple Cooperation, Scarfish’. I think that is probably the best way to describe us.

The Daydream

2. ‘WooJoongDokBoHaeng’ directs performances and write poetry. He brings people together, has dinner and jokes around. ‘Badabie’ is one of only a few clubs that introduces rookies and indie poets to audiences constantly. That’s how it keeps it’s reputation in the music and poetry scene here.

Sai

1. In the beginning, ‘Badabie’ gave a lot of people headaches because of their frequent after-parties. At one time, it was a place for good-looking men and women to meet. Now, it is a place where a number of musicians can get together in aid of WooJoongDokBoHaeng’s sickness. ‘Badabie’ is building a revolutionary energy. ‘Badabie’ was very dirty. But after ‘Badabie Never Die’, they are going to clean the space. It makes me really upset. I hope ‘WooJoongDokBoHaeng’ gets back to full health and has a drink with me. I want to talk dirty with him again!

Midnight Smokin’ Drive

1. We can go crazy because the venue is comfortable and relaxed. We can perform the craziest concert we like, as if we were in our own room. It wouldn’t be wrong to say that it is where I started my rock ‘n’ roll career. Sometimes I almost fall down because my high heels get stuck into the wooden stage. But it is so much fun!

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1. What kind of place is ‘Salon Badabie’?

2. Who is ‘WooJoongDokBoHaeng’?

3. Tell us about the ‘Badabie Never Die’ festival.

Juck Juck Grunzie

2. He is an optimist who loves humor. He breaks the ice in serious moments with his wackiness. He is an artist who is free from formality. He wants ‘Badabie’ to be a circus floor where borderless arts can be played out. We needed a place for recording, and ‘WooJoongDokBoHaeng’ allowed us to use ‘Badabie.’ We recorded our first EP album with only one take. We released the album in May, and completed showcase at ‘Badabie.’

Vidulgi Ooyoo

2. I learned not to drink too much from him! A long time ago, before I started playing concerts, I went in to ‘Badabie’ by chance. ‘WooJoongDokBoHaeng’ warmly welcomed us, then complete strangers, with boiled chicken. He is a warm-hearted man.

The Mu:n

3. I performed in the beginning of the ‘Salon Badabie.’ And it is a place of good memories. I joined the first ‘Save the Badabie’ in 2007. Naturally I joined this project when I heard that ‘Salon Badabie’ was having a hard time and the owner was sick.

Solsol Spring Wind

3. Musicians from ‘Badabie’ and musicians who don’t even know about it bound together with one mind. It’s not only or ‘Badabie’ and ‘WooJoongDokBoHaeng’.

This festival gave the voice of musicians to an indie culture which is now getting louder and louder.

Zo Carlos

3. I made the poster for ‘Badabie Never Die.’ I did a talent donation because I couldn’t help it materially. I started to worry as the festival got bigger.

However, it was a big success with the help from a lot of people. All the local clubs, including ‘Badabie’, are having a hard time, and we already raised money before. I think this will probably be the last fundraiser. It’s like putting a respirator to a dying indie music scene for a moment. In my opinion, the future of the scene is pretty bleak.

Tenderign

3. ‘Badabie’ is the Korean DGBD, and sometimes, the Korean Royal Albert Hall. It is a sacred place and a base for Korean pop music. ‘Tenderign’ is walking a tightrope between indie and jazz music and ‘Badabie’ is the right place for that odd brand of music. Losing that kind of place is like taking organ out of the body. I joined this festival without a second thought.

Mina Jung

3. There is no threshold and no prejudice. A number of musicians want their friends to feel the same thing. These minds came together and made a miracle.

In my point of view, this festival not only saved ‘Badabie.’ It gave hope to the musicians and audience members who came through ‘Badabie’, and also to the other clubs which are having a hard time like ‘Badabie.’

Kimmaster

3. I think music is the most personal genre amongst pop culture. People can make a kinship in music through this festival. The profit of 130 teams was used to save ‘WooJoongDokBoHaeng’ and ‘Salon Badabie.’ This also became another turning point to artists in Hongdae. It was a chance to bring attention to a Korean sub-culture that has numerical and qualitative inferiority.

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Please give us the attention we need. I would like to greatly thank the creators from various genres and forms, who work to develop the youth culture in Korea. I would like to give a very special mention to the indie musicians of Hongdae who donated their talents. Let’s go to DangIn thermal power plant and have a culture circus!!!

Nov. 2011 ‘WooJoongDokBoHaeng’

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creators

4 Swedish Artists

STEFAN STORM

MIKA MODIGGÅRD

EMELI THEANDER

HANS BERG

They are all Swedish. They all live by their art. And they all left Sweden.

Editor. IDA Grändås-Rhee

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STEFAN STORM MUSIC LARGER-THAN-LIFE “Widescreen pop” is what songwriter and producer Stefan Storm usually calls his music. It’s not only wide in sounds, but also wide in visuals during performances on stage. In November, Storm and his long-time companion Oskar Gullstrangd are releasing their first album Voyager under their alias The Sound of Arrows.

Storm recently moved from Stockholm to London. The decision came from his hope that he would get more songwriting gigs in England. So far, the results have been fruitful.

“There is so much music in the air,” said Storm, explaining the completely different atmosphere he feels in London than in Stockholm. “Music is appreciated in a different way here than in Sweden.”

Storm grew up in Gävle, a small town located 170 kilometers north of Stockholm. In high school, he and his group of friends used to hang out at a coffee shop called The Mirror. Oskar Gullstrangd was one of those friends.

“Without that place, The Sound of Arrows would probably never have existed,” said Storm. “That place was like an oasis in an otherwise pretty dead city.”

Storm started to write music when he was 15. He played in a number of different cover bands, but felt that he wanted to create his own music.

At the age of 17, he started to write his own songs, dabbling in many different genres. In 2008 he and Oskar founded The Sound of Arrows.

They finally found the direction they wanted to take.

Voyager contains song with lyrics that reminisce about their personal experiences of growing up in Gävle.

“It’s a lot about wanting to leave, to do something better. We want those who listen to understand that the feeling of safety and home actually should come from the inside,” explained Storm.

In the days of loitering at The Mirror, Storm wanted to leave Gävle as soon as possible. He wanted to be somewhere else and do something different.

“But, after leaving and experiencing the things I have, I’ve realized that even if you are affected by your surroundings you are always the same person.”

Storm plays with a lot diverse of ideas, concept and images. When he writes and produces he sees images as he makes melodies.

“A song is dead for me if it doesn’t produce images in my head,” said Storm. “The Sound of Arrows is lot about mixing these sounds with big, grandiose synchronizations and the music builds up a landscape that you step into when you hear it.” Storm has a passion for pop, but with a twisted, warped sound and a melody that sticks out.

A lot of inspiration comes from films. Steven Spielberg is a director that Storm admires. Growing up, Storm religiously watched movies like The Last Starfighter, A Boy and His Dog, Poltergeist, The Andromeda Strain, Star Wars and The Never Ending Story.

“These films all are, just as our music, larger than life, with a lot of dense colors and big landscapes.”

The thought behind Voyager was that it should be like a larger-than-life movie dressed up as a pop album.

“We call our music widescreen-pop,” added Storm.

On stage, The Sound of Arrows usually work with projections, which Oskar controls. On their last tour, they were carrying around a cinema screen that weighted 30 kilograms to project images.

The Sound of Arrows has been a roller coaster ride for both Storm and his band mate. Long before even starting to record Voyager they had shows all over the world and got a lot of attention from media. In 2010, their song “M.A.G.I.C” was also used for a Mitsubishi Outlander TV commercial.

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MIKA MODIGGÅRD THE SUSTAINABLE ROLLERCOASTER Rollercoaster. That’s how the Berlin-based designer Mika Modiggård’s life has been for the last year. So much so that it is the name of her latest collection that was launched on Berlin Fashion Week. The collection is all made from sustainable produce, as everything else she does under her motto Fashion - but not at any price.

Last year, Mika’s work has really been taking off. She was ranked as one of the best up-and-coming designers by the Swedish Fashion Council, showed her work during the Berlin Fashion Week, and was chosen to take part in the NICE Design Challenge.

“It’s about creating construction where things work,” Mika explains, “but at the same time, everything goes up and down constantly.”

That’s where the rollercoaster comes in. The physics make it really slow in getting to the first point, but then, when the cart is released, it goes by itself. It doesn’t need any more energy. In her ‘Rollercoaster’ collection Mika has recreated this with a mix of leather for stability and silk for movement and flow.

Mika grew up in Stockholm, Sweden, and started making clothes and fashion shows already in the after-school centre. Using her pocket money, she would buy clothes in the local second hand stores only take them apart to learn about how they were made. After a lot of trial and errors, a clothing store in Stockholm where she was doing an internship decided to display her work. Not much happened, and she started to forget that she even had the things on display in the store, until one day she saw a girl using one of her wallets.

“That’s when I thought ‘yes, this will work’,” Mika says.

Four years ago, Mika moved to Berlin with the goal to work as a designer. What attracted her to Berlin was the amount of studio space available for creative work. She didn’t know anyone, she couldn’t speak German, but with the attitude that it things would work themselves out, she packed her bags and left.

Mika ended up in the Neukölln, a neighborhood with a completely different culture to where she grew up. Inspired by what fit into the new surroundings, she came to use military and other elements of protection, such as sea shells.

“I needed another type of look, that’s why I did it,” Mika explains.

The result was her first collection, called “Second in Command - inspired

by Berlin.”

It was not only the look that Mika found in Berlin. Since she was new in the city, she was always searching for something and found a group that worked with sustainability within fashion.

“I got very inspired and I embraced it,” she says.

Back then, Mika made her collections by herself. She was working like a factory, sewing around six-hundred pieces a year, and even though stores bought her things, she had not yet got started with her own production.

“Whenever I’d get a back ache from sewing twelve pieces a day, I thought about how bad it could be for people working in factories.”

Through research on the production cycle, from cotton fields to the final carrier, Mika found her motto: Fashion - but not at any price.

For a long time, sustainable thinking around cloths has been seen as a hippie ideology within the fashion industry, and Mika has been getting comments on that her clothes do not look ‘ECO’. Mika’s style simply did not fit in with her fair production and nice material.

But things are changing. Lately, sustainability has become a hot topic.

Big companies such as H&M have started to produce clothes using organic materials, putting a higher demand on the producers. That gives many more opportunities to smaller designers.

Mika is also involved in several other projects, all in line with her philosophy of fashion. In 2010, she designed the kids street wear collection “Kings and Queens” for the green open-source label Pamoyo.

Almost all the clothes were made from recycled fabrics.

Mika’s next collection will be presented in January 2012.

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EMELI THEANDER EMELI’S GHOSTS In Emeli Thelander’s studio in Berlin ghosts, spirits and freaks are explored, invented and reinvented in drawings, oil and acrylic. But they don’t stay there. In Seoul and in Berlin, they can be found on the streets, in exhibitions, installations and zines.

Emelie grew up in Gothenburg, Sweden. But when high school came to an end, she wanted to get out of there.

“It didn’t matter where, I just counted the days until I graduated high school,” she explains.

One week after graduation she went to visit a friend in Berlin. And stayed.

That was in 2003, and in Berlin the street art movement was big. Emeli soon joined in and started to make cut-outs under the name ‘Chin Chin’. She painted on old wallpaper or made copies of her drawings that she then painted. She used to sell her drawings as silk sheet print on cloths to pay her rent. In 2006 she started at the Berlin University of Arts, but continued working under her pseudonym Chin Chin.

In 2010, Chin Chin artwork started to appear in Seoul. Emeli spent six months as artist in residence in Platoon Kunsthalle and met people like junkhouse (junkhouse.net) and LNY (lnylnylny.com).

“It was great to do street art in Seoul. It still felt new and exciting,” she explains.

During her first stay in Seoul, Emeli focused on researching Korean myths and stories that she could use in her painting. The result was her final exhibition “Qwisin Birds Sanctuary,” held in Platoon Kunsthalle.

She explained that ‘Qwishin’ are two Korean ghosts, birds have always symbolized the travel between the living and the dead, and that ‘sanctuary’ refers to either the area in the front of the church, a holy place or a refuge, or simply animal sanctuary.

It was not a coincidence that the exhibition in Seoul came to have this theme. Reading about Emeli, words like “ghost,” “spirits,” “in-between,” “dreamy,” and “collector” keep on reoccurring.

“I’m interested in what doesn’t fit in, what is hard to define,” she says.

Alienation, confusion, cross-border, death, the grotesque and the ugly combined with the extremely cute are things that are in her highest interest. Mainly, she finds this kind of inspiration in folk tales and myth, just as she did in Seoul.

Emeli often starts her work out of photos. Sometimes she makes a drawing of them but transforms the image or puts different images together. Then, as the work proceeds, the image develops spontaneously after mistakes, risks, mood and associations come together.

“The finished image never looks like the original,” Emeli explains.

Emeli has no desire to paint something exactly as it is. Instead she wants the viewer to able to get the feeling in the lines or the color, to discover something new, or to simply feed an ambivalent feeling.

Emeli has started an artist-duo with her friend Thomas Mader under the name V.I.P (Very Important Punks/Very International Product/ Very Insightful Poisoning). Together they combine images and text in different shapes, along the lines of zines or installations. Most recently, one of their installations was shown as a part of the exhibition ‘Veilchen’ in Berlin.

This year Emeli also had two solo exhibitions in Germany. First ‘Gastkramad’ in Gallerie Adler in Frankfurt, and then “Belirach” in Parrotta Contemporary Art in Stuttgart. Both exhibitions were based on Scandinavian mythology and religious rites.

On the question of why she is doing what she does, Emeli replies: “Because I have to. It’s the best way for me to express myself.”

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www.myspace.com/hansberg

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HANS BERG THE ECLECTIC SOUND In front of his computer in his home in Berlin, the music producer Hans Berg is creating electronic dance music, house and techno. He is also crafting music to the Swedish artist Nathalie Djurberg’s installations and animated films. He doesn’t let the different direction of the styles limit him, rather he lets them influence each other and mixes them into something new.

Hans grew up in a very small town in the middle of a forest, in the middle of Sweden. There, you could either play sports or drive cars. But Hans liked music. And not just any music, but electronic music, which was basically impossible to find there. So he had to do it by himself.

When Hans was 11, he got his first synth. He loved it from the start and immediately started to making his own songs. When he was 12, he made a song called Michael Jackson is Plastic.

“It sang in really bad English,” Hugo says. “I think I still have it on a cassette tape somewhere.”

The experiences in the small town affected Hans’ sound a lot. Due to the lack of electronic music, he found inspiration from anything in his surroundings. He quickly started to develop his own sound.

Hugo has a studio in his apartment with a computer, synths and effects.

When he makes music, he usually starts from a sound that he likes, or a rhythm he wants and then tries it with different sounds, melodies and drums.

“Often it’s a about sound design, to choose the right sound in the right place, rather than have some advanced melodies and arrangements,” Hans explains.

When he makes music for Nathalie’s films, he puts them straight into his music program and composes directly to the film.

“That sort of music can become anything, from Bulgarian folk music to string quartets to electronica,” Hans says.

The diversity of the music Hans has produced is huge.

“Of course, it’s completely different trying to make a whole dance floor groove than to follow the narrative of a film,” he says.

But Hans loves it, and lets the differences feed each other. He has done remixes of the film music and used it in his live techno sets.

“I like having Swedish folk music mixed with classical and electronic elements. Even with dance music I try to mix it up with many different influences, so the core of my sound is not at all stylish, but eclectic, with many different styles mixed together,” he says.

Hans releases his dance music as mp3s and on vinyl on the British label Fullbarr. He does live shows in clubs, and the work with Nathalie takes him to many different art institutions around the world, such as the Venice Biennale in 2009, the Tate London, and the Prada Transformer in Seoul.

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web

SOCIAL FUNDING PLATFORMS

Even though they have novel, meaningful intentions for their projects, most creators don’t have enough funds to actually follow them through. But no need to worry anymore. Now we have an all-around platform that can solve the financial issues and promote the project, as well as help communication with customers.

Editor. Anna Choi Photographer. Jun O Hwang

What is ‘The Social Funding Platform for Creators Project’?

‘The Social Funding Platform for Creators Project’ is a system for independent creators to produce creative projects. A great number of people promise financial support for creative projects of different genres such as music, film, technology, design, publishing, and food.

Creators will open their project pages through this website. They will explain the specifics of their projects using videos and visual data in their pages and decide the amount of money, time, and compensation they require to achieve their goals.

Supporters will reserve money if they like the projects. If the required amount of money is reserved in the required time, the money will be transferred to the creators’ account from the supporters’ account.

However, the supporters don’t support the creators alone. They also choose the personal, valuable compensation they will get in advance when the money is collected. The compensation can be a completed product or exclusive experience or service. In other words, it is not a “support” but a “reservation” of the compensation.

The settlement is not made immediately. It will be transferred automatically in a lump-sum on the reserved date when the required amount of money for the project is collected. It will reduce the risk to the supporters and create credibility between the purchasers and creators.

Also, this payment system will provide the opportunity for the creators to test their projects’ batting average.

‘The Social Funding Platform for Creative Projects’ doesn’t just help creators collect money for their projects. It also helps creators communicate with their customers. It plays an important role in activating the art industry. The project helps build solid customer basis, depending on the projects, too. Even if they fail to raise funds, creators still can promote their projects and each site can even act as project archives.

Eloquence had a chance to talk with such service providers; Korea’s Tumblbug, Japan’s Campfire, and America’s Kickstarter.

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Tumblbug / Korea Q. What does ‘Tumblbug’ mean?

It literally means the insect, tumblebug. The process of fund raising is similar to the act of a tumblebug’s dung gathering. We may think that loose change is practically worthless, but even a small amount of money helps creators produce their artwork.

Q. When did you start it and why?

When I entered a film school, “digital” was the hottest topic. Youtube had launched in Korea and expensive digital devices had started popping up everywhere. So I could easily produce high quality films with my friends. However, some money was needed to create movies. One day, students from art colleges formed a community where they could help each other’s projects and support each other with a small amount of money. Then I came across the American social funding site Kickstarter.

However, it wasn’t easy to get support from Kickstarter because I needed to have an American bank account. So my friends and I decided to create our own website, Tumblbug.

Q. What kind of projects do you usually receive?

We mostly receive publishing projects because we are well-known in the local independent publishing industry.

Q. How do you take into consideration when selecting projects to support?

We don’t choose vague projects that have no specific goals. We also reject supporting restaurants, travel agencies, as well as the projects that suggest future returns through stock sharing or lottery.

Q. What is the most impressive project that has won the funding?

I still remember Stretching Journey’s unpublished EP album project.

It wasn’t easy to convince the members of Tumblbug because the community had just launched. However, a great number of people participated in the Stretching Journey project. As a result, a wonderful album was released about three months later. The group’s reward performance was also moving. The guitarist, Jae-jung, sent many ‘Thank you’ emails and left messages on Twitter to the supporters. I think the personal communication was the key to its success.

Q. What is it like to operate a social funding site in Korea?

We are experiencing many difficulties in funding creators in Korea.

The unstable cultural basis, the indifference towards independent creation, and the lack of excess purchasing power are to be blamed.

In comparison to the U.S., we have a feeble number of Indie culture and independent creators. On the other hand, the project’s speed of proceeding is very fast thanks to the diffusion rates of the Internet and widespread use of Smartphones. Therefore, it is easy to promote certain projects through social networking and they spread very quickly, drawing many people.

Q. Which efforts are you making to make the projects more lucrative?

Basically, I let the creators create everything by themselves. Even if their plans for their projects are insufficient, the sincerity from the raw materials can appeal to people. If the projects look like they have been designed by professional organizations or agencies, people don’t expect to be able to communicate with the creators. We are trying our best to eliminate the wall between the creators and customers in terms of general page layout, video, and the nuances of their writings.

www.tumblbug.com

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Campfire / Japan Q. What is the meaning of the name ‘Campfire’?

A fire. People get together around the fire and dance, chat and spread their circle. Fire is the idea from artists and creators.

Q. When was ‘Campfire’ founded and what made you to start it?

2nd, June. 2011. I started it with our co-founder Kazuma Ieiri in order to support people that make things. Also he manages a cafe to provide the space to connect people together. By the nature of things, he wanted to make platform service to support creators and artists. We feel that the price of art in the frame is different from the people who pay for it.

Anybody can participate on our platform for a low price. The enthusiasm of the people makes a better environment and a better relationship with the artists and creators.

Q. What kind of projects are applied mostly?

Performance, cinema and general contributions to society. Out with specific genres, entertainment projects work nicely for us.

Q. When you choose a project, what sort of standard do you have?

We don’t have a standard. We strive to make ‘Campfire’ a platform. It should be a platform on which artists and creators can showcase their projects efficiently. We determine which projects to choose based on the enthusiasm of the artists and creators. We do our best to try to nurture the talent and ideas that are presented to us.

Q. What kind of people are the fundraisers?

They are generally internet users aged from 20 to 40.

Q. What is the most important aspect of a successful presentation?

Their PR video needs to be easy to understand. It is key to helping investors and supporters fully understand the project, its aims and its goals.

Q. How have the projects and the applicants changed over time?

Art students with the lack of funds to make products happen and people actively involved in sub-cultural projects have started to come forward.

They are very unique and interesting but they seriously need help. We are also planning to make a crowd sourcing platform to connect the creators and enterprising companies. We feel that this would bring huge benefits to both sides.

Q. What do you want to develop through ‘Campfire’ and what is your ultimate goal for the project?

We would like artists and creators to have stronger motivation to create and not have to worry about the financial burdens of starting a project.

We also want to build a wholesome online community of artists and supporters where they can interact with one another and develop projects together.

www.camp-fire.jp

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Kickstarter / US Q. What does the name ‘Kickstarter’ mean?

‘Kickstarter’ is the pedal that starts a motorcycle. It can also mean the beginning of a crowd shouting. I believe that we can be the kickstarters for the creator’s project. With reference to our company, Kickstarter has come to mean a place for the creative community to bring their ideas to life.

Q. When was ‘Kickstarter’ founded and what made you start it?

Kickstarter launched on April 28, 2009. In 2002, I was living in New Orleans and wanted to throw a late-night concert to coincide with the Jazz Festival. I thought the show would do well, but ultimately decided that it was too great a financial risk to take. The show never happened, but I couldn’t shake the feeling that there was a better way to get people financially involved in helping bring projects to life. That was the impetus for Kickstarter I suppose.

Q. When you choose the project, what standard that you have?

Kickstarter is for the funding of projects – albums, films, and other specific works – that have clearly defined goals and expectations. We currently support projects from categories like art, comics, dance, design, fashion, film, food, games, music, photography, publishing, technology, and theater.

Q. What kind of people are the fundraisers?

Artists from all across the creative spectrum are funding projects on Kickstarter, from the worlds of film, music and photography to food, technology and comics.

Q. What kind of projects are successful? And what is the reason for their success?

The successful projects articulate the story of what they’re trying to accomplish in a compelling and personable way. Offering one of a kind experiences and rewards is an important step towards a successful project on Kickstarter. Inspiring your friends, family and fans to get the word out about your project is another important step.

Q. Is there any project that you take a personal pride in helping to get started?

There’s no project in particular. Various people around the world are funding the projects so it difficult to assess your own importance in it.

Q. How do you expect to see ‘Kickstarter’ grow in the future?

We are very focused on the present and always working to improve the experience for the people who are using Kickstarter every day. The future will take care of itself if we keep that attitude.

Q. What do you want to develop through ‘Kickstarter’ and what is your ultimate goal?

We are all just focused on ensuring that project creators and backers alike have a good experience when they visit Kickstarter. Our goal is to continue to help bring their ideas to life. We are also working on better technology and system so that more people in the world can join.

www.kickstarter.com

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GIRLS PHOTO COLLECTION BY SHIN HYE RIM

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Model. Doyo 2009

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Model. Kim Inhye 2009

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Model. Kim Inhye 2009 / 2008

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Model. Jung Jiyoung 2010

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Model. Jung Jiyoung 2010

Model. Doyo 2008

Model. Lee Bowon 2010

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SHIN HYE RIM I’ve just met with Hae-rim Shin, photographer of the ‘GIRLS’.

The girls in the photos looked gentle yet peculiar which made the pictures seem even more loveable.

Editor. Jean Choi Photographer. Jun O Hwang

Q. Is your major photography?

Nope. I’m majoring in textile art. I’m currently in my last semester of college.

Q. Then how did you start in photography?

I didn’t start photography at some specific moment. I grew with it naturally. When I was young, there used to be a small Canon camera in my house which I often played with like a toy.

Q. Since your first encounter with a camera was at a really young age, I’m guessing you probably don’t remember the time you printed your first film roll...

Yeah. But I do have a picture that I consider to be from my first roll. I was able to find a manual camera in my father’s drawer. I took my father’s camera and went to my elementary school with a friend and took a picture. That film and shoot remains to be most unforgettable memory that I have. Even though it wasn’t my first film roll, it was the first picture I’d taken using a manual camera. During high school, there was a time when I briefly used a digital camera. However, when I saw the results, I realized that I preferred film.

Q. How did you learn to use a manual camera?

I had gone to buy film at a store, and the man from the store taught me how to use the camera. “Place the aperture at 11, and since the skies are clear today, set the shutter speed at 125. You know how to use the focus right?” was all he said. This was pretty much all the formal learning I’ve had, and the rest I learned through constantly taking pictures.

Q. What got you started with the ‘Girl’ photo series?

Honestly, I didn’t have many male friends, so I just started taking pictures of my girl friends. Pretty girls aren’t that camera shy, so I didn’t have too hard of a time making progress. Personally, I’m also rather fond of girlish images myself. During adolescence, my favorite characters from movies and novels were those of young girls such as Emmeline, from the movie <The Blue Lagoon> and Lolita, from Vladimir Nabokov’s novel <Lolita>. I really enjoyed both the novel and movie for <Lolita>.

Q. Does it take a lot of effort for you to capture that kind of image and emotion in a picture?

I think I’ve accumulated lots of pretty images in my mind and somehow mesh them into my pictures. I don’t force interest or purpose on myself to capture a picture.

Q. How do you cast your models?

At first, I took pictures of pretty friends that I would meet at school. Then, I used the internet and directly searched for models. After finding an interesting model, I would do a thorough study on her with whatever resource I had, usually the internet, and then contact her requesting a photo shoot. In 2007, I had contacted and met In-jeong Kim, a model who appears frequently in my photos.

Q. Do you request specific poses or expressions from the models during photo shoots?

I usually request for natural looks. When I first meet a potential model, before the photo shoot, I begin by having a long conversation with her and try to become more or less well acquainted. Normal people get quite nervous when you put a camera right in front of their face. The girls I shoot are generally fairly comfortable being in front of the camera.

However, because they aren’t professional models they do get nervous at times as well. I try my best to help ease their nervousness and encourage them to focus not on the camera but on the person behind it.

Q. The ‘Girl’ photos have been going on for about five years now.

What are some differences between the first photos and those taken now?

I don’t know if I’m the only one who thinks this way, but I think I’ve changed a bit in the technical aspect. Another change is that both the pictures and models are maturing together. I think becoming friends with the models and developing a deeper relationship with them influenced the pictures’ progression as well.

Q. What do you believe is the element that allows people to think “this is Hae-rim’s work” when they’re looking at your photos?

The light in the model’s eyes in a photo. I like the mysterious image of naturally flowing light from the eyes of an expressionless face. I like a picture where one would spare a few seconds to look at it longer instead of passing it by. That is why I try to create that kind of light in the eyes.

Q. Please introduce any project you’re doing at the moment.

I am currently in the process of doing a travelling project with In-jeong Kim. We are travelling the country as I take pictures and she writes about the experience. We want to take the contents of the trip and publish a travel essay book under our names. Recently we’ve visited Tong Yeong and Yang Yang and had a wonderful time. I know that In-jeong is a person I would like to continue to be friends even as we become grandmothers.

Q. Who’s your favorite photographer?

Even though there’s too many to count, I don’t think I have one specifically as a role-model.

Q. What are your plans for the future?

I want to meet a lot of people and try out different things. I want to take snapshots and create objet d’art. I’m also planning on making my own photography masterpiece. www.cyworld.com/adricia

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Vincent Sung, who works and plays in Asia, organized a team in Beijing to make amazing pictorials.

Eloquence received the hottest photos from him.

BEIJING REVELATION by Vincent Sung

Photographer. Vincent Sung Stylist. Wei Qiao Models. Fu Zheng Gang & Sui Shuang Yang Make up. Jay Lee Hair. Laurent Falcon @ Le Salon Location. LANGHAM PLACE BEIJING CAPITAL hotel

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Zheng Gang wears All look by RALFE BY RALF. Belts DAVID-UBL.

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Zheng Gang wears top by MUNDI BY TRIPLE-MAJOR. Pants Stylist’s own. Boots DAVID-UBL. Shuang Yang wears Look by SWAN BY YUCHEN. Shoes TANYA. Bracelets D-Sata BY CuR.

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Shuang Yang wears dress DIANE von FURSTENBERG. False collar ANNE FONTAINE. Shoes TANYA. Bracelet by D-Sata BY CuR. (left) Zheng Gang wears top IANWANG. Vest DAVID-UBL. Shoes RALFE BY RALF. Necklace D-Sata BY CuR. Shuang Yang wears dress IAN-WANG. Shoes TANYA. Necklace D-Sata BY CuR. (right)

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Zheng Gang wears jacket and shoes RALFE BY RALF. Pants PATH. Shirt IAN-WANG. Shuang Yang wears coat ELYSEEYANG. Belt DAVID-UBL. Boots TANYA. Earrings HOUSE OF WILLOW. Tights WOLFORD.

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Photographer

VINCENT SUNG Q. Please introduce yourself.

My name is Vincent Sung and I am Korean born (in Busan) and adopted by a Belgian-French family in 1972. I grew up in a very cosmopolitan family and was exposed to a lot of contemporary art & culture in Brussels; a city with a strong avant-garde scene and plenty of visiting international artists. Later on, I moved and lived in Paris for four years before returning to Korea for the first time in June 1995. My Korean roots were calling and numerous jobs offers from emerging magazines made me decide to move back to Korea in 1996 where I collaborated with prestigious magazines including ELLE, MARIE CLAIRE, VOGUE, SHE’S, HAUTE, and NOBLESSE. During the economic crisis, I moved to New York for two years to fine-tune my artistic approach and style, then settled down again in Seoul. Since then, I have been working for major Korean fashion brands; reshaping the esthetic of Korean fashion with a fresh look and style.

Friends often describe me as a cosmopolitan, bohemian-traveler with extensive knowledge of multi-cultural megapolis (cities such as Seoul, Shanghai or Bangkok).

Q. What kinds of works do you usually do? I started my career in 1992 working in Belgium for international publications like Marie Claire bis / Marie Claire and European advertising campaigns, then moved to Paris in 1994 to working for some top modeling agencies. I have shot fashion and advertising campaigns for 15 years, but I have been doing more travel/lifestyle oriented photographs (for Korean publications) since 2001 when I started to discover the world as well as explored fine art photography/installations. These days it seems, you have to be multitalented and my company (Visual Sponge Project) does productions (advertising, TV and movie) and I can work as creative director, photographer, editor and also as a PR/Media consultant. You have to be able to wear ‘several hats’ and be able to multi-tasks if you want to survive these days.

Q. How did you make this pictorial in Beijing? What was the motive?

The pictorial happened in a very spontaneous way. I got in touch with Jay Lee; a Korean make-up artist based in Beijing. I explained what I was trying to do (a fashion spread that we could shoot with total creative freedom and submit later to a magazine of our choice, like VISION or SURFACE in China) and she introduced me to Wei Qiao, the stylist we used.

I did not want to have boundaries or any obligations to brands and for us to be able to express ourselves as we wanted. Everyone was happy to be given the chance to create something new and unique!

Q. What is the concept of the pictorial?

The concept was to combine art and fashion in a contemporary setting (design style hotel) and to feature local designers living in China, not the international luxury brands typically expected in glossy fashion magazines to please advertisers. I wanted something edgy with my trademark use of strong colors.

Q. Who were the models?

Fu Zhenggang and Sui Shuangyang are top Chinese models and had careers on the international catwalks scene in Paris, Milan and New York.

I chose them for their strong, contemporary ‘Chinese’ looks which they encompass into their modern Asian looks. They were very good professionals and never complained about working long hours. I would like to thank them for their great attitude.

Q. Please introduce other staff, too. How did they get involved?

I was joined by a whole group of talented creative staff; Laurent - a French hair stylist from Franck Provost/Le Salon, Janine Grosche from PATH who helped to style the shoot, Jay Lee who created the looks (make-up) and stylist Wei Qiao who selected the amazing fashion designer’s brands.

Q. Tell us about the clothes. Who are the fashion designers, and why did you decide to work with them?

Ralf and Janine are German. They design very ‘Bauhaus-influenced’ clothes with excellent material and cutting.

Q. Where is the location? How did you find the hotel?

Actually I was in Beijing thanks to Langham hotels HQ who graciously invited a small group of the international media to visit their ‘art’ hotel located near Beijing Capital airport. I stayed in Langham Place for four days and was very impressed by the overall design and the harmony between contemporary design and art installations scattered around the hotel. Langham Place is their stylish chic brand infused with art work.

They helped out to arrange the location for the fashion shoot.

Q. What did you want to tell us by these photos?

I wished to express a new style/direction in which my work is going; it’s very influenced by magazines like Wallpaper (fashion combined with daily living environment) and Surface’s graphically structured poses. The modern Asian men and women of future generations. www.wix.com/vsbangkok/loft16

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Zheng Gang wears coat and pants by PATH. Body RALFE BY RALF. Shoes DAVID-UBL. Belt ANNE FONTAINE. Necklace HOUSE OF WILLOW.

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t ojec n pr o i h s s â&#x20AC;&#x2122;s fa duce ers enceut intro design u q Elo abo rean rld. wo g Ko risin to the

November Night

by Freaks

This monthâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s Pick is Freaks. Designer Tae-hoon Kim exclusively showed us his latest collection.

Photographer. Ozak Hair & Makeup Artist. Park Seul Ki Model. Natali Jacobsen Design by Freaks Editor. Jean Choi 100

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Brand Director & Designer at Freaks

TAE-HOON KIM Q. Can you please explain Freaks to us?

A freak is defined in the dictionary as an abnormality, perversion, eccentricity, oddball, a person obsessed with something, etc. Instead of complying with the word’s grotesque and gloomy definition, I try to portray things from a personally aesthetic point of view. I want to get inspired by interpreting everything in the world in an aesthetic way just like an aesthetician or esthete would.

In that sense, I decided to name my brand Freaks to portray this desire and passion. Freaks is about digging deep into everything, even things that people hate, and sublimating them towards an aesthetic appeal.

Q. What is something unique about Freaks?

I try to incorporate a line that is masculine yet feminine at the same time. When looking at the clothes, you’ll notice asymmetry, aesthetic 3D patterns, a mathematical usage of space, a kind of structural hardness and more. There’s only one living person in this world with my genes, and that’s me. Since the clothes I create are based on things from my perspective, my clothes can’t help but have a different feel from other brands.

Q. Please describe your three individual lines within Freaks.

The Casual line portrays a funky, vintage and global-mixed-culture kind of image with a handicraft feel to it. The Dress line has more of a modern and funky image with a romantic feel that is complimentary for women with chic confidence as well as those with soft femininity. Last but not least, the Only One line portrays the artistic deformations of freakish distortions and dismantling of shapes. A few years after launching my brand, I had expanded it by developing three separate lines. However, I’m currently focusing on expanding the dress and formal line. Actually, the women who buy clothes from Freaks are mostly the independent corporate types. Although I conservatively try to cater towards their preferences, I also focus on designing and creating one-point items. Items in the Only One line are made mostly for magazine pictorials or sample concepts. I’m free to do whatever’s in my mind with this line, and that’s why I’m quite attached to it. I plan on developing the Casual line after the Dress line becomes more successfully established.

Q. What is the concept for this season?

The concept for this 2011-12 F/W season is a combination of a casual and formal look with a bit of military feel to create a European style. You can see the unique style of Freaks through the funky detailing incorporated on the high quality materials. You’ll also be able to get a sense of Freaks’ asymmetrical design, mathematical usage of space, and structural hardness.

Q. Which is your favorite outfit from this season?

My favorite item is a coat called PLUTO’S DANTE. The double-breasted coat has a uniform yet hard feel to it, as its collar and lapels show off an asymmetrical design.

Q. If you have the opportunity to mix up the fashion genre of Freaks with something else and begin a new challenge, what would you like to try out?

Fashion alone takes up all my time right now. I don’t have the time to ponder about something else I could do. Of course, I get to enjoy things like music, fine art, culture, philosophy, movies, and other things as hobbies because they all can be connected with fashion in some aspect. However, I don’t think it’s the right time for me to give myself a new challenge right now.

Q. What are your plans for the future?

I’m not sure. I’m always thinking about what I should do with a limited budget. In order to do various things, such as having long term fashion shows or entering the foreign market, there needs to be some kind of organized system that I currently do not have. But, I still plan to be more action-driven than now. All I want and need now is to meet a practical partner or investor. www.freaks.co.kr

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project

NON:TEMPORARY SOLUTIONS

“It’s getting cold,” says Aram Lee, drawing her jacket closer to her as we get closer to a small stream. People in colorful clothes of functional materials are everywhere around us, power-walking, running, and cycling. Along the stream, foreign cars in dark colors are passing-by. Further away, Tower Palace, a huge high rise complex is shining brightly towards the darkening sky. As we cross a bridge, Aram points at container tower sticking up over the trees.

Flags, banner and drawings are suspended onto it.

“There it is,” she says, “Poi-dong.”

Editor. IDA Grändås-Rhee

The streets of Poi-dong are small and narrow. Along the house walls kimchi pots are lined up. Some walls are covered with colorful paintings.

A door opens, and a woman dressed in that same colorful, functional material comes out. She smiles at Aram and asks if we have had dinner yet.

“They are all my friends here,” she says.

Aram came for the first time in 2006, to work as a voluntary teacher.

While working in Poi-dong, she became close to the people and their lives.

In the 80s people were forced to move to Poi-dong, and since them, they have been confined to a patch of land by the government. This confinement has kept them from leaving, trapped and branded poor and inferior to the outside world. During the 1988 Olympics, the villagers were not heavily restricted on where they could go. The government feared that the foreign visitors would see them and the poverty that existed in the burgeoning capitalist nation.

The village was, for a long time, a forgotten part of the city.

“For a long time, people didn’t even know this neighborhood existed,” Aram explains. “People living in those high rise buildings on the other side of the stream found out about the neighborhood in the news.”

A truck has parked on something that looks like a large parking lot.

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Around the truck, pens, paper, cardboard and other recyclable materials are separated accordingly.

“The village is like a self-sustaining unit,” Aram says. “We collect these

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recyclable materials, and through various forms of construction work, people earn their money. There is also schooling and, in that container tower, a community center.”

In June this year, a fire drastically changed the living conditions in the village. Large parts of the community were completely burned down and those living in that part of the village lost everything.

The community has worked tirelessly to come to a solution. Since people lost their homes and their kitchens, all cooking became communal. They have also started to make houses out of a styrofoam material covered by a thin layer of metal.

After the fire, Aram’s relationship with the village also changed. She felt compelled to take action. She didn’t want to do something under the guise of charity. She didn’t want people to pity the residents of Poi-dong.

She wanted to do something that would help to build a better future for the residents, not just a temporary solution to their problems.

“Think about Toms shoes,” she says “people started wearing them because they looked good, not because they wanted to do good.”

Aram explained that words like “poor”, “illegal”, “contrast” and “pity” are buzz words that are often used to draw attention to a project.

“For me, the village is real and has been there for 30 years. They are just normal people” says Aram.

While talking, Aram slowly walked me to a different site within the village, and she suddenly falls silent. I look up, and around us lie materials that were used for the new houses, twisted and bent into strange shapes. It looks like a bomb has been dropped.

“One night they came, at 4 am,” Aram says, “the gangsters hired by the

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government.”

Poi-dong is a controversial issue, and has been a big challenge for Aram. It seems to have made her think more about how actions are often just made for a limited period of time before petering out.

Aram wanted to find another way to work. She wanted to do the same brand of action in Poi-dong as she had done in other places and situations. And so, the NON:TEMPOARY project was born. The idea was that Poi-dong is the start of a design initiative that can be moved to another setting, another place, for emergency solutions and then modified for everyday situations, and the work would not be borne out of pity, but out of the interest in the work itself.

“I want the artists to get something out of the project,” she says.

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So far, the artists involved in the NON:TEMPORARY project have been architect Jiho Howard Kim, and Jihyun Ko, the fashion designer behind the brand Amazine. Since the work has to be adapted to the site and the situation, they are learning to work in new ways. Jiho initially some had trouble finding a solution for how to use the materials that were given, so he looked for other ways.

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“I found a solution lying in fashioned source material, not from the architectural, mechanic market,” he explains.

A man greets Aram, and tells us to follow him. He walks fast through the narrow streets. He brings us to an open space where the fire was. There is a house constructed from metal pipes. This is start of a mobile Wondumak that the NON:TEMPORARY project has worked on. After the fire, the village had lost a lot of the private space where the children could study with their voluntary teachers. Due to the conflict over the land with the government and the lack of space in the village, they started to work with a mobile space. The man points and explains everything to Aram, and after a while she turns to me and says: “It’s really good to work with the people in the village because they have so much knowledge about construction and the production process.”

Together with Jihyun, Aram wanted to find a way that both people living in Poi-dong and the consumer of designer clothes could feel satisfied with the same product. Working together with the old women in the village, who have the sewing skills but are tired of working with the containers, they managed to cut production costs but at the same time give the old ladies a fair salary.

I notice something colorful sticking out of the bag Aram is carrying. She catches me looking at it. She pulls it out and holds it up. It’s a simple textile bag, but on one side there is a print, and the other side it is black. She holds it up to her shoulder and shows me how you can wear it in different ways.

“If you want to be stylish, you wear it like this, and if you want to be colorful, like this.”

I thought back to where we had been. I wondered which way I would wear that bag if I walked through the Poi-dong again.

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event

GOING BORDERLESS

In the Arko Arts Theatre in Seoul languages and places are redefined, violence and laughter are mixed up, and the line between life and death is explored. With 37 works from 8 different countries, Seoul Performing Arts Festival, SPAF, 2011 is leaving borders, nationalities and rules behind.

Editor. IDA Grändås-Rhee

SPAF originates from the 1970’s when a performing arts festival and a theatre festival were held in parallel in Seoul. In 2001 these two were fused together, and SPAF was founded. For 10 years, theatre was the dominating the program, but last year the festival took a new direction when it incorporated the Hanguk Performing Arts Center and a new artistic director Ahn Aesoon, who herself has worked as a choreographer for 30 years, was employed.

For the last year, Ahn has travelled around, especially in Europe, to find artists and learn about what is going on right now within the performance arts. And she found that there were no definitions, rules or concepts.

There was only one thing that saturated everything: the borderless.

“They were saying that contemporary art is not about art forms, but it’s about art itself,” Ahn says.

At the same time observing this borderless thinking, Ahn could see how the Korean scene was not quite there yet. In Korea, the contemporary performances have been locked to history, culture and society, rather than focusing on themselves, and only recently the artists have started to focus on themselves.

“In Korea, things develop so fast, and we haven’t had time to fully develop.

But in the new generation, we are on the way,” says Ahn. With this, the first task for the SPAF was clear - to introduce the notion of borderless art to the Korean audience, and all performances shown this year clearly expressed this.

On September 28, the opening of SPAF was held with the performance ‘Megalopolis’. Arko’s main stage was transformed into a city, without a defined name, but with a clear representation of the eligibility of today’s megacities. With movements, sounds, and images the stage was filled with the violence and anger of the cities where the office population and repetition are ruling, where architecture has made local variations impossible and people can only be in masses. There is no time for sleeping, eating or making love. The performers’ languages mixed into each other, as were their movements and bodies, while images from mega cities all over the world were projected onto big screens.

Another performance, The Holy Innocents, also crossed the border between the stage and the audience. During theperformance, confetti was raining over the audience seats, and masks were landing in among the audience. In Holy Innocents, the ethnicity concept and violence were shown in the absurd combination of a party combined with violence on the streets of Bogota.

“This is a beginning, an introduction,” says Ahn, hoping that the festival not only will be about the performances but be more of a platform for contemporary performing arts, where people and art can meet and find new channels and ways to work. “Through this work, I can guide young artists, and work with the system,” says Ahn.

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Even though all the tickets for the festival were sold out, the audience is still far from the typical Seoul citizens. There is a group of mania, to which the festival has a specially designed ticket package, that makes up the biggest part of the audience base. Few people in the audience are just random visitors. Ahn and other organizers of the festival is therefore trying to attract other types of audience, and especially, more foreigners. The hope is that a broader audience will make it possible for a conversation about art, from which ideas can be integrated into the festival and provide a base for selection of performances. â&#x20AC;&#x153;I hope that the feedback and thoughts of the audience and professionals will be combined so that different performances can take place to create co-productions,â&#x20AC;? says Ahn.

SPAF

The Seoul Performing Arts Festival is held at the major theatre venues inDaehangno, Seoulâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s theatre district, Arko Arts Theatre and Daehangno Arts Theatre. The festival is hosting 13 dance, 12 theatre and 12 multidisciplinary works from Korea, Germany, France, Australia, Italy, Japan, Colombia and Armenia. The festival is on from September 28 through October 31.

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information

World Exhibitions Editor. Jean Choi

Seoul Maps Talk October 26 ~ November 13, 2011 Art+ Lounge DIBANG www.dibang.org Sound of the Earth November 9 ~ November 15, 2011 Mokin Museum www.mokinmuseum. com

imaginations.

November 25 ~ November 27, 2011 Imperial Palace Hotel www.doorsartfair.com Show Me Your Hair October 6 ~ November 30, 2011 Coreana Museum of Art, space*c www.spacec.co.kr Seoul Photo Festival November 2 ~ November 30, 2011 Seoul Museum of Art www.seoulphotofestival.com Dan Perjovschi September 29 ~ December 4, 2011 Total Museum www.danperjovschi.kr

HIDE AND SEEK November 2 ~ November 17, 2011 CNB gallery art.cnbnews.com Sculptors’ Drawing September 9 ~ November 20 SOMA Museum www.somamuseum.org Seoul Lantern Festival 2011 November 4 ~ November 20, 2011 Cheonggyecheon blog.naver.com/seoullantern Mass production of Differences November 11 ~ November 20, 2011 SEOUL ART SPACE SEOGYO www.seoulartspace.or.kr Random Access Black Box November 3 ~ November 22, 2011 Seoul Art Space geumcheon.seoulartspace.or.kr

Drawing for a while November 10 ~ December 6, 2011 Kukje Gallery Space 1 www.kukje.org Modern and Contemporary of Korea Materials of Art Education October 12 ~ December 23, 2011 Daljin Museum www.daljinmuseum.com WORK IN PROGRESS - Karl Lagerfeld Photography Exhibition October 13 ~ March 18, 2012 Daelim Museum www.daelimmuseum.org David La Chapelle in Seoul November 22 ~ February 26, 2012 Seoul Art Center www.dlcseoul.com

Weight and Thickness November 8 ~ November 24, 2011 Gallery Chosun www.gallerychosun.com David Hockney: Four Print Portfolio 1961 - 1977 October 6 ~ November 27 Seoul National University Museum of Art www.snumoa.org Choi Gene-uk, REALISM October 13 ~ November 27, 2011 Ilmin Museum of Art www.ilmin.org Doors Art Fair Doors Art Fair aims to be a passageway of diversifying the art market and embracing more artists to be valued in contemporary art. The fair aspires to set a new platform for promising artists who look to communicate to the world through their innate sensibilities and open

London Bardot October 10 ~ November 12, 2011 Gagosian Gallery www.gagosian.com

Cory Arcangel: Speakers Going Hammer The exhibition will mark a move away from video modifications and articulate the wide range of his practice. Arcangel will present works previously unseen in the UK, following

on from his large installation in February at The Barbican, London, and a solo show which opened in May at The Whitney Museum of American Art, New York.

October 12 ~ November 12, 2011 Lisson Gallery www.lissongallery.com Sisters!

Sisters! is not a film about the Southall Black Sisters, but is a two-way project between Bauer and the staff at the organization.

Documenting one week in the life of the organization, the film takes their daily activities as a springboard for a visual discussion on feminism, politics and aesthetics in today’s society.

September 29 ~ November 19, 2011 The Showroom www.theshowroom.org Bettina Samson NETTIE HORN is pleased to present the first UK solo show by French artist Bettina Samson featuring an ensemble of glass pictures, sculptural works and a video piece. Exploring the identity of modern society, Samson’s practice articulates around a number of phenomenons issued from cultural history, scientific discoveries and modernist utopias which the artist revives through multiple bridges of connection intertwining existent, potential and hidden fictions.

October 7 ~ November 20, 2011 Nettie Horn www.nettiehorn.com Robert Notherwell: Works on Paper The exhibition, taking place twenty years after the artist’s death, will comprise some ninety works spanning most of his career. The exhibition will be accompanied by a scholarly, fully illustrated catalogue.

October 11 ~ November 26, 2011 Bernard Jacobson Gallery, London www.jacobsongallery.com Second Nature: the photographs of Bill Wyman October 5 ~ November 30, 2011 Rove www.rovetv.net I AM THE WARRIOR Artists Ben Sadler and Phil Duckworth, who make up Juneau Projects, have long been interested in folk art in all its forms. They are interested in the ways in which people are motivated to make things by creative desire,

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and not by the thought of commercial gain.

With this in mind they have conceived a plan for an open exhibition.

October 22 ~ December 11, 2011 Pump House Gallery www.pumphousegallery.org.uk Rachel Howard: Folie à Deux Folie à Deux, French for ‘madness of two’, is the clinical definition for a psychosis in which delusional beliefs are transmitted from one individual to another. For her first exhibition at Blain Southern, the acclaimed British artist Rachel Howard has created a series of intricately linked paintings, hung as triptychs, diptychs and stand-alone works, which subtly explore this disturbing malady.

October 12 ~ December 22, 2011 Blain Southern Gallery www.blainsouthern.com Gerhard Richter: Panorama Since the 1960s, Gerhard Richter has immersed himself in a rich and varied exploration of painting. Gerhard Richter: Panorama highlights the full extent of the artist’s work, which has encompassed a diverse range of techniques and ideas.

It includes realist paintings based on photographs, colorful gestural abstractions such as the squeegee paintings, portraits, subtle landscapes and history paintings.

October 6 ~ January 8, 2012 Tate Modern www.tate.org.uk/modern George Condo “Metal States” October 18 ~ January 8, 2012 Hayward Gallery www.southbankcentre.co.uk

Paris The Pledge September 10 ~ November 12, 2011 Art: CONCEPT www.galerieartconcept.com La Châsse de l’Homme On an ethereal background of white light Avella-Bagur shows us archetypal images of male and female bodies on which he paints a second layer of portraits in bright flesh tones that never sit easily in or on the model’s outlines. Christophe Avella-Bagur gives us an uncompromisingly contemporary version of painting, which while remaining firmly figurative, gives us a fresh look at human identity as depicted by the virtual world.

October 8 ~ November 19, 2011 Galerie Richard www.galerierichard.com Paris Photo Paris Photo will celebrate its 15th anniversary at the Grand Palais ? A major step ahead for

the renowned international event.

117 galleries from some 23 countries will present the best of 19th century, modern and contemporary photography in the heart of the French capital. To complete this panorama of worldwide photography, a selection of 18 publishers will have a dedicated space in the fair.

November 17 ~ November 20, 2011 Grand Palais www.parisphoto.fr Stéphane Pichard & Roy Villevoye November 3 ~ November 30, 2011 Galerie Martine et Thibault de La Châtre www.lachatregalerie.com Blair Thurman October 20 ~ December 3, 2011 Triple V www.triple-v.fr Julian Schnabel Polaroïds Julian Schnabel is a multidisciplinary artist, a genius touche-àtout, art is an integral part of his person.

Photography has always been present in his works particularly in his paintings in which he often uses old pictures recovered by painting, as he continues to do in his Polaroïds.

October 22 ~ December 3, 2011 Megda Gallery www.megda-gallery.com Mark Geffriaud October 29 ~ December 21, 2011 GB Agency www.gbagency.fr Analia Saban November 5 ~ December 23, 2011 Galerie Praz-Delavallade - Paris www.praz-delavallade.com Nobert Bisky November 5 ~ December 24, 2011 Galerie Daniel Templon www.danieltemplon.com Takashi Murakami: Homage to Yves Klein October 20 ~ January 7, 2012 Galerie Perrotin www.perrotin.com Rome + Klein, Photographs 1956~1960 1956, after the publication of his already famous visual diary of New York, painter, graphic artist and photographer William Klein arrived in Rome at the request of Federico Fellini, who hired him as his assistant for the film “Notte di Cabiria”. Filming was delayed and Klein took the opportunity to wander around the city, armed with his camera and guided by such famous personalities as Pier Paolo Pasolini, Ennio Flaiano, and Alberto Moravia: the new stars of the Italian literary and art world.

In the enchanting context of the 1950s, the

photographer produced a new photographic series on Rome which was also to become a book, published in Italy in 1958 by Feltrinelli and in 1959 in France by Le Seuil.

Fifty years on, this exhibition, along with the republication of the book, once more celebrates Klein’s incredible visionary talent and his gesture of love for the Eternal City.

October 5 ~ January 8, 2012 www.mep.fr.org Giacometti and the Etruscans Giacometti’s interest for the primitive figure can be found very early in the artist’s work.

Etruscan art caused a considerable upheaval for Giacometti. These strange and mysterious people created an outstanding art form, exceptional in its quality, richness and beauty, composed of sculpted sarcophagi and powerful warrior figures.

September 16 ~ January 08, 2012 Pinacotheque De Paris www.pinacotheque.com Matisse, Cezanne, Picasso... L’aventure des Stein October 5 ~ January 16, 2012 Grandpalais www.grandpalais.fr

New York Feather and Wax October 20 to November 19, 2011 Joshua Liner Gallery joshualinergallery.com Abominations McLennan’s acrylic and graphite on paper works depict the animal kingdom exclusively. Though the birds, snakes, rodents, and elk carry the authenticity of a dedicated naturalist and master draftsman, their actions are pure allegory for human motives and behavior, some of it of the worse sort.

October 20 ~ November 19, 2011 Joshua Liner Gallery joshualinergallery.com Raw/Cooked: Krista Wickman September 16 ~ November 27, 2011 Brooklyn Museum of Art www. brooklynmuseum.org MODELO PARA ARMAR: REHEARSING THE CITY Modelo para Armar is the effect of the artist’s ongoing study regarding the subjectivity and apparent tensions of collectively engaged individuals, and the expression of these tensions through passions or psychic impulses.

The exhibition features a series of video-

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recorded actions realized in Lima, Peru and New York City that demonstrate notions of the city-as-hub, internal migration, and everyday aggression.

November 3 ~ December 3, 2011 AC Institute www.artcurrents.org IL LEE: Monoprints, Editions and Paintings These series of prints, with bright greens and blues and rich oranges and browns, have been created in discrete sets of themes which build on diverse explorations of mark-making. This recent focus on the etching process brings Lee back to a practice that was his initial course of study decades ago. Several paintings made concurrently with the prints also will be included in the exhibition.

October 11 ~ December 22, 2011 Art Projects International (API) www.artprojects.com Eva Rothschild: The Heart of the Thousand Petalled Lotus This new body of work includes photography, formal sculpture and found objects. Rothschild brings together different ways of making to create an associative conversation in which object and format are repeated and varied guiding us towards the possibility of multiple but simultaneous meaning.

November 4 ~ December 22, 2011 303 Gallery www.303gallery.com The Conceptual Prints of Sol LeWitt Sol LeWitt, a leading light in American Art, who died in 2007 at the age of 78, formulated in his early writings the idea of Conceptual Art, influencing a generation and giving birth to a new way of thinking about art. Famous for his wall drawings and sculptural “structures” he also worked consistently and extensively in printmaking throughout his career.

November 3 ~ December 31 Bernard Jacobson Gallery, New York www.jacobsongallery.com John Chiara November 17 ~ January 7, 2012 Von Lintel Gallery www.vonlintel.com Picasso’s Drawings The Frick Collection presents an exhibition of more than sixty drawings (works in pencil, ink, watercolor, gouache, pastel, and chalk) spanning the first thirty years of Picasso’s career, from his first signed drawing to works from the early 1920s.

October 4 ~ January 8, 2012 The Frick Collection www.frick.org New Photography 2011 MoMA’s annual New Photography series expands to feature the work of six artists

including Mayra Davey, George Georgiou, Deana Lawson, Doug Rickard, Viviane Sassen, Zhang Dali with the aim of capturing the diversity and international scope of contemporary photographic work.

September 28 ~ January 16, 2012 MoMA PS1 www.moma.org

www.mot-art-museum.jp

Beijing Slow the flap of wings October 16 ~ November 15, 2011 Gallery Mun www.gallerymun.com

Tokyo KONDOH Akino “KiyaKiya” In 2010, KONDOH Akino received a YouTube Play Award for her animation “Ladybirds’ Requiem (digest version)” at the Guggenheim Museum and took part in Domain: The Art of Tomorrow at the National Art Center is widely active at home and abroad.

The present exhibition includes Kondoh’s new animation work “KiyaKiya” as well as drawings, oil paintings and sketches.

Mizuma Art Gallery October 11 ~ November 12, 2011 mizuma-art.co.jp Guerrino Tramonti, the Magician of Color Raised in Faenza, Italy: A Retrospective September 10 ~ November 13, 2011 National Museum of Modern Art Tokyo (MOMAT) www.momat.go.jp Ricarda Roggan September 6 ~ November 26, 2011 Ando Gallery www.andogallery.co.jp TWS-Emerging 119: Jiao Murakami October 4 ~ November 28, 2011 TWS Shibuya www.tokyo-ws.org

Walead Beshty: Securities and Exchanges Walead Beshty’s UCCA solo exhibition Securities and Exchanges marks the first time that this leading young Los Angeles-based artist has exhibited his work in China. Beshty began exploring the concept of “material transformation” after he inadvertently passed some undeveloped film through an airport x-ray machine. When he developed the film, he discovered striking colors and patterns that had nothing to do with his original intentions as a photographer.

September 24 ~ November 20, 2011 www.ucca.org.cn

Sydney Fiona Hall: Shot Through November 3 ~ November 26, 2011 Roslyn Oxley9 Gallery www.roslynoxley9.com.au Riding with Death: Redux October 28 ~ December 10, 2011 Anna Schwartz Gallery www.annaschwartzgallery.com Euan Heng: New Paintings November 17 ~ December 17, 2011 Boutwell Draper Gallery www.boutwelldrapergallery.com.au

Marco Tirelli Marco Tirelli is known as a tempera painter, and he has been practicing the technique mainly on wood panel and canvas over the past decades. The subject matters have basically something to do with geometric forms, which are painted as if suspended in the air leaving a wide margin.

November 1 ~ December 10, 2011 Base Gallery www.basegallery.com

Conor O’Brien: Photographs 20032011 ACP presents Conor O’Brien’s first major solo exhibition. Early works draw on an Australian youth generation anti-aesthetic whereas recent works signal a maturing beyond their hipster roots. there is a recognition of something lost which can be found as you reflect on the significance of the insignificant in the everyday.

December 3 ~ December 23, 2011 Australian Centre for Photography www.acp.org.au

Aida Makoto: Be it Art or not Art November 5 ~ December 25, 2011 TWS Hongo www.tokyo-ws.org

Recorders December 12 ~ February 12, 2012 Museum of Contemporary Art Sydney (MCA) www.mca.com.au

Berlin 2000-2011: Playing among the Ruins September 23 ~ January 9, 2012 Museum of Contemporary Art Tokyo (MOT)

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Korean version 굿이란 것은 원래 좋은 에너지를 전달해주려는 것이 주목적이다. 이를 기본정신으로 진행하기 때문에 외국인들도 매우 좋아한다. 문화적인 교육이 잘 되어있는 선진국의 경우 ‘다름’에 대해서 깊게 호의를 표하고 감사해 한다. 한국의 굿이나 토속적 문화는 몇 천 년에 걸쳐 내려온 가치 있는 것이기 때문에 그들에게 이런 것을 듣고 볼 수 있다는 것에 대한 감동은 이루 말할 수가 없는 것이다. 뿐만 아니라 내가 강렬한 커스튬과 동작을 통해 사람들의 감정을 대리 배설해주기 때문에 굉장히 고마워 한다. 인간은 누구나 미지의 힘을 가지고 있다. 언젠가 한 번쯤 꿈꾸었지만 아무도 시도하지 못했던 의상을 내가 입고 춤을 추면 다들 신나는 것이다. 사실 무당이 입었던 색깔이나 데코레이션도 그 당시에 일반적인 옷들이 아니었다. 일반적인 옷을 입고 신과 접촉하기는 힘들다. 신이 못 알아 본다. 유별나게 옷을 입고 춤을 추면 신도 빨리 찾아 온다고 생각한다.

Q. 당신은 화려한 색을 과감하게 사용한다. 색이라는 것은 당신에게 어떤 의미가 있나? 색은 에너지다. 나는 말을 사용하지 않기 때문에 색이 그 말을 대변하는 언어가 된다. 사람들은 간판 하나를 만들더라도 각각의 색이 가진 이미지를 고려한다. 색은 이미지를 떠올리게 하고, 또 사람의 심리를 움직이는 힘을 가진다. 나에게 색은 그 이미지와 힘을 전달하는 언어다. 어느 바다나 다 파랑색일 수는 없다. 나의 바다는 빨강일 수도 있다. 작품에 따라서 표현하고 싶은 것에 따라서 색깔, 즉 언어를 선택한다.

016-019p

Q. 삭발한 헤어 스타일은 트레이드 마크가 되었다. 이 스타일은 어떻게 만들게 되었나? 여자라면 누구나 자기에게 어울리는 헤어 스타일을 찾으려고 한다. 29살 때 처음 머리를 깎았다가 내 스타일을 찾게 되었다. 너무 어울리기도 하고, 춤과도 굉장히 잘 맞았다. 그렇게 한 번 밀고는 귀찮아서 다시 못 기르고 있다. 몇 년씩 길러서 무거운 것을 달고 다니는 것보다는 필요할 때마다 가발을 쓰는 게 낫다. 가발이 몇 백 개나 있다.

Q. 어떻게 이렇게 오랜 시간 동안 안무가로 아티스트의 삶을 지속할 수 있는가? 무엇보다 좋아하기 때문이다. 몸의 언어라는 것은 말보다 구체적이지 않은 기호다. 그래서 상당히 재미있고 무한하다. 또 스스로 작품에 만족을 하면 싫증을 내고 그만둘 수도 있지만, 창작이라는 것은 그 만족감이 끝없다. 그래서 계속 도전하게 된다. 작가로서 욕심을 내는 것이다.

Q. 지금 명동 예술 극장에서 공연 중인 <벌>은 어떤 내용인가? ‘벌’이라는 것을 통해서 인간의 생명과 현 사회의 문제점들을 꼬집는 작품이다. 나는 안무가로 참여해서 배우들의 움직임을 지도했다.

EUN ME AHN (안은미)

Q. 어려서부터 한국 무용을 배운 것으로 알고 있다. 무용에 관심을 갖게 된 계기는 무엇인가? 어릴 때부터 거의 잠을 안자고 뛰어 놀았다. 그러나 그 때는 언어를 배우기 전이었기 때문에 그 에너지가 무엇인지 잘 몰랐다. 어느 날 길거리에서 무용하는 사람들을 보았다. 그들이 입고 있는 의상이 너무 맘에 들었다. ‘나도 무용을 배우면 이런 옷을 입고 춤을 출 수 있겠구나’라는 생각을 했다. 그 때가 다섯 살 때였다.

Q. ‘아티스트로 살아 가는 안은미 만의 노하우’를 알려 달라. 우리의 독자들에게 큰 힘이 될 거다. 첫 째는 힘이 세야 된다. 둘 째는 엄청난 사랑, 그리고 셋 째는 엄청난 이기심이 필요하다. 또 넷 째는 미모. (내가 직접 말하려니까 쑥스럽다) 마지막으로 다섯 번째는 친구들이다. 나를 항상 도와주고 멘토가 되어주는 친구들이 없었으면 나는 아마 진작에 때려 쳤을지도 모른다.

Q. 그 시절 부모님의 의견은 어땠나? 그 때는 어려웠던 시절이었고, 부모님은 무용을 안 가르쳐주셨다. 그래서 혼자 무용을 상상하며 놀았다. 지금 생각해 보면 그게 더 다행이었던 것 같다. 만약 무용을 따로 배웠으면 나는 무용실을 뛰쳐 나갔을지도 모른다. 난 누가 시키는 대로 오래 못하는 성격이다.

Q. 말에도 힘이 느껴진다. 무대 위에서 몸으로만 표현하는 것이 답답할 때가 있지는 않은가? 그렇지는 않다. 춤추는 맛은 해본 사람만이 안다. 말이라는 것은 어떻게 보면 정확성이 떨어지는 행위라고 생각한다. 어떤 땐 날아가기도 한다. 말은 우리가 알고 있는 의미 체계의 기호들을 나열하는 것에 불과하다. 그런데 움직임은 다른 언어다. 몸의 표현은 무섭기도 하고 어둡기도 하지만, 하나의 움직임을 마칠 때 마다 어두운 동굴을 탐험하고 나오는 느낌을 준다. 새롭게 태어나는 느낌, 마치 엄마의 자궁에 들어갔다 나오는 느낌이 이렇지 않을까. 한번씩 나올 때마다 새로운 생명을 얻게 되는 기분이다. 그것은 말을 쓰지 않기 때문에 가능한 것 같다.

Q. 당신에게 무용은 어떤 장점이 있나? 적어도 나에게 있어 내 얘기를 더욱 구체적으로 할 수 있는 방법은 말보다는 몸의 언어가 더 탁월하다. 나는 사람을 좋아하는데, 이런 점에서 무용은 나에게 사람들과 소통할 수 있는 도구가 된다. 무용은 말이 없지만, 오히려 누군가와 빨리 소통하기가 편하다. 몸이 가진 언어는 말의 언어보다 훨씬 더 진솔하고, 국경을 초월할 수 있다는 장점이 있다.

Q. 한국의 고전 이야기를 무용을 통해 국경 밖으로 소개하는 것은 그러한 이유 때문인가 보다 . <신춘향>과 <심포카 바리>를 만들었다. <심포카 바리>는 그 동안 전통소재를 다룬 적이 없어서 한 번 만들어보고 싶었다. 2002년부터 시작해서 몇 년 동안 해 왔다. 한국에 대해서 잘 모르는 사람들은 이 작품들을 보며 한국의 문화나 기본적인 정서를 상상하게 되거나, 한국문화에 대하여 더 알고 싶어 한다.

Q. 한국의 전통소재를 다루고 싶었던 이유는 무엇인가? 나는 한국사람이기 때문이다. 내가 누구 집 딸인지는 알아야 하지 않겠는가. 기본적으로 자신의 뿌리에 대한 공간성과 시간성을 잘 알아야 더 많은 것을 이해하기가 쉽다. 한국인이기 때문에 가지고 있는 독특성이 있고, 그런 오리지널리티에 호기심을 갖는 것은 우리에게 굉장히 중요하다.

Q. 한국 고유의 문화를 가지고 다른 문화권의 사람들에게 공감대를 형성하는 것이 쉽지만은 않아 보인다. 그건 다 마찬가지다. 한국적인 것만 어려운 것이 아니다. 공감의 감동을 준다는 것은 어느 나라의 문화든 다 어렵다. 그 소재를 가지고, 어떤 목적으로, 세련되게 잘 소통하는지 그 자체가 어려운 일이다. 그렇기 때문에 그 전통 소재를 어떻게 현대 감각에 맞게 재창조 하느냐가 나의 몫이고, 많은 창작가들의 몫이다. 노력해야 한다.

Q. 특별히 <춘향전>과 <바리>를 현대 시각으로 재창조 한 이유는 무엇인가? 원본이 너무 좋다. 이러한 스토리는 문화적인 재산이라고 생각한다. 시간이 오래 지났음에도 불구하고 그 유머감각이나 글솜씨는 지금의 사람들을 뛰어넘는다. 또, 언어는 물론 유머, 삶을 바라보는 관점, 문제를 해결하는 방법 등 거기에서 배우는 것이 너무나 많다. 특히나 <신춘향> 과 <바리>는 일단 주인공이 여자다. 그 용감한 여자들은 어머니를 대변할 수도 있고, 여성의 힘을 대변할 수도 있다. 우리는 그런 내용들을 잊어서는 안 된다. 미래의 어린 친구들이 계속 되새길 수 있도록 해야 한다. 아마 현 시대에는 <춘향전>이나 <바리>같은 고전 스토리가 탄생하기 어렵고 탄생한다 하더라도 고전과 같은 힘을 발휘하기란 쉽지 않다. 그렇기 때문에 이를 그대로 남기고, 다시 분석하면서, 현대에서 쓸 수 있는 가치들을 유용하게 만들어야 한다고 생각한다.

Q. <심포카 바리>를 보고, 굿이나 한국의 토속적인 문화에 대해 외국인들의 반응은 어떠한가?

022-025p

Hyungseok Yun (윤형석) Q. 커버낫(COVERNAT)은 어떤 브랜드인가? 커버낫은 아메리칸 스타일의 남성 캐주얼 브랜드다. 19세기부터 20세기의 광부, 목수, 카우보이 등 육체적인 활동이 많았던 남성들이 입었던 옷을 현대적으로 재해석하고 있다. 옷을 튼튼하게 만드는 정신은 이어오되, 현대인의 몸에 맞는 패턴, 퀄리티 좋은 원단, 디테일 등 필요한 부분은 새로 개발하고 있다. 2008년 가을에 풀컬렉션으로 데뷔해 지금까지 이어져 오고 있다.

Q. 아메리칸 캐주얼로 브랜드의 컨셉을 잡은 이유가 무엇인가?

20대 초반에 힙합의 옷과 문화를 매우 좋아했다. 이에 걸맞게 Sean John, Polo 등 미국 브랜드를 좋아하고 즐겨 입었다. 미국 브랜드를 입다 보니, 옷의 뿌리가 Work wear와 카우보이라는 것을 알게 되었다. 처음에는 좋아하는 브랜드의 디자인과 정신이 오래된 문화의 복제라고 생각해서 실망했다. 하지만 옷에 대해 공부를 하면서 그 문화적 역사적 뿌리가 현대 디자이너의 관점으로 재탄생됨을 알게 되었다. 19세기의 영화, 사진 등에서도 많은 영향을 받았다. 이 외에 미국 빈티지 의류를 계속 수집한다. 일본에 방문할 때는 언제나 헌책방이나 수입책방을 꼭 방문하여 자료를 찾는다. 꾸준히 공부하고 있다.

Q. 국내 브랜드의 아메리칸 캐주얼은 아직 생소하다. 브랜드를 시작할 때 국내 시장에서 이 컨셉이 가능성 있다고 생각했나? 희망을 가지고 있었지만 불안했다. 망하면 안 되니까. 첫 시즌에는 팔릴 것 같은 옷을 몇 벌 만들어 다음 시즌과 다다음 시즌을 예비했다. 굳이 이걸 내가 만들어야 하는가라는 생각이 들기도 하고 들고 그 옷에 대한 애정이 없을 때도 있었다. 심지어 입지도 않았던 모델도 있다. 하지만 목표를 향해 갈 때 만들고 싶은 옷과 필요한 옷이 다르다는 점을 알기에 고집은 안 피웠다. 그 옷들이 없었으면 지금 커버낫은 이 자리까지 못 왔을 것이다. 시즌이 지날수록 점점 욕심 부릴 수 있는 환경이 되어가고 있다. 요즘에는 10점 중 7, 8점까지 만족도가 올라갔다. 처음부터

119

2011.11 -

.indd 119

2011-11-01

5:40:42

지금까지의 룩북을 보면 브랜드가 어떻게 변해가는지, 내가 욕심을 내는 부분이 무엇인지 알 수 있을 것이다.

Q. 브랜드는 어떻게 시작하게 되었나? 학생 시절, 나는 옷을 정말 좋아했다. 그 당시 미국에서 20불인 티셔츠를 국내 멀티샵에서 8 만원에 팔고 있었다. 직접 구매를 하면 더 저렴하게 옷을 구할 수 있겠다는 생각에 3개월 동안 아르바이트를 해서 캐나다에 있는 친구에게 150만원을 보냈다. 친구는 그 돈으로 티셔츠 100 장을 사서 나에게 보냈다. 그런데 옷이 정말 좋긴 해도 티셔츠 100장은 혼자 감당할 수 없더라. 입고 싶은 옷 30장만 남겨두고 나머지는 웹사이트에 올려서 처리했다. 11년 전에는 디지털 카메라가 없어서 필름 카메라로 제품 사진을 찍었다. 그 사진을 스캔한 후 인터넷 사이트에 올렸다. 시중가의 반값으로. 판매가 잘 되었다. 순식간에 투자금 이상을 벌었다. 이거다 싶어 아르바이트를 해서 돈을 보내고 물품 수와 종류를 점점 늘리게 되었다. 정신 없이 일하다 보니 2 년 후에는 온라인 쇼핑몰 1위의 하는 몇 억짜리 회사의 대학생 사장이 되어 있었다. 그 당시에는 주문한 옷상자가 오면 제일 먼저 열어서 냄새도 맡아보고 입어보고 신발은 머리맡에 두고 잠을 잤다. 그만큼 옷과 신발을 좋아했었는데, 수입 브랜드가 50~60개가 넘고 규모가 커지다 보니 옷에 재미가 떨어졌다. 어느 정도 시간이 흐르면서 내 스스로 중간 수입원으로 일을 하며 돈을 벌게 되었지만 현지에서 얼마 안 하는 옷이 우리나라에서 프리미엄에 팔리고 있는 시스템에 질리게 되었다. 옷을 직접 만들어보고 싶었다. 남들이 다 말리는데도 불구하고 사업을 모두 접고 런던과 일본에서 4년 동안 옷과 시장에 대한 공부했다. 한국에 오자마자 브랜드를 바로 시작했다.

Q. 2008년에 브랜드를 런칭한 이후 빠르게 성장했다. 비결이 있는가? 나는 겁이 없는 성격이다. 계획도 잘 짠다. 하지만 절대 플랜 B를 두지 않는다. 대안을 두지 않고 무조건 사업에 투자를 계속 하기 때문에 시간대비 성장폭이 큰 것 같다. 과거 회사를 운영하면서 보통 사람보다 많이 입어보고 신어보고 느껴보고 힘들어했던 모든 경험이 커버낫 운영에 다 녹아져 나오는 것 같다.

Q. 그렇다면 커버낫의 경쟁력은 무엇인가? 커버낫이 처음 등장했을 때는 개인이 순수한 마음에서 시작한 인디펜던트 브랜드들이 많았다. 이런 브랜드들은 프로젝트 형식으로 메시지나 그래픽만을 어필한 티셔츠나 모자를 만들었다. 하지만 매 시즌 꾸준하게 모델을 빼는 브랜드는 별로 없었다. 커버낫은 이런 시장에서 악세서리에서부터 의류에 이르기까지 토털로 나온 최초의 인디펜던트 브랜드였다. 디테일, 하이 퀄리티, 핏의 세가지 이념을 가진 토털 패션이라는 점이 그 당시부터 지금까지 이어오는 우리의 경쟁력이다.

많이 하고 있다.

Q. 10월 말에 시장조사차 미국에 간다는 소문을 들었다. 해외 진출 계획을 세우는 중인가? 그렇다. 이번 방문을 통해 미국 옷의 실루엣과 패턴을 보고 트레이드쇼를 위한 계획을 세우려 한다. 우리나라는 백화점이 의류 유통의 80%를 맡고 있다. 국내에서 브랜딩을 하려면 유통 공룡인 백화점에게 큰소리를 치는 입장이 되어야 하는데 힘을 기르는 방법은 해외 유통망을 확보하는 것 밖에 없다. 국내에서 살아남기 위해 해외로 눈을 돌린 것이다.

Q. 목표로 하는 해외 시장은 어디인가? 일본을 목표로 하고 있다. 커버낫의 옷은 한국 사람에게 맞춘 아시아 패턴이기 때문에 미국 사람들과는 맞지 않는다. 미국 옷을 좋아하고 미국 옷을 만들지만 미국에서 성공하고 싶지는 않다. 미국 트레이드쇼에 가는 이유는 단순히 미국 시장 진출이 아니라 일본, 홍콩, 유럽에서 오는 바이어들을 만나기 위함이다. 특히 일본은 세계에서 가장 좋은 것만 다 모아 놓은 셀렉샵과 자국에서 성공한 브랜드들이 많다. 이렇게 치열한 경쟁에서 커버낫이 살아 남는다면 얼마나 좋을까?

Q. 앞으로 어떤 브랜드로 기억되고 싶은가? 벽을 깨려고 했던 브랜드로 기억되고 싶다. 서울 패션 위크에 나가지 않았지만 해외 진출에 성공하고, 국내 시장에서 살아남고, 항상 도전하는 패션 브랜드로 인식되었으면 좋겠다. 해외에서는 아시아에 이런 브랜드가 있었냐고 놀라움을 주었으면 좋겠다. 개인적으로는 내 주위사람들을 위해 커버낫이 잘 되었으면 좋겠다. 주위에 옷 만드는 동생들은 지금 커버낫을 보면서 힘을 낸다. 그들은 ‘나도 조금 더 힘을 내서 커버낫처럼 쇼룸도 내고 직원도 두는 브랜드를 만들어야겠다’라는 희망을 가지고 있다. 그래서 콜라보레이션도 이런 마음으로 진행했다. 우리는 나이키와 수프림Supreme의 콜라보레이션을 함께 보고 감탄하며 성장한 세대다. 그런데 지금 커버낫은 세계적인 브랜드인 베스파, 밀레와 동등한 위치에서 협업을 마친 상태다. 우리도 잘 될 수 있다는 인식과 희망을 동생들에게 주고 싶다. 그리고 패션쇼에 나가는 화려한 브랜드 뿐만 아니라 생산 시스템을 갖추고 디자인에 대한 철학을 가진 독립 브랜드가 여기에 있다는 것을 보여주고 싶다.

Q, 커버낫을 처음 시작할 때 영향을 받은 브랜드가 있나? 아메리칸 빈티지 의류에서 많은 영향을 받았다. 브랜드를 굳이 꼽자면 Ralph Lauren의 브랜드인 RRL을 들 수 있다. RRL은 랄프 로렐이 진짜 하고 싶은 라인을 만든 것이라 할 수 있다. RRL 의 가방은 부식액에 담궈서 빈티지 상태로 판매되고 모자는 구멍내고 워싱하여 헤지게 만든 후 판매한다. 손이 많이 가는 만큼 청바지, 가방 하나가 4~50 만원 정도로 폴로의 2~3배 가격이다. 매장 인테리어나 딜리버리 등 제품뿐만 아니라 마케팅이나 시스템에서 모두 하나의 컨셉으로 운영되는 점을 동경한다. 우리나라에 수입이 되지 않는 것이 아쉽다.

Q. 커버낫의 디자인의 특징은 무엇인가? 브랜드 컨셉상 새로운 디자인을 만들지 않을 것 같다. 커버낫은 있을 법 했는데 없었던 옷을 만들고 있다. 많은 사람들이 빈티지 웨어를 입을 때 핏, 컬러, 원단에서 아쉬움을 느끼는 경우가 많을 것이다. 나는 지금 시대에 필요한 부분을 첨가하고 필요 없는 디테일은 줄여 한 단계 상승된 옷을 만드는 것이 좋다. 아메리칸 캐주얼 브랜드인 폴로에서 아쉬움을 느낀 소비자가 커버낫에서 부족한 부분을 충족하는 경우도 있었다. 기존 캐주얼에서 아쉬워하는 부분들을 가진 소비자들이 우리 고객이었으면 좋겠다. 독창적인 디자인은 다른 디자이너들이 해야 할 일인 것 같다. 모든 사람들을 우리 소비자로 만들고 싶지 않다.

Q. 커버낫이 주력하는 제품이 있는가? 데님으로 만든 옷, 기능성 원단으로 만든 옷, 가방을 자체적으로 주력하고 있다. 아메리칸 빈티지 웨어는 기능성 원단을 사용하지 않았다. 지금 커버낫은 기능성 원단을 사용하여 윈드브레이커와 마운틴파카만 만들고 있는데 앞으로는 이런 원단으로 다양한 옷을 만들고 싶다. 계속 욕심 내는 중이다.

Q. 커버낫은 지금까지 다른 브랜드와 다양한 콜라보레이션을 진행해왔다. 이탈리아 바이크 베스파를 시작으로 실버 아티스트 트리플 식스, 국내 하우스 브랜드 리타, 디키즈, 그리고 가장 최근 프랑스 아웃도어 브랜드 밀레와 콜라보레이션을 진행했다. 첫 시즌을 제외하고 거의 시즌마다 하나씩 진행한 셈이다.

Q. 일은 어떻게 성사되었나? 사석에서 브랜드 관계자를 소개받고 만나서 커피를 마시며 서로 아이디어를 교환하다가 저녁 술자리에서 콜라보레이션이 확정된 경우가 대부분이다. 다행히 지금까지 진행한 프로젝트들은 사업계획서나 프레젠테이션 없이 확정되었다.

Q. 콜라보레이션의 장단점은 무엇인가? 부족한 부분이 서로를 통해 채워진다는 점이 콜라보레이션의 장점이다. 베스파는 의류를 만들지 않으니 윈드 브레이커를 제작할 때 우리와 협업함으로써 새로운 인력을 충원하지 않아서 좋았고 그 당시 1년 밖에 안된 커버낫은 브랜드 홍보가 되어 좋았다. 최근 밀레와의 콜라보레이션도 같은 경우다. 우리는 기능성 원단을 다루고 싶었지만 고어텍스 원단을 다루는 고어 코리아는 우리에게 호의적이지 않았다. 아웃도어 브랜드 밀레도 젊은 층에게 어필하고 싶었지만 기존의 디자인과 소비자를 등질 수 없었다. 기능성 웨어를 만들어보고 싶은 커버낫과 패셔너블한 요소를 필요로 했던 밀레가 만나 커버낫 같으면서 밀레 같은 옷을 만들었다. 나는 1 + 1은 2가 아니라 3이 되어야 한다고 생각한다. 지금까지의 콜라보레이션은 3같은 결과를 만들었다. 간혹 서로 일을 더 많이 한다고 느껴지기도 한다. 많은 사람들이 이를 콜라보레이션의 단점이라고 말하지만 나는 그렇지 않다. 그런 마음을 버리면 된다.

Q. 도전해보고 싶은 콜라보레이션이 있나? 신발. 진짜 해보고 싶다. 커버낫이라는 이름을 달고 신발을 제작하고 싶지는 않다. Redwing이나 Alden같은 미국 신발이나 Vans 스니커즈와 콜라보레이션을 해보고 싶다. 신발에 대해 기본은 알고 있어야 나중에 진행 방향이나 디자인에 대해 이야기할 수 있으니 지금 신발에 대한 공부를

026-029p

Robb Harker Q. 자신에 대해 소개해 달라 현재 Supermodified Agency의 대표이자 디렉터다. 캐나다에서 태어났으며 아시아에서 14년을 살았다. 아시아와 다른 대륙을 광범위하게 여행했지만 대부분의 시간을 서울에서 보냈다.

Q. 한국에는 얼마나 있었는가 1997년 초에 한국에 처음 왔다. 다른 나라에 자주 방문했기 때문에 한국 체류 기간은 10년 정도 있었던 것 같다.

Q. 당신이 결성했던 국내 최초의 파티 프로모터 Sickboy는 어떤 팀이었는가. 또한 Sickboy 에서는 어떤 프로젝트를 진행했는가. 나는 Morgan Wilbur라는 파트너와 함께 Sickboy를 만들어 운영했다. 우리는 1998년 3월에 지금 홍대 Nb가 자리한 구 Nbinb에서 첫 이벤트를 열었다. 우리는 로컬 DJ들과 세계적인 스타들과 함께 작은 클럽의 밤을 열었다. 이런 이벤트들이 점차 커지면서 우리는 큰 공연장으로 활동을 옮겼다.

Q. 당신은 국내 최초의 클럽 파티를 진행, 국내 최초의 야외 파티를 진행한 것으로 알고 있다. 그 파티의 이름은 무엇이었으며, 어떤 디제이가 함께 했나? 우리의 첫 클럽 파티 ‘Infinity’를 친구이자 DJ인 Tory Wolf와 함께 했다. 우리는 아주 적은 자본으로 이벤트를 시작했다. Tory는 비행기 값만 받고 캐나다 밴쿠버에서 한국으로 왔다. 나는 그를 공항에서 버스로 픽업했고 그는 우리 집 거실 소파에서 잠을 잤다. 우리는 한국에서 이런 이벤트를 처음으로 진행하는 만큼 어떤 결과를 기대해야 하는지 몰랐다. 그러나 파티에 대한 반응은 뜨거웠고 우리는 정말 대단한 밤을 보냈다. 첫 번째 야외 파티는 경포대에서 UK 출신의 Hybrid라는 DJ 듀오와 함께했다. 비록 서울에서 많은 사람을 끌어 모으지 못했지만 바닷가에 놀러 온 여행객들이 엄청 많이 모였다. 놀라운 밤이었다.

Q. 2002년 월드컵 당시 메리어트 호텔에서 진행했던 오프닝 파티도 전설로 알려져 있다. 당시 팻보이 슬램을 초청했는데, 그 과정이 궁금하다. 요즘은 일렉트로닉 뮤직 이벤트로 5,000명의 관객을 끌어 모으는 일은 어렵지 않다. 지금 서울의

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2011-11-01

5:40:44

프로덕션 회사 몇 개는 10~15,000 사람들을 모으는 놀라운 이벤트들을 무리 없이 진행한다. 그러나 2002년에는 어떤 사람도 일렉트로닉 댄스 뮤직(EDM)을 기반으로 5,000명을 모을 수 있을 것이라 기대하지 않았다. 오프닝 파티를 진행하는 과정은 다른 파티를 준비하는 과정과 동일했다. 연예인을 잡고, 장소를 예약하고, 프로그램을 정리하고, 미친 듯이 홍보했다. 우리는 이 과정 가운데 FIFA의 이목을 끌었고 이 이벤트는 2002년 월드컵 공식 오프닝 파티가 되었다. 이는 아마 서울에서 일반적인 관중을 넘어서 주류시장에 도달한 첫 이벤트일것이다.

Q. 2003년 마지막 솔로 파티로 식보이를 해체했다. 이유가 있었는가?

2003년은 다음 단계로 넘어갈 시점이었다. 나와 파트너는 6년 동안 회사를 운영했고 둘 다 변화를 원했다. Morgan은 미국으로 돌아가 다른 산업에 뛰어들었다. 나는 Sickboy의 솔로 디렉터로서 몇 개의 이벤트를 진행했지만 한국의 큰 공연장 부족에 대해 환멸을 느끼게 되었다. 이벤트는 대부분 홍대의 작은 클럽이나 삭막한 호텔 대연회장에서 열렸다. 휴식이 필요했던 나는 발리로 떠나 그곳에서 이벤트를 진행했다.

Q. Sickboy 해체 이후 당신은 발리에서 6개월 간 머물다 다시 국내 대형 클럽의 레전드인 M2의 총괄디렉터로 컴백했다. M2를 기획할 당시 성공을 확신하고 있었는가?

M2의 성공을 나만의 공로라고 할 수는 없지만 큰 역할을 맡은 것은 확실하다. M2는 한국 스타일의 부킹 클럽과 반대로 국제적인 클럽 형태를 갖춘 최초의 ‘대형’ 클럽이었고 100% 일렉트로닉 음악을 연주한다는 점에 있어 특별했다. M2는 파티와 EDM을 위해 지어진 공연장이다. M2는 여러모로 그 이후 등장한 모든 큰 클럽의 본보기가 되었다. 이는 내가 클럽에 대해 개인적으로 가진 비전은 아니었지만 지금까지 강하게 이어오고 있다.

Q. M2를 성공시킨 당신은 돌연 발리로 떠나 새로운 에이전시 supermodified를 설립했다.

Supermodified 어떤 회사이며, 어떤 일을 주로 했는가?

Supermodified는 연예인들의 출연 예약을 하는 에이전시다. 우리는 주로 세계적인 탑 DJ 들에 보유에 집중하지만 라이브로 연주를 선호하는 고객들도 충족시킨다. Supermodified는 아티스트들을 아시아 시장으로 끌어내고 투어를 주선한다. 우리의 프로모터와 클라이언트는 중동부터 일본 사이의 모든 지역을 포함할 정도로 다양하다.

Q. 당시 부킹 했던 DJ 중 대형 DJ는 어떤 DJ가 있었으며 가장 기억에 남는 DJ는 누구인가?

Supermodified는 U.K.의 에이전시 ‘Excession’의 아시아 대표로 시작했다. DJ Sasha의 에이전시인 ‘Excession’은 Sasha 본인뿐만 아니라 Nick Warren, Steve Lawler, Lee Burridge, James Zabiela 외에 많은 아티스트를 보유했다. 우리는 이 에이전시를 베이스로 다른 대형 국제 에이전시들과 관계를 맺어 아시아에 있는 그들의 아티스트를 맡았다. 2004년에 중국이 대형 시장으로 성장하면서 우리는 7~8명의 DJ들과 중국 도처의 도시들을 투어했다. 우리는 이 외에도 싱가폴, KL, 자카르타, 도쿄, 홍콩, 대만 그리고 물론 서울에 아티스트 예약을 담당했다. 나는 에이전시의 컨셉에 맞게 더 많은 장르의 음악을 다룰 수 있도록 리스트를 늘렸다. 우리는 MANDY 와 Fergie의 테크노 공연을 열었고 최근에는 이탈리안 프로듀서 Dusty Kids와 계약했다. Swedish House Mafia, Fedde Le Grand, Afrojack 등과는 좀 더 상업적인 면에서 함께 일한다.

Q. 유럽, 미국이 디제이들은 아시아 시장을 어떻게들 생각하고 있는가? 그들은 아시아에 대해 복잡한 감정을 가지고 있다. 이는 그들이 아시아에서 할 수 있는 경험이 다양하기 때문인 것 같다. 아시아의 어떤 시장은 특별히 발달되어 있다. 어떤 지역의 파티 고어들은 많은 경험으로 파티에 대해 잘 알고 있고 어떤 지역은 그렇지 않다. 어떤 사람들은 서로 멋지게 보이려고 노력하며 서있는 반면 어떤 사람들은 정말 미친 듯이 잘 논다. 사실 서울은 내가 공연하기 좋아하는 장소 중 하나다. 여기 사람들은 음악을 잘 이해 못하더라도 파티를 좋아하고 좋은 음악에 반응할 줄 안다. 도쿄와 싱가폴 또한 공연하기에 좋은 장소이다.

Q. 당신은 발리에서 에이전시를 성공적으로 운영하고 있었고 결혼도 하고 아이도 낳았다. 2009 년 한국으로 다시 돌아온 이유는 무엇인가? 내 에이전시의 장점은 인터넷 연결만 된다면 아시아 어디에서든지 일 할 수 있다는 점이다. 나의 한국인 아내는 영화 산업에서 직장을 가지기 원해서 한국으로 다시 돌아왔다. 또한 우리는 말을 배우는 단계인 우리 아들이 한국어와 영어를 제대로 배우길 원했다.

Q. 한국의 굵직한 대형 클럽의 초청 디제이 상당 수를 연결해 주는 것으로 알고 있다. 어떤 클럽에 연결을 해주고 있으며, 당신이 연결해 준 거물급 디제이에는 어떤 이들이 있었는가? 음악 스타일은 지난 몇 년 동안 많이 바뀌었다. 나는 내가 처음부터 보유한 많은 디제이들을 맡는 동시에 음악 산업의 변화에 맞춰 DJ 명단을 보완했다. 지금 Supermodified의 가장 크고 ‘새로운’ 아티스트는 Afrojack과 Avicii다. 우리는 이들과 지난 몇 년 동안 함께 일했다. 그들의 프로필은 계속 성장하고 있다. Afrojack은 작년에 빌보드 1위 히트를 했을 뿐만 아니라 그래미 상까지 받은 유명인사다. Supermodified는 독립 에이전시이기 때문에 서울의 특정 클럽과 제휴하지 않았다. 우리는 수년 간 M2, Answer, Mass, Volume, Heaven, Rococo, Ellui 등에서 공연을 열었다. 우리는 축제와 다른 이벤트에도 공연 그룹들을 연결해주고 있다.

‘Mine’은 신사동에 위치한 Money Lounge라는 작은 공연장에서 시작될 것이다. 나는 그 장소가 아주 미니멀하고 음악을 방해하는 요소가 없어서 좋아한다. ‘Mine’은 큰 공간에 맞지 않은 깊은 음악 스타일을 추구할 것이다. 나는 이벤트가 좀 더 긴밀한 느낌을 가질 수 있도록 여러 요소들을 친밀하게 만들고 싶다. 대형 이벤트는 참석하기 즐거울 수 있지만 작고 어두운 언더그라운드 공간에서만 만들 수 있는 특정 느낌이 있다. 그리고 양질의 언더그라운드 뮤직을 찾는 핵심 그룹이 있다고 믿는데, 나는 그 핵심 그룹들이 아주 작을 것이라 생각한다. 이는 큰 공연장들이 부족해서 서울을 떠났던 이유에 비하면 매우 아이러니하다. 지금 서울은 대형 클럽들이 넘쳐나지만 나는 다시 작은 공간으로 돌아가고 싶다. 작게 시작해서 그곳에서 성장하고 싶다.

Q. 그렇다면 이 파티는 국내의 파티와는 어떤 차별성이 있는 것인가? 당신이 공략하고 싶은 국내 새로운 시도에 대해 자세히 설명해 달라. 지금 서울에는 대형 클럽들이 많지만 새로운 공연장들도 곧 열릴 예정이다. 또한 대형 이벤트 회사들이 진행하는 멋진 프로그램들과 참석자들이 함께 즐기는 이벤트와 축제도 많아졌다. 이건 국내의 이벤트가 건강하게 성장 중이며 마침내 메인스트림에 도달한다는 좋은 신호다. 서울은 이런 움직임도 필요하지만 균형을 맞추기 위해서는 견고한 언더그라운드 신이 필요하다. 하지만 아무도 이를 개발하려고 노력하지 않는 것 같지 않다. 어떤 대형 클럽은 관객과 음악이 단절되기도 한다. 그들의 주요 관심사는 여자나 남자를 만나는 것이지 음악이 아닌 것 같다.

‘Mine’과 함께하는 나의 목표는 술집 같은 요소를 배제하고 수준 높은 리스너를 끌어 올려 순수하게 음악에 집중하는 것이다.

Q. 당신은 수많은 해외 디제이를 한국과 아시아에 소개한 클럽 문화의 전문가다. 한국의 클럽 문화가 성숙해 지기 위해서는 어떤 점들이 필요하다고 생각하는가? 이 분야에서 활동하는 사람들은 더 앞선 생각이 필요하다. 그들이 지금 어디에 있는지에만 포커스를 맞추기보다 5년 후에 어떻게 되고 싶은지, 그리고 목표에 어떻게 가야 하는지 자문할 필요가 있다고 생각한다. 세계 대부분 도시는 10년, 15년, 또는 20년 넘는 역사를 가진 대형 클럽들이 있다. 한국은 ‘유행’이 심해서 클럽에 충성도가 높은 고객이 많이 없고 클럽 또한 유지력이 약하다. 사람들은 ‘새로운 공간’으로 이동하여 그 공간을 유명하게 만들다가 다른 새로운 공연장이 생기면 그 곳으로 옮긴다. 서울에는 아직 음악 정책을 가지고 세워진 시설이 없다. 내 생각에는 만약 어떤 사람이 이런 시설을 만든다면 제대로 운영되는 것을 보고 놀랄 것이다.

Q. 당신은 수많은 해외 디제이를 한국에 소개했다. 그렇다면 반대로 한국 디제이를 다른 나라에 소개하기도 하는가? 소개하고 있다면 어떤 디제이인가? 나는 지금 East Collective라고 불리는 로컬 그룹과 일하고 있다. 이들은 특별한 무언가를 가지고 있다. 우리는 East Collective가 10월에 런던 Ministry of Sound에서 공연할 수 있도록 진행했다. 이들은 우리의 주선 없이도 스페인 SONAR와 독일에서 활동할 정도다. 우리는 10월 말에 함께 Amsterdam Dance 이벤트에 참석한다. 이번 기회에 우리가 부디 유럽에서 활동할 때 도움이 될 수 있는 좋은 커넥션을 만들 수 있길 기대한다.

Q. East Collective가 해외 시장에서 성공할 것이라고 생각한다면, 그 이유는 무엇인가? 그들의 장점에 대해 설명해 달라. 나는 East Collective가 당연히 국제적으로 성공할 수 있다고 생각한다. 그들은 정기적으로 수준 있는 퀄리티의 트랙을 만들 수 있는 ECI라는 레이블을 소유하고 운영 중이다. 그들은 충분한 투지와 기술을 가지고 있다. 이제 스스로를 가능한 많이 노출하는 일만 남았다.

Q. East Collective 외에 해외 시장에 소개할만한 한국 디제이가 있다고 보는가? 있다면 누구인지 말해줄 수 있는가? 한국 DJ들의 스킬 수준은 전반적으로 매우 높다. 문제는 너무 많은 DJ가 있어 눈에 띄기가 어렵다는 점이다. 성공 가능한 진짜 비결은 바로 프로덕션이다. 만약 엄청난 메이저 곡을 만든다면 그들은 즉시 경력을 올릴 수 있다. 국제 무대에서 활약할 수 있는 한국 DJ는 많다. 그러나 이렇게 될 기회가 주어질까? 나는 잘 모르겠다.

Q. 당신의 새로운 시도가 다시 한번 한국 클럽 문화에 혁명이 되길 바란다. 마지막으로 클럽 문화의 선구자 중 한 사람으로 한국의 수많은 클러버들에게 해주고 싶은 말이 있다면. 만약 당신이 똑같이 오래된 것에 질린다면, 그리고 음악적으로 마음을 열고 싶다면 ‘Mine’에 방문하라.

Q, 파티 프로모터를 은퇴하고 부킹 에이전트로만 일해왔던 당신이다. 그런 당신이 11월 16일 직접 파티를 준비하고 있다는 이야기를 들었다. 그 파티는 어떤 파티인가? 나는 ‘Mine’이라는 작은 언더그라운드 밤을 런칭하고 홍보하기 시작했다. 나는 기본적으로 모든 것을 내려놓고 온전히 음악에 집중하고 싶다. 이벤트에는 좋은 사운드가 필요적인 만큼 나는 완전한 사운드 시스템을 도입했다. 그리고 사람들을 산만하게 하는 큰 프로그램이나 비주얼은 없을 것이다. 드레스 코드도 없다. 단지 좋은 언더그라운드 음악만 있을 뿐.

Q. 이번에 초청하는 디제이 역시 한국을 처음 방문하는 디제이로 알고 있다. 이는 누구이며, 어느 정도의 인기를 가지고 있는 디제이인가 아르헨티나 출신이지만 현재 베를린에서 기반을 잡고 있는 Ernesto Ferreyra다. 그는 CADENZA 라는 대형 레코드 레이블과 제휴하고 있다. Ernesto는 국제적으로 유명하고 높이 평가되고 있지만 한국에서 그에 대해 들어본 사람은 많지 않을 거라 확신한다. ‘Mine’의 컨셉은 사람들이 잘 모르는 실력 있는 DJ, 아주 특별한 분위기를 만드는 아티스트, 새로운 공연을 한국에 소개하는 것이다. 지난 몇 년 동안 클럽 신은 디지털 형식으로 음악을 연주하는 거대한 움직임이 있었다.

Ernesto는 아직도 레코드판으로 연주한다. 그가 하는 행위는 DJ 신에서 아주 드물지만 근원으로 돌아가는 의미 있는 일이고 이것이야 말로 ‘Mine’이 원하는 바이기도 하다.

030-033p Q. 파티의 규모를 매우 작게 하는 것 같다. 특별한 이유가 있는가?

KATO AI 121

2011.11 -

.indd 121

2011-11-01

5:40:46

Q. 작업의 테마에 대해 이야기해 달라. 나의 본명은 ‘사랑’이라는 뜻이다. 이름에 걸맞는 사명감을 가지고 ‘사랑’이라는 테마로 주로 작업을 한다. 그 가운데 모티브는 ‘2D 미소녀’다. 미소녀를 소재로 작업하는 이유는 ‘미소녀란, 사랑스러워도 영원히 접할 수 없는 궁극의 존재’이기 때문이다. 그 절묘하게 감질맛 나는 존재는 나의 뒤틀린 애정 표현이나 버릇과 일치하는 것 같다. 그리고 나는 일본어의 카피도 매우 중요하게 여긴다. 일본 특유의 넌센스나, 빈정대는 듯한 문장 등 그러한 표현과 여자 아이가 합쳐졌을 때, 진짜 멋진 시공간의 뒤틀림 같은 것을 느낀다. 이런 것이 보는 사람에게도 감각적으로 전해지면 좋겠다.뒤틀린 사랑을 계속 전하고 싶다.

Q. 미소녀를 모티프로 선택한 이유는 무엇인가? 철이 들었을 무렵부터 소녀의 바디라인이 정말 좋았다. 비주얼로서 말이다. 나는 자연스럽게 미소녀를 모티브로 가지게 되었다. 단순한 페티시즘이라고 할 수도 있다. 거기서부터 발전해 2차원의 여자 아이에 관심을 가지게 되었다. 현실에는 있을 수 없는, 왜곡된 세계 안에 존재하는 미소녀야말로 나에게 있어서 궁극적인 모티프이다.

Q. 미소녀의 어떤 점이 당신에게 지속적인 작업을 가능하게 하는가? ‘귀엽다!’는 것 때문이다. 내 경우는 스스로 그린 그림이 귀엽다고 생각되면 아드레날린이 나오는 것 같다. 당연히 지속적으로 작업하게 된다.

Q. ‘미소녀’가 있다면 ‘미소년’ 혹은 ‘미중년’도 있다. 당신의 세계에 ‘남성’의 개념은 없는가? 우선 처음부터 소년이나 아저씨는 나의 작업 모티브로서 흥미의 대상이 아니었다. 소년이나 아저씨에게 아무리 ‘미’라는 말을 붙여도 나에겐 별 감흥이 없다. 만화의 스토리를 위해서 필요한 경우를 제외 하고는 별로 그리고 싶지 않다.

Q. 당신의 그림은 섹시하면서도 조금 음란한 요소가 담겨있다. 당신에게 있어서 그러한 요소는 어떤 의미와 감각인가? 완전한 에로스가 아니라는 점이 포인트이다. 노출에 대해서는 철저하게 계산하고 있다. 얼마나 귀엽고, 얼마나 상상을 불러 일으키는지로 정해진다고 생각한다. 예를 들면, 옷 한 장을 벗겨 놓은 것에 의해서 사람의 상상은 몇 만 배, 몇 억 배로도 퍼져나갈 수 있다. 나는 이렇게 이야기가 영원히 계속 되도록 섹시한 분위기를 만들어내는 것이 좋다.

Q. 최근에는 어떤 활동을 하고 있는가? 만화를 그리고 있다. 특히 올해는 내가 기획하고 있는 동인지 클럽 ‘토끼클럽’에 힘을 쏟고 있다. 마침 올해가 ‘토끼해’이기도 해서 연말에 이 클럽에서 전시회를 계획 중이다. 나에게 있어서 만화는 미지의 분야다. 많은 힘을 필요로 하고, 체력적, 정신적인 면에서 많은 지구력과 순발력을 요구한다. 만화를 그리는 것은 나에게 있어서 수행 같은 느낌이다.

Q. 동인지 클럽은 어떤 활동을 하고, 몇 명의 팀원들과 운영 중인가? 동인지라고 하는 것은, 상업잡지의 반대말과 같은 것이다. 즉 프로 만화가가 아니고, 인디 신에서 만화를 그리고 있는 사람들을 말한다. 이미 동인의 분야는 꽤 넓고 깊어져 있다. 클럽 ‘토끼클럽’ 은 미술가 동료인 오오츠카 사토시(Ootsuka Satoru), 사쿠라이 타카시(Sakurai Takashi)와 함께 결성한 그룹이다. 각자의 만화를 공동 책으로 발표하는 것을 목적으로 활동하고 있다.

Q. 그 중에 당신은 어떤 만화를 그리고 있는가? 나는 완전 오리지널 만화를 그린다. 물론 주인공은 귀여운 소녀다. 스토리는 80년대의 약간 에로 개그 같은 느낌이다.

Q. 지금까지 그림을 계속해오면서, 과거에 비해 달라진 감각과 변하지 않는 감각이 있다면? ‘선’에 대한 감각이 바뀌었다고 생각한다. 이전에는 초안 같은 선을 좋아하고, 그 이상으로 멋진 선은 없다고 생각했다. 그러나 일러스트나 만화를 그리게 되면서 초안을 덧씌운 완성된 선의 아름다움도 알게 되었다. 변하지 않은 감각은 ‘섹시한 느낌은 좋아하지만, 천한 것은 너무 싫다’는 생각.이것은 아는 사람만 알아주는 절묘한 감각일지도 모른다.

Q. 당신은 디자이너도 아니고, 일러스트레이터도 아니다. 현대 아트로서 그림을 그리는 매력은 어떤 것인가? 일이라는 생각이 들지 않고 평상시의 생활과 겹치는 점이 없다는 것. 디자이너나 일러스트레이터가 하는 일과 현대 아트는 똑같이 그림을 그리는 분야이지만, 그 업종이 전혀 다르다고 생각한다. 디자이너나 일러스트레이터는 일상 생활에 밀접하고, 소비자나 클라이언트가 있어야 성립되는 일을 한다. 이는 사람들을 위해, 세상을 함께 일을 하는 것이다. 반면, 현대 미술은 없어도 세상이 돌아가고, 사람들이 곤란해지는 일이 생기지 않는다. 그래서 현대 아트를 하는 것은 자기 위안일지도 모른다. 그러나 그곳에야말로 재미나 개성이 스며 나오는 것은 확실하다. 표현이 자유롭고, 무한하고, 자신이 생각한 대로 달릴 수 있는 필드다. 현대 아트에는 그런 매력이 있다고 생각한다.

Q. 그것은 비일상을 즐기고 있다는 느낌인가? 그렇다고도 말할 수 있다. 즐기고 있다는 것이 전부는 아니지만, 비일상이라는 느낌은 있다.

Q. 일본 이외의 나라에서 활동한다면 어디에서 하고 싶은가? 대만 혹은 암스테르담. 둘 다 과거에 전시나 퍼포먼스 때문에 가본 적이 있는 나라다. 우선 대만은 거리의 분위기나 호텔의 미니멀한 실내장식, 상냥한 사람들, 음식의 맛 등 모두가 나의 성향에 잘 맞을 것 같아서 바로 좋아하게 되었다. 아무도 모르게 대만 남자와 결혼해 대만에 영주 할 수는 없을까 머리를 굴리고 있다. 그 나라에서 그림을 그리면 거침없이 자유롭게 그릴 수 있을 것 같다. 암스테르담은 온 마을이 아트 냄새가 나기 때문에 몹시 자극적이었다. 그냥 걷기만 해도 아티스트의 기운을 느낄 수 있고 실제로 예술가가 많다. 나도 암스테르담에서 개인전을 할 예정이었는데 여러가지 문제로 그냥 이야기가 흘러가 버렸다. 아쉬웠고 다시 꼭 자극을 받으러 가고 싶은 도시다.

Q. 자신의 아트 활동에서 무엇인가 정해놓은 목표가 있는가? 일단 라이브 페인트를 그만두려고 생각 중이다. 그 이유에 대해서는 그만두고 나서 이야기하고 싶다. 지금은 할 수 없다. 만약 다음 번에 또 엘로퀀스와 다시 인터뷰를 할 수 있는 행운이 온다면 반드시 이야기 하겠다.

034-037p

Chang Suk Jong (장석종) Q. <Cracker Your Wardrobe>는 어떤 구조로 시작 되었나? 같은 대학교를 다니던 신지혁, 이희석과 함께 <Cracker Your Wardrobe>을 시작했다. 신지혁과 이희석은 광고와 경영을 맡고 내가 편집장을 맡았다. 직원으로 일하는 친구가 한 명 더 있었는데 그는 중간에 일본으로 유학을 가면서 세 명이 남았다.

Q. 크래커의 지분 구조는? 신지혁, 이희석, 나 이렇게 셋이 N분의 1로 나뉘어 있다.

Q. 크래커는 가족적 분위기의 편집부로 유명하다. 장, 단 점이 있을 것 같다. 사람은 적고 일이 많다 보니 자연스럽게 함께 뭉쳐 일하는 가족적인 분위기가 될 수 밖에 없었다. 가족적인 분위기의 장점은 직원들이 회사에 나오는 것에 대해 스트레스가 없다는 것이다. (직원들에겐 장점이지만 관리를 해야 하는 나에겐 단점이다) 그리고 함께 일하는 사람에 대해 스트레스를 받는 경우 돈독한 대화를 통해 풀 수 있는 분위기가 조성된다. 가족끼리는 충돌은 있으되 미워하지는 경우는 없지 않는가. 단점은 일을 진행할 때 직원들이 나를 편집장이라기보다 오빠로 생각하는 경우가 많다는 것이다. 기사를 진행할 때 나에게 허락을 받지 않고 스스로 결정하고 일을 처리하는 경우가 종종 있는데 기자들은 그걸 대수롭지 않게 생각하는 것 같다. 약속된 통제를 통해 전체적인 색깔과 컨셉트의 통일감을 만들어 가야 하는데 가족적 편집부는 이 부분이 어렵다.

Q. 크래커의 창간 자금이 300만원의 소자본이었고, 임원진을 포함한 전 직원에게 2년 동안 월급을 가져가지 못했다는 소문도 들린다. 창간 당시의 이야기를 해 달라. 창간 당시 상황은 열악했다. 인쇄비와 운영비를 모으기 위해 임원진 셋은 PC방에서 아르바이트를 해야 했다. 친구의 부모님이 운영했던 상왕십리 인쇄소 자리를 무보증 30만원에 사무실을 임대한 것은 그런 상황에서 행운이었다. 이전의 입주자가 사용하던 책상, 의자 등 집기 등을 놓고 가서 그것을 그대로 사용했다. 지금 크래커의 수석에디터는 잡지를 만들면서 인사동 찻집에서 아르바이트를 했다. 인쇄비를 아끼기 위해 창간호는 2,000부로 시작했다. 힘든 상황에서 잡지를 만들었지만 열정만큼은 대단한 팀이었다. 수익을 올려 수석 에디터에게 처음으로 40만원 가량의 급여를 주었다. 창간을 한지 2년째 되는 해였다. 그 후 월급은 지속적으로 올려 줄 수 있었고 그녀는 아르바이트를 그만 두고 잡지에 전념을 할 수 있었다. 수석 에디터에게 고정 급여가 나갔지만 디자인 팀은 그때 까지도 급여를 주지 못하는 상황이었다. 외부에서 일이 들어오면 발주해 주는 형식으로 함께 일했다.

Q. 지금 상황은 어떤가? 지금은 매달 23,000~25,000부를 발행한다. 직원도 16명으로 늘었고(물론 모든 직원들에게 월급이 지급된다) 사무실 이전도 2번이나 했다. 이 모든 일이 4년 만에 일어났다.

Q. 운영 위기는 없었나? 사실 나는 운영면에는 신경을 쓰지 않는다. 나는 편집장으로서 책을 만드는 데에만 집중한다. 하지만 운영을 담당하고 있던 다른 두 대표에게 위기는 많았을 것이다. 창간 당시 가장 나이가 많은 이희석이 자금을 관리하는 역할을 맡았다. 매달 적자였기 때문에 형은 이것을 메꾸느라 스트레스도 많이 받고 무척 힘들었을 것이다. 택배사에 결제해야 하는 70만원이 없어서 지하 사무실에서 숨어 있었던 적도 있고, 인쇄비 200만원 때문에 쫓긴 경험도 있다. 물론 이런 부분은 왕십리 사무실에서 홍대로 이전하며 깨끗하게 정리했다. 돌이켜 보면 그 당시 우리는 사회경험이 없었기 때문에 그 상황이 얼마나 열악한지에 대한 인지를 하지 못했다. 잡지 사업하면 원래 이런가 보다 생각하고 무식하게 일했다. 그건 지금 우리 에디터들도 마찬가지다. 만약 우리가 사회 경험이 조금이라도 있었다면 당시의 상황에 질려 중간에 포기를 했을 수도 있었을 것이다.

Q. 지난 9월에 크래커 발간 4주년 파티를 성공리에 마쳤다. 나는 개인적으로 기념 행사나 파티는 열지 않았으면 했다. 하지만 두 대표의 생각은 달랐다. 우리의 성장한 모습을 독자와 광고주에게 보여 주고, 확인 받고 싶어 했다. 그래서 생각해 아이디어가 전시 형식의 파티였다. 우리 잡지는 마이너적인 성향이 강한 잡지다. ‘마이너적인 소재로 메이저에 진출해 보자’ 라는 생각을 늘 하고 있었기 때문에 조금 더 유니크한 ‘생일파티’를 준비하고 싶었다. ‘비디오 매장’이라는 컨셉트도 이러한 아이디어 속에서 탄생했다. 이번 ‘4주년 파티’를 통해 크래커 내부적으로는 지금까지의 자료를 정리할 수 있었고, 외부적으로는 ‘크래커는 역시 특별해’라는 인식을 심어 주는데 성공을 거둔 것 같다. .

Q. 크래커 초반과 지금의 가장 큰 변화는 무엇인가? 금전적으로 여유가 생긴 것이 가장 큰 변화다. 예전에는 경제적인 이유 때문에 하고 싶은

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프로젝트가 있어도 맘대로 할 수 없었다. 자본에 대한 제약이 모든 사람을 지치게 했다. 이제 돈에 대해 여유가 생겨 편집부 기자들이 진행 수 있는 영역이 넓어졌다.

생각하기 때문에 유가 페이지는 컨텐츠 식으로 풀려고 한다. 그런 기획력을 좋아해주는 광고주들이 있어 다행이다.

Q. 당신은 잡지사 경험이 없이 곧바로 편집장이 되었다. 잡지를 만들면서 어려운 부분이 많았을 것 같다. 많았다. 지금도 많다. 하지만 가장 힘들었던 건 자격지심이었다. 에디터들과 회의를 할 때 의견 충돌이 있으면 그들이 내 의견은 잘 듣지 않고 무시한다는 생각을 했다. ‘내가 다른 잡지사에서 경력이 있었으면 나를 더 존중해줬을 텐데’ 라는 아쉬움이 있었다. 하루는 그러한 부분이 쌓이고 쌓여 “에디터들에게 편집장으로서 존중해줬으면 좋겠다”라고 솔직하게 이야기를 했다. 에디터들은 “편집장을 존중하지만 본인이 하고 싶은 건 하고 싶다”고 대답하더라. 우리 에디터들이 어리지만 고집이 세다. 또 다른 문제는 크래커 제작 시스템을 제대로 구축하고 있는지에 대한 확신이 약해질 때가 힘들다. 나는 실제 잡지사에서 일을 한 경험이 없기 때문에 우리의 시스템이 제대로 가고 있는지 확신할 수 없었다. 당시 나에게 많은 도움을 준 사람은 <NYLON Korea> 전 편집장이었던 배정현이다. 시간 날 때마다 나는 그녀를 찾아가 일반적인 잡지사들의 운영 시스템에 대해 물어봤다. 하지만 그녀는 “크래커가 만들던 방식이 정해져 있고 문제없이 운영된다면 그대로 유지하라”는 말만 되풀이 했다. 그 때는 몰랐지만 지금은 그녀의 말이 이해가 된다. 하지만 그래도 지금 우리 회사에서 일하는 친구들이 다른 회사에 갔을 때 일반적인 시스템을 몰라서 무시 당할까 봐 늘 걱정은 된다.

Q. 일본 진출을 위해 출장에 간다고 들었다. 이건 무슨 얘기인가? 일본 동경에 HP France라는 회사가 있다. 이 회사는 매년 하라주쿠 Laforet 백화점의 편집매장 ‘ Wall’에서 한국 브랜드를 소개하는 ‘Seoul Planet’을 진행한다. 작년 행사 때 나는 이들의 요청을 받고 유니크한 한국 브랜드 몇 개를 소개해 주었는데 매우 맘에 들어 했다. 어쩌다 보니 크래커가 ‘Seoul Planet’ 정식으로 초청 되었고, 아예 내년 2월까지 한시적을 편집 매장에 입점할 수 있게 되었다. 기한이 정해져 있는 입점 계약이지만 크래커는 이 편집매장에 입점한 최초의 잡지다. 이번 출장은 이 건을 계기로 도쿄에 크래커 판매 루트를 개척하는 것이 주 목적이다. 나의 목표 중 하나가 해외에서 크래커를 판매 하는 것이다. 숙원사업이라고 할 수 있다. 우리는 수없이 많은 해외 매거진을 수입해서 보지만 수출하는 책의 수는 상대적으로 적다. 크래커는 한글로 매거진이라는 약점이 있지만 비주얼을 중요시 여기는 잡지이고 그렇기 때문에 충분히 어필이 가능하다고 생각한다.

Q. 앞으로 크래커가 어떤 식으로 발전했으면 좋곘나? 나에게는 ‘우리 식구’라 부르는 직원들이 먼저다. 우리 식구들이 잡지의 변화나 본인의 불투명한 미래에 대해 생각이 들지 않도록 꾸준히 크래커의 색깔을 유지해 나갈 것이다. 우리 식구들이 자신의 잡지를 만들고 있다는 생각이 들었으면 좋겠다.

Q. 당신은 컨셉에 대한 타협을 하지 않는 편집장으로 소문이 나 있다. 그랬었다. 하지만 지금은 꼭 그렇지 만은 않다. 예전에는 내가 원하는 것만 생각했다. 내가 원하는 것만 강조했지 다른 사람의 기분을 생각하지도 못했고, 생각해 보려고 하지도 않았다. 심지어 두 명의 대표가 돈이 되는 프로젝트를 가지고 오더라도 편집 방향에서 벗어나면 과감하게 거부했다. 지금은 남의 생각을 같이 하려고 노력한다. 내가 원하는 것을 강조하기 위해 다른 사람 기분을 다치게 하는 것은 싫다. 이제는 내가 아니라 우리를 생각하려고 한다. 어떤 면해서는 더 강해진 것 같다.

Q. 창간 당시에는 스트리트 패션 사진이 대부분이었다. 하지만 지금은 피처 기사가 많이 들어가고 있다. 특별한 이유가 있는가? 솔직히 창간 당시에는 인력 부족, 경험 부족으로 피처 기사를 만들 여력이 안됐다. 지금은 지속적으로 피처 기사를 늘리고 있다. 사실 과거에는 누군가 이 질문을 하면 초반에는 잡지의 성격을 위해 피처보다 스트리트 패션에 더 주력했다고 말했다. 괜히 얕잡아 보이기는 게 싫어서.

Q. 창간 당시 롤모델이 된 잡지가 있는가? 롤 모델은 없었다. 하지만 일본 잡지 <TUNE>에서 영감을 얻곤 했다. 마음만큼은 <TUNE>보다 더 멋지게 만들고 싶었지만 불가능했다. 편집주의 경험도 부족했지만 진짜 부족한 건 매달 매 페이지를 장식할 만큼 멋진 패션 피플이 일본처럼 많지 않았다. 그래도 나름대로 멋진 스트리트 사진을 모아 잡지로 냈지만 광고주들은 반응은 냉담했다. 당시만 해도 광고주들은 ‘우리의 컨셉’ 을 잡지의 부록 개념으로만 생각했다.

Q. 크래커 만의 컨셉은 무엇인가? 일반인의 등장이다. 우리 잡지에는 연예인을 촬영하지 않는다. 연예인이 나오는 경우는 내가 그를 모르거나 개인적으로 좋아하는 경우다. 나는 그들을 다루고 싶은 생각도 없고 궁금하지도 않다. 셀러브리티는 이미 다른 잡지에서 너무 잘 다루고 있다..

Q. ‘일반인의 등장’에서 보여주고 싶은 것은 무엇인가? 일반인 패션, 현실적인 패션에서 ‘멋’을 보여주고 싶다. 우리는 ‘패션화보’를 만들지 않는다. 패션화보는 전문가들의 손을 거친 ‘비현실적’인 비주얼이다. 마치 연예인에게 역시 스타일리스트가 옷을 입혀주는 격이다. 패션은 스스로 구축해야 한다. 나는 일반인들의 패션이야 말로 가장 진솔한 패션이라고 생각한다. 우리가 크래커를 창간할 당시 국내에는 일반인 패션에 대해 조명하는 잡지가 없었다. 현실적인 패션, 우리가 할 수 있는 패션, 우리 주변에 실존하는 패션을 소개하고 싶었다.

Q. 편집장으로 에디터들에게 가장 중요하게 인지시키는 것은 무엇인가? 세 가지가 있다. 첫째, 꼼꼼하라. 둘째, 인터뷰이에게 정중하라. 셋째, 옷을 멋지게 입고 다녀라. 우리는 인터뷰로 이루어지는 잡지이기 때문에 인터뷰이는 생명이다. 그리고 외부에서 활동이 많은 우리 에디터들은 크래커를 대변하는 사람이므로 멋지게 챙겨 입고 다녀야 한다고 생각한다. 새로운 직원을 뽑을 때 이 세 가지를 꼭 보지만 모두 갖춘 사람은 찾기 어렵다.

Q. 크래커의 컨텐츠는 어떻게 기획 되는가? 무엇을 중요시 여기나? 일반인의 패션을 소재로 자유롭게 기획 되어진다. 모든 컨텐츠에 있어 디테일을 우선으로 꼽는다. 우리는 색다르거나 의외인 주제를 꼼꼼하게 다룬다. 크래커의 독자들은 이런 크래커의 꼼꼼함을 좋아한다. 예를 들어 신발에 대해 기획하더라도 신발의 외향보다 밑창에 포커스를 잡는다. 신발마다 밑창이 어떻게 다른지 관리를 어떻게 하는지에 대해 쓰는 것이다. 크래커에 연재되는 ‘ 점심 도시락 시리즈’를 보자. 굉장히 꼼꼼한 시각으로 취재한다. 이 도시락은 누가 만들었는지, 어디서 재료를 구입했는지, 어떻게 포장을 했는지, 어떻게 먹는지 등등 시시콜콜한 부분까지 다 다룬다. 상황이 이러니 어떨 땐 ‘나는 이 사람에 대해 이 정도까지 알고 싶지 않은데 너무 디테일하다’라는 독자의 항의 리뷰가 올라오기도 한다. 일반인의 옷장을 헤집는 ‘Attack Your Wardrobe’라는 꼭지가 있다. 보통 8~9개의 착장이 들어가는데 갑자기 어느 순간에 이는 진정한 어택이 아니라는 생각이 들더라. 그래서 다음 촬영에는 옷장의 옷을 다 입어서 80개의 착장을 찍어오라고 했다. 담당 에디터가 12시간 걸려서 50장을 찍어 왔는데 사진을 보니 기대했던 것보다 재미가 없어서 다시 10장만 가기로 했다. 나중에 안 이야기지만 인터뷰이는 15착 입을 때부터 짜증을 내기 시작했다고 하더라 Q. 애정이 가는 꼭지가 있는가?

Attack Your Wardrobe. 내가 기획하기도 했고, 지금까지 많은 사랑을 받으면서 꾸준히 이어온 꼭지여서 애착이 간다. 아마 일반인의 옷장을 4년 동안 헤집은 매체는 ‘크래커’밖에 없을 것이다. 자부심도 있고 이를 통해 만들어진 아카이브가 자랑스럽다. 브랜드 꼭지는 다 다르지만 크래커 스타일로 컨텐츠화 하여 만든 꼭지가 그나마 애착이 간다. 크래커에서 브랜드를 다루는 철칙이 세 가지 있다. 우리는 보도자료를 사용하지 않고, Advertorial 도 만들지 않으며 제품에 대한 가격명시를 하지 않는다. 우리 책과 화보는 어울리지 않는다고

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Junk House Q. 정크하우스가 사물을 바라보는 방식은 조금 남다른 것 같다. 어떻게 그런 시각을 가질 수 있었나?

2001년 부터 2003년 까지 호주 멜버른에서 디자인을 공부했다. 그 때의 나의 목표는 사물을 바라보는 관점을 달리 갖는 것이었다. 어릴 때부터 아파트에만 살아서 늘 딱딱했다. 그런데 호주에 가니 어디든 하우스 건물이 있고, 보도 블럭부터 전봇대까지 다시 새롭게 보였다. 관찰하고, 사진을 찍고, 라이브러리를 구축하면서 사물을 보는 관점을 많이 바꿨다. 또 나는 어릴 때부터 사이언스 픽션을 많이 읽었다. 다른 아이들이 위인전기나 소설책을 읽을 때, 나는 공상과학에 관심을 갖고 나만의 상상을 펼쳤다. 실제로 나는 로봇이나 딱딱한 사물들의 존재를 생각한다. 그 무기체들도 존엄성이 있고, 사람처럼 똑같이 늙어간다. 나는 무기체를 유기체로 만드는 작업을 계속 해오고 있다.

Q. 그럼 언제부터, 어떤 계기로 스트릿 아트 작업을 시작하게 되었나? 호주에서 돌아 온 후 1년 정도 디자인 회사에 다녔다. 그러나 나의 생각을 담은 작품을 그리고 싶어서 회사를 그만두었다. 그 시점이 2004년을 열 흘 남긴 때였다. 열흘 동안 뭔가를 만들어보자는 생각이 들었다. 종이 100장에 내 캐릭터를 10분에 하나 씩 그려서 열흘 동안 100 장을 만들자! 마침 동생이 재지 회사를 다녀서 늘 다양한 종이를 집에 가져왔고, 나는 100장을 완성할 수 있었다. 그리고 완성된 100장의 캐릭터를 집 앞에 붙여 셀프 전시를 열었다. 그 때부터 정크 아트 컨셉을 시작했다. 박스나 이미 사용된 빈티지한 종이 위에 낙서 연습을 했다. 그리고 그것들을 길에 설치하곤 했다.

Q. 종이에 낙서하던 그림들을 왜 바깥의 벽에 그리게 됐는가? 그냥 하얀 종이에 그리는 것보다 벽에 옮겨서 그리는 것이 작업의 2차 완성도가 생긴다. 그리고 이런 제 2의 캔버스가 거리에 널려 있기 때문에 굳이 갤러리가 아니어도 언제든지 내 작업을 표현할 수 있다. 또, 지금 당장 그림을 그리고 싶을 때 바로 실행할 수 있다.

Q. 다양한 장소에서 스트릿 아트 작업을 했다. 장소를 고를 때 특별히 고려하는 것은 무엇인가? 첫째로는 작업하기에 적합한 상태의 벽인지 고려한다. 흙이나 먼지가 쌓여있거나 거친 표면은 그림을 그리기에 적합하지 않다. 두 번째는 벽 자체가 가지고 있는 텍스쳐의 아름다움이다. 벽의 텍스쳐가 나의 그림과 조화를 이루는지가 중요하다. 아름다운 텍스쳐를 가진 벽은 이미 반이상 작업이 완성된 캔버스를 고르는 것과 같다. 세 번째로는 안전성이다. 트러블 없이 작업할 수 있는 공간인지 알아보는 것이 중요하다. 사람들이 많이 다니는 곳이 안전할 수도 있고, 경우에 따라서는 오히려 한적한 곳이 안전할 수도 있다.

Q. 그러나 낡고 오래된 골목의 벽에 작업한 것도 많다. 그 이유는 무엇인가? 도시가 자꾸 개발되면서 옛날 것들이 사라지고 있다. 나는 그 위에 그림을 남김으로써 내 작업과 함께 시대를 기록하고 싶었다. 사라지는 건물과 함께 나의 그림도 함께 사라진다. 그렇기 때문에

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2011-11-01

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작품을 늘 사진으로 기록하는데, 그 사진 속에는 낡아지고 사라져가는 우리의 한 시대도 같이 담기게 된다. 내가 정크 아트에 관심을 가지는 것도 그런 낡아지는 것들에 대한 연민 때문이다. 이것이 또다른 휴머니즘의 기록이라고 생각한다. 사람이 계속 늙어가듯이 모든 사물도 비바람이 치고, 사람 손 때가 묻으면서 늙어간다. 이런 것들을 나는 생물학적 시각으로 그려낸다.

Q. 작품이 사라지는 것에 대해 아쉽지는 않은가? 내가 그림을 밖에 갖다 놓는 이유는 내 아이디어나 영감이 그 곳에서 온 것들이기 때문이다. 내가 다시 이 아이들(스트릿에 그린 몬스터들)을 거리로 환원시킨다고 생각한다. 혼자서 작품들을 작업실에 쌓아두는 것보다 오히려 밖에서 짧게나마 살고 건물과 함께 사라지는 것이 이 아이들에게 더 의미 있는 삶이라고 생각한다.

Q. ‘내 것’ 이라는 소유욕을 단절 시킨다는 것이 재미있다. 가끔 부모님들도 자기 자식들을 방생하는 경우가 있다. 그냥 풀어놓으면 알아서 크겠지. 나도 그런 개념이다. 그래서 나는 작품에 사인을 하지 않는 것이 대부분이다. 그냥 그 아이들이 독립적인 객체로서 그 곳에 살았으면 좋겠다.

Q. 방생했던 동네에서 그림에 대한 민원이 들어오지는 않는가? 내가 여성이기 때문에 그런지 몰라도 다른 그래피티 하는 사람들 보다 운이 좋다. 욕하는 사람들이 별로 없었다. 가끔 있기는 하지만 대부분 자기 집 벽에 터치하지 말라는 이유였다. 그래서 요즘은 아예 대놓고 공공 공간에 하고있다. 사람들이 자기 집이 아니니까 잔소리를 하지 않는다. 잔소리를 할 경우에는 “물로 금방 뗄 수 있으니까 설치하고 떼겠습니다.”라고 변명을 하고 도망친다. 그리고는 다시 안 간다. 그러나 종종 자기네 집도 그려달라고 하는 사람들도 많다. 그러다보면 동사무소 아저씨도 만나고, 동네 주민들도 만난다.

Q. 정크하우스의 아이콘이 된 ‘몬스터’는 어떻게 탄생하게 되었나? 호주에서의 생활 이후로 모든 사물들을 의인화해서 바라보게 되었다. 늘 가만히 있어도 무생물들의 존재감이 느껴진다. 이런 이미지들을 하나로 아우를 수 있는 심플한 포맷을 생각하다가 ‘몬스터 하우스’를 만들게 되었다. 내 이름은 ‘정크하우스’이고, 집 모양에서도 살아있는 캐릭터가 느껴졌기 때문에 살아있는 듯한 집 모양의 오브제를 만들고자 했다. 그 때부터 ‘몬스터’라는 말도 쓰게 되었다. 나 뿐만 아니라 현재 스트릿 아트를 하는 작가들은 몬스터리즘에 빠져있다. 자신의 분신을 사람으로 그리는 게 아니라, 몬스터나 다른 새로운 존재를 만들어서 그 안에 자기 스토리를 표현한다. 내가 작업하는 유기체론을 쉽게 시각화 할 수 있는 것이 몬스터이다.

Q. 옛날에 비해 몬스터들이 점차 단순한 형태로 변해가고 있다. 이렇게 변화한 이유는 무엇인가? 도시의 건축물들이 점점 모던해지고, 도시 구조가 단순해지면서 도시 자체가 계속 살아있듯이 움직이고 있다. 공사에 의해서, 자연환경에 의해서 많은 무기체들이 유기체처럼 움직인다. 이처럼 나의 몬스터들도 서로 환경에 따라 섞이고, 모이고 있다. 흩어져 있던 작은 존재들이 하나의 덩어리로 뭉치면서 형태가 추상화 되어가고 있다.

Q. 무생물을 유기체로 생각하는 것에 대해서 사람들이 이상하게 여기지는 않는가? 그렇지 않다. 보통 모두가 인식하고 있는 것이다. 대부분의 사람들이 자동차를 보고 ‘고양이같이 생겼다’, ‘화난 표정같다’라는 등 살아있는 캐릭터를 느낀다. 모두 느끼고 있지만 그것을 표현하는 사람이 많지 않았던 것 뿐이다. 나는 단지 그것을 더 예민하게 느끼고 더 자각하려고 애쓰는 것 뿐이다.

Q. 직접 페인팅도 하지만, 테이핑 작업도 꽤 많이 하는 것 같다. 테이핑의 장점은 무엇인가? 컬러, 텍스쳐, 표현기법 등을 계속 연구하면서 내가 작업할 수 있는 재료들을 바꿔가고 있다. 사용하기 즐겁고, 거리에서 튼튼하고, 환경의 제약을 적게 받고, 오래 남을 수 있는 것들을 고려하고 있다. 그러다가 테이프라는 재료를 만났다. 내가 작업하는 이유는 내가 즐겁기 위해서다. 어려운 페인팅을 가지고 고민하기 보다는 스트릿으로 나가 테이핑으로 쉽게, 즐겁게 하는 것이 나에게 적합하다. 또, 일단 페인팅은 짐이 많고 돈도 많이 든다. 반면에 테이핑은 가방에 테이프와 칼 하나만 가져가면 된다. 손도 지저분해지지 않는다.

Q. 머릿속에 미리 구성을 짜고 그림을 그리는 것인가, 그려 나가면서 형태를 만들어 내는 것인가? 나의 드로잉 스타일은 자동화 기법이다. 개념이나 레이아웃을 설정하고 그리는 것이 아니라 무의식을 통해서 그려지는 대로 그린다. 내가 자각하지 못했더라도 내 두뇌와 손은 이미지를 느끼고 있기 때문에 보이는 그대로 표현하는 것을 기초로 한다.

Q. 앞으로 몬스터와 뮤턴트들은 또 어떻게 변이할 것으로 예상하는가? 아직 어떻게 진화해 갈지는 나도 모르겠다. 그래서 요즘은 형태심리학을 공부하고 있다. 도시가 변해가고, 환경이 변해가는 것처럼 사실은 나도 이 몬스터들이 이렇게 변할 줄 몰랐다. 지금은 거기에 대한 의미와 심리학적 존재 의미를 부여할 수 있도록 공부를 더 하고 있다. 혹자는 왜 ‘나의 얘기’를 담은 그림을 그리지 않냐고 묻기도 한다. 그러나 이것이 내 얘기이다. 단지 사람들처럼 관계나 사랑에 대한 얘기를 안 할 뿐이다. 이런 정서가 나의 정서다. 그리고 앞으로는 표현기법을 더 연구할 것이다. 재료, 스케일, 어떻게 오래 살아 남을 수 있나, 어떻게 재밌게 설치할 수 있나 등 찾아보고 있다.

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Badabie Never Die 드린지 오 1. 좋은 사운드 장비가 있는 것도 아니고, 프로페셔널한 엔지니어가 있는 것도 아니지만, 유일하게 내가 리허설 없이도 공연할 수 있는 곳이다. 공연 전 후 누워서 한적하게 잠을 즐겨도 되는 곳이기도 하다. 누추한 분위기 속에서 관객들이나 뮤지션과 같이 호흡하면서 하나가 될 수 있는 공간이다. 백수와 조씨 2. 그는 살롱바다비의 분위기를 만들어 내는 사람이다. 바다비 그 자체라고 할 수도 있겠다. 또 그는 시인이다. 그의 말솜씨는 재치가 넘친다. 인디 문화에 관심과 애정이 크고, 술과 담배를 사랑한다. 이번 바다비 네버다이 행사 때, 순식간에 기획단이 조직되고 많은 뮤지션들이 자발적으로 참여하겠고 몰려 들었다. 이 축제가 벌어진 것 만으로도 우중독보행이 많은 이들에게 어떤 사람인지 설명이 되는 것 같다. 구텐버즈 1. 우중독보행님의 이름은 ‘빗속을 홀로 걷는다’는 뜻이다. 이 이름처럼 바다비는 흐름에 치우치지 않고 독보(獨步)한다는 인상을 받은 유일한 곳이다. 운영의 어려움을 겪기도 하지만, 그보다 더 큰 끈끈함으로 지금까지 어려움을 이겨왔다. 공연자가 자기 공연만 생각하지 않고 클럽의 안위를 걱정하는 감정까지 이끌어 내도록 한다는 것은 쉬운 일이 아니다. 갤럭시 익스프레스 1. 2005년 경 처음으로 바다비에서 라몬즈의 커버밴드인 ‘모글리’라는 밴드로 공연을 했다. 그 후로 솔로 ‘기타모글리’라는 이름으로도 공연을 했다. 지금의 갤럭시 익스프레스로도 공연을 하고 있으니, 이곳은 나에게 놀이터이자 진정한 무대였다. 바다비는 공연의 폭이 다른 곳보다 넓다. 바다비에서 현대무용이나 판소리 공연을 본 기억도 있다. 백자 1. 가장 큰 특징은 오디션 제도가 없다는 것이다. ‘목요 공연’이라는 제도가 있다. 뮤지션 누구나 신청하면 무대에 설 수 있다. 특히 처음 음악을 시작하는 친구들에게는 참 좋은 기회가 된다. 그래서 밴드 인큐베이터라는 말이 생겼다. 두번째 특징은 뒷풀이가 찐하다는 것이다. 뒷풀이에서 많은 뮤지션들의 어우러짐이 생긴다. 언제나 우중독보행님이 뒷풀이를 주선하신다. 소규모 아카시아 밴드 1. 첫 공연을 바다비에서 시작했다. 그곳에서 첫 공연을 하는 친구들이 많다. 바다비는 소규모 아카시에 밴드에게 소중한 기억이고, 지금도 많은 음악하는 친구들에게 소중한 기억이 되어가고 있다. 곧 바다비 홈커밍데이 공연을 한다. 그동안 바다비를 다녀갔던 뮤지션들이 다시 바다비에 모이는 기획이다. 11월30일로 예정중이다. 또 멋진 추억이 하나 생길 것 같다. 빅터뷰 2. 우중독보행님은 독특한 사람이다. 자신만의 기준으로 세상을 살아가는 사람이다. 그는 모든 예술가들에게 똑같은 기회를 준다. 그를 처음 본 예술가들은 자신이 매우 특별하다고 생각했을지도 모른다. 우주히피 1. 그 어느 곳보다 많은 예술가들을 만날 수 있는 곳이다. 바다비는 인지도를 따지는 다른 공연장들 사이에서 떠밀려 공연할 곳을 찾지 못했던 음악 초년생들에게 휴식처 같은 곳이었다. 나도 그중 하나였다. 바다비를 처음 갔을 때를 떠올려보면, 공연장이라고 하기엔 좀 우울하고 많이 지저분한 곳으로 기억한다. 컨셉이 불분명한 인테리어는 처음 오는 사람들을 한마디 말도 없이 내쫒기 일쑤였다. 그리고 바다비는 나의 첫 쏠로 무대였다. 양창근 1. 바다비에서는 목요일마다 오디션 없이 뮤지션의 신청제로 이루어지는 ‘목요 공연’을 연다. 그리고 매달 한 번씩, 시낭송을 하는 ‘일요 시극장’도 한다. 음악공연은 물론 연극, 전시, 상영, 시낭송 등 다양한 장르의 결합을 시도하고, 실험적인 공연들을 제한없이 열고 있다. 하이미스터메모리 2. 우중독보행은 물가에 내 놓은 아이같다. 전생에 내가 무슨 죄를 지었기에 이 사람과 같이 이 고생을 하는가 싶지만, 미워할 수 없는 즐거운 친구다.

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더큅 1. 집같이 편안하다. 또 음악 뿐만 아니라 미술, 문학 등 다양한 장르를 수용하는 공간이다 보니 여러사람들과 만날 수도 있고, 같이 작업 할 기회도 많다. 술자리도 잦아서 참 좋다.

다른 작가들 사이에서도 ‘나도 이제 동참할 수 있다’라는 제 2의 전환점이 되었다. 끼리끼리의 모습에서 조금은 ‘우리들’의 모습으로 한 걸음 내딪는 기회가 되었다. 수적, 질적으로 열세인 한국 언더문화에 다수의 시선이 주목될 수 있는 계기가 되었다.

아폴로 18 1. 아폴로18에게 바다비는 따뜻한 집이고, 우리의 정체성을 다시금 되살려주는 곳이다. 우중독보행님은 우리가 너무나 좋아하고 사랑하고 존경하는 형이다. 홍대 인디 뮤지션 씬에서 우중독보행님을 거쳐가지 않은 사람은 존재하지 않는다고 본다. 그는 바다가 되고, 때론 배가 되어준다. 바다비에서 첫 공연을 마치고, 우중독보행님이 사주던 술맛은 그 어떤 술보다 진하고 달았다. 스카피쉬 1. 바다비는 ‘스카피쉬’가 사춘기를 보낸 곳이다. 바다비를 처음 방문했을 때, 우리는 스스로의 음악의 한계를 느끼고 부담을 가지고 있을 때였다. 그러나 바다비에서 만난 사람들은 우리가 생각지 못한 것들을 현실로 가능하게 만들고 있었다. 이 곳을 통해서 우리도 스스로 정체성을 찾을 수 있게 되었다. 우중독보행님은 우리에게 ‘부부공작단, 스카피쉬’라고 호도 붙여주셨다. 우리를 표현하기에 아주 적절한 말이 아닌가 싶다. 데이드림 2. 우중독보행님은 바다비에서 공연을 기획하고, 시를 쓴다. 사람들을 불러 모으고 밥을 먹거나 농담도 한다. 바다비는 신인 밴드들과 인디 시인들을 꾸준히 관객들에게 소개하는 몇 안 되는 클럽 중에 하나다. 그래서 늘 음악적으로 시적으로 상콤한 상태를 유지하고 있다. 사이 1. 초반에는 잦은 뒷풀이로 많은 사람들의 머리를 아프게 했고, 한 때는 선남선녀의 충독적인 만남의 장이었다. 지금은 우중독보행이 아픈 것을 핑계로 많은 뮤지션들이 자본 시스템에 저항할 수 있도록 한다. 바다비는 혁명의 기운을 만들고 있는 것이다.예전의 바다비는 공간이 매우 더러웠다. 바다비 네버다이 페스티벌을 계기로 내부를 다시 깨끗하게 바꾼다고 한다. 나는 그렇게 되는 것이 아쉽다. 우중독보행이 빨리 나아서 다시 술을 마시게되면 좋겠다. 바다비가 다시 더러워지도록! 미드나잇 스모킹 드라이브 1. 안락하고 편안해서 마음껏 미칠 수 있는 곳이다. 마치 안방에서 공연을 하는 느낌으로 그 어떤 곳보다도 신나는 공연을 할 수 있다. 또 나의 로큰롤의 시작이라고 해도 과언이 아닐 정도로 고향 같은 곳이다. 가끔 하이힐이 나무 무대에 박혀서 넘어질 뻔도 하지만 그것 또한 즐겁다. 적적해서 그런지 2. 그는 항상 유머를 즐기는 낙천가이다. 심각한 분위기에서도 특유의 말도 안되는 엉뚱함으로 긴장을 풀어준다. 그리고 형식에 얽매이고 싶어 하지 않는 자유로운 예술가다. 그는 바다비라는 공간이 단순한 공연장이 아닌 제약 없는 예술이 펼쳐지는 서커즈장이 되기를 바란다. 우리는 앨범을 녹음할 공간이 필요했는데 우중독보행은 흔쾌히 바다비에서 녹음할 수 있게 해주었다. 그래서 원테이크로 녹음한 첫 번째 EP 앨범을 5월에 발매했고, 바다비에서 쇼케이스를 성공적으로 마칠 수 있었다. 비둘기 우유 2. 그에게 술을 많이 먹으면 안된다는 것을 배웠다. 옛날 첫 공연도 하기전에 우연히 바다비를 지나가다가 호기심에 들어가보았다. 우중독보행은 처음 만난 우리들에게 맛있는 닭백숙을 끓여서 반갑게 맞아주었다. 우중독보행님은 그런 따뜻하고 정 많은 사람이다. 더문 3. 살롱 바다비의 초창기 시절부터 공연을 했다. 또 바다비는 많은 것들을 함께 나눈 추억이 깃든 곳이다. 2007년 첫번째 바다비 살리기때에도 함께 했었다. 그런 인연이 있는 상황에서 살롱 바다비가 힘들어지고 주인장 우중독보행님도 편찮으시다는 소식을 듣고는 자연스럽게 함께 참여하게 되었다. 솔솔부는 봄바람 3. 바다비 뮤지션이나 혹은 바다비를 몰랐던 뮤지션들도 한 마음 한 뜻으로 뭉쳤다. 비단 바다비와 우중독보행님만을 위해 모인 것이 아니라고 생각한다. 이번 행사는 삭막해져가는 인디 문화계를 향한 뮤지션들의 외침이었다. 조까를로스 3. 바다비 네버다이 포스터를 만들었다. 물질적으로 돕지 못해서 재능이라도 기부하려고 만들게 되었다. 규모가 커져서 우려가 많았는데 많은 사람들이 도와줘서 결과적으로 잘 되었다. 바다비를 비롯한 모든 클럽이 힘들고 이미 전에 한 차례의 모금운동을 해본적이 있는지라 이런식의 모금행사는 마지막인 것 같다. 홍대 앞, 영세한 인디 음악 씬에 잠시 호흡기를 끼워주는 느낌이라서 사실, 미래는 비관적이다.

082-089p

Shin Hye Rim (신혜림) Q. 사진은 어떻게 시작하게 되었나? 사진은 특별한 계기 없이 자연스럽게 시작되었다. 집에 작은 캐논 카메라가 있었는데 어렸을 때 장난감처럼 가지고 놀았다.

Q. 수동카메라 작동법은 어디서 배웠나? 필름을 사러 사진관에 갔을 때 사진관 아저씨가 알려주었다. “조리개는 11로 놓고 오늘은 날씨가 맑으니 셔터스피드는 125에 놓아라. 초점은 맞출 줄 알지?” 이게 다다. 여기까지 배우고 나머지는 계속 사진을 찍으며 터득했다.

Q. 소녀 사진 시리즈는 어떻게 시작되었나? 솔직히 말하면 이성 친구가 많이 없어서 여자친구들을 찍으며 시작했다. 예쁜 아이들은 사진 찍히는 것에 대해 두려움이 없어서 진행이 잘 되더라. 그리고 개인적으로 소녀같은 이미지를 좋아하는 편이다. 영화나 소설에서도 사춘기 시절 소녀 캐릭터를 좋아하는데 블라디미르 나보코프Vladimir Nabokov원작의 <Lolita>의 Lolita와 영화 <The Blue Lagoon>의 Emmeline를 예로 들 수 있다. <Lolita>는 소설과 영화 모두 좋아한다.

Q. 그런 이미지와 감성을 사진에 담기 위해 노력하는 편인가? 보고 느낀 예쁜 영상들이 내 안에 축적되어 사진에 녹아드는 것 같다. 사진을 위해 특별한 목표나 억지 관심을 가지려 노력하지 않았다.

Q. 모델들을 어떻게 섭외하는가? 처음에는 학교에서 만난 예쁜 친구들을 찍었다. 그러다 웹서핑을 통해 새로운 모델을 직접 찾았다. 인터넷에서 마음에 드는 사람을 찾으면 그 사람에 대해 조사를 꼼꼼히 한 후 사진을 찍고 싶다고 연락을 했다. 내 사진에 자주 등장하는 김인정은 2007년에 내가 먼저 연락을 취하면서 만났다.

Q. 사진 촬영할 때 모델에게 특별히 부탁하는 포즈나 표정이 있는가? 자연스러운 모습을 요청한다. 처음 만나는 사람을 모델로 세울 때는 찍기 전 초반에 대화를 많이 나누며 친해지려고 노력한다. 보통 사람들은 카메라가 바로 앞에 있으면 긴장을 한다. 내가 찍는 소녀들은 카메라에 관대한 편이지만 프로 모델이 아니기 때문에 긴장감도 가지고 있다. 나는 그녀의 긴장감을 줄일 수 있도록 많은 노력을 한다. 나는 모델이 카메라가 아니라 그 뒤에 있는 나를 볼 수 있도록 한다 Q. 소녀 사진이 5년 정도 꾸준히 진행되고 있다. 초창기 사진과 지금 사진의 다른점은 무엇인가? 나만 그렇게 생각하는지 모르겠지만 기술적인 면에서 조금 달라졌다. 그리고 사진과 모델이 함께 성장하고 있다. 모델들과는 이제 친구가 되어 더 깊은 관계가 된 점도 사진에 영향을 끼친 것 같다.

텐더라인 3. 바다비는 한국의 DGBD, 때로는 Royal Albert Hall이다. 인디뮤직의 성지이자 한국대중음악계의 발판을 다듬는 밑거름의 요소다. ‘tenderign’은 indie와 jazz사이에서 줄타기를 하는 밴드인데, 바다비는 그 충분한 퍼포먼스를 하기에 가장 어울리는 장소다. 그런 곳이 없어진다는 것은 몸의 장기를 떼어내는 것과 같은 맥락이기때문에 이유불문하고 참여하게 되었다.

Q. 사진을 보는 사람들이 ‘이건 신혜림 작품이군’ 이라고 느낄 수 있게 하는 요소가 무엇이라고 생각하는가? 사진 속 모델의 눈빛. 자연스러움에서 흘러나오는 무표정한 눈빛에서 느껴지는 신비로운 이미지가 좋다. 스쳐 지나치는 사진이 아니라 몇 초라도 눈길을 줄 수 있는 사진이 좋아서 그런 눈빛을 만드려고 한다.

정민아 3. 이번 페스티벌을 준비할 당시, 모두들 사장님의 뇌수술 소식을 듣고 많이 안타까워했다. 섭외한 모든 팀이 무료공연을 하겠다고 했다. 뮤지션들이 서로 나서서 섭외를 도와주었고 나중엔 기획팀이 감당하기 힘들정도로 많은 뮤지션들이 참가하게 되었다.

Q. 지금 진행중인 프로젝트가 있다면 소개해달라. 김인정과 여행 프로잭트를 진행하고 있다. 국내를 돌아다니며 나는 사진을 찍고 언니는 글을 쓰는 형식이다. 이 내용을 묶어 우리 둘의 이름으로 여행 에세이책을 내고 싶다. 최근 통영과 양양에 다녀왔는데 정말 뜻깊은 시간을 보냈다. 인정언니와는 할머니가 되어서도 함께하고 싶은 사람이다.

김마스타 3. 대중문화의 장르 중에서 가장 개인적인 장르가 음악이라고 생각한다. 바다비 네버다이를 통해서 이런 음악 부분에 연대감이라는 것이 조성되고 있음을 볼 수 있었다. 130여팀이 만들어 낸 경제적 수익은 ‘우중독보행’과 공간, ‘살롱바다비’를 살리는 일에 쓰였다. 또, 무관했던 홍대 앞의

Q. 앞으로의 계획은 무엇인가? 많은 사람들을 만나고 다양한 시도를 하고싶다. 스냅 사진과 오브제 사진을 찍고 나만의 작품 사진도 만들 예정이다. 물론 소녀 사진도 지속적으로 찍을 예정이다.

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POJANGMACHA PROJECT

The Street Stall (POJANGMACHA) Project has finally started. Directors in various creative fields, such as architecture, cooking, sound, and visuals, gathered together to visit street stalls in Seoul and present a performance.

Editor. Anna Choi Photographer. Jeong Ho Kim Pojangmacha Project started when the two architects, Kim Tae-beom and Kim Tae-ho, tried to take a look at the huge structure of Seoul differently through the small, shabby street stalls. Street stalls have been evolving with various structures and features as the city changes rapidly. The two architects called the street stalls the “healers of the city” and they have created an amazing and architecturally profound street stall called the “Transformer Street Stall.”

In order to put life into the new structure and to challenge spatial evolution, Eloquence recruited directors from many different fields to help. The Street Stall Project not only displays the new structure as a simple simulation, but it is also a process to create new culture, where people can eat, drink, and have fun inside the street stall. You will be able to enjoy the one-and-only street stall party as early as December this year.

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Architect. TaeHo Kim Sound Director. Udo Lee Art Director. Snil Yom Food Director. JiHo Jeon Creative Assistant. Miu Kim (from left)

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