Awkward Beauty, Midland Atelier

The Midland Autelier, Western Australian’s hub for creativity and design innovation presents Awkward Beauty, an interdisciplinary collaboration between jewellery designer Helen Britton, garment designer Justine McKnight and photographer Michelle Taylor.

Each designer produced 10 pieces for the exhibition, based on the complex notions of beauty, fashion and identity and inspired by the unique exhibition space.

Although the three creatives worked separately from one another, they managed to informed each others’ creations by shipping their final designs to one another. Helen, based in Munich, sent her jewellery pieces to Justine while she worked on her fashion garments in Perth. Justine then drew inspiration from Helen’s work and in turn, photographer Michelle created a visual narrative inspired by the work of the previous two.

Awkward Beauty, Midland Atelier

Helen’s photography captures the beauty of Helen and Justine’s designs as they are placed in amongst the unrenovated railway workshops which the Midland Autelier creative hub calls home. The contrast between the elegant shapes and textiles used by Justine and the crumbling surroundings is dynamic and arresting.

Awkward Beauty runs from 7th October – 4th November 2011 at Midland Atelier, Midland Railway Workshops, Yelverton Drive, Perth, Australia.

Midland Atelier website.

Ez Mi!/ Réka Lőrincz

Traditional methods of exhibiting jewellery are questioned in ‘Ez Mi!’ the latest exhibition to open at the Faur Zsófi – Ráday Galéria. Featuring the work of three of Hungary’s best contemporary jewellery designers alongside photography by Kudász Gábor Arion, the interactive installation is a must see during Budapest Design Week!

Rather than display the jewellery behind glass, the curators have treated each design like a fine-art object, placing them amongst the cluttered furniture which forms the basis of the installation. Visitors to the gallery have the chance to not only see the latest creations by Réka Lőrincz, Flóra Vági and Fanni Vékony, they are actively encouraged to lift and examine the pieces and explore the texture, weight and materials used by the designers.

When we entered the exhibition, our eyes were immediately drawn to Réka Lőrincz’s work – particularly her amusing ‘My Little Pony’ brooch design. Réka approaches classic design with a pop-art sensibility, producing pieces which seem expensive and historic, yet cheap and disposable. Luxury materials such as gold and diamonds are combined with plastic pieces sourced from children’s toys to achieve the overall aesthetic.

Flóra Vági

Displaying pieces from her ‘Jewellerysense’ collection, RCA graduate Flóra Vági really impressed us with her innovative use of materials. Working with wood, paper and old books, Flóra creates pieces which cross the line between contemporary design and fine art.

Fanni Vékony

Fanni Vékony showed a beautiful corian necklace which featured several compartments containing herbs, crushed flowers and seeds. Corian is a material traditionally used for kitchen surfaces, but Fanni has discovered that its durable and long lasting qualities are perfect for producing high quality jewellery. Fanni also displayed an unusual interactive hanging jewellery piece which allows visitors to ‘try on’ a floating necklace, ring and earrings suspended in the air by adjustable strings.

Kudász Gábor Arion

Drawing inspiration from the exhibition’s theme, Kudász Gábor Arion created a series of photographs specifically for ‘Ez Mi!’ which question our perceptions of jewellery and what makes an object functional.

Ez Mi! runs from the 27th September – 9th October at the Faur Zsófi – Ráday Gallery, 25 Bartók Béla út, 1114 Budapest.

Budapest Design Week Website.

Faur Zsófi – Ráday Galéria Website.

LACK Interactive Pop-Up Exhibition/ Móró Máté, 'Inverse Reverse'

With a splatter of blue paint, the independent fashion magazine LACK opened its interactive pop-up exhibition at the Erlin Gallery.

Fledgling publication LACK has already gained critical acclaim due to its innovative editorial design concepts, unique handbag shaped cover design and stunning photography and is slowly but surely becoming front runners in Hungary’s independent fashion magazine industry. For Budapest Design Week, LACK has curated an exhibition showcasing a selection of its best editorial photography from six of its regular photographers.

As we arrived we were greeted by a half naked male dancer writhing around on the floor with a plastic potty full of blue paint to the tones of Adele mixed with The Bee Gees. Intrigued, we got a little too close and nearly got covered in paint as he began coating his body with it before turning to a blank canvas behind him which he ‘painted’ with each and every body part.

Márk Viszlay, 'Silencio!'/ Rony Soltzman, 'The Message IV'

Following that interesting introduction, the visitors were then instructed to approach the canvases on the walls which were covered in brown parcel wrap and tear the paper off to reveal the images below. Some went in with both hands, tearing at the paper manically to discover what was below, while others methodically followed the arrows printed on the paper, slowly revealing the image piece by piece.

Rony Soltzman, 'The Message II'/Márk Viszlay, 'Silencio!'/ Péter Hencz, 'Hommes'

When the images were all revealed and the mountains of paper were removed from the floor we managed to get a good look at the photographs on display. We were really impressed by the broody photography by Péter Hencz, the high fashion shots which would give Vogue Italia a run for their money by Márk Viszlay and the very cheeky images by Rony Soltzman!

The organisers really put a lot of thought into how to engage the public with the work and we hope to see more LACK-curated exhibitions in the near future.

The LACK Interactive Pop-Up Exhibition runs from 30th September- 4th October at Erlin Gallery, 1092 Budapest, Ráday street 49.

For further details visit the Budapest Design Week Website.

Aki Choklat, Felt Shoes

This year the London Design Festival is host to ‘Unwrapped: Contemporary Finnish Design and Photography Exhibition’ at London’s Rag Factory. Designer and photographer Jani Kaila has selected 19 leading Finnish designers from a variety of fields, ranging from industrial design, furniture, lighting to even shoes, to bring a cutting edge showcase to the UK.

Jani states that he wanted to pick the pieces that really epitomise Finnish culture and design, ‘I aimed to get an understanding how the designers work, what their inspirations are and how they relax.’ He has photographed the designers in their working environment to reflect the Finnish way of life and give a new perspective to the exhibition.

Aki Choklat is a designer who resides in Florence and London, and his work combines the best aspects of all three cultures. He loves to use Finnish materials in his designs and these felt shoes are vibrant, practical and fun. Manufactured from sheep’s wool from a small local farm, the idea was to promote the fun side by creating something more contemporary.

Maria Jauhiainen

Another London based designer, Maria Jauhiainen, displays a variety of pieces at ‘Unwrapped’ that showcase her skill of intricate design. Working from home Maria started with delicate jewellery pieces but has now branched out into interior installations.

What inspires Maria? Always passionate about intricate details, she likes to explore the unexpected creations that can evolve from materials. She dissolves metal down and starts from scratch, producing these beautiful delicate yet surprisingly strong products.

Julia Lundsten

Unique is the only word to describe Finnish designer Julia Lundsten. Already a successful designer, she is currently based in Soho and has been running a production line in these extravagantly wonderful shoes for several years. What inspires Julia? She feels passionately about designing shoes that women wear for women, for themselves and not for men. Bright, bold and very exciting Julia’s shoes have been worn by the likes of Lady Gaga.

Mika Tolvanen, Restore

These quirky baskets by designer Mika Tolvanen again celebrate the wonderful Finnish material of felt. They also use recycled glass as the middle layer for reinforcement, producing some wonderfully strong and aesthetically pleasing baskets. Inspired by his philosophy of ecological design, these baskets capture the best elements of Finnish design; they are fun, bright and natural.

Jonas Hakaniemi, Recycled Lighting

Designer Jonas Hakaniemi loves to work with lighting and shows passion for finding the beauty in reclaimed materials. All of his pieces are manufactured from old windows or factories, before being remoulded into any shape, size or form desired. We like this product so much due to its versatility: pieces range from ceiling lighting to decorative patio or nightclub blocks and can give that sparkle to any space.

Jonas Hakaniemi, Kelopuu Furniture

Uhtha Design is a company that specialises in antiques from nature. They state, Kelopuu, otherwise known as deadwood products, ‘are natural antiques.’ Cut straight from the forests, wood that has been dead for 500 years is brought back to life in these beautifully crafted furniture pieces. True to his Finnish roots and passionate about timber, Jonas Hakaniemi has created a range of simple, timeless pieces, each showcasing unique characteristics that really encapsulate Finnish culture.

Paivi Raivio and Veera Kulju

Paivi Raivio and Veera Kulju are more experimental designers; their leather rug and coat pieces are inspired by the source of the material. We gain leather by stripping it straight from the animal and this idea of stripping is taken forward, and developed to produce a very raw item of clothing.

Also produced by Veera, is another experimental piece, this popcorn inspired bowl, a particularly favoured piece due to its combination of fun, elegance and uniqueness.

Veera Kulju, Popcorn Bowl

Unwrapped continues at the Rag Factory until 25th Sept 10am-8pm, free admission.

Contact; Jani Kaila at kailajani@gmail.com

www.janikaila.com
www.ragfactory.co.org
Maria.jauhiainen@talk21.com
www.mariajauhiainen.com

Studio Magma/ Rinko Kawaushi/ Esaki Megumi (Utatsuyama CraftWorkshop)

Chosen from various creative disciplines, the selected designers and design studios have had the privilege of being individually mentored by one of Japan’s most prestigious and world-renowned designers. Professional mentors for this year’s programme include Tokujin Yoshioka, Toshiyuki Kita and Issey Miyake.

Kazuyuki Kawase/ Runa Kosogawa (Utatsuyama CraftWorkshop)

Amongst the talented creatives on show will be Kimura Award-winning photographer Rinko Kawauchi. Rinko is already well known in contemporary photography circles in Japan with her books Utatane, Hanabi and Hanako becoming overnight sensations in 2001.

Also exhibiting are Zoukibayashi, a furniture-making collective founded by local Japanese artisans who specialise in traditional cabinet-making techniques and design duo Studio MAGMA.

You can find all six designers/designstudios at Maison&Objet, Hall 7, running September 09-13 2011 at Paris Nord Villepinte, Paris.

All ARTS THREAD’s subscribers have the opportunity of free entry to the Maison&Objet exhibition (entry is 58 euros on the door). To take advantage of this offer, please email info@artsthread.com

Jewellery by Hanna Hedman, Photography by Sanna Lindberg

Since meeting in 2008, Hannah Hedman and Sanna Lindberg, jewellery designer and photographer, have worked on a number of collections together and are showcasing four of their collaborations in Still-Jewellery at Silke & the Gallery in Antwerp.

With pieces “constructed with the intention of offering their wearer a sense of escape and an entrance into an alternate universe”, Hannah Hedman has the ability to create pieces that are filled with a mix of fantasy and reality. Taking inspiration from sculptor Alexander Calder, Hedman has exhibited work in galleries all over the world – she wants the wearer to feel that her pieces are in what she calls ‘the grey area’, ”where everything is “beautiful, but also melancholic and malevolent”.

Jewellery by Hanna Hedman, Photography by Sanna Lindberg

From mixing fantasy and reality, to combining the sensual and the poetic – Sanna Lindberg has spent her time traveling around the world, taking inspiration from her surroundings. After studying film and becoming a photographer’s assistant in France, Lindberg is now based in Stockholm and says of her work: “My photography has gone from a quite gritty documentary style to still life. Whatever I am working with, it is always important to first put things in a context and then let the story continue outside the given frame.”

Jewellery by Hanna Hedman, Photography by Sanna Lindberg

Starting the exhibition is the series entitles ‘Enough tears to cry for two’ (2008), based on grief and the sense that time heals all wounds and that we cannot physically see the feelings that grief and loss has caused. Hanna wanted “grief to be made visible on the outside. I want the outside to mirror inside feelings.” The second series of pieces is called ‘What you tell is not always what you experienced’ (2009); and has been inspired by storytelling and how you can change the story depending on the situation. These pieces are also based on the truth and if it is interesting, where “maybe fantasy is as relevant as reality”.

Jewellery by Hanna Hedman, Photography by Sanna Lindberg

Moving on to the ‘Human Tree’ (2009), these pieces consist of a series of necklaces that have been inspired by a journey. Based on Mexico and religious folk charms known as milagros, the pieces are much like the literal meaning of milagro – “which is a miracle of surprise”. The final series of work is called ‘Finding dark matter’ (2009); these pieces are inspired by fantasy and imagination and a sense of worry from “figures that are hiding in the park on my way home in the dark.”

All of Hanna’s pieces are handmade in silver, copper, synthetic fibres, textile and paint and are also completely unique and you can see the photographs of these designs taken by Sanna Lindberg at Silke & the Gallery in Antwerp from April 18 – 28 2011.

Hanna Hedman
Sanna Lindberg
Silke & The Gallery

(Left image) Frederik Heyman

In June 2011 a showcase of seven young designers and artists’ work will be shown at Arnhem Mode Biennale. The Sugar House has been put together by Antwerp store ra, who want to create a sense of joy and catastrophe with seven designers all coming together to exhibit in a three-storey house.

Elise Gettliffe is a French designer who graduated from the Antwerp Fashion Academy in 2008; her work shows “a strong sense of fantasy and joy, combining contrasting elements in a spontaneous and uninhibited way”. Elise has produced a menswear collection that has a theatrical element as well as a sense of bohemia, that brings “the circus to the street”. Next to show their work will be a graduate from Belgium Royal Academy of Fine Art, artist Petrus Hereen; this artist creates installations, using a mixture of styles and taking inspiration from a variety of eras. Petrus once said “I like to reveal secrets, especially when they are hidden within daily subjects.

(L-R) Anna Kushnerova & Romain Trinquand

Anna Kushnerova will also display her work at Sugar House. Kushnerova is the co-founder of ra and is a designer for fashion label hide a.h. For the Sugar House show, Kushnerova will be showing work based on research “into somatic experience and theosophical teachings”. Next up is Parisian menswear designer Romain Brau, with costumes that want to make people dream. His work has been found in shops throughout Japan and New York. His previous work includes embellished pieces that are inspired by tribal costume. Also showing at Sugar House will be Romain Trinquand, who will be producing work that is all about “fabrics, sewing, animals, accident, catastrophe, funny and strange, cute and freaky, dumb and cruel, fairy tales and anatomic books”.

(L-R) Elise Gettliffe, Petrus Heeren & Narelle Dore

Independent designer Narelle Dore is an Antwerp-based designer who will be exhibiting her work; she has previously produced work that features “crotchet, patchwork, laser cut leather and knitted one of a kind items”. Her work also includes a largescale salt crystal garden, which will be exhibited in Vienna in May. The final designer of the Sugar House is photographer Frederik Heyman; who “has a knack for creating bizarre situations in his images”. It has also been said that Frederik looks to fashion and clothing as expressions that complement his own visual fascination – his exhibit for the show will include an exclusive video that combines his two neighbouring projects.

Arnhem Mode Biennale
ra

Elise Gettliffe
Petrus Heeren
Anna Kushnerova
Romain Brau
Romain Trinquand
Narelle Dore
Frederik Heyman

Wafrica, Serge Mouangue, 2008; BMW Art Car, Esther Mahlango, 1991

If you are lucky enough to be in in New York before the 15th May, don’t miss the truly inspiring exhibition on at the Museum of Art and Design, The Global Africa Project. If you can’t head out to the Big Apple, then check out their website for comprehensive images and information.

A short video on the website introduces passionate co-curators, Lowery Stokes Sims from the Museum of Arts and Design and Leslie King Hammond, Founding Director, the Center for Race and Culture at the Maryland Institute College of Art. They describe their collaboration in the creation of this exhibition as their mission for visitors to “see Africa differently”. They certainly achieve that aim with the wonderful breadth of creative pieces they have gathered and exhibited over two floors of the Museum.

Mercedes Benz SA Award installation 2009; Olu Amoda, 2010; Patchwork Vase, Stephen Burks, 2004

Portrait of Qusuquzah Mickalene Thomas, 2008; Harlem Toile de Jouy (Detail), Sheila Bridges, 2010

Other famous exhibitors include Kehinde Wiley, Fred Wilson, London-based fashion designer Duro Olowu and Paris-based Togolese/Brazilian designer Kossi Aguessy, who has collaborated with the likes of Yves Saint Laurent and Cartier. Works by these recognised talents are displayed alongside lesser known, but equally inventive artists of African heritage.



Willowlamp, Adam Hoets and Sian Eliot; Ousmane M'Baye, 2009; The Hope Throne, Goncala Mabunda, 2008

The Global Africa Project continues at the Museum of Arts and Design, New York until May 15 2011.

Image credits: Wafrica, Serge Mouangue, 2008. Cotton, silk, wax print, courtesy of the artist, photography by Yuji Zendou; BMW Art Car, Esther Mahlango, 1991; Portrait of Qusuquzah, Mickalene Thomas, 2008. C-print, photography courtesy of the artist; Lehmann Maupin Gallery, New York; all other images photography by Joyce Thornton.

Il corpo Cameleon; il corpo Storico; il corpo cittÃ, Polimoda

During the Pitti fashion fairs in Florence, January 11-14 2011, Polimoda is staging a video-photography exhibition of future fashion concepts by students in the Fashion Design and Fashion Marketing departments.

In the premises of the Dogana adjacent to the Fortezza da Basso in Florence stand nine 4-metre high canvases, representing the new ‘Fashion Totems’, as imagined by the students on the Fashion Design, Footwear and Accessories Design, Master in Advanced Fashion Design and Master in Fashion Footwear Design courses.

il corpo Terra & Detail; il corpo Universale, Polimoda

“On a prestigious stage such as that of Pitti W,” comments Linda Loppa, Director of Polimoda, “we have proposed an innovative manner of presenting fashion through a visual experience which is triggered by the training activities currently carried out by Polimoda and goes on to trace out the lines of fashion development, identifying and suggesting contaminations, evolutions and new prospects. The space in which we have set up the fashion totems is conceived as a site of debate where, through Polimoda, an ever-changing range of subjects is brought up for discussion, combining proposals and appraisals of what fashion is today and where it might go in the future.”

“The styling of the totems was created by combining different objects and creations developed by the students, in a contamination of mood and creativity which together can deliver a key to the interpretation of the future fashion evolutions.”

il corpo Spirituale & Detail; il corpo Liquido, Polimoda

Students from the Marketing Communication course present a video entitled Urban Fabric: A different language of Fashion Marketing Communication. The video takes famous architectural structures and prestigious monuments are reinvents them in new ‘skins’; the Guggenheim museum in Bilbao designed by Frank Gehry is clothed in denim, while the Palazzo della Civiltà in Rome is covered in a Missoni-esque knit.

il corpo Gioiello; il corpo Tribu; il corpo Fauna, Polimoda

“Taken as a whole, the projects that we have proposed within Pitti W,” concludes Linda Loppa, represent above all an innovative showcase to present the work of our students, original and creative both in the sphere of design and in that of visual communication. In effect what is on show here are the dual cores of Polimoda, design and marketing, reflecting the two key and complementary components of the fashion system, for which our institute is in a position to offer a visionary training. It is these young people, the designers and the marketing and communication managers of tomorrow, that embody the real preview of the fashion of the future.”

Further details about the event are available on polimodamag.com, a new space where teachers, students and former students of the institute can make their voices heard, as well as a new way of talking about fashion.

Image credits: photography Ruggero Lupo Mengoni for Polimoda.

Polimoda

Alter Nature: We Can; Shiki 1, Azuma Makoto

Alter Nature is a series of four exhibitions, a symposium and other events, held in Hasselt Belgium on the theme of bioscience and art. Working across galleries Z33 and CIAP, plus the Hasselt Fashion Museum.

The exhibition shows that although mankind has been changing nature for its own ends since the dawn of time, in the last decade developments in bioscience and biotechnology have given this evolution new momentum. Z33 hosts two of the exhibitions, starting with Alter Nature: We Can, curated by Karen Verschooren which looks the manipulation of fauna and flora in nature through the work of over twenty international artists.

Azuma Makoto (1976) is a Japanese artist who makes installations from plants and flowers, capturing their fleeting beauty by means of freezing them in ice, or forcing them to grow in unnatural ways. Azuma also has a florist store in Tokyo called Jardin des Fleurs. In the exhibition, Azuma presents Shiki 1, in which a bonsai tree is suspended inside a metal frame, as well as a new work entitled Frozen Bonsai, where the artist has sprayed the tree with instant freeze and presented it in a specially designed fridge. As the ice slowly drains the colour from the bonsai tree, the tree dies –but its beauty is preserved in optimal conditions.

Acoustic Botany, David Benqué; Morphotheque #9, Driessens & Verstappen

David Benqué graduated in Design Interactions at the Royal College of Art this year and in Alter Nature: We Can, David is showcasing a special updated version of his graduate project Acoustic Botany. Billed as a ‘Genetically Engineered Sound Garden’, David has manipulated flowers and plants to produce music through a combination of traditional techniques, genetic engineering and synthetic biology.

David says: ‘The debate around Genetic Engineering is currently centred around vital issues such as food, healthcare and the environment. However, we have been shaping nature for thousands of years, not only to suit our needs, but our most irrational desires. Beautiful flowers, mind-altering weeds and crabs shaped like human faces all thrive on these desires, giving them an evolutionary advantage. By presenting a fantastical acoustic garden, a controlled ecosystem of entertainment, I aim to explore our cultural and aesthetic relationship to nature and to question its future in the age of synthetic biology.

Raketenbaum, Michael Sailstorfer; Nature Sucks, Merijn Bolink

German artist Michael Sailstorfer (1979) lives and works in Berlin. Creating installations and performance pieces, his works speak about the German countryside, with a sense of nostalgia but at the same time quite eerie. In Raketenbaum, a free-standing fruit tree was catapulted into the air by compressed-air cylinders attached to its root balls. Using a big format camera, two photographs of the performance were taken; one depicting the tree standing, one showing the tree during flight.

Amsterdam-based Merijn Bolink (1967) questions whether nature is a benign force towards man, or merely neutral. On show at Z33 is Nature Sucks – a branch of willow that has been shaped to create geometric patterns reminiscent of computer circuitry as well as spelling out the name of the work, handwritten.

Common Flowers, Flower Commons, BCL; Sitting Yuccas, Reinier Lagendijk

BCL are Japanese artist Shiho Fukuhara (1976) and Austrian artist Georg Tremmel (1977) who work together on projects based around modifying nature. BCL’s work Common Flowers, Flower Commons on show at Z33 consists of a bunch of blue carnations surrounded by seedbeds, in which pieces of the bouquet are cultivated as nutrients. This particular type of carnation was the first ever genetically modified flower to become available on the consumer market. The work raises questions such as ‘Can one own nature?’ and ‘What would happen if DIY enthusiasts started designing such flowers?’

Cellularity, James King; Growth Pattern, Allison Kudla

James King studied Design Interactions at the Royal College of Art and his project Cellularity examines questions surrounding life and death, ‘When exactly does something become a living thing?’ and ‘How many functions must it be able to carry out before we consider it “alive”?’

Curator Karen Verschooren says: ‘Conjuring genetic material out of nothing, or growing human skin in a laboratory; it may sound like futuristic science fiction, but this is our new reality. Bioscience and biotechnology have been planting the seeds of a new revolution. Following on from the digital revolution, which was inspired by ICT developments, the biological revolution is now being heralded; a revolution, some might say, that’s set to make the digital revolution look like child’s play.

‘Trying to identify the possible impact of these bio-scientific and technological developments gives rise to all sorts of questions: What is nature? What is human? What is life? How will these new technologies and applications influence our everyday life? What new values and norms will be generated? What forms of interaction will become standard? But this evolution also prompts us to look back, because after all, humans have been influencing nature for thousands of years. Artists and designers are now tackling these and other questions; they’re contextualising things, trying to formulate answers or ask new questions. It’s these people whose work is on show in the Alter Nature exhibitions.’

Alter Nature: We Can runs at Z33 from November 21 2010 to March 13 2011.
Azuma Makoto
Driessens & Verstappen
David Benqué
Michael Sailstorfer
Merijn Bolink
BCL
James King