JOSHUA MORIN: A travel cinematographer
My name is Joshua Morin. I am a travel cinematographer.
I produce a visual journeys of places in the world in under 3 minutes. I use small cameras to capture elements of a region to describe what it's like to be there at that time. I almost always try to keep a consistent subject throughout the journey with the goal that the viewer injects themselves into the scene.
What does art/creativity mean to you?
That is a pretty deep question. For me art and creativity never had a meaning. I believe it is something that will always happen. People are creative and are always pushing the barriers of creativity and art. I have switched from and to many different mediums over the past years. It is something that needs to get out of me in one form or another.
Joshua Morin
The Scandinavian Runway: Copenhagen Fashion Week 2015
Scandinavian fashion is known for its unique approach of design, which represents modern, eccentric and elegant aesthetics and conceptions of dress.
The region’s largest event - Copenhagen Fashion Week happens twice a year, every February and August. The AW15 collections showcased a contemporary approach to fashion with innovative materials, bold colours and high-end quality.
The runway came alive with the most diverse fashion talents, not just Danish but also international labels. From already established designers such as Wolford and Sand, new, street and classy brands such as Ganni, Freya Dalsjø and Bruuns Bazaar were also to be seen.
This year the AW15 collection featured simplicity that’s about quality rather than quantity. The most noticeable element on the runway for a lot of designers, or the lack of it, was the colour. Both for men and women, the AW15 collections featured their designs with a minimalistic and bold chunky colour approach - of white, gray, black, and navy. Instead, the focus was more on the details of silhouette, texture and tailoring.
Designers Remix and YDE were noticed for their monochrome pieces on the runway. This was definitively the big thing for this AW15 season. Not only to reflect the laid-back Danish lifestyle, but also to show that monochrome and simple pieces ‘go together with anything’.
Layering and statement pieces such as the big scarves, turtle necks and oversized coats were spotted at the Ivan Grundahl and Henrik Vibskov collections. While Ganni and Bruuns Bazaar kept a contemporary clean design, layered with wispy chiffon and contrasted by glitter knits.
Freya Dalsjø was featured in amongst the bigger brands. and offered a close-up of her texture focused designs and fur pieces.
As the Copenhagen Fashion Week came to an end, there is no doubt that the Danish fashion industry and talent is blooming and the capital has been reviewed as a rising European fashion centre. However, looking at the Danish fashion industry as a whole you can’t help but notice the lack of platforms for young designers of the kind that London, Paris and New York have.
Ryley Walker, exploring new sounds
From Chicago, Ryley Walker, exploring new sounds, sung in a deep voice and matches various oft-referenced folk-rock and plain folk styles until they become totally crisp.
When and why did you start playing?
At 12 years old. I was bored and wasn’t good at skateboarding, so guitar was the next best thing.
What was the first tune(s) you learned?
Led zeppelin - Going to California
Which famous musicians do you admire? Why?
Hm..like mega famous? I suppose David Crosby because he is most likely an alien God sent here to uncover all of America's deepest conspiracies and I admire that.
Describe your first instrument. Other instruments.
Shit knockoff of a Stratocaster that I eventually smashed to pieces.
What are your fondest musical memories? In your house? In your neighbourhood or town?
Going through garage sales and finding floyd records at a very young age.
Who are your favorite musicians? Groups? CD’s?
John Martyn - Bless The Weather.
Do you get nervous before a performance or a competition?
Just a bit tipsy.
Something that you would like to say to the audience…
send your cash to Dead Oceans Records and buy my new long player on March 3.
Saturday 18 of April at Sebright Arm
Technology is driving the future of fashion
How the fashion industry implements technology and functional design into their accessories, plus a list of cutting edge accessories.
How the fashion industry implements technology and functional design into their accessories, plus a list of cutting edge accessories.
Wearable technology is not a new phenomenon, nor is it a fad, and it isn’t just happening in the tech-hub of Silicon Valley. It is a global trend on the rise which is actively being adopted by leading fashion brands who are paving the future of fashion with avant-garde designs, which merge style with functionality.
Arguably the meeting of fashion and technology was only a matter of time. Wearable technology is projected to become a consumer norm in the not so distant future. According to a report from The Business of Fashion, the current market of $3 to $5 billion is predicted to skyrocket to $10 billion by 2016. A further report carried out by Credit Suisse estimates in the next two to three years the industry could skyrocket to $30 to $50 billion.
We are increasingly seeing designers using technology either as a source of inspiration for their collections and concepts, or physically in their design and production processes.
From heat sensitive materials and radio frequency shielding fabrics, to 3D-printed garments and accessories grown with magnets and bracelets which connect to your phone via Bluetooth, there is no denying that the fashion industry is greatly influenced by developments and innovations from the tech world.
In order for the collaboration of the industries to succeed and flourish, designs must not sacrifice fashion for function, they must boast a stylish aesthetic with a visual appeal for the tech savvy. The key component in the image driven fashion industry is to design with an eye for style, whilst finding new ways of adding utility to what we wear.
The fitness industry was to first to adopt wearable technology with the Nike+iPod Sports Kit in 2006 pioneering the tech revolution as one of the earliest products on the market. The future of the tech industry is now in the hands of fashion, and designers are working to creating products tasteful and versatile enough to wear every day.
Exploring the potential of 3D printing to create clothes and accessories, innovative Dutch fashion designer Iris Van Herpen is recognised as one of the first fashion designers to establish wearable technology as a reality. Using 3D printing, her 2010 Crystallisation collection featured dramatic printed items resembling body armour whilst her recent SS15 fused nature and technology, further pushing the boundaries with the garments “grown” with magnets which explored the interplay of magnetic forces.
Rising star in Japan Kunihiko Morinaga (Anrealage) is also noted for creating revolutionary garments. His forward-thinking fashion concept “Focus: Life Gear by Trident” is a futuristic collection which exhibits the scope of combining technology with everyday wear. Pioneering the tech-sphere, his 12-piece collection is made of radio frequency shielding fabrics that block mobile connectivity when the phone is placed in the garment’s pocket. The collection has been developed to protect you from the virtual world, so you can “keep your life in focus.” The collection is a similar concept to “Stealth Wear” designed by New York designer Adam Harvey who has created a range of anti-drone clothing to hide the wearer from heat detection technologies with metallic fibres that reflect heat, masking the wearer's thermal signature and rendering them undetectable.
The influence of high-tech fabrics on fashion is huge. Ralph Lauren has also introduced high end wearable tech, claiming to be the first luxury lifestyle brand to offer apparel that tracks and streams real-time workout data directly to your smartphone or tablet. The fashion house has created “The Polo Tech shirt”, an innovative new product that merges biometrics into active lifestyle apparel, featuring sensors knitted into the core of the product to read biological and physiological information.
Collaborations are booming between tech giants and fashion designers, putting aesthetics first to produce desirable every day wear for the fashion conscious. From Diane von Fursenberg’s stylish take on google’s smart eyewear - “Made for Glass”, to Opening Ceremony’s “MICA” bracelet, not much more sophisticated to the Apple Watch but much more attractive - groundbreaking wearable technology is all around us.
The influence of technology on the fashion industry could not be more prevalent, technology truly is driving the future of fashion.
Here are some of the world’s most cutting edge accessories to date:
emPOWERED - Patented phone-charging luxury leather bags
Charge on the go. “A forward-thinking leather goods and accessories brand for the modern woman.” Made from luxe leather with a sleek and minimalistic design, emPOWERED bags is the latest to fuse fashion and technology, creating a chic clutch that can bring your iPhone from zero to 100 per cent with battery to spare.
The Bags That Talk: O2 Upcycle
Part of an O2 campaign which will be able to highlight the possibilities of gadget recycling instead of merely throwing away old handsets. O2 recently unveiled a series of designer handbags that double as phones as part of a project that illustrates the possibilities of gadget recycling.
The inventions, dubbed the “Bags That Talk” are created by combining iconic designer handbags including a vintage Celine box handbag, a Chloe shoulder bag and an Alexander McQueen clutch bag, with old Nokia and LG handsets sent in by O2 Recycle customers who no longer had a use for them.
Strvct Shoes - Continuum Fashion
Using medical grade Nylon, the founders of Continuum Fashion 3D print shoes that are the next big thing in fashion tech innovation. The 3D printing process means that the shoes are intricately built layer-by-layer and all in one piece of nylon. From a digital model, the product is built additively instead of the traditional manufacturing process that removes material by drilling and cutting. The 3D-printed shoe collection,"strvct", uses innovative materials to create fantasy-inspired designs.
Erogear - The Tweeting Shoe
A black high-heeled shoe that not only lights up pink, but can stream live Twitter feeds, came out at CES. Designed by Erogear, the shoe has LED lights build into its ankle strap, which gives it a low-resolution screen that will light up even in the darkest of nightclubs.
Mezzi: Handbag
The future of luxury. Each MEZZI product has an integrated Bluetooth beacon, allowing wireless connectivity between your bag and smartphone, plus further functionality that can be levered through the MEZZI application. The first technology they launched was a unique crowd-sourced GPS tracker, which ensures peace of mind against loss and theft. This smart technology allows you to track your bag from your smart phone – at any time – if you’ve misplaced it.
Adidas have created Real-Time Tweet Shoes, using a pair of their red adiPower Barricade shoes complete with a mini LED screen and processor so athletes can receive tweets of support straight into their shoes. Adidas claims the social sneakers are “the future of athlete connectivity.”
Ducere: Lechal Shoes
Shoes made for innovation. Indian startup Ducere Technologies Pvt has developed shoes that will sync up “with a smartphone that uses Google Maps and vibrate to tell users when and where to turn to reach their destination.” This company makes inner soles and shoes that link up to a smartphone and vibrate under your feet to provide notifications.
The shoes themselves might need some style direction, but it’s a fantastic idea. Ducere Technologies focuses on creating intuitive, unobtrusive and user-friendly wearable technology innovations. Ducere is expected to start selling its Bluetooth-enabled Lechal shoes for more than $100 a pair in September. The company already has orders for 25,000 pairs and expects to sell 100,000 by March. Ducere initially developed the shoes to help the blind who rely on walking canes.
Richard Nicoll and Vodaphone: Re-charging tote bag
For Autumn/Winter 2012, designer Richard Nicoll took a more practical approach, partnering with Vodafone to develop a tote bag that can recharge a mobile phone and features a Bluetooth-enabled charm that alerts users to incoming calls or texts and displays remaining battery life.
The exclusive re-charging tote bag was developed in partnership with Vodafone’s innovation team and merges practicality with beautiful design. Charged magnetically by induction, the battery powered bag holds enough charge to power the most demanding smartphone for a couple of days.
The great, astonishing and wonderful Iceland band Rökkurró
Rökkurró returned in October 2014 with a new studio album Innra, produced by multi-instrumentalist Helgi Hrafn Jónsson. The three year gap between the two albums gave Rökkurró the space to meticulously expand their luscious palette into the beautiful, dreamy soundscapes that is Innra.
New members Helga on piano and Skúli on bass have been added to the line-up and time spent by the bands members between Tokyo, London and Reykjavík inspired Rökkurró to record their first part-English speaking record.
Here some words from Helga, the keyboard player in Rökkurró.
When and why did you start playing?
I don't remember when I started playing, I'm pretty sure it was as soon as I could hold my head up. My parents were music teachers so it was pretty inevitable.
What was the first tune(s) you learned?
I started regular piano lessons with my dad when I was 3 years old so I don't really remember which ones were the first tunes. When I grew into my teens however I started learning songs by my favourite artists. I think I started with songs by Tori Amos, Joni Mitchell and Nobuo Uematsu.
Which famous musicians do you admire? Why?
One of my all times favourite artists is Björk. She always keeps on growing, making every new album to be a new experience, growing as an artist and raising the bar for herself. I'd say the same thing about Emiliana Torrini, Tori Amos and many more. The musicians I admire have in common that they are doing their thing and growing with each album, not trying to recreate what they've already done. Sometimes the experiments might not pay off completely, but they're not content to just sit in the same rut forever. They're making music for themselves and out of passion and that is admirable.
Describe your first instrument. Other instruments.
As mentioned before I played piano before I can remember. I think the first piano we had had its sound board crack from the dry air in Iceland while me and my dad were playing together when I was only 1 year old. My earliest memories of our pianos was moving house and having to sell our piano because it couldn't fit up the stairs. Pianos are so unhandy. The first instrument I bought for myself was a Kawai electric piano when I moved to Reykjavík for university. It served its purpose but I can't say I really bonded with it. Later I got a beautiful Washburn Western acoustic guitar from my family and I now have a smaller bodied Guild acoustic which sounds amazing. My all time favourite instrument that I have ever owned is my Nord Electro 3 which I'm using right now. I bought it at a time when I had no money but it's paid off many times since. It's a keyboard player's dream: an instrument that you can strap on your back and take in hand luggage (although sometimes you have to smooth talk the airport staff a little bit). Knowing that you have an instrument with all your sounds that is always in tune is a privilege keyboard players should never take for granted.
What are your fondest musical memories? In your house? In your neighborhood or town?
Some of the fondest memories are from get togethers at my house when I was a child. My dad would always whip out the guitar and everybody would join in singing. My parents' vocal quartets or recorder groups rehearsed at home so music was a part of every day life. At the moment I live with two other musicians so it's nice to experience that setting again. I think my favourite memory of a live performance is when I saw Sigur Rós play their outside concert in Ásbyrgi in the north of Iceland, only an hour away from my home town. I had just decided to go study music in the city and that concert was so immersive and effortless that it just solidified everything I had been planning to do with my life.
Who are your favorite musicians? Groups? CD’s?
My favourite musicians are many and varied. Björk, Tori Amos, The National, Elbow, Simon & Garfunkel, etc. I also had a long period of listening solely to film music so Thomas Newman, Dario Marianelli and Danny Elfman also deserve a mention. At the moment I also listen quite a lot to Banks, Lucius, Little Dragon and Bombay Bicycle Club. Some of my all time favourite CDs include Relationship of Command by At the Drive-in, Vespertine by Björk, Blue by Joni Mitchell and the American Beauty score by Thomas Newman. It really fluctuates what I'm listening to.
Do you get nervous before a performance or a competition?
It's been a while since I've really felt nerves before a show. There's always a feeling of excitement and uncertainty of how the gig will be, but not exactly nerves. I learned a few years ago that the way to avoid nerves is to be 110% certain that you know your stuff, that it's as easy as breathing. So not much before. But it can happen that if you're not connecting with the music or you don't feel in the zone that you psyche yourself out on stage. It happens to every musician; if you get the feeling on stage that you're not completely on your game you get in your head and in your way, so much that you mess something up that you've done hundreds of times. The real challenge is to learn how to not psyche yourself out. It's still a work in progress for me.
Something that you would like to say to the audience...
Music is such a great thing and I think that everybody who wants to should be able to take part in it. So many people think that music is only for a select few to do, but I think that's not the case. You don't have to be a master chef to enjoy cooking. So to all those that want to take up an instrument or want to sing but are afraid they're not good enough I say, it's never too late. Go for it!
2 Feb - Start The Bus, Bristol (UK)
3 Feb - The Tin Music And Arts, Coventry (UK)
4 Feb - Sebright Arms, London (UK)
Charles Richardson: Rehearsal After Dark
Visual artist Charles Richardson’s latest work is a continuation of his video installation Rehearsal that won the 2014 New Sensations Prize by Saatchi. Richardson has been hailed as one of the UK’s most talented new artists.
Rehearsal After Dark uses a 16mm projection showing the 3D torsos of two figures. The images, distorted and blurred, are layered with bright plastics and other objects. The work flickers on a bright background creating a virtual space. Richardson says he finds ‘the realm of real taken into a virtual space a very interesting proposition’ rather than limiting to solely the virtual and vice versa. The videos are accompanied by eerie piano music that twists the view of the images, creating an audio/visual, surrealist heaven. His work is a good reflection of the current wave of ‘post-internet’ art, highlighting what you can create with modern technology with messages showcased through light creative pieces. As a movement, there always feels like a certain level of irony accompanying it, with a mockery of the digital age. Youthful artists are targeting what they know and the use of video art is ever growing, as shown here, making unique and interesting work with the programs available now, Richardson’s work is a prime example of this.
Rehearsal After Dark will be showing 5pm-12am at Cabin Gallery, until 30th January
subtitleddreams.tumblr.com/
Creating eye catching on screen: WEARESEVENTEEN
How would you describe your work and why do you do it?
We aim to create work that is visually beautiful but also means something, has a message or at least makes people think. We don’t always succeed of-course but our aim is always the same.
How do you bring your vision to light?
The creative process is always different depending on the project and techniques used - but there are common stages - i.e. We always clearly need to first work out what we are really trying to say or communicate, we then explore stylistically what aesthetic best coneys and reinforces that message, then its the classic process of storyboarding, designing, animating, audio, etc etc - the process isn’t 'rocket science’ and is always easier when there is a clear idea that we can refer back to and question whether all that we are doing is reinforcing that idea.
The trickiest part is coming up with good ideas that feel fresh and original.
By George Alexander
ANNA POGOSSOVA-Playful Master of modern still life
Moscow-born Anna Pogossova studied Fine Arts in Sydney. With a major in Photomedia and a flair for the waggish, Anna explores the dialogue between old and new, between still life and fashion.
Would you say your art is provocative?
Not intentionally no; my objective is more playful than provocative. The erotic collages for example, were made up of many fairly mundane landscape images and household fixtures. None of these are provocative in nature, whatsoever, until they are layered in a particular way to suggest bodies. Suddenly they become something of a more pornographic nature. I think that kind of thing is quite funny.
What is the common denominator of your work? Your concept, so to speak?
There is one underlying idea across my art practice, which is concerned with the experience of familiarity in fiction. This is something I observe closely throughout the process of creating an image, or while reading fictional works. I am always thinking about how it’s communicated and read in a way, which makes sense and triggers recognition, regardless of how fantastical the content might be. This is so, whether it can be attributed to the artist’s fluency in sign and symbol, which is learned and handed down, or if there are truly archetypal forms, which are created and understood, time and time again, intuitively.
And how does this manifest in your work?
Each body of work, so far, has focused on a particular iconography, where cultural snippets were abstracted and regrouped to create an identifiable narrative. I approach every series as a kind of experiment, hoping to reveal something about the nature of our collective imagination.
Could you talk a little bit about a recent piece and the inspiration, creative processes, material etc. behind it?
I had a very clear narrative and tone in mind for the H series images, which would borrow heavily from film, particularly science fiction. I imagined a fully realised world, with very specific scenarios and locations, which I wanted to execute (the shipping container in the middle of the road, the cinema, and the billboards), in which the identities of seemingly autonomous objects are embodied, to convey aspects of the human condition from multiple heterogeneous perspectives.
Most of the works needed to be constructed as small-scale sets, which were photographed in a studio setting, and later digitally composited with real-life landscape images collected during my trips overseas. I’ve built up a library of images of various landscapes and skies, which I often pull from to construct my fictional environments. I would generally shoot two versions of everything, one on medium format film and the other on a DSLR, depending on what kind of quality I am after.
Does your work have any connection with renaissance artists?
I identify myself as someone who only works with still life, but I’m always looking for loopholes within that genre, often asking myself questions like: “how can I make the body still life? What can I get away with?” There are some elements of my images, particularly in the Empires II series, which appear to be similar in composition to that of some renaissance artists. I was thinking about Old Masters paintings at the time, and was pulling out specific forms to include, which triggered associations with classical antiquity; the columns, clouds, statues and the shell vase, pictured in Venus, which instantly reminded me of Botticelli’s The Birth of Venus. As I moved further along in the process, it became more intuitive and less directly referential to any particular era or style. I was more interested in the types of imagery that I instantly responded to as having seen or experienced before without being able to pinpoint where.
And finally, what is the muse of it all?
The Moon.
French-Japanese fashion label Maison Kitsuné presents its FW15 collection in Paris
The Maison Kitsuné brand was born out of a very interesting fusion. With an exotic background mix, this French-Japanese label showcased its Fall/Winter 2015 K.I.M collection last week in Paris
The Maison Kitsuné brand was born out of a very interesting fusion. With an exotic background mix, this French-Japanese label showcased its Fall/Winter 2015 K.I.M collection last week in Paris.
Love of fashion and music came together as architect and designer Masaya Kuroki, and ex manager and artistic director of Daft Punk, Gildas Loaëc, founded the brand in 2002. As Maison Kitsuné developed slowly and organically, it now has three stores - Paris, Tokyo and New York.
The K.I.M (Kitsuné Institute of Music) collection exhibited last week drew creative inspiration from South Korea’s pop culture, Moonassi’s drawings and the design of the South Korean flag. By referencing South Korea’s reputation as the “land of the morning calm”, the brand has combined and balanced out workwear and casual wear, together with a selection of different shades of blue. The collection included coats, shirts, bomber jackets, and denim. Blue, was surely the dominating colour in this collection, accompanied subtly by the colours of grey, tan, beige and black. Bold patterns were also visible in their new F/W15 collection such as houndstooth and checkered prints.
Once again, Maison Kitsuné has shown the diverse inspiration from other cultures and brought it together to this latest collection. In the past, the label’s design and ideas were known for it’s Parisian roots and also the 60’s British rock culture.
MINNI HAVAS:The Photorealistic Helsinki Fashion Illustrator
Minni Havas’s illustration career begun evolving since she was a young teen, and later by attending the University of Art and Design in Helsinki. Known for her photorealistic aesthetic, not long after that she was signed by Pekka in 2008.
“I began illustrating already as a teen but more professionally all started after I was signed to Agent Pekka 2008. They contacted me and asked me to join after one of my friends showed them my illustrations. It was when I joined my current agency Pekka they made a selection of my work that defined my style more clearly.”
The main stimulus behind Havas’s work is fashion. “I would say my main inspiration behind my artwork is fashion... But it is more like the things i pick up from the stream (life, internet, friends, random stuff) and I want to make something original out of it. I would describe my art aesthetic in a pop, fashion, detailed, airbrush, playful style.”
Throughout her career, Minni was involved with clients such as Citroën, Diesel and BBH New York. However, currently she is focusing on working with smaller companies where she is able to have more creative freedom. “At the moment I work with small clothing companies that make mostly children's clothing. They give me a lot of freedom with the designs and its creatively a good challenge. Many ideas come from nature and pop culture phenomenons... Colors come naturally and I tend to have certain colors that I use like pastels.”
We asked Minni to describe one ordinary day at work: “Lets say I have to make a pattern design for my clients clothing collection. I usually have many ideas written down in my sketchbook and I try out some of them and send sketches to the client. They choose whats most relevant and interesting and I continue to make the finished piece from that. I draw elements like animals and scan them and continue on computer to make the pattern. One pattern takes about three days to make and I usually give some color options to the client.”
A lot of people in the art industry appreciate Minni’s sense for detail and colours. She has had many good responses from clients and completed interesting projects. What keeps her going is true passion, and love for what she does. “I started illustration quite young like 15 or something. I made some illustrations for magazines and books. Art has been part of my life since I remember. I have challenged my self over and over again to achieve the goals that i've set for myself.. Its a life long process.”
At the moment Minni lives in Berlin but says she’s absolutely in love with London. “I love how London is so versatile. Many interesting creative spaces. Helsinki is always my home but it was time to leave for new ideas and stepping out of my comfort zone. Helsinki feels too small sometimes and i like to be surrounded by life and space so in that sense Berlin is similar to London.”
Stella McCartney is Minni’s true fashion inspiration, and if she could be another artist it would be Jesse Auersalo. “In the future I would love to see myself working with maybe Stella McCartney because I love her design aesthetics. And now that I have done mostly pattern design id love to work with someone like her. If I could be another artist it would have to be Jesse Auersalo, I really admire his style and ideas... and I always wonder how he creates his work. Also, lately I have been really into rugs and textile design and I have many ideas concerning that. I would like to develop my skills further and continue to make the things I love. I’d like to work more and more with pattern design for interior and fashion design.”
AIAIAI Mix 010: HWLS
The 10th edition in the AIAIAI mix series sees rising, Australian duo, HWLS, come correct with a downcast, beat-driven mix repping Evian Christ, The Weeknd, Clams Casino and Tinashe, among many other genre-expanding artists and producers. Comprised of Aussie beat heads Ta-Ku and Kit Pop, HWLS are the latest in a long line of remarkable producers to come out of the music-savvy Australian continent. Check the chat with Kit Pop about their influences, their creative process and the thoughts behind their stripped-down, black/white, visual aesthetic at aiaiai website.
The timeless luxury leather designer ÚNA BURKE
Designer and Artist, Úna Burke is a multi-award winning leather sculptor in the fashion world. Burke achieved her masters at the prestigious Cordwainer’s College at the London College of Fashion, and her graduate collection won the 2009 Design Awards for ‘Best Static Collection’.
Designer and Artist, Úna Burke is a multi-award winning leather sculptor in the fashion world. Burke achieved her masters at the prestigious Cordwainer’s College at the London College of Fashion, and her graduate collection won the 2009 Design Awards for ‘Best Static Collection’.
In 2010, Burke went on to set up her own luxury fashion label and also won several more national and international awards including ‘Irish Designer of the Year 2011’ and a nomination for the “WGSN Global Fashion Awards”. Her work is now exhibited in over twenty countries worldwide. Over the years Burke has collaborated with both clients and colleagues such as The National Museum of Ireland, Phillip Lim, and Nick Knight’s creative laboratory the ‘SHOWstudio’. She has also produces film and stage costumes, for the film ‘The Hunger Games’, where Jennifer Lawrence wore an arm brace that was made for her.
Burke designs are both seasonal fashion accessories as well as sculptural art.
She uses complex leather-working techniques and her pieces are truly timeless, elegant and sculptural. All designs are hand-made in the Úna Burke atelier in South London, with the best quality vegetable tanned leathers from the UK and Italy.
There is no doubt that the brand is very avant garde and is an inspiration to many celebrities such as Lady Gaga, Rihanna, Madonna and Heidi Klum. Burke’s designer collections regularly appear in high end fashion magazines, such as Vogue, i-D and Numero.
Future Shorts returning at Number 90 Bar Restaurant
The first and largest global pop-up film festival, Future Shorts, will be returning at Number 90 Bar Restaurant on Wednesday 28th January.
The festival which takes place in over 325 cities and 90 countries, and comprises a worldwide audience of a half-million people, on and offline, will be showcasing a programme of nine exciting short films at the Hackney venue, accompanied by live music, food and drinks.
Representing the diverse nature of its audience, the sister company of Secret Cinema will be featuring short films from across the globe, including South Africa, Switzerland, Canada, Ireland, Israel, Sweden, USA, Japan and the UK.
The films range from 2008 to 2014, and include documentary, drama, comedy, music, animation and fantasy sequences. The evening begins with the South African documentary “Staff Riding” directed by Marco Casino, and finishes with the Swedish comedy “Instead Of Abracadabra” directed by Patrik Eklund.
Future Shorts believes that anyone, anywhere can set up a screening and be part of a massive screening network and a powerful global community.
Live music starts at 7.30pm, and the screening starts at 8.00pm.
Viet Cong -Viet Cong
Canadian band Viet Cong manage to blend it all into something scattershot yet coherent, unified by a strong stylistic through-line and an abundance of energy. They've filled this album -Viet Cong- with cool but addictive melodies, distortion and sewing sounds together, guitar work that can sooth or bludgeon at will, and plenty of sonic atmosphere. They're making it clear they have the talent and smarts to become a major force in Canada's indie community.
TOUR DATES:
[all tix + tour dates: jagjaguwar.com/tour]
01.28.15 – Union Pool – Brooklyn, NY **
01.29.15 – Mercury Lounge – New York, NY
01.30.15 – Bar Le Ritz PDB – Montreal, QC ^
01.31.15 – The Garrison – Toronto, ON
02.04.15 – Oslo – London, UK
02.05.15 – The Deaf Institute – Manchester, UK
02.06.15 – Broadcast – Glasgow, UK
02.07.15 – Brudenell Social – Leeds, UK
02.08.15 – Green Door Store – Brighton, UK
02.09.15 – Le Point FMR (Ephemere) Paris, FR
02.10.15 – Paradiso – Amsterdam, NL
02.11.15 – West Germany – Berlin, DE
02.12.15 – Loppen – Copenhagen, DK
02.13.15 – Pokalen – Oslo, NO
02.14.15 – Mejeriet – Lund, SE
02.15.15 – Hafenklang – Hamburg, DE
02.16.15 – Rotown – Rotterdam, NL
02.17.15 – De Kreun – Kortrijk, BE
02.18.15 – Le Botanique – Brussels, BE
02.26.15 – Commonwealth – Calgary, AB
02.27.15 – The Artery – Edmonton, AB
02.28.15 – Amigos Cantina – Saskatoon, SK
03.03.15 – Mississippi Studios – Portland, OR
03.05.15 – Rickshaw Stop – San Francisco, CA
03.06.15 – Echo – Los Angeles, CA
03.07.15 – Soda Bar – San Diego, CA
03.08.15 – Valley Bar – Phoenix, AZ
03.11.15 – Record Bar – Kansas City, MO
03.12.15 – 7th Street Entry – Minneapolis, MN
03.14.15 – Dionysus Club at Oberlin College – Oberlin, OH
03.24.15 – Larimer Lounge – Denver, CO
03.25.15 – Kilby Court – Salt Lake City, UT
03.26.15 – Treefort Music Fest – Boise, ID
03.27.15 – Barboza – Seattle, WA
* w/ Ought
** w/ Honey, PC Worship
^ w/ PC Worship, Unblonde
I am Dora x LSFF: ‘Is it Peculiar That She Twerk In The Mirror?’
I am Dora is a curatorial initiative exploring how women interact and identify with one another through film
I am Dora is a curatorial initiative exploring how women interact and identify with one another through film. As a part of London Short Film Festival, Jemma Desai, founder of I am Dora held a panel discussion with Aimee Cliff (freelance music and culture journalist), Emma Dabri (writer and PhD researcher, exploring how mixedness has come to be gendered) and Grace Ladoja (photographer and filmmaker, including work with FKA Twigs) on how women portray themselves through music videos.
The discussion raised important questions about women and the current wave of feminism. With stars such as Beyonce promoting feminism, are young people being introduced to a watered down version of the issues women are fighting against or is the promotion a helpful push to reveal the problem? The complexity of modern feminism makes it harder to define, with some believing anything a woman does as a feminist act. However, any woman having to change herself to please someone or any woman attacking another, for expressing her own identity, is surely anti-feminist.
A large debate throughout was the sexual representation of women and if the sexuality a woman shows is powerful or submissive. An audience member noted that you can sell music and still be remembered without sexualising it. Legendary artists such as Annie Lennox are still remembered and applauded without having to conform to the music industry image expectations. However, nudity and sex can be used as a representation of their art, enhancing their work.
Nudity should be optional but not used as a selling point. Many young artists are being sexualised for record sales, with many people putting their image before their art. Sia’s recent decision, to not show her face and let dancers such as Maddie Ziegler express her identity, is a radical choice within the music industry, taking the focus away from image and truly showing her artistic ability. Her personal choice is bold and powerful and this anonymity being a popular choice for many wanting to avoid fame and be appreciated for their work. FKA Twigs was originally rarely pictured, with her first video Hide showing nude hips with a ‘boy flower’ covering her. Many people originally thought this was a male body and the nudity is used artistically, the image, as expressed by Ladoja, is not sexy, despite being sexual. Her confidence has grown across her career and she represents herself as being in control, always the focus of her own videos, such as Papi Pacify, the sexuality isn’t as highlighted as Twigs herself. There is a feeling of confidence and ownership when artists choose themselves as the focus. Aimee Cliff chose to show Nicki Minaj’s Lookin Ass music video, which she stated shows her ‘shooting an AK-47 at the male gaze’. Minaj’s general distaste towards the camera and self-love is emancipating , and women acting proudly showing off for themselves is empowering for any self-conscious woman to see.
The panel discussion took many turns and through watching the videos many issues of gender, race and feminism came up. I feel it would have been interesting to include male music videos and explore the comparison to see if it’s the industry sexualisation or the treatment of women encouraging this conversation. The discussion will be an ongoing one and will sprout many more topics and issues, however, it’s hard to judge a woman through her music videos. Self-expression is personal but how much control do you have when becoming successful?
Check out I am Dora for information on future film screenings
Edifeye Talks:
The Future of Broadcasting with Boiler Room, NTS, Nowness & Reprezent
The Future of Broadcasting with Boiler Room, NTS, Nowness & Reprezent
Edifeye Talks returns to the Apple Store Regent Street on the 28th January to present ‘The Future of Broadcasting’, with arguably the most exciting panel to date.
Recognised for showcasing innovative and interesting people from the world of music, film, art and fashion, Edifeye has curated the event to discuss the future of film and radio and the collaborations of the future, with four of the most culturally important platforms in modern broadcasting.
The panel includes two of the UK’s leading digital exports, the founder of Boiler Room, Blaise Bellville, who is recognised for creating the leading platform for quality new music, and Femi Adeyemi from NTS Radio, the man behind the online revolution who has ambitions to make NTS Radio the biggest online set-up in the country.
It also welcomes Nowness Editor Terence Teh, and Martha Caidan of the BBC and Reprezent Radio - the UK’s only radio station that is fully presented by young people under the age of 25 - to discuss the evolving landscape of modern film and radio.
As always, tickets are free but limited. Sign up here for tickets: www.apple.com
ZYANYA KEIZER: The next big progressive Fashion Designer
The Mexico City born designer caught the eye of many when her garments were shown in Amsterdam Fashion Week for the SS15 collection. Keizer, half Mexican and half Dutch, creates designs that experiment with unconventional and organic materials.
She began her training at Central St Martins in London, shortly after she moved to Antwerp (Belgium) to develop her fashion career. During her time in Antwerp, Keizer gained valuable experience with haute couture designer Iris van Herpen.
From the experience Iris van Herpen has passed onto the young designer, it is very clear that Keizer has a similar approach in her designs. Progressive design techniques and experimenting with the human body are the main elements visible in her material designs. Keizer’s pieces are heavily embellished and almost portray an artwork within fashion to express dreams, fantasy and the female beauty.
Keizer’s work was also shows at Mercedes Benz Fashion Week Amsterdam, and her SS15 collection explored the fears of everyday reality. Fear of the dark, nightmares and what’s under the bed are some of the themes she explored through her garments. However, one particular source of inspiration was the 1781 painting The Nightmare by Henry Fuseli. This painting was the main discussion about the theories of the unconscious, such as nightmares and dreams. The collection featured many dark, deep colours as well as anatomically sculptured leather pieces and bead work.
The mysteriously, stunning and dazzling Norwich band: THESE GHOSTS
The mysteriously, stunning and dazzling Norwich band play today at The Shacklewell Arms.
The band formed in 2010, finding each other in the wilderness of the Norfolk fens – a fortuitous meeting of minds that led to brilliant first album You Are Not Lost, You Are Here.
The album was quickly followed by 2 stunning singles that hinted at greater potential for the group, and after spending some time in University purgatory with Skype & Whatsapp their only means of jamming, the 3 friends finally reunited to finish off what they started.
Indie electronica frequently compared to Radiohead. The LP was recorded with Jonny Cole and Matthew Herbert, released in September 2015.
For more information on These Ghosts, listen to a number of tracks from Still The Waves via the band’s Soundcloud.
Conflict and Social Fracture: An Interview With Paul Seawright
Renowned for his astute aesthetic and known for capturing riveting scenes of conflict and war, Irish photographer Paul Seawright boasts an internationally acclaimed body of work
Renowned for his astute aesthetic and known for capturing riveting scenes of conflict and war, Irish photographer Paul Seawright boasts an internationally acclaimed body of work. Represented by Kerlin Gallery, Paul regards Dublin as his home base, though his work has also been featured in esteemed sites around the world. While his last solo show in Ireland was the celebrated ‘Volunteer’ exhibition in 2011, Kerlin Gallery is proud to present ‘‘The List’’, a series of new work by the artist. In anticipation of this exciting event, we sat down with Paul to discuss the background, process, and motivation behind this remarkable project.
In ‘The List’, your upcoming solo exhibition at Kerlin Gallery, you photograph neglected, abandoned, and overgrown locations across America. What inspired this choice in subject matter?
The locations photographed are drawn from the public list of convicted sex offenders after their release from prison. The laws on registration in the USA prohibit ex-offenders from living close to certain types of buildings – churches, schools, public parks, bus stops etc. Their address must be registered and made public on an online database – ‘The List’. These restrictions make finding a home in major cities difficult and unintended clusters of ex-offenders have emerged in the post industrial and rural towns of America’s rust belt. The locations in the photographs are a glimpse into that world.
‘The List’ is the third in a series of works produced in the USA. Can you briefly describe the first two, and, additionally, the relationship between the three?
My work has been for some years concerned with conflict and social fracture. For several years I worked on a series titled ‘Volunteer’, landscape photographs made at the locations of army recruiting stations all over the USA. They attempt to reveal how the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan are made visible in the States, particularly in those states in the south where the majority of recruits are enlisted. These are often the poorest parts of the country, with high unemployment and immigration. They are also the states with the highest number of fatalities in the war. The second project was also an examination of how America has represented and engaged with those wars in a domestic context. ‘Things Left Unsaid’ is a series of photographic works produced in television news stations across the USA. The technology of the TV news studio is presented as an allegory of modern warfare and develops Virilios writing around war, technology and mass communication.
So all three are connected by my interest in how these global issues are largely invisible in society, kept in a sort of half light, things we wish to forget about or distance ourselves from. The photographs prick the surface of that normality and open up a dialogue about those things that we find difficult to discuss or acknowledge.
Furthermore, as an Irish artist, what has attracted you to America?
I only intended making one body of work in America. I had made work in Afghanistan (Imperial War Museum commission in 2002) and wanted to make more work about the conflict without actually going back there. Also the involvement since 2001 of the USA in global politics has grown to enormous proportions and more than ever, decisions made in DC affect us all. After spending so long there producing work, other ideas and concerns presented themselves and the other series just evolved.
How long did ‘The List’ take to complete? What was the most memorable experience or location throughout the process of the project?
‘The List’ took 3 and a half years to complete – going for a month at a time twice a year. Some of the interactions with both ex-offenders and indeed those living next door to them were memorable. The work doesn’t take a position and the longer I worked on it the more blurred this became. At times I agreed with tight restrictions and am horrified at what I have discovered and at times I felt great sympathy for men who were trying to move on and rebuild their lives in circumstances that are almost impossible. More than once I would arrive at an address on ‘The List’ and the house would be burn’t to a blackened shell or windows would be broken or boarded up.
In 2011, you had another solo exhibition, ‘Volunteer’, also at Kerlin. How did you begin working with the gallery? How have your two experiences with the site compared with one another?
I’ve been working with the Kerlin for 20 years. They saw my work in a show in Paris in 1995 and offered me an exhibition.
In your work, you tend to focus on scenery and setting rather than on the people that would inhabit such space. Has this always been a preference of yours?
People are absent in almost all of my work. I’m essentially a social landscape photographer. Therefore the photographs are always about people without ever needing to see them.
In this exhibition, you additionally depict details of the various landscapes’ features, such as “plants, fences and water damaged walls.” Did the series’ subject matter inspire this decision?
The black and white detail images are from the gardens in many of the locations. I started experimenting with ways in which I could expand the narrative. The locations and landscapes of these dispossessed individuals were powerful and evocative places and I felt that when I was there working, but I still felt I needed something to represent the darkness of the subject. So literally I returned at night and made these images that could be seen as metaphors for the absent victims in the project.
And, lastly, in what ways do you hope ‘The List’ resonates with its viewers?
The whole idea of the work is to present a kind of surface normality, with a slight sense that there is something wrong about the place photographed. That was often the case in the early landscapes I made in Belfast, normal on the surface with a sense that there is something enormous and significant hidden beneath. I’d hope the viewer gets that in the pictures and that it helps question how we look at the places we inhabit. I also hope it creates some debate about the impossibility of redemption in contemporary society and the acceleration of unlawful behaviour in an electronic age.
‘The List’ is on view at Kerlin Gallery, Dublin, from 30 January through 21 March 2015, with an exciting opening reception on Thursday 29 January from 6-8pm!
Clever, stunning and beauty dream by Teen Daze
Teen Daze is the name used by Jamison from Vancouver.
Jamison has been making music for years now, putting out a inconspicuous EPs, records and excellent remixes that have garnered him a great deal of fans. His new track “Reykjavik, January 2015″ goes between dream-pop, ambient, and downtempo. He is again seducing us with a clever, stunning and beauty dream.
Today at Birthdays. Doors 8:00pm