vhcle InSIDE Issue 08 Thanks for the Memories, R.E.M. / Late For the Party – A Personal Expedition Through Early-90s East Coast Hip-Hop / The Continuing Art of Bronze Casting / The Dark Side of Design / Vhcle Woman – Jaqueline Coulon / Jessica Durrant / Dieter Rams / Bruce Mai / Matt Wisniewski www.vhcle.com
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ISSUE 08 dEc 2011 VHclE MAGAZInE
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Dieter Rams / 10 Principles of Good Design
Good design is innovative The possibilities for innovation are not, by any means, exhausted. Technological development is always offering new opportunities for innovative design. But innovative design always develops in tandem with innovative technology, and can never be an end in itself.
Good design is long-lasting It avoids being fashionable and therefore never appears antiquated. Unlike fashionable design, it lasts many years – even in today’s throwaway society.*
*widow intended
Good design makes a product useful A product is bought to be used. It has to satisfy certain criteria, not only functional, but also psychological and aesthetic. Good design emphasises the usefulness of a product whilst disregarding anything that could possibly detract from it.
Good design is aesthetic The aesthetic quality of a product is integral to its usefulness because products we use everyday affect our person and our well-being. But only well-executed objects can be beautiful.
Good design is thorough, down to the last detail
Good design is environmentally-friendly
Nothing must be arbitrary or left to chance. Care and accuracy in the design process show respect towards the consumer.
Design makes an important contribution to the preservation of the environment. It conserves resources and minimizes physical and visual pollution throughout the lifecycle of the product.
Good design makes a product understandable It clarifies the product’s structure. Better still, it can make the product talk. At best, it is self-explanatory.
Good design is unobtrusive
Good design is honest
Products fulfilling a purpose are like tools. They are neither decorative objects nor works of art. Their design should therefore be both neutral and restrained, to leave room for the user’s self-expression.
It does not make a product more innovative, powerful or valuable than it really is. It does not attempt to manipulate the consumer with promises that cannot be kept.
Good design is as little design as possible Less, but better – because it concentrates on the essential aspects, and the products are not burdened with non-essentials. Back to purity, back to simplicity.
Continue on page 52 for feature
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VHCLE FEAT. ARTISTS A / JESSIcA dURAnt, p38 B / RAOUl ORtEGA - dIEtER RAMS, p52 c / BRUcE MAI, p66 d / MAtt WISnIEWSKI, p84
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CONTENTS Vhcle Magazine Issue 08
034-037 VHclE WOMAn Recommendations by Jacqueline Coulon
ART MUSIC FILM PHOTOGRAPHY
038-051 Illustrator – Q&A with Jessica durrant, Interviewed by Ashley B. Holmes
DESIGN FASHION LIFE/POLITICS
052-065 less and More: The design Ethos of dieter Rams, By Raoul Ortega
REVIEWS
066-083 Graphic designer – Q&A with Bruce Mai
006 cOntEntS 007 MAStHEAd 008 - 009 cOntRIBUtORS --
010-013 Thanks for the Memories, R.E.M. By Matt Foster 014-019 late for the Party – A Personal Expedition Through Early-90s East coast Hip-Hop By Marc Ingber 020-027 The continuing Art of Bronze casting By Tim Sunderman 028-033 The dark Side of design By Natalie Basurto
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084-095 Illustrator – Q&A with Matt Wisniewski
Vhcle Magazine Issue 08
Charlie Lee / Founding director charlie@vhcle.com EdItORIAl
-Vhcle Magazine tel: USA +1 415.364.8568 contact@vhcle.com
Cassie Lee / Founding Editor cassie@vhcle.com
Facebook: Vhcle Mag twitter: @vhcle
Jamie Thunder / Sub-Editor jamie@vhcle.com dESIGnERS Raoul Ortega / Visual director
-Published by charlie lee: Vhcle Magazine, www.vhcle.com Vhcle.com designed by charlie lee
raoul@vhcle.com Bruce Mai / Visual designer bruce@vhcle.com MARKEtInG Jonathan Young / Marketing, Vhcle Reports jonathan@vhcle.com cOntRIBUtORS natalie Basurto / Writer Jessica Durrant / Illustrator
All content copyright 2011. All rights reserved. Without limiting rights under copyright reserved above, no part of this publication may be reproduced without the prior written permission from both the copyright owner and the publisher of this magazine. Vhcle Magazine is not responsible for the return or loss of, or for any damage or injury to, any unsolicited manuscripts or artwork.
Matt Foster / Writer Marc Ingber / Writer Bruce Mai / designer Raoul Ortega / Photographer tim Sunderman / Writer Matt Wisniewski / Illustrator
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cOntRIBUtORS
ALPHABETICALLY BY LAST NAME
VHCLE — SACRAMENTO, CALIFORNIA
NATAlIe BAsuRTO / WRITeR Natalie is a senior at sacramento state university who is about to receive her degree in journalism this spring. she loves anything that has to do with fashion, beauty and music. she also loves to travel the world, go dancing and meet new people.
VHCLE — ATLANTA, GEORGIA
JessIcA DuRRANT / IllusTRATOR Jessica Durrant is a freelance illustrator and art instructor from las vegas who recently moved to Atlanta. she studied Illustration at southern utah university where she received her Bachelor’s. Durrant teaches art classes in Kennesaw, Georgia and has taught painting courses in Tempe, Arizona and West chester, PA. Durrant’s art is inspired by her passion for traveling, fashion design, indie music, graphic arts, Japanese Illustration, vintage fashion magazines, and fellow artisans. You can find more of her artwork at www.jessicaillustration.etsy.com or send her an email at jessillustration@gmail.com. her website can be found at: www.jessicadurrant.com VHCLE —
MATT FOsTeR / WRITeR Matt Foster is a freelancer, former NMe and Independent on sunday intern. VHCLE — MINNEAPOLIS, MINNESOTA
MARc INGBeR / WRITeR Marc Ingber is a journalist with sun Newspapers, based in Minneapolis, MN. he was born and raised in the Twin cities and attended journalism school at the university of Kansas. his primary interests include rock n’ roll, movies, food and drink, the Minnesota vikings and the Minnesota Twins – probably in that order.
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VHCLE — SACRAMENTO, CALIFORNIA
BRuce MAI / DesIGNeR systematic, precise and logic design sensibility. Affinity for typography, strong grid use and minimalism. Inspired by rhythms of sound and vision. Bruce Mai is is a graphic designer interested in brand experience and design strategy. VHCLE — SACRAMENTO, CALIFORNIA
RAOul ORTeGA / PhOTOGRAPheR Raoul Ortega is a sacramento based visual composer comprising of skills in the disciplines of graphic design and photography. Inspired by the sounds, textures and colors of everyday simple occurrences and most of all the quality moments he shares with his son, Raoul, lives each day to the fullest. he is a storyteller when it comes to his work and expresses nostalgia in the compositions he creates. his ambitions for the future of our visual culture have him working hard to do his part in shaping it. www.jetstreamprojector.com VHCLE — SAN FRANCISCO, CALIFORNIA
TIM suNDeRMAN / WRITeR A graphic designer in the san Francisco Bay Area whose first love is drawing and painting, tries to avoid computers until there is no other recourse, and because there is no other recourse, yearns for the open spaces.Tim is a graduate from the Academy of Art in san Francisco, and majored in Philosophy at the university of Pittsburgh. he is a college art and design instructor and freelance artist. www.timsunderman.com VHCLE — PHILADELPHIA, PENNSYLVANIA
MATT WIsNIeWsKI / IllusTRATOR Matt is a self-taught collage artist and web developer born and raised in Philadelphia. he is finishing up a computer science degree at Rochester Institute of Technology and working as a web developer. he has experimented with various artistic media for most of is life. The experience gained from this interest and the wealth of creative imagery on display on the web inspired him to create something new.
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THANKS FOR THE MEMORIES,
R.E.M. WRItER
MAtt FOStER -december 2011 Vhcle Magazine Issue 8, pp10-13
As the band announce their split, Matt Foster defends late-period R.E.M. and praises a band who always did it their way tWO SIGnIFIcAnt music-fan things happened to me today: I sold my entire cd collection – 250 plus – to save money for the new life I’m about to start as a grown-up in london. And R.E.M. split up. It feels like something’s passed.
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/ ThANKs FOR The MeMORIes, R.e.M.
It’s popular to trash R.E.M. for carrying on after original drummer Bill Berry left in 1998, but I can’t do it. After the success of Automatic for the People, I think a lot of people fashioned an imaginary R.E.M., one who had always created faultless records, who had arrived fully formed in 1991 with Losing my Religion and a desire to conquer the world. But Out of Time, their breakthrough lP that that massive international hit is drawn from, was their seventh. They’d toured for a decade, released a record a year, worked themselves to the bone and reinvented themselves with every record before they cracked it. They deserved success.
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And let’s not forget, they were fucking weird. Singer Michael Stipe made no sense on first listen, if you could even hear him. Bassist Mike Mills refused to lock his instrument into predictable patterns, Peter Buck didn’t ‘do’ solos, and Bill Berry the drummer (yes, the drummer) was a stunning melodist. They were, in so many ways, the most unlikely band to ever make it big, growing and shifting as fans listened along, refusing to stand still.
hugely pretty) Up were not the R.E.M. of Shiny Happy People or Everybody Hurts. Finally, R.E.M. sucked! An indie band who’d dared to dream big were finally impeachable. Sharpen the knives.
Berry leaving the band after New Adventures in Hi-Fi (a sprawling, on-tour record that still stands tall in their catalogue today) could have so easily been the end. It would have been neat and it would have ‘secured their legacy’. The promo shots with three members must have looked all wrong to fans who grew up with the four-piece. The alien noises of the sluggish (but
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But had R.E.M. quit in ’98, I’d not have had the life-affirming Walk Unafraid or the sleazy, weirdo Lotus. I’d have missed The Lifting, a bath of electronic whirrs and pulses that still gives me shivers or hell, even, a personal favourite, Electron Blue from the 2004 critical and commercial low-point Around the Sun. The hits dried up (or rather, they stopped trying to make any) and the album quality varied as the band got older, less cool and Peter Buck got arrested for hurling yoghurt at an air hostess. But strangely, the last decade of their career made R.E.M. seem, to me, more human.
/ ThANKs FOR The MeMORIes, R.e.M.
Imagine the alternative. Buoyed by the success of Automatic for the People, a lesser band would have repeated it until the end of time, churning out rehashes and becoming another U2. R.E.M. just kept trying to do something different, retreating back to cult status seemingly unconcerned about what anyone else thought. The final double-punch of Accelerate and Collapse into Now were as close as they got to nostalgia, or a ‘return to form’, proving that if they really wanted to, they could just be R.E.M. They spent most of their three decades messing up or masking their signature sound, running from themselves and playing with audience expectations, doing the only thing they ever knew how to do, all while being thoroughly solid guys, lifelong friends and gracious performers. 31 years, 15 records, and maybe two
that I wouldn’t pick up for a regular spin. That’s a pretty remarkable legacy to leave. So, as my cds head off to a warehouse to be flogged for a much higher price than I paid for them, and as a nagging voice in my head says, as I get older, music might be starting to mean just that little bit less, I will keep that stack of crystal clear memories, beautiful tunes and the knowledge that, for a few years, music was what I got up for. Thanks, R.E.M., for carrying on and for being a massive part of that. All the best. --
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A Personal Expedition Through Early-90s East Coast Hip-hop writer
Marc Ingber -December 2011 Vhcle Magazine Issue 8, pp14-19
I certainly didn’t know it at the time, but a chance encounter I had a few years ago with the Ghostface Killah ended up being something of a lifealtering experience. I use the term “chance encounter” because I didn’t really go out of my way to check him out. My friend had given me a few albums that he recently acquired and Ghostface’s 2006 album, Fishscale, happened to be one of them. As a casual hip-hop fan, all I knew about Ghostface was that he was a member of the Wu-Tang Clan, the martial-arts-obsessed hip-hop collective whose heyday was back in the early ‘90s – around the time I was going through puberty. I thought it was odd he was still even on the scene, much less getting good reviews for Fishscale.
Needless to say, I was hooked from the get-go. It’s tough rationalizing why and when I take a liking to something, but there was no doubt he was on a completely different plane than pretty much any other rapper when it came to his storytelling ability, lyrics and flow. It’s not that his subject matter of street life, drug deals, MC bragging and female encounters was all that different from many other MCs. But his bizarre freeform, stream-of-conscious story rhymes coupled with a hyper, over-caffeinated delivery was unlike anything I had heard. It was like the hip-hop version of reading Beat generation writers like Jack Kerouac and William S. Burroughs.
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I couldn’t get over how this guy had been rapping since I was in sixth grade and I didn’t discover him until I was close to 30. Naturally, I wanted to check out some of his older stuff. I figured if this is what Ghostface sounded like when he was approaching 40, what he was doing 15 years prior was probably even better. And I was not proven wrong. But my musical expedition didn’t stop with him. In fact, Ghostface was just the tip of the iceberg. What started with him became an obsession that grew to encompass the rest of the Wu-Tang Clan and a whole slew of other MCs and producers from New York’s early ‘90s hip-hop scene. With a little online research, I kept discovering more and more artists I previously had never heard of – Big L, Organized Konfusion, O.C., Smif-n-Wessun, Showbiz and A.G., etc. And they were all sickeningly good compared to just about any hip-hop I’ve heard. For a music geek like myself, it was like discovering a lost city of Atlantis. Truth be told, for hardcore hip-hop fans, none of this is a revelation.
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“Discovering” that the Wu-Tang Clan’s early years were amazing is sort of like a new rock fan remarking that Led Zeppelin were actually pretty good. But the beauty about it was that it was all new to me. I was always ahead of the curve as a teen when it came to the “cool alternative bands”. Thanks to the knowledge of an older cousin and friend, I was discovering bands like Modest Mouse and Kraftwerk years before most of my peers. But I’m not too proud to admit I was a bit of a dunce when it came to hip-hop, for reasons I will detail below. Nevertheless, I am a dunce no more. In an ironic twist of fate, the music I felt was far too stupid to listen to as a 13-year-old I’ve become enamored with as I approach 30 with a wife and newborn baby. I certainly don’t like all hip-hop – most of my favorite albums center specifically on the stuff that was coming out of New York circa ‘92-’96. But I have much more respect for it, to say the least. The whole process has turned me into something of an amateur hiphop historian. From the Old School
to the Golden Age to the rise of gangsta rap and beyond, I’ve learned what I was hearing on the radio for most of my life was just scratching the surface of hiphop. I may have spent the majority of my early music-listening years actively avoiding this type of music, but I now listen to almost nothing but.
The Early Years My adolescent years coincided with the heart of the East Coast vs. West Coast hip-hop rivalry in the early 90s. As far as I knew, that’s all hip-hop was – rappers from L.A. threatening to kill their rivals from New York and/or sleep with their wives and girlfriends. For whatever reason, the rivalry was a big deal at the time with boys my age. I remember ridiculous lunch room debates at my suburban, mostly white, junior high in the Twin Cities over which side people supported. Personally, I didn’t care much at the time because I didn’t listen to rap. I was heavily into grunge and alternative bands and rap just seemed stupid to me.
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But as I got older and into more genres of music, my opinion mellowed a bit. In college, I retroactively discovered songs like the Notorious B.I.G.’s Juicy and Nas’ The World is Yours and started to grasp that there was actually was an art form to putting together verses and crafting beats out of samples. My CD collection grew to include a few of the staples that are in any casual hip-hop fan’s diet – The Chronic, Doggystyle, Illmatic, Ready to Die and a few more. But much like owning Bob Marley’s Legend album doesn’t make you an authority on reggae, I was still a relative lightweight. The other thing I was exposed to in college was a slew of “socially conscious” MCs, like Mos Def, Common, The Roots and Talib Kweli, who sat a little outside the mainstream. Though I like many of these artists, they’ve never had quite the visceral impact on me I’ve found with other MCs. At times I feel like I’m getting a lecture when I listen to them, whether it is about a political issue, the lack of pureness in modern hip-
hop or something else. Hip-hop, like rock n’ roll, is generally best when it isn’t overly pretentious. It wasn’t until I heard Ghostface and subsequently the rest of the Wu-Tang Clan did I find something that combined the wit and verbal dexterity of the socially conscious MCs with the wish-fulfilment fantasy of gangsta rap that draws many suburban-raised folk like myself to this genre in the first place.
Entering the 36 Chambers The Wu-Tang Clan are one of those odd phenomena where just about everyone has heard of them, but not many can name more than one or two of their songs, if that. For newbies, here are the basics: The clan consists of nine MCs from the slums of New York who “formed like Voltron” in Staten Island in the early 90s. Though large posses are not uncommon in hip-hop,most of the time they consist of one or two skilled MCs and about four or five other “rappers” who happened to grow up on the same block as them.
The Wu-Tang Clan are a different story. They feature an embarrassment of riches in mic skills, where even the lesser talented ones are better than most rappers. Three of them - the GZA, Raekwon and Ghostface - are typically cited as some of the greatest MCs of all time, and that’s not to mention the underrated Inspectah Deck and the two most well known members - Method Man and Ol’ Dirty Bastard. They formed under de facto leader, producer and beat maker, the RZA, who founded the group with his cousins, the GZA and Ol’ Dirty Bastard. The plan from the start was to release a group album, Enter the Wu-Tang: 36 Chambers, to introduce the group’s varying personalities and then for each member to get his own showcase in the form of a solo album. The first round of solo albums don’t differ much from Enter the Wu-Tang since all the other members make guest appearances on each of them and RZA continued to produce all the beats. Taken as a whole, these albums almost act as a genre unto themselves, as there is little else in hip-hop that sound quite like them.
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Around the time the clan formed, the Dr. Dre-produced West Coast rap sound was dominating the scene. Dre relied on lots of Parliament and Funkadelic samples and was an expert at making catchy beats to listen to while driving around, imagining you were hanging out at the greatest block party in Compton ever. Unsurprisingly, it found a mass audience. RZA’s beats, on the other hand, were a bit more bizarre. He relied on booming bass, snippets of vintage soul samples, minor-key piano loops and a dose of dialogue from 1970s samurai movies. It was rarely radio-friendly and to make matters worse, he often didn’t bother to put a chorus, or hook, in the song. So while Wu-Tang certainly achieved some commercial success, it was never close to the level that Dr. Dre, Snoop Dogg and 2pac did. Wu-Tang Clan’s MCs didn’t do themselves any favors towards making the group more commercial either. Their stories of drug deals and life in the slums of “Shaolin” (Staten Island) didn’t exactly glamorize the lifestyle. Unlike their West Coast
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brethren, it didn’t sound like they were having much fun in the hood. Not to mention that it’s virtually impossible to figure out in the first couple of listens what the hell they are talking about. Their verses are packed with street slang, terminology from the Five-Percent Nation religious movement, pop culture references and plenty of nods to the samurai and Kung Fu movies they adored. The martial arts obsession can be confusing at first, but overtime you begin to realize they use the concepts and dialogue from the movies as metaphors for surviving the streets of New York as well as the rap game. All the Wu-Tang idiosyncrasies can be a lot to parse through for beginners, but I’ve found it to be far worth the effort, as the albums get better with every listen. I’ve probably listened to the GZA’s album, Liquid Swords, upwards of 60 or 70 times over the last couple years and I still catch a new line every time. To me, those early Wu-Tang records are sort of like the musical equivalent of The Big Lebowksi. The
first time I listened to them they just seemed confusing and sort of stupid. I liked them a little more the second time, but it wasn’t until the seventh or eighth time that they really started to click.
Exploring the other boroughs Like any obsession, I never reached a point where I wanted to stop. After devouring most corners of the WuTang universe, I simply branched out to other artists I read about: The Diggin’ in the Crates Crew was a collection of MCs and producers out of New York in the early 90s. It featured acts like Lord Finesse, Diamond D, Showbiz & A.G., Buckwild, O.C. and a freakishly talented MC, Big L, who was killed in a drive-by shooting in 1999. The Boot Camp Clik featured Black Moon, Smif-N-Wessun, Da Beatminerz and others. The Native Tongues collective, which included A Tribe Called Quest, De La Soul and the Jungle Brothers, offered a more lighthearted, goofy take on hip-hop before the concept of alternative rap really existed. And so on and so forth. I’ve found there’s enough hip-hop out there just released between 1990 and 1995 to get lost in for several years.
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I’m honestly not sure why I’ve become so obsessed with this type of hip-hop. Unlike many of the teens who listen to it, I don’t have a particular interest in the lifestyle it portrays. I’m old enough to know I would look stupid if I dressed or talked like any of these guys and therefore don’t even try. I also won’t attempt to defend it on any type of moral grounds, since much of it contains some of the most misogynistic, violent and “incendiary” lyrics ever put on wax. If you hate rap for these reasons, you won’t like any of the artists I’m talking about, regardless of how good their flow is. But I’ve never sought morality from any type of music, much less hip-hop. I guess I became infatuated with this
specific genre because I’ve discovered just how creative and clever it can be once you look past the violence and other elements that repel “sophisticated” music listeners. If you haven’t had the chance, I suggest you explore it yourself. Start with bookmarking urbandictionary.com on your web browser and proceed from there. --
Word on the Street: 10 Classic East Coast Albums GZA - Liquid Swords O.C. – Word…Life Mobb Deep – The Infamous Nas – Illmatic Big L – Lifestyles ov da Poor & Dangerous Raekwon (featuring Ghostface Killah) – Only Built 4Cuban Linx Notorious B.I.G. – “Ready to Die”Organized Konfusion – Stress: The Extinction Agenda Wu-Tang Clan – Enter the Wu-Tang (36 Chambers)
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The Continuing Art of Bronze Casting writer
TIM SUNDERMAN -December 2011 Vhcle Magazine Issue 8, pp20-27
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/ THE CONTINUING ART OF BRONZE CASTING
The long-run of history is not written in books, and certainly not in the fleeting twinkle of electronic storage, but with stone and metal artifacts. And of all the metals, bronze has become the keeper of records. Lead is too soft, gold and silver too rare, and iron rusts. But bronze, essentially a copper alloy, is incredibly strong, made from common minerals, and is relatively resistant to corrosion, so it lasts a very long time. Until recently, the Bronze Age was believed to have started around 3300 BCE, but there are other examples from India that suggest that bronze casting could go back as far as six to ten thousand years. Tools, weapons, jewelry, and art have held intact over the millennia. And in regard to these, art reveals the greatest part of history.
Many of the great monumental sculptures around the world become defining icons of civic identity, typically in bronze like the colossal Tian Tan Buddha of Hong Kong, or the Statue of Liberty in New York. Even in modern times, bronze-work continues to be the prevailing medium of metal sculpture. And there are some contemporary artists doing incredible work today. But sculptures are only as good as their casting, and this process of casting bronze is an art in itself. So, this is a description of how bronze sculptures are made. Nearly all bronze casting still uses a method developed five thousand years ago called Lost Wax where a wax sculpture is replaced by bronze in a mold. Artists can spend hundreds of hours on a sculpture. A good foundry wants to assure an artist that the quality of their casting is equal to the skill of the created work. So there are a number of refinements to the basic technique of Lost Wax that render excellent detail, surface quality and strength. Sculptors commonly work with oil clay because it holds sharp, clean edges and sags less than water-based clay. But, regardless of the original medium, the first step in the process of bronze casting requires a mold for the finished artwork. To do this there needs to be one or more seams in the mold to separate
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it to release the original sculpture. One half of the sculpture is covered in silicone rubber and reinforced with another coating of hard plaster. This step is repeated for the other side. After it has dried, the mold is separated. The original clay sculpture often sustains significant damage during the separation because small elements like curled fingers for example, will break off during the process.
– to finalize the wax work. These artists will even project light through each area of the wax to check its thickness by seeing its translucence. If it is too thin, they will melt additional wax onto the inside surface to firm up the area. Watching them work is a real demonstration of artistic skill and craftsmanship. Often at this stage separate panels of wax need to be assembled seamlessly and with no evident change of surface quality across the seams. Clearly, it is far easier to correct wax than metal, so every effort is made at this stage to create a perfected version of the original.
The next big step is critical in the final outcome. The mold is reassembled and wax is poured into the silicone mold. Obviously, bronze statues are not solid. If they were, they would be too heavy, they would be prohibitively expensive, and they would be structurally unsound as major rifts would form through the center as it cooled. So, there is a real skill at maintaining a consistent thickness of wax throughout – roughly a quarter of an inch (5cm) depending on the size of the piece. This involves “slushing” the hot wax through the mold in three separate pours using cooler wax each time so as not to melt the previous coat. Whatever the wax is is what the bronze will become. So there is a step called “chasing” where the solidified wax piece is tediously corrected. Seams are removed, any scratches, deformations, and imperfections are expertly resolved by production artists – sculptors in their own right
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Once the finished wax is approved (usually by the original sculptor), channels need to be constructed from wax bars that will become the pathways for the molten bronze to be poured into a new mold and pathways for the air in the mold to escape. If it were not vented, the superheated air trapped by liquid bronze on top of it would expand and erupt back up through the pouring channel resulting in a blistered, bubbled finished surface of the final piece, and likely unfilled pockets in the mold. Spruing and gating are terms used to describe the sometimes intricate attachments of wax veins for the pour which are simply melted to the sculpture. But even this step requires considerable experience on the part of the craftsperson to predict the flow of the bronze through the shape and the
/ The cONTINuING ART OF BRONZe cAsTING
“Whatever the wax is is what the bronze will become.” likely path for the venting air. trapped air means a hole in the finished sculpture. The next step in the process is to make yet another mold called the “investment”. This one will be for the actual bronze pouring. The wax sculpture including all the gates and vents are immersed in vats of silica slurry then coated in sand and allowed to dry. This step is repeated nine times until the ceramic sand forms a layer about half an inch thick (12cm). The first layers of sand are hyperfine to most accurately record the shape of the wax model. The subsequent layers of sand are coarser to provide greater structural support. This investment mold then will be fired in a kiln at a temperature of 2,650˚F (1200˚c) resulting in a medical quality porcelain; the wax is melted out of the mold in a high pressure steam autoclave providing the empty space for the bronze to fill.
At this stage, it is time to melt the bronze ingots in a crucible. Bronze is typically an alloy of 88% copper and 12% tin, but some foundries use a slightly different formula to assist the flow and annealing, or setting of the cooling metal, by using 94% copper, 4% silicon, 1% manganese and about 1% ace elements. Bronze melts at 1700˚F (930˚c) in a graphite crucible while the porcelain investment mold is heated to 1100˚F (600˚c). In this way, the bronze can flow into all the spaces of the mold without prematurely cooling. Once the bronze and mold have reached the right temperature, the mold is moved to the pouring area and the “lead pour”, or crane operator, lifts the crucible into place. The second team member known as the “deadman” maintains the balance of the crucible, and a third member clears the slag off the surface
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of the cooling molten metal. The bronze is poured into the mold through a funnel formed in the wax gating process and the air escapes through the vents.
coloring of the piece. These are usually accomplished by applying chemical compounds with a spray bottle and fixed with a blowtorch to speed certain processes of oxidation. When the desired tone and transparency is achieved, a thin coat of wax is applied to protect the surface. The finished sculpture is now ready for installation in its permanent home.
As quickly as one hour after the pour, the bronze is now cool enough to have the ceramic mold broken off and the gates and spurs, now bronze, cut off with an electric arc cutter. One last pass with a sandblaster removes any remaining traces of the mold. Now the sculpture moves onto the metal chasing and finishing stage where any evident flaws from the casting process can be corrected and perfected. Large pneumatic grinders and smaller pencil grinders are used depending on the size of the imperfections and the necessity to recreate the artist’s original surface quality. On larger pieces that require the welding together of separately cast panels, the weld line in excellent foundries is rendered absolutely invisible by the skill of their metal chasers. If the piece is of monumental size, a framework steel substructure is created to provide support. And when necessary, a structural engineer is required to analyze and recommend a structure that can withstand the forces of high winds and earthquakes. The final step is the surfacing patina or
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There are many sculpture foundries in the United States, but one of the largest and best is the Artworks Foundry in Berkeley, California in the San Francisco Bay Area. Founded by Piero Mussi, who was trained by master craftsmen in his native Italy, they are producing some of the best work around. Tours are available to watch each stage of the production which also includes a gallery of incredible work produced there on site for some of the nation’s preeminent sculptors. Go to artworksfoundry. com for more information. --
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PROCESS OF BROnZE CAStInG
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Finished sculpture in oil clay.
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Silicone rubber mold painted over sculpture.
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Silicone rubber mold painted over sculpture.
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Silicone mold sections with plaster support backing.
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Wax casting of sculpture from silicone mold.
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Spruing and gating pouring channels and vents.
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Silica slurry for building the ceramic investment mold over the wax model.
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Porcelain sand for coating the wet slurry wax model to build the investment mold.
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Porcelain ceramic investment mold.
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Heated investment molds emptied of wax, ready for bronze.
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Firing bronze ingots in a crucible.
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crucible being lifted by crane.
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Pouring team guiding the crucible.
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Molten bronze being poured into ceramic mold.
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Full bronze slug after the mold has been broken away showing the gate and vents.
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cutters and grinders are used to remove the pouring channels.
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Metal chasing is the process of assembling and perfecting the raw bronze cast panels and surfaces.
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Separate cast panels are welded together with no trace of the original seam.
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chemical patinas are applied by brush and oxidized by blowtorch to attain the final surface color.
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Finished sculptures are ready for shipping and installation.
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THE DARK SIDE OF STYLE writer
NATALIE BASURTO -December 2011 Vhcle Magazine Issue 8, pp28-33
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There’s a reason the mass-produced hipster retail store Urban Outfitters has been infamously nicknamed Urban Counterfeiters by multiple skeptics across the internet. The almost identical creations that the company has been accused of stealing from independent designers seems like proof enough, but could it be mere coincidence? Or is it a tale of an evil corporation stealing from independent designers to make a quick buck? There is still no conclusive evidence that Urban Outfitters copies designers. There is only speculation and those designers’ stories. Urban Outfitters owns not only its namesake stores across the country, but also the bohemianchic Anthropologie stores and the brand Free People, which is sold in boutiques and department stores across the country. The brand targets young adults with its on-trend clothes that appeal to fashionable partygoers. Decades ago, the same style that would have labeled you a geek or a nerd is now hot and in-demand. Think thick-rimmed glasses, chunky sweaters, and t-shirts emblazoned with wolves howling at the moon. These items are available almost everywhere (like local boutiques and thrift stores) but Urban Outfitters stocks the geek-chic style to the brim, and customers love the lifestyle they sell. Not only has the company been accused of stealing, but if you take a closer look, that fun, life-of-the-party appearance falls flat. The brand’s president and founder, Richard Hayne,
is anti-gay rights and has contributed large amounts of money to Republican candidates, such as U.S. Senator Rick Santorum, who has been quoted saying “gay sex leads to man-ondog love-making”. That’s not exactly a good way to appeal to the youth of today, who are leading the fight in the gay-rights movement. But one search online could bring that stylish façade down. Typing either “Urban Outfitters knock-offs” or “Richard Haynes prop 8” yields hundreds of scandalous articles about where the company might really be getting their ideas. Many designers who claim they have been ripped off, including the most well-known of whom is Stevie Koerner of Chicago, say that their original items were copied, massproduced in a cheap way, and then sold in Urban Outfitters stores. She has been creating jewelry for two and a half years in the shapes of countries and U.S. states with a little heart cut out in each. And Urban Outfitters started selling necklaces with a similar style and reaping the benefits, according to Koerner’s blog, imakeshinythings.tumblr.com. But has since removed the product from their online store. Sacramento jewelry designer, Pamela TuohyNovinsky, also says she was ripped off. She heads the brand 2ETN jewelry, which consists of handmade original jewelry pieces that she creates along with her artist husband, Ed Novinsky. According to her story, back in 2008 when
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Gifrae necklace, 2Etn Jewelry
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Bird, Bear & Zebra necklances, 2Etn Jewelry
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the couple were creating their limited edition line, Pamela Tuohy Jewelry, she contacted the company for a possible collaboration.
and expensive, but also wouldn’t leave her with enough money to protect herself from any company that tries to knock her off.
Tuohy-Novinski remembers that they acted extremely interested in the line and furthermore seemed to love the fact that each piece was handmade. “I really thought they had the smaller artist’s/designer’s best interests in mind,” she said in an email interview.
This incident opened Tuohy-Novinski’s eyes to the brand she was almost about to collaborate with. Through research, she learned of Hayne’s previous alleged deceptions and his right-wing beliefs. “It’s outrageous,” Tuohy-Novinski said.
But when they wanted her to create a few hundred pieces to be sold in stores, she decided she didn’t have enough “woman-power or money for that large of a collection”. When the deal fell through, Tuohy-Novinski didn’t think she would soon see knock-offs of her work being manufactured by the same company only three months after their last contact. The incident first came to light when her niece, who worked for an Anthropologie store in Berkeley at the time, noticed necklaces that were eerily similar to Tuohy-Novinski’s style. But when she contacted the company, they had no response. Her next step was to talk with a lawyer, but they all said there was nothing she could do. TuohyNovinski said that Richard Hayne could “smash your business to pieces and you could lose everything, including your home, if we were to go after him,” she explained. And copyrighting her work would not only be time-consuming
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But she and Koerner aren’t the first independent designers who have claimed they have been stolen from. Two jewelry designers who sell their collections at the Brooklyn flea market noticed copies of their pieces on Urban Outfitters’ website shortly after they unveiled their pieces, according to brooklynpaper.com. And jewelry isn’t the only thing that Urban Outfitters is accused of stealing. After t-shirt designer Johnny Cupcakes was contacted to sell his line at Urban Outfitters and the deal fell through, exact copies of his designs, featuring airplanes dropping cupcake bombs, popped up in the company’s stores, according to consumerist.com. The money from Urban Outfitters’ profits goes to supporting causes that most youth would be angered by, such as anti-gay rights candidates and propositions, but the edgy, tongue-in-cheek style still has teens and young adults reaching for their wallets.
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tuohy-novinski refuses to buy into the hype. She is a strong believer in supporting independent designers and small businesses. She also has a strong taste for vintage: “I like to wear things that have other stories… stories of people that have worn them before.” Even though she has always tried to stay away from mass-produced items, this ordeal was “the icing on the cake.” to this day she is still boycotting the company and any other brand linked to it. Beyond the Urban Outfitters corporation, she also stays away from any other companies, like Forever 21, that mass-produce items. “Our culture wants everything so easy and trendy,” she said. When asked how the ordeal made her feel, she explained her hurt and passionate rejection of the brand: “[I was] so disappointed, confused, angry. How can a brand that promotes ‘alternative’ to the mainstream rip off little guys in the business and then use profits to support causes opposite to the image they portray? It is infuriating and deceitful.” --
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VHCLE WOMAn REcOMMEndAtIOnS By
JAcQUElInE cOUlOn
OVER tHE lASt year or so, I have become increasingly obsessed with buying clothes and accessories that are Americanmade. It has sort of become a fun challenge for me considering how few contemporary labels are made stateside (most vintage, however, is fair game). I can also rationalize splurge purchases as “doing my part to stimulate the weakened economy”. Whether that last reason is bullshit or not, I love rockin’ my USA duds and singing Bruce Springsteen songs at the top of my lungs. Here are some of my favorite domestic pieces.
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Schott-nYC Leather Jacket: This is actually the exact jacket Marlon Brando wore in The Wild One... enough said. kAIn Label t-shirt: Ideally I would own the perfect black t-shirt that I had worn down myself over the last decade, but if you’re lazy like me, this takes the work out for you. It’s paper-thin and falls perfectly on any frame.
FRYE Engineer Boots: My best friend bought me these boots two years ago and I can count on one hand the days I haven’t worn them since. Girls often stop me on the street to compliment me on these badass biker boots. Current/Elliot Leopard Jeans: normally the phrase “leopard denim” would scream tacky to me, but somehow this pair manages to be both tasteful and perfectly r’n’r.
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Visit Jacqueline’s blog at: www.loveletters-blog.com.
American Apparel Fisherman Pullover: Again laziness plays a factor here because I’m sure you can find these in most second-hand shops or your grandpa’s closet, but this one truly is perfect. I bought mine two sizes too big so it’s even extra cozy!
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JJessica Durrant --
December 2011 Vhcle Magazine Issue 8, pp38-51
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“Life itself can be inspiring.”
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Q&A with Jessica Durrant Interviewed By Ashley B Holmes
Why did you choose fashion as a subject, and watercolor as your medium? Fashion illustration has always been something that I adore looking at. I own a few old Vogue fashion magazines from the 50s and it’s chock-full of fashion illustrations. That’s where my love for it began. Seeing the golden age of fashion illustration inspired me. Many of us will never own an haute couture gown, but framing a gorgeous fashion illustration and hanging it in your dressing room somehow makes one feel glamorous.
I find that I love how fluid, striking, beautiful and chaotic watercolors can be. I like to break people’s misperception that watercolors are always painted in a muted, earth tone palette. You have to give up a bit of control when you work in watercolors, and I love that aspect of it. As in all art, sometimes you have to let loose! What are your biggest influences in your art/life? Life itself can be inspiring. I always try to channel anything negative in my life into something positive. My art is a result of trying to take negative obstacles in my life and make something good with it all. I also draw inspiration from fellow artists, traveling, books and, certainly, music. If I hear a really good song, it gets me in the mood to paint.
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I read in your bio that travel is a huge part of your creative process. Where is the most a) beautiful, b) inspiring, c) influential place you have ever traveled? I think the most beautiful place would be Venice, Italy. Regarding b and c: all of Italy is just surreal and breathtaking. But I certainly had a great experience in Rome. I was there solo, and there is something to be said about taking a trip to a foreign country on your own that is a bit transformative. When you are alone you can’t rely on anyone else but yourself, and the kindness of strangers. I love that aspect of traveling solo. Of course, I love traveling with my family and friends, but I think being on my own helped me get inspired in a way that I couldn’t if others were with me.
name three of your favorite artists and why? david downton - he is really the best fashion illustrator around today. He is incredible with line work. Stina Persson - she is a contemporary illustrator whose work with watercolor influences and inspires me. Ohgushi - he is an amazing fashion illustrator who has the wet-on-wet watercolor technique down to a science. What is your drink of choice? I love limeade in the summer, and hot chocolate in the winter. --
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I find that I love how fluid, striking, beautiful and chaotic watercolors can be. --
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Storytelling Devices / Less and More
Exhibition Less and More The Design Ethos of Dieter Rams San Francisco Museum of Modern Art August 27, 2011 - February 20, 2012 Over 200 sketches and objects by Dieter Rams
Raoul Ortega, Writer & Photographer My visit: September 9, 2011
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/ DesIGN eThOs, DIeTeR RAMs
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dieter Rams is a German industrial designer who worked for nearly 30 years as head of design for Braun. Many of his designs can be found in museums all over the world. His objects are undercover storytelling devices that capture and project, through their qualities, the essence of a specific period in time. In the case of dieter Rams’ work for Braun that period is the mid20th century to the present date.
Before my trip to see the exhibition, I had only seen his work on blogs like ISO50 and Wanken, both of which pay a great deal of homage to the living legend and his work. So when I stepped into the exhibition, there was an immediate mood shift and the room almost illuminated a bright white through the halls. I felt an incredible nostalgia as I walked slowly, observing every single object and sketch. And because of my previous exposure, there was a high level of respect and appreciation.
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dieter Rams’ work and design thinking is very inspiring to me and has influenced the way I approach my work. After studying about Minimalism in school and in my spare time over the last two years, I have noticed a shift in my design intellect, philosophy and aesthetic. With this influence intact, I have really been able to grasp and develop my own means of creating stories through design and photography. Minimalism might not be for everyone, but there are principles behind it that can be adapted across the creative spectrum and even into shaping our lifestyles and the way we think. If you live in the San Francisco Bay Area or surrounding areas, consider making time to check out the exhibition and see these gems in person. less and More: The design Ethos of dieter Rams is running until February 20 of 2012. --
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Q&A with BRUCE MAI
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What made you realize design is what you were interested in?
In your bio, you say design is like storytelling - in what way?
As a child, I found joy with playing and organizing legos. I explored ways I could snap and break apart these blocks in creating something bigger and larger than life. Castles quickly turned into spaceships and sometimes oblong and weird shapes if I didn’t have the correct pieces. In kindergarten, I found myself tracing letters in a storybook instead of reading, in hopes of improving my penmanship. Little did I know, my hunger for tinkering with blocks and type was a starting point for my journey in design.
Design is finding patterns, being in tune with rhythms of people, objects and nature, and discovering how these interactions connect. These patterns are able to cross pollinate, expand and then simplify. When faced with a design challenge, it is figuring how to break these patterns that excites me not only as a designer, but also as a storyteller. I find design inspirational because it allows me to appreciate simplistic things in life and transform these moments into design experiences, whether it’s through motion, print or web.
It wasn’t until I took a few courses in design that I began to realize design allowed me to combine logic and emotion in creating an experience, similar to creating castles and spaceships with legos.
What’s one thing you can’t live without?
How would you describe your design style? Although noticeably contemporary, my work conveys strong qualities of modernism and the minimalist style through emphasis on typography, strong grid use and simplicity.
Besides my specs, a good conversation with good company. This is when stories are told and ideas are born; being able to share these stories and ideas among good people is something I cannot live without. Favorite drink? I’m always down for a Sazerac or ice cold Stella Artois. -071
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MATT WISNIEWSKI -December 2011 Vhcle Magazine Issue 8, pp84-95
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Q&A with Matt Wisniewski Tell us a little bit about yourself. I grew up in Philadelphia and went to school for computer science at RIT. I’ve been living and working in NYC as a web developer while I finish up my degree. I try to create as much as possible and my collages are a result. How did you come to discover your particular style? I’ve experimented with Photoshop for a long time. The work of Mark Weaver inspired me to experiment with collage. At some point I stumbled upon my current style and I haven’t stopped since.
Describe what your process is like. What is integral to your work as an artist? Initially I open a few portraits in Photoshop and experiment with quick overlays of the textures I have available. Once something catches my eye I refine the idea until I’m satisfied with how it looks. Since my work is collage it’s integral that I am constantly looking for new work to inspire me or give me ideas. What inspires you? Other people. I’m consistently impressed by what everyone is capable of. Favorite Drink? Water or whisky. --
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art music film photography design fashion life global notes -vhcle.com December 2011 Vhcle Magazine Issue 8
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ISSUE 08 DEC 2011 VHCLE MAGAZINE
-INSIDE Issue 08 Thanks for the Memories, R.E.M. / Late For the Party – A Personal Expedition Through Early-90s East Coast Hip-Hop / The Continuing Art of Bronze Casting / The Dark Side of Design / Vhcle Woman – Jacqueline Coulon / Jessica Durrant / Dieter Rams / Bruce Mai / Matt Wisniewski www.vhcle.com