Aesthetica Magazine Issue 82 by Aesthetica Magazine

Aesthetica

The Art & Culture Magazine

www.aestheticamagazine.com

Issue 82 April / May 2018

Creating connections

unified methodology

material complexity

A new wave of biodegradable fashion showcases the possibilities for plastic

Reflecting upon photography as a mediator for social understanding

Norwegian designers consider the wider importance of togetherness

Celebrating structural excellence beyond beauty and functionality

UK ÂŁ5.95 Europe â&#x201A;Ź11.95 USA $15.49

towards sustainability

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Welcome Editor’s Note

On the Cover JUCO return with characteristically bold images that demonstrate excellence in art direction and photography. Vivid patterns, organic textures and built-up sets come together to create deeply animated and visually satisfying interiors. www.jucophoto.com (p.118). Cover Image: Spring Layering Trends for Refinery29 shot by JUCO – collaboration with artist Kat and Roger on the set design. Pedestals created by Canoe Los Angeles. Styled by Emily Holland, Hair by Michael Long, make up by Mia Yang, Set design and props by Kat Cutter and Roger Lee, model Elizabeth Havird.

When you’re part of something, it’s difficult to see beyond its parameters. How much time needs to pass to be able to understand the present? When will we know the true impact of Donald Trump, the War on Terror, Brexit, and environmental damage? As an individual, what can I do to make a difference? How and when will things change? Who will be the instigators? These are thoughts that I often ponder. Every generation looks to the next, expecting that it will be the group who finally crack the code. I am hopeful – seeing fields filled with solar panels – that maybe life is moving on. When I was eight, I won a competition for an essay about what the world would be like in the year 2000. I wrote about speaking to people on the phone and being able to see them. I wasn’t predicting the future – I was just responding to thoughts that were circling around at that time. But it’s still strange that this is now a reality. This issue of Aesthetica captures the zeitgeist of our times. We look at how the world is developing and how art, design and photography are commenting on that. It’s a necessity – artists and makers are the chroniclers of our times. We survey the RIBA award winners from previous years, assessing how architecture provides building blocks for social interaction. This is followed by Norwegian designers at Salone del Mobile, who examine the notion of community as a model for the future of production. Meanwhile, crafting plastics! offers an ingenious idea: creating biodegradable glasses. We also take a look at the Aesthetica Art Prize 2018 shortlist, which reflects on financial, environmental and societal structures. In photography, we offer some of the most exciting practitioners working today. Adrienne Raquel was originally part of our #newartists scheme; her subtle self-portraits, styling and fantastic set design bear the mark of great things to come. We also present series from Patty Maher, Tekla Evelina Severin, Salvador Cueva, Alexis Pichot and Edgar Martins, all of whom invite you to explore new ways of seeing the world. Finally, Namsa Leuba gives us the Last Words. She is part of Foam’s Talent Awards 2018. Enjoy! Cherie Federico

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contents

Art 24 Everyday Symbolism Adrienne Raquel’s images fill the page with rich femininity, evoking hazy nostalgia through the use of pastel colours and dreamy Americana.

34 Unified Methodology Introducing the idea of social community on a larger scale, Norwegian designers consider the importance of togetherness at Salone del Mobile.

40 Delicate Portraiture Traversing the surreal and the commonplace, Patty Maher’s works invite audiences to become part of each composition through collective interpretation.

52 Towards Sustainability A new wave of biodegradable fashion showcases the possibilities of plastic as an ecological and resilient resource for the future of production.

58 Luminous Environment Alexis Pichot transports the viewer away from the urban landscape, re-introducing the supremacy of nature as a deeply ritualistic phenomenon.

72 Material Complexity RIBA’s awards are a barometer for excellence in architecture, looking beyond mere aesthetics towards functionality and human interaction.

78 Intimate Atmosphere Tekla Evelina Severin features in Aesthetica for the second time, with a collection that focuses on the beauty of stylised moments in colourful interiors.

88 Haunting Landscapes Shot on the same set of beaches in Portugal over two years, Edgar Martins’s The Accidental Theorist offers a series of familiar yet ubiquitous scenes.

100 Creating Connections Circulation(s) festival returns for its 2018 edition, showcasing emerging photographers through a range of self-reflective themes and subjects.

106 Structural Frameworks Looking at global growth through the use of bold pinks and digitalised blue skies, Salvador Cueva builds on the visual spectacle of urban repetition.

118 Graphic Composition JUCO’s collaboration with artist duo Kat and Roger centres around classic shapes and natural ceramics, blending narrative with visual contrasts.

126 Aesthetica Art Prize The shortlist for the 2018 Prize is announced with a group show reflecting upon global financial markets and technology that mimics nature.

Exhibitions

Film

Music

130 The Latest Shows Featured: BALTIC, Centre Pompidou, New Art Gallery Walsall, Turner Contemporary Margate, Galerie Ségolène Brossette and Calvert 22.

134 Contemporary Tragedy Ruben Östlund’s Oscar-nominated film The Square provokes multiple readings as a bold comedy that questions the masculine egos that drive decisions.

136 Euphoric Darkness Chvrches produce sublime, stadium-ready music that is both epic and intimate; the Glasgow trio return with their third studio album, Love is Dead.

Books

Artists’ Directory

Last Words

138 Chronicling Modernism California Captured documents the optimism of post-war America, showcasing the era’s buildings through sunny photography by Marvin Rand.

153 Bold Imaginations Looking towards the beauty of geometric angles and expansive colour, the artists presented in the April / May edition celebrate creative expression.

162 Namsa Leuba Part of this year’s Foam Talent, Next Generation Lagos explores the innovation and creativity of Nigeria’s youth culture through arresting images.

Aesthetica Magazine is trade marked worldwide. © Aesthetica Magazine Ltd 2018.

The Aesthetica Team: Editor: Cherie Federico Assistant Editor: Kate Simpson Digital Assistant: Eleanor Sutherland Staff Writer: David Martin

Advertisement Enquiries: Jeremy Appleyard (0044) (0)844 568 2001 advertising@aestheticamagazine.com

Advertising Coordinator: Jeremy Appleyard Marketing Coordinator: Hannah Skidmore Artists’ Directory Coordinator: Katherine Smira

Artists’ Directory Enquiries: Katherine Smira (0044) (0)844 568 2001 directory@aestheticamagazine.com

Published by Cherie Federico and Dale Donley. Aesthetica Magazine PO Box 371, York, YO23 1WL, UK (0044) (0)844 568 2001 Newstrade Distribution: Warners Group Publications plc. Gallery & Specialist Distribution: Central Books.

Production Director: Dale Donley Designer: Laura Tordoff Administrator: Cassandra Weston Marketing & Administration Assistant: Sophie Lake Technician: Andy Guy Events Assistant: Roisin Mullins Editorial Intern: Saffron Ward Contributors: Anna Feintuck, Max L. Feldman, Colin Herd, Charlotte R.A, Tom Seymour, Beth Webb, Gunseli Yalcinkaya.

Printed by Warners Midlands plc. Reviewers: Kyle Bryony, Grace Caffyn, Ashton Chandler, Tony Earnshaw, Virna Gvero, Sarah Jilani, Erik Martiny James Mottram, Selina Oakes, Paul Risker, Verity Seward, Matt Swain .

Subscriptions: subscriptions@aestheticamagazine.com (0044) (0)844 568 2001 General Enquiries: info@aestheticamagazine.com Press Releases: pr@aestheticamagazine.com Follow us: aestheticamagazine.com facebook.com/aestheticamagazine twitter.com/AestheticaMag pinterest.com/AestheticaMag instagram.com/AestheticaMag

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Francesco Jodice, Sunset Boulevard, Arizona, Pichacho Butte #013, 2014. Courtesy Gazelli Art House.

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Charting Global Developments Photo London Since its inception in 2015, Photo London has fast estab- significant influence on the planet. “We’ve had five great ex- “The images lished itself as a world-class event. It not only represents the tinctions,” Burtynsky says, referring to devastations from the explore themes capital’s status as an international cultural hub and home to “Great Dying” of the Permian eruptions to the asteroid impact of urbanisation, a dynamic community of photographers and creatives but that wiped out the dinosaurs. “Now our species is having a industrialisation and the consequences brings leading artists, galleries and dealers to London in a similar effect, we are the equivalent of a meteor impact.” In London, he presents an exhibition of rare and new work, of resource extraction, public celebration of the medium that, in its newly democratised, instantly shareable form, increasingly defines our times. including a preview of the full Anthropocene project, which will revealing humanFor its latest edition, this global photography fair presents a go on show in September in Ottawa and Toronto. The images marked landscapes record 101 galleries from 18 countries, from China and Leba- explore themes of urbanisation, industrialisation and the which are sublime non to the US. The exhibitors were selected by a committee consequences of resource extraction, from oil bunkering and and disturbing.” led by Philippe Garner, former director at Christie’s. Running sawmills in Nigeria to the salt mines of the Ural Mountains, alongside the main programme, this year’s Discovery section, revealing human-marked landscapes which are both sublime a showcase setting out to raise the profile of emerging galler- and disturbing. Included is an augmented reality experience, ies and artists, curated by Tristan Lund, has been considerably demonstrating Burtynsky’s commitment to exploring the fastexpanded. The 22 galleries featured include a strong show- changing technological frontiers for the discipline. A selected group of participating institutions have created case from the British capital alongside an international selection including LhGWR (The Hague), Jo van de Loo (Munich), projects exclusively for the event. Olivier Castaing / School Espace JB (Geneva), Kana Kawanishi (Tokyo), Almanaque Gallery (Paris) presents an installation on “1968 ”; Hans P. Kraus Jr. (New York) curates a major exhibition on the legacy (Mexico City) and On / Gallery (Beijing). This year, the festival has appointed Canadian fine art pho- of William Henry Fox Talbot; whilst White Cube (London) has a tographer Edward Burtynsky (b. 1955) as its Master of Pho- solo show by Darren Almond. Amongst the international galtography. Known for large-format images of industrial land- leries is Gazelli Art House, which operates spaces in London Somerset House, London scapes, Burtynsky is currently engaged in a five-year multi- and Baku, Azerbaijan, and presents the work of Italian artist 17-20 May disciplinary project called Anthropocene, a title referring to Francesco Jodice (b. 1967), focusing on the social landscapes our present geological age in which human activity exerts a of our time with an eye for urban anthropology. www.photolondon.org

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Enigmatic Landscapes Todd Hido: In the vicinity of narrative

©Todd Hido, Untitled #7373, 2009. Courtesy Alex Daniels, Reflex Gallery, Amsterdam.

The cinematic images of American photographer Todd Hido along with an examination of Hido’s working methods and, in “Away from the (b. 1968) are both compelling and melancholy, drawing doing so, offers its own partial linking narrative. The gallery hidden tales of upon memories of vanished suburban neighbourhoods from highlights paths through this substantial body of work, which urban and suburban has featured in the likes of The New York Times Magazine, Art- life, the featured a 1970s childhood – places which no longer exist in reality. From blurred landscapes glimpsed through a car window forum and Vanity Fair, and the permanent collections of the landscapes capture an to houses seen from the outside and mysterious female Getty, the Whitney Musem of Art, the Guggenheim Museum, unpopulated world of liminal nowhere characters in motel rooms, the images appear like uncanny New York and the Smithsonian, amongst many others. Currently based in San Francisco’s Bay Area, Hido last places, again with the stills from an imagined film, implying a story unfolding out of sight. Each composition creates a sense of foreboding, en- completed a monograph in 2013; Excerpts from Silver Mead- same cinematographic gaging the viewer’s imagination to fill in the narrative context. ows further develops the signature approach of combining eye, as Hido drives This incursion of the strange into the everyday suggests a portraits, landscapes, vintage photographs and documents through southern kinship with the surreal film explorations of David Lynch; in order to suggest a hidden narrative, which is glimpsed and western USA.” only cryptically. Silver Meadows was, incidentally, the name Hido indeed lists Alfred Hitchcock amongst his influences. Away from the hidden tales of urban and suburban life, the of the main street of the district where the artist grew up in featured landscapes capture an unpopulated world of limi- Ohio, a place now vanished and replaced by strip malls. The presentation of Hido’s work at MBAL runs alongside nal nowhere places, again with the same cinematographic eye, as Hido drives through southern and western USA, often that of three other significant figures in or engaged with conshooting through the rain and grime on the car windscreen temporary photography, creating a multi-layered dialogue. as part of the composition, to create images of roads, empty They are the legendary New York street photographer Garry fields, an infrastructure of telephone poles and railways Winogrand, represented by a series portraits celebrating the rise of feminism in the 1970s, France’s Thibault Brunet, who Musée des Beaux Arts, spanning empty distances in the absence of humans. The title of MBAL’s presentation, In the Vicinity of Narrative, presents an almost virtual world in his photographs, albeit Le Locle, Switzerland picks up on these distinct qualities. Looking back across the one clearly anchored in reality, and Guy Oberson, from Swit- Until 27 May artist’s career, which includes a prolific catalogue of more zerland, whose drawings are both inspired by and re-examine than a dozen photobooks, the exhibition unites several series, the photographs of Diane Arbus and Robert Mapplethorpe. www.mbal.ch

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Karl Schwanzer, BMW-Hauptverwaltung, München, Museum, 1972. ©Staatliche Museen zu Berlin, Kunst-bibliothek / Sigrid Neubert.

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The Aesthetics of Construction Sigrid Neubert A radical mid-career shift in subject matter from the built environment to the natural world characterises the oeuvre of German photographer Sigrid Neubert (b. 1927). Originally a renowned architectural photographer for major companies, a field in which she combined structural precision with a distinct and innovative personal aesthetic, Neubert shifted towards nature photography from the 1970s onwards and has dedicated herself exclusively to the genre since 1990. The exhibition Sigrid Neubert – Photographs. Architecture and Nature was made possible following the artist’s donation of a significant archive to the Kunstbibliothek – Staatliche Museen zu Berlin, opening up new curatorial perspectives. The Kunstbibliothek is marking 150 years of its collection and, given that its first acquisitions in 1868 were architectural photographs, Neubert is a fitting subject for the anniversary. Having started out in commercial advertising photography for the glass and ceramics industry, Neubert shifted to specialise solely in structural imagery during the 1950s. A high-profile career invited commissions from leading practitioners in the field in Germany and Austria, such as Kurt Ackermann, Alexander von Branca, Bea and Walther Betz, Hans-Busso von Busse, Hardt-Waltherr Hämer, Karl Schwanzer and Gustav Peichl. Neubert was heavily influenced by American photography, developing a signature visual language which made use of unusual perspectives and

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an intensity of contrast and atmosphere. This approach “Originally a became much sought-after for its ability to isolate the iconic renowned architectural qualities of structures, such as the Olympia buildings, the photographer for major BMW ensemble, or the Hypo-Bank, ensuring that the images companies, a field in received worldwide attention and caught the public eye. which she combined Given her growing interest in the natural world, this structural precision exhibition also considers spaces where organic and man- with a distinct personal made systems interact. The Nymphenburg Palace Park in aesthetic, Neubert Munich, created from 1701 onwards, is a vast tract of formal shifted towards nature gardens, lakes and parkland that unites the Nymphenburg photography from Castle with a series of smaller pleasure palaces, referencing the 1970s onwards.” different architectural cultures. Neuberg’s photobook on this unique site, Der Park – Die Gartenanlagen zu Nymphenburg concentrates on perspective, and was published in 1980. Also featured are images from Die Tempel von Malta. Das Mysterium der Megalithbauten (1988), in which the architectural eye also becomes archaeological and anthropological, as Neuberg turns the camera on what are believed to be amongst the oldest free-standing buildings in existence – the mysterious megalithic temples of Malta and Gozo, which were constructed between 3600 BC and 700 BC. Museum für Curated by Ludger Derenthal and Frank Seehausen, the Fotografie, Berlin images are unified by Neuberg’s inquiry into composition, Until 3 June drawing a common thread from enigmatic relics from the dawn of human construction to the BMW Tower in Munich. www.smb.museum

Perspectives on Activism A Fire That No Water Could Put Out: Civil Rights Photography

David Alekhuogie (American, born 1986), Birth Home, 2013. Archival pigment print, 30 × 40 inches. High Museum of Art, Atlanta, purchased with funds from the Friends of Photography, PA.PHO.366.

Half a century on from 1968 – a year of seismic social and tender examples of portraiture to conceptual landscapes. “Through some of Amongst the most powerful images is Dr. Martin Luther King’s the most powerful political change that was accompanied by both protest and repression – the High Museum reflects on the civil rights Motel Room Hours after He Was Shot, Memphis, Tennessee images from our civil struggle through memorable archive images and contem- (1968) by Steve Schapiro (b. 1936). A photographer for Life rights collection, this porary responses. The exhibition takes its title, A Fire That No magazine, Schapiro was sent to Memphis immediately after exhibition underscores Water Could Put Out, from the final speech given by Dr. Martin the murder of Dr. King on the balcony of the Lorraine Motel photography’s pivotal Luther King Jr. just before his assassination in that turbulent on 4 April, 1968. Schapiro captured some of the last things role in chronicling the year. However, King’s death is understood in this show not as Dr. King had touched before he was shot by James Earl Ray, important moments that shaped our past an end point but as part of a wider legacy of ongoing activism. including a copy of Soul Force and a Styrofoam coffee cup. Following on chronologically, there are poignant scenes and the perspectives “Activism has continued its efforts to advance racial equality and justice in the United States,” says Erin Nelson, curator of from the march in Memphis, led by Coretta Scott King just that will influence this timely exhibition. “Through some of the most powerful four days after her husband’s death, photographed by our future.” images from our civil rights collection, this exhibition Magnum Photos’ Burk Uzzle, who also took iconic images of underscores photography’s pivotal role in chronicling both the funeral procession in Atlanta. Meanwhile, the realities of the important moments that shaped our past and the current life in the segregated, Jim Crow-era south are seen in Outside Looking In, Mobile, Alabama, (1956) by Gordon Parks (1912events and perspectives that will influence our future.” More than 40 pieces are featured, including work from re- 2006) depicting a playground for white children only. New responses to this overarching legacy are also included, nowned 20th century figures such as Gordon Parks, Danny Lyon, Charles Moore, Roy DeCarava, James Hinton, Steve for example, Baptism (2013) by David Alekhuogie (b. 1986), Schapiro, Diane Arbus, Ernest Withers, Doris Derby and Burk which was created in and around Atlanta during a self-deUzzle, as well as contemporary photographers David Ale- scribed personal pilgrimage to the key sites of the civil rights The High Museum khuogie, Dawoud Bey, Matthew Brandt, Jason Lazarus and movement and other important events in black history, and a of Art, Atlanta Sheila Pree Bright. The recorded responses to the civil rights picture by Dawoud Bey (b. 1953) from Birmingham: Four Girls, Until 29 April movement, whether contemporaneous photojournalism or Two Boys, a mediation on the lives lost during the 16th Street poetic reflection taken from a historic distance, range from Baptist Church bombing of 1963 in Birmingham, Alabama. www.high.org

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USA, California, Los Angeles, 1982. © Harry Gruyaert / Magnum Photos.

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Illuminating the Everyday Harry Gruyaert: A retrospective Born in Belgium in 1941, Harry Gruyaert was one of the first European photographers to embrace the potential of colour, echoing American counterparts such as William Eggleston and Stephen Shore, who rejected the notion of colour as a vehicle for commercial work rather than artistic expression. Gruyaert also set himself against the humanistic European tradition of Henri Cartier-Bresson (whose legendary Magnum photographic agency he would join in 1981) in which people took precedence over the details of setting and background. Though best known for his use of Kodachrome colour film – making use of a signature sense of light and composition – the artist is also considered for the lesserknown aspects of his career in a broad overview at FOMU. The retrospective offers a valuable insight into an individual who has historically revealed little about his wider creative process and has dismissed the idea of narrative or story in an image, instead being concerned with the aesthetics of shapes and light. Gruyaert’s career has seen him travel the world, seeking beauty in the everyday, with some of the best-known pieces emerging from India, Morocco and Egypt as well as the west of Ireland; images taken in Morocco attained the Kodak Prize in 1976 and led to the photobook Morocco (1990). The photographer’s poetic language is evidenced in three series throughout the show. Rivages (2003) incorporates images of the horizon and the sea, whilst East/West (2017) opposes the

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colour palettes of Moscow in 1989, still an austere and re- “The retrospective offers strained place on the eve of the fall of the Soviet Union, with a valuable insight into the glitz and light of Las Vegas and Los Angeles in 1981. an individual who has TV Shots (1974), which Gruyaert considers his most journal- historically revealed istic piece of work, is also reimagined at FOMU, in the form little about his wider of a video installation. For this, the artist took screen shots creative process and of unfolding global events as they were broadcast to living has dismissed the idea rooms around the world on the cathode ray tube televisions of narrative or story of the 1970s, some approaching abstraction in their distorted, in an image, instead blurred presentation, or suggesting Pop Art in their vividly being concerned colourful approach to the everyday. From the Apollo Moon with the aesthetics of landings to the hostage crisis during the 1972 Munich Olym- shapes and light.” pics, these images reflect how world-shaping news stories were experienced by most people, presented alongside the banal output of TV entertainment. The work created controversy when first exhibited in 1974, when it was seen as both a disrespectful assault on the culture of television and a radical challenge to the conventions of serious press photography. Also explored at FOMU are less well-known aspects of Gruyaert’s practice, including early black-and-white pieces, a fashion campaign for Hermès, covers for the Penguin pocket editions of Georges Simenon, a homage to filmmaker Michel- Fotomuseum Antwerp angelo Antonioni, family photos and a diverse selection of Until 10 June commissioned work, contributing to a comprehensive summary which offers to shed new light on this acclaimed figure. www.fomu.be

Representations of the Self Anja Niemi: She Could Have Been A Cowboy

She Could Have Been A Cowboy © Anja Niemi / The Little Black Gallery. She Could Have Been A Cowboy by Anja Niemi is at Photo London 17-20 May with The Little Black Gallery, and then at The Ravestijn Gallery in Amsterdam 8 September - 21 October. www.thelittleblackgallery.com.

“I am sick to death of this particular self, I want another,” wrote of wanting to become something other. The female character “‘Every day my Virginia Woolf in her ground-breaking novel of fluid gender in the series is referred to at times as “The Girl of Constant character is trapped identities, Orlando: A Biography (1928). Woolf’s theme of Sorrow”, a reference to a traditional western folk song which in the same pink wanting to become another in defiance of constraint and has been reinterpreted by Joan Baez and Bob Dylan among dress when what she conformity offers a key to the work of Anja Niemi, and it is a many others. As Niemi explains: “Every day my character is really wants is to be subject which finds a striking presentation in the artist’s new trapped in the same pink dress when what she really wants is a cowboy, dressed to be a cowboy, dressed in fringe and leather, riding horses in fringe and leather, body of work entitled She Could Have Been A Cowboy. The Norwegian artist, who has been represented by London’s in the wild west. She longs for a life she knows she will never riding horses in the The Little Black Gallery since 2012, works alone, not only in have. My character’s cowboy life is all an illusion. The series Wild West. She longs taking the photographs but creating the characters: staging, shifts between reality and imagination, a combination of for a life she knows she will never have.’” directing and acting out the scenes as part of an ongoing in- what she is and what she wants to be.” The series continues to develop themes established from vestigation into the self and its limits. Overcoming considerable technical challenges, she features in all of the pictures, Niemi’s previous photographic projects, notably that of split often appearing several times in the same image, introducing personas and duality, which are central to Darlene & Me unsettling themes of the double, or doppelgänger. These are (2014) and The Woman Who Never Existed (2017), which not straightforward self-portraits: they subvert the idea of the premiered at Photofairs San Francisco. Her series have rap“selfie” through the artist’s performance of various characters. idly become highly collectable, notably with Room 81 (bed), The end results are filmic, and evoke contrasting narrative in- from Do Not Disturb (2012) selling for $7,000 in January last year, whilst The Backyard, from Darlene & Me, sold for terpretations, such as humour and tragedy, simultaneously. In this particular series, Niemi returns to the iconic image $6,794 at Christie’s Photographs sale in London last May. She Could Have Been A Cowboy is presented at Steven Steven Kasher Gallery, of the American cowboy, a symbol largely drawn from the mythmaking of wild west movies than the realities of the job Kasher Gallery in New York until 14 April (including AIPAD New York it represents, and addresses the strict gender division be- The Photography Show). It can then be seen at Photo London Until 14 April tween the agency of the cowboy protagonist and the limita- from 17 to 20 May, and finally at The Ravestijn Gallery in tions of the female roles on offer in such movies, as a symbol Amsterdam during Unseen from 8 September to 21 October. www.stevenkasher.com

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10 to See 1. Reine Paradis, L’envol, from the series Jungle, 2015. Archival pigment print, multiple formats. © Reine Paradis, Courtesy of Galerie Catherine et André Hug, Paris. 2. Cindy Sherman, Untitled Film Still #35, 1979. Gelatin silver print, 15 7/8 x 12 3/8 in.; Courtesy of the artist and Metro Pictures, New York. 3. Olaf Heine, Paddle Out, Recreio dos Bandeirantes, 2013, © Olaf Heine + courtesy CAMERA WORK. 4. Junya Ishigamu, Exterior view of Kanagawa Institute of Technology Workshop. ©junya.ishigami+associates. 5. Uncertain Journey, 2016. Blain|Southern, Berlin, Germany. Installation, metal frames, red wool. Photo: Christian Gläser. Copyright VG Bild-Kunst, Bonn, 2017 and the artist.

Recommended Exhibitions this Season

The Photography Show

Pier 94, New York 5-8 April

www.aipadshow.com Presented by AIPAD (Association of International Photography Art Dealers), the 38th edition of this major show sees more than 100 leading fine art photography galleries present museumquality work, including contemporary, modern, and 19th century photographs, as well as photo-based art, video, and new media. A number of special exhibitions are on view including A Time for Reflection, curated by Sir Elton John.

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www.nmwa.org A provocative exhibition at the National Museum of Women in the Arts (NMWA) challenges traditional ideas about gender and domesticity. With contributors including Louise Bourgeois, Mona Hatoum, Cindy Sherman and Rachel Whiteread, Women House is a sequel to Womanhouse, which was developed in 1972 by Judy Chicago and Miriam Schapiro and saw them transform a dilapidated Hollywood mansion.

www.immagis.de Olaf Heine (b. 1968) has helped shape the public persona of many famous musicians, his images familiar from album covers and tour posters. He was born in Germany and became based in LA. His black and white pictures convey a quiet intensity. Increasingly in demand since the late 1990s, he has worked with artists from Coldplay to U2 to Radiohead. Hush Hush, a selection of portraits of rock, movie and sports stars, includes Snoop Dogg and Jared Leto.

www.fondationcartier.com Freeing Architecture is the first major solo exhibition dedicated to Junya Ishigami (b. 1974), a key figure in the younger generation of Japanese architects, known for a conceptual and poetic approach. In dialogue with Fondation Cartier’s iconic building, he presents 20 of his architectural projects in Asia and in Europe, through a series of large-scale models, accompanied by films and drawings which document their conception.

www.ysp.org.uk An ethereal structure made from white thread, Beyond Time sees Japanese artist Chiharu Shiota (b. 1972) draw upon the rich history of the YSP’s Chapel space. Woven from 2,000 balls of wool, it makes present the absent elements of architecture and human ritual that once existed in the building, which dates from 1744. Resonating with memory and human relationships, the installation interlaces physical and conceptual dimensions.

Women House

NMWA, Washington DC Until 28 May

Olaf Heine

IMMAGIS, Munich 20 April - 31 May

Junya Ishigami

Fondation Cartier, Paris Until 10 June

Chiharu Shiota

Yorkshire Sculpture Park, Wakefield Until 2 September

6. Tomás Saraceno, Aerocene, launches at White Sands Natural Park, 2015. Courtesy the artist; Pinksummer contemporary art, Genoa; Tanya Bonakdar, New York; Andersen’s Contemporary, Copenhagen, Esther Schipper, Berlin. © Photography by Studio Tomás Saraceno, 2015 . 7. Discotheque Flash Back, Borgo San Dalmazzo, ca. 1972. Interior Design: Studio65. © Paolo Mussat Sartor. 8. Joris Laarman (Dutch, born 1979). Joris Laarman Lab (Dutch, established 2004). Aluminum Gradient Chair, 2014, laser sintered aluminum, 72cm x 70cm x 77cm. Barry Friedman, New York. Photo: ©Joris Laarman Lab. 9. Tomás Saraceno, Q2343-BX442/ M+I, 2014. Metal, fishing line, plexiglass iridescent, steel thread. 90cm x 107cm x 112cm. Courtesy Lorena Ruiz de Villa. 10. Taryn Simon, Courtesy the artist and MASS MoCA.

The Future Starts Here

V&A, London 12 May - 4 November

www.vam.ac.uk Advances in technology have transformed the way we live over the past few decades and the pace of change is only accelerating. The V&A examines emerging technologies and considers how they may affect our lives in the very near future. Real objects and devices presently being worked on by scientists and designers, and their possible implications, feature in a show that asks profound questions including: are we still human?

www.design-museum.de From the 1960s, through the disco era to the present-day, the nightclub has offered an arena for experimentation, transgression, glamour and the emergence of new subcultures. From Studio 54 to the Hacienda, Night Fever: Designing Club Culture 1960 – Today considers nightclubs as spaces that merge architecture and interior design with sound, light, fashion, graphics, and visual effects to create a modern Gesamtkunstwerk.

www.high.org Design in the Digital Age presents a comprehensive overview of Laarman’s work, from furniture generated by algorithms to a “living” lampshade made of genetically modified cells, bringing emerging technologies into conversation with skilled craftsmanship. Arranged into sections, the show offers a multi-dimensional view into a diverse practice, combining furniture design and applied experiments with sketches, videos and renderings.

www.waddingtoncustot.com Taking its title from Italo Calvino’s 1972 novel, in which wondrous but geographically non-specific cities are described, this exhibition brings together an international group of artists who explore the ideal city and discover the coexistence of the real and the imagined. It includes drawing, painting and sculpture by Giorgio de Chirico, Fausto Melotti, Maria Helena Vieira da Silva, Gego, Shusaku Arakawa, Giulio Paolini and Tomás Saraceno.

Night Fever

Vitra Design Museum, Weil am Rhein Until 9 September

Joris Laarman

High Museum of Art, Atlanta Until 13 May

Invisible Cities

Waddington Custot, London Until 4 May

Taryn Simon

MASS MoCa 26 May - 31 March

www.massmoca.org Two ambitious installations by Taryn Simon (b. 1975) examine public space and expressions of approval in the digital age. In the dark interior of Assembled Audience, visitors are enfolded in a soundscape made from thousands of claps, a virtual crowd applauding. In A Cold Hole, the gallery floor is replaced by an expanse of solid ice with a single square hole. Visitors and performers are intermittently invited to jump into the icy water below.

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Everyday Symbolism Adrienne Raquel

Having originally featured in Aesthetica’s #newartists scheme on Instagram, Adrienne Raquel’s images (b. 1990) fill the following pages with a rich sense of femininity. Focusing on tropical motifs and the representation of idealistic landscapes, the works are at once playful and vibrant, communicating a sense of hazy nostalgia and optimism. Circular mirrors, open doorways and geometric interiors offer bright and airy arenas for selfreflection and open-ended journeys. Meanwhile, a distinct use of muted pastels and warm tones render each composition as a complex, summery vignette; colour play enables the simplest of objects to come to life as part of a wider visual tableau. As the New York-based photographer and art director notes: “I have a growing obsession with pink; it is such a divine shade which possesses so many alternative meanings. In colour psychology, it is suggestive of a sense of hope and ultimately assures emotional energy.” www.adrienneraquel.com.

Adrienne Raquel, Cali Cool, 2016.

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Adrienne Raquel, Whatâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s the 411?, 2016.

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Adrienne Raquel, Palm Tree Fantasy, 2016.

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Adrienne Raquel, Days In The West, 2016.

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Adrienne Raquel, Donâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t Fall Too Fast, 2016.

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Adrienne Raquel, Tropical Reflections, 2016.

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Adrienne Raquel, Stand Tall, 2016.

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Adrienne Raquel, All I See Is Palms, 2016.

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Adrienne Raquel, Mirror Mirror (self portrait), 2017.

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Unified Methodology Norwegian Presence Looking at the idea of social community as a model for idea generation, A team of Norwegian designers address global concerns through production.

Scandinavian design has, traditionally, been associated with minimalism and functionality, concepts that have only been furthered by the rise of IKEA’s flat-pack empire. Beyond this multi-national Swedish-Dutch company, however, is a cohort of budding young practitioners who are contributing to the wider network of production on a scale that’s barely recognised. And indeed, each country within the Nordic region should be celebrated individually for its own merits. Linda Fisti is one such advocate of this as Project Manager for Swedish Design Goes Milan 2017, an initiative that raised global awareness of the country’s contributions to the industry through creating meeting places, sharing stories and, ultimately, learning from people and practitioners from around the world. She notes: “Swedish design is appreciated internationally. In fact, 70 per cent of the production today is exported to other European countries, the USA, Australia and Asia. There is a steady increase of interest for quality and innovation, which is the reason for us to be present in Milan, year after year.” (February 2017, Business Sweden) What Fisti highlights – beyond the rising interest in Scandinavian creativity – is that design has the capability to bring people together, based on mutual demands and shared ideals. Whilst Sweden’s 2017 presentation at Salone del Mobile Milano, entitled Mingle, focused on sustainability, there was a resounding interest in shared goals. As Annika Grottell, Architect at White Studio (the firm that curated the show), continues in the same article: “We wanted to highlight the Swedish awareness of environmental issues, choice of materials, focus on origin and quality. All participating ex-

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hibitors contribute to this in different ways. We chose the name because of its meaning of mixture, mix, blend, but also the social aspect – to meet and exchange. Our goal has been to offer a warm and inviting atmosphere, a meeting place for new ideas and collaborations. The stand illustrates the mix, in order to overlap, compensate, change, blend and unite to create and form oneness and togetherness.” These ideas are significantly influential across the entire region and have now been picked up by Sweden’s sister nation. Norway’s 2018 presentation at Salone del Mobile, entitled Norwegian Presence, is heavily focused on themes of community, collaboration and mutual support. As Grete Sivertsen, Project Manager for the exhibition, notes: “This year’s presentation is about how we live. Collaboration defines the energy of 21st century design … and the world in general. The feeling of togetherness is becoming a strong motivation for all people – creating a positive meeting place.” Like its predecessor exhibitions, Structure (2016) and Everything is Connected (2017), this year’s edition is the collaborative vision of Design and Architecture Norway (DOGA), Norwegian designers’ union Klubben, and internationally focused craft network Norwegian Crafts. With the rise of right-wing politics, walls being built (with Trump’s Mexican border jokingly proposed as a commission for IKEA) and populations at war with one another, there has never been a more fitting time for practitioners to demonstrate the importance of working in tandem. This all-encompassing and open-minded approach is taken forward into Norway’s showcase this year, which combines 10 studios, six manufacturers and four craft artists.

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Sara Polmar, Between. Photo: Siren Lauvdal.

“The works included this year are incredibly natural and real; however, this is met by the influence of technology and modern life. It’s an interesting mix that looks backwards in order to look forwards.”

Previous Page: Designer: Noidoi Design Studio Produsent: Northern Photography: Chris Opander Tonnesen Styling: Per Olav Sølvberg Left: Sara Polmar, Wallbox. Photo: Lars Petter Pettersen. Styling: Kråvik & D’Orazio. Image: © Lars Petter Pettersen.

Adding further to a wider sense of reach is the change of loca- organised around a principle of cultural inclusion. However, these ideas aren’t new. The precedents stretch tion. Zona Tortona, which is rapidly emerging as Milan’s creative hotspot, presents the team with the opportunity to build back to John Ruskin (1819-1900) and William Morris (1834upon existing networks and exchange ideas as part of a new 1896) who radicalised models of self-confirmation in work, which maintained that the demands of industrial production generation of visionaries with shared intentions. This socially driven approach is embedded into Norway’s were preventing human beings from determining their own distinctive, mutually supportive and cross-disciplinary cul- actions or potential. Furthermore, the German Expressivist ture, and is embodied by the concept of “Fellesskap” (the tradition asserts that our “essential human powers” are Norwegian term for “community” and collaborative ap- truly harnessed in our capacity for the creative expression proaches). “Everyone has different ideas and contributes to of our feelings and needs, whilst the Marxist idea of labour each other’s practice,” explains Sivertsen. “It’s nice to see how took work as the ideal mode of aesthetic production and people can learn from each other in a unified environment. the model of all social organisation. However, Salone del Before we started, we came, sat, and drank wine together. This Mobile projects these ideas onto the modern world of global builds a social meeting place, motivating everyone so they professionalism, bringing trade back to its human roots. Moreover, beyond bringing people together, there is, of feel like they are not alone and that they can do something with other people … It’s more about togetherness – both in course, a reliance upon the fair to be part of a wider finanthe way that the designers work alongside one another and cial and commercial portfolio. “Though it is difficult to see a direct result during the festival,” explains Sivertsen, “all the in the way that the products are assembled.” Using the expo in a developmental and collective way, most important people in the industry are in Milan, and it’s Norwegian Presence discusses how design, like any other art all about having the right contacts because the market is so form, is really about an exchange of ideas, a meeting place small in Norway that you have to go to ‘meet the world.’” What types of products are being presented this year? between different identities and embracing shared commonalities. “It goes beyond the function of showcasing work – we Sivertsen expands: “The works are incredibly natural and want audiences to stay, talk to the brands and be part of a real; however, this is met by the influence of technology and wider discussion.” This is especially important at Salone del modern life. It’s an interesting mix that looks backwards in Mobile, which self-consciously, and perhaps self-important- order to look forwards.” She continues: “It’s informal in a way. ly, presents itself as more than a mere trade fair. Instead, it When it comes to trends, they’re sometimes difficult to predict, claims to be a system of connections, creativity, and inno- but in general, the products are beautiful or useful, and vation, attracting journalists, collectors, intellectuals, critics, have little by way of unnecessary detail or embellishment.” architects, and creatives of all kinds; operating as an emo- Traditional notions of craftsmanship as providing everyday tional experience of positivity; a global experience, which is solutions do emerge here. Whilst aesthetics are important

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Villa P.F. Set Design Photographs. © Image Credit: Florent Tanet. © Set Design: Ella Perdereau. Courtesy of Petite Friture.

– and the brands included do indeed use pop colours and bold geometric shapes – audience popularity plays a vital role. What does the single buyer need? What does the larger market require? Are designers really and in all honesty meeting the demands of a rapidly expanding world? Of course, sustainability still remains a vital component of design, and themes from previous years create consistency in Scandinavia’s identity as a collective of nations concerned with the same issues. Ecological consciousness, therefore, has not been forgotten in Norway’s presentation this year. Sivertsen comments: “We have so many resources – water, wind and forests – we’re almost spoilt for choice, so perhaps it’s not so much in the manifesto of creatives as it’s built into our mentality; however, we want to bring this green thinking to the world and help the wider global issue.” Ecological awareness is emphasised in the Salone del Mobile manifesto, which accordingly states that contemporary quality design must be sustainable in the sense that manufacturers, rather than simply focusing on the “green” outcome of each product, should pay close attention to every part of the production process – from the creation of the prototypes to industrial development, from financial planning to marketing and communication, and post-sales service. Norway’s approach is perhaps a little less outwardlooking than that. Whilst pursuing different modes of energy, the team – and indeed the country – are fully engaged with the importance of being responsible for, and deeply involved in, all the related processes from start to finish. “We want to show the world that it’s possible – a product’s identity can be tracked from the inception of ideas and protoypes right through to the end of its production,” says Sivertsen.

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By showing designers, craft artists and producers in juxta- Right: Hallgeir Homstvedt & Lars Tornøe, position (six of Norway’s most respected manufacturers are Juliet (pendant light), 2015. Materials: included here, such as Vestre and the freshly launched crea- Bone China, Brass. Manufacturer: New Works (Denmark). Image: © New Works tive enterprise Objekt), Norwegian Presence offers a complete concept-to-creation picture. Such an expansive and forwardthinking approach would not be possible, of course, without spotlighting a number of exciting, energetic and emerging creative voices, and providing a platform for the manufacturers who provide the lifeblood of the wider industry. One such example of this is Lars Tornøe, who foregrounds the multi-functionality of products through a series of wooden bowls realised in ash and oak, which can be used conventionally or as storage facilities. Bringing in ideas about humanity’s earlier relationships with materials, and with making as a whole, is Oslo-based Sigve Knutson, who utilises elements of sculpture within modern-day shelving. Sara Polmar and Noidoi also come to the fore as notable highlights of this presentation; the latter company was founded only a few years ago, in 2013, but is inspired by the differing cultural and professional backgrounds of its two co-founders, with results that place an emphasis on usability, materiality and craftsmanship working in parallel. Ultimately, what Noidoi’s – and indeed the entire fair’s – ethos is built upon is the idea that an innovative and considered approach to design can provide the mechanism to Words satisfy a vast range of social, environmental and domestic Max L. Feldman needs. As Sivertsen concludes: “Finding new solutions, or im- Kate Simpson aginative ways to use materials, is the most important thing today – thinking about what it is that we actually require. We have enough in the world as it is. Really, it’s about looking at 17-22 April manufacturing as a way to take the world forward, together.” www.norwegiancrafts.no

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Delicate Portraiture Patty Maher

Patty Maher is an internationally recognised fine art photographer based in Ontario, Canada. Working primarily in staged self-portraiture, Maher is widely known for obscuring the faces of her subjects, often using posture, gesture, symbol and colour to convey emotion and narrative. Each image is an exploration of the inner worlds that exist within charactersâ&#x20AC;&#x2122; psyches, considering the boundaries of identity and the relationship of the individual with the wider world. Traversing the surreal and the commonplace, each story touches on basic yet universal psychological states, inviting the viewer to be a co-creator in the fabrication of meaning. Images from The Quiet Storm and And Then You Just Let Go are examples of this, utilising a rich, earthy palette softened by a foreboding grey sky and open grasslands. Although the figures are transfixed by the all-encompassing atmosphere, there are individual journeys to be found. www.pattymaher.com.

Patty Maher, Last Stop Out of Town, from the series The Quiet Storm. Courtesy of the artist.

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Patty Maher, Waiting for Godot, from the series The Quiet Storm. Courtesy of the artist.

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Patty Maher, The Fog Rolls In, from the series And Then You Just Let Go. Courtesy of the artist.

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Patty Maher, Grounded, from the series And Then You Just Let Go. Courtesy of the artist.

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Patty Maher, Landâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s Limit, from the series And Then You Just Let Go. Courtesy of the artist.

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Patty Maher, Small Comforts, from Selected Personal Works. Courtesy of the artist.

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Towards Sustainability crafting plastics! studio A Berlin-based studio brings bioplastic into the fashion industry at large by experimenting with plant-based processes to address the global issue of waste.

Established in 2015, crafting plastics! studio began as a nonformal collective of designers, working from a base in Berlin. Since then, their striking, sustainable practice has gone from strength to strength, and has been featured in a wide number of publications as well as being recognised through gaining a number of prestigious awards. The premise is disarmingly simple: to challenge the environmental problems which are created by a culture of so-called fast-fashion by making items that are purposely made to biodegrade over time. In so doing, the group has produced two collections of eyewear, and is currently looking towards interior design. The complexity of the work and the level of care that goes into every stage is stunning. Conceptualising the company’s “core value” as research, it not only focuses upon product design but also material development. Co-founder, Vlasta Kubušová, describes how the team spent years developing a plant-based plastic. “After three years of optimisation, we finally reached the mixture that can be 3D printed, injection moulded and pressed. This opened up a new direction for us.” The studio is currently in the process of registering for a trademark for the bioplastic, which will help “to make wider impact in the future, by offering the material to other companies and creators.” The recognition that this approach has received makes it clear that it’s a viable and attractive option: the company has been awarded accolades from, amongst others, Prague Designblok (crafting plastics!’s first prize, and one they say they will always remember) and the Slovak National Design Award, in the Design with Added Value category.

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Yet the most valuable interactions, they say, come from discussions with people who do not have prior knowledge of their practice and its possibilities: “It is so fruitful to get out of our bubble and meet reality. It is frequently the case that people have partial information, but there are so many misunderstandings as well as prejudices.” Changing perceptions, then, is a big issue. Disposability is the most overt problem in design and indeed the wider world. It is a negative consequence of mass production, demonstrated by the level of waste produced today. However, by making products that have a defined and considered lifespan, crafting plastics! challenges this narrative. “The new generation of bioplastic decomposes as industrial compost,” Kubušová explains. She acknowledges that whilst recycling is important, it is not a long-term solution. In fact, their first eyewear collection almost mocks fast-fashion: “You buy [the item] in faith to use it forever, but in reality, you will buy a new one … You lose it, break it, buy another.” In other words, its disposable nature becomes a central, and vital, design feature. This notion has become a major goal for the studio: changing the way that people interact with objects and materials. “We are consciously trying to create the potential of a new relationship between the consumer and ecological plastic, not just by choosing the right product but also by enabling buyers to understand how it is made.” The collective wants to “show the process, allow customers to be part of the research.” As they do so, they also hope to change the prevalent opinion that green materials can only

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Collection 3 by Adam Šakový, 2018.

“Disposability is one be used for packaging materials and single-use products: of the most pressing “The new line of 100 per cent bioplastic is strong and problems in design, durable. The eyewear collection was just a start, and the new and is usually billed as bigger pieces, such as furniture, are already in progress. By a negative consequence offering durable products, we are combatting a lot of myths: of mass production. for example, we want to prove to people that our material But by making products will not start to fall apart when it is raining.” that have a defined In fact, by making design-driven objects intended for lifespan, crafting wear, crafting plastics! also makes a crucial point that plastics! challenges scientific research into materials is not just for “useful” this narrative.” items. People ask, “why don’t you make something like

Previous Page: Collection 2 by Evelyn Benčičová, 2017. Left: Collection 1 by Anna Smoroňová, 2016.

single-use cutlery?” But, Kubušová says, “it’s difficult to understand. What people don’t know is that ecological plastic will probably not be able to compete with the synthetic plastic price for at least the next year or two. And with the single-use products, it will always be about the cheapest possible options. We don’t have that choice yet.” She hopes that by coming up with durable, beautiful pieces, the company will play a role in encouraging further demand for ecological products. In turn, factories may begin to see the value in creating these on a larger scale. It’s still a new and developing area, and she observes that “it needs more creatives to get involved to inspire bigger change within public and professional perceptions.” A growing contemporary interest in artisanal craft undoubtedly forms part of the broader context in which crafting plastics! works. In fact, there is a certain handmade ethos which underpins their work even from the early days. “At the time we started, we did not have the machines for processing plastic,” Kubušová says. “So we tried to process its raw form using the tools we had around us. We let the

material speak for itself. It is very malleable, and the low melting temperature gave us a variety of options.” They were also impressed by what they call the prototype’s “unusual aesthetic”, something which is evident in the finished products as well as in the manufacturing process. Subverting common ideas about plastic, she says, “it is also non-toxic: even when it is melting it smells like baking bread and you can handle it with your bare hands.” Visual appeal is, of course, extremely important for the studio’s output. It seems clear that interest is growing in sustainable fashion but despite improving over the last few years: “This scene is still not appealing and seductive enough for the consumer.” Pointing to the widespread use of apparently natural colours such as green and brown, the group describe how “many creators feel this is the only way to sell ecological fashion products. They are afraid that using new colours and structure will make customers think that the products are made from synthetic materials. But in reality, the ‘boring’ natural appeal of this colour scheme can be discouraging for high fashion clients.” Instead, the team presents striking ranges that will not simply disintegrate: “They are strong and durable,” Kubušová says, despite a short life span. They do not dissolve when in contact with skin or water, and would need to be placed in specific conditions (a moist environment with a constant temperature in excess of 50 degrees Celsius for a period of 90 days or more) before beginning to biodegrade. Being part of the process at every stage allows the collective to understand their products on a microcosmic level. “As well as developing the plastic themselves,” Kubušová explains, “they are the testers of our designs – we

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Collection 3 by Adam Šakový, 2018.

wear and try out the products, then give them to our friends. – it extends to wider consciousness. “People are slowly We have pieces of bioplastic in our homes – watching the starting to embrace the idea of choice, and with that comes material grow old in real time and in domestic spaces – as power: producers and manufacturers will follow demand. opposed to laboratory simulations.” Knowing an object Customers can either buy a disposable product that will and its properties so well offers the team “a lot of freedom, stay in landfill for hundreds of years, or, for a similar price, because we can be innovative at the earliest stage of an they could buy something that after use, ceases to exist object’s existence – even before it is born. It also gives us a entirely and leaves no measurable trace on the planet.” Having recently launched a studio for inclusive practices, lot of potential for idea generation and production, which the company believes that collaboration is important in can sometimes be overwhelming.” This open-ended energy is channelled succinctly into the achieving their end-goal of sustainability and transparent production of beautiful and sculptural pieces. The work has production. “It is the principle we cherish the most … We evolved since the team’s first collection, which was hand- would not be able to accomplish so much if we were just crafted, and has now moved towards the use of technology on our own. It brings necessary value into our projects, as and filament 3D printing. As such, the delicate frames fulfil well as being fun. Together we can do a lot and also teach their potential as scientific experiments, whilst responding each other even more.” Working closely with scientists, to contemporary fashion trends. The team has also begun for example, is informative for both parties: “We see to play around with colours: “For our second collection, multidisciplinary approach as key to solving complicated the products are available in Orange Seaweed, Bohemian issues.” Moreover, by engaging in discussions and Green, Mysterious Blue.” There is a fourth option: Nude. collaborating with others, they hope to influence greater In the process of creating the new line, the colour of the changes: “This research is not purely for ourselves. By material evolved into an ivory shade that resembled a pale telling our story, we hope we can inspire others.” With their innovative methods and bright, engaging aesskin tone. Whilst the frames are biodegradable, lenses are made from mineral glass: there is currently no “bio-based” thetic, it is no surprise that crafting plastics! is currently working on a number of notable collaborations. The colalternative on the market, but this is at least recyclable. Looking ahead, Kubušová and the team hope to move lective hopes to continue the journey into the ecological towards “more accessible items in terms of price and daily plastics industry, bringing their knowledge to a wider auuse. We want to have functional objects.” This means a shift dience in the commercial marketplace. Additionally, the in focus to interior design and furniture. “We hope it will studio is attempting to develop a substance that would be become more and more commonplace when choosing a suitable for home composting, whilst retaining a focus on new product to ask and get complete information about fashion and product design. As a group, they are not afraid its origins, toxicity and carbon footprint.” In other words, “to dream big” as Kubušová enthuses – and their continued, sustainability is not just a priority in ready-to-wear fashion growing success is testament to this optimistic mantra.

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Right: Collection 2 by Evelyn Benčičová, 2017.

Words Anna Feintuck

www.craftingplastics.com

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Luminous Environment Alexis Pichot

Alexis Pichot (b. 1980) worked as an interior designer in Paris for more than 10 years, during which he became sensitive to the use and manipulation of space within urban parameters. Since then, the artist has moved his attention away from the bustle of the city and into the welcoming mystery of the landscape. Marche CĂŠleste was shot in the forest of Fontainebleau, France. Deeply mystical and ritualistic, the images offer a sense of regeneration through depictions of the organic world. The intimate photographs reestablish the supremacy of nature as a powerful and innate force. As such, the following pages are part of a wider awakening of dormant human emotions; each nocturnal scene encourages the viewer to reconnect with the earthâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s allure. Drawing inspiration from lunar cycles and astrological phenomena, the compositions reacquaint audiences with the environment, just like eyes becoming reaccustomed to darkness. www.alexispichot.com.