DIRECTARTS interview
W
hen fashion designer Ana Salazar invited him to create jewellery and fashion accessories he was still studying jewellery design. In 2008, ITS#7 (International Talents Supports) an accessory design competition in Trieste, Italy, awarded Valentim with Best Collection of the Year. It was his first installation, Work in Progress that landed him first prize.
I need to experiment with materials. Maybe the general public won’t notice, but I feel that my inspiration has been altered with this move, even in regards to the techniques I use, how I address themes ... A space greatly influences the way we create and I’m lucky to be able to come and go between the two.
A great launching pad for your career?
Absolutely, and now I’ve reached a turning point. When I was just at Beato, I was much more experimental in my creative process, in how I approached materials. When I came to Spazio, I started doing what I had learnt during my jewellery design course: soldering, sawing, molding. Previously these techniques were secondary, as the materials dictated what I did. At the moment I feel as though I have to return to the previous phase, I want to combine experimentation and technology, something I’ve been perfecting.
It was a great input to my career. Due to the fact that I began my career working with Ana Salazar, my creative process has always been very connected to the parameters of fashion. At the time, I developed projects that sometimes didn’t even get presented, deciding to call this one Work in Progress because that’s literally what it is. I saw the research I had done for years materialize and I feel I could continue to develop it. They’re four very distinct elements inside a machine that continue to give me ideas for other projects.
Dividing yourself between numerous ateliers, a warehouse in Beato and Spazio Dual at the Italian Motor Village. One of your spaces is chaotic and the other organised. In which do you prefer to work? I felt a big difference when I opened an atelier in Spazio Dual, I had always worked in giant warehouses. I have to admit that my creative universe works best in chaos; I don’t like to have everything very organized because it affects the creative flow. I like to look around and see what’s available. I go to the warehouse when I have to work on larger pieces; it’s an ideal space when
When looking at your pieces and collections do you feel that each piece has influenced your way of being at any given time?
Is experimentation crucial for you? Without a doubt. I’ve tried many different techniques and inspirations, from baroque to tribal, inserting them in different creative processes to see how it would work. I like to turn an ordinary material into something exquisite. At first glance a press-stud seems to only serve the function for which it was created, there’s nothing beautiful about it, but by applying them to a piece, I’m creating a beautiful and luxurious dimension, caused by the texture and achieved by the use of repetition of the same element . I now feel the need to get a little more experimental, even with materials. I don’t have as much time as I’d like to explore them, so 2012 will be used for that.
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3/29/12 11:23 AM