CHILL OUT L I T T L E K
HOW WHERE YOUR CHARACERS BORN ? One day I was using modelling clay and I created a character I specifically wanted featureless. The idea of the empty hood came from that. They are also influenced by urban culture, hip hop clothing and skateboard cultures. There is also something sprite-like to them. It quickly dawned on me to expose these characters to the outside world and to use them to get back the urban environment, actually close to the skate way of life. WHAT MEDIA DO YOU USE ? The characters are made from Fimo, a modeling paste that is very easy to use, already coloured. You only need to cook it in a conventional kitchen oven to harden it. Modeling is about building an object in a way that is based on deformation and adaptation, which are also characteristics that are present in my creations. It gives meaning to an artistic practice that is based upon adaptation. Finally, I like the childlike quality of modeling paste. WHAT ABOUT PUTTING THE WORK IN CONTEXT ? It is the city and its architecture that guide my choices. It is mainly photographs, a place presented as a landscape with the characters in the foreground. I compose the scenes according to three elements: Place, support and character. These constraints are sometimes harsh: I can’t always choose the best place because I have to make do with the city itself. As for the photograph, I usually place the camera level with the sculpture. I always use a wide angle, so that I can show an overview of the site and place the characters in the environment I chose for them. I don’t go out of my way to put them in places that are hard to reach. Quite often they are in public spaces.