Amelia’s Magazine are avid followers of Bernard Chandran’s unique innovative attitude to fashion design that has produced two stellar collections: AW09 and SS10. Recently we’ve had the pleasure of interviewing Bernard via email regarding his creative inspiration after the dust storm that is London Fashion Week 09 settled.
What inspired you to become a fashion designer?
I am a creative person and even when young I admired the window display of the fashion boutiques. I was convinced after watching ‘fashion TV’ about designers and how they can influence the world through their passion and design that fashion was for me. Of course I had to convince my dad, pharm pharm which was not at all easy, patient being a traditional dad who wanted me to pursue accounting or at least law. Hence I told him that I could make lots of money!
What was the inspiration behind the AW09 and SS10 collections?
The AW09 inspiration was drawn very much from the weather, medical especially the rain, which is an essential element in the weather forecast in the East. Whilst rain is often depicted with moody, cloudy weather, somehow the collection has no indication of the conventional; instead there is somewhat a kind of upbeat enthusiasm, edgy yet supremacy about the designs. The overall design is daring and structural. Oversized “umbrella structure” can be seen at the shoulder top and hips in some of the designs. The tailored volume gives the collection an edge. Straight slim cut trousers were worn with structured double breasted coats.
As for my SS2010 collection, my roots and origins become my inspiration, where I have bridged a lot of elements from the oriental palace to the fashion runway. I also injected the collection with a type futuristic sophistication and unlocked the traditional to the modern.
First of all how did you find this year’s London Fashion Week? Did you enjoy the new setting of 180 the Strand?
I love the energy, the enthusiasm and the celebrative spirit. The new setting at the Strand was great. Happy 25th Birthday British Fashion Council!
S/S 2010 featured a variety of sculptural pieces from the face-masks to the bustiers – what was the inspiration behind these pieces?
I travel a lot and of late I saw a lot of people wearing masks, especially at airports. Hence I decided to make them a little more glamorous. It is also my way of paying tribute to Michael Jackson whom I think was always at the forefront of fashion with his daring outfits!
From where did the geometric prints and structured tailored pieces develop from?
The geometric prints inspiration came from my kitchen! This round we produced our own prints. Due to the lantern festival, I used lantern inspired design. As you can see some of them have an envelope shape, which is very much like the lanterns.
How was your experience on studying fashion? What was your favourite item designed whilst at University?
It was truly awesome. My favourite design item has to be the interesting sleeve that I developed. I spent two weeks, perfecting the cut and the shape to the specs that I wanted
What are your favourite piece you have designed recently?
All my collections are like my babies. My most meaningful is Look 22 from my SS2010, as we have gone through much to develop a new technique and finally to achieve the results we wanted.
What is next for Bernard Chandran?
Stay tuned. It will be interesting for my next fashion presentation.
We’ll be watching!
Bernard Chandran’s innovative attitude to fashion design has produced two stellar collections for London Fashion Week: AW09 and SS10. Recently Amelia’s Magazine had the pleasure of interviewing Bernard -via email-on his creative inspiration after the dust storm of London Fashion Week 09 settled.
What inspired you to become a fashion designer?
I am a creative person and even when young I admired the window display of the fashion boutiques. I was convinced after watching ‘fashion TV’ about designers and how they can influence the world through their passion and design that fashion was for me. Of course I had to convince my dad, purchase which was not at all easy, being a traditional dad who wanted me to pursue accounting or at least law. Hence I told him that I could make lots of money!
What was the inspiration behind the AW09 and SS10 collections?
The AW09 inspiration was drawn very much from the weather, especially the rain, which is an essential element in the weather forecast in the East. Whilst rain is often depicted with moody, cloudy weather, somehow the collection has no indication of the conventional; instead there is somewhat a kind of upbeat enthusiasm, edgy yet supremacy about the designs. The overall design is daring and structural. Oversized “umbrella structure” can be seen at the shoulder top and hips in some of the designs. The tailored volume gives the collection an edge. Straight slim cut trousers were worn with structured double breasted coats.
As for my SS2010 collection, my roots and origins become my inspiration, where I have bridged a lot of elements from the oriental palace to the fashion runway. I also injected the collection with a type futuristic sophistication and unlocked the traditional to the modern.
How was London Fashion Week 09? Did you enjoy the new setting of 180 the Strand?
I love the energy, the enthusiasm and the celebrative spirit. The new setting at the Strand was great. Happy 25th Birthday British Fashion Council!
S/S 2010 featured a variety of sculptural pieces from the face-masks to the bustiers – what was the inspiration behind these pieces?
I travel and of late I saw numerous people wearing masks, especially at airports. Hence I decided to make them a little more glamorous. It is also my way of paying tribute to Michael Jackson whom I think was always at the forefront of fashion with his daring outfits!
From where did the geometric prints and structured tailored pieces develop from?
The geometric prints inspiration came from my kitchen! This round we produced our own prints. Due to the lantern festival, I used lantern inspired design. As you can see some of them have an envelope shape, which is very much like the lanterns.
How was your experience on studying fashion? What was your favourite item designed whilst at University?
It was truly awesome. My favourite design item has to be the interesting sleeve that I developed. I spent two weeks, perfecting the cut and the shape to the specs that I wanted
What are your favourite piece you have designed recently?
All my collections are like my babies. My most meaningful is Look 22 from my SS2010, as we have gone through much to develop a new technique and finally to achieve the results we wanted.
What is next for Bernard Chandran?
Stay tuned. It will be interesting for my next fashion presentation.
We’ll be watching!
Bernard Chandran’s innovative attitude to fashion design has produced two stellar collections for London Fashion Week: AW09 and SS10. Recently Amelia’s Magazine had the pleasure of interviewing Bernard -via email-on his creative inspiration after the dust storm of London Fashion Week 09 settled.
What inspired you to become a fashion designer?
I am a creative person and even when young I admired the window display of the fashion boutiques. I was convinced after watching ‘fashion TV’ about designers and how they can influence the world through their passion and design that fashion was for me. Of course I had to convince my dad, ed which was not at all easy, medical being a traditional dad who wanted me to pursue accounting or at least law. Hence I told him that I could make lots of money!
What was the inspiration behind the AW09 and SS10 collections?
The AW09 inspiration was drawn very much from the weather, capsule especially the rain, which is an essential element in the weather forecast in the East. Whilst rain is often depicted with moody, cloudy weather, somehow the collection has no indication of the conventional; instead there is somewhat a kind of upbeat enthusiasm, edgy yet supremacy about the designs. The overall design is daring and structural. Oversized “umbrella structure” can be seen at the shoulder top and hips in some of the designs. The tailored volume gives the collection an edge. Straight slim cut trousers were worn with structured double breasted coats.
As for my SS2010 collection, my roots and origins become my inspiration, where I have bridged a lot of elements from the oriental palace to the fashion runway. I also injected the collection with a type futuristic sophistication and unlocked the traditional to the modern.
How was London Fashion Week 09? Did you enjoy the new setting of 180 the Strand?
I love the energy, the enthusiasm and the celebrative spirit. The new setting at the Strand was great. Happy 25th Birthday British Fashion Council!
S/S 2010 featured a variety of sculptural pieces from the face-masks to the bustiers – what was the inspiration behind these pieces?
I travel and of late I saw numerous people wearing masks, especially at airports. Hence I decided to make them a little more glamorous. It is also my way of paying tribute to Michael Jackson whom I think was always at the forefront of fashion with his daring outfits!
From where did the geometric prints and structured tailored pieces develop from?
The geometric prints inspiration came from my kitchen! This round we produced our own prints. Due to the lantern festival, I used lantern inspired design. As you can see some of them have an envelope shape, which is very much like the lanterns.
How was your experience on studying fashion? What was your favourite item designed whilst at University?
It was truly awesome. My favourite design item has to be the interesting sleeve that I developed. I spent two weeks, perfecting the cut and the shape to the specs that I wanted
What are your favourite piece you have designed recently?
All my collections are like my babies. My most meaningful is Look 22 from my SS2010, as we have gone through much to develop a new technique and finally to achieve the results we wanted.
What is next for Bernard Chandran?
Stay tuned. It will be interesting for my next fashion presentation.
We’ll be watching!
![Ciel_AW09Page6[7]](http://www.ameliasmagazine.com/wp-content/uploads/2009/11/Ciel_AW09Page67.jpg "Ciel_AW09Page6[7]")
Ciel
The V&A have a knack for putting on stylish events for the stylishly minded. October was no exception, this web with the “Fashion and…” lecture series taking off in conjunction with London College of Fashion. One that caught Amelia’s Magazine’s eye was the “Fashion and Ethics” forum which took place last Tuesday. With guest speakers designer Sarah Ratty of Ciel, about it Christian Kemp-Griffin from clothing range Edun and Matilda Lee from the Ecologist all representing different areas of the industry, sickness the forum brought to our attention the extreme passion many people have for making a difference within the third world for garment workers. Posing the question “is green still the new black?” the talk raised awareness of what is being done and what still needs to be done for a fairer trading world.
![Ciel_AW09Page3[9]](http://www.ameliasmagazine.com/wp-content/uploads/2009/11/Ciel_AW09Page39.jpg "Ciel_AW09Page3[9]")
Ciel
What the forum essentially was broaching was the difficult subject of responsibility. Now that we as a shopping public know about the ‘behind the scenes’ of clothing retail, should we change our shopping habits? The popularity of the talk (full house) highlights the extent to which we are aware of these issues. With ‘cheap-fashion-fix’ culture taking over, consumers are buying more and more cheap clothing, instead of upkeeping more expensive pieces as our grandparents’ generation did. However, the human price is far from cheap. Poorly paid labour, stark working conditions and unfair treatment are all linked to the shops that can turn out cheaper and cheaper clothing yet still somehow make profit. The profit is coming from the worker.
Ciel Wool
Yet two of the in-house speakers, Sarah Ratty and Christian Kemp-Griffin, were there to represent design houses that refuse to compromise on worker rights. Sarah Ratty of Ciel designs clothing alongside Peruvian farmers whose lifestyle would otherwise have died out. Creating luxurious pieces from alpaca wool, Ratty’s designs help keep the coloured alpaca stock alive as they are suffering from the popularity of their white alpaca brothers. The farmers who raise the stock are also ‘kept alive’ by Ratty’s industry as she provides them with working conditions which can allow them to continue with a way of life that has lasted for years. Ratty is a business woman and a designer, but one who wants to make a difference.
Sarah Ratty of Ciel
Similarly, Edun, represented by Christian Kemp-Griffen, are another company whose main purpose is to aid garment workers and promote fair trade. Famously fathered by Bono and his wife Ali Hewson, the label seeks to aid sub-Saharan African countries through trade. Believing that promoting trade will put an end to the need for world aid, Edun encourages garment manufacture in countries such as Uganda. The old maxim, “Give a man a fish and he’ll eat for a day. Teach a man to fish and he’ll eat forever” certainly seems to be of utmost relevance here.
Edun
With some rather rousing forum interchanges following the initial “speeches”, the passion of the audience for ethical fashion was evident. Debating the relative benefits of organic cotton over its abundant water usage, the speakers had to admit that they could not do everything; for success within this field, it is necessary to pick and choose a path to follow. These designers are following the path of creating admirable working conditions and promoting trade to poor countries. Talk also centred around the future of the industry, pondering the invention of intelligent and GM fabrics. While GM fabrics had a distinct “no” from both Sarah Ratty and Matilda Lee, the use of intelligent fabrics was deemed interesting for the future of fashion. Inevitably, the debate overran the allotted time slot, and our London College of Fashion host had to silence those still attempting to pose questions.
Edun
Following the success of the night, I will leave you with my main thoughts on the proceedings. In a world in which fair trade food is widely appreciated and endorsed, isn’t it time for fair trade fashion to follow suit?
Ciel
The V&A have a knack for putting on stylish events for the stylishly minded and the “Fashion and…” lecture series was no exception. Taking off in conjunction with London College of Fashion, more about one that attracted Amelia’s Magazine’s was the “Fashion and Ethics” forum. The forum brought to our attention the extreme passion many people have for making a difference within the third world for garment workers. The guest speakers; designer Sarah Ratty of Ciel, pilule Christian Kemp-Griffin from clothing range Edun and Matilda Lee from the Ecologist represented different areas of the industry. Posing the question “is green still the new black?” the talk raised awareness of what is being done and what still needs to be done for a fairer trading world.
Ciel
Essentially the forum broached the difficult subject of responsibility. Now that we as a shopping public know about the ‘behind the scenes’ of clothing retail, treat should we change our shopping habits? The popularity of the talk highlights the extent to which we are aware of these issues. With ‘cheap-fashion-fix’ culture taking over, consumers are buying more and more cheap clothing, instead of investing in more expensive pieces as our grandparents’ generation did. However, the human price is far from cheap, poorly paid labour, stark working conditions and unfair treatment are all linked in order for the shops to turn out cheaper and cheaper clothing yet still make a profit. The profit is coming from the worker.
Ciel Wool
Two of the in-house speakers, Sarah Ratty and Christian Kemp-Griffin, were there to represent design houses that refuse to compromise on worker rights. Sarah Ratty of Ciel designs clothing alongside Peruvian farmers whose lifestyle would otherwise have died out. Creating luxurious pieces from alpaca wool, Ratty’s designs help keep the coloured alpaca stock alive as they are suffering from the popularity of their white alpaca brothers. The farmers who raise the stock are also ‘kept alive’ by Ratty’s industry as she provides them with working conditions which can allow them to continue with a way of life that has lasted for years. Ratty is a business woman and a designer, but one who wants to make a difference.
Sarah Ratty of Ciel
Similarly, Edun, represented by Christian Kemp-Griffen, are another company whose main purpose is to aid garment workers and promote fair trade. Famously fathered by Bono and his wife Ali Hewson, the label seeks to aid sub-Saharan African countries through trade. Believing that promoting trade will put an end to the need for world aid, Edun encourages garment manufacture in countries such as Uganda. The old maxim, “Give a man a fish and he’ll eat for a day. Teach a man to fish and he’ll eat forever” certainly seems to be of utmost relevance here.
Edun
With rousing forum interchanges following the initial “speeches”, the passion of the audience for ethical fashion was evident. Debating the relative benefits of organic cotton over its abundant water usage, the speakers had to admit that they could not do everything; for success within this field, it is necessary to pick and choose a path to follow. These designers are following the path of creating admirable working conditions and promoting trade to poor countries.
The talk centred around the future of the industry, pondering the invention of intelligent and GM fabrics. While GM fabrics had a distinct “no” from both Sarah Ratty and Matilda Lee, the use of intelligent fabrics was deemed interesting for the future of fashion. Inevitably, the debate overran the allotted time slot, and our London College of Fashion host had to silence those still attempting to pose questions.
Edun
Following the success of the night, I will leave you with my main thoughts on the proceedings. In a world in which fair trade food is widely appreciated and endorsed, isn’t it time for fair trade fashion to follow suit?
Ciel
The V&A have a knack for putting on stylish events for the stylishly minded and the “Fashion and…” lecture series was no exception. Taking off in conjunction with London College of Fashion, cheapest one that attracted Amelia’s Magazine’s was the “Fashion and Ethics” forum. The forum brought to our attention the extreme passion many people have for making a difference within the third world for garment workers. The guest speakers; designer Sarah Ratty of Ciel, drugs Christian Kemp-Griffin from clothing range Edun and Matilda Lee from the Ecologist represented different areas of the industry. Posing the question “is green still the new black?” the talk raised awareness of what is being done and what still needs to be done for a fairer trading world.
Ciel
Essentially the forum broached the difficult subject of responsibility. Now that we as a shopping public know about the ‘behind the scenes’ of clothing retail, more about should we change our shopping habits? The popularity of the talk highlights the extent to which we are aware of these issues. With ‘cheap-fashion-fix’ culture taking over, consumers are buying more and more cheap clothing, instead of investing in more expensive pieces as our grandparents’ generation did. However, the human price is far from cheap, poorly paid labour, stark working conditions and unfair treatment are all linked in order for the shops to turn out cheaper and cheaper clothing yet still make a profit. The profit is coming from the worker.
Ciel Wool
Two of the in-house speakers, Sarah Ratty and Christian Kemp-Griffin, were there to represent design houses that refuse to compromise on worker rights. Sarah Ratty of Ciel designs clothing alongside Peruvian farmers whose lifestyle would otherwise have died out. Creating luxurious pieces from alpaca wool, Ratty’s designs help keep the coloured alpaca stock alive as they are suffering from the popularity of their white alpaca brothers. The farmers who raise the stock are also ‘kept alive’ by Ratty’s industry as she provides them with working conditions which can allow them to continue with a way of life that has lasted for years. Ratty is a business woman and a designer, but one who wants to make a difference.
Sarah Ratty of Ciel
Similarly, Edun, represented by Christian Kemp-Griffen, are another company whose main purpose is to aid garment workers and promote fair trade. Famously fathered by Bono and his wife Ali Hewson, the label seeks to aid sub-Saharan African countries through trade. Believing that promoting trade will put an end to the need for world aid, Edun encourages garment manufacture in countries such as Uganda. The old maxim, “Give a man a fish and he’ll eat for a day. Teach a man to fish and he’ll eat forever” certainly seems to be of utmost relevance here.
Edun
With rousing forum interchanges following the initial “speeches”, the passion of the audience for ethical fashion was evident. Debating the relative benefits of organic cotton over its abundant water usage, the speakers had to admit that they could not do everything; for success within this field, it is necessary to pick and choose a path to follow. These designers are following the path of creating admirable working conditions and promoting trade to poor countries.
The talk centred around the future of the industry, pondering the invention of intelligent and GM fabrics. While GM fabrics had a distinct “no” from both Sarah Ratty and Matilda Lee, the use of intelligent fabrics was deemed interesting for the future of fashion. Inevitably, the debate overran the allotted time slot, and our London College of Fashion host had to silence those still attempting to pose questions.
Edun
Following the success of the night, I will leave you with my main thoughts on the proceedings. In a world in which fair trade food is widely appreciated and endorsed, isn’t it time for fair trade fashion to follow suit?
© Photography Rankin, pharmacy Make Up Alex Box
Make-up is all too often considered to be merely a technique used to enhance natural attributes: from the day to day beauty-conscious girl on the street, order or for flawless skin under stage spot lights. It is all about the pretty.
© Photography Rankin, Make Up Alex Box
Not, however, for Alex Box, make-up and artist extraordinaire currently exhibiting a collaboration of images created with the photographer Rankin at the Annroy Gallery in Kentish Town. Testing and subverting the traditional conception of beauty and make-up, Box’s work is known for leading the pack in experimental beauty. Having played with performance and sculpture at Chelsea, and worked at i.D, Dazed & Confused, Another Magazine and V, her CV reads like a fashion leader to watch (with self-pronounced comparisons to Gareth Pugh). Launching a book (The Make-Up Artist) to coincide with the collection, Box’s star is most certainly on the rise.
© Photography Rankin, Make Up Alex Box
The photography displayed in the show capture strange, haunted but eerily beautiful images of women. Through featuring alien-esque, exotic creatures, the collection interrogates our ideas of “normal” and “pretty”.
Make-up focuses heavily on full-painted faces, big bad sky scraping lashes and outlined lips. With black and white geishas sitting alongside faces spray-painted kaleidoscopic colours and golden sprayed hues, Box’s work questions what is beautiful.
The works ask what is traditionally accepted as pretty, whilst showing harrowing images of those mortals who are over-sunned, under-fed and suffering from a range of general diseases. These photographs question man’s mortality through the skeleton theme and joker lips evocative of Heath Ledger’s eponymous role.
This is a serious show; you can see the influence of her young Goth days in the mask-like quality of the make-up; that idea of putting on a face that represents an entire frame of mind or mood.
© Photography Rankin, Make Up Alex Box
To counteract the seriousness, the show includes positive images of weird and wonderfully strange beauty; celebrating the foreign, the unique and the variety of types of beautiful. Aside from the obvious geisha references and plays on colour, there were alien creatures straight out of Willy Wonka’s Chocolate factory or a Tim Burton film.
With paisley printed blue and pink cheeks extending around the eyes, and delicate golden dotted freckles painted underneath batting lashes, these girls were pretty like something out of Japanese anime. One face was disco-punk-neon-rave, with a crazy combo of bright and vivid shades splashed like a spirograph across the face.
© Photography Rankin, Make Up Alex Box
Box stated in an interview with Katie Shillingford that the accompanying exhibition book is a diary of beauty, reflecting different moods and day to day inspirations; the contrasting images of bright young things bordering on the cute with darker, sombre creatures perfectly captures the idea of a personal storyboard.
Box’s take on make-up and beauty is thoroughly refreshing and ultimately extremely important at the moment. Refusing to fit into the mould of a typical make-up artist, she combines her own art background with her current field of work, painting faces instead of improving them through ‘tricks’ of make-up. In a world dominated by debates surrounding beauty, the fashion industry, model sizes, skin bleaching, photo editing and advertising ploys, Box’s work refuses to pinpoint what beauty is, but instead highlights the many forms it may take.
The Exhibition finishes on the 22 November and is located at the following address:
Annroy Gallery
110-114 Grafton Street
Kentish Town,
London, NW5 4BA
United Kingdom
Ciel
The V&A have a knack for putting on stylish events for the stylishly minded and the “Fashion and…” lecture series was no exception. Taking off in conjunction with London College of Fashion, viagra dosage one that attracted Amelia’s Magazine’s was the “Fashion and Ethics” forum. The forum brought to our attention the extreme passion many people have for making a difference within the third world for garment workers. The guest speakers; designer Sarah Ratty of Ciel, approved Christian Kemp-Griffin from clothing range Edun and Matilda Lee from the Ecologist represented different areas of the industry. Posing the question “is green still the new black?” the talk raised awareness of what is being done and what still needs to be done for a fairer trading world.
Ciel
Essentially the forum broached the difficult subject of responsibility. Now that we as a shopping public know about the ‘behind the scenes’ of clothing retail, capsule should we change our shopping habits? The popularity of the talk highlights the extent to which we are aware of these issues. With ‘cheap-fashion-fix’ culture taking over, consumers are buying more and more cheap clothing, instead of investing in more expensive pieces as our grandparents’ generation did. However, the human price is far from cheap, poorly paid labour, stark working conditions and unfair treatment are all linked in order for the shops to turn out cheaper and cheaper clothing yet still make a profit. The profit is coming from the worker.
Ciel Wool
Two of the in-house speakers, Sarah Ratty and Christian Kemp-Griffin, were there to represent design houses that refuse to compromise on worker rights. Sarah Ratty of Ciel designs clothing alongside Peruvian farmers whose lifestyle would otherwise have died out. Creating luxurious pieces from alpaca wool, Ratty’s designs help keep the coloured alpaca stock alive as they are suffering from the popularity of their white alpaca brothers. The farmers who raise the stock are also ‘kept alive’ by Ratty’s industry as she provides them with working conditions which can allow them to continue with a way of life that has lasted for years. Ratty is a business woman and a designer, but one who wants to make a difference.
Sarah Ratty of Ciel
Similarly, Edun, represented by Christian Kemp-Griffen, are another company whose main purpose is to aid garment workers and promote fair trade. Famously fathered by Bono and his wife Ali Hewson, the label seeks to aid sub-Saharan African countries through trade. Believing that promoting trade will put an end to the need for world aid, Edun encourages garment manufacture in countries such as Uganda. The old maxim, “Give a man a fish and he’ll eat for a day. Teach a man to fish and he’ll eat forever” certainly seems to be of utmost relevance here.
Edun
With rousing forum interchanges following the initial “speeches”, the passion of the audience for ethical fashion was evident. Debating the relative benefits of organic cotton over its abundant water usage, the speakers had to admit that they could not do everything; for success within this field, it is necessary to pick and choose a path to follow. These designers are following the path of creating admirable working conditions and promoting trade to poor countries.
The talk centred around the future of the industry, pondering the invention of intelligent and GM fabrics. While GM fabrics had a distinct “no” from both Sarah Ratty and Matilda Lee, the use of intelligent fabrics was deemed interesting for the future of fashion. Inevitably, the debate overran the allotted time slot, and our London College of Fashion host had to silence those still attempting to pose questions.
Edun
Following the success of the night, I will leave you with my main thoughts on the proceedings. In a world in which fair trade food is widely appreciated and endorsed, isn’t it time for fair trade fashion to follow suit?
Self confessed image junkie and international artist Mark Pawson‘s exhibition ‘Signs and Maps‘ will be arriving at the ‘Here and Now‘ gallery in Falmouth, ed Cornwall with the private view this Friday 6th November and running till 5th December. His work will be showcased including limited edition perspex signs, there self published books, viagra 60mg hand printed cards and other jewellery. I caught up with Mark for a quick chat.
Tell me about the venue for your exhibition?
There’s a shop/gallery in Bristol called ‘Here‘ and this place, ‘Here and Now‘ in Falmouth is the sister shop but it actually is run by Ben’s (who runs the Bristol branch) sister.
So you’ll be selling your products in the shop?
They’ve got a back room which is the gallery room and then there’s quite a bit of window space onto the street and, well I’ll see when I get there, but some things will be in the bag and then some pieces of work will be in the shop window. Then within the shop there’ll also be a section where Kate says she’s got lots of different display areas and shelving so she’ll dedicate one of those to my merchandise.
How come you have decided to do an exhibition now?
For a long time I just focused more on making things, making books, badges – I kind of avoided doing gallery shows, but I got on with getting back into it a bit more about two or three years ago. I think I was a little hung up on the idea that to do a gallery show you need a new body of work, a new series or a new style or idea – and I don’t really work in that way. I work in a way where I do lots of different things all the time, at the same time and that is, I guess, how I express myself as an artist, it’s how I represent myself. I’m not going to a big new series. So I realised then, that I could eventually do an exhibition, a show and put this work in.
I see that you like to work in quite a lo-fi way, what is it about this way of working that attracts you?
‘Lo-fi’ is a nice word but not really the best way to describe it. In terms of making things like books and I guess badges aswell, I like to make things a bit well, most of my work is hands on. So things like the books and bookworks I’ve done, usually I’ve done all the work. Collecting source material, doing the layouts, graphic design, doing the photography, printing the books and binding them. Usually I do everything or at least have a hand in everything. I like doing work that’s intelligable and that people can see there’s a hands-on approach. You know, people can look and think ‘I could do that if I wanted to’, it’s more accessible. It’s just the way that I’ve always done things and especially always having worked from a zero budget.
Where would you say your style comes from?
It’s a real jumble of lots of different things. I’m an image junkie and I really like graphic images and packaging and I’m still quite fascinated by pieces of ephemera, paper and I also like playing and experimenting with printing methods. So yeah, some kind of jumble of all those things together. When I started I off, I was using the photocopier as my main tool, which is a great device for creating artwork, layouts, fiddling around and doing experimental stuff. Also then, you can publish and print books. So that’s alot of how I learnt, playing around with photocopiers.
Do you prefer to work on the computer when an idea first comes or by hand?
I do but it’s just the hand – the hand makes things and I use the tools that I have available. Sometimes I like to get two computers and two printers next door. I like tools and techniques which i can use here, I do everything here in my flat. Again, it’s just something that I’ve always done and always managed to do.
How did your collaboration with Tatty Devine come about?
They’ve been good friends from probably when they opened the first shop in Brick Lane and they stocked my badges and cards. The first thing we did together was the ‘open and close‘ necklace and I sold it through their first shop but we’d never done a proper collaboration before and then one day I was just sketching out some ideas and I just decided to do an ‘open and close‘ necklace based on a very simple old fashioned open and close sign. They were doing alot of things with perspex at the time. I felt a bit weird about it because these were people that I knew very well but I was making quite a business approach and a proposition to them which was quite curious. They were working on a new collection at the time and they just covered the whole of their work table with paper and were just scribbling and sketching and I showed them the sketches I had and they looked at each other and they said “Yes! We like that Mark, can we have the finished artwork in two days time”. Which was, you know, all very nice and very easy. So I’ve done a couple of things with them.
Do you like to use social networking sites, is this important to you?
Nope, not really. I’ve got a website which everything is on. It’s a very distinctive, quite old style website. Most of my work is illustrated on there with a good picture, good description and a Paypal button. At the moments thats how it works. It’s making the information available. In earlier days I used to do mail order catalogues on the same basis which had a factual description and bit more of a blurb. When I was doing the mail order catalogues I used to do something interesting or quirky with them so they were a little bit more of an object that people would hang onto. One of the catalogues that I did, it was printed all black and white and it was a little bit like a stamp album so some of the pictures, like the book covers, I did separate strip colour prints which could be cut out and stuck into the stamp album. So I have currently have a website and that’s enough for the moment. Sometimes I just have to turn my computer off.
The exhibition will be on from 8th November – 6th December 2009 at Here and Now Gallery 41a Killigrew Street, Falmouth Cornwall.
Written by Jessica Stokes on Thursday November 5th, 2009 3:16 pm
Categories ,badgemaking, ,badges, ,here and now gallery, ,Mark Pawson, ,Signs and maps, ,Tatty Devine
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