This spring, sales the V&A presents a unique exhibition dedicated the Grand Master Japanese couturier, stuff Yohji Yamamoto. The exhibition will celebrate his life and work, and is the first of its kind in the UK. 30 years after Yamamoto debuted in Paris, the V&A has brought together rare examples of his visionary designs.
Here’s an exclusive interview with the exhibition’s curator, Ligaya Salazar. You can also read some of Salazar’s thoughts below, too. On process
With this project I started roughly two and a half years ago to work on the idea and the concept behind the exhibition, its also a very particular project because you are working with a living designer who you are doing a single retrospective with, working with their team very closely, so in terms of curating, there is much more of a dialogue there than you would probably normally have with a slightly more thematic show.
The focus was more on to find a concept that would work for him, as a designer, because Yohji Yamamoto is very special in the deign world in terms of the way he approaches designing, so the way you want to show his work should be quite different as well….I spent more time looking at ways of displaying his work, ways of showing his work…
On garment selection
I had the incredible honour to be able to go into both his Paris and his Tokyo archives, the Tokyo archives no curator had ever been to, I had all of his archive to look at and to choose from, which made the editing process incredibly hard…it is something you spend a long time doing, talking to Yohji’s team, talking to the designer, making sure you have covered the iconic parts of his career, but also chosen pieces that are most emblematic of the themes that you want to bring out…I stated with an object list that was about six hundred pieces, and that was already a selection of the pieces I saw in the archive and then I had to bring it down to ninety, it was a long and quite arduous process.
On themes
Because it is an installation based exhibition, there isn’t a prescriptive story to tell, or a chronology, it was much more about how people would encounter the garments, for the first time what we are doing is to show everything on open display, on the same height as the viewer, so you are meeting your other, rather than looking up and behind glass, it’s a very different experience of the clothes.
Yohi Yamamoto is at the V&A and at The Wapping Project until 10th July 2011. Look out for a full review coming soon!
Ziad Ghanem‘s Never End, sick Never End, Never End was one of those hotly tipped shows that all my contributors were desperate to go to, so I was promised performance catwalking at its best. What I hadn’t expected was to land a prime seat right opposite Boy George, looking remarkably svelte next to Daniel Lismore.
Boy George and Daniel Lismore. Photography by Amelia Gregory.
I remember the allure of Karma Chameleon, back when a dodgy video was sufficient accompaniment for pop songs of such genius. Colour by Numbers was actually the VERY FIRST album that I owned, given to me by my aunt on good old cassette tape.
But then, ah, the show!!! This collection was inspired by a horror video game called Silent Hill and the work of Romantic painter John Henry Fuseli, and it explored themes of gothic romance. The press release states that the same garment viewed in a dark, gothic context by one viewer will be interpreted as romantic and liberating by the next.
The show opened with a stunning piece of performance, as a red-headed model appeared in gothic Tim Burton-esque make up, black skirts tumbling as she grew before our eyes into a 12 foot monster burlesque bride waving great green feathered fans. Thereafter followed a series of printed, billowing capes and tightly corseted dresses, all accessorised with veils, reddened eyes, cracked cheeks and Joker smiles. Apparently Ziad asked each model to choose their own favourite horror film make up for the show.
Androgynous models wore chiffon and beaded dresses, a spooky ghost couple trailed rumpled netting behind as they faced the photographers together. Amidst the drama cleverly made outfits showcased traditional haute couture skills using bias cut vintage silk chiffons and duchess satin that flowed around the body.
A white faced creature smeared its face with black paint and make up took a turn towards our feathered friends: blue winged eyes echoing the giant bird prints on winged dresses. Out stepped a ballet dancer on pointe, edging down the catwalk in frilled lilac, her skull face shrouded in grey. As she retreated backwards a series of busty ladies swept down the catwalk in eminently wearable multi coloured chiffon dresses: amongst them walked transvestites, burlesque artists and a giant lady in grey. I particularly adored the bustle backed electric fuchsia number that emphasised every womanly curve.
Taking the art of the catwalk to fantastical heights, Ziad Ghanem proved that his shows really are worth the hype, with or without the added bonus of an 80s pop idol in a fabulous yellow fedora. You can read more about his unique selection of models here.
Ziad Ghanem A/W 2011. Photography by Amelia Gregory.
You can also read Florence Massey’s review of the Ziad Ghanem show here.
Written by Amelia Gregory on Wednesday March 16th, 2011 10:12 am
This spring, sales the V&A presents a unique exhibition dedicated the Grand Master Japanese couturier, stuff Yohji Yamamoto. The exhibition will celebrate his life and work, and is the first of its kind in the UK. 30 years after Yamamoto debuted in Paris, the V&A has brought together rare examples of his visionary designs.
Here’s an exclusive interview with the exhibition’s curator, Ligaya Salazar. You can also read some of Salazar’s thoughts below, too. On process
With this project I started roughly two and a half years ago to work on the idea and the concept behind the exhibition, its also a very particular project because you are working with a living designer who you are doing a single retrospective with, working with their team very closely, so in terms of curating, there is much more of a dialogue there than you would probably normally have with a slightly more thematic show.
The focus was more on to find a concept that would work for him, as a designer, because Yohji Yamamoto is very special in the deign world in terms of the way he approaches designing, so the way you want to show his work should be quite different as well….I spent more time looking at ways of displaying his work, ways of showing his work…
On garment selection
I had the incredible honour to be able to go into both his Paris and his Tokyo archives, the Tokyo archives no curator had ever been to, I had all of his archive to look at and to choose from, which made the editing process incredibly hard…it is something you spend a long time doing, talking to Yohji’s team, talking to the designer, making sure you have covered the iconic parts of his career, but also chosen pieces that are most emblematic of the themes that you want to bring out…I stated with an object list that was about six hundred pieces, and that was already a selection of the pieces I saw in the archive and then I had to bring it down to ninety, it was a long and quite arduous process.
On themes
Because it is an installation based exhibition, there isn’t a prescriptive story to tell, or a chronology, it was much more about how people would encounter the garments, for the first time what we are doing is to show everything on open display, on the same height as the viewer, so you are meeting your other, rather than looking up and behind glass, it’s a very different experience of the clothes.
Yohi Yamamoto is at the V&A and at The Wapping Project until 10th July 2011. Look out for a full review coming soon!
Ziad Ghanem‘s Never End, sick Never End, Never End was one of those hotly tipped shows that all my contributors were desperate to go to, so I was promised performance catwalking at its best. What I hadn’t expected was to land a prime seat right opposite Boy George, looking remarkably svelte next to Daniel Lismore.
Boy George and Daniel Lismore. Photography by Amelia Gregory.
I remember the allure of Karma Chameleon, back when a dodgy video was sufficient accompaniment for pop songs of such genius. Colour by Numbers was actually the VERY FIRST album that I owned, given to me by my aunt on good old cassette tape.
But then, ah, the show!!! This collection was inspired by a horror video game called Silent Hill and the work of Romantic painter John Henry Fuseli, and it explored themes of gothic romance. The press release states that the same garment viewed in a dark, gothic context by one viewer will be interpreted as romantic and liberating by the next.
The show opened with a stunning piece of performance, as a red-headed model appeared in gothic Tim Burton-esque make up, black skirts tumbling as she grew before our eyes into a 12 foot monster burlesque bride waving great green feathered fans. Thereafter followed a series of printed, billowing capes and tightly corseted dresses, all accessorised with veils, reddened eyes, cracked cheeks and Joker smiles. Apparently Ziad asked each model to choose their own favourite horror film make up for the show.
Androgynous models wore chiffon and beaded dresses, a spooky ghost couple trailed rumpled netting behind as they faced the photographers together. Amidst the drama cleverly made outfits showcased traditional haute couture skills using bias cut vintage silk chiffons and duchess satin that flowed around the body.
A white faced creature smeared its face with black paint and make up took a turn towards our feathered friends: blue winged eyes echoing the giant bird prints on winged dresses. Out stepped a ballet dancer on pointe, edging down the catwalk in frilled lilac, her skull face shrouded in grey. As she retreated backwards a series of busty ladies swept down the catwalk in eminently wearable multi coloured chiffon dresses: amongst them walked transvestites, burlesque artists and a giant lady in grey. I particularly adored the bustle backed electric fuchsia number that emphasised every womanly curve.
Taking the art of the catwalk to fantastical heights, Ziad Ghanem proved that his shows really are worth the hype, with or without the added bonus of an 80s pop idol in a fabulous yellow fedora. You can read more about his unique selection of models here.
Ziad Ghanem A/W 2011. Photography by Amelia Gregory.
You can also read Florence Massey’s review of the Ziad Ghanem show here.
Written by Amelia Gregory on Wednesday March 16th, 2011 10:12 am
Fantasia International Film Festival 2011 poster by Donald Caron.
Fantasia International Film Festival in Montreal, capsule Canada bills itself as a celebration of all things niche and genre. Our visit during Montreal Festimania coincided with the 15th anniversary of this independent festival, which over the years has grown to become the largest and most influential of its kind in the world. We were lucky enough to be granted a VIP pass allowing us access to any film we liked over our stay, and we decided to see quite a few!
Ironically quite a few of our choices were British films that we’d failed to view over here in the UK, starting with a trio of horror shorts called Little Deaths, based around sexual perversion and gore. My favourite was a tale of domination and manipulation gone wrong: Bitch by Simon Rumley was shot in grainy London greys with a fabulous score to accompany scenes of every day mundanity as they descended into something more sinister.
Burke and Hare follows the lives of two idiotic grave robbers operating in the Edinburgh of the 1820s. Despite the downbeat nature of this true story it was given a successful comedic twist by director John Landis, aided by an impeccable cast that includes Simon Pegg and Andy Serkis of Gollum fame.
It was gone midnight when we attended the world premiere of Final Destination 5 in 3D, introduced by Jacqueline MacInnes Wood, who plays leggy lead character Olivia Castle… I’m sure this appearance was a major boon to the mainly male audience. The film was as utterly daft as its predecessors, but a lot of fun to watch with a hyped up festival crowd.
One of the Fantasia International Film Festival highlights was a screening of the old black and white version of The Phantom of the Opera, made in 1925. This took place in the Barbican-like Theatre Maisonneuve in the Place des Arts, and was accompanied by a live rendition of the original full orchestral and operatic score. The auditorium was full to the rafters for this oddball story: I had no idea that the whole premise was so damn weird! The poster was designed by Donald Caron, the Montreal artist behind the fabulously kitsch Fantasia festival poster which features a flying horse: I loved them both and had to resist the urge to buy posters for which I have no wall space.
Horny House of Horror deserves a mention for pure over the top Japanese pornographic gore: totally silly and questionable in taste, but I just about managed to sit through the 70 minutes of movie.
Argentina’s Cold Sweat was more of a chore: lacking any kind of coherent plot and drawn out far longer than was necessary. How on earth did the zombies get into the basement? It may be that I have yet to find my horror chops, but I found it hard to spend time watching this movie.
My favourite discovery of Fantasia International Film Festival was a wonderful rom com from Korea called Petty Romance, which followed the awkward relationship between a girl and a boy who get together to write a graphic sex comic that they hope will win them a large amount of money. It was a smart, sweet and funny reminder that the perils of falling in love remain the same everywhere in the world. I recommend that if you get the chance to see Petty Romance you skip along to the cinema pronto.
The Fantasia International Film Festival was supremely good fun and made me hopeful that I get asked to attend more film festivals in the future: there’s nothing like an enthusiastic audience for a niche film to increase the joy of the movie watching experience.
Written by Amelia Gregory on Monday August 22nd, 2011 12:11 pm
You never see Ringo Starr and Gary Lineker in the same room. Come on, about it think about it! Anyway, information pills I wasn’t quite sure what to expect from a band called Ringo Deathstarr. Some kind of black metal/merseybeat hybrid? I can categorically state otherwise, viagra order although I would be intrigued to hear what that sounded like. The album title gives more of an insight into their trippy, lysergic sound, but the key influences here are the late 80s/early 90s Creation bands like My Bloody Valentine and the Jesus and Mary Chain, with their squalling feedback and dreamy soundscapes.
Now, terms such as Shoegaze and Cathedrals of Sound do not exactly fill me with glee, but luckily Ringo Deathstarr give us a fresh and playful take on this kind of stuff. The brilliant opener Imagine Hearts starts with distorted 8-bit drum sounds before coming on like The Breeders’ Cannonball, with it’s dizzy, swirling guitars and bass player Alex Gehring’s dreamy, Kim Deal-like voice.
Throughout the album Gehring’s pretty, girly vocals duel with guitarist Elliot Frazier’s deeper, Ian Curtis-like croon, which provides a great counterpoint. On penultimate track Never Drive the band sound like a souped-up Joy Division.
It’s clear that these three Texans (the line-up is completed by drummer Daniel Coborn) love their vintage British indie. They’ve toured with fey 80’s jangle-merchants The Wedding Present. The breakdown in Two Girls sounds exactly like the intro to The Smiths’ Stop Me if You Think You’ve Heard This One Before. And in the song Do it Every Time, Frazier sings a lyric that may or may not say “We’re falling apart again, you took my cardigan”.
But rather than coming across as foppish miserablists, Ringo Deathstarr’s music is often powerful and joyous, and they’re at their best when playing the colour-saturated, nostalgic pop of stand out tracks So High and Kaleidoscope, which are the aural equivalent of a faded Polaroid taken on a sunny day in a park. In the 80s.
The fact that much of the lyrics are unintelligible, buried as they are under feedback and reverb, adds to the whole dreamlike quality of the record. When you do catch a phrase or word here and there, it feels like a stolen snippet of a faded memory. So, a host of 80’s indie references, dreamy girl/boy vocals and sun-faded guitar hooks – what’s not to like? Gary would approve. I mean Ringo…
Colour Trip is released on 14th February 2011 on Club AC30.
You never see Ringo Starr and Gary Lineker in the same room. Come on, patient think about it! Anyway, I wasn’t quite sure what to expect from a band called Ringo Deathstarr. Some kind of black metal/merseybeat hybrid? I can categorically state otherwise, although I would be intrigued to hear what that sounded like. The album title gives more of an insight into their trippy, lysergic sound, but the key influences here are the late 80s/early 90s Creation bands like My Bloody Valentine and the Jesus and Mary Chain, with their squalling feedback and dreamy soundscapes.
Now, terms such as Shoegaze and Cathedrals of Sound do not exactly fill me with glee, but luckily Ringo Deathstarr give us a fresh and playful take on this kind of stuff. The brilliant opener Imagine Hearts starts with distorted 8-bit drum sounds before coming on like The Breeders’ Cannonball, with it’s dizzy, swirling guitars and bass player Alex Gehring’s dreamy, Kim Deal-like voice.
Throughout the album Gehring’s pretty, girly vocals duel with guitarist Elliot Frazier’s deeper, Ian Curtis-like croon, which provides a great counterpoint. On penultimate track Never Drive the band sound like a souped-up Joy Division.
It’s clear that these three Texans (the line-up is completed by drummer Daniel Coborn) love their vintage British indie. They’ve toured with fey 80’s jangle-merchants The Wedding Present. The breakdown in Two Girls sounds exactly like the intro to The Smiths’ Stop Me if You Think You’ve Heard This One Before. And in the song Do it Every Time, Frazier sings a lyric that may or may not say “We’re falling apart again, you took my cardigan”.
But rather than coming across as foppish miserablists, Ringo Deathstarr’s music is often powerful and joyous, and they’re at their best when playing the colour-saturated, nostalgic pop of stand out tracks So High and Kaleidoscope, which are the aural equivalent of a faded Polaroid taken on a sunny day in a park. In the 80s.
The fact that much of the lyrics are unintelligible, buried as they are under feedback and reverb, adds to the whole dreamlike quality of the record. When you do catch a phrase or word here and there, it feels like a stolen snippet of a faded memory. So, a host of 80’s indie references, dreamy girl/boy vocals and sun-faded guitar hooks – what’s not to like? Gary would approve. I mean Ringo…
Colour Trip is released on 14th February 2011 on Club AC30.
You never see Ringo Starr and Gary Lineker in the same room. Come on, help think about it! Anyway, information pills I wasn’t quite sure what to expect from a band called Ringo Deathstarr. Some kind of black metal/merseybeat hybrid? I can categorically state otherwise, buy more about although I would be intrigued to hear what that sounded like. The album title gives more of an insight into their trippy, lysergic sound, but the key influences here are the late 80s/early 90s Creation bands like My Bloody Valentine and the Jesus and Mary Chain, with their squalling feedback and dreamy soundscapes.
Now, terms such as Shoegaze and Cathedrals of Sound do not exactly fill me with glee, but luckily Ringo Deathstarr give us a fresh and playful take on this kind of stuff. The brilliant opener Imagine Hearts starts with distorted 8-bit drum sounds before coming on like The Breeders’ Cannonball, with it’s dizzy, swirling guitars and bass player Alex Gehring’s dreamy, Kim Deal-like voice.
Throughout the album Gehring’s pretty, girly vocals duel with guitarist Elliot Frazier’s deeper, Ian Curtis-like croon, which provides a great counterpoint. On penultimate track Never Drive the band sound like a souped-up Joy Division.
It’s clear that these three Texans (the line-up is completed by drummer Daniel Coborn) love their vintage British indie. They’ve toured with fey 80’s jangle-merchants The Wedding Present. The breakdown in Two Girls sounds exactly like the intro to The Smiths’ Stop Me if You Think You’ve Heard This One Before. And in the song Do it Every Time, Frazier sings a lyric that may or may not say “We’re falling apart again, you took my cardigan”.
But rather than coming across as foppish miserablists, Ringo Deathstarr’s music is often powerful and joyous, and they’re at their best when playing the colour-saturated, nostalgic pop of stand out tracks So High and Kaleidoscope, which are the aural equivalent of a faded Polaroid taken on a sunny day in a park. In the 80s.
The fact that much of the lyrics are unintelligible, buried as they are under feedback and reverb, adds to the whole dreamlike quality of the record. When you do catch a phrase or word here and there, it feels like a stolen snippet of a faded memory. So, a host of 80’s indie references, dreamy girl/boy vocals and sun-faded guitar hooks – what’s not to like? Gary would approve. I mean Ringo…
Colour Trip is released on 14th February 2011 on Club AC30.
A single voice sings out with the tweet of birds in the background. A little bit choir like, dosage a lot Bellowhead like. A choir song for nature. For me, advice I thought of The Lord of The Rings, and and the shire. Or Cadfael and canal residers, Rosie and Jim. With no worries about things like mortgages or commutes. Indeed, I know Cadfael dealt with corruption, but he also had an inner calm, that must have come with the peace he had with himself/job. The beginning of the album certainly makes God’s Little Eskimo reside in a nice wood-burning stove dwelling house in the early 1800s, pre industrial revolution. He would have a furlong or two of land and young Tess of The d’Urbervilles type figure as his wife.
However, after searching for God’s Little Eskimo, aka Johnny’s postcard he had sent with his CD, the music changed almost on cue. The picture on the postcard was of a vampire looking out to the mid distance, with his dark haired victim, staring as if dead, into the infinite darkness. His clawed hands wrapped around her head, it was scary – in that 70s horror movie way. And the music? Well, it was like Frankenstein’s. In the forest, miserable and alone, when he turns from ‘newborn’, to killer. It’s dramatic, humming, premeditated and controlled – yet obviously full of anguish.
Then we have another change and God’s Little Eskimo has gone travelling. To America. He still sounds a bit dark (see: If I were to bury you), yet we have some electric guitars. We’re in 70s orange, glowed USA, with a touch of 90s Doves. It’s good and the repeating guitar notes reflect the voices ‘ahhing, my love’ to splendid effect.
Moving on, Breaking Waves At Night, has an almost Spanish air to it, but still retains Johnny’s dramatic, folky voice. Perfect for a Twilight film. In contrast, In The Gloaming Woods is upbeat, happy and almost jump inducing. Maybe a happier Twilight bit, and with them in England. And of course gloaming means ‘twilight: dusk’. Limb By Limb is a mersmerising magician, a bit of a 30s black and white horror. The piano notes drawing her in… Finally Rooks is a pleasant end, ‘The rooks have returned and the Spring is coming on”. It has some lovely instrumental in the middle. The happy ending to the play and journey… although of course, rooks, like crows, do signify death according to folklore. Tess of The d’Urbervilles, Thomas Hardy: ‘”Hoosh! Just be off, sir, or I’ll twist your neck! said the dairyman with some irritation, turning to the bird and driving him away. And to his wife as they went indoors: “Now to think o’ that – just to-day! I’ve not heard his crow of an afternoon all the year afore.” Ominous.
I asked Johnny a couple of questions: Why the name, I know you’re called Johnny Eskimo, but could you elaborate?
The “God’s Little Eskimo” name is actually a misheard quote from the 80s movie Heathers (with Winona Ryder / Christian Slater etc). I thought that a character in the film was referred to at their funeral as “God’s little eskimo”. I wouldn’t say the film itself was a huge influence, but for some reason the phrase stuck with me so I ended up choosing it as my name . When I watched it again more recently, I realised they actually get described as “Sherwood’s little eskimo” – not quite the same, but I much prefer my mis-remembered version.
Err, do you like horror films perchance?
I do like horror films yes – how did you guess?? I’m especially fond of older British psychological horrors, like Don’t Look Now, Seance On A Wet Afternoon and The Innocents, and I always liked scaring myself with ghost stories as a child. They definitely play some part in my inspiration, along with an interest in nature (particularly birds) and a fondness for woodlands and the sea. I suppose overall what I’m trying to convey in the songs is a sense of how much of the world around us remains uncanny and mysterious, and both how frightening and beautiful that can be (if that doesn’t sound too pretentious).
