Pioneers of the Downtown Scene

Georgia Hardinge A/W 2011 by Rebecca Strickson.

I think I might have been unfairly harsh about Georgia Hardinge last season: I take it all back. This was an extraordinary show for the former Ones to Watch candidate. One to Watch Like a Hawk more like. Georgia has been chosen for special Fashion Scout mentoring and this collection proved that all the hype has been totally worthy.

Georgia Hardinge A/W 2011 by Lou Taylor.

Georgia is undoubtedly enamoured of the dark side of life, website like this pilule so her A/W collection was inspired by the photographs of Joel-Peter Witkin, cheap who favours themes of death and disfigurement. The prints – ethereal white on black and building on similar ones from last season – were based on internal anatomies, digitally warped to create butterfly-like symmetrical patterning on tops, trousers and figure hugging dresses.

Georgia Hardinge A/W 2011. Photography by Amelia Gregory.

Georgia Hardinge A/W 2011 by Faye West.

But it is for her sculptural techniques that Georgia Hardinge has built such a glowing reputation in record time, and this time I was perfectly placed in the front row to admire the intricately layered and pleated dresses, tight trousers and leather jackets up close. By working with the contours of the figure she had created a far more wearable collection than last season, whilst still retaining her singular vision: the show climaxed with a magnificent whorled and hunched cream coat, worn on the shoulders like the carapace of an exotic beetle.

Georgia Hardinge A/W 2011. Photography by Amelia Gregory.

She may have had an under attended grave yard slot early on Saturday morning but Georgia is most definitely one of London Fashion Week’s rising stars. You can read Florence Massey’s review here.

Illustration by Matilde Sazio

After racing around during the morning, medications I hotfooted it down to Cooperative Designs presentation at Durham House on The Strand.

A favourite of Amelia’s Magazine, what is ed Cooperative Designs was created by Annalisa Dunn and Dorothee Hagemann who met whilst studying at Central Saint Martins. They have gone on to produce their own collections, approved collaborate with Hussein Chalayan and consult for other brands and stores.

Illustration by Joana Faria

The collection is inspired by early nineties pop culture, the Drum N’ Bass scene and industrial photography, taking its title from the East 17 song ‘It’s Alright’. Apparently the music in the girls’ studio whilst designing this collection was “classic nineties garage: ‘Sweet Like Chocolate’, ‘Do You Really Like It?’, ‘Re-rewind’ and Oxide and Neutrino ‘Bound 4 Da Reload’.”

Illustration by Rachel Lewis

I went to the basement of Durham House (home of the RSA) for the presentation. The dim lighting, sounds of thundering bass lines, raw exposed brickwork and vaulted ceilings evoked an underground rave, offering the perfect location for the collection. The references were boldly apparent as the models strode through the space. The label’s signature graphic patterns were used in a palette of greys, black, khaki and earthy hues with neon detailing. Trousers were low and baggy with utilitarian combat styling such as oversized pockets; knitwear long and loose, worn with cropped tops.

Heeled boots from German brand Flip Flop were customised with neon laces and worn with striped slouch socks, adding a touch of femininity to the primarily industrial mood. Models wore high beanie hats in chunky knits and square-peaked caps by Noel Stewart – more than a slight nod to East 17.

Scaled barcode-esque stripes resonated with woven flashes of fluro, and sportswear influence presented itself in the form of hoods, drawstrings and contrast stitching.

Illustration by Matilde Sazio

Corrie Williamson supplied plywood jewellery; laser cut figures daubed with neon acrylic paint were worn as pendants (and handed out with the press release) and chunky bangles were layered on the wrist.

Who ever would have thought that fashion owed anything to Brian Harvey?

Floor of the Forest and Trisha Brown. Illustration by Jane Young.

Yesterday I was actually invited to attend a Barbican art gallery media view for the first time, cure so I feel duty bound to get a blog up about the new exhibition – Laurie Anderson, Trisha Brown, adiposity Gordon Matta-Clark, Pioneers of the Downtown Scene New York 1970s – as soon as possible.

Gordon Matta-Clark. Open House, 1972.

In my mind press views are a chance to relax, hang out, enjoy a near empty gallery at a calm and leisurely pace – but of course it never quite pans out like that. I invariably have a million other things to do, and so it was that I arrived very late, having missed a couple of performance pieces already. I turned a corner past a large graffiti-ed crate to find the famous dancer and choreographer Trisha Brown posing beneath the installation for her famous piece Floor of the Forest, 1970 which features a grid strung with colourful pieces of clothing.

Trisha Brown. Floor of the Forest, 1970.

In this piece dancers navigate the equipment, dressing and undressing as they go. Trisha Brown has had a long and illustrious career adapting dance to suit everyday environments, creating seminal performance pieces that took advantage of the rooftops and water towers in Downtown New York.

Trisha Brown. Woman Walking Down a Ladder, 1973/2010.

Sadly I missed her performance piece, Walking on the Wall, 1971, where dancers hang from the sides of the gallery and stumble and roll across the walls. Trisha’s approach has been extremely formative across the contemporary dance world, and of particular interest to me was the fabulous original costume for The Dance with the Duck’s Head, 1968.

Trisha Brown. Costume for The Dance with the Duck’s Head, 1968.

A film of a lithe young Trisha performing in the 1960s is a compelling reminder of her ongoing influence – Trisha Brown turns 75 this year, but she is still extremely active. You will be able to watch three of Trisha Brown’s performances during the exhibition running time, so be sure to check the Barbican website for full details.

Laurie Anderson. Viophonograph, 1976.

Classically trained musician Laurie Anderson also took the tangled Downtown setting as her playground, starting with Institutional Dream Series (1972), documenting her experiments in public sleep and the subsequent dreams that this produced. Before this exhibition I knew Laurie Anderson best for her early 80s rendition of O Superman, which is just part of a huge back catalogue encompassing music and art, often both together.

Laurie Anderson. The Electric Chair, 1977-78.

Downstairs a version of The Electric Chair, 1977-78 has been recreated, an entertaining contraption using light and motion, it squawks and clatters back and forth. She projects 3D light sculptures that talk and creates objects such as the Viophonograph, 1976, which is part violin, part record player.

Laurie Anderson. At the Shrink’s, 1975/1997

Much of the upstairs space is taken up with the finer details of these performance pieces, which are intricately documented with maps and writings. Laurie especially is known for combining photographs and writing to explain her process, but I found this section very text heavy and only the most hardcore fans will want to read this in detail.

Laurie Anderson.

Gordon Matta-Clark. Splitting 9, 1977.

My most interesting discovery was the work of fellow New York architect and artist Gordon Matta-Clark (whose father was the surrealist painter Roberto Matta). He sadly died very young from pancreatic cancer. His Open House, 1972, performance has been re-interpreted by modern dancers in a shipping crate spliced with salvaged walls and doors. Perhaps because this is only a rough facsimile of something that happened long ago I found the work upstairs far more enticing. Gordon worked at the intersection of urban dereliction and disaffection that was blighting much of Downtown New York in the 1970s.

Gordon Matta-Clark. Splitting: Four Corners, 1974 (detail)

Gordon Matta-Clark.

He set up Food, a co-operative and alternative gathering space that would no doubt charm a whole host of like-minded people today. I particularly enjoyed reading the catalogued details of what happened in the kitchen – 47 dogs asked to leave, 153 chairs broken, 15 bottles of champagne disappeared. And on the menu? For your delectation used car stew. There will be two reinterpreted Food style dinners on 24th March and 28th April.

Gordon Matta-Clark.

Gordon Matta-Clark spliced urban spaces, cutting apart whole houses and blasting away windows. He reappropriated old glass, recycling it into beautiful brick formations that look almost like precious gemstones, and he worked with abandoned cars to highlight the impoverished underbelly of the city. He was ecologically minded – his drawings and diagrams of trees a glorious twisting organic painterly mess compared with the rigid lines of his more urban based work. In an experiment between architecture, performance and protest he hung out in a tree on International Worker’s Day during 1971 for Tree Dance. If only he had lived longer.

Gordon Matta-Clark.

Gordon Matta-Clark. Tree Dance, 1971.

The exhibition runs until 22nd May 2011. My full listing is here.

Written by Amelia Gregory on Thursday March 3rd, 2011 6:43 pm

Categories ,Barbican Art Gallery, ,Barbican Centre, ,Gordon Matta-Clark, ,Jane Young, ,Laurie Anderson, ,London Kills Me, ,New York 1970s, ,Performance Art, ,Pioneers of the Downtown Scene, ,Trisha Brown

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