Archive for October, 2009

Last week Mpdclick headed to London’s Tate Modern gallery to view first hand the controversial Pop Life: Art in a Material World exhibition. Featuring a colourful and rather titillating array of infamous work by Andy Warhol and successors Damien Hirst, Keith Haring, Murakami Takeshi and Tracy Emin, the exhibition has caused quite a stir, being described by the Guardian Newspaper as ‘cultural prostitution in action’. This adds fuel to the long held debate as to whether Pop art is significant as an art movement in its own right, or merely a cultural phenomenon born out of the advertising and entertainment industries. Through a variety of mediums, Pop Life’s artists rebel against traditional ideas that art should be elevated from the mainstream, out of reach to the masses and to be admired from afar. Alternatively they choose a more direct approach to reach their audience; through mainstream and popular culture.

Andy Warhol, the iconic pioneer of the Pop art genre, dominates the exhibition with his signature ‘business art’. A collection of his later works, including the controversial series Retrospectives or Reversals, combines celebrity portraits and commodity prints which link entertainment and art together in a highly commercial format. Warhol famously capitalised on his artistic fame by lending his face to numerous advertisement campaigns, happy to participate in mainstream culture. Reflecting his versatile approach to art, his work is exhibited in mixed media with video footage of his numerous television appearances such as a Japanese TDK videotape advertisement and an episode of ‘The Love Boat’, as well as various newspaper articles detailing his personal life emphasising his very public persona.

This section of the exhibition clearly illustrates Warhol’s revolutionary way of branding himself and using self portraiture as self promotion. Despite being one of America’s most celebrated contemporary artists, his flirtation with the media and subsequent involvement with numerous advertising campaigns was criticised as ‘selling out’; trading his artist status for a more celebrity identity. Whether this is the case or not, this notion of ‘selling out’ was an important touchstone for a generation of artists that have emerged in the last few decades.

Other graduates from the school of Pop art on display are Takashi Murakami and Keith Haring. Work displayed by Murakami includes a massive fibreglass statue of a lactating female animation character as well as a J-pop music video featuring American actress Kirsten Dunst dressed as a Harajuku girl. Murakami is often said to be Japan’s answer to Pop art. With his empire of animated commodities ranging from fashion and fine art to music videos and print design work for Louis Vuitton, Comme des Garcons and Prada, Murakami’s extensive merchandise demonstrates just how multifaceted and lucrative his signature style can be.

In another room is a re-construction of Keith Haring’s New York based Pop Shop selling his ‘down town art’ (for example, the iconic Radiant Child  and hit & run illustrations) in a variety of affordable products such as key rings, badges and t-shirts; effortlessly crossing the line between art and commerce. It seems that Haring is creating merchandise based on his art in order to demonstrate his desire to make his work more accessible to the public and in turn, rebel against the elitist nature of traditional art.

Jeff Koon’s stainless steal rabbit also features, accompanied by televised footage of Macy’s department store’s Thanksgiving Parade. The video shows a giant silver balloon version of the rabbit floating through the streets of New York demonstrating an alternative way of exhibiting work to a mass audience. In stark contrast, in a room behind closed doors, Koon’s Made in Heaven collection displays a giant sexual close up image – himself and porn star former-wife La Cicciolina. Despite the somewhat seedy content of this particular collection, the theme seems to fit in well with Pop art’s garish almost tabloid nature. The term ‘sex sells’ springs to mind when viewing this particular piece.

However seedy and provocative the material, the element of shock is evidently crucial to Pop art, and this exhibition certainly had it in bulk. With Maurizio Cattelan’s impaled horse, Damien Hirst’s False Idol (a calf with 18 carat gold hooves), Piotr Uklanski’s Nazi-inspired portrait collage and various hardcore pornographic images, all the collections were certainly eye catching. After all, it is the shock factor that propagates interest which is central to the success of the advertising industry. In this way Pop Life marks a continuing fascination with collaboration, commerce, media and art. Through the use of advertising, televised art and merchandise these artists are accessing the public directly- expressing a certain attitude about making art in a more public way and dealing with art in the real world.  

It seems that the high street behemoth that is Topshop can do absolutely no wrong; in the last decade the British born chain has become the fashion Mecca of trend hunters worldwide, now operating in over 20 countries. For the first time ever, Australia’s fashion hungry can get a slice of the action thanks to Sydney’s high end department store Incu. The Oxford Street, Paddington branch has an exclusive deal to stock both Tophop and Topman clothing and accessories. A glitzy opening last night, complete with red carpet, launched the premiere lines that went on sale at 10am EDT (Eastern Daylight Time) this morning. 

Identical twins Brian and Vincent Wu opened Incu in 2002. At just 25 years old, the pair had spotted a gap in the market and set about offering premium streetwear from up and coming Australian designers. The duo’s latest savvy move could prove to be very lucrative; though concerns have been raised as to how the high street line will integrate with Incu’s luxury top price labels. They say: “It’s definitely an exciting project and it has been interesting to see how we can integrate such a well-known brand into the Incu environment. We’ve have always been fans of both Topshop and Topman and are fascinated with how it has been positioned in the marketplace- they continue to push the boundaries of high street fashion and work with young designers, keeping them always one step ahead of their competitors.”

Will the Topshop brand of trend focused youth fashion have the all encompassing appeal on Australia’s shores that is enjoyed elsewhere? We’ll keep you posted.

(Image source: thevine.com)

Many of us dream of getting away from it all but how many of us dream of getting away from ourselves?

With a similar concept to the ‘swap my wardrobe’ trend, whereby participants swap designer clothes for a designated period of time, a trend for swapping ones lifestyle is on the increase. Take for example the sudden abundance of ‘experience’ gift companies on the internet, similarly offering a novelty present package such as flying a small plane or an afternoon of wine tasting in a French vineyard. These are all examples of ‘fractional luxury’ which offer the consumer not just an experience but a new identity, albeit it a short lived one.

Stays Afloat, a company in southern England also offer a little escapism. For as little as £28 per night, you can rent accommodation on a luxury yacht; the same as you’d pay for a typical b&b on shore. Of course, chartering yachts is not new, but usually requires longer periods of time and for a hefty cost.

Perhaps owing to the current global economic meltdown, a new avenue for escapist services has transpired; allowing the consumer to slip into someone else’s shoes the day and experience a different lifestyle and even social class. Could it be that consumers are yearning for a more multifaceted existence? Or perhaps just a brief escape from the austerity of recessionary times. In a broader context, companies like Stays Afloat seem to be selling not just an accommodation service, but more profoundly a sense of well being and privilege. By making the luxury lifestyle more accessible to consumers, they are satisfying societies intrigue for how the other half live; another driving force behind the escapism industry. A gimmick maybe, yet companies like Stays Afloat are becoming more common and demonstrating how selling lifestyle as a product is fast becoming a profitable enterprise.  

Alexander McQueen and Puma have once again joined forces to create a visually stunning collection for autumn/winter 2009.  The collaboration, dubbed ‘Crane vs. Tiger’, is centred round the theme of power and specifically power in relation to sport.  This seasons theme is loosely based around boxing – a sport which takes great physical and mental strength. 

Alexander McQueen worked with the world famous photographer Nick Knight when creating the iconic brand image.  The image depicts a dual between a crane morphing into a women and a tiger morphing into a man. Colours and prints are vibrant and eye catching, whilst retaining McQueen’s signature otherworldy style.

Puma and Adidas have officially ended their 60 year feud for Peace One Day; an event organised by Jeremy Gilley to promote ceasefire and encourage an end to global violence. 

On the 21st September both sets of employees participated in a football match; this is the first joint activity since the famous fall out which resulted in brothers Rudolf and Adi Dassler leaving their joint company and setting up rival firms opposite each other, now known as Puma and Adidas. This adds weight to the theory that sport is a powerful tool and can be used to tackle major issues.

Recently, Mpdclick had the great pleasure of interviewing another of Texprint’s up and coming designers Martha Steadman.

Martha, 22, studied Textile Design at London’s prestigious Central Saint Martin’s and was the proud recipient of Texprint’s 2009 Weave prize.

Speaking from her home in Cowbridge, Wales, we asked Martha all about her inspirations, hopes for the future and favourite designers.

Mpdclick: Hi Martha, so did you enjoy your time at Saint Martin’s?
Martha: University was really exciting and learning all the time was motivating. The third year was the highlight for me because it was the most independent and I started to feel a great responsibility towards my work and develop more direction.

Mpd: What was the inspiration behind your final collection?
M: My final collection was inspired by the Welsh tradition of double cloth blanket weaving and also imagery and research from my home area in the Welsh coal mining valleys. I created quite a traditional yet contemporary collection with the colours that I used, to appeal to a more modern market. Using light weight silks to weave with the fabrics, are aimed at high end womenswear.

Mpd: Do you think the recession has affected your final work, would you have done this differently if more funding was available, or has it not really affected you?
M: I don’t really think it has affected me.

Mpd: What does the future hold for you?
M: After gaining as much experience as I can for, ideally fashion houses, I hope to set up my own weaving studio to produce designs to be manufactured on a large scale or to create one -off fabrics for boutiques and high end fashion.

Mpd: Are there any fashion houses/designers you dream of working for?
M: Jaeger- I like their mix of archive and trend and they have a great balance of innovative design and luxurious fabric. To be part of the design/ fabric research teams in places such as Chloe and Luella too would be an amazing experience and the dream job!

Mpd: Besides fashion & textiles do you have any other interests which you pursue?
M: I suppose everything I do revolves around my interest in the ‘arts’. I enjoy visiting new places for inspiration, museums and galleries. Having a good rummage in flea markets and antique fairs is also really interesting, and I am always checking Style.com! I also keep active and exercise to keep fit.

Mpd: Which designers do you admire or are inspired by and why?
M: Jaeger is really inspiring and I love their use of colour. Using classic monochromes with strong accent colours always appeals to me. Their collections are always different but have a strong sense of consistency. I think the same about Chloe… From their adverts to the attention to detail on the clothing, everything is beautiful and well thought out.

With the recent film ‘Taking Woodstock’ and upcoming Broadway musical ‘Hair’, decades after its original popularity, tie-dyed fabrics and hippy themes are also having resurgence on the catwalks and in lifestyle trends.

This year, fashion houses such as Balmain, Bernard Wilhelm (pictured) and Blumarine are incorporating this trend into their collections; featuring tie dyed dresses, marbled prints and bleach washed jeans to give this season a much more edgy aesthetic. We are seeing tie dye across the board, becoming especially popular in denim , as well as in accessories such as handbags, shoes and scarves which are all effective ways to wear the trend. 

Tie-dye began as a dyeing technique applied to fabric in order to produce an irregular pattern or a gradient of colours often worn by hippies in the 1960s and 70s stating symbols of peace and love. Now colourful, organic and dynamic patterns are appearing on everything from apparel to interiors and stationary. As it is an easy and inexpensive technique, expect to see some Do-It-Yourself reincarnations very fitting for the current economic climate and perhaps reminiscent of the counter-culture trends of the late 1960s.

A picture paints a thousand words, as the old saying goes. In the case of illustrator and artist Danny Allison, it’s possibly closer to a million. His work, commissioned for magazine covers, editorials and adverts, has a delicious undertone of satire and subversion, often incorporating social and political comment within beautifully dramatic artwork.

Boasting a staggering client list including the BBC, Yamaha, Marlboro and The Times newspaper, Allison turns his attentions to a wide variety of issues, including religion, war, technology and the environment. His strong background in photography has ensured that his compositions retain a strong sense of lucidity and substance, in an age where Allison himself claims that he has ‘recognised the absence of clarity and meaning in most modern illustration.’ Thankfully, as is so crucial to true satire, Allison never takes himself too seriously – his work tends to provide some kind of comic relief to offset the gravity of the issues he raises.

Modern popular culture has something of a fetish for sloganised subversion, with people using slogan-emblazoned t-shirts and bags to proclaim some kind of opinion about the world. Banksy, long regarded as the British posterchild of visual political comment, has had his work embraced and appropriated by the mainstream, arguably removing it of its sub-cultural kudos; thankfully, artists such as Allison are free to pick up the dropped baton.

Cycling apparel just got cool.  After years of function taking precedence over design Japanese company PEdaL.E.D appear to have struck a balance.  They have produced garments that are both functional and aesthetically appealing whether riding a bike or walking the street.  A particular highlight of their current drop is a zip through hood with zipped mesh vents at the waist that allow air to flow through the jacket whilst riding.  The colours are striking and eye catching. 

The collection is currently available on Bluelug.