9th Valcellina Award
This one-and-only textile art competition for young textile artists in Europe is preparing for its 9th edition to the theme of "Imaginary and Reality". More information will soon follow on the website of the organisation Le Arti Tessili (www.leartitessili.it) and of the event itself (http://www.premiovalcellina.org). The event will take place again in Maniago, Italy, in April/May 2014.
Deadline: 31 Dec. 2013
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ARTISTS
Silja Puranen - She embroiders onto found textiles whether its rugs or other patterned pieces. The result is a busy but visually pleasing result.
Jim Arendt - an artist whose work explores the shifting paradigms of labor and place through narrative figure painting, drawing, prints, fabric and sculpture. Influenced by the radical reshaping of the rural and industrial landscapes he grew up in, he investigates how individual lives are affected by transitions in economic structures.
Yoriko Yoneyama - uses cotton thread along with other materials, such as mirrors, to create his sculptures.
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COMPETITIONS AND EXHIBITIONS
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KAARINA KAIKKONEN
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LONDON FASHION WEEK - LIBERTIES WINDOW DISPLAYS
http://www.liberty.co.uk/window-gallery-lfw-aw13/article/fcp-content
Liberty collaborated with make-up and interdisciplinary artist, Isamaya Ffrench, for the September windows. We caught up with Isamaya to find out more about her inspiration, and what it was like working with Liberty.
What was your inspiration for the window displays?
"The inspiration originally came from the concept of a 'fashion monster' – creating unusual textural skins and organic shapes to evoke otherworldly characters."
How does it feel working with Liberty on a range of windows?
"It was amazing working with such an iconic luxury retailer like Liberty. Being an artist, it was refreshing to find that everything about Liberty is authentic. The mannequins were hand-painted, marbled and styled over a two week period, working on-site in the Liberty rooftop studio which made the process even more memorable. The simplicity of the resultant window displays allows you to clearly see the textures created and their colourful interaction with all the beautiful clothes."
Tell us something we don't know about these windows...
"Each mannequin is a result of the day's weather. I was given a formal colour palette to utilise but discovered that such is the unpredictability of marbling on such as scale, that the same set of colours would turn out completely different each time depending on environmental factors like weather and temperature. However, Liberty embraced this as as part of the artform and realised that the different motifs were imbuing distinct personalities into each of the mannequins and in effect, they became like personas rather than decoration."
"The inspiration originally came from the concept of a 'fashion monster' – creating unusual textural skins and organic shapes to evoke otherworldly characters."
How does it feel working with Liberty on a range of windows?
"It was amazing working with such an iconic luxury retailer like Liberty. Being an artist, it was refreshing to find that everything about Liberty is authentic. The mannequins were hand-painted, marbled and styled over a two week period, working on-site in the Liberty rooftop studio which made the process even more memorable. The simplicity of the resultant window displays allows you to clearly see the textures created and their colourful interaction with all the beautiful clothes."
Tell us something we don't know about these windows...
"Each mannequin is a result of the day's weather. I was given a formal colour palette to utilise but discovered that such is the unpredictability of marbling on such as scale, that the same set of colours would turn out completely different each time depending on environmental factors like weather and temperature. However, Liberty embraced this as as part of the artform and realised that the different motifs were imbuing distinct personalities into each of the mannequins and in effect, they became like personas rather than decoration."
Maxine Groucutt, Head of Visual Identity at Liberty, also gave us her insight into the window displays.
What was the inspiration or concept behind the windows?
"The window concept began with the international collections showing the plethora of texture – wool, mohair, angora, glossy feathers, curly sheepskin and faux fur. We then added some well-placed googly eyes and everywhere there were fashion monsters! The scheme morphed into something more mature with a twist of London's bizarre eclectic innovation, celebrating what Liberty and London Fashion Week does so well."
How were the displays constructed and materials sourced?
"I met with Isamaya Ffrench who has an incredible portfolio of skin art. Transforming her work onto the mannequins was so intriguing. Isamaya invented the marbling effect by mixing paint in a bath and then dipping and painting each mannequin. The wigs by Charlie Le Mindu were brought in to emphasise the characters and their animal appearance. The styling took a few days and over 21 brands were used in the scheme."
Let us in on a secret about these window displays...
"The Grazia Fash Factor winner's dress was selected by Liberty's Head of Fashion Buying & Merchandising, Stephen Ayres and our Managing Director, Ed Burstell before they knew the theme of the window scheme. When Ed showed me the winning design I couldn't believe how perfectly it worked with the concept."
"The window concept began with the international collections showing the plethora of texture – wool, mohair, angora, glossy feathers, curly sheepskin and faux fur. We then added some well-placed googly eyes and everywhere there were fashion monsters! The scheme morphed into something more mature with a twist of London's bizarre eclectic innovation, celebrating what Liberty and London Fashion Week does so well."
How were the displays constructed and materials sourced?
"I met with Isamaya Ffrench who has an incredible portfolio of skin art. Transforming her work onto the mannequins was so intriguing. Isamaya invented the marbling effect by mixing paint in a bath and then dipping and painting each mannequin. The wigs by Charlie Le Mindu were brought in to emphasise the characters and their animal appearance. The styling took a few days and over 21 brands were used in the scheme."
Let us in on a secret about these window displays...
"The Grazia Fash Factor winner's dress was selected by Liberty's Head of Fashion Buying & Merchandising, Stephen Ayres and our Managing Director, Ed Burstell before they knew the theme of the window scheme. When Ed showed me the winning design I couldn't believe how perfectly it worked with the concept."
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