just from around the city... it is on people's minds. 
Vanités
This is a work in progress inspired by the Vanités exhibit at the Musée Maillolthe skull freaks me out sometimes, but it is also one of the most beautiful things. The idea of a beautiful life- the passion for living that is borne form the consciousness of death
I watched a video of an interview featuring Jefferson Hack, who is one of the founders of Dazed and Confused magazine. And he made some very interesting observations about the digital revolution and how it will affect fashion and how fashion will react. He states the fact that we are always a step behind because the principles of traditional design houses are just that: traditional. They are reluctant to accept technological advancements as advancements. To me it is the mentality that the longer it takes, the better the quality. This hesitance ends up being a handicap, I think. I am learning this myself. It is not about giving into the way other people have begun to do things. It is about accepting the new tools that are available by using them in way that is uniquely beneficial to your cause. It is not that modernity is imposing itself. That is the attitude that cripples enterprises that refuse to change. It does mean that there are more outlets, and thus more elements to try and understand. It is a scary idea at first, but in the end it can introduce some pretty wonderful possibilities.
Side note: I particularly liked the way he used the word 'engage.' That the audience engages with the media, or the product. I like it because it is a dynamic action- an experience.
A New Way to Look at Things
Accustomed to themed fashion exhibitions and retrospectives, I was surprised and intrigued by the critical approach of the current show at the Musée de la Mode et du Textile: L’Histoire ideale de la mode contemporain, Vol 1: 70-80.
Brainchild of Olivier Saillard, the museum’s director, it is the first half of a two part exhibition series. A further exploration into the book of the same title, published last year, the exhibit presents key moments in the development of fashion through the 70s and 80s. But this is not a typical fashion exposition. It is set up to demonstrate a contemporary phenomenon; a phenomenon that is actively occurring in fashion today. The nature of showing contemporary artifacts is that the story is unfinished. In this case the narrative is not only to be continued, awaiting the second half of the exposition, but also in the sense of the ongoing evolution of fashion. Mr. Saillard has tried to trace back the path that has led us to where we are today. Like a work in progress, representing the transitions that designers go through to develop their vision into the next story.
The show’s prerogative is to represent the diversity of what was being produced during the decades of the 70s and 80s, and also to identify the connections and trends. From Sonia Rykiel to Thierry Mugler, Claude Montana to Romeo Gigli, there are obvious contrasts, but also nuances of similarity that evoke the time.
In the context of this show, with Yohji just around the corner from Alaia who is back to back with John Paul Gaultier, there is a dialogue that is just like the dialogue between designers today. In the middle of all of these French houses, Yohji Yamamoto’s presence reminded me of the important shift he was a part of(along with Rei Kawakubo, two of Japanese designers to enter the Paris scene in 1981).There was also a literal overlap of designers were the videos and the neighboring mannequins reflected of the off of the scattered mirrors and the glass dividers. The physical space thus mimicking the suggested relationships.
Of course it can be dangerous to classify a designer by an era. You risk putting them in a box that obscures their individual contribution. Saillard overcame this obstacle by creating a story around each of the designers, showing the strength of their identities. He accomplished this by incorporating the videos of runway shows (with headphones to listen to the music, an important part of the experience), and through beautifully written texts accompanying the displays.
Finally a fashion story that is relevant and progressive. Instead of observing the past as something we have left behind, it becomes an integral part of where we will arrive in the futre. It brings up questions about what the next direction is, and who might be the defining characters of the 2010s?
And now I am dying to see the film version, specifically the evolution of the runway show. Are you up for it Mr. Saillard?
Open until October 10th, 2010. Vol.2, covering the 90s and the aughts in the development now, will follow the current exhibit.
The book: Histoire idéale de la mode contemporaine - Les plus beaux défilés de 1971 à nos jours
Valuing Objects
I was troubled and surprised by a statement today that it is not worth spending money on things, but only on experiences. As a designer and an artist I create things. I put a lot of value into things. I try to create things that will have value for others as well, otherwise it is not really worth creating. That is a personal opinion, however, as my main interest lies in sharing- which I do through creating, which ideally connects me through the expression of my idea, to another person/other people. From this perspective, objects are immensely important. And create experiences just as potent as an experience in which we are more physically dynamically involved. In this case I am considering an experience as an activity, while an object evokes a more passive reaction. But when you think of the intellectual stimulation, you realize how active a state of being it actually is to be engaged in a dialogue with object that stimulates you.
I am, however, adamantly against 'stuff.' Such as gifts for the sake of gifts, and the new 'it' bag every season. Give me one present my whole life that lasts forever and makes me think of you. Give me one bag that knows the shape of my shoulder and goes with every outfit like an extension of myself. As much an accessory as my own hair.
More on this later. I have some thoughts to work out myself.
Take a velib down to:
Robert DOISNEAU
Exposition du 01 avril au 01 juin 2010
GALERIE CLAUDE BERNARD
7-9, rue des Beaux Arts 75006 Paris
The way through the wild
frontier is unmarked and
unpredictable. The creatures,
the terrain,
and the vegetation...
change all around us- transform
from prairie, to desert, to mountains
and to lush forests.
The earth from brown
to yellow to grey to red. The creatures from deer
to crickets, to men.
And the only way to prepare for the unexpected
is to expect nothing.
Too often in our concrete world we assume we understand
how our environment functions and what might happen next.
And so we miss opportunities
that might teach us something new-
or that might save us from repeating a mistake.
And people who might open our eyes a bit, or a lot, pass by unnoticed or unappreciated simply because we think we already know.
We never know.
Every encounter is a wild frontier
And to be king of it is to
treat it as such- wild and unknown.
To be delicate and attentive-
courageous and open-minded,
generous and curious,
natural and confident,
questioning and receptive.
Ask honestly, answer honestly.
be a king.
And may every step be a wild frontier.
Goncourt Metro Station
This fruit stand is underground at the metro station. I walked by it and it was bright inside behind the rolled down garage door, covered with graffiti. Kind of like the way I feel going down the stairs underground: Bright and clean, only to be closed in by the dirty recycled air and concrete... Just another orange in the underground fruit stand.
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