Sunday, July 18, 2010
Monday, July 12, 2010
Tuesday, July 06, 2010
PR WEEK INTERVIEW
Dazed Digital, the online sister of monthly magazine Dazed and Confused, has just hired David Hellqvist to be its commissioning editor. Dazed Digital posts exclusive videos interviews, behind-the-scenes fashion reportage and exclusive features. PRWeek catches up with Hellqvist to find out what he wants from PROs.
David Hellqvist: Dazed Digital editor
Describe Dazed Digital
Dazed Digital is a unique editorial platform; a web-based magazine with daily updates of original content. Like the Dazed & Confused magazine, we focus on in-depth and intelligent coverage of worldwide fashion, music, art and photography, using our network of contributors throughout the world.
You have just joined. Are you planning any changes?
There will be a Dazed Digital design overhaul later on this year, but in terms of editorial coverage it won’t change a great deal.
Who are your competitors and what makes you different?
There isn't really any direct competition. Other sites might have either a bigger audience or a more niche expert area, but we cover our brief in an insightful way with original content. This means no one else can claim the same authority in our line of work. We have made it our job to unearth worldwide talent using all the means that make the digital presence our strongest asset.
What makes a good story for you?
A new angle, an interesting person, a boundary-pushing brand or an exciting event.
Of which story are you most proud?
Personally, I like the stories with a slight current affairs angle. I was happy with our election coverage, because we made it appeal to a younger audience. I’m also pleased when we can give a young designer, musician or artist his or her first bit of press and media attention.
What tips can you give PROs to get coverage?
Try to imagine if it would fit our audience. Often PROs just take a chance and email over completely irrelevant issue, events and brands and end up wasting both mine and their own time.
What are your own personal media must-haves?
Dazed & Confused, The Guardian, Twitter, Fantastic Man, Monocle, Fashion in Politics.com, AnOther Man and Nowness.
What is your latest circulation figure?
We have 2.5 million page views a month and 200,000 unique visitors, but we also use our ever-growing social media network to communiacte with our audience. Currently, the Dazed Twitter following is 102,000 and the Facebook page have 46,000 fans.
What is the best contact email for the editorial staff?
David.h@dazedgroup.com
Monday, May 24, 2010
Subversive Glamour & James Gardner on Dazed Digital
The New York City-based digital media entrepreneur might very well be the best connected photo blogger ever as his Subersive Glamour site shows...
Text by David Hellqvist | Published 24 May 2010
Photo by James Gardner
Who's the most connected New Yorker? Who goes to all the best shows and the most exclusive parties? Well, that's impossible to say, but James Gardner, AKA Subversive Glamour, sure is a contender to the title. Born in the UK, Gardner has been NYC-based for many years, and when setting up the photo blog two years ago he made it his mission to get all his famous friends - and celebrities he just bumped into - to pose with him in front of his Blackberry phone. That's right, Subversive Glamour isn't fed by some state-of-the-art technology, just a normal camera phone. But the low-fi feeling of the equipment is easily matched by the glamour and flamboyant hedonism that Gardner documents by night. During the day though, Gardner is busy setting the agenda of digital media and opening up the boundaries of internet consumerism through his work at Createthe Group, a creative and interactive web agency that Gardner founded and is now the CEO of. So whatever time of the day you find him, Gardner is always tinkering away in cyberspace, working hard to entertain you. Dazed Digital spoke to him about Subversive Glamour...
Dazed Digital: How would you explain Subversive Glamour to an outsider?
James Gardner: Subversive Glamour is an alter-ego that has become a caricature of myself.
DD: What is the main objective behind Subversive Glamour?
James Gardner: To entertain!
DD: Do you take all your images on your Blackberry? Why?
James Gardner: Yes! Always with me, instantaneous, intimate... And that's my thing!
DD: How, When and Why did you start Subversive Glamour?
James Gardner: I was at my upstate house one weekend in late 2008 and set up Tumblr and Twitter accounts. I quickly became obsessed, and it gave birth to Subversive Glamour. We talk about the power of social media to our clients and my Creative Director, Diana Hong, said I had to embrace it. It turned into something that is a lot of fun and people seem to enjoy it...
DD: A lot of images feature yourself - do you treat it as a diary blog?
James Gardner: I guess I would call it a tongue-in-cheek diary blog, I know it's a little ridiculous... especially the Subversive Glamour 'Blue Steel' pout!
DD: What's Subversive Glamour's USP compared to all other blogs out there?
James Gardner: I'd like to think that there aren’t too many CEOs with an alter-ego, a micro blog and a fashion addiction out there.
DD: Sometime I get the feeling I'm flicking through a magazine when I look at Subversive Glamour - is that the reaction you want?
James Gardner: Sure... if it’s digital, glamorous, glossy and a little naughty...
DD: You work with digital pioneers CTG; do you think the future of media is totally and unconditionally digital?
James Gardner: Not totally, but it's certainly a huge part, as I think people now realise.
DD: As a Brit living in NYC, what do you miss the most with the UK?
James Gardner: I'm very lucky to have clients like Burberry and Dunhill in the UK that require frequent trips back so I don't miss too much...but my family of course...
DD: And the least?
James Gardner: Grey skies!
DD: A lot of your images are party snaps - how does NYC compare to London (and other world cities) in regards to their party scene?
James Gardner: NYC is high-glamour-cool-downtown-strong-cocktails, London is high-fashion-street-looks-hot-music-lots-of-not-so-strong-cocktails, Paris is tres Gay and Milano will not be the same without Plastic!
DD: Do you see yourself as a photo journalist, a fashion observer or more of a business man?
James Gardner: Can I be all three?
DD: What's next for Subversive Glamour and James Gardner?
James Gardner: For Subversive Glamour, a cocktail and some BB snaps.... for James Gardner & CTG, lots more exciting digital innovations!
Catch Subversive Glamour on the blog, Twitter, Vimeo and Blip FM
Richard Kern interview for PONYSTEP
ART
5/20/2010
Richard Kern: Stern stuff!
by David Hellqvist
Photo by Richard Kern
Photographer slash filmmaker slash pornographer; New York-based artist Richard Kern can proudly raise his hand and claim all three titles. From the 1980’s and onwards, Kern made his name mixing the true original rock ‘n’ roll ingredients of sex, music and drugs in his work.
Kern’s bi-monthly fanzine ‘The Heroin Addict’ and collaborations with Sonic Youth, Black Flag’s Henry Rollins and poet Lydia Lunch set the tone for his future work. Since then, Kern’s photos have been synonymous with nude, honest and semi-sexual material. For the last few years Kern has been most prolific as a photographer, and his work has more often than not been appearing in Vice Magazine – a match made in heaven, as anyone familiar with Vice’s relaxed attitude towards undressed models will know. ‘Shot by Kern Europe’, a documentary-style film and accompanying photo exhibition of Kern travelling around Europe shooting naked girls, is now being released in conjunction with Vice, and Ponystep spoke to Kern in the run up to the London-leg premiere of the exposition.
David Hellqvist: Why did you focus this expo/book on Europe?
Richard Kern: I shoot in Europe all the time so it was no stretch, and in this case it was organised by the UK office of Vice. I have worked with Vice all over the world – Mexico, Brazil – but the UK wanted to take it a step further and make a film about it. I was happy, I got loads of content out of it!
DH: The film revolves around London, Barcelona, Paris, Milan, Antwerp and Berlin. How and why did you choose these cities?
RK: Well, it was because Vice, as a multi national organisation, has offices in all of these countries, and they sorted out all locations and the girls. But the project was originated by the UK branch of Vice. It turned really well, and I’m happy with the result.
DH: What city did you like the best and why?
RK: Two things decided what city I liked: the girls and the food! In Italy, the food was great and the girls were good – but it was hot and dirty and I didn’t like the hotel. Paris was good across the board but I had one very good girl. I suppose each city had its moments and places. In Barcelona, for example, we found a perfectly empty pool that we shot a girl in. Antwerp had amazing light, so now I know why there are so many great painters from that region.
DH: What did you set out to explore with the film and do you think it was successful?
RK: I was just along for the ride. I wanted great photos, which I got, so in that sense it was a success. I got maybe 10-15 good photos from the trip. We were on the road for 14 days, so that’s one a day!
DH: What’s the relationship between art and photography?
RK: Artists watch pornography bur pornographers don’t look at art!
DH: Why do you think that people are so fascinated with sex and porn?
RK: Well, I know exactly why guys are; they just want to masturbate. I don’t know about girls, but for me porn serves that purpose. But my work is not about jerking off, my stuff is soft-core compared to what’s out there.
DH: Is your work seen differently in the US compared to the UK?
RK: It used to be, but now everything is more unified. But there are still some differences – in Italy and France, for example, they don’t think twice about nudity. In Europe in general, except for maybe the UK, it’s to easier to talk about nudity and sex compared to in the US.
DH: Is your work a form of rebellion towards conservative views of what art is supposed to be about?
RK: Perhaps, but art history is full of nudity: always have been and always will be!
DH: Is punk still alive and prosperous?
RK: It still exists, I hear the music occasionally, and in one way the attitude is still the same. After all, an 18-year old acts the same whatever year it is! But at the same time I’m not sure if the Sex Pistols would have been as controversial today as they were when they launched back then. All I know is that they were a big deal for me when I was 18 anyway!
DH: I have seen your work in Vice for many years – is there a special Kern/Vice relationship?
RK: I just like Vice and it has been a good collaboration ever since they first asked me to shoot for them. Vice is the kinda publication that doesn’t step back from my ideas but instead are keen on realising them.
DH: ‘Shot by Kern’ has been an ongoing project since 2007: is there more or was the book and expo the culmination?
RK: Hopefully not. I know Vice in Berlin wants me back, so I’m hoping it can generate some more trips.
DH: Are there any other photographers whose work you rate?
RK: I like Ryan McGinley and Terry Richardson. I also like some of the new and young ones out there, but I couldn’t tell you their names: I look at the images, not the signatures! In the last issue of Vice there was a shoot with hypnotised girls that was great – I wish I had come up with that idea…
www.richardkern.com
DH.
Wednesday, May 19, 2010
Jacob Zuma / The Spin / AnOther Mag
The Spin | Jacob Zuma
— May 11, 2010—
David Hellqvist tries to make sense of the sartorial choices of World Leaders in his fortnightly column The Spin
South Africa has a long tradition of charismatic and colourful leaders. Everyone knows Nelson Mandela; and FW de Klerk has also gone straight into the history books. But both men can learn a thing or two from the current South African President Jacob Zuma when it comes to making the most of an entrance.
The 68-year-old Zuma took power exactly a year ago and visited the UK only a few weeks ago. Zuma, like Mandela, represents the African National Congress (ANC) which not that long ago brought out their own line of fluorescent leather jackets. The collection brought on a fashionable media storm, that is until punters noticed the jackets were by ANC, not APC.
Zuma’s own personal style is best described as eclectic. When he got married in January – to his third wife – Zuma was pictured performing the ritual dance moves of his Zulu tribe, wearing a leopard skin, several animal tails as a skirt and a leopard head band. To enable the dancing, Zuma wore fresh-from-the-box Reebok trainers and Reactolite glasses.
The President is an avid believer in frequent reproduction, and has fathered 20 kids. Open about his polygamy, he says: “There are plenty of politicians who have mistresses and children who they hide so as to pretend they are monogamous. I prefer to be open. I love my wives and I am proud of my children.”
During his political career, Zuma has been accused of racketeering, corruption and rape. No charges have been pinned on him and he was acquitted in the rape case. In fact, the only thing Zuma has ever served time for was his attempt to overthrow apartheid, which in 1963 resulted in a 10-year prison sentence that he served on Robben Island, together with Mandela. Still, he should have been sent down for those leather jackets.
David Hellqvist is a freelance journalist for AnOther Man, Dazed & Confused, i-D, ZOO and a Contributing Editor to American website JC Report
Saturday, May 08, 2010
Wednesday, May 05, 2010
TURI MUNTHE'S DEMOTIX
Citizen Journalism crusader Munthe defends free speech but worry about the future of media ....from a plane to Kazakhstan...
Text by David Hellqvist | Published 30 April 2010
Sometimes you can't trust anyone but yourself. Everyone has agendas, even major news organisations. Why are they telling us this, but avoiding saying that? News, like everything else, can be angled and made to sound and look a certain way. Who better to tell the world of events but us, the people. Now, in our technologically advanced world, this has been made possible. High speed internet, digital cameras, mobile phone videos, constant travelling - those are the means by which Citizen Journalism is created. But the will, determination, stubbornness and courage must come from inside us. Turi Munthe not only have those qualities himself, but also the ability to help others develop their own Citizen Journalism skills. Through his Demotix news organisation, thousands of people are now able to tell their version of what's happening around us....
Dazed Digital: What's the purpose of Demotix?
Turi Munthe: Demotix is an open news wire: it connects freelance reporters, photo journalists and video makers, as well as amateurs and activists, with the global media. Demotix was established to do two things: 1). Create a free-speech platform where anyone anywhere can safely upload their news stories, photographs, video and soon audio. 2). Provide a truly global, instant, multi-media, 2.0, collaborative, alternative newswire service to the mainstream media. We want to massively expand the pool of news sources available to the global news media.
DD: When and how did you set it up?
Turi Munthe: Demotix launched in January 2009, from an attic (rather than the proverbial garage). I set it up with my partner, Jonathan Tepper. I had the journalism and politics background, and Jonathan had years of finance and banking behind him. Since then, we've won and been nominated for about a dozen international awards and have seen our contributors' stories on the front pages of the New York Times, Guardian, Wall Street Journal and around the world. It's been an extraordinary ride.
DD: Where did the name come from?
Turi Munthe: 'Demos' means people in Greek. It's where we get the word democracy from. 'Demotic' simply means 'of the people' - and that, of course, is what our newswire intends to be. 'Demotic' is most commonly used to describe demotic Greek and demotic Egyptian - the languages of the street in ancient Athens and ancient Thebes. It was using these 'street languages' that Champollion was able to read the Rosetta Stone and ultimately decode hieroglyphics. We loved the idea of a language of the people - a 'street language' - that opens up the world, and that's how we got to Demotix. The final 'x' was a nod to the web (and to Asterix, Jonathan and my favourite cartoon as kids).
DD: Citizen journalism - what's the biggest Pro compared to 'normal' media?
Turi Munthe: I think there are three massive Pros to citizen journalism - and they are the reasons citizen journalism will continue to be a critical resource to news gathering going forward.
- 1. Accidental News:
No professional journalism organisation can pretend to be everywhere at once. In fact, most of the big organisations are stripping back. An open platform like Demotix is able to cover the 'accidents' of news in a way no mainstream news organisation could cover - like the now infamous picture of Henry Louis Gates being arrested in front of his home. That image made the front cover of Time Magazine, and the snapper (who made many $1000s from it) was a neighbour who just happened to be look out of his window at the right time.
- 2. Censorship:
Whether it's because of violence, or political crack-downs or simple logistics, there are a lot of critical news stories that professional journalists just can't get to. We saw it in Iran in June 09, in Haiti with the earthquake, in Afghanistan with the elections in Taliban-held country: in each case, Demotix had local reporters and courageous amateurs on the ground sending us stories and images.
- 3. Collaboration:
We love this shift in the way news is reported. Before the web, you could write in to your local paper on the off-chance they'd publish your letter. Today, the comments stream of any halfway decent article is crammed with information, and all serious media has realised how important 'civilian' participation can be. One of my favourite examples is the Guardian's treatment of the expenses scandal: where the Telegraph trickled the information out drip-by-drip, the Guardian put it all online and built a widget so that everyone could get stuck into deciphering the mess. The advantages for us at Demotix in having dozens of contributors in every city is that, with big news stories, we get a 360 degree view and a collaborative news story.
DD: Any Cons?
Turi Munthe: Most of the news on Demotix is produced by local freelancers, professionals and a few highly dedicated amateur news reporters. It takes a certain eye both to find a story and to tell it properly (not to mention the time and dedication), and these are skills that most people do not have.
DD: Where are getting most reports from right now? What's the Number One hot spot on the globe?
Turi Munthe: It changes with the news stories of course. As I type, Demotix is deep in the thick of Thailand's Red-Shirt movement, all over the troubles in Greece and of course the UK election. Last week it was Iceland, next week who knows. But, I suppose we have really particularly good coverage from Asia, the Middle East and Europe. Africa is difficult for us because of internet connectivity, and Latin America is slower because we haven't yet launched in Spanish.
DD: Do you travel around yourself?
Turi Munthe: I'm typing this response in a plane to Almaty, Kazakhstan, where I'll be talking at the Eurasia Media Forum. Next week, I'll be in Caracas talking at a Digital News conference, the following week in Thessaloniki to talk about innovation, and the week after that in Rio where I'm moderating a big UN conference on cross-cultural dialogue and new media. So yes. I tend to spend 3-4 days in a country, trying to meet as many journalists, photojournalists, editors and political activists/opposition figures as possible. We're not trying to tell the official story. We are always looking for the underbelly.
DD: It's mostly picture based, or do you have pure copy journalists working for you?
Turi Munthe: All our stories are picture of video led for two reasons: multimedia is much easier to verify than text, and it's also far easier to licence. We will get to text, but that will be after audio. Text is, as you suggest, the trickiest element in the equation because it's so difficult to verify.
DD: Your aim is to 'rescue journalism' - from who?
Turi Munthe: Today, only four US newspapers even have a foreign desk (NYT, WSJ, LA Times and Washington Post). The BBC doesn't have single staffer in Latin America. Industry reports suggest that over 100,000 journalism jobs were lost in the UK and US in 2008-2009 alone. The same picture emerges all over the news world. Who is responsible? - some combination of the recession, and an advertising nose-dive, but most of all the internet and free content: in other words, money. Demotix, which already has 3,000 active contributors in 190 countries around the world, runs on almost nothing and is based on a variable cost model, unlike all the big legacy players out there. We have broken stories from Gaza to Ghana, and we think we have found part of the solution.
DD: Is this the future of journalism?
Turi Munthe: The future of journalism, in our view, is collaborative. I see professional journalists becoming more and more independent, newspapers and broadcasters run by editors more than by journalists, and I see a huge role for participative media like Demotix. Our aim is to become the 'AP' of freelancers, only bigger, deeper, quicker, more local and more global, and a lot more democratic. That we can only do because of forces - economic and technical - that are revolutionising the news media today. It's an extremely exciting time to be involved in the news.
DD: You want to promote individual citizen journalism - do you think that the mass media today is too closed and reliant on only a few key players?
Turi Munthe: Read Nick Davies' Flat Earth News and you'll see how reliant today's media is not only on a few key journalistic players but on the gigantic machine that is PR. Yes - definitely - there are far too few players in news media today and they give a monolithic view of the world. In the hard news space today, only AP and Reuters (with Agence France Presse a poor man's third) even pretend to cover global news and the two big players don't have anyone in over 40% of the world's countries. That's appalling in a 21st century that is supposed to be defined by connectedness and information overload.
DD: What's next for you and Demotix?
Turi Munthe: From a media perspective, we're launching Video, Audio, and eventually text. From a business perspective, we're looking at a number of really interesting partnerships now around the world (from South Africa to Latin America to Egypt to the US) which will give us access to reporters and distribution all over the world. And from a personal perspective, more travelling and talking. Demotix is activist on free speech and civil liberties issues, so it's good to get out and shout about it. Plus I seem to get in the way in the office...
Steve Mason interview on Dazed Digital
AMAZING STEVE MASON
Former Beta Band singer launch eponymous and career-best solo project in collaboration with pop producer Richard X
Text by David Hellqvist | Published 28 April 2010
For the lucky ones to catch it, Beta Band's Farewell tour in 2004 was a sad moment. The UK lost one of its finest, daring and experimental bands, but gained - as it turned out - several musical offspring in the Scottish band's immediate break-up period. The other Beta Band members formed The Aliens whilst singer Steve Mason started up a handful of solo projects; Black Affair and King Biscuit Time being the most successful ones. All good, but Mason, and his fans, were missing something. That little extra ounce of confidence that Beta Band had when they were at the top. Along the way, it seems, that missing piece of brilliance found its way back home and now, recording under his own name (always a good sign), Steve Mason presents 'Boys Outside', an album that distinctively leaves you with that great Beta Band taste in the mouth, but still manages to push on through to the other side, ie forward pushing music and new grounds to explore for Mason. Produced by Richard X, of Girls Aloud and Rachel Stevens' fame, it has just enough pure pop ingredients in it to melt perfectly with the experimental sound craze that Steve Mason is finally serving up.
Dazed Digital: What’s the main difference between this album and your previous solo project under different names?
Steve Mason: On my previous records I was unfocused, it was me trying to find a sound I felt comfortable with. I enjoyed Black Affair, but for a while there I had five or six MySpace accounts going. Way too many to keep track of…
DD: Are you using your own name now because you have finally found a sound you’re comfortable with?
Steve Mason: Yeah, I wanted to bring it all together. I feel comfortable with this sound, it’s almost like I’ve grown up. I have no longer any pseudonyms to hide behind and I take full responsibly myself for this album.
DD: How did this change come about?
Steve Mason: Age, I suppose, and I was running out of band names…
DD: Isn’t Richard X an odd producer choice for a predominantly acoustic album?
Steve Mason: Well, it’s not all acoustic - half of it is electronic. It’s also piano led and inspired by R’n’B music. The aim was to make seamless and forward thinking music, so Richard fitted perfectly in! This is my most complete solo album - it feels properly finished.
DD: How did you two meet?
Steve Mason: Richard came to see Black Affair play live and said he’d be interested in working together. I had always wanted to use a proper pop producer, even when I was in Beta Band; high glossed pop mixed with very experimental music.
DD: Is the collaboration continual?
Steve Mason: Yeah, I would like it to be, but next time he might charge me for it!
DD: What influenced the album?
Steve Mason: Me, how I feel, my relationships. People I meet and see. Things I hear, politics and the state of the country.
DD: There are definitely similarities between 'Boys Outside' and older Beta Band stuff - Do you miss the band?
Steve Mason: I don’t think it sounds like Beta band, it might have echoes of it, but that makes sense since I wrote the music for Beta Band. But I want to go forward, not backwards. I would be ashamed if I had to go back in time to find inspiration for my music
DD: Any chance of a Beta Band reunion?
Steve Mason: Yes, when hell freezes over! You should never say never, but I would have to be a madman to reform Beta Band now….but then again, I am quite mad…
DD: What do you reckon about The Aliens?
Steve Mason: It’s not bad but it’s not my bag.
DD: Lost & Found is a great single, tell me about the video!
Steve Mason: It’s not about me as you might think. It’s a about a dream I had where a suicide pact between a boy and a girl goes wrong. It’s directed by a couple of guys who call themselves John Major’s Daughters. They showed me some French films with a hint of slight danger in them as inspiration. I just love the old man in it – no one has old men in their videos these days!
DD: Someone labeled the album ‘electronic soul’ – what would you call it?
Steve Mason: I don’t agree or disagree with that. Journalists love making up names for different kinds of music. They called Bets Band’s music for Folktronica. This album is me, it’s Steve Mason. That has always been the thread running through my music.
DD: You have fought off depression several times, is music a good or bad weapon for that? There is that age old question if ‘we listen to pop music because we’re sad or are we sad because we listen to pop music…
Steve Mason: Dunno if it helps, but what I do know is that there is an enormous feeling of satisfaction after finishing off an album. There’s a feeling of not having wasted away my entire life…
DD: Favourite track from the album?
Steve Mason: It has to be Stress Position!
'Boys Outside' is out Monday 3 May on Domino/Double Six
Monday, April 19, 2010
PHARRELL WILLIAMS' TANK FURNITURE
US rapper and producer takes on furniture design in chair collaboration with the Emmanuel Perrotin Gallery in Paris
Text by David Hellqvist | Published 16 April 2010
Photo by Guillaume Ziccarelli Courtesy Galerie Emmanuel Perrotin, Paris & Miami
When super producer and big time rapper Pharrell Williams suddenly got an urge to design furniture, there was no stopping him. Thanks to his friendship with Parisian gallery owner Emmanuel Perrotin, Williams has been able to see his design ambitions come true. The chairs presented at the Emmanuel Perrotin Gallery are actually Williams' second batch. They were preceded by a chair inspired by Love and a sculpture in collaboration with Japanese artist Takashi Murakami. This time around, Williams looked towards War for inspiration. Dazed Digital spoke to the multi-talented creative....
Dazed Digital: Is the War theme a natural progression on from Love, which was the theme for your last furniture project, or were you just influenced by the state of the world we live in?
Pharrell Williams: I don't think that it's a natural progression, the series is called Perspective and they were both based on the way I felt at the moment I designed them. My inspiration and ideas are often based on curiosity stemming from things that I don't know about, or things I like to explore.
DD: Is it an 'angry' chair then?
Pharrell Williams: No, not at all. I'm not angry about anything. The Tank Chair follows the first design concept of me putting myself in someone else's shoes to understand what and how they are feeling. Here I focused on young men and women who join the military and put themselves in a position that can not be reversed, and end up in wars far from home, often not understanding why. The chairs are also in baby colours which clearly steers away from anger on purpose.
DD: How does the War theme show itself in the chair?
Pharrell Williams: Hmmm, the tank tracks?
DD: Are you moving on to other interior design ventures?
Pharrell Williams: Yes, I'm willing to accept any challenge that I'm curious about, especially artistically. I have been blessed to be introduced to people who believe in me and give me the opportunity to challenge myself.
DD: How did this project come about in the first place?
Pharrell Williams: A good friend of mine, Sabina Belli, introduced me to Emmanuel Perrotin. When I explained to him the ideas I had, he was very supportive and after teaming up with Domeau & Pérès, we created the first Perspective chair which was shown at Emmanuel's Paris gallery. The rest is history, as they say...
DD: Your 'main job' as a musician is creative as it is - does your creativity know no bounds?
Pharrell Williams: I don't believe that there should be any boundaries to creativity. If that was true, I would not be where I am today.
DD: Any new music coming our way?
Pharrell Williams: Sure, I'm basically in the studio everyday. I recently switched over to Logic which allows me to keep working while I'm on the road or at home so I'm never away from creating music. Besides working with other artists, we are putting the finishing touched on the new N*E*R*D album "Nothing" which will be out late spring. I'm really excited about the album: Shae, Chad and I are ready to take N*E*R*D to the next level!
Galerie Emmanuel Perrotin
76 rue de Turenne, Paris, 75003
Tuesday, April 13, 2010
The Spin | David Cameron: Fashion Face Off
— April 13, 2010—
David Hellqvist tries to make sense of the sartorial choices of World Leaders in his fortnightly column The Spin
Three things come to mind when thinking of David Cameron and his style: a bicycle helmet; the rolled-up sleeves of a tie-less white shirt; and his puffed-up baby face. Two of these are manufactured elements and part ofthe current election campaign: the third is just the way he is. What you see is what you get.
No one can have missed the General Election campaign in the UK. Since last week, and until May 6, Britain’s roads and doorsteps will be crowded with politicians, and Dave’s one of them. More than likely, you’ll see him without a suit jacket or tie and with rolled-up sleeves. If you didn’t know, that’s because he is one of us: Dave isn’t afraid of getting his Thomas Pink shirt dirty. With the collar unbuttoned, Dave is able to relax with the common people.
The bicycle helmet is obvious. The Tories used to be Blue, now they’re Green. The helmet shows how engaged Dave is with environmental issues. He really cares about global warming, even enough to catch a flight to the Norwegian archipelago to see the icebergs melt for himself. Dave rides his bike to work, at least before it got stolen because Dave failed to grasp the elementary function of a bike lock. This way Dave gets his exercise AND helps reducing carbon monoxide. It’s just a shame that his PA was caught driving behind him with his briefcase…
The baby face, lastly. How can we have missed it? For a while it was plastered on every single wall and billboard throughout the country. At least that’s how it felt. Had he been airbrushed or not? That was the question on everyone’s lips. But if he had been polished, it only made his baby cheeks even more pinchable. But that makes sense because, in political terms at least, Dave is just a puppy. At 43 we would be one of Britain’s youngest Prime Ministers ever.
I’m just waiting for Gordon Brown to walk up to Dave during PMQ one day, put a bicycle helmet on him, roll up his sleeves, and pinch those cheeks, so that Dave can go out and play with the other kids.
David Hellqvist is a freelance journalist for AnOther Man, Dazed & Confused, i-D,ZOO and a Contributing Editor to American website JC Report
Duggie Fields interview for Dazed Digital
DUGGIE FIELDS IN BROKEN HEARTS APPEAL
Colourful and quirky artist joins impressive art line up for British Heart Foundation gala
Text by David Hellqvist | Published 12 April 2010
To raise some well-deserved money for a great cause, the British Heart Foundation is holding an art auction at The Dorchester hotel in association with Christie's auction house on Wednesday the 14th of April. The event, entitled The Mending Broken Hearts Appeal, hopes to raise £50 million by selling off donated artwork by the likes of Damien Hirst, Sir Peter Blake, Gavin Turk, Jonathan Yeo and Duggie Fields, who Dazed Digital stole a quick chat with...
Dazed Digital: How did you get involved?
Duggie Fields: Brad Faine asked if I would. I have worked with him over many yers and happened to bump in to him when he was on his way to a meeting about the project.
DD: Tell us about your art piece?
Duggie Fields: It's a digital work drawn with a mouse, but using the computer to produce a virtual image in as close a way as I would make something with a paintbrush on a canvas.
DD: Did you produce several pieces?
Duggie Fields: I worked on three or four other ideas first that got quite over complicated before I decided something simpler would be more effective. I came up with the concept of this combination as I was going to bed one night, tired and frustrated with way the earlier ideas were going.
DD: You're in fine company. who's art piece would you buy and why?
Duggie Fields: I haven't seen most of them yet, but indeed it is quite an impressive array of artists. There are quite a few that I am looking forward to discovering when I get to see them.
DD: Who's the lady in the image?
Duggie Fields: She is possibly based on Raphael Madonna, but I have forgetten! I have been working on a series of Madonnas for some years now. I started this version a couple of years ago, she was originally looking at the child. I did a version first without it, and then this one with the anatomic heart where the child's head would have been.
DD: What are you up to otherwise?
Duggie Fields: I'm currently working on a landscape canvas based on views along the road the castle of Sezzate, an area in Tuscany, Italy, that I have been visiting and painting over the last few years.
Sunday, April 11, 2010
Hedi Slimane x Rolls Royce on Dazed Digital
HEDI SLIMANE X ROLLS ROYCE
Photographer Slimane turns his eye and camera lens towards Rolls Royce, while Beck records the car engine for a Dazed Digital Exclusive
Text by David Hellqvist | Published 09 April 2010
He might have been far too young to drive one, but Hedi Slimane's obsession with the affluent car make Rolls Royce started when the photographer was only six years old. Sketching the car over and over in his note pad, little did young Slimane know that the car epitomises everything he would later on in life be known for, both as a fashion designer and as a photographer; pure luxury, explicit shapes and superior quality. Whether documenting London's rock scene for a photo book, or rewriting the the rules of menswear as Creative Director of Dior Homme, Slimane has always brought those exact qualities to his work. Add to that his adolescent Rolls Royce fascination - which resulted in the purchase of two 'Triple Black' RR models - and the photographic collaboration between the two was just a question of time. Here, and on Nowness, we bring you the evidence of Hedi Slimane's life long love affair with Rolls Royce. His attention to detail and way of transforming ordinary car details into objects of desire is not only a testament to his skills as a photographer, but also shows that it is difficult to make a Rolls Royce car look bad...
Thursday, April 08, 2010
Sang Bleu Issue 5 interview on Dazed Digital
SANG BLEU ISSUE 5
Tattoo slash fashion magazine launches new issue with European tour of parties
Text by David Hellqvist | Published 08 April 2010
New magazines hit the shelves every other week, it seems like. Most of them are gone by the next. Sang Bleu was founded in 2004 so it isn't exactly new (although still young), but it proves that a good idea and hard work will get you through a tough financial climate and an equally difficult publishing business. The magazine was launched as a tattoo magazine, but Sang Bleu will aesthetically please whether you believe in the power of ink or not. Founder and editor-in-chief Maxime Buchi is just about to drop issue 5 of Sang Bleu on his faithfull readership. The content ranges from features on "contemporary art, fashion, and humanities to tattooing, body modification, fetish and BDSM" and totals an impressive 308 pages. As always, the Sang Bleu style has attracted not only the finest photo subjects and text topics, but also excellent contributors. As a massive Thank You to the readers, Maxime will not have just one launch party, but four. Check out the Sang Bleu Facebook page for details on the London edition.
Dazed Digital: Sang Bleu started out as a tattoo/fashion publication - was there a gap in the market?
Maxime Büchi: I wouldn't speak in terms of market. I didn't have a notion of what the market was, really. I just catalyzed a certain spirit I could experience on a daily basis at that time. There turned out to be a relevant market though.
DD: Do you still have a strong tattoo angle?
Maxime Büchi: Of course. Though I wouldn't say the tattoos are an angle; they're a necessity. From my point of view, it simply has to be addressed if I want to continue to depict what is the most advanced and experimental in today's artistic culture.
DD: Is the new issue also a double issue?
Maxime Büchi: In one sense it is. This time, literally. It is only issue 5, but separated in 2 volumes, wrapped together.
DD: Who's on the cover?
Maxime Büchi: Cedric.
DD: What else is good in this issue?
Maxime Büchi: Haha, what a tough question. If it is inside, it has to be good! Really, what is good is the general spirit, the overall quality of the material and the organisation of it all as an editorial object. There has been a long road between issue 3/4 and issue 5. The editorial team is getting more coherent, I don't always have to explain what I am trying to do, which saves me a lot of time that I can instead dedicate to creative aspects & reflection.
DD: You are doing launch parties all over Europe - Are you turning into a touring party organiser?
Maxime Büchi: Haha. Really, what we're doing is closer to gypsies endlessly roaming the world than some kind of Rock tour. I couldn't care less about filling clubs, what I like is to meet the contributors, the followers, have a chat if I can, create bounds, exchange smiles. That's what I feed myself on.
DD: Do you have many tattoos yourself?
Maxime Büchi: I do. Many. Some big ones, some small ones.
DD: A particular favourite ?
Maxime Büchi: Not really. They all relate to different times and events. They are me, my past, my present.
DD: What's next for Sang Bleu?
Maxime Büchi: We are developing the publishing house with Jeanne-Salomé Rochat. It is called "Sang Bleu éditeurs" (pretty straight-forward innit?). Under this label, we have started to publish art books, essays. There are many things we want to do. Sang Bleu magazine also has to evolve, because for now, we are still investing in it, and we would like to find a way to make it financially self-sufficient so that we can start to invest in these other projects. Among others, I am also working on one called 'Monographies' which consists of a series of experimental "sex-movies", uniquely published on internet. We just finished the first one in collaboration with Emmanuelle Antille.
Want to get hold of a copy? It's available at Oki-Ni
London Launch Party:
Saturday 10th of April
8pm - 3am
The Alibi, 91 Kingsland Road High Street
London E8 2PB
Wednesday, April 07, 2010
Friedrich Gray film and interview on Dazed Digital
FRIEDRICH GRAY SPRING SUMMER 2010 FILM
Designer Ben Pollitt collaborates with photographer Tim Richardson on an atmospheric fashion film
Text by David Hellqvist | Published 23 March 2010
The Australian label Friedrich Gray, AKA designer Ben Pollitt, tells the sartorial story of an atypical neo-gothic hero. Silhouettes are slim and dark, often in leather and denim. Now based in the southern hemisphere, Pollitt has spent time in New York and his travelling experiences shine through his tough and moody designs. At the same time, the local and native influences are equally important. That's all obvious when looking at the film Pollitt has produced in collaboration with film maker and photographer Tim Richardson. The result is an eerie but beautiful art piece, boosted by Richardson's cinematography and Pollitt's sharp tailoring. Dazed Digital spoke to both...
Dazed Digital: Why use an alias, and where did Friedrich Gray come from?
Ben Pollitt: I figured the label shouldn't be based around my name, but that of a character who's story becomes the enigma of the brand. The literal references were Caspar David Friedrich and the experimental band "Gray".
DD: You mostly use dark and monochrome colours - is that why you don’t ‘believe’ in seasons?
Ben Pollitt: I use that palette to provide continuity amongst collections, the garments can then be mixed and layered. I feel the darker colours are easier to wear and add an anonymous element. So yes, the palette compliments the longevity of a garment's relevance.
DD: Often we see you using tight bottoms and loose tops – do you like playing around with proportions?
Ben Pollitt: I like the idea of distorting the silhouettes. Framing the contours of the legs, letting the upper body float on it its plinth.
DD: There is menswear in the film as well – where do you feel most at home?
Ben Pollitt: I move through both in a natural way, what's happening around me shapes where I want to be, it shifts daily. They have different meanings to me. Menswear is a little more self indulgent as I can wear the garments, where as women's its more conceptual.
DD: A favourite piece in the collection?
Ben Pollitt: The full length digital printed Merino wool dress with the leather arms. Emma wears this while traversing the rocks.
DD: Is leather, which you call "the second skin", your preferred fabric?
Ben Pollitt: It is the real skin in our garments. I like to experiment with washes, finishes, mixing it with contrasting weights and textures, and using it tightly and draping it off the body.
DD: There are some haunting and eerie nature shots in the film – is nature a big influence on you?
Ben Pollitt: It was for this collection. I visited an Edward Burtynsky photo exhibition and I was moved by the natural composition forms in his rock quarry series. We used the ridge lines to create interesting shapes and contours. The film was shot on the location of an old quarry by the coast, a truly mystical and voluminous place.
DD: What else inspired the collection?
Ben Pollitt: Leading up to the filming of the collection, we played the DJ Hell album Teufelswerk on high rotation to keep us moving. It has some really great tracks that helped drive the creative and allowed for a journey under pressure. I always have an album for a collection.
Tim Richardson is a New York-based photographer and film director. His work have been seen in, among others, V Magazine, Interview and Dazed & Confused. Of late, Richardson has also published several books, including the recent Physical Frequencies. His second film, Procession, was shown at the Strasbourg Film Festival.
Dazed Digital: You both photograph and shoot film – where are you creatively at home?
Tim Richardson: Recent projects like my Augmented Reality shoot with Katie Shillingford have become about integrating both mediums - sometimes simultaneously. The beauty of film is that it allows a more flowing connection to the model. It's more like visual choreography and has evolved to influence the way I shoot stills. So my way of working - my creative home - has really shifted to cover both mediums.
DD: Do you often work with fashion designers, such as Friedrich Gray?
Tim Richardson: I've worked with several fashion brands in the past. My relationship with Friedrich Gray is unique in that the project evolved from a my long term friendship with Ben. Knowing one another for several years meant that the project was a free creative exchange and that Ben trusted me that much more to interpret Friedrich Gray on to film.
DD: What’s the Pros with such a collaboration, compared to the bigger Nike and YSL jobs you also have done?
Tim Richardson: A young label like Friedrich Gray is a far more personal kind of project - both for Ben and myself. The smaller scale of the brand means that Ben and I worked very closely on the film from beginning to end. Also by nature of having a smaller budget the creative process is focused more on innovation and experimental approaches to achieve a clear aesthetic statement.
DD: Any Cons?
Tim Richardson: The budget is usually the biggest Con, which is no surprise. It just forces you to be more resourceful.
DD: Do you have any formal photo/film training?
Tim Richardson: I was an art director for four years, working with both photographers and film makers. So my training was 'on the job'.
DD: Where did you shoot this film?
Tim Richardson: We were looking for a location with an epic, almost 'science fiction' terrain. The extreme 'geology' and sun blasted coastline of Kiama, just outside Sydney, was perfect. To me, the location is really the third character in the film.
DD: Was there any obstacles during the filming?
Tim Richardson: The main obstacle was the landscape. Our shot list was very ambitious - which meant constant movement - a lot of climbing and heavy lifting to get around the terrain. The blasting sun also took its toll on the crew, giving most of us a tan of the very red variety...
DD: How does working with fashion aesthetics compare to commercial and art work?
Tim Richardson: I've always felt like fashion is an aesthetic collision point. Historical and contemporary cultural references meet within the creative process of designers and image makers in a way that is unlike any other medium. By its very nature fashion photography and film demand a kind of constant visual innovation. Other fields like art and commercial work require a progressive aesthetics - but not at the same heightened speed.
DD: Can you give any examples?
Tim Richardson: I just finished a film for installation at the Venice Biennale - a collaboration with UK choreographer Rafael Bonachela. We started work in August 2009 and the work is showing in Venice in June 2010. For me art means I stay with a project for so much longer, its demands a different kind of attention. What attracts me to fashion is a sense of constant evolution.
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