Ettore Sottsass Exhibition

Ettore Sottsass Exhibition, Trieste.

An exhibition celebrating the multifaceted artistic production of the Austrian-born Italian architect and designer Ettore Sottsass--who recently passed away--is currently on view in Trieste. The exhibition, titled "Vorrei Sapere Perche?" ("I would like to know why"), covers the breadth of the work of Sotsass, who remains best known in the US as the founder of the Milan-based design collective Memphis. It is divided in seven spaces corresponding to seven different media/disciplines: design, architecture, photography, jewelery design, drawing, ceramics and glass-work.

Organized by Terredarte, the exhibition runs through March 2, 2008

garment/research

Recently we came upon the work of Kelly Cobb. At the crosswords of performance art, costume design and social sculpture, it coalesces around the creation of garments and textiles. Based in Philadelphia, Cobb describes her work as a way “to utilize the garment/textile as a tool of connection and communication for re-dreaming creative models of living.” Her work is documented under the heading of garment/research on her website.

Of particular interest is her recent project the 100-Mile Suit, a three month long collaborative project that culminated in the “costuming” of the curator of LURE project as part of the exhibition Localized Locational Gravity at the ICA in Philadelphia. Following the show’s moniker, the project addressed issues of sustainability and tried to provide a symbolic and literal answer to the often-uttered question: “Where does your outfit come from?” Involving 21 regional crafters “working with all locally raised and processed materials,” the project revived arcane processes which ranged from brain-tanning leather and wool to hand-manufacturing buttons and making shoes out of local hide in the process of creating an entirely locally-made outfit.

Ultimately, the 100-Mile Suit seemed to highlight the social interactions which took place throughout the process, particularly among the various crafters, as well as trying to reclaim from anonymity the relation between wearer and garment.

To find out more visit, www.100-milesuit.blogspot.com

Francesca

Ann-Sofie Back Interview

Ann-Sofie Back, Fall/Winter 2004. Tweed fold hat, and “sad shirt in spandex.”

Fashion Theory just published an interview I conducted with the designer Ann-Sofie Back in its December issue (Volume 11, issue 4). The interview came out of Fashion Projects’ long-standing interest in the designer’s work, which started with Patty Chang’s interview with Back in our first issue.

For those who are not already familiar, Fashion Theory is an academic journal on fashion as an interdisciplinary area of studies. It’s published quarterly by Berg and was started in 1997 by Valerie Steele, who is currently the director and chief curator of the Museum at FIT. The only journal of its kind, it is an indispensable resource for fashion scholars and students. It is generally available in academic libraries and/or via Ingenta and other online academic indexes (which are accessible free of charge through subscribing libraries). Individual subscriptions are also available through the Berg website. There is currently a promotional sale going on and it might be a good time to subscribe if you are interested in fashion curation, as there are two special issues coming up on the topic—one edited by Valerie Steele and the other by Alistair O’Neil, who is a freelance curator, author and head of the BA in fashion history and theory at Saint Martins.

Francesca

Austrian Fashion

Hartmann Nordenholz, Photo from Unit F's Modebuch

Austrian Fashion seems to be expanding its reach. This is undoubtedly, in part, due to the protracted support from cultural institution like UNIT F, which was founded specifically to promote Austrian fashion together with the countries’ solid training grounds—and particularly Vienna’s University of Applied Arts and its conjoining museum the MAK (the Museum for Applied Art).

Among the fast-establishing Austrian designers is Ute Ploier—one of the finalists of the Swiss Textiles Award. Mario Schwab, who won the award—albeit strongly associated with London—counts some Austrian relations as well: His father was Austrian and he began his fashion training in Salzburg.

There are many other designers who enrich the Austrian fashion scene: Wendy & Jim, Carol Christian Poell (who is based in Milan), Claudia Rosa Lukas, Fabric Interseason, Rosa Mosa, and Hartman Nordenholz.

Many of the designers can be found under one roof in a showroom in Paris sponsored by the Austrian government on occasion of the city’s fashion week. Additionally, two books on Austrian fashion have been recently published: the Austrian Fashion Guide and Modebuch, which places current Austrian design in the context of the city’s museums, schools and in relation to previous decades and particularly the work of Helmut Lang, who wrote the book’s introduction.

Another way to keep up-to-date with new developments is to sign up to Unit F’s newsletter “Short-Cuts.”

Francesca

Portland goes Avant-Garde!

Henrik Vibskov, Agust 06, Copenhagen, Photo from Agentur V

Portland Oregon seems to have gone avant-garde, at least judging from the range of experimental fashion carried in the newly opened store Stand up Comedy. True to its name many of the designers carried in the store are ironic and self-reflexive. They range from the New York-based Slow and Steady Wins the Race and Patrik Rzepski to the Danish artist/designer Henrik Vibskov and the Antwerp-based company Pelican Avenue. The focus of the store—conceptual design and the interaction between art and fashion—strengthened by what appears to be a tightly-edited selection of objects makes Stand Up Comedy a great addition to the city!