In honour of what would have been Robert Mapplethorpe‘s 70th birthday, Juergen Teller will be curating a retrospective of the iconoclast’s vast and provocative body of work – ‘Teller On Mapplethorpe’ – at London’s Alison Jacques Gallery.
No photographer since Robert Mapplethorpe has so seamlessly blurred the lines between commercial fashion photography and art as Juergen Teller, and both artists are famed for twisting and manipulating conventional understandings of photography as an art form. The gallery is said to have granted Teller free access to Mapplethorpe’s entire archive of both published and unpublished work, circumstances that facilitate a deep and rich reading of the rebel artist’s work. Without a doubt, to view Mapplethorpe’s photographic oeuvre through Juergen Teller’s visionary lens promises to be a unique and rarefied experience.
Milton Moore, 1981
Mapplethorpe sought an unrealistic perfection of form in everything he photographed, from acts of sexual fetishism to the delicate shapes and contours of flowers. His classical and formalist approach to scandalous and highly explicit subject matter elevated photography to the level of painting and broke down the barriers between pornography and art.
Alison Jacques, who has represented the Estate of Robert Mapplethorpe in Britain for seventeen years, said: “Provocative and subversive, making images which are the antithesis of conventional fashion photography and, most importantly, a key artist of his time, Juergen Teller was the only choice to curate this special exhibition of Robert’s work. There are obvious parallels between these artists and I am excited to see how Juergen will bring his edge, energy and unique vision to a new reading of Robert’s work.”
Jennifer Jakobson, 1981
This will be the gallery’s first exhibition of Mapplethorpe’s works since the dual retrospective ‘Robert Mapplethorpe: The Perfect Medium’ at The J. Paul Getty Museum and Los Angeles County Museum of Art (LACMA), Los Angeles (2016), and follows on from the recent release of the HBO documentary film Mapplethorpe: Look at the Pictures (2016).
‘Teller On Mapplethorpe’ will be held at the Alison Jacques Gallery from 18th November – 7th January.
For its September 2016 Topshop Unique collection, customers around the world will be able to immediately shop a selection of looks straight from the runway as they appear before them.
Taking place on 18th September, the show will be a pioneering highlight of the upcoming London Fashion Week schedule, and see East London’s iconic Old Spitalfield’s market as the setting for the mother of all democratic industry initiatives.
The clever approach to enabling all to sample the new season wares with such immediacy is both technology-led, with select styles being available to shop online, as well as physical, thanks to a capsule edit of pieces also being ready to buy in key stores around the world.
Topshop has always operated as a particularly consumer-driven brand, and this September is further proof, if needed, that it is a company that places the focus firmly on its customers. In a statement released to the press, Mary Homer, Topshop’s Managing Director, said: “Bringing our customers closer to the London Fashion Week experience has always been a focus for us, but now, more than ever, in a rapidly changing global marketplace where consumers demand immediacy, we recognise the importance of disrupting the traditional model.”
Twin was one of a handful of titles that had exclusive access to the collection on offer earlier this year, and what is coming up will not disappoint. Oversize, cropped puffer jackets were a highlight, as were the nods to ’80s tailoring, delicate evening slips and clever-as-always tailoring.
“The starting point for the Unique collection is always the celebration of British style and its rich heritage, so we feel Spitalfields provides the perfect backdrop to showcase our new collection. With a history steeped in over 350 years of selling to the general public, we also feel it’s a fitting venue in which to debut our ‘Runway-to-Retail’ concept.” – Kate Phelan, Topshop’s Creative Director
For the latest issue of Twin – issue XIV – we chronicled some of the most exciting female figures in the music industry to be aware of, right now. One of these girls, was 22-year-old Dani Miller, lead singer of the riotous band SURFBORT, who fills our Instagram feeds with infectious mayhem under the guise @alienzarereal. Here, we discover a little more about what makes this brilliant young woman tick.
Where are you from?
California.
What was it like growing up there?
I learned how to chill hard, smoke a ton of weed and dodge beach jocks.
Where do you now live?
Brooklyn, New York.
Why do you like it?
It’s nasty, full of dreamers and magical aliens that constantly are creating and loving each other. The streets are alive and make me feel an electricity that is specific to New York. Also the weather is nice, the blazing heat cooking the rats and puke right onto the sidewalk wakes me up and influences my art in a completely different way than the art I make in the slushie ice queen winters. It really mixes my world up.
Where did you study?
San Francisco, but do not plan on returning anytime soon. I hate that the tech industry has taken over, especially when it so concentrated and sterile. It’s just making everything boring and shitty. You could really say that about a lot of areas. Rich people who don’t understand the arts just pollute the world with ugly establishments and ugly energy. Where are the freaks at?
What did you study?
Film.
What did you learn?
I have always been constantly making films and imagining how passing moments would translate onto the screen. but what I learned the most was about gender studies and I discovered I wanted to make experimental films that wake people up and inspire them to create positive change in one’s society/world.
Describe what you do for a living.
I am the lead singer in SURFBORT, I am also a director and set designer and I DJ for my Jarritos™ and pizza budget.
Why did you want to do that?
Singing, screaming and laughing on stage is such good therapy and it gives me a voice in the community. I enjoy bringing friends and people together. One: to have everyone realise they aren’t alone in their suffering and that we can all dance and run around and scream to let our frustrations out together, this is a fucked up world. Two: I enjoy that being in a band lets me publicly address things that matter to me like pollution and exposing the fucked-up government.
Do you think you’ll do it forever?
I will always create forever. I will always sing my poetry and thoughts into the universe.
Did anyone inspire you to do what you’re doing?
Patti Smith and Exene Cervenka, but my loneliness and sadness inspired me the most.
Dani Miller by Ben Rayner for Twin
What are you currently working on?
Just finished recording a 7” with SURFBORT. Have been working on another project where I also sing, called Hippie Vomit Inhaler. I am making a film about a post-apocalyptic New York where the water supply is so toxic it drugs people, and a group of women plan a trip to a “magical milk mother” in the city who will trade holistic healing crystals and potions to counteract the poison coming from the water supply. In return for putrid milk from the last remaining cows in the country,which are located in Brooklyn.
What would you like to work on?
Finding more time to paint in my basement.
Is there anyone you’d love to work with?
Nickelback, Slipknot, Patti Smith.
What are you the most proud of so far?
Doing what makes me happy – which is art – and surrounding myself with magical witches and wizards.
How would your friends describe you?
Alien.
How do you think a stranger would describe you?
Fucking psychotic angel.
Would you say you have a ‘look’?
My “look” is comfort, things that make me go “hahaha”: ’70s, up tha punx. I basically don’t really give a fuck and I think it is important for any human to look the way that makes them feel electric. I am missing teeth, very hairy everywhere, and love wearing anything that makes me laugh and that’s what makes me feel good. A “feel-good look”!
How important is your image to what you do?
My image is important to my art because being in the public eye coincides with exposing a certain type of freak to the world, and letting other young women who look up to you or identify with the same type of alien I do that it is completely acceptable to be yourself. Shave or don’t shave, be toothless, wear clown clothes. Say R.I.P. to caring or letting toxic media define you.
How important is social media to you? What do you like and dislike about it?
I use it for a joke and to connect to other people and laugh at current events of the day. I also just enjoy seeing my friends paintings especially @chaka_sean. On the @therealsurfbort Instagram I am more political and point out how idiotic many of the current politicians are. The main things I dislike about social media is when people use it in an abusive ways to personally attack or shame each other. I also hate that Instagram over-sexualises women’s bodies and shames them into thinking their bodies don’t belong to them. There are a lot of negative things to say about social media because it can be extremely narcissistic and known to rot brains, but I overall just acknowledge that it is a powerful tool and it usually brings me more smiles and laughs than anything else.
What pisses you off the most?
Donald Trump and violence.
What makes you happy?
My puppy and Mom.
All images by Ben Rayner, exclusively for Twin. Benrayner.com
LA-based musician, Ramona Gonzalez, otherwise known as Nite Jewel, is quite literally going it alone with her latest album: ‘Liquid Cool’. Since making her way onto the music scene in 2008, creating songs with her husband using a portable eight-track cassette recorder, Gonzalez has caught the attention and imagination of many, including director Noah Baumbach who selected her track ‘Suburbia’ to appear in his film Greenberg.
Now, as she embarks on the road to play her brand new material in Europe, Twin caught up with the much-hyped electro artist to discover how solitude can be one of the best things to ever happen to someone.
You have said that you recorded much, if not all, of your latest album ‘Liquid Cool’ in various closets. How? Why?
Well, it just so turned out that the two places I ended up living in in Los Angeles over the course of recording ‘Liquid Cool’ had these large walk-in closets. I wanted the sound of the record to be very intimate, so I decided to set up shop in these spaces with just a few instruments, in order have privacy and go deep into that fantasy world I was creating.
Was there a specific event that lead you into leaving your previous label? And how did you feel, both creatively and personally, to go solo? No specific event, but just a general feeling of a poor fit over the course of our relationship. It’s a big commitment to get into a relationship with a label, not only a financial partnership, but a creative partnership as well. If you aren’t feeling like the whole is greater than the sum of it’s parts, then it’s probably best to get out while you can. There’s nothing worse than giving away 50% of your rights/ownership/and profits to an entity you can’t get behind.
I’ve been releasing my music independently since 2008. ‘One second of love’ was the only release done with a label other than my own. The main thing Secretly Canadian [record label] and I agreed upon was perhaps I did a better job at releasing my music on my own independently. So it felt great to get that kind of reassurance. And generally it’s been a better experience doing it on my own, albeit more of a personal expense.
There is an oft-mentioned sensuality to your music, is this deliberate? If so, how do you achieve it?
Definitely not deliberate but perhaps just the way that I sing, coupled with the prominence of the bass and rhythm section.
How has your style and sound progressed over the past ten years? What do you want to say now, in comparison to what you wanted to say then? It’s progressed immensely and honed itself, but always been very much Nite Jewel. I think I’ve always toyed with similar themes throughout my career. The cross-section of love and technology has always interested me from the very beginning, and continues to be a theme in my work.
Your sound has also been described as “dreamlike” – what was the last thing you dreamt of? I have very vivid dreams, but the last one I can remember being woken up by, was one where I was doing some sort of very dangerous aerial gymnastics à la Cirque d’Soleil. I’m afraid of heights but have consistent dreams of daredevil type mid-air acrobatics.
‘Liquid Cool’ is said to look a lot at the idea of being alone, is this something you are, or previously have been, afraid of? Have your perceptions of being on your own changed over the years? I think aloneness is something I have always cherished, but at times it has been something I’ve grappled with being an artist. Aloneness is always directly linked to productivity/creativity. If that isn’t going well one day, aloneness can seem daunting, but most of the time it is a great thing. For ‘Liquid Cool’ I was more exploring the pervasive feeling of aloneness in a world where we are also so virtually interconnected. The internet can prove claustrophobic and crowded, but in reality we are experiencing that alone. That somewhat paradoxical dichotomy was what drove the concept of the album.
This album has been described as a “stripping back the pieces of our own lives until we can really see one another again” – is there anything in particular that you feel is particularly obstructive when it comes to communicating with those around you? Yes, our online lives/personas.
You’ve done almost everything on this album yourself, how does the feeling of seeing it finished and out there now compare with previous work? It’s refreshing! But also familiar. I have always done everything on my own, so it’s nothing new. Even when I have worked with other people, in the end, it’s my work, my voice.
The shift in seasons is truly upon us, well, in a sartorial sense at least. Today sees the long-awaited launch of Topshop Unique‘s stellar AW16 collection, as it arrives in stores and online. So distract yourself from flimsy cotton dresses and kick your way out of those well-worn three-stripe slides, there’s some new kit to play with.
As ever, the girl being designed for by Topshop is part rebellious, part slick – just like London itself. Alongside late-night worthy velvet suiting and slips, there are sequins and corseted minis. Meanwhile, daytime gets a heritage feel, with houndstooth appearing in a variety of blown-out proportions, cropped knits, collared lace and exquisite printed silks inspired by the Bard – The Winter’s Tale landscape.
There is a military element, too, with the introduction of voluminous fur-collar bombers, plenty of khaki and mustard, and hip-skimming mannish army trousers. The final flourish is undoubtedly the swathed duster coats, resplendent with Arctic white shearling. They are the perfect accompaniment to second-skin long johns, a leather mini, those aforementioned sequins or a barely-there negligée. Or, perhaps even nothing at all.
This September in London is about one thing only: Björk. Riding high off the success of her critically-acclaimed album ‘Vulnicura’ she is set to play a number of London shows, as well as hold her own exhibition – ‘Björk : Digital’ – at London’s Somerset House.
For years Björk’s music and visual genius has proved to be both pioneering and iconic in equal measure, and now, the British capital is set to feast on her creative fruits in a variety of mediums. Following the high demand, and subsequent selling out, of her Royal Albert Hall performance on 21st September, an additional show has been announced at the Hammersmith Eventim Apollo on the 24th, with tickets going on sale on Wednesday 17th August. These will be the artist’s first performances in London since the release of her latest album.
Meanwhile, the exhibition at Somerset House is due to feature a number of her digital works, such as virtual reality videos, interactive apps and archive music videos that were created in unison with some of the most spectacular talents from the worlds of visual artistry and programming. Booking is strongly advised.
‘Björk : Digital’ will be on from 1st September – 23rd October 2016. Click HERE for tickets.
Merging classic British heritage themes with vibrant colours and statement designs, London-based designer, Jessica Russell Flint loves nothing more than vivid and eccentric prints. Initially studying Geography, Flint then went onto attend Central St. Martins to explore her creative side. It seems the change has done her good, as her label – which consists of home wears and accessories from scarfs to eye masks – is now available in over 40 stockists. We meet with Jessica to talk about her background and love for colour.
When and what was the catalyst for your decision to study at Central St. Martins? I worked in advertising originally for about eight years, and whilst I loved the environment and the people, I was always frustrated about being creatively unfulfilled. A lot of it was keeping clients happy and so much of the process was broken down by other people’s decision making. I was always drawing on the side, my family are all very creative and I grew up with pens and paper instead of toys for entertainment.
I decided to do an illustration course at St. Martins on the side to understand more of the technical aspect of the design process. When I finished there I began blogging my prints, and people started to buy them from me. So I set up a website and went from there. Slowly I introduced products featuring the art I had created and the brand started forming. I did my first tradeshow in 2014 and it went well. Initially going from selling cards in Paperchase to stocking ranges in the Conran shop, Harrods and Wolf & Badger. It’s really satisfying to see where I’ve come over the years and how the style is continually developing.
How would you describe your style? Scratchy! Brightly coloured. Illustration mixed with pattern.
Does London play a part in influencing your style? Definitely. We live and work in East London and the people this side of town are definitely not shy in expressing themselves. From the graffiti to the urban dress and little boutiques and bars, it’s definitely a place to pick up ideas!
Where do you find your inspirations? All the time, everywhere, from magazines, antiques (especially those old pieces of China with illustrations and etchings), statues and old books. They are amazing for getting new ideas. I love Pinterest for patterns and how to style shoots. Holidays help! Often relaxing somewhere I will feel inspired for a new design.
Who are your favourite illustrators? Egon Shiele is one of my favourite artists in the whole world, he’s more an artist than an illustrator but his style is very illustrative and his lines are so beautiful.
Do you have any new offerings in store? We’ve just launched quite a few new products from tech cases to umbrellas and cashmere. But we are so excited about the launch of our new bag range, which will be part of our SS17 resort collection. We are shooting this next weekend at the Clerkenwell London (boutique and restaurant) and we have a great team of stylists and models. Very excited to launch this range in the New Year!
Where can we buy? Currently we stock in over 40 boutiques and shops in the UK. Aside from our website our biggest stockists are Harrods, Hoopers and the Conran shop. But we’ve got some great new stockists from January.
Founded in New York in 1985, the anonymous art collective – the Guerrilla Girls – are finally getting their own, dedicated show. Set to commence this October at London’s Whitechapel Gallery, it is a long-awaited spotlight on over three decades of important work they have done in highlighting the staggering inequalities that take place both historically – and currently – in the art world.
Though the group has seen members come and go over the years, one thing unifies: all participants take the names of dead women – Frida Khalo, Georgia O’Keeffe – and conceal their identities with gorilla masks when appearing in public.
‘Do Women Have To Be Naked To Get Into The Met. Museum?’, 2012, Courtesy of the Whitechapel Gallery
Speaking to The Guardian earlier this week, Iwona Blazwick, director of the Whitechapel Gallery reiterated the real need for such an exhibition to take place, and further demonstrated why the Guerrilla Girls are so vital. “I was just at the Kunstmuseum in Basel where they have just rehung the entire collection from 1900 to the present and I think there are five women.” She said. “Sadly it is still an issue.”
‘It’s Even Worse In Europe’, 1986, Courtesy of the Whitechapel Gallery
Entitled ‘Is It Even Worse In Europe?’, the new show will feature famous works such as the 1986 inspiration behind the aforementioned title, as well as ‘Do women have to be naked to get into the Met museum?’ and ‘Pop Quiz’. However, the large crux of the exhibition will be based on the results of 400 questionnaires that the Whitechapel Gallery have commissioned the group to send out to European museum directors, including their own.
‘Pop Quiz’, 2016, Courtesy of the Whitechapel Gallery
In a public statement, the Guerrilla Girls said: “With this project, we wanted to pose the question, ‘Are museums today presenting a diverse history of contemporary art or the history of money and power?’ Our research into this will be presented at Whitechapel Gallery this fall.”
Let’s see, shall we?
‘Guerrilla Girls: Is it even worse in Europe?’ will be co-curated by Nayia Yiakoumaki, and runs from 1 October 2016 – 5 March 2017; entry is free.
Fornasetti has done it again. A mainstay in combining home décor with surrealism and the absurd, the brand has a reputation for delighting and enticing with its witty designs. From drunken monkeys causing chaos at a dinner party, to the face of house muse Lina Cavalieri cross-eyed, staring at a bee on her nose, Fornasetti’s objets d’art and furniture are some of the most prolific of the 20th century.
Fornasetti Profumi ‘L’Eclaireuse’ scented candle
And it’s a very exciting time for Fornasetti lovers, as this September signals the arrival of a new candle fragrance: ‘Mistero’. With dominant notes of pink pepper and cypress, and an undertone of incense, sandalwood and musk, it is pensive and deeply penetrating. If you could smell the colour grey, this would be it.
And the jar design that accompanies this new, mysterious scent? ‘L’Eclaireuse,’ which bares the signature Fornasetti face of Lina Cavalieri. On one side, we see her resplendent as a gypsy princess, complete with intricate facial piercings. But spin the jar around and we have the same face, this time with a golden eye patch, like a pirate. This is just another example of Fornasetti’s charming subtlety, which consistently alludes to a story hiding within each piece.
Fornasetti Profumi ‘Armatura’ scented candle
Thankfully Fornasetti was a creator of more than 11,000 artworks, another of which appears in an additional new design for the house: ‘Armatura’. Once again, it features his muse – Lina Cavalieri – but this time instead of peering out through a crown of flowers or a toying playfully with a cigarette dangling from her mouth, she has a sword right through her head.
Encased within this new design is wax laden with the fragrance ‘Otto’ – the signature scent of the Fornasetti Profumi collection. Packed with Mediterranean herbs like lavender and thyme, it also features addition of dreamy, ethereal infusions of labdanum and incense.
In its biggest collaboration to date, Australian label ELLERY has got together with Specsavers to produce a capsule collection of opticals and sunglasses.
Founder Kym Ellery launched her brand in 2007, and it quickly gained recognition from the fashion crowd for offering beautifully cut clothing that combines a feminine outlook with a nod to the androgynous. Her thigh-skimming yet flared trousers have become a signature silhouette, and now Ellery has turned her creative hand to the world of optics.
Gemma wears ELLERY 12 glasses (SKU 30474741)
The campaign, which is fronted by fellow Perthian Gemma Ward, showcases 14 pairs of glasses and six pairs of sunglasses all at super affordable prices, from $199 to $249 for two pairs. Ellery took inspiration from the movie classics – Diane Keaton in Annie Hall, Susan Sarandon in Thelma and Louise and Woody Allen himself – to produce a range where retro meets contemporary. Shapes include cat eye, graphic oversized square and round silhouettes in a colour palette of classic black, marbled charcoal, tortoiseshell, cobalt blue, bottle green, gold and brushed gold.
Kym Ellery wears ELLERY 13 glasses (SKU 30474758)
For Kym Ellery, designing this debut collection allowed her to explore the sartorial role that eyewear plays in the style of its wearer. She says: “Eyewear is a crucial part of personal style, and I am thrilled to have been given the opportunity to create a collection of frames with Specsavers…When designing, I focus on creating modern classics for intelligent women and this eyewear collection is no exception.”
Main image: Gemma wears ELLERY SUN RX 03 glasses (SKU 30474802)
Having graduated from Westminster in 2014, Emma Charles racked up an impressive list of experiences before she decided to launch her own label. An intern with Preen during their AW12 collection, Charles spent time at Tom Ford and Stella McCartney, before returning to Preen in 2014 to work as their Archivist Manager. Here, she developed 13 looks for influential women in the industry, including Man Repeller’s Leandra Medine.
“These two years spent with the brand really pushed me in all directions. I was able to absorb everything from my surrounding environment, witnessing the whole process of a collection from sampling, sales, press, production to e-store distribution. Having gained all this knowledge, I felt that I could use it to benefit myself as a brand.”
Emma Charles, AW16
The first Emma Charles collection embodies the core values at the hear of the designer’s ethos: “My ideal woman is creative and has a strong interest in art and fashion. She is more likely to buy into the ‘fun’ yet sophisticated pieces in the collection.” Each piece in the collection reflects this balance, with an aesthetic that marries a smart approach to tailoring with a modern femininity. This aesthetic has evolved from a detailed study of tailoring, and Charles is heavily inspired by menswear from the ’20s and ’50s. “Evenly beautiful fabrics and embellishment play a huge part of my design aesthetic, especially bringing them together to create harmony between masculinity and femininity,” she says. It is these many dualities and contrasts that make her designs exciting.
Emma Charles, AW16
At the beginning of her new venture, Charles is ambitious about where she wants the brand to go: “My goal is to showcase my collections on runway, hopefully within two to three years. Until then I am conscious to work with new exciting photographers, set designers, stylists and casting directors to produce timeless look books.” Amongst dream collaborators she cites photographers such Juergen Teller, Scott Trindle, Jamie Hawsworth and Glen Luchford and stylists such as Jane How. With talent and drive such as this at play, we advise you to watch this space.
It’s mere days until Rio de Janeiro becomes the focus of the world’s gaze, as the 2016 Olympic Games get under way. But all this talk of athletic prowess in a stunning setting has made us yearn for the Louis Vuitton Cruise ’17 collection, which took place in the famed city a few months ago.
While we were enraptured then, the prospect of last-minute August escapes has thrown us headfirst into a search for things to wear, and we’re coming up lacking, as all we really want are these creations from Nicolas Ghesquière. The industry favourite, who has always managed to put his finger on exactly ‘what women want’ has done it again – bien sur. “I think what defines our time is that women want to look sophisticated and they want casual sports clothes,” he said. “Those are the two big obsessions.”
For those who missed it in May, here are just a few of the reasons why we’re churlishly wishing this summer away, so that we can get our hands on this collection in time for December.
Culture and Ghesquière have always gone hand-in-hand, and this show was no exception. Held at the Oscar Niemeyer–designed Niterói Contemporary Art Museum, artists also both partook, and inspired, the collection itself with the likes of Hélio Oiticica and Aldemir Martins on the credit sheet.
Model-of-the-moment Mica Arganaraz opened the show, while Twin favourites like Heather Kemesky (who features on one of the covers of our latest issue) also walked.
Thought the ubiquitous flip-flop was reserved yuppies in Clapham? Think again. They are now officially desirable, thanks to Ghesquière sending heavily cuffed versions down the catwalk.
US racing insignia, scuba-esque fabrics and chequered flag motifs were prevalent throughout the collection, adding to the sporting feel of the brand for this time of year.
Remember those skinny lurex scarves you used to love so much? Well, great news for hoarders: they’re back, albeit smattered with sequins amping up their luxe feel. Less good news for Marie Kondo advocates, you’ll have to repeat buy.
Savoy Steam is a new fragrance from Penhaligon’s, inspired by the Turkish baths that used to sit opposite one of London’s most iconic hotels, The scent sees the brand looking back to their founding story. William Penhaligon – who was originally a barber – set up shop above the steam rooms on Jermyn Street in London some 146 years ago, and the first scent he created was founded on his experience of the Hammam, back in 1872. In the reimagined version, the freshness of the scent is is decidedly modern and you can’t help but want to submerge yourself in it.
Indeed, Savoy Steam is a scent to splash on rather than anoint oneself with; it’s light and crisp, leaving an impression without ever threatening to overwhelm. The perfumer Juliette Karagueuzoglou created a melody of green geranium, rosemary and fresh rose, the scent is the perfect segue into the spring months. The cologne is equally evocative, comprising of lemon, eucalyptus, rosemary, balsam fir, cedar, incense and resins.
Photographer Annie Collinge takes pictures that often conjure memories of childhood. Her most recent project, ‘Five Inches of Limbo’, borrows its name from a Margaret Atwood poem about dolls. In the photographs, Annie brings objects to life, pairing dolls she has found in flea markets and on the subway with women found in similar places.
Always shooting on film, instead of using digital photography, Annie’s pictures have a rawness about them, remaining unprocessed and off-key. Without using lighting or effects, her photographs provoke a feeling of otherworldliness, stirred by her delicately chosen subjects, often in costume against a suburban backdrop.
Here, Twin speaks to Annie about the art of inviting strangers back to her apartment, how Instagram has changed the way she works, and her plans for future projects.
Most of your projects use curated concepts instead of found imagery. Where do your ideas come from?
I tend to get ideas from all over the place, from dodgy window displays to car boot sales. I find the process of looking for unusual objects quite meditative, and very often an idea comes to me from an item I’ve found. I like to photograph human interactions with objects, so this usually starts with the object and then I work out how I can include someone.
Why do you tend to use women as subjects in your work?
In the past I tended to photograph a lot of women. I’ve always been interested in the idea of adornment, and women generally, not always, are more adored than men. For my ‘Five Inches of Limbo’ project, I had initially wanted to photograph both men and women, but then I realised that most of the doll’s faces, even if they were male, were made with a female doll face mold, maybe with a moustache drawn on later. I also found approaching strange women less daunting than inviting men back to my apartment to photograph them.
Many of your subjects are strangers. How do you go about approaching them?
Most of my subjects were strangers, apart from the woman with the red goggles on. She is my aunt Yolanda. I’d bought that doll in the Chelsea flea market and one day I was looking at it on my shelf and thought it really looked like Yolanda, which is how the project started. Once I shot her it was easier to approach people as I had an example to show them. I’ve definitely got quite used to approaching strangers now, but I still find it nerve wracking. You learn to brush off the rejections. The most helpful bit of advice I ever heard was from photographer Martin Parr. He said that you must never linger, you must always go straight up to someone. When you linger and they notice you staring at them, it starts to make people paranoid and can make them have a negative reaction to you. I remember sitting in a cafe in the East Village and seeing two girls at the next table, and thinking for too long how I would approach them. After about half an hour of them noticing me giving them strange looks, I went over and was so flustered I think I came across as a complete mad women. They never responded to my email, unsurprisingly.
How has social media impacted the way you work?
Instagram has been great for me, it’s brought my work to a much wider audience and has allowed me to reach out to all kinds of creatives that I may not have known how to contact otherwise. I’ve been working with designers Luke Brooks and James Theseus Buck on a few little projects. I basically just followed them on Instagram and messaged them. We have done a couple of shoots together and are working on a third one now. It’s really nice to work with people who have a similar way of making images and Instagram has allowed us to see how others view the world on day-to-day basis. It doesn’t just show us the polished work we create. It’s nice to see how someone can take an interesting picture of their shoelaces or a weird cloud in the sky without over-thinking the concept. I find that incredibly liberating.
The name of your ‘Five Inches of Limbo’ project was taken from a Margaret Atwood poem. In what other ways did the poem influence your work?
When I read the poem I just knew that I had to include it in my project. It is the most amazing description of a doll I have ever heard, the idea that we carry around these little kind of corpses that never age and only decay. That they are watching us, and just existing, trapped with the expressions they were first manufactured with. It’s amazingly dark and I guess the idea for my project was taking something that is a version of real life, a doll, and turning it back into real life to see how it kind of mutates in the process, so I feel it relates to the poem because of this relationship between what’s real and what’s fake.
Where else do you draw inspiration from?
I think that the books I read as child had a huge influence on the way I make images. I remember how different drawings would make me feel and how I found some things a bit frightening but also a bit thrilling, like The Three Robbers by Tomi Ungerer or In The Night Kitchen by Maurice Sendak. The images were always beautiful and saturated, but at the same time a bit surreal and menacing. I realise now, having a child myself, how important those formative ideas are, and how we learn so much about world from those often strange stories.
What do you hope people take away from your work?
I would like them to make their own mind up about it, that’s what I love about photography, the ambiguity of it. An image has to have some mystery to it, as that is what leaves a lasting impression.
Do you have any current plans for future projects?
My next big project is going to be a series of constructed images of my family. Not because my family are particularly exciting, but because I feel like I’ve recently been much more aware of how transiently we live, and how our relationships with our families are changing. I’d like to make constructed portraits of my sister, father and mother to preserve them in my own memory. Also because they are the people who I first took pictures of when I first started using a camera. I guess I’ve been photographing strangers a lot and I want to challenge myself to find out how I can see people close to me objectively and still make images interesting to other people.
It seems that Louis Slater, founder of British skate label, Sex Skateboards, has combined his two loves. You name it and Slater has sexed it up, offering not only skateboards but tees, hoodies and artwork (in the form of defaced high end fashion ads and style magazines) all featuring his sex logo. Here, we spend five minutes delving behind the decks.
When did Sex Skateboards start?
March 2015.
How did it come about?
I spray painted the sex logo on a T-shirt and thought it looked cool as fuck.
What’s your favourite mag that you’ve defaced?
I don’t have one, Vice used to be good. I’ll paint on owt, I like very expensive adverts that cost the company loads of money, I get a kick out of that.
You sell hoodies and tees as well as skateboards. Do you plan to extend the range?
Yep the new range is in the pipeline and will hit good shops soon. Loads of new shit, you’re gonna have to wait and see, it’s all kicked it up a gear.
Where can we buy?
Right now the website, and soon to be announced select retailers worldwide.
Supermodel-in-the-making Taylor Hill has today been revealed as Topshop’s new campaign star for AW16. The New York-native, who has fronted the cover of Vogue, was chosen for her versatility, as well as her looks – so says Creative Director, Kate Phelan: “Taylor walked in the February 2016 UNIQUE show – she is a social supermodel and a young woman with style and personality; she is every Topshop girl rolled into one. Whether she is a tomboy in jeans, glamorous in cocktail, or pretty in polka dots, Taylor is Topshop’s ultimate girl crush.”
To mark the appointment of Taylor as the global face of the brand this season, Topshop has released a short film of Taylor, accompanied by her dog (an adorable Labradoodle called Tate), cavorting around her home city of New York in a selection of key pieces from the AW16 collection.
The campaign, which sees Taylor in oversized leather, ’90s LBDs and sheer polka-dots, was shot by acclaimed photographer, Giampaolo Sgura. Speaking to Topshop, Taylor said: “It feels really cool to be Topshop’s campaign girl, I never thought I’d do campaigns, especially not for Topshop. I’d always see the big models doing it and never thought I would, but here I am!”
Taking inspiration from some of the ‘Mother of American Modernism’s’ most famous works – spanning her almost 100 year life – Collins’ video is a mesmerising exploration of every aspect of modern femininity, much in the way that O’Keeffe did so iconically before her.
“O’Keeffe was one of the first artists that made me appreciate color in a whole new way. Her use of it makes me feel like her landscapes are complex beings. That with each stroke of color, each line, each curve, she’s bringing these locations to life. With this short I wanted each girl to really play with their surroundings (that were inspired by O’Keeffe’s desert and Lake George – her two favourite spots) – to use their every inch of skin, muscle, bone, etc and really put themselves into her landscape too – while making their own.” – Petra Collins
New York-based Collins’ video features a bevy of relevant and revolutionary women, from Barbie Ferreira to Maia Ruth Lee, Seashell Coker and Ajani Russell. With fans including Katy Perry, Lena Dunham, Selena Gomez and Marilyn Minter, she has been heralded as the ‘next defining artist of her generation.’
Georgia O’Keeffe at the Tate Modern runs until 30th October 2016, click HERE for tickets.
Running from 4th – 17th August 2016 Film 4 presents the annual Summer Screen at Somerset House. The open-air film festival which will present a mixture of cult classics, contemporary movies and premieres is the largest outdoor screen, with full surround sound. What’s more turn up a little earlier to enjoy sundown DJ sets inspired by the screenings to set the mood for the film.
With an eclectic combination of movies there’s something for everyone, from comedy and musical to horror and sci-fi. This year will see the UK premiere of the critically-acclaimed Things To Come which sees a philosophy teacher battle through the death of her mother, getting fired and having to deal with a cheating husband. As always, the Summer Screen will close with a UK premiere, this time it will be a Sundance hit, Captain Fantastic, directed by Matt Ross, which follows the heartfelt story of a father whose idealistic parenting comes under attack when tragedy forces him to bring his family back into the real world. Classics and contemporary films showing include Trainspotting in homage to its 20 year anniversary, Quentin Tarantino’s Jackie Brown with its killer soundtrack, Dracula and Ex Machina to name a few.
Film4 Summer Screen runs from 4th – 17th August, 2016. Ticket prices start from £16.00 plus booking fee. Doors open at 6pm, DJs from 6.45pm and films start at approx 9pm.
For a one stop shop that will take you around the world, Okka Block has got you totally covered. Offering a range of homewears, accessories and fashion sourced from the very best artisans in Morocco and India, we caught up with its founder, the stylist Hope von Joel, to discover more…
Tell us about Okka Block…
Okka Block was started from my love and need for wanderlust. I’ve travelled extensively over the last few years, but these countries really inspired my love of textiles and tribal stuff – India, Guatemala and Morocco which is where I took much of my inspiration. The warm coloured streets, the food, smoke and smells, the beautiful traditional clothing and lifestyle and the vibe really stuck a cord with what I believe works in interior design and accessories. The bold combination of colours, the warm tones, the exotic plants and amazing hand made accents really make it exciting.
I first started buying stuff a year or so ago with the idea in mind of selling them back in London. I am working on the new website at the moment and mostly selling through our Instagram until it launches. Have a look it’s a colourful treat.
Where are the items sourced?
Items are sourced here, there and everywhere. I travel all the time and have an eye for beautiful things. Carpets and pillows sourced from the deep Atlas Mountains at 4am after a several hour drive into a local market surrounded by donkeys with my great friend Patrick. Beautifully adorned and jewelled traditional banjara skirts are from the ladies of northern India. Then there are the embroidered bags and tops from the ladies in the hills of Guatemala. The busy bustling markets of the nestled into tents adorned with treasures. Embroideries depicting flowers and multi-coloured pom-poms make my heart sing.
What do you love most about it?
I love that every piece is individually sourced by me for its individuality, uniqueness and quality. I have a story for nearly every item; each has been lovingly packed and transported back to London. Everything is then photographed individually and sold as seen.
Do you have any favourite products at the moment?
I’m totally in love with the rainbow stitched kantha blankets and the massive Moroccan rugs in the amazing colours with sequinned embroidery. The rugs are originally for marriages and are a real statement.
Do you think being a stylist has an impact on what you offer?
Definitely – I have a strong style and know exactly what I like in fashion, interiors and design. I just buy what I love.
Do you have any more exotic trips planned?
More trips for sure, to Mexico, Guatemala and Uzbekistan hopefully this year.
Richie Culver rose to fame in 2010, when he took a magazine cut out of a Jesse Owens photograph and stuck the words ‘Have you ever really loved anyone?’ onto it. Although he had never had any formal training, this first artwork was featured in a group exhibition at the Tate Modern. Richie has since experimented with photography, mixed-media installations and painting, and he has become synonymous with his use of text to accompany his artwork.
This July, a show entitled ‘Things that didn’t really work out – most things’ will combine Jesse’s autobiographical inclination with his text-based medium, providing a dark and humorous look into his life. In Culver’s own words, the exhibition “looks into the realms of sanity, humanity and depravity”. The work began as a book project following a particularly challenging period in Culver’s life and has been developed into a series of wall based works and prints.
The exhibition, which will run from the 28th July until the 2nd of August, will be on display at Protein Studios in Shoreditch. It is Culver’s first London show in three years, and is being exhibited as one of four events put on by Shelter, as part of their Gimme Shelter series. The events are focused around literature, art, music and film and will support Shelter’s work to help people facing homelessness and poor housing. Tickets for each event are allocated via a ballot.
To enter the ballot visit: www.shelter.org.uk/gimmeshelter. Successful entrants will be asked to purchase tickets for their chosen event for £10, with all proceeds going directly to support Shelter’s crucial work.
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