Crossover exhibition: Cross Process

I often stress the importance of the crossover of different artistic disciplines in my course of work and this is one good example.

W magazine teamed up with Sonos’ Los Angeles for an exhibition which combines W-curated photographers with musical tracks.  Titled Cross Process, the exhibition sheds light on the intersection of music and photography.  The result is an immersive and streaming playlist with stunning visual effects.

Photo by Jacob Sutton.

Music Expression: Resonance
Track: Codex, Radiohead

Photo by Marton Perlaki.

Music Expression: Atonal Harmony
Track: The Difference Engine Movement IV Late Night the Astronomer, Graham Reynolds

Photo by Reuben Cox.

Music Expression: Plangent
Track: Redondo Beach, Patti Smith

Photo by Sarah Soquel Morhaim.

Music Expression: Slow
Track: Green Arrow, Yo La Tengo

Cross Process runs through 21 October 2o12 at Sonos Studio which is located at 145 N. La Brea Ave, Los Angeles.

 

X Sybil

(Images from W magazine)

Soundsuits

A dancer by training, Nick Cave’s art crosses the different art practices of dance, sculpture, fashion, and music. He makes costumes, which he calls soundsuits, with textiles and found objects. These soundsuits are worn for performances and dancing in them creates percussive music. Featured in the September issue of Vogue, the artist is seen in his soundsuits while wearing bags and footwear from labels such as Yves Saint Laurent and Dior.

 

This amazing costume has found objects hanging all over the artist’s head and torso, as if the body is really only a centre of an orbit of found objects from a carnival. This particular soundsuit also comes in the form of a tin toy magnet from Nick Cave’s SoundSuitShop.

 

Definitely categorised as wearable art, although I’m not sure if it is functional. Nonetheless, the amount of work that goes into the soundsuits is amazing.

 

My personal favourite, this soundsuit is so fun! I like how it looks like an alien from far and when you are near, it is really just a soundsuit with what looks like abacus…

The artist also uses tights in many of his soundsuits.  Here what looks like a bag lady on fire is really an incredible collage of textiles with rich colours!

(All images from Jack Shainman Gallery)

 X Sybil

Wearing an album cover

I can only imagine how difficult it is to decide which designer’s pieces to wear when attending an awards ceremony but 吃草的鱼。范曉萱 & 100%, otherwise known as vegetarian fish, has managed to reflect their identity and branding through their outfits, literally.

This is their album cover:

And this is their outfit to the第21屆金曲獎頒獎典禮 (21st Golden Melody Awards, sort of like the Chinese version of Grammys):

I love it! Their outfits reflect their mischievous and rebellious nature. Their refusal to conform to the mainstream and the ability to laugh at oneself is a great trait for any band. Some may feel that it is almost egotistical to wear your own face but this signifies the state of flux the music industry is in. Musicians have to promote their albums harder than ever before to make a tiny profit. This outfit thus challenges the conventional methods of marketing.

That said, what strike me was the different designs created for each band member. The different outfits for the guys (from the jumpsuit to the jacket and pants suit) are extremely well-made and stylish whereas Mavis’ (the only female) dress has an almost structural design. The bottom portion of the dress had an almost origami feel with its numerous folds. I’m not sure how wearable the dress really is but it looks like an artwork!

Here is a band who wears their marketed image proudly; literally in the form of their album cover. In today’s age where having the conventional celebrity package is the formula to success; this outfit is strikingly unique. Even if they did not walk away with an award, they sure stole the show with their outfits!

X Sybil

(Images from http://www.vegetarianfish.com)