+ SOFI ZEZMER

+ SIX

+ TODD STRATTON

+ MILES COLLYER

+ HANNA LIDEN

+ KEVIN ROMANIUK

+ STEPHANIE DOWNEY

+ TIM RUDDER

+ BRILLIG

click images to enlarge

IMAGES courtesy and © the artist

“What we see as strange or offensive or attractive is a matter of personal history and cultural conditioning.”

WORDS by Ella Mudie

Sofi Zezmer is a sculptor and installation artist based in the small but creative town of Wiesbaden, Germany. Drawing on materials as diverse as household utensils and medical equipment, designer furniture to shuttlecocks, she crafts futuristic universes that unsettle the viewer’s expectations of appearances and reality.

1. When and how did you start using medical implements in your sculptures?
Both my parents are doctors and as a kid I often played with medical implements while visiting their office. Later on, when I started working with industrially mass-produced objects – medical implements seemed an obvious choice.

2. What sparked your interest in science and how does it influence your work?
For as long as I can remember I have been fascinated by anatomical diagrams and models of inner organs, by innovative technologies, new materials, and microscopic photography, and also by science related books.

The interactive function of individual awareness and biochemical processes particularly intrigue me. The way our eye scans information in fragments of a second, which is then processed by our brain almost simultaneously. Then, as a result, our body chemistry changes before we are even consciously aware of the occurrence.

3. One critic suggested your work is concerned with “cultural conditioning”. Would you agree?
Yes, very much so. I think one’s perception of physical reality and the meaning assigned to what is perceived is basically culturally conditioned. What we recognize as strange or offensive or attractive is a matter of personal history and cultural conditioning.

We orient ourselves through rituals of meaning, which we assimilate and see as the “right ones” even before we have a chance to reflect on them. Having lived in different cultural contexts with somewhat overlapping and conflicting “rituals of meaning”- I am fascinated by the shifts of cultural understanding, wherein the same things evoke totally different associations simultaneously, and I try to explore this sense of incongruity in my work.

4. You were recently invited to exhibit with ten other artists at the Alternative Paradise show in Japan. It asked artists to show “alternative values” to the art ruled by 20th Century modernism…
The values of modernism are based on a search for absolute and “objective” essences and proportions in the experience of physical and social space, disregarding the individual subjective and temporal perspective. The alternative values that I am attracted to are based on the subjective, phenomenological perception of the individual, and the responsible and respectful recognition of these simultaneously existing perspectives.

5. Where is your art headed in the future?
This is mostly a function of what is going on in my life at the time, the spaces that I prepare to show in, the daily details, materials and tools that I discover. At the moment I am preparing my next solo show in February of 2008 at the Museum Wiesbaden.

IMAGES courtesy and © the artist

“I like attitude, beauty, glamour, danger, sexuality– but above all a sense of mystery.”

WORDS by Jason Lingard

He may choose to capture images of kids who are “loners” or “down and out”. But there is nothing weak about photographer Six’s powerful photographs. Aiming to stay underground and avoid commercialisation, Six shoots with his heart, capturing kids that are beautiful, mysterious, and just a little bit dangerous.

1. Where are you from?
I am a Londoner but I live and work in Prague (Czech. Republic).

2. How did you get into photography?
I have always taken photographs since I was young but I have never wanted to be a button-pusher for anyone. I have always only photographed subjects that have interested me, in my own way. The idea of being a professional commercial photographer and having a client tell you what they want is something I couldn't imagine dealing with.

3. The subjects you capture seem to have a common thread. How do you choose your subjects?
If I see that someone has that special 'spark' then I want to photograph them. It's purely a subjective decision 'who'... I like attitude, beauty, glamour, danger, sexuality– but above all a sense of mystery.

4. What do you feel your work says?
To the public? ...I hope it provokes some kind of a reaction. I see myself as the antithesis of the current wave of art photographers who just want to use shock in such an obvious way (people vomiting, blood, sex etc). I am primarily into the aesthetics of the image in the same way as Carravagio or Lautrec at the same time trying not to be judgemental on lifestyle or dress - and I hope the public approach the portraits the same way. (Although less dress is always better for the longevity of the portrait)

5. Your 'Pervateen' series was well received. Why do you think this series caught people's attention?
I am probably the wrong person to ask, but... [teens] are a timeless subject. They possess a beauty generally ignored by the so-called beauty magazines. At the same time [the portraits] make a comment on the media and society in general– plus it looks sexy which always helps.

6. What would be your dream project?
My dreams are pretty wild! I don't want to remain an underground photographer, but to be able to use the mainstream on my own terms is an exciting prospect– but keeping true to yourself at the same time. I have to be one hundred per cent happy with the finished product. Because of that I have said "No" a few times to what some people might think are actually are dream projects – without any regrets.

7. What now / next for Six?
I 'm currently finishing a couple of series... one called 'THC Superstar' and a series called 'Punk's Dead'. And also (finally) a book of the Pervateen series which should come out sometime next year.

IMAGES courtesy Roger Williams Contemporary
and © the artist

“Saccharine Sweet... apparent innocence has a clear potential for violence.”

INTERVIEW by Anna Jackson

Todd Stratton is a recent graduate of Elam School of Fine Art at the University of Auckland. He is known for his hybrid creations that are epically adorable - but with a hint of mischief, they also wink at a darker side.

1. Your little creatures fascinate me. Can you firstly talk about them and the ideas behind them?
My sculptures are derived from the imagery within my brother’s Birth Cards and birth memorabilia that my mother kept. I also fuse these with highly personal memories of my childhood, which has developed my practice from painting through to sculpture. My earlier work consisted of the ideas of sibling rivalry, parental favouritism and the idea of how birth can determine some important traits within us, which translates over through to my new work. The current work, though, is centered more around male expectations and influences within a family.

2. It’s hard not to view your creatures as ultimately cute and friendly, but they also seem to have a mischievous wry feeling to them - how intentional is this?
I like to describe my work as saccharine sweet; the idea that apparent innocence has a clear potential for violence is always evident in my work. I have found over time I have come to despise the word 'cute', I find the word very black and white; it doesn't support my work, which is why my main desire is to remove any remnants of cuteness from my art. This is why the theme of absence runs collectively through all of my work and is one of the reasons I choose to work with transparent materials.

3. They present themselves as being part of the same family. Do you view your recent works as siblings to the ones you made at art school, or more as distant cousins - or not related at all?
Being that my sculptures are representations of my two older brothers, they are, in my eyes, additions to my family; they just represent different aspects of my family in a remoulded physical form.

4. Are they autobiographical?
I think all art is autobiographical, mine is just a bit heavier in that respect.

5. Your practice embraces many mediums - do you identify yourself as a sculptor?
I had always considered myself as a painter, until last year, when I became obsessed with transparent and high gloss materials. I started with painting but the transition into 3D was very smooth and seemed to support my work a lot more, so I just went with it, it was all a fluke.

6. As a recent graduate (Elam School of Fine Arts) do you think your work has changed now that it’s created outside of institutional contexts? If so, how?
I don't think anything has changed really because I never really listened to what people had to say, I have always done as I please and still do. I suppose in a way my work has become a bit more extravagant than it once was, but I don't think that has anything to do with not being in an institution anymore, I think it comes down to living up to expectations.

7. Can we expect to see more work along these lines in the near future?
I would hope my family is going to grow dramatically in the near future, but who knows?

Stratton is currently based in Auckland. All images courtesy of Roger Williams Contemporary.

click images to enlarge

IMAGES courtesy and © the artist

“Characters are created in each of these images that have their own persona. Each is curiously individual, but at the same time strikingly uniform.”

INTERVIEW by Jason Lingard

1. Where are you from?
Toronto, Canada. Or “Toranna” as we seem to say it.

2. How do you describe what you do?
I feel compelled to react to what is thrown at me from the media and the cultural at large, so there is a strong subtext in all my work. But, at the same time, whatever I produce needs to have its own distinct style and to be enjoyable in the purely visual sense.

3. Your work crosses between drawing, photography and installation, what do you like about each of these mediums and how do they compare?
I think an artist need not think about medium much, other than what is the most suitable form for the work to take. More importantly you must always be considering “what” you are trying to produce and “why”. Each concept that is created needs to be addressed in isolation and one particular medium cannot answer everything.

As the tool that I use the most, photography, holds a powerful place in my mind. This means that even my current work, hand-stitched felt flags, are still rooted deeply in photographic sources.

4. Masks or obscuring of the subject is a common theme in your work. Why?
There is a tension present between appearance and identity, but I don’t feel that I have obscured anything beyond the mere superficial appearance of a human face. What truth does a stranger's face tell the viewer anyway? Portraits of anonymous people become something like a private collection to many photographers. This act of continual collection robs the individuality from the numerous subjects and transforms them into nothing more then generic models of person-hood. Obscuring one’s face with ornament (like the balaclava) does the very same, without the confusing element of recognition that facial features bring.

They are not self-portraits, even though I use myself as the model. It is not me that becomes the subject. Characters are created in each of these images that have their own persona. Each is curiously individual, but at the same time strikingly uniform.

5. What would be your dream project?
My dream project is a photographic series that connects the colour distinctions of gang culture (think Bloods & Crips) with my interest in the complete {groupings} of the colour spectrum. Picture a group Latino’s in green, Greaser’s in blue, Bikers in purple, Korean’s in pink, Gangsta’s in red, and the Mafia in yellow. We’ll see…

6. What now / next for Miles Collyer?
Installation that blends the 90’s movie “Weekend at Bernie’s” with taxidermy and tons of cheesy neon graphics. Oh… and my work “TrackTop Masks: Colour Wheel” will be on exhibit at the Australian Centre for Photography in Sydney in August. Cool…

click images to enlarge

IMAGES courtesy Rivington Arms Gallery
and © the artist

“[I am] always trying to navigate towards freedom. Freedom can be very deceiving though.”

INTERVIEW by Lulu Chan

At some moments it seems like we are all living in a world and not just in our heads; and yet it somehow blends together seamlessly for New York-based artist (and downtown sensation) Hanna Liden: Her subject’s arms swaying in the early morning endeavours home, walking, and walking, with moments that are often terrifyingly dark. One shatters for a second and fears losing our selves in the infinity of it all, but eventually breathe (a heavy, vital breath) and we look up to witness every piece sweep back together.

1. Tell us about yourself Hanna...
I live in New York City. I make photographs and videos and collages.

2. As an artist, do you find yourself navigating between today's order, yesterday's disasters, and tomorrow's faint possibility of freedom?
[I am] always trying to navigate towards freedom. Freedom can be very deceiving though.

3. What inspires you?
Television and the weather.

4. Your art seems heavily influenced by the tribal, pagan, and occult. Do you participate in any rituals?
I've done peyote rituals with the Native American church in New Mexico. Once I met my power animal, it's a small monkey with a spinning head, he wears a platinum-helmet with a gold plus-sign on it. He came out of the fire. That was intense. Otherwise not so much, apart from the occasional voodoo session and drug binge.

5. What is something you've experienced lately that is just fucking great?
Saw Marianne Faithful perform here in Stockholm and she was fucking great!

click images to enlarge

IMAGES courtesy and © the artist

“I figure that if you are going to exploit something you should start with yourself. ”

1. Where are you from?
I am originally from Surrey British Columbia Canada, but now reside in Vancouver. I have lived my entire life in two of Canada's poorest postal codes. My current neighbourhood, Vancouver's downtown eastside, is known for its heroin and homeless.

2. How did you get into photography?
I stole my Father's old Canon Ft-b when I was 15 to take pictures of my friends skateboarding. Over the years there was heaps of parking lot action, a few trips to the library and a stint in art school. This year marks my 10 year retrospective.

3. What / who would you most like to photograph?
I have this thing about fire. Seriously.

4. Your photographs exude a certain feeling that is often personal, and odd. How do your subjects land in front of your camera?
Almost all the people and things that I photograph are individuals that I know. In that sense I think my work is very personal. I figure that if you are going to exploit something you should start with yourself.

6. How would you sum up your work in one sentence?
Photo conceptual godfather Roy Arden once referred to my work as "very brave"

7. What do you enjoy the most about the medium of photography?
I like the pedestrian aspect to it. The fact that everyone can and does do it. Especially today. Everyone's a photographer, even though most people take terrible photos.

There is a challenge to always having to defend yourself in the public eye. People always have a opinion about photographs. It is the medium of the masses. Painters are up on their high horses. I'm down in the thick of it.

8. What next / now for Kevin Romaniuk?
I read somewhere that Weegee never slept for years. He spent everynight out on the streets taking pictures. In the thick of it...

IMAGES courtesy and © the artist

“I try to portray a certain feeling, mood or scene that is in my head.”

WORDS by René Kininmonth

With so many new labels popping up every week like a new Seven-Eleven in the city, gimmicks and PR often overshadow real talent. Dress Up designer Stephanie Downey is lucky enough to possess a natural and impeccable sense of design. Born in rural Victoria, Downey’s quiet disposition is reflected in her ethereal collection, recounting old memories of places and people. She doesn’t rely gimmicks– but laborious and perfected pattern making, creating slight shifts in everyday garments, which make you look twice before you realise what has changed.

While preparing for the showing of her Summer 08 collection, we spoke to Steph about designing and daydreaming…

1. Describe in your own words what it is that you do...
I make collections of clothes for my label Dress Up.

2. What and who do you have in mind when you design a collection?
Countless memories of people and places. I try to portray a certain feeling, mood or scene that is in my head through a collection of clothing. For example my summer 08 collection is about holidays, about travelling away from an ordinary environment and being blessed with freedom and anonymity. It’s about lazy dressing – for comfort. And wearing bathing suits. And acting, showing off.

3. If you had a limitless budget and unlimited resources, what would your ultimate collection consist of, and how would you unveil it to the public?
I love photographs and film. I would probably hire one of my favourite photographers and/or directors to shoot my collection or make a short film using my clothes. Perhaps in the country where I grew up. Or somewhere new, somewhere I’ve never been before.

4. If your clothes were a musician, whom would they be most like?
Kate Bush? But that is just because I like her. I can’t tell.

5. What is the most satisfying part of your work?
Just that people are dressing in my clothes...

Dress Up by Stephanie Downey is currently stocked at selected Fat stores throughout Australia. Winter collection out in May.

click images to enlarge

IMAGES courtesy and © the artist

“I love the diversity of Tokyo, within it there is so much to find and explore and I think my camera helps act as an excuse to do that. ”

INTERVIEW by Jason Lingard

1. Where are you from? Where are you now?
I'm from Sydney, Australia. I have been living in Tokyo for the past 7 or 8 months.

2. What do you love and hate the most about Tokyo?
I love the diversity of Tokyo, within it there is so much to find and explore and I think my camera helps act as an excuse to do that. But also the creative community I draw a lot from. Whether it be performances, art exhibitions, open mic's, festivals, film nights, there's always something interesting going on.

Can't say I've been here long enough to start hating parts of Tokyo life. The work hours some designers I've met have been fairly horrific and is something I'm wary about as I am planning on staying here a while.

3. Talk about your favourite shot, and why.
That might be the one of a girl called Toastie– not for aesthetic reasons. I was sitting in a bar that was big enough to fit maybe 8-10 people, Toastie was the bartender that night and we got talking. It turned out she doubles as a performance artist who goes by the name of Toast Girl. She generally wears a helmet on her head with a toaster strapped on top, wears a vacuum cleaner on each foot and performs to dance music (with back up dancers in giant nappies). Her track "Super Sucker" goes off live. She also does fortune telling by reading people's toast, and as I later found out also has another 4 or 5 personalities.

4. Visually what continues to amaze you about Tokyo?
It's funny because I don't really associate Tokyo and visually amazing, and yet living here is what has driven me to take up photography. But just the other week a massive new shopping/hotel/exhibition complex was opened. It's a huge building with a glass exterior. I'd like to see with these huge developments in keeping parts of Tokyo as this modern mecca, what's being left behind. I think that's what I'll find most interesting – worn down/neglected Tokyo.

5. How will you feel when you have to leave? And what next?
Definitely sorrow but it has treated me well. Let's hope that time won't be coming around anytime soon.
Next on the cards, not sure yet, I'm sure it will involve travelling to another country and seeing what it has to offer.

INTERVIEW by Nikki Baumann

Brillig, their name taken from the Lewis Carroll poem “Jabberwocky”, is hard to define in any single adjective. Their music is dark yet danceable, both charming and yet slightly odd but this odd combination has won them fans both here and interstate. Their new album “Mirror on the Wall” takes us on a ride through a distorted fairytale, the only way to describe it is to “imagine Alice in Wonderland characters gatecrashing a masquerade ball on an Absinthe bender & you’re just scratching the surface…”

1. What were you all doing before brillig? What are your musical backgrounds?
How did the conception of brillig come about?
Brillig was formed by Elizabeth Reid and I a year or two after my previous band Reckoning had run its musical course. Conceptually, brillig was designed to indulge a drum machine fetish, and to provide songs that were experimental, but melodically sound. We were lucky enough to be initially joined by Todd Hutchinson, who as both an incredibly gifted musician and song arranger played a large part in the creation of brillig.

2. Your sound has been likened to a whole host of artists, from The Cure, to Placebo, even to David Bowie and Suede. How do your musical tastes and influences affect your music? How do you find a balance between using your musical influences and creating your own unique sound?
We are fond of tragedy & intrigue, which affords us many varied influences ranging from David Bowie, Vincent Price, Nick Cave, The Cure, Sparks, The Red Paintings, some Tim Burton films and even Johnny Cash, although the 80’s drum machines may make that hard to see in places.

The Alice In Wonderland stories also serve as quite an inspiration – the books always fill your head with ideas, although the ideas themselves can be hard to pinpoint and define, a little like brillig’s music itself.

With so many varied inspirations we never feel the danger of our music sounding too much like any specific influence. Also, we’re not particularly interested in following any current musical fads or fashions, so it’s unlikely that we’ll ever be seen as one of those new clone bands.

3. How does the creative process run amongst the band? Do you all have particular roles/preferences or is it more of a collaborative effort?
I now think it important that each song can stand on it’s own, with the most simple instrumentation - to be able to exist and work in a live sense even if the accompaniment is only one acoustic guitar. For this to work, I think it follows that the best way of creating a song is to begin with the most basic of instrumentations. Brillig’s songs generally begin with one guitar and two voices, and then further instruments are added with time. Using a drum machine doesn’t readily lend itself to the kind of spontaneity that a rock three piece can achieve. I prefer to create the drum lines after the basic song has been written.

4. You have just finished a national tour, playing dates at the Adelaide Fringe Festival and in Melbourne, Sydney, Canberra and Brisbane. Have you found your new audiences different or similar to your Adelaide fan base? In what way(s)? How does touring help you to evolve and grow as artists?
Many of the interstate audiences had not seen brillig perform live before, so we were lucky enough not to have our development years on show to these people. We could put on our strange show to an audience with no preconceptions or previous experience of the band. First timers to brillig were seeing the band at its strongest point so far. It was something special to be a part of.

Touring has given us the opportunity to play significantly more shows than Adelaide alone could sustain. Amongst other things, we became very good at not setting the actual stage on fire during our nightly absinthe burning and drinking song.

5. German label Black Rain and Australian label MRA Entertainment have both signed you in recent months. What has that meant for the band? What lies in store for you now? What does the future hold for brillig? Are there any surprises in store?
Essentially in Australia we are still completely independent. We take care of our own management, bookings, and promotion and of course the artistic aspects with very little help.

In Germany, however we are getting massive promotional help from our label Black Rain. They have just put out a 5-song EP "The Plagiarist" as a lead up to our full length album’s release in early May. There have been numerous magazine articles, interviews, reviews & compilation CDs too, so we are really hoping for an encouraging response for the release of "Mirror On The Wall". So, I’d have to say the future is promising but very uncertain at the moment.

Have a listen to Brillig at www.myspace.com/brilligthelookingglass