All posts by banny

Form & Fragrance

February 19, 2016 2016年2月19日

Christina Poblador, also known as Goldie, is a Filipina artist who uses glass and scent as her means of expression. She seeks to convey the freedom of movement and emotion through transforming glass into feminine forms. Fascinated by the link between scents and memories, she compares the process of creating her fragrant perfumes to alchemy. “Something becomes a more potent version of what it originally represented in nature,” she describes. “The medium is always thrilling, and deeply embedded in the subconscious.” In the ongoing journey of creating her Magnum opus, Goldie’s performances combines these different elements together into multi-sensory experiences.

Si Christina Poblador, na kilala rin bilang Goldie ay isang Filipino alagad ng sining na gumagamit ng bubog at pabango bilang paraan ng kanyang pagpapahayag. Hangarin niya na iparating ang kalayaan sa pagkilos at emosyon sa pamamagitan ng pag-transform ng bubog sa pambabaeng anyo. Dahil sa pagkabighani sa ugnayan ng mga pabango at alaala, ikinukumpara niya ang proseso ng paglikha ng kanyang mga pabango sa alkimya. “Ilang bagay na nagiging mas mabisang bersyon ng kung ano ang orihinal na kinakatawan nito sa uri,” paglalarawan niya. “Ang medium ay laging nakakagulat, at labis kakambal ng imahinasyon.” Sa patuloy na paglalakbay sa paglikha ng kanyang Dakilang akda, pinagsama-sama ni Goldie sa kanyang performance ang iba’t ibang elementong ito kasama ang multi-sensory na mga karanasan.

Goldie graduated from the Rhode Island School of Design with an MFA in glass and is now based in New York. “My work is a statement. Rooted in inherited culture, personal and collective narratives of the Philippines. It is unashamed of its origins,” she describes. “I use performance, glass, scent, installation, and sound to represent untold stories of Filipino culture. “ Currently, she is working on a series of work for a solo exhibition to be held in the Philippine Consulate Gallery later in March. The exhibit will feature several pieces of work from her Venus Freed series as well as other never before seen artwork. Neocha recently had the opportunity to discuss inspirations and personal identity with this talented artist.

Si Goldie ay nagtapos sa Rhode Island School of Design na may MFA sa bubog at ngayon ay nakatira sa New York. “Ang trabaho ko ay isang pahayag. Nag-ugat sa namanang kultura, pansarili at pinagsama-samang kuwento ng Pilipinas, hindi nito ikinahihiya ang pinanggalingan nito,” paglalarawan niya. “Gumagamit ako ng performance, bubog, pabango, instalasyon, at tunog upang kumatawan sa hindi mabilang na kuwento ng kulturang Filipino. “ Sa kasalukuyan, nagtatrabaho siya sa serye ng likha para sa solong eksibit na gaganapin sa Gallery ng Konsulado ng Pilipinas sa susunod na Marso. Itatampok ng eksibit ang ilang obra maestra mula sa kanyang Venus Freed series gayundin ang iba pang hindi pa nakikitang likhang sining. Kamakailan ay nagkaroon ang Neocha ng pagkakataon para talakayin ang inspirasyon at personal na pagkakakilanlan ng talentadong alagad ng sining na ito.

Neocha: When did you first start to use glass as an art medium? What sparked your interest?

Goldie: I first started blowing glass in 2009, in order to create my undergraduate thesis project about scent, and the narratives of the village where I grew up. The environment changed a lot, and natural disaster influenced a shift in the direction of my work. I wanted to work with memory, and that brought me to scent. Which then brought me to the most obvious medium that perfumers work with – glass.

Neocha: Kailan ka nagsimulang gumamit ng bubog bilang kasangkapan sa sining? Ano ang nagpatindi sa iyong interes?

Goldie: Una akong nagsimulang gumamit ng bubog noong 2009 para gawin ang aking proyekto sa undergraduate thesis tungkol sa pabango at mga kuwento ng nayon kung saan ako lumaki. Napakaraming nagbago sa kapaligiran, at ang likas na sakuna ay nakaimpluwensiya sa pagbabago ng direksyon ng aking ginagawa. Gusto kong magtrabaho kasama ang alaala, at nagdala iyon sa akin sa pabango at pagkatapos ay nagdala sa akin sa mas kilalang kasangkapan na ginagamit ng mga gumawa ng pabango – ang bubog.

Neocha: Can you tell us how feminism ties into your work? What would be your definition of feminism?

Goldie: My body of work is not just about the female condition; rather it argues that an awakening of the inner femininity, the carrier of our emotions and experience of all things sensual – from rapture to despair – is able to benefit humankind and perform an alchemical change of the soul. Feminism can be a tricky word these days. A lot of principles that inspire the work are indeed from feminist theory. For instance, the personal is political. I believe in that. My work is a celebration of the expressive, and is grounded in nature and deep spirituality that I inherited through my culture as a Filipina woman. It draws particularly on the Philippine pre-colonial priestess, the babaylan, who represents alignment with natural principles. It is celebrated today as a feminist symbol of the renewed Filipina woman.

Neocha: Maaari mo bang ikuwento sa amin kung ano ang kaugnayan ng peminismo sa iyong gawa? Ano ang iyong pakahulugan sa peminismo?

Goldie: Ang sentro ng aking paggawa ay hindi lamang tungkol sa kalagayan ng babae; sa halip ay ipinaliliwanag nito ang paggising ng panloob na pagkababae, ang tagapagdala ng ating emosyon at karanasan sa lahat ng bagay na senswal – mula sa kagalakan hanggang sa kawalan ng pag-asa – na kapaki-pakinabang sa sangkatauhan at nagagawa ang alkemikong pagbabago ng kaluluwa. Ang peminismo ay maaaring maging mapanlinlang na salita sa ngayon. Ang maraming simulain na nagbibigay inspirasyon sa trabaho ay tunay na na nagmula sa peministang teorya. Halimbawa, ang personal ay pampulitika. Naniniwala ako doon. Ang aking gawa ay pagdiriwang ng pagpapahayag, at nagmula sa kalikasan at malalim na ispirituwalidad na namana ko sa aking kultura bilang babaeng Filipina. Ipinakikita nitong mabuti ang Babaylan na pristesa ng Pilipinas bago ang pananakop, na kumakatawan sa pagkakasunod-sunod ng likas na mga simulain, at ipinagdiriwang ngayon bilang simbolo ng peminista ng binagong babaeng Filipina.

Neocha: Does Manila, your hometown, ever leave its mark in you as an artist?

Goldie: Definitely. In many ways it is the foundation of my work. I would not be where I am without my mission to rebuild my identity in some way. My country has been colonized in so many ways. I feel lucky to be where I am, and to be working as an artist representing where I am from. The generation of my parents had very specific paths carved out for them. Filipinas in general who live abroad usually work as nurses, doctors, or care givers. Through the hard work of those who came before me, I am able to work towards something more than a career, but towards a mission I truly believe in.

Neocha: Ang Maynila ba na iyong sariling bayan ay nag-iwan sa iyo ng markang ito bilang alagad ng sining?

Goldie: Talaga. Ito ang pundasyon ng aking gawa sa maraming paraan. Wala ako rito ngayon kung wala ang aking misyon na itatag muli ang aking pagkakakilanlan sa ilang paraan. Ang aming bansa ay sinakop sa napakaraming paraan. Napakapalad ko kung nasaan ako ngayon, at magtrabaho bilang alagad ng sining na kumakatawan sa aking pinagmulan. Ang henerasyon ng aking mga magulang ay nagkaroon ng napaka-espesipikong daan na itinatag para sa kanila. Karamihan sa mga Filipina na nakatira sa ibang bansa ay karaniwang nagtatrabaho bilang nars, doktor, o tagapag-alaga. Sa pamamagitan ng pagsisikap ng mga taong nauna sa akin, nagawa kong magtrabaho tungo sa isang bagay na higit pa sa karera, ngunit tungo sa misyon na tunay kong pinaniniwalaan.

 

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Neocha: As an artist, what’s been your biggest challenges so far? 

Goldie: Funding! Working part time helps a lot, but it is a constant struggle for balance. Since I moved to New York, I now work from my room, which is also my studio. I also sculpt at Urban Glass in Brooklyn.

Neocha: Bilang alagad ng sining, ano ang naging pinakamalaking hamon sa iyo?

Goldie: Pondo! Malaking tulong ang pagtatrabaho ng part time, ngunit patuloy na pagsisikap para maging balanse. Simula nang lumipat ako sa New York, nagtatrabaho ako ngayon sa aking silid, na studio ko na rin. Nag-uukit din ako sa Urban Glass sa Brooklyn.

Neocha: Which of your works do you consider to be your most important work?  What do you have in the works for the near future?

Goldie: Nothing is more important than the other. When something is less successful than another, it always tells you something. My solo exhibition in the Philippine Consulate Gallery is what is in the near future. I am also working on a luxury line of perfumes and jewelry that will feature Philippine flowers and scents. I am really excited about that.

Neocha: Alin sa iyong mga gawa ang itinuturing mong pinakamahalaga mong likha? Ano ang mayroon sa gagawin mo sa susunod?

Goldie: Walang mas mahalaga kaysa sa iba. Kapag may bagay na hindi gaanong matagumpay kaysa sa iba, laging may nais itong ipahiwatig sa iyo. Ang aking solong eksibit sa Gallery ng Konsulado ng Pilipinas ay malapit na. Nagtatrabaho ako sa mamahaling hanay ng mga pabango at alahas na magtatampok sa mga bulaklak at pabango ng Pilipinas. Nananabik na ako para diyan.

Website: goldieland.com
Vimeo: Goldie Poblador

 

Contributor: Banny Wang

Images Courtesy of Goldie Poblador

Website: goldieland.com
Vimeo: Goldie Poblador

 

Kontribyutor: Banny Wang

Ang Mga Imahen na Mula kay Goldie Poblador

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YU Square

February 9, 2016 2016年2月9日

Yu Wanru, also known as Ringo Yu, is a knitwear and accessories designer from Taichung, Taiwan. She graduated from London’s Central Saint Martins College of Art and Design in 2011, and currently embodies the dual role of designer and maker. Ringo is the founder of YU Square, a Taiwan-based independent design brand that specializes in making a variety of knitted apparel, from socks to hats. Her creations can be characterized as vibrant and colorful, utilizing bold patterns to add a playful touch to any wardrobe.

Ringo Yu，中文名余宛儒，是位台中的針織品設計師。2011從中央聖馬丁畢業後，Ringo秉承Designer Maker即設計兼生產者概念，开始以个人品牌YU Square之名設計並製作針織作品。不管是帽子也好，襪子也罷，她作品裡大量重複的圖形、拼貼和歡快跳躍的豐富色彩讓人心生愉悅，也給著裝搭配帶來更活潑的元素。

Studying fashion design, Ringo discovered an affinity for textile and patterns early on in her studies. This realization led her to move to London where she believed she could further explore the possibilities of fashion. She continued her education in the textile design program at Saint Martins College where she was introduced to knitting, and that quickly became a newfound love. “I enjoy knitting a lot,” she says. “A single thread or different combinations of threads is able to create endless possibilities of patterns and designs. Nothing trumps the sense of achievement I feel when I knit.”

在服裝設計的短暫學習中，Ringo發現了她對布料、印花的喜愛，並決定前往倫敦探索自己的世界。而後聖馬丁的織品系的手織、針織終於讓她體驗到仿若沙漠中找到綠洲般的喜悅。“我太享受織東西這件事了，織法的可能性無窮無盡，能用一條或數條彩色的線創造出如此多的花樣和圖案，這種神奇的過程和成就感沒什麼事情能比的上。”她描述道。

After graduation and around the time of the European financial crisis, Ringo began working in the luxury brand industry. Her job left her stressed and uninspired, but that period of dissatisfaction had one plus: it culminated in the birth of her own brand, YU Square. Initially, she only sewed after work as a method of stress relief. But after showing some of her designs online, she found praise from netizens and the orders began pouring in. Ringo decided to quit her job in order to focus on her own brand and diversify her product line. She moved back to Taiwan a year later and started mass producing socks as well as two smaller collections. All the remaining products continue to be handmade by herself.

作為非歐盟國家的人，Ringo也曾一度頂著英國政策和歐洲金融風暴的影響進入高奢品牌工作。她個人品牌YU Square就是誕生在這時期高強度工作和創作滿足感缺失的疲憊狀態中。本只是在工作之餘用針織機做點個人喜歡的物品舒緩壓力，卻未想到設計在網路上大受歡迎，訂單也隨之漸增，於是Ringo便索性辭職專心給個人品牌擴充設計和產品。一年後，她回到台灣，開始嘗試量產襪子和兩個小型服裝系列，其他東西則仍維持設計師自己手工製作。

Inspired by life, architecture, travel, color, and happiness. Ringo has released four knitwear design collections in total.

Field Trip was the first collection that was released through the YU Square line. “At the time, I was a design assistant in a stressful, fast-paced industry. So I started knitting in my free time as a way to find myself. It was like a personal field trip for me to escape the unhappiness of my daily routine,” she explains of the collection name.

When the summer comes, I want to go to Cornwall was her second collection. “Cornwall is a peninsula in the Southwest part of England,” she says. “It consists of a bunch of little towns, and not too many people live there. It was one of my favorite places to visit during my time off in the six years I spent living and working in London. After moving back to Taiwan, I thought that I would never have the chance to go there again. I went through my old travel photos with a heavy heart, and decided to make a collection in order to commemorate that charming place.”

以生活、旅行、建築為靈感，以色彩、愉悅、溫度為關鍵詞， 從《Field Trip》开始，到新進發佈的Ronda，YU Square已經擁有四個設計系列。關於它們，Ringo是這麼和我们说的:

第一個系列《Field Trip》，“這個系列是第一次以YU Square的名義發表的作品。當時身為一個高壓產業下累壞了的設計助理，我想在閒暇時間織一些有意思的衣服，把‘自己’找回來，這個系列便是我在無趣生活中給自己的一趟虛擬小旅行。”

第二個系列《When the summer comes，I want to go to Cornwall》，“Cornwall 康瓦爾郡位於英國西南方的半島，地廣人稀，由很多個各色小鎮所組成，是我在倫敦待的六年多之間，放長假時最喜歡去也最常去的地方。搬回台灣後總覺得可能再也沒機會回去了，抱著有點遺憾的心情翻著以前旅行的照片，就決定用我自己的方式做一個系列來紀念這個可愛的要命的地方。”

Her third collection was The Gherkin, and it was inspired by her love of architecture. “I saw a really beautiful image on Pinterest of the Gherkin building in London,” she recalls. “For the life of me, I couldn’t figure out which angle they took the picture from. So on a day off, I decided to actually go to the building and figure it out for myself. I’ll never forget the moment that I finally found the right angle and pressed down on the camera shutter. After that, I started to form a habit where I would collect interesting photographs of architecture from the internet or at the library. Architecture is something that I could explore for the rest of my life, and creating things based on architectural themes will never get old for me!”

Her fourth collection, Ronda, is also another collection inspired by her memories of travel. “Ronda is a city in the south of Spain that’s built on the side of a cliff,” she says. “The population is small, but the place is extraordinary. There are valleys, huge bridges, endless green plains, ancient bullrings, and winding alleyways. The celebrations for Semana Santa Holy Week also take place there. The architecture in Barcelona and Madrid is amazing, but Ronda left a much deeper impression on me.”

第三個系列《The Gherkin》，“我對建築的熱情是從大學時期開始的 – 當時在 Pinterest 上無意看見了一張非常美，被標記“the Gherkin“的照片震撼到（那棟大樓從外觀看根本沒有一個角度是長那個樣子），找了天假日就實地去晃了一圈試圖找出拍攝者的角度到底在哪裡。找到的那瞬間，按下快門的喜悅我這輩子都不會忘記。自此之後我開始習慣性上網和去圖書館收集世界各地特殊建築物的圖片，想在有生之年一一去探訪。這類建築相關的主題我可以一直做下去！”

第四個系列《Ronda》，“這也是個關於旅行記憶的系列 – Ronda 隆達位於西班牙南方，是一座建築在懸崖邊的城市，人口不多，地形很特殊，在這邊看的到山谷、巨橋、一望無際的綠色平原、古老的鬥牛場、錯綜複雜的巷弄和 Semana Santa 聖週遊行。除了高第的建築太有趣以外，巴賽隆納和馬德里我都覺得不及隆達讓人記憶深刻。”

Seeing her full collection and understanding her design inspirations paints a clear picture of Ringo’s sense of style and personality. “I rarely wear outfits with just a single color,” she grins. “I don’t even really have any clothes without patterns. Even if my outfit is simple, I’ll at least wear some colorful socks. Wearing color makes me happy, and the YU Square label is just a projection of what I love. I also like to collect toys (especially robots), metal boxes of different sizes, postcards, and postage stamps.” She surprisingly revealed that during the process of designing and knitting, she enjoys things that might seem like the polar opposites of the type of creations she makes. For example, she likes to put on crime dramas, editorial programs, metalcore, or industrial metal music.

到這裏，不難猜出Ringo本人的穿衣風格或者個性。“我很少穿單一色系的服裝，幾乎沒有無圖案的衣服，就算衣服很素也一定要配一雙彩色襪子，把顏色穿在身上讓我心情愉快。YU Square 其實就是我喜愛的風格的投射。”她說，“我也喜歡收集玩具（尤其是機器人）和各種不同大小的鐵盒、明信片和郵票。”但是一個有趣的事實是，在設計和織東西的時候，她會搭配犯罪片、社論節目，還有metalcore金屬核、Industrial metal工業金屬這類的音樂，完全與她作品給人的印象大相逕庭。

Ringo is the type of person who works alone, which is sometimes a challenge for the designer-maker. The highly seasonal nature of knitwear means that Ringo is frantically busy around fall and winter, but her love of the hands-on process of knitting keeps her motivated to continue. She says, “The feeling of handmade goods can never be completely replaced by machine manufactured stuff.” She hopes that she will still be able to handcraft all of her knitwear in the future, with the small exception of socks. Presently, she’s nearing the completion of a knitwear necklace collection. Once she has her own studio, she plans on making knitted body pillows, chair cushions, and other handmade furniture items. In the future, she hopes to turn the studio into an open studio where she can showcase her work as well as the delicate process behind the knitting process.

Ringo就是這樣“自己一個人工作”的。而這也是她作為設計師兼生產者最大的挑戰。針織品的高季節性讓她在秋冬季忙得不可開交，但是，對織布和雙手創造出東西的過程的熱愛讓她依舊堅持自己的工作方式。她認為“手製東西的感覺是機器製造不能取代的”，現在除了襪子以外的其他商品她還是希望能自行製作。目前，她有一個針織項鍊系列趨近完成。新進有了自己獨立工作空間後，Ringo將嘗試織一些抱枕、椅墊之類的居家用品，也期待將工作室漸漸轉成open studio，也可以展示商品背後的製作過程。

Website: yusquare.com
Facebook: ~/yusquare.knitwear
Instagram: @yusquareknitwear
Weibo: @YuSquareKnitwear

 

Contributor: Banny Wang
Images Courtesy of Ringo Yu

網站: yusquare.com
臉書: ~/yusquare.knitwear
Instagram: @yusquareknitwear
微博: @YuSquareKnitwear

 

供稿人: Banny Wang
圖片由Ringo Yu提供

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BI FU by Xing Chen

February 2, 2016 2016年2月2日

Located in Beijing’s Qianmen, BI FU Kongjian is a small shop that sits quietly along Zhujiajiao hutong. Chen Xing, an architect and fashion designer, is the mind behind this project. With his background in architecture, he transformed what used to be an old brothel into a contemporary clothing boutique that is home to a collection of his personally designed apparel. Upon entering through a small door, visitors will find themselves in a narrow passageway, and advancing further they will find themselves in an open-air courtyard. The courtyard is divided in half by two spaces that are used as a café and bar; hinged French doors are used to separate these indoor areas from the outdoor. The glass doors can be opened up completely to combine the three areas into one large space. Going farther down the courtyard is a door that leads into the BI FU studio; the first floor is utilized as a showroom for their clothing, while the second floor is used a private workspace.

彼伏空间，坐落于北京前门朱家角胡同，由旧时青楼改造而成，是陈兴作为建筑师的一个传统老建筑改造项目，同时也是他作为服装设计师而成立的个人品牌“彼伏”的所在地。从胡同边上7号的小门推进去，过了狭道，便可见一个露天中庭。中庭两侧是咖啡馆兼酒吧，均有面向中庭与墙同宽的折叠推拉玻璃门。一旦侧推开门，三个被划分开的空间便融为一体。穿过中庭，即是彼伏的工作室了。其一层为展示空间，二层为制作及设计工作间。

The way BI FU is designed makes it quite different from a traditional siheyuan, and it’s also unlike the traditional architecture of Chinese palaces. Chen Xing chose this particular building to renovate mainly because of the courtyard space and he was intrigued by the ways the original architects built with wood. After all his personal touches were applied, he carefully returned the original wooden structures to their place. He wanted a contemporary design but still sought to preserve the history of the old building. Born in Xi’an, Chen Xing graduated from the Tsinghua University in Beijing and later the Polytechnic University of Milan in Italy with a degree in architecture. He understands the importance of culture and heritage, and strongly believes that the old and the new should exist and grow alongside one another. Being an avid supporter of independent designers, and having an interest in the role of culture in brands and design, it seemed only natural for him to shift his focus towards fashion design.

这个空间结构既不像四合院传统民用建筑，也不似故宫传统皇家建筑，其中庭和繁多的木结构又给它平添一丝趣味，这正是陈兴选择并改造它的原因。他将原建筑中的木结构小心翼翼置回原处，让历史痕迹在现代设计中仍踞有一席之地。这位来自中国古都西安、从北京清华大学和意大利米兰理工大学毕业的建筑师，他信奉文化的传承，信奉新与旧应该有机生长在一起。因为更倾向于自主创作以及对“品牌、文化、设计”的热衷，他转而投入到服装设计。

Chen Xing’s obsession with architecture and culture, along with his love of design, culminated into his BI FU clothing brand. He prefers minimal and simpler designs that also contain dramatic details. His goal was to create something exciting and refreshing amidst the cultural renaissance happening in China. The specific type of design, whether it’s architecture or fashion, isn’t important to him except when it comes to the technical requirements. He firmly believes that the artist’s personal interpretation on the finished design as well as their understanding of culture are the cornerstones of every piece of work. We recently had the chance to discuss fashion and architecture with this multitalented designer.

陈兴对建筑和文化的痴迷带进他的个人品牌“彼伏”。他的设计简洁利落，细节中充满戏剧，在今天中国创意界的文化觉醒中一枝独秀。对于他来说，具体的技术性要求外，做哪一类设计并不重要，作品只是作为最末端的一个存在，个人对设计的解读、对文化的理解才是最为源头的关键。以下采访兴许可以让我们对这位跨界设计师有更深的了解。

Neocha: In your opinion, what do fashion design and architecture have in common?

Chen Xing: Fashion and architecture are both created to fulfill practical roles, but both also seek to satisfy people’s demand for good aesthetics. Practical daily life use, weather condition, cultural background, materials, and technical aspects all need to be taken into consideration for both of these fields. These two things also have similar roles in culture, history, and society. Both fashion and architecture involve individuals being inside the design – only one is done on a smaller scale while the latter is executed in a larger scale. Clothing involves accommodating a person’s movements and actions, while architecture involves allowing sufficient space for their activities.

Neocha: 在你看来，服装设计和建筑有些什么共性？

陈兴: 服装和建筑都是既要满足人的实用性，又要满足人的审美；既需要考虑生活条件、气候条件，文化背景，也需要考虑材料、技术实现，到最后造型确立。它们跟人文历史社会的关系也都是一样的。此外在在实现上也是，都要在解决功能的过程中解决形式的问题。它们存在非常多共同的地方: 一个是在小的尺度上将人包裹起来，一个是在大的尺度上将人包裹起来。衣服是满足人的一个动作，但是建筑是满足人的一个活动。

Neocha: Are there some ways of thinking that you take from your architectural background and apply to your fashion designs?

Chen Xing: I would say the way I deal with problems is carried over. A big part of architecture involves solving problems. For example, once an architect knows the plot of land they’ll be working on, all the pros and cons must be worked out. The design cannot compromise functionality; certain requirements, such as lighting, ventilation, fire safety, traffic, and so on, all need to be taken into consideration. Fashion design is similar – there are fewer problems, but you still have to figure out the textiles and cuts to bring the design to life.

Culture is another angle that carries over from my architectural background. For example, Western architecture tends to use stone, and Eastern architecture has a preference towards wood instead. We put emphasis on the connection between materials; traditional Eastern clothing doesn’t use buttons but opts for straps and bands instead, which perhaps feel more “gentle”. Western fashion tends to be more colorful using synthetic dyes, while Eastern fashion prefers using plants and minerals to create natural dyes. These are aspects I will take into consideration when I’m designing clothing.

Another thing is the way I think about aesthetics. Architects need their work to be able to stand the test of time. When I make clothing, I also aim to create timeless pieces. This is probably one of the bigger influences that architecture has on my fashion design. I really dislike the current market trend of making products that try to entice consumers into buying things they don’t need. There are vintage designs that still look amazing today. There is value in well-designed products, I want my designs to still look beautiful after a decade.

Architecture influences me greatly, not only in fashion, but in almost everything I do. Whenever I encounter a problem, I first begin to analyze all the advantages and disadvantages, and then I’ll try to figure out how to employ different methods in order to solve it. In architecture, when you’re solving a problem there is never one straight answer; it often involves many variables.

Neocha: 有没有哪些思维是你从建筑的学习中带到服装设计中的？

陈兴: 一个是解决问题的思维。建筑其实更多的是解决问题。比如说你拿到一个地段后，首先要研究它的优劣势，然后你要满足的功能条件。这其中就会有诸如采光、通风、消防、交通等等各种问题需要你解决。衣服也是类似，只是相对问题少很多。你要思考通过什么样的线条、比例和剪裁去实现你最后要实现的效果。

一个是文化角度出发的思维。例如：西方用石材，东方则是木构，所以我们更强调构件的连接；东方传统上不爱用扣子，而是用带子系，是更柔和的一种处理方式；色彩上，西方工业色彩用的较多，东方则更偏向用植物和矿物等天然颜色……这些都成为我做设计的出发角度。

还有一个是审美的思维。建筑本身的特性会要求它能够经受得住时间的考验。做衣服的时候，我追求的也是timeless。这个影响对我比较大一些。我不喜欢现在市场上充斥着很多为了刺激消费去拼拼凑凑的东西。古代的精品到现在也很好看，好的东西都要有自己的含金量，我希望我的东西再过几十年看也是挺好看的。

建筑思维对我影响特别大，对我做任何事情都影响特别大。我遇到任何一个问题，都会分析优势劣势，怎么用综合的方式去解决它。因为解决一个建筑问题的思维他就不是单向的，都是发散、多元的。

Neocha: Is there a reason why you place such heavy emphasis on Chinese culture when it comes to your fashion designs?

Chen Xing: Successful brands that have a deep respect for their local culture, have the mindset of wanting traditions to live on and be preserved. I’m Chinese – when I established my brand, my respect and desire to interweave local culture into my brand was a given. It’s not a publicity stunt. You have to start with the things that you understand and believe in the most, and have strong feelings towards. These things need to act as the foundation: the soil that provides the nutrients for your brand so to speak – that’s the role of your own culture. A brand, simply put, is just an abstract form of an individual’s personality. If you don’t understand your own culture, then you won’t be confident; and if you’re lacking that confidence, it makes it extremely difficult to shape your brand.

Neocha: 你为什么在服装中特别注重中国文化？

陈兴: 纵观所有好的品牌，他们都有着对自己本土文化和传统的尊重和延续。我是中国人，我做一个品牌，这方面应该是默认的，而不应该作为宣传噱头。你本就要从你最能理解、最有感受、最信仰的一个基础土壤去吸取营养的，那就是你自己的文化。品牌是个抽象化的人格。如果对自己的文化不了解，就会不自信；缺乏自信，你就很难去塑造你的品牌。

Neocha: What has been the biggest challenge for you in combining Eastern culture with contemporary fashion?

Chen Xing: The production chain. I wanted to do a series on oriental fans at one point, and some of these traditional fans are made with paper, some with canvas. There are fixed fans and folding fans; there are some that are embroidered, and others that use tapestry methods of silk weaving. Some fans are decorated with calligraphy, others with painted designs. Each fan involves a lot of creativity and all have a story behind it. I had to compromise when it came to production. There was only one place in Beijing that could make folding fans, but their work wasn’t consistent unlike the kinds that are produced through machines. I wanted to make embroidered fans, but there are not many tailors that could do it. When I did find someone who could do it, the end result was actually very unpolished. Making any additional requests increased costs too much. When I found myself wanting to create more intricate and high quality products, and wanting to fulfill my original design goals, that’s when I discovered the lack of support at different stages in the production chain. The slow deterioration of traditional crafts, the lust of money, and the lack of well-developed brands – I suspect these are the main reasons behind it all. I hope that I will eventually be able to change things.

Neocha: 东方文化和现代服装设计相结合，这其中的最大挑战是什么？

陈兴: 配套产业链。我曾想做一个扇子系列。传统扇子有纸面，有布面；有团扇，有折扇；有刺绣，有缂丝；有书法，有图案。它们有着各种故事，也有着各种创意空间。但在具体实现过程中，我不得不妥协：想做压褶，全北京只有一个地方能做，就这样，它压褶的效果也比不上大工业机器稳定；想做刺绣，刺绣工人本来就少，且做的也粗糙，多提一点要求就会导致成本过高。当你想做高品质的精致作品时，当你发现你需要更多的设计表现语言时，就会发现配套的周边产业链的问题。传统工艺的流失、想赚快钱的欲望、成熟品牌的缺位，都是这个现象的成因，我希望我可以改变这种情况。

Neocha: What are your plans for the future? Any new projects?

Chen Xing: I have a project that combines aviation concepts with Chinese qipaos. Kites, gliders, vintage aircrafts, and modern airplane are all inspirations. I want to unite all of these things with traditional apparel that already possess their own unique defining characteristics. When qipaos were more commonplace, those that would wear it found it difficult to walk because of its constricted form. I want to take the classic elegance of qipaos and clash it against a modern, super fast thing like an airplane. I plan on being more experimental with the form and fabric. As for the long run, I hope that BI FU can develop into a China-based luxury brand.

Neocha: 未来有什么创作计划？

陈兴: 我想将旗袍和飞行元素结合在一起。风筝、滑翔机、复古飞机、现代飞机等，都有很多的想象空间，包括相应的服装也有显著特点。传统的旗袍，人穿着的时候路都走不开。我想将这样一种优雅古典的东西和一个具有速度感、现代感的东西发生碰撞，在形式和面料上也做新的尝试。长远来说，我希望能够做成可以代表中国的一个奢侈品牌。

Address:
No.7~9, Zhujiajiao Hutong, Qianmen
Dongcheng District, Beijing
People’s Republic of China

Phone: +86 010 63135944

Weibo: @彼伏空间
WeChat: bottopchen

地址:
中国 北京市西城区
前门朱家角胡同7~9号

 

电话: + 86 010 63135944

微博: @彼伏空间
微信: bottopchen

 

Contributors: Banny Wang, Eric Zhang
Photographer: Banny Wang
Additional Images Courtesy of BIFU

供稿人: Banny Wang, Eric Zhang
摄影师: Banny Wang
附加图片由彼伏授权提供

 

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Stickyline

January 26, 2016 2016年1月26日

Stickyline is a Hong Kong-based creative duo that manipulates and reengineers paper in ingenious ways. The team is comprised of two designers, Soilworm Lai and Mic Leong, who both graduated from the Hong Kong Polytechnic University School of Design with majors in industrial and product design. They transform two-dimensional images into three-dimensional objects through a process of deconstruction and reconstruction. Their creative manipulation of paper results in complex installation art, stage designs, and sculptures. Many might associate Stickyline’s creations with Japanese origami, since they employ creative folding techniques similar to origami, but a big differentiating factor is that Stickyline’s end products are more like three-dimensional puzzles. With their elaborate paper creations, they have managed to narrow the gap between imagination and reality that much more.

Stickyline是香港的雙人紙藝創意團隊，由畢業於香港理工大學設計學院的前包裝設計師Soilworm Lai和前玩具設計師Mic Leong創立於2011年。二維平面轉換到三維立體形態，在解構和重構之間，Stickyline以紙為材料制作裝置、雕塑和舞臺設計，進行跨領域創作，為想象與現實創造了新維度。雖然同樣有很多折疊，但不同於日本折紙藝術——盡管這是很多人首先會聯想到的，Stickyline的作品更像是3D拼圖，這也是他們之間的根本區別。

Computer 3D modeling is an important part of the production process in all of Stickyline’s projects. Whether it is a personal project or a commercial project, Soilworm and Mic have to think very carefully about all the different factors that are involved with their different creations; for example, they need to consider the space that their designs will eventually occupy. The two first brainstorm together and sketch out an initial design, then afterwards they digitally develop it into a three-dimensional model. After a meticulous research and analysis phase, they next begin to plan out how their installation will occupy the space that it will later be put in. Coming from such similar backgrounds, these two designers are able to work harmoniously side by side, from the initial brainstorming stage all the way up to the actual production.

Stickyline的作品創作過程中，有著相當關鍵的一步，就是計算機3D建模。當然在此之前，不管是個人創作還是客戶項目，Soilworm和Mic都會通過實地考察全面理解將用於展示作品的空間。在把頭腦風暴過程中產生的設計的大概形態變成3D圖形後，經過無數深入的細節研究和調整，他們盡力讓作品的色彩/材料和形狀能夠與空間安排產生互動。最後分解3D對象，切割出紙張部件，再重新組裝起來，這便是Stickyline最終作品的形成。在這個過程中，兩位設計師的合作也並無明確分工，事實上，得益於他們共同的經歷，他們可以從創意到制作全程合作的天衣無縫。

Stickyline has already started collaborating with a large number of well-known local and international brands. Their story began with Masked Creatures, a small project created for Hong Kong’s DesignMart, which consisted of crafting paper helmets in the shape of various well-known Hong Kong architecture. Soilworm and Mic wanted not only to create something that people would find interesting, but they want their work to leave an impression in people’s minds. Just after a few days, their series of colorful and uniquely shaped helmets became a hot topic of conversation and was shared all over social media. For them, gaining the approval of so many people gave Soilworm and Mic more confidence in their art. From that project onwards, their studio’s momentum hasn’t faltered a bit. Stickyline’s paper creations has already expanded into actual products: from accessories, lights, to toys – they’ve even created fashion for local celebrities!

現在的Stickyline與國內外一眾耳熟能詳的品牌都進行過合作。而它的成立則完全源於當初香港DesignMart上的一個叫做《Masked Creature》的小項目。這個項目是Soilworm和Mic為了展示更讓人印象深刻並具有意義的產品，以多邊形的形式重構香港的著名建築原型的一系列紙頭盔。活動的短短幾天，這個系列有趣的外觀就吸引了很多人，作品本身也變成了一個發生對話和分享的媒介。觀眾的熱情回饋讓Soilworm和Mic對這種藝術和手工形式充滿了信心。以這個項目為起點，Stickyline的作品現在已經延伸到各種實際的產品，有時裝飾品、燈具以及玩具，甚至包括本土明星的演出服裝。

Neocha: As we all know, paper, without being properly handled is a very fragile material choice, and you have some larger sized works. We were wondering how you dealt with the situation. What’s the biggest challenge in using paper like this?

Stickyline: It is quite challenging and it is also what makes us different from other paper artists, since we tend to build big objects using paper. The paper we use is tougher and thicker than those normally found in stationary shops. Some papers have different textures and different finishes which make them more durable.

Besides, paper only acts as the skin in our artwork. Our art, being so large, we are forced to create structures that supports the skin by using paper cardboard, wood, and sometimes even metal. For example, when we created a sculpture of a killer whale, paper becomes the skin, and inside the whale, there are structures that are a bit like the bones of the animal. Without it, the paper would collapse.

Neocha: 眾所周知，紙在沒有做合適處理的情況下，是一種很脆弱的材料。而妳們有一些大型的作品，這種情況下，妳們如何應對紙的這個特性呢？在用這種方式創作作品的時候，妳們面對的最大挑戰是什麽？

Stickyline: 妳們提到的這點確實是個巨大的挑戰，同時它也讓我們的作品與眾不同，鑒於我們傾向於用紙做大件的作品。我們通常用比文具店能夠買到的要稍厚一些的紙，包括有些不同質感的紙，以及不一樣的完成工序讓作品更為結實。

此外，紙只是像我們作品的表皮。大件作品中，我們不得不用厚紙板、木板，有時候甚至是金屬來做結構和支架以支撐那層表皮。例如: 我們的逆戟鯨雕塑，紙只作它的表皮，在逆戟鯨體內我們會做類似動物骨架的支架，否則最外層的紙會坍塌。

Neocha: Describe for us a couple of your personal favorite designs. Why are they interesting to you?

Stickyline: Coast Modules was the first project that we created which involved interaction with visitors and that was produced with the help of a factory. These things made a big difference in our creative process. The interactive elements added value to our design, and the factory built wonderful paper sculptures with the rules we set up. They then put it together in some random arrangements. The mass production of the factory allowed for more design variety, and at the same time it enriched the content that our visitors can interact with. Employing factory production also helped with the physical size of the project, which scaled it up to something even more impressive.

Another project we want to mention is Bamboo Mountain Bamboo Sea, which took place at a historical building now called PMQ (the former Hollywood Road Police Married Quarters). It is an installation with a setup displaying clothes being hung out to dry and the clothes are much bigger than usual one and it is all made out of paper! It includes clothing that normal people would have: trouser, t-shirts, underwear, bras, dresses, and so on. You can see people walk along the corridor with surprised facial expressions when they see some of the traditional methods of drying clothes recreated in a modern way.

Neocha: 可以告訴我們妳們最喜歡的個人作品是哪些嗎？為什麽？

Stickyline: 《Coast Modules》是我們做的第一個包含觀眾互動的項目，這個項目的制作我們也得到了工廠的幫助。這兩個點給我們的創作帶來了很大不同: 互動元素為我們的設計添加了一層價值，觀眾根據我們設立的規則，以具有個體性差異的手法作出很棒的紙雕塑；工廠的大批量生產則給我們設計上的可能提供了更多的空間，同時它豐富了觀眾可以參與發揮的內容。同時這種制作也幫助我們將作品更大型化，給人更為深刻的印象。

另一個我們要提到的項目是《Bamboo Mountain Bamboo Sea》，它是發生在一個叫做元創方 (前荷李活道已婚警察宿舍) 的歷史建築中。這個裝置，是將衣物按照舊時的晾曬方式懸掛著，這些“衣物”包含了平常大家會穿著的褲子、T恤、內衣、內褲、裙子等等，只是它們的尺寸平常所見要大很多，而且都是紙做的。妳可以看到，經過的人們看到傳統的晾衣形式可以以這麽現代的方式來再現時，他們那按耐不住的驚訝神情。

Neocha: What has been the biggest changes for you and your work over the last four years? And what’s one thing that you stick to no matter what?

Stickyline: We’ve stuck to our original concept of transforming objects from 2D to 3D as well as our style of creating polygon features, lines and planes.

As far as the biggest changes, we’ve actually been trying to design shapes with fewer and fewer polygons, while still keeping the content and details all intact. This requires a lot more precision during production in order to stay true to our initial design. Paper is still the main material in most of our projects, but we’ve tried crossovers involving different things like projections, interactive elements, and adding lighting into our installations.

Neocha: 過去這些年中，妳們或者妳們的創作發生的最大的變化是什麽？哪些又是妳們一直堅持不變的？

Stickyline: 我們一直堅持著在2D和3D間轉換事物的原創概念，一直堅持著創作多邊形物體、線條和平面的自身風格。

要說最大的變化，我們一直嘗試在設計形狀時讓多邊形越來越少，但是仍保有內容和細節，這樣一來，制作時就得要更精確才能實現最初的設計。紙仍然是我們多數項目中的主要材料，但是我們試過在一些跨界創作中往我們的裝置中加入不一樣的，比如投影，互動元素，和光這些東西。

Neocha: How does Hong Kong, the city you’re currently living in, inspire you?

Stickyline: As we always say, our daily life inspire us the most. What we see and experience in this city is an important inspiration to us, and some of our projects address these daily elements from a different perspective. One example is when we made a paper power plug, but scaled up to a huge size, it stood taller than a man including the wire. Shifting people’s perspective to focus on the little things again is exciting and makes us happy.

Neocha: 妳們現在居住的城市，香港，對妳們的創作有什麽樣的啟發呢？

Stickyline: 正如我們一直說的，日常生活才是啟發我們最多的。所以在香港的生活必然也是如此。在這座城市中，我們眼見的，我們身歷的，都是很重要的靈感來源。我們有些項目就是用不一樣的視角，去突出這些日常元素。舉個例子，我們曾經做了一個大尺寸的紙插頭，差不多是原實物的10多倍大。算上它線的部分，它立在那裏比人還高。讓人們重新註意到這些小事小物，總是讓我們感到開心和激動。

Neocha: What do you have in the works for the near future?

Stickyline: We always want to develop even more products. We have some ideas in mind but haven’t had the time to flesh them out fully yet. We hope we can hit the mark with these ideas. Besides that, we also have some new commercial work, prop designs, and set designs all in progress. We will take part in an exhibition in Singapore, a project to test people on how well they know their fears.

Neocha: 能告訴我們一些未來的創作計劃和項目嗎?

Stickyline: 我們總是想要開發一些產品，現在已經有一些想法了，但是還沒有時間去完全實現包裝它。我們希望可以在未來完成這個設想。除了一些商業道具設計和場景設計，我們也將參加在新加坡舉辦的一個展覽，這是一個測試人們對他們自身恐懼的認知的項目。

Website: stickyline.hk
Facebook: ~/stickyline

 

Contributor: Banny Wang

網站: stickyline.hk
臉書: ~/stickyline

 

供稿人: Banny Wang

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Check-in Project

January 25, 2016 2016年1月25日

The Check-in project is the brainchild of two Shanghai-based artists, Xi Xi and Lu Jiawei. Their renovation essentially transformed old residential houses not only into bed and breakfasts, but into art installations. The goal of the artists was to shatter preconceived notions that art could only be exhibited in museums and galleries. At the same time, they also wanted to explore the relationship between people and their surroundings objects. They wanted to create art that wasn’t only meant to be experienced visually, but also something physical that people could interact with. Their installation would also be something that their guests could own for twenty-four hours. Descending, and their more recent installation LSD Project, has in effect transformed old residential spaces into unique pieces of art.

Check-in是上海艺术家兮兮和卢佳炜于2015年发起的旧房改造项目。两位艺术家通过以室内艺术装置和民宿相融合的方式，尝试打破艺术画廊和美术馆模式中个人和艺术品之间的传统关系，一方面探讨并引人思考人和周遭物件的关系，另一方面则尝试着为任何普通人提供欣赏并拥有一件艺术品24小时的可能性。《下沉》，加上近期完工的《LSD Project》，这个项目已经完成两处住所改造。

The first Check-in project, Descending, is a white room filled with white styrofoam balls. In the space, there are also white walls, white windows, and white pieces of furniture scattered in a sea of styrofoam. During the day, light falls in through the windows from the tree-lined street outside, illuminating the alabaster white room. The art space is a striking contrast to the bustling metropolis that lies just outside.

Check-in项目的第一个作品，《下沉》，是一个填满白色泡沫球的白色房间。白色的墙壁，白色的门窗，白色的家具散落在白色的泡沫中。光线透过面向绿荫和旧街道的窗户，洒在满目的白色上，形成与窗外繁拥忙碌的大都会截然不同的景象。

LSD Project, the artists’ second piece of work, is similarly also located in an old residential building. The main concept of this project revolves around a peculiar system of lighting. Metallic silver is the main color palette of choice: every single wall, object, and surface is completely wrapped in tinfoil. Custom neon light tubes are hidden along the edges of walls, while other tubes are arranged overhead in a seemingly random arrangement. The multicoloured tubes of light intersect and criss-cross one another, reflecting off the metallic walls, enveloping the entire room in a diffused multichromatic glow.

而另一个作品，《LSD Project》，同样是在老旧居民楼中，却拥有着截然不同的面貌。这是一个以灯光装置为主题的空间。银色是这个空间的基调，所有墙体和可能的物件被贴上了锡箔。定制的彩色灯管交错悬于上方，也有藏在墙角边线上，在反射和漫反射之间，各种色彩的光错综交汇，包裹起整个空间。

Xi Xi graduated from Goldsmiths, University of London with a Masters degree in Design Features. After graduation, she returned to Shanghai and tried her hand in various fields, from photography to fashion design, even operating her own bed and breakfast at one point. Throughout all of that, she never stopped working on her own personal art projects. She worked independently, much like her friend Lu Jiawei, a sculptor and a former classmate at Fudan University. The main issue that this creative duo wanted to confront was the current inevitability of using galleries and museums as mediums when an artist wanted to exhibit their artwork to the public. Xi Xi and Jiawei believe that galleries and museums are rigid environments that have limitations, in the sense that those spaces restrict the level of interaction people can have with the displayed art.

从伦敦大学Goldsmiths的Design Features硕士毕业后，回到上海做过摄影、服装设计、民宿经营的兮兮并未间断过当代艺术创作。与她在复旦大学本科时期就相识的校友，雕塑艺术家卢佳炜一样，他们都是以独立艺术家的身份在进行创作。而画廊作为一个艺术家/艺术品传播媒介的角色，是他们作为艺术家不得不面对的。但是画廊也好，美术馆也罢，都决定了普通人和艺术品之间不可能有过于亲密的接触，或者充足的交流。这正是两位艺术家想去挑战的问题。

Xi Xi has always believed that every individual is the sum of their own experiences. Experiencing new things, and the memories left over from those experiences, are most important. “We wanted to create a space where the artwork is tangible, and the audience is able to interact with it, and experience the artwork and our unique space, but privately”, Xi Xi says. This idea of creating interactive and tangible art was the inspiration for their Check-in project.

兮兮一直认为，一个人是他经历的总和。体验，及其伴随的记忆，都是最为重要的东西。“我们想做这样一个空间：它的作品是真正和大众是发生关系的，让人在保有私密性地去体验作品本身，体验这个空间。”这就是Check-in项目的初衷。

In the future, they hope to be able to collaborate with others who may come from different backgrounds, and to create new spaces with differently styled themes. For Xi Xi and Jiawei, they are open to whom they want to collaborate with, whether they are artists, dancers, hypnotists, philosophers, or even economists. Being able to combine ideas from different disciplines and fields with the goal of ending the notion that art can only be experienced in a public gallery setting is something that the two artists strongly believe in and want to keep pursuing.

在未来，Check-in项目希望有来自不同领域的人可以参与合作，创作具有不同类型行为的住宿空间。艺术家也好，舞蹈团队也好，催眠师也好，哲学家也好，经济学家也好……不同类型的学科和艺术以及居住空间相结合，打破传统的私密体验正是Check-in的艺术家们所期待的。

Website:
airbnb.com/Descending
airbnb.com/LSD-Project

WeChat: Checkin_P

 

Contributor: Banny Wang
Photographers:
Nick Chu
Rey Canlas, Jr.
Banny Wang

网站:
airbnb.com/Descending
airbnb.com/LSD-Project

微信: Checkin_P

 

供稿人: Banny Wang
摄影师:
Nick Chu
Rey Canlas, Jr.
Banny Wang

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The Art of Eszter Chen

January 22, 2016 2016年1月22日

Chen Chun Hong, aka Eszter Chen, is a Taiwan-based illustrator and visual artist. She grew up in Los Angeles and graduated with honors from Art Center College of Design in Pasadena with a degree in illustration art and design. As a student, she was already collaborating with various fashion magazines. Upon graduating, she went on to work as a textile designer in the fashion industry, but also freelanced as an illustrator and artist on the side. The theme in the majority of her work tends to be more feminine in nature, with fashion and floral patterns being some of the common elements in the majority of her art. The vibrant color combinations of her illustrations often leaves a lasting impression on viewers. Eszter finds herself to be endlessly fascinated by color and the different ways that colors can be combined.

Eszter Chen, 又為陳純虹，是位現居臺灣的插畫師和視覺藝術家。她成長於美國洛杉磯，畢業於加州藝術中心設計學院的插畫藝術專業。在校期間，Eszter就開始與時尚平面雜誌合作，之後在洛杉磯成為專業服飾品牌印花織品設計師和接案插畫師/藝術家。她的大多數作品都具有女性相關的主題，畫面中隨處可見時尚和印花。明亮活潑的色彩組合給人十分愉悅的印象，也讓人對她的作品過目不忘。而色彩本身以及新的色彩組合正是她本人所一直著迷的事物。此外超現實主義的敘事手法也是她所偏好應用的。

Eszter decided to move back to Taipei mainly because her family and fiancé. After being back, she quickly realized that she enjoyed the more laid-back lifestyle and overall pace of Taipei, more so than Los Angeles. She was excited to introduce her illustration work and personal style in her hometown, especially with the local art scene and illustration culture being rapidly on the rise in Taipei. She was eager to see the Taipei art scene develop and grow, and wanted to work with local artists who came from different backgrounds and perspectives than hers, with the goal of being able to find inspiration from one another. Eszter now works with a group of local artists, with whom she has since started a studio together. She now pursues her own personal illustration projects and textile designs full-time.

因為家庭和未婚夫的關系，出生於臺北的她決定搬回家鄉居住。除了享受臺北生活的舒適和放松、人和人之間更為緊密的關系，以及自由步行以外，她也非常為能夠將自己的作品和插畫文化帶回自己的家鄉而興奮。臺北藝術和插畫的掘起，使得Eszter十分期待與世一同見證更多，並與不同想法的人一起工作以碰撞出火花。現在的她，與當地一群同在創意設計領域的朋友們擁有一間共同創作工作室，並開始自己的插畫和印花藝術工作。

Neocha: When did you first develop an interest with illustration and painting? Was there anything in particular that happened that first got you interested?

Eszter: I started drawing when I was in kindergarten. I was drawing many dresses, portraits, and stories. Many of them were from my own imagination, some of them were references from catalogs, commercials, and things that I saw. I forgot about drawing when I got a little older, all the way up until my high school years. I didn’t want to go to university studying majors that I had no interest in, so I thought long and hard about what I could see myself dedicating years of my life to studying, and without a doubt, art was the the first thing that came to mind.

Neocha: 妳是從什麽時候開始喜歡上繪畫的呢？

Eszter: 我從在幼兒園時期就開始畫畫了。我畫各種裙子、肖像，還有故事。它們大多數都是我想象出來的，還有一些是參考了商品目錄、廣告和我看到的東西。後來，我大概忘記了畫畫這件事，直到我上了高中。當時我不想將來去大學裏學習那些我不感興趣的專業，於是我思考什麽專業是我真正喜歡做的，並且願意為它進行更多的學習。然後，藝術，毫無疑問地，就是第一個我能想到的。

Neocha: Where do you get your inspiration from?

Eszter: I look at work from fashion designers, photographers, illustrators, artists, and paintings. I am pretty much inspired by all the visual artists and designers that I like. I also try to read unique fiction novels, including those are able to provide storytelling inspirations that I can apply to my illustrations. I enjoy the aesthetics of modern art and design. As far as colors go, I often get my creative inspiration from looking at classic paintings done by the great masters, mother nature, toys, and Japanese package design. I also love Pinterest and looking through some fashion magazines for quick visual stimulation.

Neocha: 妳的靈感來源是哪裏？

Eszter: 我看時尚設計師、攝影師、插畫師、藝術家……基本上所有自己喜歡的視覺藝術家和設計師的作品。我嘗試閱讀更多獨特的小說，並從中得到講述故事的靈感。我喜歡現代藝術和設計中的審美。我從大師的繪畫、大自然、玩具以及日本的包裝設計中獲取色彩的靈感。我閱讀時尚雜誌以獲得色彩和印花方面的快速刺激。我愛Pinterest。

Neocha: You have a very keen sense of aesthetics and your work radiates cheerful and positive vibes. Is this similar to your own personality?

Eszter: I try to stay cheerful and positive in my life, even when things don’t go my way. In my work, I also try to follow that guideline, even when what I am creating might be a serious or negative subject. I really believe that having a keen sense of aesthetics is more important than skill. I incorporate this belief in the way I draw my characters, their environment, and in the way I utilise colors. I like to research historical and modern references, as well view work from other artists, designers, and photographers. I like seeing new things and seeing the different aesthetics of other artists, through viewing these things I hope my own work can improve and become even better.

Neocha: 妳作品的顏色給人很愉悅的感覺，這是否和妳個人性格也一致？

Eszter: 在生活中，我是個盡量保持樂觀的人，盡管有時候並不是事事順心。在作品中，我也保持和我的生活態度一致，就算是創作嚴肅或者負面的主題。我想，比技巧更重要的是良好的感知，包括我畫人物、環境的方式，以及我個人對色彩的應用。我偏好研究一些歷史的和現代的參考，觀看藝術家、設計師、攝影師等的作品。我想讓自己的視野和感知保持變化，想讓自己能夠進到更高的階段。

Neocha: Describe for us a couple of your favorite personal works. Why are they interesting to you?

Eszter: Illustration Lab (18 x 12.5in, acrylic gouache and aqyla paints on paper) is a piece about what I imagine would be my ideal lab building. It is a retired animal shelter, but rebuilt as a creative illustration lab. You can see some pictures of the deceased animals in the building. Each room is set up for a different purpose.

The Funeral (16 x 11in, acrylic gouache and color pencil on paper) is a piece about my personal memory with death. It was the very first time I experienced someone very close to me passing away, and also the first time I’d gone through the whole funeral process. But I painted it with very cheerful colors to establish contrast.

Neocha: 請給我們描述一下自己最喜歡的個人作品吧。它們為什麽有趣？

Eszter:《Illustration Lab》(18″x12.5″，紙上丙烯水粉和水性亞克力繪畫) 是關於我想象中理想的實驗室大樓。這座樓是由動物收容所改造而成的創意繪畫試驗室。妳可以看到樓裏還掛有已經去世的動物們的圖片。每個房間都有著為不同技術所做的場景布置。

《The Funeral》(16″x11″，紙上丙烯和彩鉛繪畫)是關於我記憶中的死亡。那次是我人生中第一次經歷親近的人去世，以及其葬禮過程。但我應用了非常歡快的色彩來制造一種反差。

Neocha: What are some of your future projects?

Eszter: I’ve always wanted to create a calendar filled with my art, so that will be something I will be working on. I also want to make some limited edition prints. Ideally, I will be making a fun concertina book soon. Lastly, I will try to plan my next exhibition in Taipei, so I’ve started sketching some new paintings to put in the show. Hopefully in the future, I will have the chance to work with different companies on an international level.

Neocha: 未來有什麽創作項目嗎？

Eszter: 我一直想用自己的作品做一本日歷，所以這會是我接下來要做的事之一。我也想給作品系列中添加一些印刷品，理想的情況下，我要做一本帶有有趣概念的折頁書。最後，我在為在臺北的下一個展覽做準備，所以我現在在為展覽作品創作新的繪畫。希望我將來可以和國際範圍的公司合作。

Website: eszterchen.com
Instagram: @eszterchenart

 

供稿人: Banny Wang

網站: eszterchen.com
Instagram: @eszterchenart

 

供稿人: Banny Wang

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Book Design Shop

January 7, 2016 2016年1月7日

Book Design Shop is a specialty design bookstore in Beijing that was founded by Taiwanese entrepreneur, Tony Li. The shop has its own courtyard and is located in Dashilar, near Qianmen off Yangmeizhu Xiejie, in a small hutong. It carries a wide selection of books that would appeal to both avid readers and design aficionados alike. The shop’s carefully curated selection of publications from both Chinese and international authors showcases a wide range of material, from creative editorials to thought-provoking design books. From time to time, the store also turns into an exhibition space that promotes the creative work of illustrators, photographers, and other independent artists. Tony encourages artists to publish their own work and having it available to be purchased through his shop.

北京前门大栅栏的杨梅竹斜街，自古书局林立。台湾人Tony Li创立的书的设计店，便是在这条街上一个带院子的微型胡同空间内，向喜爱设计和阅读的人们推荐来自国内外的编辑创意、精彩版式设计，以及经典生活用品设计，同时也不定期有摄影、插画等独立创作以及出版主题相关展览展出。此外，Tony也努力鼓励创作者将作品集成出版物并代为销售，书的设计店用自己的方式给这条出版业老街添加了新的含义。

In today’s busy world, oversaturated with an endless stream of images and text from social media, being able to produce quality content is of utmost importance. Tony, who also previously worked in media, believes, “Many people still consider the book to be the most ideal way for receiving and disseminating information, especially among professionals. A book is an amazing gateway – the content of every book is a world in itself.” He hopes that his store can become a select shop for books.

今天的社交网络充斥着各种图片和文字，所以当下的出版物更注重用心、独特的编辑。“书的形态，在很多人，特别是专业者的心目中，还是最理想的载体。” Tony，这位曾经的媒体人说，“书籍是个很好的窗口，每个书籍的内容都是一个世界。”正所谓“一书一世界”，他要做的是一个书的select shop。

With a background in architecture, Tony used to work for GQ Taiwan along with various lifestyle magazines. He had experienced the turbulent times for lifestyle magazines in the early 2000s, as well as the impact of internet media affecting printed publications following the financial crisis. Having been through these uncertain times, Tony’s passion for lifestyle, design, and printed publications still remains unchanged. Shortly after relocating to Beijing in 2010, he founded a social app targeting readers. He also worked on branding it as well as creating content specifically for iPad users. He found that he was fascinated by the role of the medium that information is delivered through.

建筑出身的Tony，曾在台湾的GQ等生活方式类杂志媒体工作。他经历了2000年初生活类型杂志的蓬勃，也经历了随后金融危机和互联网冲击带来的纸媒衰败。但是他对生活方式的议题、设计和出版物的热爱并毫无衰减。自2010年移居北京之后的他做过阅读社交APP，做过branding，也做过iPad的出版系列，但他最在乎的还是媒体，更是媒介的角色。

“As magazine editors, by introducing the subjects through writing and photos, aren’t we really just recommending things we like? Whether it be a person, an event, or a city. If we remove ourselves, then this person, event, or item will still possess a certain relationship with the reader. Items are unable to interact and communicate with potential users so by this logic we are just the middleman. There are a lot of products, magazines, and books out there, so the purpose of Book Design Shop is just to serve as a medium.”

“我们做杂志编辑，不就是在介绍每一个我们推荐的东西吗？或者是人，或者是事，或者是城市。如果将我们自己的角色拿掉，那这个人、事、物跟读者之间，它也存在这个关系。我们是中间人，所以在这个逻辑上，有很多物品没有办法自己和它的用户进行直接沟通。但是中间又有很多物件、杂志和书籍，书的设计店就是作为媒介的角色。”

Canadian philosopher McLuhan coined a very famous phrase, “The medium is the message”. Tony truly believes in and lives by this quote. In his eyes, books are a gateway, and the contents of every book is a world in itself. He believes that all people and things are also mediums and this is why his shop carries well-designed household products. He later expanded on that idea by creating an online shop that he named Goods & Media (or Wujie in Chinese). The first Chinese character “Wu” represents item, and “Jie” represents medium. Tony chooses the products to feature on the website based on his own criteria: the design quality, content quality, and if it has a “soul”.

加拿大媒介环境学代表人物McLuhan有一个非常著名的说法:“媒介即信息”。这是Tony所深信不疑的。当然除了书之外，任何的人事物都是媒介。这也是为什么这间书店除了书之外，也有生活用品设计，近来更是设立了相应的网络购买平台——物介：物，是物件的“物”；介，是媒介的“介”。设计也好，内容也好，Tony来说都有一个衡量的标准：看它是否有“灵魂”，有深度和内涵。这也是Tony甄选纸品和物品的原则。

Tony is elated about the fact that the connections between people and publishing companies, as well as between one another, are now more closely knit than ever. “I have known the author of Design Tokyo for quite a while. I feel like his work is finally starting to become different from before. There was one that I particularly liked and I asked him if he wanted to have it up for purchase in my store. Also because of this book, I developed a closer relationship with my importer. This store has a good working relationship with all the creators of the books that we carry. The connection that I have with the authors of these books is what separates us from any other bookstore out there.” Tony even photographs and writes the descriptions for all of the items that are sold online; every single magazine, book, and product has been personalised by Tony.

目前为止Tony最为开心的是，从人和各种出版社，到人和人，都有着更紧密的连接。“《设计东京》的作者，我本来就跟他认识。我觉得这个作者终于出现了变化，这一本做的很好。我问他要不要来我们店里卖。我也因为这本书跟我的进口商也有更多连接。这个店，和这些做书的人非常熟悉，有着非常私人化的联系。人与人的连接，是我们与大书店的不一样。”甚至，不同于现有的大型书籍销售平台，物介网站上的每一本杂志书籍，每一个物件，都将由Tony及其团队完成图片拍摄，以及推介文本撰写。

When asked about the future, he says that as a business owner there are always unexpected problems that may arise. If in five years, the store still remains, it will mostly have an online presence and the physical storefront will become more of a showroom. Not long ago the co-founder of Airbnb, Joe Gebbia, also visited Book Design Shop. Tony is particularly proud of that visit from Joe. “He purchased a lot of independent publications, some published out of China, some from Japan. He said that he didn’t ever want to leave my shop. Joe Gebbia’s own Twitter bio reads ‘I design things’. so I felt he really was passionate about everything he purchased.” Through Tony’s interpretation, the design that Joe Gebbia mentions and Tony’s own ideas about things being a medium are interconnected. “The definition of ‘design’ is actually quite broad. It involves trying to find order in this vast world of ours.” This is also what Tony strives to do as an ardent observer of life.

问及未来，Tony说，做生意常常会出现规划外的事情，如果5年后，这间店还在的话，会在网络上为主，而线下则作为showroom的形态存在。前段时间Airbnb的创始人之一Joe Gebbia也曾造访过书的设计店，这让Tony颇感自豪。Tony说: “他买了一大堆独立出版。有中国的，有日本的。还包括一些小物件。他说这个店他都不想离开。Joe Gebbia的Twitter页面上写着‘I design things’（我设计东西），他真的是喜欢这些东西。”Tony的理解中，Joe Gebbia所说的“设计”和他所说的媒介的概念是相近的，“这个‘设计’的概念是非常广泛的，都是在一个很大的世界里中去找到一个逻辑系统。”而这也是Tony作为一位生活观察者会一直努力去做的事。

Address:
No. 23, Yangmeizhu Xiejie, Dashilar
Xicheng District, Beijing
People’s Republic of China

Phone:
+86 010 8319 7844

Website:
bookdesignshop.org
goodsmedia.com

Facebook: ~/bookdesignshop
Wechat: bookdesignshop

 

Contributors: Banny Wang, Eric Zhang
Photographer: Banny Wang

地址:
中国 北京市西城区
大栅栏杨梅竹斜街23号

电话:
+86 010 8319 7844

网站:
bookdesignshop.org
goodsmedia.com

脸书: ~/bookdesignshop
微信: bookdesignshop

 

供稿人: Banny Wang, Eric Zhang
摄影师: Banny Wang

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The Hats of Kumi Ding

December 24, 2015 2015年12月24日

Kumi Ding is a Shanghai-based hatmaker, fashion designer, and the founder of Kumi Shop. Originally a professionally trained musician, Kumi had worked for five years in the fashion industry before establishing her self-titled design label, Kumi Ding. Themes such as religion, music, classical aesthetics, architecture, fairytales, and Eastern beauty are often visible in her work.

Kumi Ding是上海的帽饰设计师，也是Kumi Shop的创立人。音乐科班出身的她，在服装行业品牌市场公关领域工作五年之后，于2013年创立了个人品牌Kumi Ding，开始了设计以及制作工作。在她的作品里，你能看到宗教、音乐、古典美术、建筑、童话故事等元素，以及东方美学的气质。

During the fall and winter of 2013, English designer Piers Atkinson’s dinosaur baseball hats made ripples in the fashion world. Both inspired by and seeking to improve on Atkinson’s designs from a more female perspective, Kumi began to experiment with designing her own custom baseball hats. For her, the brim of the hat serves as a platform on which extravagant scenes – such as flower gardens, rainforests, old battlefields, or parties, can be created. Through the process of designing and manufacturing hats, Kumi found a consumer market that was eager for something new and fresh, leading her to establish the Kumi Ding design label.

2013 年秋冬，英国设计师 Piers Atkinson 的恐龙棒球帽倍受欢迎。但在她，作为女性看来，其设计呈现很单一且有点“硬”，所以她开始尝试做创意主题棒球帽。她将帽檐看成一个干净的平台，并把神秘花园、热带雨林、远古战场或派对现场等各种立体故事场景搬到帽檐上。也是因为这些棒球帽, 一下子让她发现了帽饰市场的饥渴，并在同年成立了个人品牌Kumi Ding。

Kumi calls her design studio a “hat laboratory”, in which new hats are created almost daily. Her designs span a wide range of creative approaches, from simple commercial designs, to extravagant runway designs and upper-class millinery, to more experimental and futuristic designs. Many of the hats that Kumi designs are one-of-a-kind, or are in need of custom alteration upon order. “Rich, multi-layered, with attention to ideology and creativity” – these are the common traits and main driving concept behind Kumi Shop.

Kumi自称自己的工作室是一个“帽饰实验室”。从简洁的商业设计、适合秀场的浮夸设计，到复古的高端女士礼帽，甚至充满科技感和实验性的边缘帽饰，在她的工作室几乎每天都有新设计诞生，而且有很大一部分是孤品，或售出后需要手工复制定制的。“丰富，多层次，注重意识形态与创意”正是Kumi Shop的理念。

Kumi says, “I’m a free spirit, rebellious by nature and perceptive, with the hopes of being independent in thought and action. I want to create new things and ideas, in order to express individual values.” Influenced by her musical background, she is a lover of diverse artforms, saying, “Art inundates my life, and a good work of art is like food for the soul. Sometimes inspiration is more subtle, and other times more obvious.” Thus, from materials to form and design, Kumi’s works embody a strong sense of art and individual aesthetic.

Kumi说: “我是一个自由主义的崇尚者，骨子里面叛逆，感性并且希望特立独行。我想要创造新事物与想法，以此实现个人价值。 ”出生音乐之家的她，热爱并关注各种形式的艺术。她告诉我们: “这些内容充斥我的生活，一切好的作品都给予我精神食粮，给我灵感，只不过有些细微有些明确。”所以，完全不难理解为何她的作品在材料形式设计上如此天马行空。

Many times, Kumi will be inspired by designs from other hatmakers, which she may expand on using her own approach. Her exploration of materials and form, and a more progressive mindset has also led her to incorporate 3D printing into the design process of her flat brimmed baseball hats. According to Kumi, the process has been challenging, but has also been well-received by the public.

在Kumi追求材料和形式突破的过程中，她的3D打印技术制作的棒球平檐帽当属最为瞩目。很多时候，启发她设计的是同行的作品，她认为自己可以做出新的诠释。3D打印的作品也是源于这种想法，因为她想要那种未来感以及夸张的大镂空。Kumi告诉我们，虽然这个在技术上实现起来阻碍重重，但是它确实得到了许多人的认可和喜爱。

Kumi Ding is passionate about each piece that she creates. For her, creativity is a process of never-ending change. Her ideas and products change with the times, so much so that sometimes she is unable to replicate works from her earlier periods, especially her higher-end works. She is currently working to expand further her series of 3D printed hats, and she hopes to reveal a new design series in spring and summer of 2016.

Kumi喜欢自己大多数的作品。她说，每个时期专注的内容和想法不同，每个时期的作品也各千奇百样，以至于有些作品此时此刻自己也复制不出来了。尤其是高端系列，因为这是她个人倾注比较多和引以为豪的。这其中又以采用3D打印技术制作的帽饰为甚。近期她正专注于拓展这个系列，除了棒球平檐帽外，她希望能够在2016春夏推出一整个设计系列。

Website: kumiding.com
Facebook: ~/Kumi-Shop
WeChat: KumiDing

 

Contributor & Photographer: Banny Wang
Additional Images Courtesy of Kumi Ding

网站: kumiding.com
脸书: ~/Kumi-Shop
微信: KumiDing

 

供稿人与摄影师: Banny Wang
附加图片由Kumi Ding提供

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The Pop World of Zhang Liang

December 16, 2015 2015年12月16日

Zhang Liang, aka Ray, is an illustrator who spends his time between Beijing and London. With a fun and iconic style, he loves to use distinct lines and limited bright color combinations in his works. Influenced by comic books, he expresses his worldview through a unique and quirky sense of visual humor.

张亮，又名Ray，是位生活工作于北京和伦敦两地的插画师。精细的线条和明亮的色彩，是他标志性的视觉风格。他作品画面的色彩总是强烈、明快，由限定的几个或者多个颜色组成。他正是用色彩为沉重或枯燥的话题添加一丝趣味，或者利用这种显著的反差制造讽刺的效果。此外，在他的大部分编辑性插画作品中，他都试图融入滑稽的元素，用漫画式的幽默去表达一些想法，或说明社会中的一些现象。

A graduate of the Glasgow School of Art, Ray was formerly a student of renowned English puppet artist John M. Blundall. Prior to graduating with both Bachelor’s and Master’s degrees in illustration from Glasgow, Ray spent one year at the China Academy of Fine Art. The joint program between the two schools gave him his first introduction to Western-style illustration and comics. Later on, he would fall in love with hip-hop, cartoons, and Western pop culture during his work and studies in the UK.

张亮毕业于英国格拉斯哥艺术学院，师从英国著名木偶艺术大师John M. Blundall，并在那里获得了插画的本科和硕士学位。在大学生涯的最初一年，他曾就学于中央美术学院。该校和英国格拉斯哥艺术学院的合作课程提供的“英国式的教学”，让他从此接触并热爱上欧美的插画和漫画。随后，在英国的学习和工作生活让他接触到的嘻哈、卡通等流行文化，更是成为了他的创作灵感，在他作品中留下夺目的印记。

A self-proclaimed fanboy, Ray tries to never miss a concert from any of his favorite stars, which include the likes of Jay Z, Snoop Dogg, The Game, Drake, A$AP Rocky, Big Sean, Wiz Khalifa, Tyga, etc. His soundtrack of choice is hip-hop, and when he is really focused on a project, he can lose track of time and neglect basic necessities such as food and sleep. According to Ray, “Hip-hop and comic books might appear to be completely different genres, but they actually have a lot in common. For example, comic books often features a main character with superpowers who struggles against a challenge. It’s similar to the struggle of rappers, who will share their energy, motivation, and inspiration with the masses in their pursuit of greatness. Moreover, personas like Nicki Minaj or Busta Rhymes are almost like caricatures, similar to the exaggerated characters that are featured in comic books. They’ll both give people a different kind of aesthetic, or violence, or purity. They’re both works of expression.”

自诩“追星族”，他对自己喜爱的明星的演唱会，Jay Z、Snoop Dogg、The Game、Drake、A$AP Rocky、Big Sean、Wiz Khalifa、Tyga……他一个都不错过。作为一个一工作起来就废寝忘食、全然无视生物钟的创作者，他甚至在画画的时候也一直听hip-hop音乐。在这些表象之下，他自有一番见解: “hip-hop和漫画或插画是两个完全不同的领域，但它们却有着某种强烈的关联。比如，漫画里的超级英雄们有着不同的超能力，正如说唱歌手，他们在强大自己的同时带给世人能量、动力与灵感。再者，像说唱歌手Nicki Minaj和Busta Rhymes夸张式的表演, 就如同漫画中的超级英雄，给人以不一样的美感，或暴力，或纯粹。有一点尤为重要，那就是它们都是叙述性的作品。”

Like many other creatives, Ray agrees that personal work is a free and loose process, but he also loves working with the direction of a client brief, which he says has helped him to develop more meaningful works. Ray is very thankful for his relationships with his clients, who have given him the freedom to create work that he loves. For example, his collaboration with London’s Anorak Magazine has yielded one of his favorite works: Clara The Clown, the girl who became a circus clown. An upcoming project will include his interpretation of ice cream trucks across different eras.

在个人创作以及商业创作中，很多创作者会因为创作的自由度而倾向前者。张亮则表示，个人创作相对自由，让他更加放松；但他也很喜欢在客户提供的brief（概要）里进行发挥，并认为其实是这些brief一直在帮助他，让他的作品更有意义。创作者毫无例外，都希望自己的客户可以给他们更多自由发挥创意的空间。所以张亮很庆幸自己与一些这样的杂志和合作人保持着长期的合作关系，比如Anorak Magazine——伦敦一非常优秀的儿童插画杂志。他们的合作包括扮演马戏团小丑的小女孩Clara的故事，以及接下来的关于各个年代的冰激凌车，前者也成为了张亮最喜欢的个人作品之一。

For those who aspire to become illustrators themselves, Ray’s advice is to read more illustration and comic books, and “most importantly, to enjoy yourself.” An avid collector, Ray has accumulated over 2000 Western illustration books, comic books, and independent publications, as well as over 200 Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles toys. Some of his toys, such as the action figures released by Playmates Toys, are even same age as Ray himself. “When looking at the history of toys, these are the most classic of the classic,” he says. When asked about his current interests, Ray tells us, “I have recently been reading the original Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles and The Simpsons, among other things.”

张亮建议想成为插画师或漫画师的新人多读插画和漫画书，“最重要的是，enjoy yourself”。 事实上，他非常热衷于阅读与收集相关读物及物品。迄今，他收藏了2000多本欧美插画、漫画书和独立出版物，以及200多个忍者神龟的玩具。这些玩偶中，有些甚至与他本人同龄，皆为Playmates Toys出版，“在可动人偶玩具的历史中，他们都是经典中的经典”。问及近来的读物，他说:“最近我在看忍者神龟的原版漫画、辛普森的漫画，还有很多与插画、漫画相关的独立出版物。”

Currently, Ray is working on illustrations for a novel from author Guo Ge. He is also applying to showcase some of his work at the fifth annual East London Comics and Arts Festival to be held in June 2016.

目前，张亮正在为作家郭个的一本小说进行插图创作。同时，他准备第三次申请2016年英国Nobrow出版社举办的第五届东伦敦漫画与艺术节的展览，展览将于6月与大家见面。

Website: zhangliangray.com
Weibo: @插画师张亮
Facebook: ~/ZhangLiangRay
Instagram: @zhangliangray

 

Contributor: Banny Wang

网站: zhangliangray.com
微博: @插画师张亮
Facebook: ~/ZhangLiangRay
Instagram: @zhangliangray

 

供稿人: Banny Wang

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The Tattoo Dragon

December 12, 2015 2015年12月12日

 

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Liu Wenlong is a tattoo artist who splits his time between the cities of Hangzhou (Zhejiang Province) and Hohhot (Inner Mongolia). As one of China’s most famous tattoo artists, he founded Wencui Ciqing Tattoo Studio. In Liu Wenlong’s name, the Chinese character wen is the first part of the Chinese word for “tattoo,” while the character long means dragon. Over the years, Liu has developed a unique tattooing style that fuses his deep appreciation of traditional Chinese culture with modern tattoo design.

刘文龙是居住在中国呼和浩特和杭州的文身艺术家。作为中国最知名的文身师之一，他也是文粹刺青文身工作室的创始人。“文”是“文身”的“文”，“龙”是“中国龙”的“龙”，带着父母所起之名的刘文龙，热爱中国传统文化，更将自身对中国传统文化的深刻理解注入当代文身中，形成了自己的一套独立系统。

Back in 2005, there were many small tattoo shops in China that specialized in the passing fad of the day: tattooing women’s eyebrows. This fad was a catalyst for Liu’s interest in tattooing, so much so that one day he decided to try out tattooing on himself. He gave himself a simple tattoo and showed it off to one of the local tattoo shop owners. The shop owner was so impressed that he offered Liu an apprenticeship. After a few years, Liu honed his skills and began to focus on traditional Chinese tattoo culture. This marked the beginning of what has now been a ten year creative exploration into the art of tattooing.

2005年的时候，中国街边有很多给人纹纹眉毛之类的小纹绣店。当时的他出于兴趣，想给自己文个身。文完之后，纹绣店老板发现他文的比自己还要好，就接受了刘文龙留在店内工作。而后2007年，他开始做中国传统的文身，并一路摸索前进。于是这一文便是十年。

China’s tattoo tradition is longstanding, with its primary roots in warding off evil spirits and misfortune. For example, when hunters went off into the wild in search of game, certain tattoo images were said to protect them. In other cases, tattoos were symbols used to denote rank or social status within respective Chinese social circles. All throughout Chinese history, tattoos have also been associated with religion, personality cults, and organized crime. But in contemporary China, like elsewhere in the world, tattoos are mostly just about personal self-expression. “People who are into tattoos are those who love themselves, who believe in themselves, and who thirst for freedom. They are fiercely independent and wildly free-spirited. They don’t care what others think. They only answer to themselves,” says Liu of his patrons.

中国文身传统由来已久，最开始的文身主要是为了辟邪。出海打猎都会有特定的图纹以保平安。在文身发展过程中，也有一段时期个人身上所文的图腾是作为社会等级地位的象征，并有带有宗教象征意义，以及严格的等级限制和规范。总而言之，文身这件事不外乎宗教、个人崇拜与符号象征。时至今日，文身更多是一个人的自我表达。“喜欢文身的人，首先是信仰，二是爱’我’，渴望自由。都是特别自由特别独立的一类人，他不会去管别人的看法。他做什么只会问自己。”刘文龙告诉我们，他现在的客户也是这样的人。

The way Liu sees it, “Tattooing isn’t just about turning one’s skin into a canvas, or using a tattoo gun like a paintbrush. There’s much more to it.” Besides a tattoo’s uniqueness and staying power, Liu carefully considers all aspects of the tattoo design. Before he starts sketching a particular tattoo, he needs to know what his customers want to express, their particular skin tone, their muscle form, their attitude, and their outlook. His sketches are followed by scaled mock-ups, color matching, and detailed renderings. This process can take up to a year to complete, and only then does the actual tattooing begin.

在刘文龙看来，文身并非只是“皮肤为画布，文身机作笔”这么简单。文身在一块皮肤上的唯一性和时间上的持续性，让他对每个图形的设计都非常谨慎。在知道客户的想法和信仰之后，他还会细致观察客户的肤色肌肉以及整个人的状态。此后才会作草图，再画与人体等比例的图，最后出一个包括色调搭配等的完整效果图。这一个阶段历时不定，甚至有时候一年也无法完成。

The relationship between Liu’s customers’ muscle forms and his designs is of utmost importance to his creative process. His designs are customized to best suit the shapes and movements of each of his clients’ bodies. In addition to ths, Liu also incorporates Chinese philosophical traditions of the five elements into his tattoo composition. He identifies the three sections of the body as water, land, and air in order to correspond to heaven, earth, and man. “If you look at the composition of my designs on a person’s body, you will notice that the legs and feet typically feature powerful water elements. The mid-sections have a lot of stones or earth elements. The upper body will feature clouds or mist, or things related to the air. ” For Liu, this compositional arrangement gives people power, stability, and strength.

人体肌肉和图形之间的关系也是他设计一个图案极为重要的考量因素。所以，他会设计特殊的线条去配合人体肌肉的运动。除此之外，他还应用到中国的五行理论，将人的身体分为水、陆、空三个部分，以代表天、地、人。“一个人站在那里的时候，脚的位置是下部的中心，所以会用一些比较有力量的水；中间的部分会用一些山石、陆地等，比较上的部分会用一些云雾啊，跟云有关系的东西。”他认为，这样规划的文身在人站起来的时候就有了支撑点了，充满力量。

Comparing Chinese style to Japanese style tattoos, which also heavily utilize traditional Chinese cultural elements, Liu says, “From design form and visual appeal to significance and meaning, I still prefer the aesthetic of Chinese style tattooing. The Chinese tradition is mostly about powerful, breakthrough imagery that represents meaning and significance through poetic harmony and abstraction. Chinese tattoo artists focus on the storytelling behind the imagery and the hidden gems of inherit meaning. The images might seem abstract and fantastical, but its only through this approach that we are able to communicate the full scope and depth of our thoughts.” Liu plans to continue exhibiting his work at international tattoo conventions with the goal of showcasing the uniqueness and beauty of Chinese tattoo culture to the world.

相较于同样应用了很多中国传统元素的日本文身，在赞赏日本对文化的传承以及文身的细致之余，刘文龙说:“从图案的造型、韵味、意义上来说，我还是比较中意我们中国人的审美。中国文身更多的是突破这个形，要表达的是意义和韵。我们比较注重图案后面的东西。有时候笔没有写实到那个点，但是通过那个点去达意。”他将中国文身带到国外去，也是希望可以让世界知道中国的文身。

Instagram: @cuitattoo
Weibo: @文粹刺青TATTOO
WeChat: wencuitattoo

 

Contributors: Gerhan, Banny Wang
Videographers & Photographers: Gerhan, Damien Louise
Additional Images Courtesy of Cui Tattoo

Instagram: @cuitattoo
微博: @文粹刺青TATTOO
微信: 文粹刺青

 

供稿人: Gerhan, Banny Wang
视频摄影师与图片摄影师: Gerhan, Damien Louise
附加图片由文粹刺青提供

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