Same Wool Different Day

Kim Peers by Charlie Engman, styled by Vanessa Reid - Pop Magazine A/W 2014.

Dope dynamic shots and super cool onesie outfits.

 

 

3DPS Paris 2014

 

I just got back from France where I curated the content for our Paris edition of 3D Printshow. Situated in the venue space within the Louvre, the collection of art and fashion pieces was very varied but looked really beautiful in the marble and stonework hall.

In all honesty, curating 3D printed work is incredibly difficult because there's not that much of it. Rather than picking work for the concepts or ideas they explore, we pick work based on it being of a high enough standard to exhibit. That being said, developing and creating the journey for our guests through the exhibition was particularly challenging for this event; the variation of production means was limited and the aesthetics of all of the involved pieces tended to clash.

Having said this, I was very pleased with the display and lighting choices that were eventually decided for the gallery. What made this exhibition especially hard was that I was very much sight-reading in that I was not given a confirmed floor space within the show before getting to the venue itself. Rather than curing the show in the lead up to the event, I had to work with what I had (including display furniture) onsite - and with this in mind, I'm really happy with what I created.

I also interviewed a lot of our creative contributors for the 3D Printshow youtube channel, and I'll post them in the coming weeks once they're edited up. Running interviews is mentally exhausting, but I found it a really rewarding way to spend time during the running of this event. These interviews, on top of managing both speaker rooms and all contributors throughout the show, proved to be pretty tiring, but everything went well.

I'm now curating a high-level medical summit that 3DPS are producing next month. Getting my head around the international biotech and medical scene is fascinating, and I'm currently putting together the timetable, agenda, and speaker list. Wish me luck!

Hard Copy

Following on from my previous post, I wanted to focus on one of the most exciting designers I worked with whilst curating some of the 3D printed content in the fashion + arts gallery at 3DPS London '14. Israeli fashion designer Noa Raviv worked closely with Stratasys - our event sponsor and arguably one of the most powerful 3D printing companies in the world - to create some really beautiful, avant-garde haute couture pieces, which I was lucky enough to handle and exhibit.

The collection, entitled 'Hard Copy' explores the idea of unique and replicated pieces. This is a common challenge that artists and designers face when working with a technology that allows for (and is very often developed for) replication purposes - however, the 3D printed elements working within the following looks subtly develop the designers investigation beautifully. The 3D pieces look CGI'd - which strangely reminds me of Celine A/W13.

I'm currently working on a written piece about Noa for our digital magazine, which I will link to on my blog later this month. In the meantime, here are some images of her amazing work.

3D Printshow London 2014

Over the summer, I've been working on sourcing and curating a gallery of 3D printed arts and fashion pieces to contribute to 3D Printsow London 2014. I'm the Content Curator for the event, which means that I create some of the galleries (arts, fashion, architecture, food), as well as scheduling the conference program (taking place over three stages across three days). The event took place last month, and I've put together some of my favourite pictures form the gallery space:

 

I've been obsessed with the work of Pussykrew for months, so it was such a pleasure to research, handle and exhibit their work at such a major cross-disciplinary event. What's particularly fascinating about their work is the way that they laboriously finish the pieces- which has attracted the attention of a lot of the 3D printing industry. A good finish is notoriously difficult to achieve from a 3D printer, so a lot of people regard Pussykrew's sanding, buffing and painting as 'cheating'. They're wrong though - these sculptural piece bridge the gap between digital and tangible - between virtual and physical.

 

Both Dorry Hsu & Ge Bai's work involves 3D printed accessories worn on the head and face. Dorry's masks are colourful, technical and incredible beautiful: inspired by the forms of beetles and insects, the collection (named 'The Aesthetic of Fear') demonstrates the incredible capabilities of 3D printing. I'm also thrilled to see her work being recognised more and more in recent months. Ge Bai's work was premiered at this year's graduate fashion week, and the 3D printed eyewear pieces were brilliantly juxtaposed by some very classic knitwear looks and lines.

 Sophie Kahn's work is as a world-renowned digital artist presents a modern day idea of the self-portrait. 3D printed from glitched and broken body scans of herself, one might suggest that her work is the ultimate 'selfie' - however, there's a lot more to it than that. Her sculptures offer a vulnerable insight into the artist's perception of herself, which in turn reflects the common anxieties caused by digital technology across entire generations. It was a pleasure to curate her personal work into the exhibition.

This is only a very small selection of some of the incredible pieces that we managed to collect for our flagship 3D printing event in London (please contact me directly for more information). I'm currently working on our Paris show happening in a few weeks - after which we'll be in Berlin, New York, Madrid, San Fran, Dubai and a few more places. We'll also be running a series of high-level international conferences before the New Year - so keep an eye out.

Perhaps the best part of the exhibition was showing my Dad around though :-)

Dyspnea

I had to post a few more images of the latest Dyspnea collection, via Material Culture blog. Forgive me:

fluffy stuff

Last summer I bought a pair of white sandals from Clarkes. I never shop at Clarkes but these shoes were perfect: a low, block heel in silver, an ankle strap in white leather and another strap over the foot just the same. I completely wore them out, but instead of throwing them away, I had an idea of absolutely covering them in pastel, multicolored fur pom-poms. It looks as though a few other people envisaged something similar.

Fluffy stuff is everywhere at the moment - there are even a pair of fur-lined court shoes in my local (regional) Topshop - so you know its for real. Blame Celine, blame Fendi - blame whoever you want. But nothing will change the fact that wherever you go this Autumn, you will see fluffy stuff across the high street - especially since its already had such a profound effect on the blogs and the fashion weeks.

The work of Hannah Weiland has certainly done the rounds. London based faux-fur fashion label Shrimps is perhaps the reigning queen of high-style fluff: the colour palette is completely on point, as are the simple lines and shapes which make up the pieces. Stand-out faux-fur jackets in pink and orange are full-on fabulous, and critically poke a little bit of fun at an industry fraught with those that take themselves too seriously. What's also pretty cool is Shrimps' SS15 footwear range in collaboration with Sophia Webster. Match made in heaven if you ask me.

The woman that (arguably) brought Shrimps into the limelight (at NYFW earlier this year) perfectly demonstrates another brilliant fluffy number. Susie Bubble wears the following textured top by Somewhere Nowhere, again pushing for a girly aesthetic mixed together with some seriously fun pleasure dressing. It's not necessarily sexy - and I'm not a huge fan of the thick pink furry panel - but its really, really awesome and I want it. Those pom-poms!

 

 Finally, we move onto one of my favourite new brands (that I've been mercilessly following and liking on instagram for a while now). There's something about Australian fashion at the moment, and this small label from Perth are bringing such a dreamy look - as presented at Paris Fashion Week just last month. Dyspnea bring something modern which is at the same time whimsical. It's the kind of thing that Jasmine would wear if she liked hallucinogenics and raves - it's kind of 90's grunge with a touch of Frozen - and so unapologetically feminine. I want to dress up in in and wander around Paris when it sizzles. On top of making stunning things, the girls behind the label sound really cool - and I've recently become addicted to reading about their adventures on their blog.

Needless to say, I never actually got round to sticking all of the fur pom-poms onto my battered old sandals. I certainly still intend to however - but in the meantime, I might just go ahead and get stuck in with this super fun, super fluffy trend while the last of the UK summer sun is still shining. Either way, I'll keep you posted.