TULIP and beetle

all images by Gabriel Hyden

... ever since Elizaveta Fateeva received the fashion award sponsored by Range Rover during this year's "festival for fashion and photography" in Vienna, I meant to post a little something about the good work that she does. For, disagreeing with a fellow fashion writer, I do think that fresh talent has to and deserves to be shown - and yes, even before a first successful season in Paris or before a commercial collection hits store shelves. For what else can established media effectively give to newcomers on the scene other than encouragement and support. Anyhow... Last year already, Elizaveta's was one of the few collections shown at Show Angewandte that struck me as really mature, an independent work with a strong and easily recognisable signature aesthetic. Well, now she's back, and ready to go international, obviously. I definitely wish her all the best for her international adventures. Just one little remark, if I may: strictly geometrical shapes and silhouettes that remind of ladybirds and flower buds can all too easily become repetitive and lose that edgy surprising little something if they lack the essential dose of variation ...


... quand j'ai vu la collection avec laquelle Elizaveta Fateeva s'est diplômée l'an dernier à l'Université des Arts Décoratifs de Vienne, j'ai été impressionné par la maturité de son style et la clarté très décise et nette de son esthétique. Surtout et aussi en vue du fait que la plupart des étudiants ont évidemment été très épris par le travail de leur (alors) tout nouveau professeur, Monsieur B. Willhelm bien sûr. Bon. Et voilà donc qu'Elizaveta, il y a quelques semaines et lors d'une cérémonie qui a eu lieu pendant le festival de la mode et de la photographie à Vienne, a reçu la première édition du Evoque Fashion Award. Bravo, bravo, je ne peux me retenir de m'écrier, et je souhaite tout le mieux à Elizaveta pour sa future carrière. En ajoutant une toute petite remarque, tout à la fin : des bourgeons de fleurs et des silhouettes qui rappellent vaguement des coccinelles, c'est tout très beau ça, mais il faut absolument faire attention à varier cette inspiration de base afin de ne pas tomber en proie à une répétition dépourvue de sens ni de caractère persuasif. Dans l'avenir, pour l'instant, tout est pour le mieux ...


... l'anno scorso quando ho visto la collezione con cui Elizaveta Fateeva si è laureata all'Università delle Arti Decorative di Vienna, sono stato colpito dalla sua estetica coerente, convincente - e sopratutto anche dal fatto che Elizaveta è stata una dei pochi studenti che non si erano lasciati travolgere dall'impatto del loro nuovo professore, il signor B. Willhelm, arrivato frescamente di Parigi all'inizio dell'anno academico (stiamo parlando dell anno 09/10, mi raccomando). Poi qualche settimana fa Elizaveta è riapparsa a Vienna quando ha ricevuto la prima edizione del premio Evoque Fashion Award, felicitazioni. Sono contento di rivedere il suo lavoro, e auguro tutto il meglio a Elizaveta per il futuro. Con un solo commento da fare: l'ispirazione di una silhouette tipo boccio di fiore o coccinella può anche cadere nella troppo facile repetizione se esagerata e continuata troppo a lungo, lo dico solo per il futuro, per ora però - tutto a posto, a postissimo ...

VEGETABLE monstrosities

the very beautiful motif advertising the exhibition "Monsters in the vegetable shelf",
photographed by Ernst Grilnberger

... when I went to Linz recently I spotted the poster advertising the current exhibition at Landesmuseum Linz - entitled "Monsters in the vegetable shelf". And what a wonderful poster that is. First thing, I couldn't refrain from thinking that the show that started in April 2011 quite genially anticipated one of the topics that's currently on our minds, all over Europe at least. Monster cucumbers and monster sprouts and, well, yes indeed, monster vegetables of all kinds. And then, I repeatedly realised that the blog post "Melon Carving and the World of Fashion" is one of the most popular ones on ParisVienne.com, so I said to myself, why not feed my readers more of that healthy and wholesome veggie stuff, right? ...

tomatoes, photographed by M. Pfosser for "Monsters in the vegetable shelf"

... bon, la semaine dernière j'ai fait une petite découverte lors d'un très court séjour à Linz ; cela a été un truc assez banal en effet, et tout de même je l'ai adoré. Complètement. Vous voulez savoir de quoi il s'agit ? Ben, j'étais là, à côté de la fac, et j'ai vu une affiche pour l'exposition intitulée "Monstres dans le rayon de légumes" du Landesmuseum Linz. Première remarque, l'expo a été inaugurée en avril, elle a donc de la manière la plus géniale anticipé le topique de la "monstruosité" des concombres et des pousses de soja qui nous hante actuellement. Deuxième point, je suis tout à fait ravi que le message "Melon Carving and the World of Fashion" soit l'un des plus lus de mon blog, je me suis donc dit que peut-être les visuels de ce message vont vous plaire autant que les pastèques sculptés ...

you say potäto and I say potato? potatoes, beautifully arranged and photographed by M. Pfosser

... la settimana scorsa sono andato a Linz e poi passai accanto alla facoltà delle arti e ho visto un affisso per la mostra attualmente in corso presso il Landesmuseum Linz: "Mostri dello scaffale di verdura". Due osservazioni, brevissime: quando la mostra è stata inaugurata, in aprile, non c'era ancora traccia dello scandalo dei germogli e/o dei citrioli che ci sta preoccupando in questi giorni. Che stupenda anticipazione, vero? E poi, siccome so che un messaggio su ParisVienne.com nel quale parlo del taglio delle angurie piace estremamente ai lettori, mi sono detto, chissà se questa riuscita non la potrò ripetere ...

DECORATIVE and dirty (kind of)

one word for this collection: amazing!
George Bezhanishvili in collaboration with Franziska Fürpaß

... after being the last to comment on the HETZENDORF PERFORMANCE BATTLE, why not do the same thing for the FASHION SHOW OF VIENNA'S UNIVERSITY OF APPLIED ARTS - be the last one to comment...? Here we go, then ... après avoir été le dernier à laisser son petit commentaire sur le "combat" conçu et réalisé par les étudiants du département de mode associé a l'Université de Linz mais situé à Vienne/Hetzendorf, je me suis dit que je pourrais bel et bien faire la même chose pour le défilé du département de mode de l'Université des Arts Décoratifs - être le dernier à trouver des mots ... penso che sono stato l'ultimo a fare il suo commento sulla "gara di moda" concepita dagli studenti dell'istituto di Hetzendorf, mi sono detto, finalmente, perché no ripetere la stessa cosa riguardo alla sfilata dell'Università delle Arti Decorative - essere l'ultimo a scrivere qualcosa ...

George Bezhanishvili (graduate collection)

... well, the show was very decently and professionally organised, in a way that you rarely see in Vienna. The budget must have been quite remarkable, too. My overall impression is that, quite surprisingly, the show was much less imbibed with the Bernhard-Willhelm-spirit than last year's, when the then new professor maybe felt like he had to prove something (or students were so in awe of him that they decided they all wanted to be like him...). Well, and of course, there were some good, and a few excellent, even outstanding collections. Why not start with George Bezhanishvili? Right, why not? I already pointed him out as "Vienna's new fashion star" on ParisVienne and even as a guest contributor to Hint Magazine two years ago, and never changed my mind since then. As a matter of fact, I think that working together with Franziska Fürpaß on both the Femme Maison womenswear label and the George Bezhanishvili menswear label has led to amazing results, enabling both of them (I also particularly appreciate Franziska's talent, a point I equally made in the write-up of the 2009 show for Hint) to prove and strengthen his talent. The collection was strong, the presentation was powerful, the silhouettes were astounding, the colours blasting, the catwalk show quick and impressive. Ten points out of ten. No, wait, eleven. And Mr. Bezhanishvili, hopefully alongside Miss Fürpaß, should definitely find his place in the fashion world. Which means, of course, that he should do it outside of Vienna. And you know what, I'm even optimistic both of them will realise just this - with George recently being granted a scholarship for an internship abroad, that may become a wee bit easier ...

gorgeous and classy: Milena Heussler (4th year, to be watched out for)

... première remarque : le défilé de la fac a été l'un des mieux faits et plus professionnels que j'aie vu ces derniers temps à Vienne, tous les festivals et semaines de la mode inclus, donc décidément : chapeau pour ceci (le budget doit avoir été impressionnant, tout de même). Puis, concernant les collections des étudiants, il y en avait qui étaient tout à fait remarquables : chapeau, encore une fois ! Pour l'impression générale, je dirais que le défilé a été de loin moins BERNHARDWILLHELMISÉ que celui de l'an dernier, sera-ce parce que Monsieur Willhelm a compris qu'il ne faut pas que la signature du prof transparaisse à chaque prix, ou parce que ses étudiants se sont émancipés un peu plus ? Qui saura le dire ... ? Bon, la plus impressionnante, plus cohérente, et ouais, pourquoi pas le dire, la meilleure collection de la soirée a été présentée par George Bezhanishvili, qui a encore une fois réaffirmé son talent tout à fait extraordinaire. Et je dirais même, depuis qu'il travaille avec Franziska Fürpaß sur aussi bien la jeune griffe FEMME MAISON que la collection signée "George Bezhanishvili", l'esthétique a maturé, l'effet de l'ensemble étant tout à fait extraordinaire ... allora, primo commento, uno che riguarda l'insieme della sfilata - è stato un evento impressionante, molto professionale, compatto. Poi la presenza del professore Bernhard Willhelm è stata meno evidente che l'anno scorso, non so se perché lui si è ritenuto un po' nelle preparazioni, o se gli studenti hanno realizzato che non si tratta di rimodellare ad ogni costo il lavoro del professore. E tra le collezioni, ci sono stati degli esempi davvero bellissimi, prima di tutto direi la collezione di laurea di George Bezhanishvili, realizzata insieme a Franziska Fürpaß, un duo con un grandissimo talento che si è affirmato recentemente anche nel loro lavoro sulla griffe di moda femminile FEMME MAISON ...

Milena Heussler, Cobra Commander vs. Eminem?

... another collection that I really loved was 011 by Milena Heussler (4th year), who, in my opinion, is a hot tip for an excellent graduate collection to come our way next year ... puis j'ai adoré la collection de Milena Heussler, étudiante en 4ème année, un nom à retenir pour l'année prochaine à mon avis ... tra le altre collezioni sono stato impressionato dal lavoro della giovane Milena Heussler, studente del 4° anno, il suo nome, nella mia opinione, può esser ritenuto per l'anno che viene ...

truly lovely: light colours by Taro Ohmae (3rd year),
one of the astounding young Japanese designers in Vienna

... Taro Ohmae and Takahiro Ueno are two Japanese students in their third year at university who have amply proved their ability to beautifully work out how colours can function in a collection ... deux étudiants d'origine japonaise, et tous les deux en troisième année, ont également retenu mon attention, il s'agit de Taro Ohmae et Takahiro Ueno, les deux ayant prouvé qu'ils savent utiliser la bonnte quantité des bonnes couleurs ... due studenti giapponesi, Takahiro Ueno e Taro Ohmae, tutti e due nel terzo anno di studi, mi hanno convinto con il loro talento di utilizzare dei colori, finalmente, dei colori a Vienna, ptete immaginare ? ...

more Japanese power: Takahiro Ueno (3rd year), more than convincing

fun with Isis Flatz (2nd year)

... excellent, too: Ken Kumagai, another Japanese student (2nd year) and Isis Flatz (2nd year), colourful and witty, but just right, never exaggerated, and that's definitely good to see in Vienna after long years of mournful purism ... des étudiants en 2ème année, j'ai bien aimé les couleurs et l'humour de Ken Kumagai et Isis Flatz, juste ce qu'il fallait, pas d'exagération (comme on la connaît de leur prof, par exemple ...) ... tra gli studenti del secondo anno, ho trovato interessanti le proposizioni di Ken Kumagai (un altro giapponese...!) e Isis Flatz, ancora una volta, colori, umore, ma mai troppo, mai esagerato ...

final proof by Ken Kumagai (2nd year): the Japanese are good with colours

cut-up cosplay or so? ... Anna-Sophie Berger (left, 4th year)
received two awards for her collection,
her work I show next to Caroline Pretterebner's (2nd year)

... well, and of course there were so many other students' collections to be marvelled at, I can hardly mention all of them. All in all, the show definitely proved that there's enough fresh fashion talent around in Vienna for the next few years and that quite obviously, students from abroad also have the town on their fashion radar. Anyhow, if I may just give everyone a little advice: continuing that Viennese tradition of the past few years and launching your own label immediately after university without gathering further work experience or giving a career as an assistant designer at some bigger fashion brand a try is maybe not the cleverest thing to do. Just a thought ...

Luciano Raimondi's diploma was maybe a Kate Middleton aftermath (left),
Markus Binder (3rd year) received one of the numerous awards

... et voilà tout. Beaucoup de collections, énormément d'étudiants, et avec un talent tout à fait extraordinaire remarquable la plupart d'entre eux. Je pense que Vienne se maintient comme capitale prometteuse dans le contexte international, et puis, peut-être, un jour, le chemin logique que fera un jeune créateur issu d'une des facultés viennoises ne sera plus de lancer sa propre marque immédiatement après avoir diplômé, on verra ... eccovi tutto ciò che volevo dire, ovviamente non posso menzionare i nomi ed i lavori di tutti gli studenti, comunque sono ottimista che Vienna si manterrà come una delle città europee con un impressionante ambito per la moda, e non sono della stessa opinione di uno dei miei colleghi che mi ha detto, "ma perché mostrare e dare tanta visibilità al lavoro di studenti che non hanno mai presentato una collezione a Parigi" (appunto perché non l'hanno fatto!), una cosa solo: lanciare il suo proprio marchio immediatamente dopo essersi laureato, questo è un cammino che non consiglio a nessun giovane designer - sebbene sia stata la soluzione tipicamente viennese degli ultimi anni ...

that's Lisa Maria Kreiter's diploma, "Hyphen"

BRAND confusion? Versace for the Swedes ...

screenshot NY Magazine / The Cut

... along with probably a zillion other fashion editors around the globe, I just received confirmation that Donatella Versace said YES to the Swedes, and a Versace for H&M collection will hit the stores in November 2011. Well, that adds another brand to H&M's collaboration-hall-of-fame. Right? Actually, I think that Versace is really the biggest fish where H&M high-low fashion is concerned, apart from Karl the Great of course (who, however, if he doesn't design for Chanel or Fendi isn't that big a brand in his own right...). And you know what's particularly interesting? In 2008, and that's not soooo long ago despite all that crazy pace of the fashion universe, Donatella told NY Magazine that H&M, under her reign, never... " (...) I work very hard to put the Versace line in the luxury section. I think to put the Versace line in H&M would confuse the brand." Well, never say never, right ... moi, et tous les autres journalistes et bloggueurs de mode tout autour du monde, on vient d'avoir la confirmation que la prochaine collection réalisée par H&M en collaboration avec une grande marque de luxe, ce sera VERSACE POUR H&M, les vêtements seront disponibles à partir de novembre 2011 - c'est assez intéressant, je trouve, et pour deux raisons : d'un côté, c'est la plus grande marque à collaborer avec H&M à ce jour (c'est clair, il y avait Karl Lagerfeld bien sûr, mais en tant que marque, il n'est pas aussi grand que Versace...), et puis, voyez donc ce qu'a confié Donatella au New York Magazine en 2008: "... je fais d'énormes efforts pour assurer le positionnement de la marque Versace dans le domaine du luxe. Une collaboration avec H&M pourrait brouiller ce positionnement." Eh ben, elle semble bel et bien avoir changé d'avis ... il "Made in Italy", da novembre, si coniugerà con un branding alla svedese all'occasione della collaborazione di Versace con H&M che è appena stata confirmata. Notevole, vero? E per due ragioni: d'una parte, il marchio Versace è di gran lunga il più importante e più conosciuto tra tutti quelli che hanno firmato una collezione per H&M finora, vabbe', all'inizio c'è stato Karl Lagerfeld ovviamente, ma è stato lui, appunto, e né Chanel né Fendi. Dunque, se di marchio si tratta, è oltrepassato da Versace, e chiaramente. E poi, ancora nel 2008, dunque non fa così tanto tempo, Donatella Versace, parlando con NY Magazine, diceva che per lei, una collaborazione con H&M sarebbe stata inimmaginabile siccome "lavora così duramente per assicurare lo standing di Versace come marchio di lusso" e una collaborazione con H&M "potrebbe causare confusione in questo senso". Eh be', mai dire mai ...

BATTLE ships

from "Pimp My Silhouette and I Will Reanimate Your Pose" (the evening's
winning team) - I really liked the exuberance and the exaggeration -
and also the fun and the fact that the performance gave a witty interpretation
of "fashion in a nutshell", even though, but that won't come as a surprise
in Vienna, indeed, several people I talked to found the performance too cliché
and too simplistic, to put it very clearly I would say "too reminiscent of fashion",
for the local scene is famously sceptical and critical towards all
things that remind them of the "fashion world", which is obviously
considered as a rather ghastly environment noone would ever want to belong to,
but let me tell you - it's not so bad to stick to what fashion is and
is about, if, of course, one day, you would like to be a successful part
of that fashion that does inevitably live by its clichés and stereotypes ...

... a little late, I know, but still, I wanted to say some words about last week's ultimate PERFORMANCE BATTLE powered by Azubis, the students of the bachelor course at Vienna's Heztendorf institute. First thing: Wally Salner and Johannes Schweiger, the parting professors and designers of _fabrics interseason, did an excellent job throughout the past two years and definitely succeeded in re-positioning Hetzendorf as an important academic institution for fashion design in Austria - so congratulations for that. Second thing: with roughly twenty students per year and a total of three years showing their collections, this makes for a total of sixty to seventy and it is virtually impossible to stage a conventional "fashion show" (unless you would want it to resemble the fashion marathon in Antwerp, which is legendary of course) with each and every student showing his or her creations from the past year. Too much, too long, too straining for the audience that would be. The inevitable solution: to select and combine various outfits - and to come up with "alternative modes of presentation" that are so dear to Johannes and Wally, at least they made that clear the very moment their new position was made official two years ago ...

from "How to Do Things With Performance", a stageing of subtle ways of refracting and
altering the conventional modes of presentation in the context of fashion,
yet not leading the concept of a fashion show completely astray

... now, first result, at the end of the last academic year _fabrics interseason invited Samuel Drira, a Paris-based stylist, and asked him to do the styling for the Azubis01 fashion show, picking whatever he liked from the students' collections (without necessarily using pieces from all the collections and without consulting with them too much). There was some talk back then regarding the not so democratic selection process, but spilt milk is spilt milk and shall not be cried over any more ...

from "Performing the Gap" (left), a reflection about gender in fashion and elsewhere,
and "Dress as Though Your Life Depends on It", a performance where the clothes themselves,
it has to be said, ended up being rather invisible ...

... however, the selection of clothes is a principle that, since it is inevitable, was maintained in this year's presentation, but it's quite clear that the students had a word or two to say. When I talked to him beforehand Johannes told me that the overall motto of the past year had been the stageing of fashion, so the idea to invite artists specialising in art performances and have them work with the students on that genre lay at hand. And so it came that Maria Ziegelböck & Salvatore Viviano (Salvatore is an ex fashion pro and part of the gelatin art collective by the way, and just back from the opening of La Biennale in Venice), Jakob Lena Knebl, Sonja Eismann, Christian Egger and Tanja Widmann directed/"curated" a total of five workshops that comprised all students from Hetzendorf's bachelor course.

from: "It's Over" - a performance that was nurtured by the ambivalence of passive obedience (models)
and aggressive dominance (a God-like voice giving directions)

... well, and I do think that we saw some very impressive peformances last week, just like I'm sure that the audience had a really good time and appreciated the ambitious efforts that had been made in order to create a slightly "different" kind of fashion presenation. To entertain the public is NEVER a mistake if you want to pass on a message, do bear that in mind! Now, inevitably, the performances with all their varying approaches that were presented to the audience that night, made it difficult to distinguish between the different collections that were actually shown, maybe some kind of additional online presentation or lookbook or photo shoot would come in handy there for the students, especially the graduates, to actually have something to show that carries their personal handwriting, but all in all, and that's definitely a valid and noteworthy point, people who had come to see the show and expected to see something special did definitely not have to leave empty-handed ...

Some essential information concerning the different groups of performers and designers:

Group 1:
PIMP MY SILHOUETTE AND I WILL REANIMATE YOUR POSE,
curated by Maria Ziegelböck und Slavatore Viviano
participants: Bakk 2: Birgit Danler, Shira Ehlers, Stella Gebauer, Dorothee Huber, Matejana Ilic, Sebastian Kaucky, Susanne Kerl, Julia Platzgummer, Stephanie Rizaj, Lena Scheerer, Ines Sommer Bakk 4: Olivia Altmann, Pia Bauernberger, Elvira Greblic, Laura Haberkorn, Isabel Helf, Alice Jieun, Kim,Luba Liebendörfer, Simone Kathrin Sassmann, Leonie Soyel, Daria Vdovitchenko, Bakk 6: Johanna Diwold, Lisa Edi, Juliane Hutterer, Daniela Karlinger, Lida Marinkova, Katrin Mayer, Jennifer Milleder, Valentina Suvorova, Dominika Turociova, Romana Zöchling

Group 2:
PERFORMING THE GAP,
curated by: Sonja Eismann
participants: Bakk 6: Stefanie Dirninger, Lisa Donhauser, Diane Krusche, Christina Nehrer, Romana Zöchling, Bakk 2: Alina Saavedra

Group 3:
HOW TO DO THINGS WITH PERFORMANCES
curated by: Jakob Lena Knebl
participants: Olivia Altmann, Valentina Schwarz, Louise Witt-Dörring, Lisa Sattlegger, Sophie Skach, Esther Knoll, Theresa Toth, Matejana Ilic, Gabriel Schlesinger, Katharina Zanon, Katharina Perzl, Natalie Ofenböck, Maximilian Rittler, Simone-Kathrin Sassmann, Alice Frey

Group 4:
DRESS AS THOUGH YOUR LIFE DEPENDS ON IT
curated by: Christian Egger
participants: Isolde Mayer, Lena Scheerer, Katharina Triltsch, Aleksandra Kuleska, Johanna Pflaum, Karin Wallner, Ilija Milicic, Claudia Stanek, Esther Knoll, Dalia Hassan, Carolina Neuhold, Lena Fuhrmann, Jana Wieland

Group 5:
IT´S OVER
curated by: Tanja Widmann
participants: Bakk 2: Renée Chvatal, Theresa-Anna Erlach, Johanna Pflaum, Julia latzgummer, Stephanie Rizaj, Linda Schirmel, Bakk 4: Pia Bauernberger, Elvira Greblic, Laura Haberkoren, Isabel Helf, Bakk 6: Katrin Mayer, Lisa Edi, Lida Marinkova, Johanna Diwold, Daniela Karlinger, Christina Nehrer, Madeleine Nostiz, Valentina Suvorova, Romana Zöchling

Fashion's name IS AMBER

the installation by Wendy & Jim, photographed by Team Peter Stigter

... art has got its all important biennial exhibition, or rather, there's several of them, Venice, São Paulo, the Whitney Bienial. Well, and since many designers won't disagree if you call what they're doing art, it was about time for fashion to get its own biennial attracting and international audience. Arnhem is the place to be since Arnhem Mode Biennale is on until July 3 (it opened almost at the same time as La Biennale di Venezia on June 1st). The creative director of this year's edition (the fourth one, if I'm not mistaken), JOFF, wanted the participating labels/designers to create installations that would reflect their vision of what MAKES fashion, of what is so FASCINATING about it - beyond the mere display of clothes, obviously. "Amber" was the name given to fashion in this exhibition, you can find all the concepts and explanations and press texts online, I'm probably just to dumb to really understand what it is all meant to be about, or, alternatively, the concept is so conceptual that it does end up being meaningless. Anyhow, Amber (please note that the first three letters may well refer to Arnhem Mode Biennale itself...) makes for an obviously rather beautiful exhibition, and if the images of Prada's installation didn't really make me go crazy (looked just like the Prada showroom in Milan, I mean, SUPER, right? - which is why I didn't even download them), there are quite obviously some nice works to marvel at. Wendy & Jim, the Austrian fashion label that has, after an absence of several seasons from the international fashion stage, resurfaced with an appearance in London earlier this year, was invited and showed a fashion tipi (reminiscent of one of their first installations at Palais de Tokyo in Paris, I think), then there is another half-Austrian fashion duo, BLESS, with some of the works they also showed in the exhibition they had in Graz last year (where I was lucky enough to interview them, the interview was a bit chaotic with so many children and friends and family of theirs around, but it sure was interesting...), then there's some Keith Haring-ish work by Nicholas Kirkwood (I'm actually rather fond of Kirkwood's work, even though the Haring reference is totally unnecessary, even Puma and Hilfiger already had his motifs on their shoes...), yes, well, and that's that, and of course, since I haven't even been there - SHAME ON ME - I can't tell you anything about what is going on in other places in Arnhem and what the whole lecture-programme is all about ...

hammocking with Bless, photo: Team Peter Stigter

... une biennale dédiée à la mode, voilà ce qu'il faut à l'univers obsédé par la beauté, le style et l'esthétique du corps pour affronter le monde de l'art. Je veux dire, la biennale d'Arnhem, aux Pays Bas, a ouvert ses portes presque en même temps que La Biennale di Venezia, elle restera ouverte jusqu'au trois juillet - et elle s'engage pour sonder les profondeurs de la mode. Le personnage fictif auquel s'intéressent tous les participants, c'est la fille AMBER qui a été présentée comme figure de proue de la quatrième édition de cette biennale par son directeur artistique JOFF, car Amber, c'est l'essence même de la mode, c'est elle qui incarne tout ce qui fait la différence entre la mode (en tant que phénomène socio-culturel) et les vêtements tout court. Sont accourus pour participer à la biennale beaucoup de maisons, parmi elles de grands noms comme Prada ou Jil Sander, et de moins grandes, par exemple Nicholas Kirkwood de Londres (le prochain Manolo Blahnik, si vous me demandez, à moi), le duo austro-allemand Bless - et le duo fatal Wendy & Jim de Vienne, qui revoient et représentent leur interprétation du tipi de mode, je pense qu'à Paris on l'a déjà vu au palais de Tokyo au début de leur carrière. Je n'ai pas été à Arnhem, mais je pense que l'exposition principale de la biennale vaut peut-être le coup ...

things get Keith-Haringy with Nicholas Kirkwood - Puma and Hilfiger had done
the artsy shoe trick before, and countless coffee mugs, too
photo: Team Peter Stigter

... mentre tutti i tifosi dell'arte si sono resi a Venezia per l'inaugurazione della Biennale d'Arte, i fashion people che volevano rimaner fedeli al loro mondo (sebbene una parte non trascurabile ha preferito di sorbire lo spumante lungo il Canale Grande) potevano tuffarsi in una biennale di moda, a Arnhem, nei Paesi Bassi. La biennale di Moda a Arnhem rimane aperta fino al 3 luglio. La mostra è organizzata intorno a un personaggio fittizio creato dal direttore artistico JOFF: è una ragazza e si chiama Amber, ed è lo spirito della moda, oppure la sua essenza, è tutto ciò che fa che la moda sia più che solo qualche vestito. Be'... Delle interpretazioni del tema sono state presentate da grandi maisons come Prada o Jil Sander, ma sono anche presenti nella mostra delle griffes più piccoli, giovani, ad esempio il marchio berlinese Bless, il designer di Londra Nicholas Kirkwood, e, appunto, di Vienna, il duo Wendy & Jim. Loro presentano una nuova interpretazione d'una installazione che hanno già mostrato a Parigi qualche anno fa, il loro tipi di moda ...

a little Jil Sander minimalism alongside what looks like some video projections,
photo: Team Peter Stigter

STUFF YOUR CAKEHOLE with s.o.a.p. and get h.a.p.p.y.

"partial visibility" with behind-the-scenes live coverage,
Berlin's Volksbühne is NOTHING in comparison

... I hardly know how to express my joy and glee, actually, I'm still so excited, amazed, breathless, after the wonderful wonderful theatre epiphany that I had last week. After countless unsuccessful attempts (pretentious boredom: Patrice Chéreau featuring Valeria Bruni Tedeschi, unbearable and catastrophic: Christoph Marthaler, a little better: Peter Sellars for Festwochen, not to speak about some rather ghastly Burgtheater experiences) to see some decent, entertaining, nice dramatic art, I finally - and more or less by chance - found what I was looking for. It was during an interview with the graphic design duo Eva Dranaz and Jochen Fill that they mentioned the satirical project entitled S.O.A.P., a theatrical soap opera persiflage conceived and produced by Herr Tomtschek and the "H.A.P.P.Y." gang. A look back: Mr Tomtschek and his joyful crew started a legendary series of clubbings including absurd performances in the nineties, and I was a huge fan and assiduous follower of theirs when I came to Vienna (the older I got, the less assiduously I followed them, because of the boulot-métro-dodo trap that you might be familiar with).

the inimitable Cliffhanger-choreography performed on stage, and cliffhangers there were

Okay, so what S.O.A.P. is actually all about can hardly be summed up in words (the video trailers that you can find on YouTube eloquently demonstrate this great difficulty). Just like in any "real TV soap", the action is manifold and confusing. Intrigues, love, passion, murder, countless coma patients, sex (the pivotal point, I would say), and lots of, uhm, rhubarbing. Wonderful. Unfortunately, I had missed the two preceding episodes and only started with episode # 1002 (to accelerate things a little, the first episode of S.O.A.P. was officially labelled as the 1000th), but I was quick to understand - that there's nothing to understand, really. Just like in real life. There's no point to it, and full stop. Except for learning about the all-important concept of the CLIFFHANGER, which was the evening's dominant theme. And you know, that's a really really precious kind of knowledge that I wouldn't want to miss. For a cliffhanger apparently is that point where an episode or even an entire series stops and leaves you in the dark about a character's future (my all time favourite: a terrorist attack at a Carrington family member's wedding, where the last scene was endless butchery and you really had to wonder whether Aaron Spelling would let the whole thing continue in the first place).

drama! drama!! drama!!!

Right, and of course, even though episode 1003 will not be on stage before autumn, these H.A.P.P.Y. people will be back with a temporary CAKEHOLE pastry performance from June 19 to 26 in Vienna's 17th district. You can find out everything you need to know about this "happyning" on the website of Kulturnetz Hernals. I think I'll stick to Marie Antoinette's infamous stupidity and indeed have cake instead of bread in this promising setting.

such darlings, the cast of S.O.A.P. - theatre stars that you would really like to befriend... boohoo!!

Un peu épuisé déjà après tant d'affabilité à l'anglaise, mais voyons donc pour les faits essentiels : je viens de découvrir un nouveau spectacle tout à fait extraordinaire, hors de l'habituel, très très très amusant. Le tout s'appelle S.O.A.P., c'est un persiflage de la totalité des soap-opéras télévisés, et cela ne se passe pas la télé mais sur scène. Ce magnifique projet théatral qui fut lancé il y a deux ou trois mois par Herr Tomtschek et les associés du collectif H.A.P.P.Y., à Vienne (les "h.a.p.p.y." people ont, depuis les années 90, organisé des soirées techno formidables). Le premier épisode, c'était officiellement déjà le 1000ème, en effet, pourquoi ne pas accélérer un tantinet les choses. Eh ben voilà, pour ce qui est du contenu, il n'y a pas grand-chose à raconter puisque, de toute manière, le contenu reste plutôt incompréhensible - comme dans quelconque "vrai" soap qui tient à sa réputation. Et puis, bon, pour l'instant S.O.A.P. fait une petite pose et ne recommence qu'en automne (ce qui est tout à fait tragique après que les acteurs ont servi un chiffre impressionnant de soi-disant CLIFFHANGERS aux spectateurs). Mais, pour consoler un peu les anciens et les nouveaux fans des happynings, Mr. Tomtschek et ses amis vont participer au festival de l'arrondissement de Hernals du 19 au 26 juin (cliquez ici pour plus d'info en allemand), où ils offriront du gâteau et des tartes à tous ceux qui sont prêts à descendre dans une cave à pâtisseries. Mmmmh, ça promet ...

in for some cake? eager to stuff your cakeholes with fantastic sweet creations? well, no prob ...

Uffi, ascoltatemi bene perché recentemente ho scoperto qualcosa che v'interesserà sicuramente. Si tratta del progetto teatrale concepito e realizzato da Herr Tomtschek ed il collettivo col nome - programmatico - H.A.P.P.Y. Li conosco dagli anni novanta quando, per me, appena arrivato dalla lontana e molto provinciale Carinzia, sono stati una vera rivelazione. Durante anni e anni hanno soprattutto organizzato delle serate tecno, ma sempre includendo i cosiddetti HAPPYNINGS, dunque una specie di performance molto satirica, umoristica, divertente. Di lì al teatro vero e proprio è stato solo un passo, e qualche mese fa è stato lanciato il progetto S.O.A.P., una parodia molto molto molto riuscita delle soap-opera televisive. Il primo episodio che ci fosse è già stato, ufficialmente si capisce, il millesimo, e infatti, perché perdere tempo. Sesso, droghe, invidia, gelosia, pazienti in coma, intrighi - c'è proprio di tutto. Di tutto ciò che si vuole, anche. Poi, sfortunatamente, adesso S.O.A.P. fa una pausa estiva, ma per tutti i tifosi inhappicizzati, c'è un altro promettente progetto che si realizza dal 19 al 26 giugno nell'ambito del festivale di Hernals (si tratta di un borgo viennese), intitolato BUCO DELLA TORTA. Cosa c'è esattamente dentro questo buco, se si tratta unicamente di torte o se magari c'è ancora qualcosa di più, lo vedranno tutti costoro che hanno il coraggio d'esplorarlo ...

THE SHIRT off your back

Kaarina Kaikkonen's textile entanglement "Paths of Life" in Helsinki

... a little more from Finland, just some Public Art impressions: outside Galerie Forsblom in Helsinki, one of the most important art hotspots in Scandinavia, we saw this beautiful installation created by Kaarina Kaikkonen (* 1952) entitled "Paths of Life". Originally a painter, Mrs. Kaikkonen has later succeeded in making herself known as a sculptor - apparently relying on the use of all kinds of materials. Beautiful. On the gallery's Facebook page, I found information about another installation by Mrs Kaikkonen, which can presently be seen on the island of San Servolo in Venice as part of the present edition of La Biennale ...


... encore quelques mots sur Helsinki, cette fois-ci un exemple d'art urbain assez impressionnant: devant l'immeuble de la Galerie Forsblom, l'une des plus importantes galeries dans les pays scandinaves, j'ai beaucoup aimé ce travail installatif créé par Kaarina Kaikkonen et intitulé "Paths of Life". Pour tous ceux qui comptent visiter La Biennale di Venezia sous peu, je vous recommande donc d'inclure l'île de San Servolo dans vos itinéraires, car une autre installation signée Kaarina Kaikkonen, "The Gate", s'offre aux regards des passants à cet endroit-là ...


... ancora qualche parola sulle mie esperienze finlandesi, vi vorrei mostrare delle immagini di un bellissimo esempio d'arte urbano intitolato "Paths of Life" (Cammini della vita), creato dall'artista finlandese Kaarina Kaikkonen di fronte alla sua galleria, cioè Galerie Forsblom a Helsinki, pare proprio che sia una delle più importanti gallerie nei paesi scandinavi. A chi piace questo lavoro e pensa visitare La Biennale di Venezia in questi giorni, eccovi un'altra informazione: attraverso il suo profilo su Facebook, la galleria informa che un altro lavoro di Kaarina Kaikkonen, "The Gate", può attualmente essere visitato sull'isola di San Servolo ...

UNIDENTIFIED FINNISH OBJECT

... oh, that's all so very exciting. Where to start? Hum. You may know from what I told you that I recently visited Helsinki. And I was lucky. The Finnish capital is absolutely charming, and unlike what happened to me in Athens (staff of Acropolis on strike, impossible to visit it throughout my entire stay - we only saw it from very far from the top floor of the hotel Grande Bretagne where we were having hopelessly inaffordable cocktails) or Brasilia (the Brazilian capital was preparing for some anniversary and many of Niemeyer's buildings were under re/construction, so we actually entered Brasilia's cathedral but didn't get to see very much), Helsinki's totally amazing ROCK CHURCH (Tempeliaukio Kirkko), planned by the two architect brothers Timo and Tuomo Suomalainen, was actually open to visitors. Now, that's an amazing, U.F.O.-like, futuristic construction like no other, a dome built into an enormous rock of granite. I then remembered another amazing construction of Finnish origin, the mobile home/pavilion FUTURO designed by Matti Suuronen, also in the late 60s. I actually saw one exhibited in a wonderful exhibiton about Finland and Finnish art and design in the PS1 Art Center in NYC two or three years ago. Totally Barbarell-esque. Well, and from the Tempeliaukio Kirkko and Futuro, it's only a small sidestep to one of my favourite TV productions of all times (where props and set design is concerned, not the acting or the actual plot, mind you), and that is Gerry Anderson's U.F.O. series, remember? I'll give you a hint: lunar base personnel wearing violet wigs with geometrical Sassoon-inspired haircuts. Yes? And did you know that the production company that Anderson worked for, AP Films based in the UK, was known for its crazily otherwordly SUPERMARIONATION technique - meaning the use of marionettes suspended on thin wires for specials effects. Well, I shall leave it at that for the time being since I've already come a long way from my trip to Helsinki to a TV series I devoured when I was a child ...

the cover of a book about Suurolainen's Futuro construction, edited by Marko Home and Mika Taanila - they could ideally have found a catchier title than "Tomorrow's House From Yesterday", but you can't have everything I guess

... je pense vous avoir parlé du voyage qui m'a mené à Helsinki la semaine dernière (si peu de temps que ça s'est écoulé depuis, mais je jurerais il s'est passé des semaines - après la semaine que j'ai eue surtout), eh ben, j'ai eu de la chance, il a fait un temps très très beau, j'ai pu visiter tout ce que j'ai voulu voir, et donc, ce qui m'a impressionné le plus, c'était l'église TEMPELIAUKIO, une construction monolithique construite à la fin des années soixante, réalisée d'après les plans dessinés par les frères-architektes Timo et Tuomo Suomolainen, il s'agit là d'un dôme en pierre vraiment fascinant. Bon, et du coup je me suis souvenu d'une autre construction-coupole finlandaise qui date de la même époque, à savoir le pavillon utopique FUTURO réalisé par Matti Suurolainen. J'en ai vu un exemplaire dans une exposition du PS1 Art Center à New York il y a deux ou trois ans, et j'y repense régulièrement depuis. Car je serais fort impressionné si un jour, en me promenant dans une forêt quelque part, je tomberais sur un exemplaire paumé du Futuro. Et parlant de promenades dans la forêt, si vous regardez en bas vous y verrez un ovni en train d'atterrir, c'est le sosie de la maison Futuro qui apparaît dans la formidable série télévisée U.F.O. de Gerry Anderson, une série anglaise des années 60 également, où l'on se sert généreusement du procédé soi-disant SUPERMARIONATION, ce qui désigne l'usage de marionnettes afin de créer des effets spéciaux. Et là je m'arrête parce que sinon je me perds irrémédiablement dans les profondeurs de l'espace pseudo-futuriste ...

that's the interior of Futuro - image courtesy of PS1 Art Center

... allora, versione italiana in due parole, ma comunque, eccovi - vi ho già parlato del mio viaggio in Finlandia, è stato davvero bellissimo, e di tutto ciò che ho visto a Helsinki mi ha forse impressionato di più la chiesa TEMPELIAUKIO, progettata dai fratelli Timo e Tuomo Suomalainen, una construzione completamente fuori dell'abituale, mai visto direi quasi, un duomo scavato in una gigante roccia di granito nel cuore di Helsinki. Vabbe', e poi la chiesa Tempeliaukio mi ha ricordato un'altra construzione finlandese con un'estetica, mettiamo, simile, cioè il padiglione FUTURO disegnato da Matti Suurolainen, ne ho visto un esemplare in una mostra che s'interessava dell'arte finlandese nel PS1 Art Centre a New York qualche anno fa. E poi, siccome stavo già ricordandomi di altre cose, dando corso libero al flusso delle associazioni (... uffi ...), mi è anche venuto in mente una delle mie serie televisive di predilezione, cioè la favolosa produzione britannica U.F.O. di Gerry Anderson, dove gli ovni assomigliavano pericolosamente al padiglione Futoro di Suurolainen, ma vabbe', ammettiamo che quell'estetica lì era proprio IN THE AIR, e infatti, tutto le produzioni di Anderson mi hanno sempre affascinato perché c'era questa tecnica d'animazione con le marionette chiamata SUPERMARIONATION, e ciò mi ricorda i titoli che i giornalisti trovano una volta su due quando si tratta di scrivere su Marios Schwab, ad esempio, e siccome adesso sono così super contento di me di esser stato capace di completare il circuito e di tornare alla moda austriaca, wow!, subito, mi fermo qui ...

a U.F.O. from the eponymous TV series crashing into a "forest", via ufoseries.com

POURQUOI pas ?

... when I did research for my modest little piece about wonderful and legendary Diana Vreeland which came out recently (her autobiography came out in German a little while ago), I became interested in her WHY DON'T YOU page in Harper's Bazaar, where she worked as fashion editor before joining Vogue US as editor-in-chief. That's when I found this marvellous book, THE BAZAAR YEARS, edited by John Esten. The volume gives insight into Mrs Vreeland's fabulous life with words and, more impressively, IMAGES (she discovered Lauren Bacall shortly before she left New York and became a film star in Hollywood...), and there are lots and lots of WHY-DON'T-YOUs, too. What an imaginative woman, and of course she was a terrible snob. But the whole thing turns out to be so decadent that you just love what she writes, as long as you don't take it completely seriously.

Why don't you tie an enormous buch of silver balloons on the foot of your child's bed on Christmas Eve?
Why don't you cover a big cork bulletin board in bright pink felt and pin with colored thumb-tacks all your enthusiasms s your life varies from week to week?
Why don't you rinse your blond child's hair in dead champagne to keep its gold, as they do in France?

Indeed >>> why don't you? ... go and get yourself that fabulous style adviser for your life, too ...


... quand j'ai effectué quelques recherches avant de rédiger le petit article sur DIANA VREELAND qui est sorti il y a peu, non seulement suis-je tombé amoureux de cette légendaire et assez excentrique rédactrice-en-chef du Vogue américain, j'ai aussi trouvé de nombreuses références à sa page mensuelle sur Harper's Bazzar, intitulée WHY DON'T YOU. Peu après, j'ai commandé le livre "Why Don't You. The Bazaar Years" édité par John Esten, lequel réunit sur ces pages des images de la vie de Madame Vreeland, des textes bien informatifs, et, argument principal, maintes versions du POURQUOI NE PAS ... Merveilleux, je vous l'assure, toujours en supposant que l'on ne prend pas tout à fait au sérieux ce qu'elle écrit (et je suis même presque sûr qu'elle n'aurait pas voulu que l'on prenne tout ceci à la lettre...). Pourquoi ne pas laver les cheveux de votre enfant (afin de garder leur couleur naturellement blonde) avec du champagne mort, comme le font les Français ? Ah ben, dis donc, on fait ça, à Paris ? ...


... conoscete sicuramente la direttrice legendaria dell'edizione americana di Vogue negli anni 70 che prima si era fatto un nome come redattrice di moda presso Harper's Bazaar, DIANA VREELAND ...? Io l'ho conosciuta un po' meglio quando ho letto la sua autobiografia che è uscita in tedesco poco tempo fa, poi a questa occasione ho scritto un articoletto sul giornale. Ora, quando ho preparato questo testo, ho trovato molto spesso menzionato il suo formato regolare su Bazaar, la pagina intitolata WHY DON'T YOU, piena di consigli quasi quasi assurdi, ma molto divertenti - scritti da una persona con uno stile eccezionale (e una vita per accompagnarlo). La disinvoltura, il tono molto personale, la nonchalance di dire delle cose che per la maggior parte delle lettrici erano completamente loufoques, pazze, fuori del normale, mi piace assai. E poi adoro anche questa leggerezza di dire delle cose "solo così", juste comme ça, una collezione di idee che non devono (anzi, non di rado è che non POSSONO) essere realizzate, e questa è per me la prova di un ESPRIT totalmente straordinario come l'aveva la Vreeland ...

NEON pastry

... of course I know that I already told you about my unlimited affection for Vienna's all-in-pink pastry chain AIDA, but last time when I was about to climb the stairs in its Stephansplatz branch (that's practically the epicentre of Vienna, if you look at the city map), I almost fainted because of this perfectly preserved 1950s neon sign - adorable ... je suis bien conscient du fait que je vous ai déjà amplement informé de l'affection sans bornes que j'éprouve pour la chaîne de pâtisseries viennoise AIDA, mais là, vraiment, c'est le top du top, une CONSIGNE LUMINEUSE on ne peut plus originale des annés 50 dans la succursale située juste en face de l'église de St Stéphane ... sì sì sì lo so, ve ne ho già parlato, e con abbastanza chiarezza, della mia grande passione per le pasticcerie AIDA a Vienna, e comunque, questa volta, quando sono salito al primo piano della succursale ubicata a Stephansplatz, di fronte al duomo praticamente, sono praticamente svenuto quando ho visto questo bellissimo esemplare d'iscrizione illuminata. State per svenire anche voi? Magari no ...

THE LANG bang

an installation created by Helmut Lang for the exhibition "Avstrija davaj" in Moscow, courtesy of MAK

... to give you a short wrap-up of the important facts: Vienna's Museum of Applied Arts MAK scheduled a huge HELMUT LANG retrospective due to open later this year. Remarkable. Some days ago, on the occasion of an exhibition opening in Moscow where Mr Lang's work (as a sculptor!) was on show - the exhibition was also organised by Vienna's MAK - the former fashion designer made a public statement that he would like the aforementioned Viennese show to be cancelled. Background information: MAK's long-standing and far from undisputed director Peter Noever was forced to step down earlier this year after allegations concerning the fraudulous use of museum funds. So far for the facts.

installation view, courtesy of MAK

Now, I think this episode points towards two notable facts, different facets of the same story. First off, Mr. Lang, who has recently been dedicating his creative drive solely to art and gave up fashion in the mid-noughties, will hitherto cease to rank as Austria's "most important and/or best-known" fashion designer, a perception still upheld by numerous commentators (one possible reason: every other fashion journalist and/or professional active in Vienna in the 80s and 90s claims to having "made" Mr. Lang - Vienna is a small place, and whenever, unlikely though it is, it produces a design star, this event has to be celebrated...) and one that does not coincide with Mr. Lang's vision for himself and his future. Furthermore, if it's finally time to bid Mr Lang goodbye, this would be a good opportunity to be realistic and admit that, where it comes to GLOBAL FASHION FAME, Vienna has probably had its five minutes within an ever-changing fashion system that has undergone radical acceleration even since the heyday of Mr Lang's label. So that's that.

the exhibition created to be a "creative summit", definitely more artsy than design-y...

And second, isn't it all too characteristic of the work of the museum's parting director Peter Noever that not Helmut Lang, the fashion designer could have made it into the sacred halls of this renowned institution dedicated to the APPLIED arts (yes, ladies and gentlemen, for we've got our contemporary art museums, and enough of them), but Helmut Lang, the sculptor. No more comment is needed, I think, beause all has been said about Peter Noever's abilities as a polarizing exhibition maker. Still, as we're looking towards a new era at MAK, which will be taken over by Christoph Thun-Hohenstein later this year, I think it would be beautiful to see fashion and design exhibitions on the museum's main floors and not in the basement, where they have been relegated more often than not until now (do please note that the city's most remarkable and fashion exhibitions in the past few years have taken place in other museums than MAK!).


Apart from that, why should the MAK, located in the building adjacent to Vienna's University of Applied Arts and therefore closely linked to a tradition of design and workmanship that goes back to Wiener Werkstätte and beyond, voluntarily give up its potential position as a notable spot for fashion and design exhibitions and leave it to, say, the Freiraum premises of quartier21? That doesn't make much sense, does it? And it's not like there wouldn't be work to display, from Vienna's fashionable past, for it is possible to look further back than to the 1980s, as it is equally possible to display the work of designers who do not lead a double life as artists and who are part of Vienna's contemporary fashion scene. Taking that into account, and respecting the obligations (!) of an institution dedicated to applied and decorative arts, it should be possible to exhibit other things than gigantic installations made of mud and wood created by a man formerly known as fashion designer ...