Name: Jessica Tremp
Age: 30
Occupation: Photographer
Inspiration: Francesca Woodman, Petrina Hicks

Jessica Tremp’s ‘Over Unto Silence’ is a fascinating project that combines human with nature. While some may argue that it is a cooperative and constructive relationship between the two, more often than not, the combination of human kind and mother nature is a fatal one. Global warming, natural disasters, pollution, oil spills, poisonous fruit: examples of what might be described as a destructive relationship between us and the natural world.

Bodies and faces lie pale and deathly amongst nature’s creations: wood, cherries, flowers, and leaves. Nature seems to overwhelm the faces of these representative humans, their mouths stuffed with leaves, a branch, cherries, nature is presented as an all-consuming presence. Her works are both disturbing and extraordinary in their candid depiction of the power relationship between humans and the natural world. Let’s find out a little about the woman who created them:

Explain a little about yourself, and how you got into photography.

I’ve always liked looking at the world through a viewfinder and the boundaries that a frame sets within it. There’s not really a true moment that is decisive of when the click of a button became more than just the click
of a button. I just like pressing it and over time a few people have liked what happens when I do.

What is your favourite thing about photography?

It is a language of conveying thought and emotions without the difficulty of finding the right words.

Describe your style in three words. 

Uncomfortably, unsettlingly understood.

To you, what makes the perfect photograph?

When I feel it in my ribcage more than just seeing it with my eyes.

Describe your method of working.

Quite often images or especially series develop without my knowing it to begin with. I head out with a vague idea, though know it never ends up like it does in my head. Sometimes the result is better, sometimes worse. I start seeing a similarity between many of my images that address this sort of wild needing to be cradled by something extraordinary.

What are your hopes and dreams for the future?

To keep a loving balance between all things important in life. Love, family, personal work, growth and yes, a relatively reliable income. But I'd also love to step off the grid and live in a beautiful old house in the country and spend my days baking buttery goods and patting horses.

Website: Jessicatremp.com 

We first featured the captivating work of Alvaro Tapia Hidalgo in our Halloween feature where his colourful Frankenstein proved a pop-arty alternative to the usual grim and gore of Halloween art. The works discussed here make use of the same aesthetic styling in a variety of different subject matters.

On first appearance, this image appears to depict a generalised woman screaming. It is not until you take a deeper look that you realise this is in fact a recreation of the often-cited scariest scene in movie history. It is the depiction of the ‘Here’s Johnny’ scene in famous horror film The Shining. Put against the shot from the movie itself, the comparison is clear.

What differentiates it however is Alvaro’s use of colour. While the shot from The Shining presents a rather dull and plain mise en scene, the use of which depicts the isolation and boredom that drove Jack Nicholson’s character to madness, Alvaro opts for an altogether more vibrant setting. Surrounded by a multitude of colours, the horror of Wendy Torrance’s situation is truly brought to life: a victim of her husband’s madness.

I don’t think it too far a jump to assume Alvaro is a fan of horror. The fact that his depictions of Frankie (Frankenstein) and The Shining’s Wendy Torrance do not equate with the general aesthetic of horror (with an
emphasis on dark colours: blacks, greys, reds) suggests he is attempting to make us think of the horror genre in a new way. It’s pop art meets horror. The implications of this combination lead us down a couple of paths of analysis, the first being it draws attention to the popularity of the horror genre – pop horror, if you will. The second is to emphasise the vibrancy of horror – in the face of death, life and vitality is our utmost priority.

Website: Alvarotapia.com 

Naomi Godden graduated this year from Winchester School of Art and created a beautifully textural final collection that had a huge textiles focus as well as a considered range of silhouettes. The collection entitled ‘submerged motion' was inspired by the characteristics of water, and centred around the idea of movement and the possibilities of that concept within fashion design.
           
One of the most impressive features of Naomi's collection is the way that the pieces look both stunning from afar but also have such sensational attention to detail close-up. The pieces were created on both domestic and dubied knitting machines. They make use of techniques such as hold and the use of lycra to change the shape and texture of the knits. The hold technique is used in an extreme scale to create huge, floating shapes that have such impressive movement and fluidity. The knitwear varies in weight from light, translucent knits that, in Naomi's beautiful photo shoot, work with the light and reflective surroundings, to knits that create a much heavier, layered look and a contrast in textures.

           
Colour is another focus of the collection, and instead of selecting the obvious blue tones of the ocean, Naomi has also included deep pinks and purples which together create an exciting and bold palette. One of the most stunning pieces in terms of colour is the long, textured dress that changes tone throughout and creates a dyed effect when in fact the piece was created with many different tones of yarn on the domestic machine. This
particular dress uses lycra to ruche the fine yarn and establish an extremely fine but textured fabric that contributes to the concept of movement that is underlying the collection. The photo shoot also enhances this concept and advertises the collection perfectly, showing the capabilities of the designs and their impressive details.
           
Naomi Godden's collection is fun and playful but also shows her clear talent for creating innovative fabrics and silhouettes. The combination of these two concepts, and the fact that Naomi has done both parts of the design process extremely successfully, establishes her as a talented designer pushing boundaries within knitwear design.
 
Website: Naomigodden.com 

Name: The FOUR
Ages: All 24
Occupations: Designers
Inspiration: Marc Jacobs, Margiela
 
Standing on an elevator: the moving catwalk to showcase the innovative, edgy designs of the FOUR, an up-and-coming fashion brand from Hungary. We got chatting to the designers behind the brand to find out more…
 
Tell us a bit about the FOUR. How did the brand begin?

The FOUR started as a small creative group at Moholy-Nagy University of Art and Design Budapest in the second year of our bachelor studies. At the beginning we were co-working on projects and competitions. Then these collaborations grew out and resulted in a constant and continuous collective work.
 
Describe the FOUR's style in three words.

Exciting, dynamic, sophisticated.
 
What is your favorite thing about designing clothes?

We love all the phases and aspects of designing from the beginning to the finishing. We find especially delight [in] some [of] those sleepless nights before deadlines.
 
Describe some of the concepts and ideas behind the Mondaine collection (featured).

The metropolitan lifestyle, the experience of encountering and blending of cultures clearly constituted an important starting point for us. We aimed to show the contrast between the use of traditional fabrics and
the modern, European tailoring. Thanks to a scholarship, we spent our last semester in Paris at École Duperré. The basis of the collection was built upon the diversity of clothing habits and styles of different ethnicities living in the city.
 
What isyour favourite garment to design and why?

Experimental pieces always demand [an] enormous amount of work. However, generally they are our favorite creations. For example, in our latest collection, the patchworked garments allowed us to modify the fabrics during the cutting of the sample pieces. Certainly all of us have our inclinations. Hence, Anett is responsible for the bags, Marci favors the feminine pieces, Zsófi prefers jackets and basic garments.
 
What are your hopes and dreams for the brand?

We are maximalists; thus even before finishing a project a task, we already assign the next one. We have many ideas and plans but we are also a bit superstitious so we prefer not to specify them yet. Abroad is an unambiguous objective and challenge for us. We really fell in love with Paris and New York…
 
You can catch up with the work of this exciting brand on their Facebook page. 

Once again, it’s that time of year when pumpkins adorn everyone’s windows; the trick or treaters are out in force looking for a sweet sugar rush; and horror movies are selling out cinemas. That’s right – it’s Halloween. So, we thought we’d take a look at some of the best horrifying, Halloween-tastic photographs and artworks we could find.

The first is Frankie by Alvaro Tapia Hidalgo. Taking the perfect Halloween subject, Frankenstein’s monster, Alvaro manages to create a spellbinding masterpiece. His use of colour gives Frankie an almost mystical feel about him, the taints of blue seeming to hone in on Frankie’s fictional, fantastic beginnings.

See more of Alvaro’s work at: Alvarotapia.com 

Here we have another Frankenstein image, but this one takes a far more comical stance on the monstrous being. In it, Frank teaches us the golden rule of Halloween: ‘When it appears that you have killed a monster, never check to see if he’s really dead’. It’s a classic mistake made in all those Hollywood horror movies, and must be remembered if ever you are unlucky enough to be confronted by a monster!

Check out more at: Brandipowell.com

Getting away from the Frankenstein theme, Dracorubio goes for the decomposed human look. It truly is a horrifying image, perfectly normal apart from his skull-like head and sunken eyes. It appears he is not quite dead, nor alive, but in a zombie-like state, staring out towards his victims. The hole in his forehead offers a glimpse of his scarily real-looking bloodied brain. Indeed, this appears to be an image combining fantasy with reality. At least, we hope it’s fantasy!

See more of Dracorubio’s work at: Society6.com 

This image by Ronn E. Ott captures fictional character Major Arnold screaming for ice cream. Major Arnold is a character from 1981 Raiders of the Lost Ark. He is a sinister agent working for the Fuhrer. Incredibly ruthless and happily willing to resort to SS-style torture techniques, Major Arnold is perhaps one of the scariest characters in movie history. Ronn’s image reflects the horror of his character perfectly and, in some ways, is reminiscent of the infamous Scream painting by Edward Munch. It’s movie villain meets Scream meets… ice cream – an interesting combination.

Check out more at: Roneott.com

Our final spooky image for Halloween is by Raymond Earley, fittingly called ‘Halloween’. Raymond has created a truly haunting work in his use of an orangey, red tone depicting flesh, and white, scar-like lines reminiscent of veins. Once again, this is a man neither dead, nor alive whose only sense of life appears to be in his haunted, screaming face. In fact, he appears almost ghost-like – a true tortured soul.

See more at: Society6.com

Well, at the end of that, we hope you have been suitably spooked. A very Happy Halloween to you all!

Header Image: Boofsbookshelf.com 

Almost everybody knows the name, Alfred Hitchcock, whether it be for his personality and private life or for his direction of some of the most famous films of the past century. His famed strong personality and attention to the smallest details in his films make it interesting to find out who he would trust the job of costume design with, in a time when fashion and film were so very closely linked. That person was Rita Riggs in some of his most famous motion pictures including 'The Birds', 'Psycho' Birds', 'Psycho' and 'Marnie'. 

           
Tippi Hedren was the female lead in both 'The Birds' and 'Marnie', and Riggs proved in both films that she knew exactly how to portray Hedren's characters through costume. In 'The Birds', Hedren stars as Melanie Daniels, a wealthy socialite who unexpectedly meets an attractive gentleman in a bird shop who plays a practical joke on her, and so in turn, she decides to do something of the sort back. Travelling to Bodega Bay from San Francisco to visit the man who is visiting his mother and younger sister as he does every weekend, when she arrives the birds in the town begin to behave strangely, attacking the town's residents. Melanie Daniels is a very confident, clearly independent woman and her dress reflects that. Riggs styled Hedren in stunningly sophisticated outfits from fitted dresses and jackets, in 1960s silhouettes that accentuated the waist, to long fur coats and beaded necklaces. As the viewer you cannot help but become suspicious of Miss Daniels, perhaps due to the fact that she seems overly perfect and it is Rigg's costumes that
contribute to this effect.
 

           
In 1960s film 'Psycho', Riggs perhaps had the opportunity to be more experimental with her costumes, with Vera Miles' character Marion having more scope to have a slightly more risqué wardrobe. Scenes that included Marion in her underwear contrast with her styled in button-to-the-neck tops and chic suits. The
promotional poster from 'Psycho', features Miles in a slightly pointed bra and high waisted underskirt, a very statement combination of the time which proved Riggs' sense of style and willingness to push boundaries.
           
Riggs was involved in many films, but perhaps more in American TV shows such as Good Times, All in the Family and The Jeffersons. Riggs' varied and long-spanning career, along with her past of working with the likes of Edith Head, establish her as one of the greats in costume design and provides us with inspiration that is timeless and classic.

If I had one word to describe Bianca’s images, that word would be girly. The pink colour scheme and feminine subject matter recreate that typical notion of girlish sweetness so often associated with the colour pink. What is most interesting about Bianca’s images, however, is not their girlyness but the way in which the subject is drawn. Interconnected lines make up the three subjects. It is that classic game of seeing who can draw the best picture with never letting the pencil leave the page. Mostly, these drawings end up as badly drawn faces with glasses, but Bianca has managed to create beautifully detailed works of art. They are graphical masterpieces with a girly edge.

Check out more of Bianca’s work at: Society6.com/letitbea 

Alba Prat is a graduate from the University of Künste in Berlin who has caused somewhat of a storm in the fashion industry with her considered minimalism and unique style. Her work is stunningly simple but the contemporary accents that she adds to the pieces bring them right to the forefront of today's fashion, in a way that is unlike what anyone else is doing at the moment.
           
For her graduating collection, Prat created a range named “Synthetic Oceans”, a project that “represents the transition that the aquatic world experiences mixed with the result of the industrialization era”. This interesting juxtaposition of influences suggests a mixture of fluidity and smooth textures with sharp shapes and angles. Many of the pieces resemble creatures from deep beneath the sea and the amazing shapes in which anemones and coral and such grow. The project focuses on the tons of plastic and rubbish that are discarded into the ocean and how this has such a negative impact on the creatures that live in there. The collection shows suggestions of their adaption processes and how they must defend themselves against threats of the human world. This combination of ideas is evident in the contrast in textures within the collection from flat, skin tight pieces to amazing, structural creations. The collection“Synthetic
Oceans” is a‘cold and dark atmosphere where the beauty of the mutations and the defence mechanisms that its inhabitants embrace is to be seen and the defence mechanisms that its inhabitants embrace is to be seen’.
     
Prat's second collection has similarities through its minimalist approach, but takes on more of a high fashion look and less focus on textiles. The simple, blank canvas base garments that are none the less impeccably cut are enhanced by stunning neon accessories and features. The collection is inspired by “the cold war children going to school with their leather bags and knitted accessories handmade by their grandmothers.” It is clear that Prat often looks to the past for her inspiration and the history of hers and others' cultures. The collection juxtaposes traditionalism and modernity through the rustic leather of the accessories that is brought to life by the neon yellow details. There is a sublime attention to detail that looks at everything from childlike mittens to the appreciation of shoelaces and shoe soles. The bright tone is said to reflect the strong spirit of childhood that is sometimes subdued by discipline.
      
Prat is a designer who clearly knows her own design direction inside out and uses simplicity as a powerful tool to convey her ideas in a considered but extremely innovative manner.
 
Images: Designcollector.net  Trendland.com

So, we’ve all heard of Movember, right? For those of you that haven’t, Movember is a moustache-growing charity event held every November in aid of prostate and testicular cancer. Gallery of Mo takes a specifically artistic angle on the month, asking the public to upload photos of themselves, their friends, their dogs, to their website, and one of their artists will create a portrait of you with one very hairy addition to your top lip for a donation of your choice.

Gallery of Mo is made up of a team of over 120 artists, each with their own distinct style and aesthetic. It is unfortunate we don’t get to see the original photo uploaded to the website, as I’m sure it would be incredibly amusing to see exactly what inspired some of the Mo artworks such as the one below:

‘I want you to draw me like one of your French girls’, Rose tells Jack in epic blockbuster Titanic. What was it about pictured Lawrie Cape that inspired the recreation of this erotically-charged scene? Perhaps, it is best never to know. Nevertheless, what is most important is that Lawrie gets a great work of art out of it and, most importantly, some money is raised in aid of Movember.

So, if you don’t fancy growing a moustache this year, or even if you are, you can continue to support Movember by getting involved with Gallery of Mo. Just, upload, choose an artist, and donate!

Website: Galleryofmo.co.uk 

Cedric Gibbons is the man behind the art direction of such classics as The Wizard of Oz, Singin’ In The Rain, The Philadelphia Story, and It’s A Wonderful World. He is celebrated as both the most Oscar nominated and most awarded production designer in movie history, titles which come as no surprise when you learn the sheer number of movie design Cedric is famous for. He is credited as art director in over 1000 pictures spanning 32 years, and at the start of his career, was responsible for the design of the Oscar statuette he went on to win eleven times, second only to the remarkable Walt Disney.

Throughout his career, Cedric has been director, production designer, and art director. While the production designer is responsible for the overall look of a film,iit is the art director’s job to carry out the production designer’s creative vision. As such, Cedric has worked as both task-maker and server. As art director of The Wizard of Oz, Cedric worked under uncredited production designers Malcolm Brown, William A. Horning, and Jack Martin Smith. Together, they were responsible for making The Wizard of Oz one of the most memorable films in history, as famous for its aesthetic styling as its narrative.

The Wizard of Oz was all about transporting you from the grey, drab, mundaneness of reality to a bright, colourful world where anything can happen. The yellow brick road is perhaps the most famous of the Oz production set, the path leading Dorothy on her journey back home. Cedric Gibbons is responsible for some of the most famous, and best, film sets in the classical period – a true Hollywood legend.