THE COLOUR ISSUECANVAS MAGAZINE ISSUE 02 AUGUST 2007

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COPYRIGHT & DISCLAIMERReproduction in whole or in part without written permission by Canvas is strictly prohibited.All information and credits are accurate at the time of publicatoin, but are subject to change.

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COLOUR is a familiar element for designers and artists as it reveals much about our different emotions: red is seen as active and passionate, of confidence in one’s self; blue is cool and passive and indicates loyalty, yellow is recognised as bright and aspiring, an attention seeker, while black – my personal colour of choice is mysterious -is the colour of authority and power.

Our contributors for this issue’s COLOUR theme were not given specific creative direction other than to use colour and interpret that in any way with their work. Because colours are often seen as a personal reflection of who

we are, it is an important element of design because it allows us, as viewers, to understand the motivations behind their creativity without words.

So how does colour determine our contributor’s creative environment? Through interviews and fashion stories we explore our designers, stylists and photographers choice of colour and thus the ideas behind their work.

We hope you enjoy the visual aspect as much as the emotional.

CATHERINE MCPHEEEDITOR/CREATIVE DIRECTOR

CREATIVE DIRECTOR/FOUNDERCatherine McPhee

ART DIRECTOR/DESIGNERJames Johnston

EDITORIAL MANAGERCatherine McPhee

FASHION DIRECTORCatherine McPhee

WEBSITEJames Johnston

CONTRIBUTING PHOTOGRAPHERSMARTIN BLEASDALE JASON ZAMBELLIDENISE GRUNSTEIN

COVER SHOTPHOTOGRAPHY Martin BleasdaleHAIRMichael Jones @ Arc CreativeMAKEUP Emma-Louise using MACMODEL Sarah Morley @ Dallys

TEXT ANDREW DWYER

The new found fashion kids have been following the work of Mr Mic Laton and his Material Boy label for a few seasons now. When I spoke to Mic a few months back he was reticent to divulge too much information about the evolution of his branding, the introduction of a diffusion line, Another Boy. Since then the website has gone live so I think it’s safe to talk about the subtle dissemination that has been brought about by the younger (or is that older?) sibling to Mr Material.

I first came across Material Boy in a store in Noosa Queensland, of all places. If you have been to Hastings Street in the years past you will know what I mean when I say that the fashion kids of the Sunny Coast would have been glad to see a Material Boy hoodie with its plethora of zips and oblique angles and more than happy to leave the badly overprinted button up shirts to the mofo holiday makers baking themselves raw in the beach.

At that stage Material Bay was startlingly oversized, mostly monotone in its use of colour and remarkable in its use of pattern and manipulation of shape. Seemingly the label had come about in the mind of its designer with a basis in consideration of form. A standard issue hoodie had been manipulated in its size, folds and angles to new effect. Indeed in talking about the processes behind formulating a collection Mic sites the importance of working very closely with his pattern maker to create a shape that is uniquely Material Boy.

In subsequent collections the Material Boy aesthetic has become all the more directional. In the latest seasonal collection Material Boy has furthered this interpretation of shape remaining with the oversize theme and experimenting with layers and dramatic tapering. Flicking through the collection on the web or rack and you are almost forced to draw inference to the threads your Mum dressed you in when you were learning to walk, both from a style point of view and on account of the fabrics and colours used. Mic entitled the collection ‘a vomit affair’ and was excited to tell us about the bartique - bali-style tie-dying – colour ridden patterning that he has incorporated into the collection. Whether it is under a panel or fold of a new sweater or inlayed into the pocket of a grossly undersized pair of trackies the purposeful saturation of colour and pattern is evident.

In the evolution of his Material Boy, the introduction of Another Boy – in Mr Laton’s own words - has come about ‘to preserve the craziness of his original design label’. Indeed it begs the question, can even the new found fashion kids endure such directional fashion on their backs or do we all – sometimes – just need to slap on a simple T and pair of PVC shorts? For the sake of these off days, bring on the other Boy because it would be a shame to not preserve Material Boy for those blissfully narcissistic material days.

www.materialboy.com.au www.anotherboy.com.au

Colour has defined Swedish designer’s current collection DON’T WALK. Her blood red creations were a sculptural reaction to environmental red alerts and all the blood money within the fashion business.

Her designs are caught between the elements of art, fashion and design. Sandra experiments with different materials and techniques and as such the handicraft process and the handmade feeling to each piece is very significant. For Sandra, the ultimate challenge in each collection is mastering traditional handicraft technique, and her primary use in each design is heavy wool collage knitting. In her own words, her work represents everthing that the modern fashion industry isn’t.

The starting point for each design is obvious: the body. These shapes could not exist without an innate understanding of the female form and how silhouettes can be enhanced or distorted through the use of clothes. “I build my designs from a lot of small pieces which I then attach to each other in different ways to discover the shape that I want. In that sense, I guess you can say that I approach fashion more like a sculptor then a tailor...clothes is the most democratic form of art, something that everyone can relate to, consciously or subconsciously”.www.sandrabacklund.com

PHOTOGRAPHY DENISE GRUNSTEIN @ CAMERA LINkSTYLIST kARIN SMEDS @ LINkDETAILAHAIR & MAKEUP kRISTINA kULLENbERG @ MIkASMODEL HANNAH CRIPPS & ELSA CARfOORD @ MIkAS

With the myriad of trend reports and photographs from European catwalk collections scattered through the pages of our favorite fashion publications, it is difficult to be unaffected by passing flavors that may catch our attention. Designers are frequently quoted prescribing the colours of the season and their advice is followed consciously by those who care and unconsciously by those who don’t. Our perception of what’s hot and what’s not is undoubtedly related to what we see and read. Is it possible to retain an element of personal style in an era where ‘fashion’ by definition reigns? For thousands of self-appointed ‘image consultants’ making a living out of personal consultation, the answer is yes.

One of the more intricate forms of personal styling relates to the world of colour. Image consultants have developed colour analysis procedures that help answer their clients queries on what to wear and what to avoid. Feeling slightly curious about my own possible shortcomings in this new world of colour do’s and colour do not’s, I decided to get some professional help. I went to see Helen Moroney, an image consultant operating out of a studio at South Bank in central Brisbane.

Armed with all of the journalistic caution and cynicism that 9am afforded I entered Helen’s studio where I was invited to sit in front of a mirror under natural light. She began her work by draping fabrics over me. Explaining what each colour did to my features, she proceeded to eliminate certain shades. My cynicism was immediately challenged by the fact that she seemed to have a point. In ten minutes she had visually convinced me.

After more precision draping and discussion my own personal colour wheel was selected from a box of several. She explained to me that this was all about saving me time and money.

I SUDDENLY CRINGED AS I HUNDREDS OF IMPULSE SALE RACK PURCHASES FLASHED BEFORE ME. I THOUGHT ABOUT ALL OF THOSE DRESSES I NEVER WEAR.

This level of involvement in the construction of one’s visual appearance may be criticized as shallow or perhaps even over the top. In fact most people may simply ask why bother? Image consultants like Helen say you never get a second chance at a first impression.

“It is important that your image matches the perception you wish to convey to the world”, she says.

Throughout history we have used colour as a tool to express meaning. This begs the question: if I’m limited in colour, am I limited in meaning? Will my personal colour palette stop me from expressing the meaning I wish to convey?

Brisbane Designer Paul Hunt says it’s better to find the colours that work well on you than the ones traditionally linked to the occasion you are dressing for. “I’ve been known to put clients in black wedding gowns because it suited their skin tone more that white or ivory, he says. Like Helen, Paul believes the right tone will enhance your natural features helping you to look your absolute best.

A common rule of thumb in fashion is that clothing should frame and not conceal the wearer. Faces, like paintings, should be framed appropriately, using the right colour to enhance what’s inside. While we would all like to be a colourful Monet we cannot escape the strokes that created us or the frames that fit best around them. Designers put thought into creating clothes, perhaps we should put thought into wearing them. When re-creating those red carpet outfits heed the warning of the experts, and if pain with colour persists, see a specialist.

HELEN MORONEYHTTP://WWW.SEASONSOfCOLOUR.NET.AU/

PHOTOGRAPHY JASON ZAMbELLIHAIR MICHAEL JONES @ ARC CREATIVEMAKEUP kARISSA MCLARENMODELS REbECCA, SARAH @ VIVIENSTEXT MIA HAMILTON

COCO CHANEL ONCE SAID ‘THE bEST COLOUR IN THE WORLD IS THE ONE THAT LOOkS GOOD ON YOU ’. SO ECHOES THE MANTRA OF PERSONAL STYLE AND IMAGE CONSULTANTS AROUND THE COUNTRY OFFERING SPECIALIZED ADVICE TO THE FASHION SAVVY AND COLOUR CONCERNED.

PHOTOGRAPHY MARTIN bLEASDALEHAIR MICHAEL JONES @ ARC CREATIVEMAKEUP EMMA LOUISE USING MACMODEL SARAH MORLEY @ DALLY’SSTYLIST CATHERINE MCPHEE @ ARC CREATIVE

PREVIOUS MASK STYLIST’S OWN THIS PAGE CORSET BY UNDERWORLD REALM

KAYSER BRA, FULL BRIEF AND WAISTED BELT STYLIST’S OWN, CAMERA PHOTOGRAPHER’S OWN.

VEST STYLIST’S OWN, MORRISSEY KNICKERS

GEORGE WU BLOUSE, UNDERWORLD REALM CORSET, BONDS BRIEFS, JONATHON ASTON STAY UPS

BONDS BRIEFS, JONATHON ASTON STAY-UPS

PLEASURE STATE BRA & KNICKER SET, CAMERA & TRIPOD PHOTOGRAPHER’S OWN

GAIL SORRONDA CAPELET, BLOCH STRETCH BELT

MORRISSEY BRA & KNICKER SET, CAMERA & TRIPOD PHOTOGRAPHER’S OWN

PHOTOGRAPHY MARTIN bLEASDALEHAIR MICHAEL JONES @ ARC CREATIVE

MAKEUP DAISY fERRIER USING MACMODEL REbECCA HARDY @ VIVIEN’S

STYLIST CATHERINE MCPHEE @ ARC CREATIVE

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UNITED VISUAL ARTISTS, formed in 2003 are a collective of producers, directors and designers of performance video, environmental graphics and real-time software. London-based partners Chris Bird, Matt Clark and Ash Nehru began developing live generative visual shows for musicians such as Massive Attack, U2 and Kylie Minogue. These boundary breaking shows allowed a platform for UVA to develop into site specific and permanent installation work. Their work is formed from a multi disciplined approach that integrates generative software development, sculptural installation and art direction. Every work offers a responsive and emotive environment that the audience is part of.

For UVA the collaborative process usually begins “by someone getting in touch with us with a concept for a project, then us collaborating very closely to get to something that is pleasing for both of us. As our departments of production, art direction and software design are very closely integrated, the process of creation usually throws up results that no one could have predicted. This is part and parcel of how we work. Coming from a touring background means that we are used to impossible deadlines - this means we can respond very fast to creative and technical changes. We have been lucky enough not to have to go looking for work, it comes to us”.

Two major upcoming pieces for UVA are a collaboration with the Chemical Brothers in Trafalgar Square, and the design and installation of architectural lighting for the Santral Contemporary Art Space in Istanbul, Turkey.

UVA continue to work with musicians both on touring and directing promos. Ultimately, “We would love to work with Radiohead. We would love to work with Prince. We would love to work with Kraftwerk. We would love to work with Queens of the Stone Age. That is all just in the music arena - there are also artists, designers and architects that we would love to work with. We are also very keen to keep developing in the contemporary art world, a gallery show is something that we are building towards”.

As you can see, this is just the beginning.

UVA INTERACTIVE DESIGNER JOEL GETHIN LEWIS WILL bE

TALkING AT SYDNEY DESIGN 07 ON MONDAY 06 AUGUST 2007.

fOR DETAILS SEE HTTP://WWW.SYDNEYDESIGN.COM.AU/

CLOCKWISE FROM TOP LEFT FASHION ROCKS! 2005 - PRADA/THE KILLS, HAMISH MORROW SPRING/SUMMER COLLECTION 2004, FASHION AT BELSAY: INSTALLATION AT BELSAY CASTLE. BACKGROUND UVA LIVE VISUALS

Several strands of philosophy have told us that destruction is a form of creation. For self-proclaimed Rebecca-the-wrecker this takes on a practical application. Using a range of found materials from original Nana Mouskouri records and milk bottle tops, to the unseen parts of a computer, Rebecca’s sophisticated and quirky concepts reflect the childlike imagination of a true artist.

With collections currently exhibiting in gallery’s and retail outlets across Australia as well as her own online store, the young artist is in high demand. Rebecca’s thirst to create started when she was very young. “I made my first necklace string of beads at the age of three with some big wooden macramé beads and string given to me by Granny- they went all the way to the ground and I used to dress up as Nana Mouskouri, my rock idol, and dance, whirling around and around until I was ill”.

Her ode to Nana hasn’t stopped there. The Nana Nana Nana collection which to Rebecca’s delight was purchased by Toowomba Regional Art Gallery in 2006, is a series of individually detailed masquerade mask broaches made from melted down original Nana Mouskouri records, recycled biro parts and milk bottle tops. Available for purchase online, these broaches have recently become a trend for young and old. Being able to experience music in such a

physical way claims undeniable novelty.

SHE HAS LEFT HER COLLECTORS WONDERING WHICH PARTICULAR SONG THEY ARE PINNING TO THEMSELVES, WHICH ONE OF NANA’S VERSES THEY ARE WALKING AROUND WITH.

As quirky as it sounds, Rebecca’s work is highly technical and the results she achieves are the workings of years devoted to perfecting her craft. Using a range of precious metal construction techniques such as soldering, forging, casting, roller printing and wire bending (to name only a few) she has created several different collections of wearable art that are just as popular with the fashion savvy consumer as they are with the artistic elite.

Having recently re-stocked her supplies on a pebble collecting trip to New Zealand Rebecca plans to expand on her ‘lost and found’ and ‘longshore drifters’ ranges. Combining pebbles and other found objects with silver, these beautifully constructed pieces are as striking as they are meaningful. “I wish to invoke the flotsam and jetsam of human experience,” she says. “We gather all sorts of objects as souvenirs only to find them again later, reliving the first moment of discovery”.

IMAGINE BREAKING THE WORLD APART AND THEN STRINGING PARTS OF IT BACK TOGETHER ON A PIECE OF JEWELLERY. NO SENTENCE COULD BETTER DESCRIBE THE WORK OF CONTEMPORARY JEWELLERY DESIGNER, REBECCA WARD.

Rebecca hints there may be some new projects cooking in her wrecking den. She is currently working on a range with award winning porcelain artist Shannon Garson the details of which she will not give away. “All I can say at this stage is that it is all very yummy”. To the close observer, it becomes clear that every piece of jewellery Rebecca produces can be tracked to originate somewhere deep in her psyche. Her movements are deliberate, yet her medium allows for a high level of interpretation; an interactive reading. “Jewellery is such a mobile form of art”, she says “It uses humans as a vehicle to get around and be seen”.

IN AN INDUSTRY WHERE ALMOST EVERYTHING HAS BEEN DONE BEFORE IT IS PLEASANTLY IRONIC THAT REBECCA’S SUCCESS SHOULD STEM FROM SIMPLY (OR NOT SO SIMPLY) RE-ARRANGING THINGS THAT ALREADY EXIST.

“It is the simple idea of coming across something that has been lost or discarded and thinking of a creative use to put it to that really inspires me. I like to use things in unexpected ways, transforming the everyday and maybe getting people to look at objects

differently, to ask the question where do they come from and where are they going?

http://www.rebeccawardjewellery.com/

TEXT MIA HAMILTON

Apartment (07) 3210 1012Box Vintage (07) 3846 6862Gail Sorronda (07) 3257 0100George Wu (07) 3852 6868 Grandma Takes A Trip (07) 3368 3916Hart Sport (07) 3863 6000Morrissey 1800 100 366Pleaseure State (02) 9004 8077Retro Metro Side Street Paddington (07) 3511 7632Underworld Realm (07) 3210 0322Wallflower Suite (07) 3137 1317

s t o c k i s t s

WE WOULD LIKE TO THANK TO THE FOLLOWING FOR THEIR PATIENCE & SUPPORTMartin & Nicole Bleasdale, Andrew Dwyer, Mia Hamilton, Jason Zambelli, Michael Jones, Emma Louise, Daisy, Sharne, Karissa McLaren, Viviens, Dallys, Bill @ Wallflower Suite, Nick & Ben @ Apartment, Maree @ Sidestreet Paddington, Missy & Jess @ Miss Splendid, Joel @ UVA, Sandra Backlund, Mic Eaton, Samantha @ OutandAbout PR, Rebecca Ward, George Wu & Mian, Tamarra @ Danielle Lee Agencies, Dominic @ Pleasure State, Ilana @ NAC-Group, Cinatamani, George, Erin @ Retro Metro