Joanna Hynes & Helen Steele

My favourite discovery of the summer was this collaboration between Joanna Hynes and Helen Steele.

Joanne Hynes is a fashion designer and Helen Steele is an artist and they are working together to redefine the established ways of combining the art and fashion worlds. Their work is focused on "the present, the gesture and spontaneity of creating," which they to capture in the designs. Their aim is to produce living works of art and fashion. By experimenting with these two art practices with such crazyness and fun the pair challenge trends of minimalism and tailoring, and resemble the warrior queens who inspire them. This is raw creativity and very exciting to see.

http://www.vogue.co.uk/fashion/autumn-winter-2011/ready-to-wear/joanne-hynes-helen-steele

http://www.vogue.co.uk/fashion/autumn-winter-2011/ready-to-wear/joanne-hynes-helen-steele

The clothes are truly beautiful. The contrast of colours is eye popping. Theses two coats remind me of a mature technicolor dream coat or a creativity cape! I imagine when you put it on it transforms your personality and mood. You could never be unhappy when wearing one of these coats!

People would look at you and most likely instantly like you as they are so colourful and the fur is such a soft, tactile fabric.

I really like the mix in the pile of furs and how the colour is placed. The pops of colour bring out the colour even more than if it was an entire pink or orange jacket as its contrasted against the natural fur.

http://www.vogue.co.uk/fashion/autumn-winter-2011/ready-to-wear/joanne-hynes-helen-steele

I was really drawn to this cardigan, I don't think it is as wearable as the coats but it would be a huge statement piece to try and carry off! Im not sure I could carry it off. I love the colours in this again, the contrasts really draw you in.

Im not sure where you can buy these but if anyone finds out let me know I need one of those coats in my life!

Scandinavian Folklore

Going back to the nightmare theme I discovered the Scandinavian heritage is riddled with tales of folklore including Trolls, witches and mystical nymphs and elves. I first discovered this topic when I was looking into nightmares and Brothers Grimm.


These tales are told to children to show them that anything is possible and to ignite their imagination. They are scary tales and some children do have nightmares from these but again they are told to them to prepare them for the real world and the dangers in the outside world. 

I was struck by the beautiful imagery that accomponies these tales and the play on beauty and ugly. I was particularly interested in the Trolls and the human animal cross over and the tales of outsmarting the Trolls.

A Troll counting his fortune, John Bauer
http://www.themeshack.net/2008downloads/200812/1228/patches/JohnBauerArt-wallpaper.jpg

The tales of Trolls show that money can buy you happiness as the Trolls are very rich but very unhappy and that they are mesmerised by beauty as they are so scary looking. Young Scandinavian children understand the concept of Trolls and are scared of them as they often steal children in the tales, and a way to teach children to brush their teeth is to tell them to get rid of the very small "tooth trolls" that otherwise will make holes in their teeth. (Torbjørn Egner's "Karius og Baktus").

The Huldra was supposed to be an breath taking beauty, often naked woman, inhabitant of the deep of the forests. John Bauer. http://t2.gstatic.com/images?q=tbn:ANd9GcRiBxTV9iIDyVAdefw7epZtfO8cf8N7foDDuf84EW_7yHbpQ8YCOF1cxTcQNQ

John Bauer
http://www.artsycraftsy.com/bauer/jb_queen.jpg

The illustartor John Bauer is prevalent in the illustration of the folklore tales the and his work had a lot of elements of Gustav Klimt's paintings within it, they were painting at the same time and I wonder if Bauer was influenced by Klimt's colour schemes and style. 

Klimt's "Forces of Evil"
http://www.iklimt.com/

Trolls transfixed on the Huldra, John Bauer
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:John_Bauer_1915.jpg

Here you can see the similarity between the subject matter and some of the patterns between Bauer and Klimt's work. I would like to use these creatures as a starting point to create my own folk tale. Im thinking of creating my own creatures with their own personalities to design clothes around, maybe to use each personality of the creatures as a basis for designs. Im thinking of looking into traditional folklore clothing to compliment this?

The Stuff Of Nightmares

Continuing with the nightmare theme from the last post this is an exhibition from the V&A Childhood Museum in London. It is on until February and is really worth a visit as it feels like a raw and expressive exhibition, very far away from the polished and carefully planned exhibitions usually put on.


This instillation was made by local schoolchildren working with artists to recreate things they have seen in nightmares. It takes a closer look at the playthings of innocents.
The imagery was very strong and it messed around with innocent looking toys that were made harrowing by the surrounding scene and the context they were placed in. The children and artists played with scale, theme and textures.

http://www.vam.ac.uk/images/image/71358-small.jpg

 Imagery taken from a Brother Grimm fairytale

 Terrifying human bunny

Love the fragile and virginal white crochet blanket with the contrast of the dirty back drop.

 Mish mash of themes and objects, animals with creepy doll heads

 Birds were constant throughout the exhibition along with long noses which are often prevalent in scary stories and fairy tales representing evil

When walking around the instillation it felt like you were in a hallucinogenic state as there were bright colours and toys that had their heads replaced with dolls heads and toys that only had one leg.  

 The overall exhibition

Toys in a line up that had been created by the kids to have scary legs and faces

The exhibition also said that it is good to tell children these tales in order to prepare them for the real world and to teach them right and wrong and what is dangerous. I think it was a very effective exhibition and it helped the children to put their fears into 3D form and to face up-to them and realise they are not as scary as they first thought. 

For more information visit: www.vam.ac.uk/moc/whats_on/exhibitions_and_displays/the_stuff_of_nightmares/