Elevating everyday materials such as glass, brass and copper, Smith’s designs revelled in the handmade aspects of jewellery making as he hammered and soldered offcuts and shaped metal into new, biomorphic forms.
… Art Smith’s Modernist Jewellery
Elevating everyday materials such as glass, brass and copper, Smith’s designs revelled in the handmade aspects of jewellery making as he hammered and soldered offcuts and shaped metal into new, biomorphic forms.
… Art Smith’s Modernist JewelleryDraped closely over its wearer, Elsa Schiaparelli’s Tears Dress is the quintessence of couture. The bias-cut gown, now an off-white, was originally pale blue and clings to the body like a second, otherworldly, skin.
… Schiaparelli, Surrealism and the Society WomanAlthough Scottish artist, designer and teacher Jessie M. King (1875-1949) is probably most celebrated for her delicate and often whimsical illustrative work, this short article will focus on her clothing designs and dissemination of knowledge via her how-to-publication How Cinderella went to the Ball (1924).
… Wrapped up in a fairy tale: Jessie M. King and the production of wearable designs
Anne von Freyburg recycles wearable materials to refashion 17th century Dutch paintings. Her mantra is “I paint with materials” and she deftly manipulates fabrics into images by embroidering onto canvas. Celebrating embellishment as a tool of self-expression, these ‘paintings’ use the visual cues of fashion to suggest art is more than just a decorative object.
For this issue of Decorating Dissidence we wanted to reflect on last year’s centenary of the Bauhaus. Now at 101 years, the celebrations may be over but the movement’s legacy still offers much to be learned, developed and reflected on.
… Editorial: Bauhaus ContinuedExplore examples of female image makers and their contribution to Bauhaus through 5 defining photographs.
… Frauen Vision: 5 Progressive Photographs by 5 Unsung Bauhaus WomenΤhe centenary of the Bauhaus in 2019 created a unique opportunity for a re-examination of craft in the Bauhaus movement through many exhibitions in Germany and beyond.
… Exhibition Review: Craft in the Bauhaus centenary and beyondNwando Ebizie is an artist, composer, writer, DJ, curator, dancer, ritual creator, Afrofuturist and musician. Working across media and genres, Ebizie’s artforms explore the neuroscience of perception, mythopoesis, alternate possibilities and sensations using experimental performance, ritual and sound.
… Staging an Afterglow: Interview with Nwando EbizieJeeYoung Lee is a South Korean visual artist who blends magic, fantasy and reality. Her surreal set designs open up biographical glimpses into the artist’s interior life, creating a series of extraordinary dreamscapes that also function as self-portraits.
… Spotlight On: JeeYoung Lee’s surreal setsWhat if backstage is everything? If the rehearsal is the performance? If there is no moment of completion – how would art look then?
… Practice-Based: On Completion, Process and PlanningWe spotlight Es Devlin’s stage-level labyrinths, which offer poetic interpretations of pop star shows…
… Spotlight on: Es Devlin’s immersive stageThis image essay tracks Liz K Miller’s attempt to maintain a connection during times of isolation and confinement…
… Larch Bark & LockdownTracing Mario Merz’s Cono through cultural moments and a relationship to modernity, as well as the hidden elements of craft, creation and the maker’s labour, which are all deeply woven into this wicker structure…
… Mario Merz’s Cono: The hidden power of craftZelda Fitzgerald’s Save Me the Waltz offers backstage access inside the ballet studio…
… Save Me the Waltz: A peek inside the ballet studioInteriors such as those of Gayfere House offer a valuable example of the interior as a custom-made, crafted space which took its inhabitant as its starting point…
… Impression Management: Mrs. Ashley’s Gayfere House