21 May 2013

Journal

Like a BLITZ...



... I am online to write a few words about the new book BLITZ, which got published in April. 

However, first of all I have to apologise for not having written anything in such a long time. I had promised myself that, should I start a blog one day, I would write every week. Pfff, I know, two weeks after my first post it seems I have already forgotten all about my good intentions.

To soothe my guilty conscience, let me tell you about my Saturday afternoon.  
The ICA celebrated the launch of the book with a series of talks and a film screening. I was very excited to see the 80s film Liquid Sky about an alien landing in New York. Unfortunately I only made it to one of the events. 
Well, better than nothing and the panel discussion actually turned out to be quite interesting.
Topics were contemporary Fashion & Style Magazines and the history of BLITZ. Guests were the two founders of the magazine, Carey Labovitch and Simon Tesler, as well as fashion editor/stylist Max Pearmain and the editor of Clash Magazine. 
I really like Pearmain's work for POP and Arena Homme +. His style is very quirky and I guess you either find it awesome or awful. Since I definitely belong to the first group I was thrilled to hear him talk about his work. Okay, I was a bit afraid that he was one of those arrogant fashion people who seem to have such a crappy personality that it's hard to still like their work. Sorry, I got a little off track. I am not getting started on how often I had that experience with personalities from the art and fashion scene. Fortunately that did not happen on Saturday and I can still unconditionally enjoy Pearman's work. 
The discussion was especially interesting concerning the differences in the production procedures of BLITZ and today's magazines. We sometimes tend to forget what an impact the internet and the possibility to create your own blog has had on all creative areas. Compared to reading a blog, magazines can sometimes be rather impersonal. As magazines can become a regular part of our life, it is nice to see the faces behind these magazines.                          


To be honest, I hadn't heard a lot about BLITZ before. 
The magazine was launched in 1980. The same year i-D and The Face emerged. Since i-D is the only one of the three magazines that still exists, I am much more familiar with its style. 
For magazines are often regarded as evenascent, a collection like the book BLITZ changes the perception of a monthly magazine. The intentions and particular visual style becomes apparent. The book focuses on the work of fashion editor Iain Webb who contributed his distinctive style to BLITZ from 1982-1987. Besides the rich visual content the book also compiles original BLITZ interviews and memories of those who are part of the magazine's history; from Vivienne Westwood to David LaChapelle. 
Now I definitely know a lot more about BLITZ and there is one more side-effect I should warn you about: It makes you wanna put on some glamourous (but definitely not office suitable) make-up and raid your parents wardrobe in order to throw on some good old 80s style clothes.            






(Webb, Iain R. BLITZ. As seen in BLITZ - Fashioning'80s Style. London, 2013.)



11 May 2013

Calendar

In case....


Martin Parr. Life's A Beach (Mini Edition). New York, Aperture: 2013.


... you are in New York next weekend. 

Aperture Gallery is currently presenting a Martin Parr exhibition and next Saturday Parr himself will be there to shoot beach-themed portraits. $400 and you can go home with your own signed Martin Parr portrait. Not a keen price. But, hey, you can hang it up in your living room and compare yourself to one of those lucky people who back in the day went to Warhol's Factory and had their portrait made.

I won't be able to make it to New York next weekend. Instead I might just order the book and take it to Brighton to gain some first hand experience of British beach culture. The chances are high that it will rain, so hopefully the book will stay dry and the wind won't blow sand into my eyes. I am hoping for a sunny day but you never know what to expect - Life's a beach.


For more information visit: www.aperture.org        







9 May 2013

All time favourites

Ever fallen in love.....


Sarah Moon. Fashion 3, Chanel. 1997.

... with a picture? Because I have. 
Frankly, I am not very into music. There are some songs I do like a lot but to say that I love them would be an exaggeration. Whereas there are plenty of pictures I remember seeing and my immediate reaction was: "Oh, I love it." 
That's what happened when I saw the image above for the first time and still happens each time I see it. I cannot tell you exactly why. It is obviously beautiful. Still, there is something about it I cannot describe. You might call it punctum. When I close my eyes and recall it - these red nails are etched in my memory.