Alexander McQueen ‘Savage Beauty’ at the V&A

Throughout history, an individual has emerges on occasion with extraordinary talent; visionaries as it were, whose ability to see beyond revolutionises and inspires the medium upon which they traverse- shifting the very perimeters of modern culture.

McQueen not only produced beautifully crafted designs but most importantly so, never failed to infuse with a breath of creative, intellectual underpinning. His collections were inspired by narrative, history, heritage and philosophy, with a reference to the duality ‘between life and death, happiness and sadness, good and evil’; aspects so poignant to humanity. He has become an immortalised entity, a godlike presence within the fashion world, much like the characters in history he so wondrously explored.

Much like an immortalised Da Vinci painting or grand Renaissance altarpiece, his work stirs something deep within when witnessed in person. In a way that fashion had never quite reached prior to his arrival, each collection feels as though one is looking into windows of his soul, exploring philosophical concepts through a pastiche of history; hidden within the seams of exquisite tailoring and theatrical grandiose.

Every detail is meticulously researched, for example, the purple corset in his ‘Dante’ collection (the author of ‘Divine Comedy, an allegorical vision of the afterlife in the 14th century) it’s soft purple tone deliberately selected as the colour of victorian half mourning. In his SS07 collection ‘Sarabande’, he featured a dress made of real flowers, their petals falling to the floor as their purpose has come to an end, much like fashion towards the end of each season and more philosophically, the transience of life itself- exploring the parallels of dark romanticism and his ‘romantic schizophrenic’ outlook.

McQueen also referenced the mundane, illustrated in his hyper theatrical SS01 ‘VOSS’ show featuring a razor-clam shell dress, the shells stumbled upon by McQueen himself along a beach in Norfolk. In ’The Girl Who Lived in a Tree’, the spectacular set centred upon a large twisted tree inspired by a 600 year old elm tree in the garden of his East Sussex home. In response to an interview question, his creative stimuli derives ‘from Degas and Monet and my sister in Dagenham’.

Whispers of homecoming echo amongst the fashion press for ‘Savage Beauty’; the retrospective originated by the Costume Institute at the Metropolitan Museum of Art in New York, following the entire breadth his illustrious career; from meteoric rise to melancholic end. This is without a doubt, the exhibition of the year. 

Psychology, Science and Art: Part 1

There is one topic which has endessly inspired my passion for the creative industry; psychology. It is a fact that everything is interconnected, a process of ongoing relationships between the conscious and subconscious that determines who we are as individuals and the way in which we look at creative imagery/ art.

Our perspective could perhaps be compared to that of an individual fingerprint; no two entirely identical as they are tailored to our personal experiences, knowledge and chemical reactions formed by highly complex processes in our brains.

There are two key elements that form our perspective on visual art:

Nativistic Perception: Eye and brain matched synchrony transforming electromagnetic energy into neurochemical codes.

Directed Perception: Based on personal history and knowledge.

I would argue that art is one of THE most intellectual industries; one that stimulates our minds and inspires positivity- both elements that I believe we require as human beings. Art was 'invented' (perhaps recognized would be a better word as art can arguably be created in nature too... hence the Peacock above) as we have evolved over thousands of years, suggesting it can only be acquired by a highly complex brain. As we attain more awareness of both the physical and psychological world; art has refined itself from a literal interpretation to that with more conceptual meaning and depth.

 Prehistoric Cave Art

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Pre Raphaelite Art (1000s of years later)

          Pre Raphaelite Art

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Pop Art (over 100 years later)

As the human conscious has evolved with, and perhaps through art, new artistic movements follow. As an example, the era of Pop Art wouldn't have been relevant to the 19th century as the movements that happened between this time all led to the Pop Art movement. As we have become more complex beings, we are able to process information more efficiently/effectively, however the previous movement must have arguably occurred to lead to the next.

There is always the wonder of how much our directed perception (personal knowledge & history) affects us however, whether artistic thought is led more objectively through our nativistic perception (chemical codes) than we are led to think.

I believe that we have currently found ourselves at a very exciting/ scary time in art as the industry has become saturated very rapidly by the dominance of the technology era. Art and information is now 1000% more easily attainable (a personal, not factual guess!) and although indirectly related, human relationships have changed too, no doubt modifying the ever fluctuating ideals of society.

My opinion is that to become more knowledgeable and personalised in the field of art, you need to nurture your relationship between the conscious and subconscious...after all, psychology is an undeniable force to be reckoned with whether you like it or not.

Alice Luker
www.aliceluker.co.uk

The Mayan Legacy of Mexico

As a photographer almost everything related to culture and art seems to inspire me. I believe that fashion is one of the most visually stimulating industries; capable of incorporating all manners of inspiration, refined within the borders of an unapologetically constructed set. 

 

 

My recent visit to the Mayan Mexican ruins is a perfect example of being inspired outside of the fashion industry, into the depths of culture and history. A topic which, in many ways, is so far from contemporary fashion but could so beautifully be incorporated into a shoot. 
 

As I'm sure many of you are aware, Mayan legacy has caused quite a stir over the last couple of months, with their calendar reaching an abrupt halt in December 2012 during the winter 'doomsday' solstice. 

The truth about the Mayan calendar is that it is fixed in an everlasting cycle; each calender lasting 52 years- each marking a fresh beginning of new life. The concept of new life within each cycle was symbolised by building a new layer over shrines and pyramids. 

During our visit to Coba we hired a guide to talk through the site and the Mayan way of life. This was a fantastic experience, fascinating speaking to a direct ancestor of the Mayan era. One fact that I found particularly interesting (and slightly shocking to have not previously known) was that original pyramids were built with 3 slanted sides and one flat, vertical side at the back. When the Toltec's later came and invaded sites they often made their mark by building a new layer on top with 4 sides, thus reforming Mayan architecture. Even 'Chichen Itza' was adapted through a Toltec reform, heightening my personal appreciation of visiting Coba, an original unaltered site.

The Mayan period was defined by power, with large religious buildings at the forefront of this. Land in the Mexican providence of Yucatan is extremely flat, further emphasising the grandeur of the pyramid structures, their height symbolic to being close to the gods. 

The projection of power and status was so fundamental, a common procedure of the elite upper class was to place babies (newborns up to the age of one) into a vice like mechanism, gradually flattening the top of their skull to form a flattened forehead. This procedure was to appear more 'godlike'. 

...I wonder what child protection laws would say about that now?!

The initial images which sprung to mind of Mayan structures (before I visited Mexico) are those from the Mel Gibson Hollywood adaptation 'Apocolypto'; of high status leaders at the top of the pyramid gruesomely sacrificing neighboring communities. Our guide at Coba assured us this only took place during and after the Toltec invasion, with previous emphasis on self sacrifice through piercings and scarring tattoos alone. 

It is inevitable that we will never be fully enlightened on Mayan civilisation. Communication was largely engraved on limestone, a stone compound both weak and highly erosive over time. 

The final aspect (and ritual) of late Mayan culture which I found particularly interesting lie in the serenity of the cenotes; naturally formed sinkholes found exclusively in the Yucatan peninsula. It was here where they made sacrifices in pursuit of pleasing the ran god Chaac. Offerings of gold, jade, obsidian, shell, wood and cloth (recently found at the largest cenote in the grounds of Chichen Itza) in addition to skeletons of children and men; children as they were deemed as 'pure' sacrifices.

Mayan civilization is one of the the most mysteriously compelling pre-classic establishments in history. They were knowledgeable astronomists and dedicated spiritual followers- devoting their lives to their beliefs.

www.aliceluker.co.uk

Visiting Mexico: Food, Culture and Facts

As you arrive in Cancun airport you may feel quite overwhelmed by the influx of eager holidaymakers- I certainly experienced this firsthand being part of a seemingly never ending cue for foreign immigration- you could almost see the tumbleweed roll out from the Mexican 'locals' area...

Cancun is one of the biggest tourist hotspots- at this time of year largely filled with Canadians and Americans fleeing their snow capped homes for a more preferable alternate. There is also a splash of european holidaymakers (myself included of course) attempting the same sunshine escape.

Usually one for avoiding 'tourist trap' offerings, we did walk past (shielded by the glass wall of arrivals) a rather tempting looking 'Bubba Gump' restaurant -an american restaurant inspired by the shrimp boat success in the film Forrest Gump- making a mental note of a quick visit on our way back to the UK...

As I'm sure you may have experienced when stepping off a plane, you begin to evaluate your surroundings- eyes wide open, senses at the ready in the pursuit to form a picture of your location. Sense of smell is my most prominent receptor as I enter unfamiliar territory; Mexico being a combination of dusty, exotic surroundings combined with quite an appealing aroma of tobacco.

I was particularly impressed by was the effective road network and ease of driving- after overcoming the initial uncertainty of driving on the 'wrong' side of the road of course. The roads are simple and well structured, with regular 'retourno' sights to correct a missed turning or change of plan- a much quicker solution than missing a turnoff on the M25!

Cancun is based in Yucatan peninsula, the tip of the South-East region of Mexico. One aspect which shocked me was the lack of colour in the landscape, appearing rather barren in certain places- far from the colourful Frieda Kahlo interpretations which Spring to mind.

The geographic explanation for this landscape is the lack of rivers/ lakes in Yucan; replaced instead by beautifully mysterious centotes (natural sinkholes) unique to this part of the world, believed to be the entrance to the 'Mayan Underworld'.

The food is absolutely delicious to say the least although it can be very easy to be carried away by the copius amounts of cheese melted onto everything. My favourites included fresh guacamole, chipotle sauce, enchiladas, tortilla soup and quesadillas. A little tip? Everything tastes that little bit yummier with an extra squeeze of lime.

Talking of lime, margaritas are a popular drink of choice in Mexico, with countless varieties of tequila filling the shelves at all the local shops. At first, I felt a little guilty of my much increased salt intake through margaritas alone, until realising it was clearly a logical option as we need more salt in the heat of the sunshine...;)

Mexico is a fantastic, friendly destination and I would recommend a visit to anyone. One experience which I would like to do one day would be to hire a car and drive around (the non dodgy parts of) Mexico from one place to place. Staying in smaller hotels and visiting everything!

p.s I'm pleased to say that I made it to Bubba Gump, where I managed to squeeze in a final margarita of the trip!

To visit my blog post on Mayan history please click here.

Alice Luker
www.aliceluker.co.uk