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. 

The National Gallery: Christmas in July

So here we are, almost in the middle of July, otherwise known to the fashion and media world as 'Christmas in July. It's my first year of attending these press days and in addition to baffling my already confused seasonal clock -fashion weeks largely responsible- they have provided me with a fountain of knowledge and gained respect of the fashion retail industry.

The National Gallery press day, hosted by Portas agency and elucidated by Colin Chester their Head of Buying, took place last week in a cosy yet historically suitable room adjoining their restaurant. From their mouthwatering range of 'Delicious Art', Print on Demand, jewellery & gifts, neighboured by a pleasantly kaleidoscopic range of Christmas merchandise, I was very impressed. 

The National Gallery may not be an obvious choice for gifting but to be honest, for anyone that has an interest or passion in the arts, there appeared to be something suitable for all. From a family member that seems to have everything to a friend in the creative industry; gifting with a little artistic substance offers something personal, unique and altogether rather thoughtful.

My highlight was the Rembrandt inspired collection; a flawlessly curated selection of goods, complete with suitably autumnal toned rich & rustic copper notes, lifted by the peacock red bowl (pictured below) retailing at an impressive £30. 'Rembrandt: The Late Works' launches at the National Gallery in October and the gifts will be available to purchase as soon as it begins.

The range of fashion and accessories within the Rembrandt collection are also well selected, with key pieces (pictured below) including the maple fur tippet at £35 and multicoloured bangles by Halcyon Days at £59 each. There is also a selection of unbranded jewellery, an impressive proportion of which under £10. One of my favourites was the gold feather bracelet, retailing at only £6.95. 

My somewhat frivolous purchase of choice would have to be the semi-precious solitaire set, featuring 38 charmingly coloured stones, at £100. 

I believe its easy to underestimate shops in museums and galleries and perhaps, like the spaces themselves, it is always possible to find a hidden gem for everyone. 

Would you be tempted to buy your gifts at The National Gallery?

-All images shot (non sponsored) on the Nokia Lumia 1020 smartphone-

Alice Luker
www.aliceluker.co.uk

Paris 1900: The City of Entertainment

The Petit Palais is a special venue. Not only for the striking architecture and works of art within the building; on this occasion, it's history and relationship to new exhibition, 'Paris 1900 The City of Entertainment'. The Petit Palais (and the Grand Palais opposite) was built for 'L'exposition Universelle' in 1900; a world fair celebrating the achievement within machinery, architecture and invention; anticipating a prosperous future at the dawn of the 20th century. During this celebration, 50 million visited from France, Europe and across the seas, witnessing highlights such as the Eiffel Tower and newly built Metro underground.

The exhibition at Petit Palais covers many components of this era; introduced by advertorial posters, illustrations of the plans and the very first paintings of L'exposition Universelle, further enriched throughout the exhibition with the most significant forms of fashion, theatre, nightlife, and art of the era. The diverse range of objects on display allow you to truly immerse yourself; from a room of painting, leading to a room of furniture then fashion, each 'pavillion' offering a perfectly curated insight of stimulating content.

Art Nouveau was the prominent visual movement of the early 1900s and is interesting to see how characteristics were filtered into each aspect of Parisian life. From the swirling, hyper naturalistic Metro signs to the poster advertorials reflecting Pre-Raphaelite art for L'exposition Universelle; the style is distinctive and unique.

You can truly sense the excitement of Paris depicted in paintings during this era; showcasing the new buildings complete with the hustle and bustle of the crowds bringing each scene to life. From a fashion perspective, its also fascinating observing the typical dress codes contrasted with new architecture and visuals of Art Nouveau (which can be seen in the paintings below), composing a rich illustration of life in the early 1900s.

Narrow corridors link each of the 6 'pavilions' within the exhibition, a mirror along one side and video footage by the Luminere brothers (credited to be the first filmmakers in history) along the other. The film takes place on the streets of Paris during L'exposition Universelle, capturing both the density of the crowd in addition to individuals within the crowd as they flock past. The energy and excitement of Paris is perfectly expressed in the footage, with an additional curiosity of the newly developed video camera.

This is a wonderful exhibition, covering a wide range of compelling works of art celebrating the birth of the 20th century. There is nothing more satisfying than a well curated, sizable exhibition; the equivalent of a well written epic novel brimming with inspiration and stimulating content. If you, like myself, fall in love with Paris every time you return, this exhibition is a must see.

Alice Luker
www.aliceluker.co.uk

Behind the Scenes: 'Light Years'

The concept 'Light Years' was inspired by S/S 14 beauty trends such as those seen below at Mui Mui and Holly Fulton. Nars international makeup artist Anna Priadka and I discussed that the sheer, glossy blues and purples would photograph beautifully under a selection of sci-fi-esque kaleidoscopic lighting to highlight both tone and texture.

Volt Magazine commissioned this as an online 'Volt Cafe' exclusive; a refreshing injection of S/S inspiration with a conceptual, cinematic aesthetic.

 

Click to view the shoot on Volt Magazine's website

Alice Luker
www.aliceluker.co.uk

Martha Parsey: Echos of Fashion Photography

It was a couple of weeks ago at the MATCHES.com press afternoon/ evening (which was rather wonderful I must add) that I first came across the remarkable work of Martha Parsey. It isn't often that I see a modern piece of art that I must know who the artist is and knew if I walked away without asking it would haunt me for quite some time...

Martha's work is alluring and emotive, evoking a sense of wealth and beauty often combined with an enigmatic overtone of melancholy. Art that you can get utterly lost in, gazing at the subject in search for meaning within the frame she will forever reside.

I  also see resemblances in a number of her subjects to current fashion figures. Taking the above images for example; the first painting is a carbon copy of fashion model Frida G, the brunette below Jaclyn Jablonski. I'm not entirely sure whether this was intentional but it would be interesting to find out. 

There is no denying that Martha Parsey is an exceptionally talented artist; utilising her studies of film and painting to produce works of art reflective of both film stills and high fashion photography, perfectly pertinent to the 21st century. 

Alice Luker

www.aliceluker.co.uk

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