Photography: Marie-Laure de Decker

OOO

Patience, Beauty, Dignity

Excerpts from the text of photo-journalist Marie-Laure de Decker regarding Wodaabe tribe from Chad :

” People of Patience: These nomadic herders follow wherever their sacred cattle lead them, cultivating beauty, dignity and humanity….”

“Wodaabe: Their name means ‘people of the taboo,’ for the may things prohibited in their lives…”

“…A Wodaabe must never lose control, whether he’s confronting thirst, hunger or family. A man just always adhere to the three tenets of the pulaaku code: patience, awareness and modesty…”

“…The Wodaabe understand the mysteries of plants, trees and animals. They do not construct houses, preferring to sleep under the stars. They are walkers. They spend their lives walking…”

“…They always carry a brakey branch; offering a branch to someone instantly seals a pact of friendship…”

On a rainy November night in New York City….

_____________________________________________________________

Last touch-up before being transported from Brooklyn to Manhattan

ooo

They're here...

OOO

Surprise ! Didn't tell you that there were mini versions too. ARMY OF SANTAS.I was told that people tried to steal or bribe to buy these

Photographs I made while traveling through Myanmar in the 90′s. I had a chance to stay and study with my monk & teacher Ashin Khemissara (photo, bottom left corner) for a brief period during that journey. That trip was one of the most impactful events in my life in many respects.

More than a decade later, I came across these images again….

At that time, I was obsessed with this simple rectangular piece of crimson fabric that seemed to miraculously transform itself into the most sublime & elegant form, to graciously drape the Buddhist monks. So I had asked my teacher & his friend to help me document the various steps involved in folding, wrapping, and draping their daily crimson robe.

The down and dirty part of the project that I love the most– seeing something on paper turn into an actual size construction, and working with wonderful companies to make it happen. It was great to work with New Project who did a beautiful seamless job in engineering, fabricating, and installing this project with precision and proactive spirit. LOVE working with people like that !

_____________________________________________________________

Checking out the 1/2 scale prototype with Dennis at New Project

OOO

More photos of work in progress & messages from New Project

OOO

Full-scale against the 1/2 scale

OOO

Working out the last details long-distance

OOO

New Project's space invaded by the gigantic body parts

OOO

Gigantic arms being "mass" produced

_____________________________________________________________

1.  Exploration of simpler construction forms that could be buildable at a supersize 20X the traditional size.

_____________________________________________________________

2.  R&D for techniques of construction by New Project:
Investigation of materials that are light enough for transport & installation, materials that are rigid enough to withstand the super-scale yet bendable at extreme angles for seamless construction.

_____________________________________________________________

3.  Technical drawings for construction that would yield a minimum waste of materials yet emulate the paper-fold qualities of origami.

_____________________________________________________________

4.  Scale models to test out & verify the technical drawings.

_____________________________________________________________

5.  Working models to find the most dynamic integration into space.

The storefront of Yohji Yamamoto on rue Cambon, Paris.:
A sense of suspense through extreme understatement rather than blatancy.
No mannequins, no signage, so powerfully non-retail.

The “pre-move-out” storefront of Comme des Comme des Garçons in Hong Kong:
The standard plywood fronts normally used to conceal the move-out activity.
I see it more as a bold installation idea.

Objective:

Holiday Installation for Uniqlo’s New York Soho Flagship Store

Creative Approach:

The creative challenge was to find a new approach to express this season, a time of the year with such high commercial pressure, without losing the edgy techno-human soul of the brand. How can familiar symbols be rendered in a fresh and contemporary manner?

A slightly dark sense of humor seemed to be the answer: Taking a banal icon – Santa -  and giving him a twist,
…a bit “kowaii” (scary) and a bit “kawaii” (cute) at the same time…Referencing these qualities so characteristic
of Japanese mangas was one way to bring in the cool factor to the good (but old) Santa,
yet staying true to the brand’s off-beat spirit. As a way to engage and impact the space, they would become
3 to 4 meter tall (10 to 13 ft.) space-invader-like BEINGS who are here…TO STAY.

OOO

_____________________________________________________________

1.  Finding the right “marriage”: Japanese brand + Space Invader + Santa = Slightly “scary/cute” icon

OOO

_____________________________________________________________

2.  Integration into the space + high-impact visibility from the street

Uniqlo Soho flagship store on 546 Broadway with a 30 sq.meter (320 sq.ft) central glass display area

OOO

_____________________________________________________________

3. Concepts influenced by the ‘no-nonsense / rigorous / quirky / humanoid / off” spirit of the
brand’s visual approach

OOO

How acorns got to be what they are today: A Charming Story from the Karuk Indian Tribe

“…Once, Acorns were Spirit-people. They were told, ‘You will soon have to leave the Spirit world. You are going to Earth. You must all have nice hats to wear. You will have to weave them.’ So they started to weave good-looking hats… Then they left. They spilled from the Heavens into humans’ world. They were Spirit-people, those Acorn Maidens. They shut their eyes and then they turned their faces into their hats when they came to this earth….And nowadays they still have their faces inside their hats.”

John P. Harrington, “Karuk Indian Myths,” Bureau of American Ethnology, Bulletin 107 (1932). In Native Ways: California Indian Stories and Memories, edited by Malcolm Margolin and Yolanda Montijo, 92-93. Berkeley, Californi: Heyday Books, 1995.

The most sublime metro billboard “ad”. Nothingness. Non.

(Paris)

Uniqlo Heattech Project 2010: Installation for New York

I love my client Uniqlo. They’ve invited me again this year to create a concept for a “branded” art installation in their flagship store in New York Soho. The goal: a high-impact installation that evokes HEAT & TECH–the 2 key points of this product line.

This year, I decided to go low-tech to express high-tech as a way to do something completely different from my last year’s installation (or was it an unconscious excuse to have a chance to build a scale model?). It was a refreshing break to think more sculpturally about simple forms that could have a strong presence through the way it engages the space & the viewer, draw attention for the store from the street, geometric yet emotional–something that changes and transforms according to the viewer’s point of view, yet effectively communicates or transmits the intended goal. Though there was no expensive lighting technology this time, the finished installation had a luminescent quality about it–a sense of light without light ! It’s titled “Aurora Borealis”.

See more pix