JULY 2016 ISSUE #8
Y PP Y HA 1ST DA H T R BI
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“Impossible is just a big word thrown around by small men who find it easier to live in the world they’ve been given than to explore the power they have to change it. Impossible is not a fact. It’s an opinion. Impossible is not a declaration. It’s a dare. Impossible is potential. Impossible is temporary. Impossible is nothing.” - Muhammad Ali.
mid-twenties when I should be out having a great time and travelling the world. I do think that their thoughts on my life in this respect are somewhat accurate, and maybe I should finally get my passport sorted, go backpacking around Europe and get wildly drunk off my tits. However, if life isn’t hard, it isn’t interesting; and I would much rather entertain myself by challenging an idea, than sit on my arse talking about how good it was when I drank vodka off a blind man’s chest.
Hands up if your biggest fear, is fear itself? Don’t be ashamed; I’m in the same boat. Reading this quote by the late Ali made me realise that my fear is totally irrational and that I shouldn’t be wasting any more time on it...as hard as that may be for my incredibly stubborn mind. This issue, our first birthday issue, we focus on challenging the walls of our comfort zones and smashing through the ceilings of the ‘norm’ box. Facing fears isn’t just about walking under ladders, trapping spiders in glasses (instead of running and crying like a child), or showing up to work before 9:00 am without coffee; it’s about belief in yourself, acceptance, and following through on your dreams.
I mean, if stepping out of your comfort zone can make your goals appear within twelve months and open paths that you never considered before, isn’t that worth all the effort? Isn’t that worth turning away from fear and powering through? Isn’t the investment into yourself and your goals WORTH it?? I think so. So go forth creative minded legends; read, be inspired, create something new and smash outside the ceiling of your comfort zone.
Samii xx
It’s a special topic for me - especially when you wake up one day to discover that my tiny little pipe-dream has grown to eight issues and turns 12 months old in just a few days time (just saying that makes me feel old.) Some like to say that I like to make life hard for myself by juggling this magazine and daily life in my
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Noirin Van De Berg
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Live Royal
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Spenceroni
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True Tribe
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Zoe Kirkwood
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Brooke Holm Page 7
noirin van de Berg NORIN VAN DE BERG | PAPER ARTIST
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noirin van de Berg WORDS BY AMY FARNWORTH
“With paper, there are no strict ‘methods’ for use in the way there are with paint, clay or textiles – there also aren’t as many tools involved; all I need is a pair of scissors and a sturdy adhesive.” This is Noirin van de Berg, and she’s taking the creative world by storm, but not by wandering down the conventional avenues of illustration, photography or sculpture; Noirin is a paperartist… and we’re very, very intrigued. Having featured many artists from conventional ilks in previous issues of The Eye, Noirin’s work struck a chord with me. I’d come across mosaic-style art before but always from a textile angle, a tiling perspective, or derived from paint and fine-ink drawings; never before had I found mosaic art made entirely from paper (none that I can remember anyway). So when we stumbled upon Noirin’s Instagram account we were
Keen to find out more about this style of artwork, I got in touch with Noirin and probed her for answers. Just what is a paperartist and how does it even work?
but up close you can see that each piece is raised, casting a shadowed edge to each shape.” And it’s this kind of texture that she loves most about working within the paper medium. Initially drawn to paper because of its affordability and lack of mess (unlike paint or clay – sticky paint-infested fingers, anyone?), Noirin soon realised the versatility involved with such a dynamic creative choice. She fell in love with the fact she was able to create blocks of colour in the same way you would with paint but with fewer complexities (no waiting around for paint to dry with paper, eh?).
“Working with paper requires a lot of precision and patience; each tiny shape is cut to fit alongside the other with an even space between. I apply a long strip of double-sided adhesive tape to some coloured paper and then cut it into thinner strips. I peel the back of the tape away as I stick the paper onto a larger surface; this allows me to cut each tiny shape to size, accurately. The end result is a mosaic style pattern/design.” “I also love the practice of papercutting itself – it’s a Noirin’s designs are so intricate, mindful and calming process, so precise, and so detailed and although it’s extremely time that from afar you could consuming, it offers a wonderful easily mistake them for pieces sense of satisfaction once of graphic art, colourfully you’ve completed something.” structured drawings, or stencilled imagery. They look Noirin developed her penchant too perfect to have been made for paper-art back in high entirely out of paper! school, where she made picture “From afar my work can appear story books with all the very graphic and almost digital,
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Spenceroni WORDS BY AMY FARNWORTH
It’s no secret that we here at The Eye love coffee. In fact, we couldn’t get through the day without at least four cups of that gloriously caffeinated hot liquid love. To be honest, we’re partial to a glass of wine or three as well, although we’re not quite sure whether the success of The Eye can be attributed to getting tipsy on a few bottles of Sauv Blanc or whether it’s the caffeine and hard work that’s helped. Whatever the secret, Spencer Harrison definitely puts a lot of his success down to coffee. And that’s more than fine with us. It’s not just the coffee that keeps him going though for the 30-year-old Melbournian behind Spenceroni – his drawing alterego – has self-discipline and the ‘amazingly supportive, creative community in Melbourne’ to thank too. His colourful, abstract, expressive and playful illustrations and drawings have become an internet hit, with Spenceroni amassing over 14,000 followers on Instagram as well as keen Twitter and Facebook followings. Harrison’s designs are stand alone, and what I mean by this is simple – they stand alone. I haven’t seen anything quite like Spencer’s work since I began writing for The Eye, and it’s probably down to the fact he finds drawing a hell of a lot more fun than anything else. His ideas reflect his general approach to life – a smushy and adorable mixture of optimism, playfulness and the outlook of not taking life too seriously: “It’s probably pretty selfish, but I just make work for myself that follows my interests which include bright colours and lots of patterns. I look for ideas in my every day and look at interesting ways of seeing things and translating them into fun, engaging artworks. There’s usually an idea behind all my art which then typically goes through a process of play and experimentation to come up with the outcome.”
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daggy designs WORDS BY AMY FARNWORTH
Putting good use to what some have deemed an unfortunate if not peculiar surname is Patrick Dagg’s selling point. The conceptual rationale at the basis of what Daggy Designs is all about is a play on words - a paradox if you will. Despite being super-proud of his surname, Patrick says; “I’ve taken a name that represents poor taste; something uncool or undesirable, and I’ve turned it on its head. Metaphorically speaking, I’ve polished a turd.” This is the running stylistic vibe I got from Patrick after interviewing him about his ceramics business, Daggy Designs. He’s crass, he’s clever, he’s witty, he’s convoluted, complex and incredibly articulate; and he sees himself as a ‘designer’ rather than an ‘artist’ or ‘ceramicist’. Daggy Designs launched in May, but far from being a brand new endeavour, Patrick Dagg’s ceramic brain-child is something that had been gestating for many years. “The idea began with a show I held named ‘crash paintings’ over four years ago in Sydney, which was inspired by a serious car accident I was involved in. A friend was working at a ‘paint your own bowl’ style business, and I decided to match my paintings with the bowls. Something more exciting happened when the artworks existed on a functioning object.” And it’s his references to contemporary art, modernist design and the more traditional/cultural art practices that can be found in his ceramics; he has the ability to change the context of an object and mix it with a range of opposing ideas to create some exciting results. And none more evident than in his pieces, ‘Dennis’ and ‘Boner Vase’. “I love gestural painting, whether 50s New York School or German expressionist and Neo-expressionist works, as well as a love for tribal art. The Boner and the Dennis vases are examples of the more playful, humorous side of Daggy Designs and have more scope to explore figural ideas that interest me in the tribal art and pottery. I’m keen to explore more limited edition hand built vessels like this that push the boundaries of function and bad taste.”
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While it was these designs in particular that caught our eye, the range of Patrick’s work within Daggy Designs remains random, individual and unique. His ‘classic-ware’ range features the same prominent black squiggly line which is easily identifiable and along with his other signature collections can be solely attributed to his recognisable style. “The range in Daggy Designs includes a number of patterns or designs that have names such as the squiggly black line. Although they are of the same pattern, each piece is improvised separately and thus the design is never the same twice. This degree of improvisation is crucial to me as I want to keep the work fresh and fun to make.” Far from being just vases and vessels though, Patrick is careful to add variety to his collections and is aiming to branch out with a jewellery range and wants Daggy Designs to venture into other fields such as fashion and homeware. “I created Daggy Designs to produce high quality aesthetically exciting work that is affordable to a large section of society. I have itchy feet though and want to do everything all at once…retail stores, clothing ranges, painting exhibitions… but for the time being, I just need to be patient. It’s only been a 12-month turn around since I began with ceramics so I think this year is about testing the products and getting feedback.
“The goal is to have a group of stockists around the country that support Daggy Designs and get people excited about what we do. I’m looking forward to the Big Design Market in December where I’ll be showcasing some of my work.” Daggy Designs is refreshing, abstract and fun. And Patrick Dagg has ambition, drive and determined grit that will surely see his ideas flourish in the years to come. His passion for creativity is overwhelming, his knowledge of art astounding and his confidence in his abilities is staggering. But it’s his description of creativity and why he thinks it’s important that helped is fall a little bit in love with this eccentric designer: “Creativity is important because it’s a release from all the madness and chaos that is life. One of the first creative experiences I ever had was when my father allowed me to throw stones through the windows of the back of the house before it was renovated. There was something so liberating about that act; defiant and slightly menacing.
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The act of destruction has always been relevant to my practice as once something becomes imperfect it appears far more interesting. And I don’t think life would be fascinating without creativity.” Catch Patrick’s Designs at The Big Design Market in December. Instagram @daggydesigns Website www.daggydesigns.com