South of the river Thames, London-based design duo JAMESPLUMB doctor ostensibly-derelict flotsam back to life in an honest fashion unique unto themselves. Despite being said to straddle the space between design and art, they profess to simply go about making the work they want to make.

JAMESPLUMB’s profile is currently aggrandizing exponentially due to a host of magazine features (How to Spend It and The World of Interiors among others), exhibitions (Mint, Selfridges and Rossana Orlandi), design festivals (Tent London and Frieze Art Fair), and high-profile commissions and collaborations such as Bruce Webber, Aimo Richly and Hostem.

The duo’s current residency has them in Milan, under commission by Rossana Orlandi to rework her personal archive of vintage furniture. To know JAMESPLUMB, is to know why such a venture is a veritable dream come true for these venerable Wimbledon aluminsts. To become properly acquainted, Scoute corresponded with these artists-abroad to pick apart their apparent penchant for patina.

Nomenclature

JAMESPLUMB is a title assembled from pieces of its members’ own names; James Russell, and Hannah Plumb. This piece-pasting process of assemblage is somewhat of a synecdoche for their entire approach to interior design, which involves sourcing out and piecing apart the discarded and discounted, and imbuing it with new life. In their Concrete Stitches series, JAMESPLUMB bestowed broken and abandoned pieces of furniture with a new soul by casting them together in concrete.

Despite the potential allusions associated with such methods, their work is less Dr. Frankenstein than it is Mother Goose. Their ambient interiors and personified paraphernalia, although reincarnations of forgotten relics, manage to avoid the realm of the macabre, and instead exist in a world imagined by a child and realized by an adult – simultaneously evoking feelings of nostalgia and wonderment, sensibility and sophistication. In a JAMESPLUMB space, their unfettered exploration of shape, meaning, and story are trumped only by their excruciating attention to detail.

The Story of JAMESPLUMB

The two originally met and connected at Wimbledon School of Art in 1999, where they both studied fine art sculpture. “Working together happened gradually over several years as we began to take on commissions for lighting and interiors”, they explain. Their process of resurrecting the neglected and reinventing the out-of-use is an approach instinctive to them both. However, it is in their specific interests where the assemblage that is JAMESPLUMB shows itself especially brilliant. The duo share a preoccupation with the dispossessed – “we love the look of old things, the patina” – but differ slightly in their passion’s precise focus: “Hannah has always been interested in things with a history and stories to tell, and James has always been interested in the beauty of the discarded and overlooked”. As such, one’s abilities extend naturally from the other’s, and when combined, result in honest, exquisite designs with a visually palatable amount of depth.

Just as their individual interests would dictate, each JAMESPLUMB design or installation is a carefully constructed, aesthetically engaging story. Every JAMESPLUMB creation gives breath to the inanimate, narrative to the mute, action to the inert; whether it be their signature Sampson character, whose head is supplied by an old pub-light and rocking-horse body is borrowed from recycled wooden toys, or their Charles Munn – an unwanted, angle-poised light mounted on an antique rollerskate.

Designs on Fashion

JAMESPLUMB’s aptitude for creating spaces is akin to a child’s for assembling forts; acting on the imagination’s innocuous desire to see its fascinations realized. And, when one’s fascinations are as detailed as the assemblages and luminaries that litter their interiors, the resulting world is one you wish to occupy permanently.

James Brown, owner of the men’s boutique Hostem, commissioned James and Hannah to design his new store in Shoreditch after bearing witness to their wonderland home and studio in Stockwell Green. This was a fitting opportunity for JAMESPLUMB: “we wanted to take our installations a step further and allow others to inhabit them rather than just pass-through, to have the experience for themselves”. Hostem is a signature JAMESPLUMB space – constructed entirely out of reworked materials, and decorated with rearranged ornamentals. The design is truly poetic, showing reverence to the beautiful clothing it houses.

Just as the designers’ work which lines Hostem’s reconstructed rails, JAMESPLUMB’s work is obsessed with the marks of the maker and of usage, the quality of the materials, the story behind them and that which they ultimately create. “There certainly seems to be a happy link between our interior habitats and high fashion – perhaps the parallels lie in attention to detail, one offs, and limited editions”, the duo reflects.

Hostem was also host to what was, perhaps, JAMESPLUMB’s most unique installation yet – their One Room Hotel. This interactive, inhabitable hotel room was part of London Design Week, and permitted one fortunate person per night to occupy a proper JAMESPLUMB-constructed reality. Guests were treated to opulent linens by Matteo, luxury skin products from Aesop and could browse carefully selected excerpts from James and Hannah’s personal archive of books (Deborah Turbeville, Francesca Woodman, Quilts of Gee’s Bend) and films (The Piano, To Kill a Mockingbird, Seraphine, The Tit and the Moon).

Cause and Effect

Quantifying one’s specific influences is a nebulous craft, but James and Hannah are inspired by everything around them, “from the reflections in puddles, to walks around cemeteries”. Their favourite objects are old books: “we simply love the well-thumbed pages, beautiful old fabrics – especially if they have lots of repairs or patches”. Original artists unto themselves, they find interest in the work of Christian Boltanski, Louise Bourgoise, and James Turrell. Considering their works of wonder such as Concrete Stitches, Hostem, One Room Hotel, and numerous exhibitions eschewed from mention, JAMESPLUMB – humble, honest, poetic, and rich – are certain to eventually serve as well-thumbed sources of inspiration themselves.

By Graham Newmarch

In their newly opened Lift Gallery space, the Tokyo based retailer presents an exhibition focusing on designers’ most important tools and symbols of identity – their hands. Consisting of a variety of mediums such as photographs and a large hand carved from wood, Hand Portrait brings together over 30 creators from around the world.

CAROL CHRISTIAN POELL / UNITED NUDE / REINHARD PLANK / DRIES VAN NOTEN / ANN DEMEULEMEESTER / INES KAAG & DESIREE HEISS – BLESS / KIMINORI MORISHITA / SYBILLE WALTER & SAMUEL DRIRA – ENCENS / JAS MB / MAURIZIO AMADEI – M.A+ / STEPHAN SCHNEIDER / INCARNATION / RUGGERO GUIDI – GUIDI / DAMIR DOMA / GIORGIO BRATO / ISSEI FUJITA AND SUSANNA – LUMEN ET UMBRA / LUTZ / CORNELIAN TAURUS TEAM /TOMOAKI OKANIWA – THE VIRIDI-ANNE / YOKO ITO – INDIVISUAL SENTIMENTS / MIHARA YASUHIRO / OLIVER THEYSKENS / ALESSANDRO TINELLI / GUSTAVO LINS / ALEXANDER FIELDEN / RICK OWENS / RYUSAKU HIRUMA – SAK / LUCA LAURINI – LABEL UNDER CONSTRUCTION / MUNOZ VRANDECIC / LOST & FOUND¨

http://www.lift-net.co.jp

To Greek photographer Vangelis Paterakis, shadows are much more than dark areas produced by an object blocking light. Through his camera lens, the silhouettes and shadows of the human body are intertwined and transformed into images both full of life yet emitting a feeling of tranquility. 

www.studiopaterakis.com

Residing between New York and Germany, artist Robert Knoke has gained recognition for his extensive series of portraits featuring a range of subjects from cultural figures to fashion icons. Following in the footsteps of his father and grandfather, both painters, Knoke knew what he’d do from an early age.

Growing up in his father’s studio in Hanover, Germany, Knoke never thought of doing anything else than becoming an artist. It was only later during his studies that he found out that “artist” might not be a real profession and that he’d eventually need to study something “real”, which he never did. After finishing school he studied art for a year, but decided to leave after a year, travelling to see family he had in New York. He ended up staying for a while and since then, travelling has become an important aspect of his work. Knoke’s encapturing black and white portrait series features a wide array of people, ranging from fashion personalities like Rick Owens and Bernhard Willhelm to artists such as Terence Koh and musicians Alison Mosshart and Jamie Hince of The Kills. Done with conventional tools like ballpoint pens and markers, the series has been an ongoing project for him since 1991. It has since been displayed at Ruff Club New York and Apartment Gallery in Berlin.

What sparked your interest towards portraits?
I think I just like to meet people. Working as a painter is a very lonely job so by choosing this subject matter, I can get a little company. I used to do different kind of works before, such as video installations, photo collages, performance stuff and so on. The portrait series was always a side project, I never showed it. It grew slowly since 1991. Three years ago, I decided to just work on the portraits. Now, its developing into different directions; I did a music video for my friend, DJ and musician Spencer Product, and it became a “moving portrait“ of him. I like to work in that medium a lot, so I will probably continue doing music videos in the future as well.

Tell a bit about your work process.
I always have to meet the person first and take photos myself, that is the first step. I have to see what kind of look and expression I want to get. Then later I do the drawing alone by myself. It kind of irritates me to have someone sitting in front of me, so I really prefer to take photos first and work from them. When I start drawing, I forget about the person and really try to focus only on the drawing. So it’s not really about a portrait anymore. I don’t even like the term “portrait“ when describing my work; I draw people but at the end, it’s not about the person anymore. It’s only me, markers and a paper. That’s it. I’m only concerned about the quality of the drawing – that the lines, strokes, fingerprints and smudges I leave on the paper are strong enough to make the images striking. But in the process of drawing, I try not to think too much. Thinking is very contra productive. It happens or it doesn’t.

There seems to be somewhat of a focus on fashion personalities in your portraits alongside musicians.
Most of my subjects introduce me to other people, so that is the reason why everybody in my series is somehow connected with each other. I’m not particularly focusing on fashion personalities. But as soon as you step into that world, you get in touch with so many people. It just happened over the last 2 years, in which I got introduced to the fashion world. Music, art and fashion are very connected to each other any way. I’m doing Leo Fitzpatrick’s portrait soon, he is an actor and an artist.

You mentioned that you photograph the people yourself, how much interaction overall is there between you and the person you’re drawing?
Hmm.. That is hard to say because it really doesn’t matter in the end, whether there is much interaction or not. That might sound funny but I think it’s true. It’s of course always a pleasure to meet my subjects. We have fun doing the photos but when it comes to the drawing process, it doesn’t matter if I had a good time with them or
not. Since I’m not photographing for a magazine, I don’t really need to create a certain mood to bring something out of a model. The shoot is actually very simple and quick, it’s not so good when someone starts to pose too much. I like it very minimal and simple. As long as my subjects don’t start to smile on the photos, everything is cool. The rest is just up to me. So, if a drawing doesn’t work out, it’s not about my subjects. That is my problem. I can’t really explain this. It’s just like any other artistic work I would do. I could draw an apple instead of a head. It either turns out to be strong or it turns out to be weak. So my drawings are not dependent on the subjects. It’s just more entertaining for me to meet people than apples.

Is there anyone in particular you’ve been fascinated to work with?
I can never tell, if the portrait will turn out great or not. So I like to always have someone new in front of me. But sometimes I do a couple of drawings from one person, like Terence Koh or Casey Spooner. I’m working with Casey on a separate series. He always looks different and that is a great challenge for me, it’s quite hard to do a portrait of someone who has so many faces. So with Casey, I just decided to do more. So every half a year we meet and I do a new one. I also like his company, he is a very intelligent person.

Last month I met with Debbie Harry. That was really great! She is such a legend and I feel very honored that she wanted to do this with me. I will start on the drawing soon. This is of course a big challenge for me, because Andy Warhol has done a portrait of her.

What has the response from the subjects been like?
I guess good. You’d have to ask the subjects. Since I’m not super famous, I guess everybody I do portraits of, really believe in my work. I mean they kind of know of what they are getting into.
 

Robert Knoke will show at Teapot Gallery in Cologne on February 11th-March 13th, and is doing an Installation for Seven New York during NY Fashion Week. View more of his work on on his Facebook page.

 London based photographer Guy Sargent has mastered his ability of capturing breathtaking landscapes. His photos, featuring isolated and distand beaches or the ruggedness of urban landscapes, spark a range of emotions from calmness to humility.

Sargent’s series What Lies Beneath is a long term project taking focus on both natural landscapes and architecture, shot throughout the UK and Europe since 2006.

Lift has put their close relationship with designers into form through various collaborative projects. Ranging from collection showcasing to more abstract presentations, they all have shared a quality of being visually striking. Together with Masahiro Tsunoda of Lift, we compiled a gallery of projects both earlier and more recent.

Carol Christian Poell

B-sides (1), Paranoid (2), Disjointed (3, 4)

O-Project by Luca Laurini

m.a+ by Maurizio Amadei

Escape / Evolution

Lift Gallery space

It takes a specific kind of a reader to appreciate Cormac McCarthy. His unflinching examination of evil that lurks within men is not for the faint of heart. On the surface it may come off as sadistic. But, then again, no good work of literature cares for the superficial reader.

The Road, a Pulitzer Prize winner, is the latest of McCarthy’s books. It is also his third book that is being adapted into a film, due to come out some time this year. The novel takes place after the nuclear holocaust. A father and his boy are traveling on the unnamed road in the southern direction because the climate is getting too cold to endure. The only species surviving on earth are humans. Food and drinking water is scarce. All vegetation is dead. The entire world is covered with a thin layer of silver ash. The sun never shines.This is a perfect foundation for the central question of the book – how much does it take for humans to turn into animals? According to McCarthy, not much. Take away food and shelter, and most men will commit most despicable acts of violence.

Post-apocalyptic tales are certainly nothing new in our culture. Those who have seen Mad Max or read The Postman are certainly familiar with the themes that The Road engages. But, it is a testament to the difference between a work of literature and a pop-fiction product when a master like McCarthy takes on what is basically a science fiction premise. The Road evokes a range of emotions in the reader, from rage and despair to compassion and hope. And the sparser the prose – the deeper the emotions are felt. For this novel, McCarthy dispenses with his dense style and archaic English that has you reaching for the Merriam-Webster (unabridged). Instead, the writing is as barren as the world it depicts. The erasure of language is the erasure of civilization itself. Reading The Road reminds one of Hemingway,
who once said that his writing is like an iceberg, thin on top, revealing just enough to push the reader to discover the bottom for himself. And to the bottom The Road goes – down to the deepest abyss of mankind. Cannibalism (including a gruesome scene of a baby being eaten), slavery, the brutal rule of physical force – everything we think of as deeply inhuman – is committed by men and women in the most casual way. And a ten year old boy (McCarthy does not indicate his precise age) as an eyewitness to our descent adds another level of despair that sometimes throws the reader into a state of shock.

Yet, the violence in The Road is not gratuitous. The further the mankind falls, the more faith the reader has in the novel’s protagonists. They represent humanity. They carry the heavy load of moral conduct on their shoulders. The child is especially sensitive and compassionate, and the worse things get the more his selflessness becomes painful to the reader, who yearns to reach his hand into the book and somehow help him. The father is more resigned to his fate, his feelings numbed by the constant struggle for survival. After shooting a man who takes the boy hostage, he tries to overcome his shock, “This is my child, he said. I wash a dead man’s brains out of my child’s hair. That is my job. Then he wrapped him in the blanket and carried him to the fire.”

The fire is a central symbol in the novel. Everything in the world is dark, the sun is barely visible, the clouds are constant, and the ash makes everything gray. The physical fire is scant. The fire of the human soul is almost nonexistent. But the boy and his father carry the Promethean fire as well. These two anti-heroes are our hope, the faintest hope in the world. And yet, it is belief in the triumph of the human spirit that permeates the novel. And because this belief is not unwavering, it makes the book heartfelt and tragic, but also intrinsically human. In the last and the most heartbreaking dialogue in the novel the boys asks the father:

Is it real? The fire?
Yes, it is.
Where is it? I don’t know where it is.
Yes you do. It’s inside you. It was always there.

by Eugene Rabkin

Growing up in Lancashire, England, Michael Kenna entered a seminary school at the young age of eleven. With art as his strongest subjects, instead of becoming a priest, he applied to an art school, advancing onto studying photography at the London College of Printing. Though it wasn’t until the mid 70′s when Kenna moved to the US and started to discover that he could make a living from his passion for photography. Known for his breathtaking black and white landscapes, Kenna prefers to revisit his photo locations rather than simply going from one place to another. Among them are China, India and perhaps most importantly Japan, where he travels regularly.

“Imagine being out at night, alone, under starry skies. Listening to silence, watching the world slowly move, all senses alive, thinking, imagining, dreaming. The camera is recording, creating, documenting, seeing what the eye cannot see – cumulative time. Or the sensation of being in a field as the snow falls on a single, exquisite tree. White all around, just the sound of snow falling.”

www.michaelkenna.net

Okkerut River. Occerville River. Venues seemed to have issues getting the bands name right, and vocalist Will Sheff was predicting utter failure due to this. This wouldn’t have been a surprise considering the Austin, Texas based indie rock/folk band itself was the result of Sheff’s clear decision to become a total failure. With previous band projects such The False Dmitri, which never had a single gig, expectations weren’t the highest for this oddly named attempt either.

After close to a decade later though, the band has endless gigs under their belt along with a handful of records. They’ve played alongside Lou Reed, The Decemberists and The New Pornographers, something which Sheff certainly didn’t expect in his high-school days filled with nervous breakdowns and his friends laughing at him for writing songs.

Regardless of some setbacks, the band managed to round up enough cash to be able to work in a studio and finish a record, which they called Stars Too Small To Use. Jonathan Meiburg, who later joined the band, once told Sheff about his first memory of the band. Seeing them live was the worst thing he had ever heard, but he could tell they were doing it on purpose. Perhaps that determination is what has taken Okkervil river such a long way. It might also translate into the certain passion
which can be heard in their music and the emotion in
Will Sheff’s gratifyingly tremulous voice.

Seeing them live was the worst thing he had ever heard, but he could tell they were doing it on purpose.

After getting small attention in the Austin Chronicle, the band got the attention of Brian Beattie, a local producer and an idol of Sheff. They soon found themselves in band member Brian Cassidy’s garage recording an album titled Don’t Fall In Love With Everyone You See. It took a year and a half and countless attempts at contacting labels before the record was released. The band ended up with JagJaguwar, a small Bloomington, Indiana based indie label. Their touring had taken a big step and the band found themselves constantly on the road. The next album, Down The River Of Golden Dreams, was recorded in San Francisco.

Through some connections, tours both in the US and Europe kept increasing. Within the past few years the band has recorded two albums, Black Sheep Boy and The Stage Names. They are currently recording The Stand Ins, which will be released on Jagjaguwar this fall. With little time spent in their hometown, the bands lineup has also seen constant changes. While others have come and gone, Sheff himself has remained as the only original band member. The band is, after all, a result of his failure.

listen to Okkervil River at http://www.okkervilriver.com