Where did your moniker come from?

It was originally used as an alias for a collaboration in 2010 as an homage to the anonymous painter from Bruges called Master of the Holy Blood but it ended up sticking because I preferred a more gender neutral name and also don’t like my how my real name looks!

What inspires your work?

Right now I’m mostly inspired by the distinction between what is considered natural and what is artificial, be it colour, forms, science and technology versus mythology or the unknown. I’ve been reading about attempts at creating man-made versions of natural luminance – nacre, opals, bioluminescence and why it’s so important for us to try and imitate nature although we can’t make an identical copy. There’s a gap between what we know and what nature knows and it’s really significant to me, especially the modern mythologies that exist to fill those gaps like art, religion, whatever.

Do you consider yourself more as a designer or an artist?

I’m more comfortable with the term designer because I feel like it’s treated more as a skill whereas artist feels like a title that you have to earn from your peers. I use both because I really can’t decide and my influences are pretty equal from both sides. When I’m thinking of how to lay out a painting or a drawing, I look through my collections of book design images, posters, and vice versa. There’s no distinction for me, and the same goes for a lot of people. You’re kind of expected to be everything anyway now, and I can’t see how a person can be one without the other.

You have a pretty strong online presence. Is the internet an influence on your work?

The internet is a huge influence on my work. I love books and magazines and definitely have a hoarding problem, but sometimes it feels like I’ve gotten far more value out of Tumblr than anything I own. It’s a hugely powerful tool providing you don’t limit yourself with it, I think. There are a lot of people who follow only one particular type of blog or look for stuff they already know they like which is a strange limitation to impose on yourself. There’s also the prominence of digital art and painting with your phones or tablets and all that which has really opened up an entirely new colour spectrum for me to work with that I would never have even considered this time two years ago.

Could you tell us about your endeavour Cavity Zine?

Cavity is a zine I started up earlier this year featuring the work of some friends and a lot of artists whose work I enjoy very much. The budget was super limited for Volumes 1 and 2 so I’ve have been sticking to black and white images and trying to work on bringing vibrancy to it through paper stock, layering effects and a holographic cover, but I’ve decided to spend more time and money on Volume 3 to really make it a publication that people are proud to be a part of.

Where would you love to be in a few years’ time?

Berlin!

Words: Mark Izatt

oftheholydblood.com

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frank ocean [pyramids] from nabil elderkin on Vimeo.

What are you working on at the moment?

I’m working on a couple of personal photo projects, going through my photo archive and I’m going to update my website in the next month. I’m working on some ideas for videos for Kanye and some others, a photo shoot for Jeremy Scott, reading movie scripts and stressing as per usual – but I’m still very happy.

Movie scripts?

Yeah, I’m just really starting to put my brain in that direction and connect the dots. It’s always been my goal. I like things to come together naturally and they are. It’s very early stages. I want to make something of quality. Basically I want to make a film that is emotional with a good story and great acting.

You work with a lot of big stars – do you get star struck?

Not really. I’ve had moments, but that was with people like Mandela and Michael Jackson. I was definitely in awe of those two. It was surreal spending time with them. I snapped a few photos but it was more of a moment to enjoy rather than capture.

How do you feel about online media?

It’s all good. The world changes; quality is quality and it will always filter. I can appreciate a good Instagram photo for what it is, but also for what is isn’t. Online media is amazing! There’s so much inspiration out there and access to information is just endless. I prefer to travel and see things myself, but I still look at well curated Tumblrs and random sites.

How did you originally get into photography?

I used to shoot surfing in Australia when I was young and then moved into all different types. I started buying all types of cameras and films and tried every kind of lighting and shutter speed so I could technically shoot and light whatever. From there I found different inspirations, and I love music so much that it’s a direction I really pursued.

And what’s your favourite camera to use?

It’s a tough question, especially in the digital age. Sometimes you just want an old camera and a 50mm lens to restrict you and make move you closer and further from your subject. I don’t like zoom. There is something about the dance of shooting and limiting yourself.

How would you describe your music videos?

It depends on the subject, but I’m definitely moving into more conceptual stuff. I like to respect videos enough to let people appreciate and understand how they want an image rather than bombarding them with fast edits and slick imagery. Conceptual is just a million ideas bouncing around in the brain. Those fast-edited videos serve their purpose I guess, but in general they get very repetitive and formulaic. It doesn’t make you go, “Oh damn, I just got to see something unique.”

What music are you listening to at the moment?

I’ve been listening to Antony and the Johnsons, some Bob Marley, some of Kanye's upcoming stuff, classical when I drive.. i'm pretty random.

Any other ambitions for the future?

My ambition is for global domination, or to keep working with great artists that inspire me and making good movies and interesting photos, and travel, and then take over the world again. And also to figure out a way to make cheese healthy.

www.nabil.com

Words: Mark Izatt

The post EMERGING: NABIL appeared first on Wonderland.

Hi guys! To start, could you describe your creative approach?

Cats. Dinosaurs. Outer Space. Technology. It’s about having fun and breathing life into impossible fairy tale worlds. We aren’t interested in capturing some unique natural beautiful moment in nature. We want to manufacture our own. Maybe someday you won’t be able to tell which one is real and which one is not.

You’ve got your first solo show coming up in London this autumn. How are you feeling about that?

We are pumped up. It’s great to be able to curate an entire space to your ideas in a way that’s a lot more difficult on a blog or even in a magazine where you are competing with content in a separate context from yours. Also, some projects just work better in a physical space and we are designing work with that in mind which can be a bit of a challenge considering that Reed + Rader’s world exists entirely in the internet’s digital ether.

What’s it going to be like?

Prehistoric adventures in the Cretaceous starring dinosaurs with huge appetites and killer dance moves. GIFS, Films, and Interactive Virtual Environments.

How do you want people to feel when they enter the space?

We’ll have the smile meter standing by looking for smiles and playful imaginations.

Your work is a lot of fun. Do you think there’s enough fun in the fashion industry?

There’s never enough fun. Seriously though, fashion is surprisingly conservative. Or maybe we are just too wild. All the coolest clothes are totally un-wearable. Hopefully in the near future augmented reality will make wearing giant dinosaur heads and tentacles as comfy as pyjamas.

How did you begin working together?

We met via the internet soon after we both left home for school. It turned out we both went to the same school and that was that. After a few years of helping each other out it seemed to make sense to formally join forces – so that’s what we did.

How does working in a pair compare to working alone?

It’s not lonely. Sometimes it can be annoying because sometimes you just want to chill when the other person is bursting wanting to talk ideas. Mostly it’s awesome though. It’s a second pair of hands, another brain, a real life conscience, and a constant kick in the butt.

What else are you working on at the moment?

We’ve been finishing up a bunch of projects at the moment. We just finished a GIF project with Victoria’s Secret at the end of July. We released a short film called “I Hate Kitties”. It’s a cathartic adventure that reminds of those times when those little kitties you love piss you off. On the interactive end of things, we recently finished a project called “Squiddies” where the user can influence the images via mouse or touch. On the horizon we’re working on Animal Crossing, Dinosaur, and Christmas related things.

Are there any other artists out there at the moment who you really admire?

Artists making a living doing crazy shit on the internet and loving it. Friends With You, Memo Akten, Rachel Maclean, Brody Condon, Marc Owens, 0100101110101101, James George, Kyle Mcdonald, Tabor Robak, Robert Overweg, TYMOTE, Anyone with a Tumblr and a laptop.

And finally, if you could do anything in the world together, what would it be?

Sign us up on a one way trip to be two of the first 100 colonists on Mars.

www.reedandrader.com

Words: Mark Izatt

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Hi Josh. So how you did you get into creating gifs rather than just still photographs?

Originally I bought an old 3D camera that shot 4 pictures at once. The only way I could show the images was by flicking backwards and forwards between them in a gif animation on an internet browser. After making 3D gif images I started researching how we show photographs and artworks on the internet. I didn’t feel that we use the internet to our full advantage when it comes to showing work. I mean, people are used to showing flat, still imagery like they were exhibiting in a gallery. There’s so much more that can be done when it comes to showing work on the internet. People constantly scroll through images and I wanted to make work that would really stand out, standing between still imagery and animation.

And your current project – net.gif – what’s the inspiration behind that?

While spending a large amount of time on the Internet I became more aware of the effect it has on our modern lives. Being constantly connected to the web has become part of Western society. It’s become integrated into our lives like daily routine. In net.gif the internet has been portrayed as a religious cult. It gives an insight into the Internet realm by using iconography drawn from my own nostalgia, coming from a generation that’s grown up alongside the internet.

But the project isn’t online-only, is it?

I exhibited my net.gif project at Free range graduate show in June (below). I made one of the images into a lenticular print, which is like the holograms you used to get in cereal boxes when you were a kid. I got it printed 6×4 ft and made a pivoting frame with a motor making the print rotate to reveal the animation. Now I have a 6 x 4 ft hologram sat in my house and I’m looking for places to show it elsewhere.

Are there any artists working with the same sort of ideas that you admire?

I’m really into Ryder Ripps’ work. It’s directly informed by the internet and popular culture with the output normally being a website involving some social networking aspects.

A lot of people online refer to you as a fashion photographer. Is that a label you’re happy with?

I wouldn’t really call myself solely a fashion photographer I think it’s something that has followed after me creating my own visual style. Saying that I really enjoy making fashion work as I get to push my style, I’m looking to do a lot more fashion work in the future as I have lots of new ideas about how to show fashion images and garment on the internet. I’m currently doing in a collaboration with Illustrated People.

Could you tell us a bit more about what you’re doing for Illustrated People?

I’m not going to give away too much, but I’m working with them on an online look book and webstore using new techniques I learnt doing my net.gif project, shooting with a green screen and using different file types to show the images in interesting new ways online.

You’ve also worked on a couple of videos. Do you think you’ll do more of that?

Yeah, definitely. I really enjoy making moving image work. Most of it has been with artist/ best bud Pablo Jones-Soler. I like making movies as it feels really productive and I get to learn lots of new techniques that usually influence my photography work. Also, working with your mate is pretty fun.

www.joshgreet.co.uk

Words: Mark Izatt

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(1) The Supremes

The Motown super-group that made Diana Ross a star were the first all-black, all-female act to flaunt their femininity through high fashion, wigs and dance routines, changing how the world perceived African-American women. Kudos, ladies, kudos.

(2) Destiny’s Child

This list just wouldn’t be complete without the R&B trio that introduced the world to Beyoncé. Although some of their style choices fall into the questionable side of the noughties, these girls earned their power. Can you handle it?

(3) TLC

TLC won success for their sleek hip hop and R&B, their fame peaking in the golden age of the wind machine. Fun fact: the name TLC is derived from the girls’ nicknames – T-Boz, Left Eye and Chilli.

(4) The Spice Girls

The Spice Girls are officially the most successful girl group of all time. Scary, Baby, Sporty, Posh and Ginger shot to superstardom in the mid-90s, and the world never looked back. You know all the words – don’t deny it. Even Boris was dancing.

(5) Bananarama

In all their camp 80s glory, Bananarama have enjoyed more chart entries than any other girl group in the world. One member, Siobhan Fahey, went on to form Shakespears Sister. Here’s the most accurate representation of life behind bars since The Jailhouse Rock.

(6) Sugababes

The Sugababes’ line-up has been revolving like a carousel since their formation in 1998, but every incarnation has brought us big hits and big glamour. Their original trio recently reunited under the name Mutya Keisha Siobhan. Let the battle commence.

(7) Girls’ Generation

Reigning as K-Pop’s most successful exports, these girls never step an inch out of place, and the West is having no trouble embracing their high-budget videos and glossy, cutesy approach to pop. All tongues in cheeks for this.

Words: Mark Izatt

The post SEVEN WONDERS… Great girl groups appeared first on Wonderland.

What inspired you to begin the Traces project?

It began really when I met Talulah working on a Punchdrunk performance a couple of years ago. I came from a furniture and product design background whilst Talulah came from an immersive set design background, I remember being completely in awe of the idea of immersive theatre and being inspired to use that as a way to exhibit art and design pieces. We wanted to find a way to merge both our industries, and although it’s really great what immersive theatre does, we thought that rather than sourcing ‘props’ to tell a story, we could work with designers from all disciplines to create new work for sale – a new kind of exhibition that shows the world what the creative industries can do when we all pool our skills together.

How did the project develop? Did the building come before the concept or vice versa?

The concept came first, but we did struggle initially with securing a building. We knew that the narrative and everything else would depend on the building we used and so we wanted to find that first. We spent a number of months trying to find somewhere we could afford, but it wasn’t until we brought it up with Designersblock that it really all started to come together.

What was the thinking behind keeping the location secret?

Because the project encompasses so many different areas of art and design, we really wanted to utilise performance. But we didn’t want actual performers in the space as it was key that the objects and space told the story. The performative aspect comes from the clue campaign we’re running in the build up to the project. We want to engage people so that they become the performative aspect. We wanted to get them in the mind set of a detective before they came to the space, so that when they arrive they will know how to behave.

How do you want people to feel when they spend time in the space?

We want them to feel as if they are going into a space that has been left just moments before and their job is to work out what’s been going on. We want them to be inquisitive. We are really keen for people to interact with the objects there. If someones going to buy a chair, they want to sit in that chair, they want to know how it feels.

Do you think that the project fulfills a need that isn’t addressed by traditional museums and galleries?

As far as we’re aware there is no one else really working in this way. It’s really important to us that the experience is firstly immersive, but secondly that it is informed by the building. We’re not going into a space and simply trying to transform it to a way that suits us, we’re looking at the actual building and doing something that suits it. It really is a different way to experience art and design.

Are there any more clues that you could provide us with? Maybe a little exclusive info?

See attached!

Traces runs from 17 to 19 August at a secret location. To find out more follow traces-london.co.uk for clues and to be kept in the loop for future projects.

Words: Mark Izatt
Images: Giovanna Del Sarto

The post TRACES: The secret gallery appeared first on Wonderland.

BEST:

(1) Meryl Streep in The Iron Lady, 2011

Streep cleaned up at the award ceremonies for this unflinching portrayal of Margaret Thatcher, picking up the BAFTA, Oscar and Golden Globe for Best Actress. Thanks to meticulous research, she nailed the voice and gestures from the start and even manages to paint a likeable portrait. So don’t be surprised if you’re left thinking: “So what if she snatched the milk?”

(2) Sean Penn in Milk, 2008

Talking of milk, Sean Penn totally convinces as the first openly gay politician elected into power. He mastered the role without resorting to stereotypes, and it won him a second Academy award. There’s even a rumour that the ghost of Milk himself was enjoying the filming from an on-set sofa. If that’s not a flattering endorsement then we don’t know what is.

(3) Charlize Theron in Monster, 2003

You’d be forgiven if you didn’t recognise Charlize playing infamous serial killer Aillen Wuornos. She gained weight and wore heavy makeup to achieve a likeness, and that transformation wasn’t just physical. She adopted killer’s persona with disturbing realness, playing cold-hearted killer and generous lover all at once. Difficult but rewarding stuff.

WORST:

(1) Diana Ross in Lady Sings the Blues, 1972

What do you get when Diana Ross pretends to be a drug addict? Billie Holiday, apparently. It’s not that she was bad – she got nominated for an Oscar for her performance – but she didn’t look or sound anything like the first lady of jazz. Lessons learned: Diana Ross is best as Diana Ross. Putting a white flower in your hair doesn’t make you Billie Holiday.

(2) Colin Farrell in Alexander, 2004

A lot of things come to mind with the name Alexander the Great. Blonde highlights and a Dublin accent generally don’t. Nevertheless, Colin Farrell managed to bring both to the role in Oliver Stone’s historically inaccurate Alexander. Inhabiting the vein of bio-epics like King Arthur and Troy, the movie continues to enrage historians and critics alike – probably not the sort of legacy that was intended for it.

(3) Robert Pattinson in Little Ashes, 2008

Robbed of his fangs and handed a parade of bad wigs and moustaches, R-Pattz just doesn’t convince as tortured genius Salvador Dali. Little Ashes sells itself as a hard-hitting drama, but unfortunately it garnered most attention from squealing Twihards who want to see Edward Cullen getting naked and kissing boys.

Words: Mark Izatt

The post BEST & WORST: Biopic performances appeared first on Wonderland.

Tell me a bit about being curator for the Prize.

I work with the four finalists on presenting their work. The jury have selected them for a certain body of work, and from that we make a selection for the gallery. John Stezaker was nominated for his Whitechapel retrospective, and we thought it would be fantastic to show work from ‘3rd Person Archive’, the series he created using encyclopaedias from the 1920s. For Pieter Hugo it was a mix. We wanted to have some large-scale portraits from ‘Permanent Error’ and then around them landscapes of their location, which is a dumping ground for computers in Ghana. Rinko Kawauchi has a particular style of displaying photographs. Each has a different size, and she decides on a specific way of presenting them so each image has a relationship to the others. Christopher Williams is only showing three pieces, but that minimalism is a part of his work.

Is it difficult to tell an artist that you can’t include a piece that they want you to?

Well, with any exhibition that you’re working on it’s a dialogue and a give-and-take process. I’m representing the institution and I know the spaces and what might work here, and then the artist has their own ideas. The difficulty is always that, although it’s a group show, it’s not a themed show; it’s like four mini shows under the umbrella of the prize. I think that’s what makes it interesting though, particularly for people who might not have much to do with photography. Here they’ll see four very different approaches to the medium.

You’re exhibiting John Stezaker, who doesn’t actually take photographs. Some would say that he isn’t eligible for a photography prize. Have you had any comments about that?

Funnily enough we haven’t. It’s been really well received, so far, and I think that shows how the perception of what photography is has really shifted, and that now conceptual photography is very much a mainstream practice. John started working in the early 1970s and is getting major recognition forty years later. He was definitely very ahead of his time. A lot of artists are working in his vein now, with found images, but he was one of the first doing it. Also, Christopher Williams doesn’t take most of his images. He’s a director in that he gives his ideas to a studio and tells them exactly how he wants photographs taken. Again, it’s this idea of the photographer and the author. For him it’s more about what the image ultimately says.

The prize is in its sixteenth year, and you’ve worked on it for several of them. Have you seen it change?

Well, I think the great thing about the prize is that we ask different people to be a part of the jury each year. So each year you have different people with different backgrounds and different ideas about what’s interesting and current. That’s reflected in the selection of the four finalists and makes it interesting. That’s what’s made it such a respected and important prize today. I mean, the prize money is more than the Turner. Photography is definitely becoming more important. We’ve re-opened and doubled the size of our exhibition spaces in central London in a time that I wouldn’t call easy. That says a lot.

The Deutsche Börse Photography Prize 2012 exhibition is on display at The Photographers’ Gallery, London until 9 September. thephotographersgallery.org.uk

Words: Mark Izatt
Images (in order of appearance): Rinko Kawauchi, Untitled, from the series ‘Illuminance’ (2007); Rinko Kawauchi, Untitled, from the series ‘Illuminance’; John Stezaker, Muse (Film Portrait Collage) XVIII (2012); John Stezaker, Siren Song V (2011); Pieter Hugo, David Akore, Agbogbloshie Market, Accra, Ghana (2010); Pieter Hugo, Yakubu Al Hasan, Agbogbloshie Market, Accra, Ghana (2009)

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THE BEST:

(1) Norma Jeane Mortenson to Marilyn Monroe

Where would we be without our beloved Marilyn Monroe? Norma Jeane sounds more like she’d be serving us coffee than playing sultry Hollywood leads and becoming the world’s biggest sex symbol.

(2) Prince to

Prince’s crafty 1993 name change to the ‘love symbol’ in order to escape record company tyrannywas a stroke of genius. OK, so it’s unpronounceable, but it’s hard not to cheer him on for out-smarting the big dogs at Warner Bros.

(3) Orpah to Oprah

If she hadn’t given her name that all-important little tweak, Oprah just might not have changed the face of television and become the unassailable queen of the American talk show. ‘Orpah’ sounds more like a brand of foot cream

WORST:

(1) Katie Holmes to Kate Holmes

Tom Cruise insisted on this name change for his ex-wife because “Katie is a young girl’s name. Her name is Kate now – she’s a child-bearing woman”. It looks like someone didn’t get the memo (the momentous, world-changing feminism memo). Fortunately this one didn’t catch on. She’s always Katie to us.

(2) Ol’ Dirty Bastard to Big Baby Jesus

A founding member of Wu-Tang Clan, the rapper born Russel Tyrone Jones has had more aliases than anyone else on this list, but the progression from Ol’ Dirty bastard to Big Baby Jesus is the most befuddling and arbitrary one that he underwent. Was it insane genius? A lengthy criminal record suggests maybe not.

(3) Thomas Cruise Mapother IV to Tom Cruise

Scientology strikes again! There’s something bizarrely regal about Tom Cruise’s original name that just fits better with his status as a Scientologist megastar. All hail Mapother the IV and Christian Science (if you’ve got the cash and the magic password).

Words: Mark Izatt

The post BEST& WORST: Celeb name changes appeared first on Wonderland.

How do you feel your sound has developed since 2008’s Jewellery?

Anyone listening to the tunes is a better judge than me, but I guess it’s less energetic. As you get older you start to decompose, you know?

What are your biggest influences?

It’s hard to say because they change so regularly. This week I’ve been listening to Pere Ubu and a compilation that my friend made me. I’m also watching a lot of the TV show Cheers. That’s an influence.

You famously use homemade instruments. How did you start making them?

I was really interested in Harry Partch, an instrument designer who started working around the 1920s. He was a big influence. I also just like making things. I’m Interested in customised and modified instruments which will go with the intentions behind the music. Process is pretty important to me.

You studied composition for several years. Was it important to have grounding in tradition in order to come up with a fresh sound?

Yeah, definitely. I’ve been exposed to a lot of kinds of music and that’s no doubt had a big impact on me. There’s also a lot of philosophy behind it all, but that’s more a subconscious thing that’s behind the songs.

Your work is often described as ‘experimental’. How do you feel about that label?

I’m not massively into it, to be honest, because I feel like it’s a bit vague. I don’t have a problem with the idea of labelling because it makes it easier to find things and get attracted to a style, especially now there’s so much available. I just feel like anybody who’s making something from scratch is experimenting with their material. Whether or not it sounds weird is a different matter. It’s a process as opposed to a sound.

Actually, I think ‘weird’ is a better description for something that isn’t quite comfortable to listen to. If you’ve got ‘conventional’ and ‘experimental’ as the two main labels, I’d replace ‘experimental’ with ‘weird’. Experimenting is important though, because it can help you come to a new conclusion.

The song “Glamour” includes sound clips of an Essex glamour model. What was the thinking behind that reference?

It’s actually about a friend of mine becoming a glamour model, and how people can suddenly turn around and become something like that. It’s about the fantasy of it all. It’s a bit of fun, really – a joke about a friend. I just hope they get it.

You’re making a video for each of the albums tracks. What was the thinking behind this?

It’ a big undertaking, but it seemed obvious to do it. When I look at the record I can’t see it as having any singles, as such. I had a strong idea about visuals and how I wanted the videos to look, though. It all ties together. It’s a lot of work though, blimey.

How do you feel about pop music at the moment?

I feel pretty good about it – I’d like to listen to it a bit more than I do. I think it’s cool that there’s a lot of UK hip-hop based music in the charts.

Never is out now on Rough Trade. Micachu and the Shapes is currently on tour and are playing on 24 July at the Arcola Big Top Tent in London.
micachu.biz

Words: Mark Izatt

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