interviews with creatives Archives

I screened THE ISLAND for the International Film Festival Rotterdam. The description of the animated feature read “Non traditional storytelling”. I have to agree. Romanian filmmaker Anca Damian made a film with some outlandish scenes combined modern commentary.

A Black and Paper interview with Director Anca Damian.

What is the human condition of the story?

The film aims to go into depth of humanity: we are all on an island, even if it is a planet- is an island in the Universe – we are all reflecting into each other, we are searching for Paradise, we are all alone… So obviously we are somehow facing a kind of dead end to our civilization, so we have to search our human values, our connections to nature, in order to continue to be.

How did you you come up with the animation style?

I wanted the reality of the film to be immersive, so the space was developed in 3D, with added fluid elements developed in Houdini – the sea, the clouds. The concept was that everything that is man-made doesn’t integrate in the nature, so we have real textures for plastic, metal, fabric. The same texturing we applied also for the cloth of the characters that are in 2D.

In my concept, only what is made by nature remains painted.

Color wise everything is beautiful, like in a Hawaii holiday, but there is also some malaise, a sick feeling behind the chemical pink of the clouds and the green-blue of the sea.

Were you a fan of Robinson Crusoe?

I can’t say I am a fan of Robinson Crusoe; I am a fan of humankind; Exploring Robinson and Friday connection in a setup of nowadays, allowed me to explore a version of Robinson who has the best of intentions, but who is saving who, that’s another story.

The language of the film was playful, then dashing, did I get this right?

Yes, you got it right: the child in us is paying and telling the truth, I always listen to the child me, and keep him close. I wanted the audience will do the same, go in playful way straight forward to the so much needed truth.

The Island screens in The Big Screen Competition of the International Film Festival Rotterdam 2022.

A Black and Paper exclusive interview with Korean Fashion Designer Avizmo Jo, creative head of De_caffeine homme. What attracted me to his brand were his outerwear pieces. I wanted to ask what inspires his designs and collections.

The looks for the Fall Outerwear, three buttons and lapel, where did you develop this idea?

Planning and inspiration for this season’s collection was the fabric flow that occurred
when the general form of clothing was raised tightly.
By organizing the form that was created so that there was no inconvenience to the human body once again, we confirmed that the interesting form appeared again and used it
as a detail of the collection.
In the main look jacket and coat, the center of the clothes is connected with a long zipper
so that it is locked to the bottom of just below the neck.
Buttons were used only as decorative elements to create objects that made the design more prominent.

Your SS21 menswear tops are not conventional, is there a statement behind this?

SS21 is a new reinterpretation of traditional Taylor jackets and shirt designs, which I think are also traditional in another sence.
Like our design philosophy, we acknowledged the beauty of traditional forms, changed it anew, and emphasized it again in a sharp and modern style.

Why did you design the SS 21 collection with symmetries in mind?

The reason why I chose asymmetry is because I think it’s interesting to see what happens when you wear disproportionately to the human body, with the weight of the fabric on both side and shoulder widths different.
The asymmetric collar of the shirt is also the same image.

See The Collection Here

Do you think men should take more chances with their style choices?

Yes. I think there should be no restrictions on men’s fashion. There will be a style that we can suggest for each individual’s individuality.

The 20th century art movement Dadaism, in the 21st century, what does this mean to you in terms of fashion?

The Neodadaism I seek is closest to the explanation that otally disconnect what was once a form of social role from its original location and at the same time, it is trying to confuse the value it has and then bring it into
the new value system.’
I think that recognizing, understanding and reusing existing roles here has a positive effect. Adding my design to a design with traditional values is creating new values and giving a new role.

Stay tuned for more interviews with global fashion designers on our web chat show “Before Tacky”.