'Fluff War' and 'Wildlife' are on view through June 15, 2019 at Anton Kern Gallery. All images courtesy the gallery. Lead image: 'Untitled (Exhibition of Dust)' David Shrigley.
Beca Lipscombe: We’re looking forward to seeing the collection come together, especially when Lucy's paintings are still in transit from Brussels, the mannequins and our collection are still in boxes that we haven't seen put together yet. This has been in the making for a while, but all the components haven't ever really found each other yet.
Sofia Hallström: I can imagine. Is it always like that? Does each collection come together in the presentation? Is that what unifies the collection?
Lucy McKenzie: With us living in different countries, we have to be very patient. We sometimes make collections on paper to show each other, just to have that kind of one-to-one, intermediary object between the final thing and the sketch or the idea. Through being in different countries, it's made us become very resourceful and find idiosyncratic ways to work because of the distance.
Beca Lipscombe: There's a huge level of trust that comes with making these collections. We're very different and we have very different ways of looking at things. I've got a designer head and Lucy’s got an artist's head. That level of trust is there so we improvise often. Our working relationship is very good, when I'm working with Lucy, I feel like I can do anything.
Sofia Hallström: I wanted to ask about the inspiration behind the collection, ‘Big Tobacco’. Could you expand on the theme, how it is translated into the design elements, and what aspects of Women's Tennis specifically influenced the collection?
Beca Lipscombe: It's to do with the visual of tennis and what people wear on court, mixed with the taboo of smoking. Until 1992, tobacco companies advertised within sport, which isn't that long ago. Nobody speaks about smoking anymore and, of course, there's a reason why it shouldn't be associated with sport, so we hint on it within this collection.
Lucy McKenzie: In terms of women's tennis, we've always been interested in the way cigarettes were marketed to women, the feminine packaging that almost looks like tampon boxes or something. To continue what Beca is saying, there has always been a struggle for women in the public eye. These powerhouse athletes who are still meant to perform femininity and being sponsored by a company that almost promotes smoking as a diet aid. It's really about mixed, complex messages from these female athletes who just stick their heads down and drive forward.
Sofia Hallström: Atelier E.B applies the notion of 'styling' as an artistic strategy. Can you talk about how styling becomes a means of artistic expression, and how it contributes to the overall narrative of the collections?
Lucy McKenzie: There’s so much within art that is profound and kept hidden. All this work goes into making an object, and often that is obscured. Styling brings a certain flatness, it accentuates the image of something. It's about how you read something in a moment as you flip through a magazine. Styling is the accessory, the location. It's meant to be the thing about us that has two sides: wanting it to be meaningful and profound as art can be and satisfying a public that just wants to wear it. Straddling those two needs, making nice clothes for people to wear and expressing our lived experience. We do our own styling, it's an extension of what we're making and how we want the world to see it and it's a pleasurable part of the process. Why would we give that to someone else!
Beca Lipscombe: Building a label from the ground up requires extensive effort, but the rewards are worth it. There's a significant amount of administrative work, contemplating materials, managing distribution, and handling emails. Styling, whether it's Lucy illustrating a collection or collaborating with photographer Morwenna Kearsley on photography, is an essential aspect. It's not merely an add-on; it's an extension of our creations. Through styling, we present our vision to the world as we intend it to be seen.
Lucy McKenzie: When we launched this company, our primary objective was to challenge the conventional notion of a fashion label. Rather than conforming to established norms and templates, we questioned why certain practices were necessary. We began with a clean slate, asking ourselves: "Why do things have to be this way? What if we approached it differently?" Our goal was to redefine what a fashion label could be, starting from the ground up. It's been an intensive process, but the sense of accomplishment is incredibly rewarding.
Sofia Hallström: Atelier E.B is known for small-scale production and ethical practices. Could you speak more about how this is reflected in the creation of this collection, particularly in terms of material choices, manufacturing, and distribution?
Beca Lipscombe: Many people describe us as ethical, but to us, that's simply how things should be done in today's world. It's not extraordinary; it should be the standard. Ethical practices are ingrained in our approach because it aligns with our values and principles. It's not the primary motivation; it's just inherent in our process. When we select textiles, we prioritise manufacturers who specialise in their craft. We assess the company's strengths in design and consider how their textiles can enhance our collection. Rather than imposing our ideas, we adapt to their expertise. We are adaptable, striving to offer products that are accessible to everyone. Manufacturing in Britain comes with its costs, but we prioritise fair treatment and refuse to exploit people. Our goal is to produce in the best way possible, respecting both people and processes.
Sofia Hallström: How do you approach the selection of materials for each piece? What criteria do you consider when choosing manufacturing partners or people to collaborate with?
Lucy McKenzie: Beggars can't be choosers. We're lucky to work with the people we do. We're small, so we don't get to choose much. People don't have to work with us. They work with us because we've built relationships, and they're curious about what we do. We choose textiles based on the manufacturer's specialisation. We observe and understand what they're brilliant at, then utilise it. We don't go in with wild ideas but work with what they excel in. It's a symbiotic understanding. We have each other to sound off about things. Everything is done with consideration.
Sofia Hallström: How did the collaboration with Glasgow artist Steff Norwood for the window vitrine come about, and how does the sculptural design contribute to the overall narrative of the collection?
Beca Lipscombe: We don't have a catwalk show. This is our way of showing our vision. It's how we want our pieces to be viewed.
Lucy McKenzie: Steff is a long-term collaborator within Atelier, he is part of the gang. He's a maker and a scavenger. Working with him, we keep refining the design of folding screens. It's important to have a team that understands what we’re trying to do. We work with a gallery in London called Cabinet, and one of the directors Martin McGeown was a window dresser for a long time. As retail declines, beautiful window displays become art. It's about preserving and transmitting cultural knowledge.
Sofia Hallström: Given that you don't sell in retail shops, how does the showroom or exhibition model contribute to the customer experience and the interactions you aim to foster with your audience?
Lucy McKenzie: Selfishly, we learn so much, get good ideas, and feedback. We did a stock sale in Edinburgh not too long ago, and we had never done one before. We got a deluge of people who want to come in, chat, and hang out. It's a dose of socialisation, meeting great people, and getting great ideas. We want the clothes to be simple, we don't want them to be shouting and we know that we are really good at expressing those ideas and enthusiasm. It's for us as well.
Beca Lipscombe: Who better to sell the clothes than us? We designed the store, so we should be there to present them. People like to come back and tell us how they feel about the clothes and how they store their clothes. Lots of people store our clothes in the freezer as they love them so much that they don't want the moths to go near them! We have many customers from all over the world and we're always looking for new customers! We strive to offer a wide range of products to ensure accessibility for everyone, not just the elite, though clothing is expensive to make in Britain. This inclusivity is essential to us, it's important, and we try to do it the best way possible.
Sofia Hallström: The brand mentions embedding critique into clothing. How do you approach incorporating social or cultural critique into your garments, and what role does fashion play as a medium for commentary in your collaborative projects?
Lucy McKenzie: Maybe I can speak for both of us. We're only really interested in that kind of engagement when it's genuine. There's so much performative sloganeering and politics in fashion that we're just so inured to the slogan t-shirts and catwork shows with placards. We know the compromises that are essential to make fashion. Those critiques should be very subtle, and that's what someone like Margiela did well, exploring the body and representation in a quiet way.
Beca Lipscombe: It's a beating heart for us, but a quiet thing for the wearer. They don't have to know the symbolism; they can wear the garment if they like it! For instance, we made a Scotland football jumper, pixelating the image so that it is appropriate to a knit pattern. Anyone from Scotland would know what that image is immediately. Though, when we sold it in New York, people related it to Chanel due to the colours and floral pixelation. People interpret it differently. It's not a drive that everyone should understand the clothes' meaning; it's just how we design with a deep-rooted purpose.
Lucy McKenzie: The genesis for that collection and that jumper in particular is connected to the fact that women were banned to play football in the UK by the FA until the 70s. We found that so shocking and it really helped to understand why football has the status that it does in Britain. To get from this fact, which is political, and via that, you were more likely to see a woman in Britain at that time as a glamour model or a murder victim, rather than a professional athlete. It evolved from a political statement about women's rights to a lovely cashmere jumper.
Beca Lipscombe: There’s a lot of depth to the work, but at its base they are beautiful garments. Take the football jumper, Scotland is not good at football, but we have the classiest football kit. It's a classic, it's navy and white! It is something that you want to wear so why not utilise this?
Sofia Hallström: I support Fiorentina, they've got a beautiful purple kit…
Lucy McKenzie: In society, we don't take the time to stop and really take fashion apart. That's why we love fashion history and academia so much. and the work of fashion historians like Amy de la Haye, Judith Clark and Caroline Evans are crucial to us. We love taking apart fashion, understanding its depth, and preserving cultural knowledge.
Beca Lipscombe: The jumper that we spoke about recently got acquired to the V&A archive in London, and the V&A Dundee have the outfit on permanent loan in the Scottish design gallery.
Sofia Hallström: Looking ahead, are there any upcoming collaborations or projects that Atelier E.B is particularly excited about, or themes that you'll explore in future collections?
Lucy McKenzie: Our sculptures that will be part of the Cromwell Place presentation will be part of an exhibition of my work as an artist at Z33 Museum in Hasselt. I’m excited because the building was designed by a woman architect, Francesca Torzo. She worked for a long time with Peter Zumthor, who I am a big fan of. It's a really special building.
Beca Lipscombe: On this occasion, we're working with an organic cotton jersey manufacturer, a company called Assembly, and we are hoping to collaborate more with them in the future on sustainable athleisure. We're open to working with big sports companies and exploring new projects for design museums.
Lucy McKenzie: We work on long timelines, appreciating developmental time for our projects. We always have plans in motion, whether it's for next week or next year. Our major exhibition that took place a couple of years ago, ‘Passer-By', underwent three iterations and included a catalogue. Eventually, we'll be inspired to work on a similar project again.
Last Thursday, an eclectic bunch maneuvered their way through the maze-like installation of paintings, sculptures, and photographs designed to reflect an aerial view of a government housing project. Esparza carefully curated every aspect of the ambiance – from a cyber-punk soundtrack curated by Snowy, to a signature scent in collaboration with Brooklyn-based Joya Studio, and a live performance by Eartheater and Onyx Collective – to transport each viewer into the dystopian futuristic love story he imagined.
The next morning, I visited the gallery to get a better understanding of what we witnessed the night before. Esparza shared that he first conceptualized a show like this in 2016, but it never happened – almost by fate. It feels appropriate that the concept came into fruition after a period of pandemic-induced loneliness and doubts about what the future holds. Despite the darker themes of abuse and tragedy in the exhibition, there is an underlying sense of humor and irony that ultimately provides every viewer with a sense of faith and hope for the future. He juxtaposes these themes to shine a light on what he envisions this dystopia to be, “communities rising together and figuring out how to survive as one.”
The exhibition is now open through March 25th, 2023 at 601 West 26th Street in Manhattan. Participating artists include FANTACÍA (Isaiah Barr and Gogy Esparza), Ronald Baker, Luke Barber-Smith, Weirdo Dave, Maxwell Deter, Joseph Cochran II, Phillip Leeds, Chris Lloyd, Melanie Luna, Eva Nelson, Armando Nin, Stephanie Perez, Shawn Powers, Radimir, Camille Rouzaud.
office had a chance to catch up with Alicia to discuss her show and learn more about how she brings these phantasmagorical images to life.
I had to take a second look at a few works in This is the time of the hour to tell that they were paintings and not actual landscapes I could enter. What materials do you work with to create this effect?
Haha wow, thanks. It's starting to become a fairly long process. The texture is a combo of adding some mediums to the priming (gesso) layers as well as building up a lot of layers of oil paint. I don’t want to give away every detail of what I use, but I definitely repaint each entire painting a minimum of three times. Sometimes they end up with five or six layers. Each round I increase, or decrease, the depth and contrast of colors. Bringing it closer and closer to whatever feeling I’m trying to get at.
What grounds your process?
Honestly I would say Emotion. I can’t work without some emotional motivation. Even from the beginning sketches, I practice my lines and shapes until they give me the right feeling. Theres no particular rule to it, I just need the shapes to make me feel a specific complexity of emotion. It's all pretty intuitive and can change a lot based on my current emotional state.
Are there any dreams you return to? Any from your childhood?
It's funny, a lot of people ask me about dreams in relation to my work, but to be honest I don’t actually remember my dreams very often. When I do remember them, they are usually so fragmented and loose. I usually just remember the sensations or emotions more than any visuals. Most of the dreams I remember are stress-related or nightmares. There are a few recurring ones that I’ve had since childhood. In one I’m on a swing moving peacefully for a while, when suddenly, the chain releases the swing and I fall to the ground instantly waking up. Sometimes the same type of dream happens with me walking on a sidewalk and then tripping. I actually love these dreams for their banality. That, of all the dreams I could remember, I tend to remember these almost generic ones. I find that interesting, because it's a dream I know other people are having and maybe never think twice about it. Also the teeth falling out dream, I have that one about twice a year, and it's so common. The collective consciousness of it all is a point fascination.
There’s a light source in every image that seemingly becomes the focal point of the work. At what point in the process do you introduce the light source? Does it impact the trajectory of the entire painting?
The light sources are loosely planned. Sometimes I have these orbs in the composition and then they might later become a light source. Other times they just stay a shape or become a hole. I like to push and pull your eye through a composition. I like to play with depth and light to make the images almost disorienting. The light sources are part of the play. In some works they are there from the start but often they are added in later layers. Its almost like a character or tool I can return to when needed.
What creatures from 80s sci-fi features inspired you in particular?
I don’t know if I actually have inspiration based on specific creatures from 80s sci-fi films directly. I’m more inspired by the visual language and world-building of a lot of sci-fi films. I’m a big Cronenberg fan and I love the different worlds he creates. Sometimes they are very normal seeming, but the lighting and the way people act is what makes them peculiar. It's more the overall attention to small details that makes them special to me. I grew up watching his remake of “The Fly” quite often at a young age in the mid 90s. I was always drawn to its grotesque qualities, but also because it's a tragic love story. I love dramas and doomed characters as much as I love sci-fi.
I know that what you’re making is psychological. However, I still think of microscopic images — a zoom into a nucleus and mitochondria in "Blessed be thy cavity" — and feel like I’m peering into myself, making me a bit uncomfortable but also curious. If there had to be a point, is that it? The feelings that arise, whatever they may be?
Yes that is part of it. I’m trying to create a rise in the viewer. Whatever that rise may be is less specific and I like it that way. I don’t want things to be fully understood, because that is life. I want people to want to study and figure things out, but maybe never fully feel accomplished. That uncomfortableness is what I’m often after. It's interesting that you bring up the microscopic images, though. My mom was a biologist and a teacher (she’s now retired) and during the late 80s and early 90s she studied small mammals at the Powdermill Nature Reserve which is the Carnegie Museum of Natural History’s environmental research center. She would always bring home microscopes and rock sample collections for me to look at when I was very young. When she started teaching, I went on field trips with her science class to study microorganisms at the Loyalhanna Watershed Association. I even interned at the Association after high school with their Youth Conservation Corp. I’ve always had a lot of natural and scientific influences in my life that I carry with me today.
Do you enter a state of trance when working?
Something like that for sure. It will sometimes take me half the day to get ready to work. I need to take care of any small tasks that will be distracting me first — like emails… I give myself two mornings a week to catch up on emails, order supplies, schedule visits, etc. Then once that is done I can let my mind wander a bit. Once I’m ready to paint I usually need something to listen to. I consume a lot of podcasts and I tend to work better when I can kind of let my mind get lost in something. Then the painting becomes pretty intuitive and automatic. Woodworking is different though… partially because it requires some loud equipment so its a little harder to hear things. I tend to switch to music with carving work, the rhythm helps since a lot of it is tedious and repetitive.
How much time do you spend alone?
Quite a lot! I prefer it that way. I haven’t shared a studio for quite sometime and I don’t know if I could ever go back to it full time. The only person I have shared with recently is my partner, Christopher Daharsh. It worked out pretty well, but we both still usually prefer our own spaces. I tend to get distracted too easily with other people around. I like having the ability to get lost in my own thoughts and not feel self conscious about how much time I’m seemingly wasting. (The constant mental battle of guilt and productivity) I moved to a new studio last fall thats a little farther from the train and in a much quieter area. There's definitely no distractions like coffee shops and restaurants, but also the building itself has less units and feels more private. I think eventually I would like to work outside the city and more in nature. I don’t socialize too much during the work week and tend to save that for openings and weekends.
How did your process evolve during the making of these creations?
Well, I made the largest painting and sculptures I’ve ever made for this show. So that was a learning experience. Actually, I think for each of my shows over the past 2.5 years I’ve been pushing myself with trying something new each time. Each show I’ve jumped in scale but also have tried different ways of using wood. I think a large part of my practice is putting myself in an uncomfortable position and seeing if I can figure my way out. I love a challenge… even when I hate it. Haha.
When looking at it as an entire body of work, I can’t help but think, ‘what does this even mean’. You capture that universal feeling of ‘none of this makes sense’ well. Would you say that you see the world for what it is?
I’m not sure any of us do! I think thats an impossible thing to answer, but fun to think about. I think I see the world how I see the world. And that is probably similar to some other experiences but it's hard to ever know. I think the world is a large mystery and I think that's humbling.
