Air images Talk

Halloween at Winterwell

2011-11-13T01:32:00.001-08:00

Since three generations the photo studio in north west London has been in the hands of Dina's family. Dina is a business woman, owning one of the best equipped and most popular photo studios in the country. Her fashion business and production company makes her one of the most influential personality in the industry. But there is a dark history connected to the family business and Dina puts a lot of effort into keeping journalists away.

Meet Dina:

Meet the Crew: Richard Veer the photographer and JC the art director from Germany

Meet the energetic special effects stylist Bryony:

It is well known amongst the people who worked for and with Dina that in and around the studio strange things keep on happening, which has led to dozens of people abandoning Dina, who now is in constant need of models, stylists, interns, assistants, receptionist etc.

On Halloween Dina decided to put on a party to not only distract from the problems she has with the press but also to recruit new people.

With a series of test shoots she tried to recruit models to re-stage the Adams Family for a new special season campaign. The brand is secret, one of the policies of Dina: She doesn't tend to talk about her clients, which makes it difficult for the press to get information.

"The darker the better!"

"We want to shock!"

"Yes, there is potential."

"We'll get back to you."

"I like that."

'A lot of potential.' according to the art director JC:

"Interesting idea. Keep it going."

" Yeah, good attitude."

V.I.P.Talk at the Roundhouse

2011-05-27T08:29:00.000-07:00

After lots of POPtalk over the past month, last saturday we opened our VIP room for one afternoon and received lots of interesting people. It was a great opportunity for us to ask the questions we always wanted to ask Very Important Persons and to give them a good time.

Our insight is: Everybody is a star. You just have to believe in it.

V.I.P.Talk at the Roundhouse

2011-05-25T14:49:00.000-07:00

Laura Döhler - Performer

Maria Vargas - Make up artist

Jaime Leme - Photographer/Performer

Bettina John - Designer/Performer

POPtalk - vol.3

2011-05-05T07:08:00.001-07:00

We all have our own idea of what and who 'Pop' is, yet there seem to be some reoccuring themes and a certain aesthetic accociated with it. But what exactly that is, is hard to pin down and to argue about. How long has 'Pop' been around? Isn't it an ongoing occurance that have been existing over centuries? What is 'Pop' today and who makes 'Pop'? Do we all know about it and understand it? Can we read it? And most importantly are we part of it? Do we have to part of it? How??

Asking some people to dress up as their own pop icon was the starting point for this examinative and participatory photo-shoot. Participants contributed with a great deal of input to getting closer to what the iconography of 'Pop' is, when coming with clear ideas of how to look like and in some cases fully dressed and styled. The series of photographs, a selction of an ongoing project, shows only a small glimpse of what can be considered 'Pop', yet already reveals several constistences.

Performer: Sarah Sayeed

POPtalk - vol.2

2011-05-04T11:13:00.001-07:00

"Audrey Hepburn was a smart polyglot, humble, non traditional beauty and with such a class that was something not to be missed. I, myself as a performer with an accent, her legacy gives me hope to my own career to follow her path and reassures me that everything it is possible."

"I have always admired Gaga’s dedication to her art. It was an absolute privilege to become her and embody her aura for the duration of the shoot."

'The juxtaposition of JLo the icon and Jennifer Lopez the person really intrigues me - on one side there is a soft vulnerable person doing everyday things and on the other there is a polished, perfect image that is almost unattainable.'

"I have been a fan of this actress/singer since I was 5 years old and she is my idol. When being asked who my pop icon might be I chose her because I thought despite her superstardom it was quite an original choice. I love all the films she is is in but my favourite is Mary Poppins. In my eyes this character is confident, quirky, unique, elegant and polished, Practically Perfect in every way... "

'She leads you in a waltz down along an invisible border between the lands of showmanship and confessional, your feet lightly tripping into strangely familiar territories. The music stops and you stand face to face. This is not celebrity. If that's what you wanted, you should have got somebody else. And yet. And yet in spite of this, just when you think it's over, the music starts up again and you begin your dance once more.'

"I have admired Natalie Portman for a long time. Intelligent, talented, political and beautiful, she exudes charisma. Her roles are numerous and varied, from off-beat Indie film to Hollywood blockbuster, she can do it all. Her performances are so distinctive that they often become iconic - from Star Wars to Closer, even to the recent 'Black Swan'."

'She's a great girl with age and inner strength beyond her years.'

We all have our own idea of what and who 'Pop' is, yet there seem to be some re-occuring themes and a certain aesthetic associated with it. But what exactly that is, is hard to pin down and to argue about. How long has 'Pop' been around? Isn't it an ongoing occurance that have been existing over centuries? What is 'Pop' today and who makes 'Pop'? Do we all know about it and understand it? Can we read it? And most importantly are we part of it? Do we have to part of it? How??

Performer (in order of appearance):

Gabriela Bellard

Elinor Drew

Zoshia Nowicki

Kaye Quinley

Aimi Percival

Sarah Bell

Lizzie Frances

Michelle Ghatan

Kathryn Hegarty

Make-up and Hair:

Una Louli

Katherine Shaw

A visual discussion on 'Pop'

2011-03-15T05:53:00.001-07:00

Anna Kompaniets

Konstanze Koch

Torsten Holder

Joey Holder

Helen Pierce

Anton Oltar

(commissioned by Bellyflop)

Make-up and Hair: Maria Vargas

Location: Studio Joey Holder

Life Social Networking Station at Fishtank

2010-11-29T13:51:00.001-08:00

In the Rag Factory, just off Brick Lane on the evening of the 27th and throughout the 28th, we were taking Fishtank guests on a tour ending in a big surprise for some, others had guessed but were up for it anyway. Fantastic people, open to play, experimental, chatty, beautiful and very clever joined us throughout the two days of Fishtank Festival to connect to us and other people.

Sometimes slightly torn about the idea of virtual networking we thought what we need is a real live networking station, where we bring people together that wouldn't maybe meet and/or only under very different circumstances. If people wanted to know what other people do for their living or how often they call their mother, what they would love to have for christmas or even just what their names were, we tried to tackle those burning issues. The end station was our photo booth where people could think about their next profile picture, how they would like to be seen just before christmas at the end of 2010 and manifest their new connections in the picture, which then becomes the proof of that memory of this memorable night.

Craziness made possible with the help of performance artist Laura Doehler as Laurastar and Maria our fabulous Make-up artist and Hair stylist.

Noam and his friend Rebecca met charming Cenan who helped him to find Fishtank Festival and decided to join them...

Open for everything they embarked on a rather surreal journey.

'Fantasie - is fine...'

'Changing clothes - I don't care...'

Noam and Rebecca met back there in Israel and decided to go on a trip to the desert...

And here Rebecca, Noam and Senan together with Tom, who's friends didn't mind him to join us for a bit...

Hey Tom, I like it!!

Zac & Greg

What a couple...

Jonkwan, the man and Robbie...

Peter and the italian sisters!

A Skiset for Francesca, a whee for Eleanora and a Rubberdog (?) Elisabetta

Alex, not George and Jowita!!

Always needing socks, not grumpy nor Graphic Designer but a Social Network Manager. AMAZING!!

How do you want to be seen next?

David and Guy...

Just getting CRAAAAZY!!!

Mike, John and Vahakn, the dream team.

He always enjoys the party and has a good sense for vegetarian as well as names!

Does NOT smoke!

Politically involved?

Jacket from Australia.

Half spanish?

Pink Floyd made me think...

Ravenbeatscrow!!! Now you know!

Sam thinks he thinks the party was 'great'...

Well, looks like John and the rest of the band are having a great time ;–).

Called my mother 3 times this week.

Is thinking about getting a dog for christmas.

Going to Saint Tropez for holidays.

Daniel and Seiko...

Loving Berlin and Barcelona!!

No matter whether vegetarian or not, muesli is good anyways, isn't it?!

We absolutely loved your Cake, Melanie!!!!

Melanie Denyer

Chef de Suzzle

www.suzzle.com

Meet the Crew...

Laura, Bettina and Maria as (in order of appearance)...

And meet Lewis from Fishtank!

1970 Sugar Magazine Lady?

Tennesse Babe...

Laurastar

Maria Vargas

Watch out, she is not only gonna make you even more beautiful but also crazy.

And Jaime, as our serious Photographer!

No, not the hairdresser...

Craziness made possible with the help of performance artist Laura Doehler as Laurastar and Maria our fabulous Make-up artist and Hair stylist.

http://www.whereartyou.co.uk/AIRImage.html

http://www.fishtankfestival.com/?page_id=31

Details on Request> London Fields

2010-11-29T13:27:00.000-08:00

STOFF FEST 2010 STOCKHOLM FRINGE FRINGE

2010-11-01T08:47:00.001-07:00

A Virtual Group Image

When we went for a few days to immerse ourselves into the brand new Theatre Fringe Festival in Stockholm, we got to meet a lot of interesting artists and we wanted them to meet each other as well. We organized surprise group images, "Virtual encounters of hidden, lost or fictitious personas or aspects of one's personality". Sounds complicated? Well, it's not at all: Participants didn't meet in real life, but with a little bit of fantasy imagined the people they were joining in the image. Later we introduced everybody virtually to each other and the results you can see here. Enjoy your company!

And the STOFF team:

PLAYfashion @ Wolf&Badger

2010-10-26T01:17:00.000-07:00

On a freezing but sunny saturday we tried to engage the Notting Hill community.

PLAYfashion with the House Collective

2010-09-27T14:11:00.000-07:00

an interactive Photo-shoot at a pop-up shop in Soho on Saturday the 25th of September

During the PopUpHouse exhibition in Soho we came for one day to do our interactive and participatory Live-Photo-Shoot, a mixture of fashion, documentary and portrait photography. Visitors as well as the artists involved had the chance to dress up and mingle with the models being made ready for the fashion show planned for the evening that day. Exploring the environment and the people acting in it, it was a brilliant way to mix up people and their roles. Not only were the models themselves partly recruited amongst the visitors - truly participatory - but our participants became models and subject to an audience made up of visitors coming to browse through the shop's range of product design, clothes, textiles, paintings, illustrations etc. - a truly confusing, therefore liberating and inspiring scenario.

This pop-up shop with its immersive setting allowed visitors to become part and blur the boundaries of creators and receivers, that became visible in the photographs. Yet again, in the setting of vibrant Soho the images show a diverse audience and truly new configurations.

http://housecollective.net/

BBC Children's

2010-09-09T06:12:00.000-07:00

AirImages at the CBBC for a "Live Test Shoot"

From left to right:

Kieron Townend, Jaime Leme, Helen Richmond, Luke Fresle (doctor?), Clare Smith (nurse!) and Bettina John

Brix Lane Remixed

2010-08-02T02:33:00.000-07:00

A collaboration with singer and producer Sarah Sayeed.

AIR IMAGES PERFORMANCE: Brick Lane

2010-07-23T09:52:00.000-07:00

Taking over the streets around Brick Lane on a very sunny sunday afternoon was a lot of fun. During our adventurous journey from Spitalfields Market up to Bethnal Green Road and back we stopped a few times with our crew to sometimes more subtly then other times create a scenario not necessarily identifiable as a performance nor quite everyday life. We had some magical moments as well as funny and exciting ones. Somewhere between performance, theatre, photography, fashion and documentary this intervention doesn't quite fit in a box yet has its relevance on a way to somewhere else.

If you ask yourself, what are these photographs about then you're thinking in the right direction. Not documentary, nor landscape or architecture, not fashion, nor advertising these photographs elude identification with any of those categories. One question arises here: Will those images be relevant in our image driven society if onlookers can't read the image, don't have references, don't know where to locate them? Don't we need to seduce first to make people look at something and then ask questions and make people think? Or does it work to ask questions first and then convince with the images? We are not sure.

Thanks to our amazing performers:

Stephan Silver

Amy Smith

Joyia Fitch

James Wallace

James Buxton

Magali Muxart

Lieve Carchon,

to the fabulous Make-up artist Katherine Shaw

and to Tina Remiz and Ronit Meranda.

FISH TANK FESTIVAL 2010 - Live Fashion Photo-Shoot

2010-05-31T04:27:00.001-07:00

It was on a lovely sunny friday evening on the roof terrace of the Queens of Hoxton, a club in the heart of London, where we encountered some wonderful people, open to play with us and explore the idea of a participatory fashion editorial photo-shoot. As part of the annual arts and music festival "Fishtank" AirImages and artist Holly McCulloch as the set designer got together with great creative minds to experiment with the language of fashion and contemporary culture. Amongst barbecued sausages and Cuba Livre we found ourselves playing and enjoying the construction of Live-Images with guests as well as with the other artists using this platform to present their music, sculpture, poetry and intellect. For most, so I presume, a night full of fun and joy, hopefully memorable moments, captured in a photograph, for us yet again a rocky journey with unknown outcome.

Why do we do that to us?

Flipping through yet another magazine sometimes can be as little interesting as waiting for the bus. Whether it is Vogue, Dazed or ID, on the surface very, very different, but essentially they do comply to the same rules. All platforms for highly talented photographers, stylists, make-up artists, directors, producers (and everybody else you can think of) yet, if you don't follow the rules it's not your chance and not your platform.

www.myspace.com/boymandeville

Only Vice offered a different concept for a while but slowly and surely their shocking and provocative, snapshot-red-eye aesthetic has been made consumable and sneaked into our understanding of aesthetic. What are the chances to get published in a magazine like that without a model, a make-up artist, a stylist and at least a basically well composed and lit, thought-through photograph? I think - very little. The alternative to the classic, technically immaculate and graphically pleasing image: Red eyes, exposed bodies and lots of "don'ts"?

Not feeling part of one world nor the other can be utterly unsettling, yet leads ideally to something new.

We are exploring the blurring of fashion and costume, of persona and personality and of performance and real life. What has been emerging is not fashion, nor art, not documentary photography nor performance art, not theatre and nor activism. We don't know what it is and we feel the pressure...

Airimages for Holding Time Festival (11 april 2010)

2010-04-15T01:35:00.001-07:00

Armed with costumes and props we inhabited a gallery space in West Kensington with our 'Image Laboratory" and explored yet again the potential of clothes to conjure images. Our work was amongst 25 other artists all concerned with the question of holding time whilst creating work. None of the artists has their focus on the outcome but rather on the process. The materialization of that process often doesn't give enough clues about the work and the labour put into it. This exhibition suggested new ways of manifestations of that work in form of objects rather than video for example. The emphasis on video as a means of documenting work in process and performances, where the outcome doesn't suffice to show it, is phenomenal and only little alternatives are being considered and explored.

Suicide attempt in a Japanese post office
(Starring Richard, Nicki and Warren)

'Handless Joe' being mad at his manager for not giving him enough money

Pierre de Montvoisin in 'conversation' with Helena:

Writer and intellect Paolo in conversation:

Yeah, Joker...That's me!!

Jo!

Amrita having wild dreams...

Airimages for Details on Request (April 2010)

2010-04-05T05:19:00.000-07:00

This time we set up our 'Image Laboratory' in East London as part of an exhibition that devoted itself to work in process. We felt this is the right place for the launch of our new costumes that can turn you into someone else. Dressed with them our participants got the chance to experience a new aspect of their personality and perform that in front of the gallery visitors. They became art pieces themselves amongst the other art pieces of the nine artists featured in the exhibition.

Airimages for Immersion Program / Central Saint Martins ( December 2009)

2009-12-08T03:42:00.000-08:00

Airimages for Area10: Halloween (October 2009)

2009-11-03T10:35:00.000-08:00

WHAT AN EXPERIENCE!! As Image Inspectors we were looking for imagetic potential amongst the audience, that came to see the homo ludens cabaret night at Area10. Kicking off with a very smooth thursday night, we reached our climax with an obscure horror movie scene. On the beautifully crafted stage built by the host of the four performance nights - The Sawmill collective - our participants went crazy with developing characters - familiar and unfamiliar. We had a desperate wanna be housewife, a pirate, Kylie Minogue, Vigor, a film-director and many more. On friday we discussed and visualized themes like stress, alcohol, indifference, being in the shadow of somebody or satisfaction. But the most horrifying horror movie scene we created on Sunday, when we together with some involuntary volunteers, a poetry slammer and a petrified audience created an atmosphere of mixed feelings - a space filled with indecisiveness, confusion, embarrassment, admiration, pity and incomprehension. After the longest 5 minutes I have ever experienced of this talented poet inviting people to participate in the horror movie - the show was over.

Airimages for Area10 (September 2009)

2009-10-03T09:36:00.001-07:00

In this semi-public environment of the famous "Area 10 Space Project", an experimental, open and playful atmosphere, similar to how one imagines the circus, in Peckham, London; there, we injected our photo-studio to channel this creative energy over the span of the four nights of performances with the aim to create "Live-images". The "Sawmill Project", the organizers of the performance nights, gave us the opportunity to experiment with our project in a playground, where people were open to give unusual and expressive forms to those images they had in the back of their mind. With the help of carefully chosen objects, props, clothes and set-designs, tailored to that uncommon venue, we facilitated this process of "Live-image-construction".

We prepared our approach and program to Area 10 in consideration of the expected situation and type of audience. With the help of specific methods, we made images participants had in their mind, coming from media, society, tradition, education, religion etc., visible and/or interpreted them. This was a mutual procedure, which was as much dependent on the effort of the participants as it was dependent on our effort. In that sense we would like to thank the participants to make this happen together with us.

Airimages at Brick Lane (August 2009)

2009-10-03T09:30:00.000-07:00

Having had the experience of being in Brick Lane, yet being remote from it's huzzle and buzzle, we did a performance right among the craziness of the sunday market in Brick Lane, at a time, where vendors start selling all kinds of things all along and the morning grocery market is finishing and packing up. One of the sunniest and warmest days of this summer, we injected ourselves in the most busiest time and area possible. An area full of image-aware people, creatives, writers, models, musicians, designers, artists and plenty of Jacks of the trades, all immensely aware of their own image, of fashion, fetish and the industry - an amazing clash of cultures and socialization - an atmosphere highly likely for interesting to happen, but at the same time a place hard to control and to predict. For this very fashionable place we mobilized professional models, a stylist, a make-up artist, a few assistants and a large format camera to attract people being drawn to dozens of other things worth engaging with. Used to happenings like that, passers-by made up their own images of what they assumed the photographs to be about, to look like and to be for. Which magazine the photographs were for, which designer the clothes were made by, which model agency the models came from or if their daughter could contact the model agency, were questions been asked not only once. The photographs people imagined us to produce, never were produced, but were only created in passer-by's imagination. A making off of something never made.

Thanks to Carpe Diem (model agency), Mike, Victoria, Alberto, Nana, Charlotte, Ryan, Kito

Truman Brewery - Exhibition (July 2009)

2009-09-30T10:55:00.001-07:00

Making up the core of Brick Lane, an area, which over the last years has been enjoying an increasing popularity, a huge space in the second floor of Truman Brewery was our base for five days as part of an exhibition of 21 multimedia artists. As opposed to the idea of an exhibition being static, we were present all the time and organized and hosted three events. those event, ranging from a "Live-Fashion-Shoot" to improvised theatre with artist Anna Kompaniets in charge of the costumes and make-up, allowed us to explore imagery with an audience highly aware of media. Compared to the incredibly busy streets encircling the building it was rather calm in the space, which gave us on one hand the feeling of intimacy but required us on the other hand to attract people. These consideration, which had made beforehand, resulted in a rather elaborate preparation. For the set we chose to look like the abstract idea of a photo-studio and created a cubical space, open enough for visitors to watch as well as inviting to inhabit the space and take part, yet with the feeling of privacy, which we catered with a lounge area for.

Thanks to: Anna, Nadine, Wharney, Nana, Azeta, Inga and all the other participants.

Embankment vol. 2 (July 2009)

2009-09-30T10:52:00.001-07:00

Being probably the area with the highest density of cameras and the most photographed places, we engaged people to stop for a moment and think about images, image-taking and image-making. By setting up our happening on the famous mile of street-performers along the embankment close to the London eye, we became a spectacle ourselves, competing with the other performers for attention and at the same time learning more about the business of street-performance, where it isn't about competing but respecting each other. Being both performers and audience, we eventually were taking pictures of the street-performers, attracting that way the most possible crowd of spectators. Another theme we pursued along the embankment, a popular destination for families, happy couples, strollers and all kinds of other groups, was the traditional family and group portraiture, an imagery passers-by might relate to fairly easily. This theme made it possible to approach people, take pictures of them, engage with them and show the city and it's streets in a new way. A time, where street photography seems to be to die out, due to privatization, regulations and the pertinent suspicion towards taking pictures.

Embankment vol. 1 (June 2009)

2009-09-30T10:49:00.000-07:00

Kollektif 22- Exhibition and Live Photo-Shoot at Goldsmiths Cafe (May 2009)

2009-09-28T15:26:00.000-07:00

Yet another environment: A cafe with an attached gallery was the place for us to not only merge staged scenes almost inextricably with a frolic, unstaged party situation during the opening night of our exhibition. To connect the gallery with our photo-studio, which we had set up in the cafe space, we projected in the gallery what was happening in the cafe, in order to attract visitors to come to the cafe and either just watch or even participate in the photo-studio. The music, mixed by two very talented djs (Geroid and Asier) helped to loosen up.

Airimages for Smiths Magazine (February 2009)

2009-09-28T14:50:00.000-07:00

As ultimately random and odd this one afternoon in Goldsmiths University's photo-studio was, as much we conceived and supposed a situation like this. A fashion-shoot happening for the Smith Magazine was subject to our photo-shoot. We invited three people to embody the main characters of a fashion-shoot, the director, the model and the photographer and asked them to stage a fashion-shoot for us, while we were taking pictures of that and they were taking pictures of us, standing on the white backdrop. What happened was even better: That is the essence of what we do: Randomness anticipated and channeled to become "live-imagery", made happen and witnessed by the camera and eventually captured to leave a trace of incredible experiences.