WWW, TNP
WE WANT WAR
THESE NEW PURITANS
DIRECTED BY DANIEL ASKILL
SCULPTED HELMET BY JORDAN ASKILL
We have decided not to die
With less than a month before I return to Sydney’s sunny shores, I revisited this 2004 Australian film masterpiece by the brilliant Dan Askill, an enigmatic Sydney filmmaker with a keen eye, a flair for high-octane, poetic drama and an old soul. The three part film is a ritualistic unfolding that consecrates the soul through air, fire and water. Starring Kasia Werstak, Jordan Askill and Daniel Askill. The preview can be seen above.
Collaborative works with his equally creative brothers Jordan and Lorin Askill prove that nothing can stop Daniel and this triumphant triad, as they realise world-class projects in Sydney, New York and Paris.
My knives are like a tongue. I love you, I hate you.
This hasty image does not do justice to the ethereal quality of the heavy carved sculptures created by German artist Philip Wiegard for the Spring Summer defilé of Meadham Kirchhoff, held at the University of Westminster for London Fashion Week on Monday morning.
London designers Benjamin Kirchhoff and Edward Meadham presented one of the strongest collections this season – their unique deconstructed aesthetic offering up a modern and feminine mix of utilitarian structure with wistfully draped shirting, silks and jerseys in inky navy, black and soft citrus pastels.
Proportions and silhouette were examined with a deft and artful touch, with light fabrics bunching and clinging to the shoulder, waist or bust for easy volume and without the forced drama that harbours behind the work of many designers today. Trousers came with a demi-skirt, dissected at the knee, or with an athletic, subtle jodhpur effect in panelled cottons or soft linen.
Stiff boxy tee shirts in metallic glitter pink, bronze and black were an injection of armour, and sheer dresses in spidery lace, polka dotted gauze, and bedecked in velvet bows offered lightness and movement.
The whole presentation was underwritten by an immediately striking flat shoe – a patent brogue with velvet laces. Mediocre non? Quite the opposite in fact, when heeled with the spiky, ornate electroplated resin clusters created by Sydney jewellery designer Jordan Askill, based on a repetition of his swooping swallow necklace.
To seal the circle on this holistic, collaborative approach to fashion that I truly appreciate, I found the invitation to the show to be an enticing and beautiful artwork in itself, and a complement to the feminine yet razor sharp collection. Embossed on the cover was french artist Louise Bourgeois’ quote:
“My knives are like a tongue. I love you. I hate you.”
Sinfully poetic.
