Issue 1 June 2007

GSA

SU REAL

LOCHER’S

CRAFT WARS

THE NEW ERA OF

ORNAMENT

LEARN TO KNIT

FUNKY RAZORS

SUBVERSIVE
CROSS STITCH

MARIE O’CONNER

EDUARDO RECIFE
 HELLO FROM ME What’s inside
19 31

15
Ooh It’s been an exciting 5 weeks putting they are getting more blurred. For myself I 26
together this little beauty. I have to say it am discovering that it’s not the materials but 38
has been a wonderful, incredibly enriching the unique expression of creativity that sets
and educational journey. work and designers/craftspeople apart.
My growing interest in the handmade and
The inspiration behind the concept of this ornate has also helped to direct this project.
zine comes from a number of passions of 19
mine for design, craft, collecting, learning, We take a brief look at Julie Jackson’s
creating and sharing with others This first subversive cross stitches and French label 35
issue (and I hope that there will be more to Locher’s latest elegant line. We also have
come) encompasses national and interna- a look at two local craftspeople/creators/
4 Craft Wars 13 Marie O’Connor 26 Subversive Cross 31 Funky Razors
tional designers and craftspeople alike. It designers Jennifer Paul creator of label su
Excerpts of an essay by A designer and stitch Exhibition
takes a look at the interdisciplinary nature of reaL and Guy Rickard.
Lesley Jackson, curator illustrator with a At first a form of anger St Paul’s St Gallery. May
craft and design and it’s often contentious
and design historian. distinctive craft style. management for 3rd - 6th June.
relationship with visual art. In this issue it is My aim is to hopefully encourage and inspire
Julie Jackson, now a
mostly covered in excerpts from an essay creative people and people who don’t even
8 su reaL 15 Lochers successful business, 35 Must have’s
titled Craft Wars by Lesley Jackson a cura- consider themselves creative to keep on
Interview with Auckland Nicole Locher’s latest website and book.
tor and design historian. creating and to push the boundaries and Cover Image by Marie
designer Jennifer Paul line “perversion with a 36 Collections
definitions of craft, design, art and most O’Connor from Curvy2
creator of label su reaL. touch of style.” 28 Eduardo Recife Stacy McIvor and her
I have always had an interest in craft and importantly creativity. This page: One of my
Brazilian born designer vintage apron collection.
design. After spending the past two and most treasured craft
12 Guy Rickard 19 The New Era of with a handmade
half years studying design, I find that the Bethany McIvor possessions. An origi-
Interests included Ornament aesthetic in his 38 DIY project
distinction between the fields of illustration, Editor, Writer, Designer, Photographer nal tapestry designed
snowboarding, God An essay by Bethany type, print designs, Learn to knit.
2 photography, design, craft and visual art and stitched by my late
and... crochet?! McIvor. photography and 3
aren’t getting any more defined. If anything, grandma Val Hale.
illustration.
 CRAFT WARS
Excerpt from an Essay titled Craft Wars
Words: Lesley Jackson, curator and design historian.
Depending on who you ask, craft either occupies a
netherworld somewhere below art and design, or is an evil
blight on society that ought to be stamped out entirely.
But not only are such prejudices based on meaningless
distinctions, some of the most successful young designers
happen to be craftsmen.
If I say the word “craft”, what is your instinctive reaction?
Do you snigger at the image of massed corn dollies at
a village fete? Cast a satisfied glance towards your Tord
Boontje chandelier? Or rant on about the preposterous deci-
sion to award potter Grayson Perry the Turner Prize? It’s
the curse of the dreaded “c” word. Most of the population
think of craft as some kind of harmless hobby, whereas us
highbrow types get all hot and bothered about something
we call “contemporary craft”, and argue about whether it’s
as good as art or design.
Why is there so much confusion and nervousness about
– and in some cases blind prejudice towards – the concept
of “craft”? It’s not just the contemporary art world, although
it is by far the most shameless in its contempt; many
people within the design community seem suspicious of,
or openly hostile towards, craft. It’s as though they fear
contamination, and feel it would be safer to set up an
exclusion zone. One recent graduate from the Product
Design course at Central Saint Martins told me that in
her department “craft was a dirty word. The tutors didn’t
want anything to do with it. For them, design is logical and
rational; it’s about tackling a problem. They say that craft
doesn’t respond to anything. It’s mere decoration.” But, as
she points out, with the emergence of designers such as
Tord Boontje and the Campana Brothers, craft is currently
at the forefront of design. The Brazilian duo, Fernando and
Humberto Campana, have embraced craft as an integral
4 part of their design practice. Inspired by the resourceful-
ness of the people in the favelas, for whom spontaneous
handicraft (such as knocking up a chair from pieces of
scrap wood) is simply a way of life, they have adopted a
proactively hands-on, materials-led approach to design. For
them, physical interaction is crucial: “Our products must be
used, worn, touched, felt,” they emphasise. “We always say
that materials play an important role in our products. They
tell us what they ‘want’ to be. They come first, rather than
the function and the form.” Significantly, Humberto spent
several years as a sculptor and jeweller before teaming
up with Fernando to design furniture, and during the early
days the duo made many of their pieces themselves. The
success of their current alliance with the Italian firm Edra
relies on access to skilled craftsmanship within the context
of industrial design.
Tord Boontje’s current work is also incredibly tactile and
unashamedly decorative. It’s all about the physical allure of
materials and ornament – lace, crystals, flowers. Reacting
against the austerity of his early work, he admits, “I simply
got bored. I had to find new territory. The old ground had
become too crowded. To me, it’s more interesting now to
work with louder, more visible decoration. I want to chal-
lenge the Conran Shop.” Boontje’s genius has been to tap
into the sensory appeal of hand-crafted historical ornament,
but repackage it for the computer age, exploiting the latest
high-tech processes to produce domestic objects with a
craft aesthetic at an affordable price.
In the light of these developments, the attitudes of
rearguard modernists, such as Stephen Bayley, who argue
for some kind of craft-free totalitarian state, sound rather
reactionary. “Craftsmen demand our indulgence and insist
we treat them as creative artists without, in most cases,
having any access to the higher imaginative and creative
functions which qualify art,” he announced in a polemic
entitled Pottery: The Evil in our Society, in The Independent
on Sunday February 15, 2004), adding that makers (or
craftsmen, as he insists on calling them) “lack the discipline
and technique familiar to industrial designers who need to
be responsive to market requirements.” The implication is
that craft equates with the hands and therefore excludes the
mind (the exclusive realm of Art with a capital A), whereas
design fosters rationality because it serves machines and
the marketplace. However, for many designers, sensory
responsiveness and physical intuition play a vital role in
technical problem solving. You only have to look at the work
of Thomas Heatherwick to appreciate this.
The craft process – expressed as a heightened sensitivity
to techniques and materials – is often vital in triggering the
design imagination. Tapio Wirkkala (1951-1985), the virtuoso
Finnish post-war ceramics and glass designer, spoke il-
luminatingly about this: “Making things by hand means a lot
to me. As I sculpt and mould natural materials, they inspire
me and tempt me to make new experiments.” But equally,
the rigour of the design process is vital to the success of a
one-off, hand-made object – otherwise the results, however
technically impressive, will be aesthetically weak. The late
Robert Welch (1929-2000), an accomplished industrial
designer as well as a talented silversmith, also wrote about
the symbiotic relationship between craft and design in his
book Hand and Machine (1986): “It has long been my convic-
tion that each area can enrich the other to a very important
degree. With silver design one has ‘carte blanche’ ... but then
the discipline of the dual background comes to the rescue,
helping to establish the appropriate functional form and fine
detailing. On the other hand, industrial products may be
designed to embody a warmth of feeling and tactility which
transcends the impersonalised methods of production; and
the silver workshop can become the laboratory of design and
research for industrial forms.”
Before we go any further, perhaps it’s time for me to
come clean and confess that my interests span both
design and craft. As well as contributing to icon, I am also
on the editorial board of Crafts magazine. I also curate
exhibitions and write books in both fields, sometimes
combining the two. To me, it seems entirely natural to be
interested in both areas and to flit between them, as they
are clearly related, particularly in the field of furniture,
furnishings and domestic objects. Yet when it comes to
writing (and in the higher education sphere too), I am
conscious that the audiences for craft and design are
segregated and that neither has much sympathy with, or
knowledge of, the other. Although I am not alone in har-
bouring these dual interests, at times I feel like a double
agent. I am conscious that, in certain circles, it would be
almost treasonable to admit my divided allegiances.
Unlike the term design, which is confident, precise and
positive, the word craft is so clogged up with conflicting
associations that it has become virtually meaningless,
almost a liability. It is this imprecision which represents the
biggest obstacle for the credibility of craft. Each society,
and each sector within society, interprets craft in different,
and often contradictory, ways.
The modern-day concept of craft has its roots in the late
19th-century Arts and Crafts Movement, although whether
its chief protagonist, William Morris (1834-1896), would
recognise his offspring is debatable. He and Bernard
Leach (1887-1979), “father” of the Studio Pottery move-
ment, were fervent anti-industrialists who sought refuge in
craft as an escape from “corrupt” industrialised society.
Both were convinced that the life of the craftsman – be
he an artist-craftsman like them, or an artisan-craftsman,
like the stonemasons of medieval England or potters of
Sung dynasty China – was ennobling and spiritually pure. 5
 “A man at work, making something which he feels will
exist because he is working at it and wills it, is exercising
the energies of his mind and soul as well as of his body,”
wrote Morris. Leach took Morris’s morality and turned it
into a creed. “The pot is the man,” he argued, “his virtues
and vices are shown therein – no disguise is possible.”
Such views were still influential during the Crafts Revival of
the late 1960s and early 1970s, the vigorous, hippy-led,
anti-establishment movement, which promoted craft pro-
duction and rural self-sufficiency as an acceptable middle-
class way of opting out. However, the world has moved
on since then, and craft has reinvented itself. Today the
idealistic, skills-based Morris/Leach view has been side-
lined and a more pragmatic, but artistically open-minded,
view prevails. Old-fashioned, paternalistic terms such as
craftsman have been supplanted by craftsperson, maker
or designer-maker. Potters have become ceramicists.
Studio glassmakers have become glass artists. What
used to be known as the British Craft Centre is now called
Contemporary Applied Arts.
Today, contemporary craft, as championed by the Crafts
Council, is alert and progressive – adventurous in its
subject matter, responsive to new technology and materi-
als, enterprising in its applications, and entrepreneurial in
its business practices. Through avenues such as 100%
Design, Chelsea Crafts Fair and Collect (“the new art fair
for contemporary objects” launched earlier this year at the
V&A), the Crafts Council pushes work that is savvy, sophis-
ticated and urbane. The more imaginative, experimental
and sometimes edgy side of craft is explored through its
exhibitions programme and Crafts magazine.
Last year, a new independent venue called The Hub, the
Centre for Craft, Design and Making, opened at Sleaford
in Lincolnshire (something of a misnomer unfortunately,
given its location away from the heart of things). The
6 Hub’s inaugural exhibition, What is Craft?, featured work
chosen by a variety of practitioners and “opinion formers”
from the craft and design sector. Their varied interpreta-
tions of craft highlight what is its continuing fluidity and
nebulousness. Potter Kate Malone stressed the bond
between maker and materials. For her, craft “must involve
skilful practice, knowledge of material, an ability/symbio-
sis with hands and tools.” Product designer Sam Buxton
also emphasised the practical side of craft: “Take some
ability, add dexterity, mix with artistry, a little skill infused
with know-how, add a touch of ingenuity blended with tech-
nique and expertise, topped with workmanship, and you
have craft.” However, for ceramicist Kate McBride, “craft
is all about design and ideas, which come from having
something to express, more than the skill of making. But
in order to make the ideas work, you do need practical
skills,” she adds.
For conceptual jeweller Laura Potter, craft is essentially
personal: “making processes on a very ‘human’ scale that
give an object a sense of being created by someone,
rather than by something.” Jeweller Tamar Gomez also
focuses on the intellectual and emotional processes that
precede the physical creation of the object. For her, craft
is “an idea or concept in the mind, translated into some-
thing tangible. A form of personal expression that often
transcends the human psyche.” Product designers Tim
Denton and Johanna van Daalen of Electricwig go further,
proposing a much broader and more open definition: “For
us, the intangible, as well as the tangible, defines craft.
Environment, memories, emotions and social context not
only influence the thinking process, but will also dictate
the final form of the objects created.”
The object I selected for the Hub exhibition was a floor
lamp by Sharon Marston, a dramatic feathery concoction,
more like a bodice than a lampshade, made of strips of
woven nylon crin (a stiff fabric normally used for hats) and
long cascading lengths of fishing twine. What I like about
this piece, apart from its technical resourcefulness and
aesthetic bravado, is the way it cross-fertilises different
disciplines (in this case product design and fashion) to
create a new hybrid. Marston was one of the featured
designers in the V&A’s recent contemporary lighting
exhibition, Brilliant. She typifies the growing number of
practitioners who stand on the cusp between craft and
design. Some pieces she makes herself, or with her
assistants, whereas others are licensed for production
by companies such as Innermost. So is she a designer
or a designer-maker? “I suppose I’m in the middle,” she
tells me. “The way I create is very hands-on. I’ve always
used textile techniques, but I’ve applied them to other
materials, like plastics. I draw with the material. It’s
not until I get my hands on the material that I come up
with ideas.” To me it matters not a fig whether Marston
personally makes the pieces. Technically, though, if she
constructs them herself, or if they are made under her
personal supervision, this is craft, whereas if someone
else produces them in a factory, this is design. But for
Marston, and many others like her, craft and design are
not mutually exclusive, they are complementary. In her
case it is impossible to draw a line between the end of
craft and the start of design.
So where does craft fit into the visual arts framework?
Does it have an independent existence, or is it an adjunct
of another discipline? Is it the natural bedfellow of design,
or an impoverished second cousin of art? To me, craft
is simply another avenue of visual creativity, closely
allied to, and at times overlapping with, art or design,
but with its own distinct identity. As with a political party,
some people sit in the centre, others lean to left or right.
Making things by hand is still an important aspect of
much contemporary craft, yet it does not preclude the
use of computers, machines, workshop assistants or
subcontractors. Craft satisfies deep human instincts and
has a powerful physical presence, but it can also carry
complex intellectual messages or emotional weight. Craft
can be sensual, it can be cerebral, or both, as in the case
of Edmund de Waal.
Professor Christopher Frayling, rector of the Royal
College of Art and chair of Arts Council England, is
comfortable with the diverse, multifaceted character of
contemporary craft. Remarking on a recent survey by the
Crafts Council called Making It in the 21st Century, he
observed that contemporary makers “touch the design
world at one end of the spectrum and the art world at the
other – such distinctions don’t seem to mean much to
them any more.” However, other commentators, such as
writer Kate McIntyre, are frustrated by the low profile of
craft within the visual arts hierarchy: “Craft is the second
sex: marginalised, trivialised, feminised, it is undermined
by connotations of domesticity. Decorative-, applied-,
not quite art, craft skirts the issue of function, and is not
quite design. Craft loiters, seemingly without intent, on
the fringes of the visual arts, laden with the potential to
subvert.”
Perhaps we all need to relax and stop being so
judgemental about craft. We should accept the open-
endedness of the term. To dismiss craft wholesale, just
because we feel uncomfortable with some of its more
embarrassing associations, is to ignore a rich seam of
creativity. It’s time to put an end to narrow-minded ter-
ritorialism and to formulate opinions on the basis of the
intrinsic quality of the work. Yes, there is plenty of bad
craft in circulation, but probably no more than the amount
of bad art or bad design. The existence of the mediocre
should not detract from the validity of the excellent.
The original text can be found at http://www.icon-magazine.
co.uk/issues/016/essay.html
7
 Su Real
A FASCINATING INTERVIEW WITH SU REAL
CREATOR JENNIFER PAUL ABOUT HER WORK

How did you get into the type of design you are
doing now?
I’ve always made things - I think it began with my fas-
cination and love for these cool party hats our mother
made us when we were really young and the beautifully
handcrafted clothing my Nana made me. Both my
grandmothers were very talented craftswomen. Basi-
cally desiring to do something I love, led me to pursue
design on a more frequent basis.
How long have you had your label su reaL?
su reaL was set up about 14 years ago in Sydney.
What does your range cover?
I began designing screen printed tea towels, went onto
3D cushions; that led to bags, then a whole range of
different fashion accessories. I also design and create
cards, pictures, gifts etc.
What are the latest things you are working on?
Currently I’m obsessed with these painted silhouette
pictures, that are classic underneath, but quirky on
top. Whilst they’re progressing, I’m hand knitting hats;
working on a promotional stationery idea; marketing
strategies and constantly drawing and writing in my
design book; and trying to find a workroom.
Jennifer Paul’s collections
and su reaL products on
What or whom inspires you?
display at her home
All kinds of friends inspire me - creating a surprise gift
idea can set off a whole range of things, however, I
think my greatest inspiration comes from a deep rooted
need and belief to be true to myself, and to create for
8 and share with others.
Novel Book Bag
“Buzz off I’m
swatting”
What is the appeal of the handmade to you?
Handmade speaks of soul, love and nuturing energy.
Machines and mass production basically have no appeal
or soul to me, unless it’s something like a pen.
What is one piece that you are most proud of?
Maybe it’s the collage with fabrics on canvas of a table
setting and surrounds with a plate of baked beans etc I
made for my father. Dad has these jokes about baked
beans, and he’s very appreciative of things. He always
has a meal ready on the wall.
What’s been the most interesting or satisfying
thing about starting your label and what’s been
the hardest?
Most interesting thing is probably realising, through all
the challenges that are presented, just how much I want
to keep progressing, and all the things I’m learning.
Hardest thing would be the frustration of not having an
adequate work space to be fully productive, and the
impact this has on my family!
9
 How would you label yourself? A designer, creator, stitcher,
craftsperson or other?
I guess I see myself as a designer and creator, although people usu-
ally refer to me as an artist.

What are your interests outside of your craft and design?

Interests are family, socialising, styling interiors, fossicking in charity
and second-hand shops, make-up, philosophy and spirituality, walking,
helping the elderly, music, flowers, food.

Your works have been featured in Viva, where else could we

have spied your creations?
Stacy Gregg photographed some accessories for Sunday magazine.
Sometimes I’ve sold to stores; necklaces worn by Charlotte Dawson
on TV.

Where can we find your products?

My products are only available through my studio at present,
although I’m working on ideas to sell to stores.

You are also a collector of sorts. What are your

most treasured finds?
Where do I start! Bone china plates with black
lace and roses, old tea cannisters and ginger jars
(especially with chinoiserie designs, amazing old
haberdashery and antique lace trims from my Nana,
glamorous vintage perfume bottles, religious icons,
trinkets, funky retro cups etc.

What one item would you rescue if it there

were a natural disaster looming?
Apart from my family and beloved cat, I would try
to cram as much stuff as possible in my arms - family
love letters and pictures, my mother’s painting, my
father’s personally played taped piano music, my brother’s
handmade Bast statue, my Nana’s handmade felt bag and
scrapbook, my sister’s poetry etc. All the sentimental stuff.
I’m sure I could carry more!

Photos this page. Clockwise from top:

Tweed Beads. Swatting bookmark or
bag decoration. Urban Fuschia Society
10 Rosette. Opposite page: Green with envy 11
painted vintage lace necklace detail.
 GUY RICKARD

GUY RICKARD IS A 20 YEAR OLD SNOWBOARDER

INTERESTED IN SNOWBOARDING, GOD... CROCHET(?)

Guy has been making things and using his hands for a good
part of his life so far. After being shown a few crochet tips Guy
started practising and then improvising and now considers him-
self awesome at the technique which he uses to create beanies
“you can wear on your head”.

When asked whether he was faced with any criticism towards

being a 20 year old whose hobby is traditionally considered a
woman’s hobby he said “yeah I guess but who cares, get your
head out of your ass I say”.

A man of many talents, Guy considers himself a creator. He also

creates other handmade items such as beanies, shirts, jumpers
and “heaps of crap”. The feedback for his designs and home-
made ware have been really positive. The beanies are a favourite
Marie
O’Connor
and are in hot demand. He is currently working on finishing off his
winter print designs and moving onto his summer stuff.

12 The self established label he creates under is called GSA and can 13
be found at www.myspace.com/gsahead. For only $35 you can
order your own customised coloured beanie.

Marie O’Connor is a designer, illustrator and fashion
consultant. Primarily craft-based in approach, she uses an
array of found materials, stitch and collage techniques in
her work. Commissions include an exhibition installation for
fashion designer Caroline Vogel, artwork for Levi’s, Tank,
Dazed & Confused, Mined and is a regular contributor to
Shiseido’s style magazine Hanatsubaki.
Marie works on collaborative and independent proj-
ects, building a diverse folio of work across a range of
disciplines: she has developed her own ‘Origarment’ shoe
range for fashion label Evisu, her one-off T-Shirt collection
is featured in the book ‘200% Cotton’, and she has done
some textile prints exclusively for ‘Coco de Mer’.
Marie has exhibited work in London, Hamburg and New
York. Also a member of London-based collective Peep-
show, she works on illustration and animation projects,
site-specific customisation of spaces and group shows.
14
Locher’s
“perversion with
a touch of class”
The last person you would ever imagine
creating the sweet yet perverted Locher’s
line, is an innocent Swiss girl straight out of
“The Sound of Music”.
In 2001 Nicole Locher opened her design
atelier in Paris. Taking inspiration from
found objects from flea markets in Paris
and London, she creates her unique style by
combining elements of vintage and modern
fashion into a single concept.
Nicole recognised the amazing beauty found
in the embroidery done on a turn of the
century handkerchief lost in some grandma’s
drawer. She marveled at the technique and
realised that embroidery done today was
never of this quality. It became her mission
to bring back the refinement of this embroi-
dery style and to add it to shirts that would
be in fashion today. To counterbalance the
elegance and antiquity of the embroidery,
she adds the playful charm of a dirty saying
embroidered into every shirt.
This puts the youthfulness front and center
to every top, making it something your
Mother wouldn’t wear and Daddy shouldn’t
see. The basic concept behind her latest line
is “perversion with a touch of class”.
15
 THE IDEOLOGY BEHIND LOCHER’S WRITTEN BY
NICOLE LOCHER

From a very early age we develop a need to set ourselves apart

from the crowd. For most of us, that means finding ways to be
noticed. Let’s be honest, we all feel a certain degree of satisfac-
tion when others take notice of us. It makes for a great boost to
the ego and leads us to stand in the spotlight just for a little bit...
In the quest to be unique, we are always looking for ways to drop
obvious clues to others that there is something special about us.

When I design clothes, I attempt to make the clothes help bring

attention to a woman’s uniqueness. The best assets a woman
has is her youthfulness, freshness, but mostly her sense of
humor. These assets should also be brought out through what
she wears. What she wears should let people know she is
unpredictable, one of a kind, and can dazzle men with her wit
and charm. When it comes to fashion, I am a firm believer in “the
basics”. Nothing is better than the simplicity of a great cut top in
a fresh colour, then add an eye catching element that gives the
whole piece some “BANG”.

I created Locher’s to meet the needs of a woman that wants

to be subtly noticed and recognized when someone get close
enough to read “the small print”.
And one more thing you need to about Locher’s is that we never
ever compromise with quality and we never ever will...
16 17
 50 Things about Nicole:

1. Her mom and her share the same birthday 31. She lost her hearing in one ear when she was 8 but
2. She has 4 brothers and 2 sisters which are all giants and that got all fixed again
most of all crazy and chaotic 32. Her favourite outfit as a girl, was a velvet dark green
3. When she was a young kid, she used to go outside during dress her grandma bought for her
summer rains and dance with her siblings in front of the 33. She loves roller coasters
house in her bathing suit 34. When she was a kid she built various cat traps with her
4. Her shoe size is 42 (10 in USA). Her left foot is 1.5cm siblings that actually worked...
longer than the other one which makes finding shoes very 35. In college she worked in a toy store during the Christ-
difficult for her mas time and almost went ballistic
5. When she was 7 she wanted to be a tap-dancer, then an 36. But she loves children. They make her laugh
air hostess, pilot and archeologist 37. She never liked Barbie
6. She would love to have a tame chicken as a house pet 38. She would like to take fencing lessons
7. She is incredibly “klutzy” and constantly bangs her head 39. She enjoyed reading Charles Bukowski
on things
40. And was secretly in love with Gregory Peck
8. Listening to Billie Holiday makes her happy
41. Lying in the sun too long makes her nervous
9. She likes to sing, but is not very good at it
42. Doesn’t like spas at all but prefers a bath at home
10. She hates 80ies music... hates it!
43. Was in girls scouts for 12 years
11. She talks too much... she knows...
44. Likes pan heated warm cookies dipped in milk
12. She takes great pleasure in refilling things like spice jars
45. She always keeps a close eye on her buns
13. She prefers going to the movies alone and alot
46. She loves the name Lily
14. she constantly munches and nibbles on things
47. Her dream is to go to outer space one day
15. She likes tree houses and Richard Neutra
48. She misses her family in Switzerland
16. She seeks cosiness where ever she is
49. When she is old, she wants to be like Miss Marple
17. She hates being cold but she always is all year round
50. She took guitar lessons with a nun and was told by her
18. She is fascinated with serial killers but couldn’t cut a to quit trying to play an instrument...
dead chicken for cooking
19. She hates cleaning the fruit juicer and also vacuum
cleaning until she got a Hoover
20. She gets totally bored blow drying her hair
21. Jack Nicholson makes her howl with laughter
22. and Jude Law is just too damn beautiful
23. She loves the smell of melted butter with onions
24. Loves roasted chestnuts and couldn’t imagine a winter

the new era of ornament

without them...
25. She thinks a snowforest is breathtaking
26. Her bed is her best friend and she needs a good eight
hour night
27. She likes scrounging old attics and fleamarkets FROM A FANTASY ENVIRONMENT WHERE TENDRILS UNFURL, EXOTIC ANIMALS LURK AND
28. She just doesn’t understand all that fuss about Star Wars
FLORA SPROUTS AT WILL, EMERGES WHAT SOME DESIGNERS ARE CALLING A BREATH OF
29. She wants to do this “cage-shark-feeding” thing Text from Locher’s website. Check out the
FRESH AIR AFTER SO MANY YEARS OF MODERNIST RESTRAINT.
18 30. She likes to take close-up pictures of things gorgeous Locher’s range at www.lochers.com 19

Ornament can clearly been seen as a prevalent
force in visual culture today. In an essay on the
recent Decriminalisation of Ornament in Eye
magazine, Alice Twemlow speculates on whether
ornaments resurfacing in graphic design could
be explained as a need to find a “visual currency
as contrary and exotic as possible” in contrast to
modernist and neo modernist design which have
dominated design practice and discourse until now.
In James Trilling’s book Ornament, he discusses it’s
definition, uses and it’s somewhat misunderstood
past. He quite simply describes ornament as “the
art we add to art” and is “separable from the
functional shape of the object”. Ornament is defined
as an embellishment. The construction of ornament
he describes as building blocks of “individual
forms known as motifs. A motif is anything used
as a motif; it is not defined by its origin or shape,
or the presence or absence of representation. He
notes that complex patterns can be made from
20 simple patterns, or complex motifs to make simple
patterns. Though still acknowledging that ornament
can also still exist without distinguishable motifs.Opposite page:
‘Cleo.belier’ by
Sophie Toulouse.
Trilling also refers to ornaments many uses.
A mixed of
Although he feels that its uses pale in comparison computer and
to ornaments “one great purpose, to give pleasure.” traditional media.
Above: ‘Untitled’
Graphic designer Marian Bantjes made a similar
by Nem.
point on design dialog Speak Up when she said,
“decoration is a bad work in design, in art, archi-
tecture and interior design.” She then went on to
say how in our culture we “associate pleasure with
guilt, and then we struggle to rationalise away our
pleasure”. Martin Venezky also echoed this thought
in an interview on Speak Up. When asked what his
thoughts on decoration were he said, “that decora-
tion, for its pure visual stimulation and wonder, is a
fantastic thing. Our response to it is part of being
human. Pattern, variation, texture, colour, qualities
of light and shadow, figure and ground – all of these
things produce sensations in us that are based more
on biology than rationality. The elevating of engineer-
ing to an aesthetic ideal is based on the purity of
rational and mathematical though. The merging
of the two – or perhaps the resonance between
the two – can create a deep engagement. Architects and
composers have known this for ages. Designers seem
to be forever struggling with the notion. The two worlds
clash throughout culture and history. It is a classic contest
between the (emotional) warrior and the (rational) lawyer.
The argument of ornament associated with rationalism and
functionalism is not a new area of thought. Owen Jones
and Le Corbusier all gave their opinions on the necessity
of ornament and on how, if and when it should be used.
Austrian architect Adolf Loos wrote Ornament & Crime in
1908. His argument was that ornament was a representa-
tion of backwardness, in that it slowed cultural progress.
He felt it was a waste of effort to add ornament, as the
Left: ‘Peacock’ by ornament would then cause it to become dated. His ideas
Jasper Goodall.
helped to influence architecture and the modernist move-
Center: ‘Thrift
store chic’ by Jasper ment. Most of the last century’s debate around ornament
Goodall. Felt tip pen centres around architecture. Although Ornament is specific
and illustrator. it stretches across all the arts.
Right: Kunsthaus
Bregenz billboards
January 2006 Though post-modernisms complexity and layering aesthetic
Vector art. Marian through the 60’s and 70’s helped to bring decoration back.
Bantjes with Stefan It seems it has taken time to shake the stigma of Adolf’s
Sagmeister. In Bregenz
Loos’ comments about ornament being immoral.
dialect: “Jömmara
isch blöd. I söt eappas “Only recently have efforts to fuse modern and post-modern
tua odr’s vergessa,” aesthetics moved beyond superficiality,” notes Trilling.
(Complaining is silly.
Either act or forget.)

The principles of modernism are convincing and damning
for ornament. It has rightly told us that ornament is super-
fluous to the function and shape of an object. Modernism
has taught us the beauty of undisguised materials and
to appreciate the basic structure and functional form of
an object. A lack of time and patience distances us from
ornament and decoration. “We have been schooled to
mistrust, despise or simply ignore it.” To understand out
fears we must begin to understand Ornament.
He also acknowledges that ornament is also a powerful
tool of style and identity. It is helpful and necessary in the
role of ethnic and cultural self-definition. “Modernism in
contrast is metropolitan. Rejecting the past, it set itself
above traditional identities. To grasp a culture’s ornament,
from within or without, is to grasp its heritage, it’s unique-
ness and it’s joy.”
It’s been a long time since Owen Jones’ Grammar of Orna-
ment (published in 1856) proposed his philosophy for
ornamental design to help students and designers in the
fundamental principles of good architecture and composi-
tion. His proposition suggested that decoration should
22 adhere to mathematical and geometric proportions.
Far left & Left:
Both ‘untitled’ by
Christopher Rabino
at studio18hundred.
Above: ‘untitled’ by
Caroina Melis.
It seems that today, in designer Jessica Helfand’s opinion
that, ornamental designs adhere less to geometry and
structure than to more botanical forms which she has
deemed “thornament”. In a post on design observer she
blames the “culture of easy access” on a majority of
designs that lack skill and clarity of communication. But
the confusion is in the distinction. Designs that are heav-
ily layered with dense graphics whilst appearing chaotic
are often arranged by hierarchy and require a visually
literate viewer to take the time to decode and read the
message. It seems that efforts to get viewers to spend
more time looking at a design to understand what’s go-
ing on, is on the rise.
One person bringing the decorative into the design
limelight is Denise Gonzales Crisp. In her research and
work, she attempts to bring Ornament and what she
terms the DecoRational into the forefront of design
debate and discussion. In her online research archive,
she describes the current state of Ornament. “It’s not
that the decorative impulse in graphic design has been
dormant, nor that designers have dutifully avoided
embellishing for nearly a century.... What was gone
missing is written public analysis: a useful discussion of
Top Left: ‘Please say yes’ by
Marian Bantjes. Vector art.
Center: ‘Hjarnslapp’
bookcover by Hjarta Sarta.
its value. My studies and stumblings consistently wind
up at the door of architecture whose theories, histories,
and criticism have always opined at least in some part
how ornamentation is to be understood. On occasion
it became a central issue. And so I wish to make the
subject of the decorative a focus in graphic design, and
to do it in addition to the craft concerns and in conjunc-
tion with architectures discussions.”
Gonzales Crisp, who comes from an illustration
background, finds the idea of making pictures “allow-
able”. She says this is even the way she approaches
typography. “It’s in typography that you find the deepest
tradition of the decorative with graphic design: type
designers made decorative borders and ornaments that
were integrated conceptually with a type family.”
Gonzales Crisp defines in an article in Eye, what makes
the DecoRational so different from the decorative. “The
rational aspect of the DecoRational, is its capacity to
tell, not only in a story-like way, but also in a metonymic
way in the same way that icons do.... Life is very com-
Right: ‘untitled’ pattern plex and much of graphic design’s time gets spent on
by Elke Kramer refining and organising and making things clear.
Bottom Left: ‘untitled’ 23
by NEM.

There are all kinds of ways to think about graphic
design’s service, however. It can also be about establish-
ing empathy or providing escape.”
In her essay titled Toward a Definition of the DecoRa-
tional, Crisp concludes that “the Decorational dares the
attempt to be true to now. It honours many meanings
in many forms, honours histories and contemporary
currents, communal and technological invention. The
Decorational intends to engage with that of rational
design. The Decorational finds pride in craft, joy in
materials, (our material is digital! Our digital is material!).
The aim is not nostalgia, nor pastiche nor irony, but to
reflect and be the complexity of our time (which could be
nostalgic! Ironic!).”
Gonzales Crisp has deliberately named her exploration
the DecoRational and believes that stating the decorative
in such a way is important to “establishing the value of
the decorative to a persuasive, necessarily rational activ-
ity.” She feels that the tagline “form follows function”
is a slogan made known by architects and last century
designers which continues to “criminalise the decora-
tive.” She also suspects that the “rationalist aesthetic as
theorised and practiced by mid-century modernists is not
only of a different time, but of a different place, a differ-
24 ent gender, a different ethos.” In her essay she quotes
Le Corbusier saying “modern art is not decorated.” She
concludes that after Le Corbusier’s architectural theo-
ries, any decorative impulses would need to conform to
a machine like logic that expressed not only modern life
but also promised to redeem it.
The future is digital and Gonzales Crisp acknowledges
that the computer lets you attend to the complexity,
detail and amplification which are key to decoration. “At
base, the decorative is now exuberantly technological.”
Designers like Marian Bantjes, Hanna Werning and many
others have utilised developments in technology to
enhance their designs.
It takes a certain kind of passionate obsession to
produce this kind of ornament. Bantjes admits that she
has “a very uneasy and, yes, guilty relationship with
decoration. I do it because I have to; its an obsession.”
In an interview Bantjes points out interestingly “the
decorative arts appear most famously in religious
works. There really is some kind of connection to love
and inspiration there. The thousand ornamental ways
that Islamic calligraphy praises Allah; the glitter of
stained glass windows and the excess of carved arches
in churches; illuminated manuscripts. Where there is
genuine love, care and craft. I think there is something
being communicated that cannot be communicated in
any other way... There is something about ornate intri- Previous Page: Left:
‘untitled’ by Caroina
cate work that seems to stir the soul in most people.”
Melis.Center: Title
Bantjes claims there is a distinct visible difference be- page for ESPN
tween good and bad ornament. Anyone can repeat an magazine article on
icon over and over again but “a good pattern is like Wil- Larry Johnson by
Marian Bantjes.Right:
liam Morris where the tiling unit is seamless. You have
detail of ‘Andflora’
to analyse the whole pattern to find where that tiling gretting card by Hanna
unit is.” Her own technique in developing her patterns Werning.
begins with drawing on graph paper. She then scans This page: Right: ‘You
and Me #1’ and ‘You
the drawing into Photoshop and repeats the design.
and Me #2’ by Marian
Bantjes. Ballpoint pen
Trilling explains, “When we think of ornament, to praise on paper.
and condemn, we usually think of patterns, integrated, Bottom: image by
Kelvin Soh from the
composed of distinct motifs, orderly and predictable
Wilderness.
even at their most intricate.” The intricate patterns
of Swedish designer Hanna Werning, are a valuable
example to the use of ornament and decoration in a
contemporary and technologically current way. Werning
combines flora and fauna along with repeating patterns
to create captivating designs which have been applied
to stationary, wallpaper, fabrics and even ceramics.
According to Trilling “ornament is almost never original,
the skill lies in turning a recognised form into something
different – familiar but also unique.”
Even in our own design backyard it seems ornament
has taken hold. With everything from local print media
to fashion and web design in New Zealand being
influenced. The only question that remains is whether
this lush new aesthetic is here to stay or will it fade
unfashionably before it even makes the history books?
It clearly hasn’t gone unnoticed but only time will tell.
What does seem evident is the amount of online discus-
sions about ornament for its rational, functional and
emotional value to design and society today as a whole.
Is seems discourse is alive and well concerning orna-
ment and decoration. Designers and the general public
alike are examining the past and looking to the future
for the next visual installment. •
25
 SUBVERSIVE CROSS STITCHER JULIE JACKSON
INTRODUCES US TO THE PHENOMENA OF
SUBVERSIVE CROSS STITCH
Welcome! I’m Julie Jackson: discoverer of new forms
of dorkiness, avoider of unnecessary phone calls and
social commitments. Most popular girl in the office (I
work alone).
Subversive Cross Stitch began in the spring of 2003 as
a form of anger management therapy when I was dealing
with a mean idiot* boss. Since I got such a kick out of it,
I thought I’d share the idea and offer this crafty form of
therapy to others through kits. Then things got crazy.
I’m the gal who lived in Rome for a semester and never
once saw the Sistine Chapel because there were too
many Fiorucci stores in my path (pathetic, I know). I’m
the gal who goes out of her way to save small animals
and give bottles of champagne to homeless people (my
husband refers to this as my Imelda Marcos complex).
I’m the gal who talked my way into an internship with Mis-
ter Rogers’ Neighborhood while I was stuck in Pittsburgh
at grad school (weekdays were spent with Heidegger
and Husserl; weekends in the Purple Panda suit at public
appearances with Bob Dog and Mr. McFeely). I’m the
26 youngest in a family of seven kids and all of our names
begin with the letter “J” (even my parents). I’m the first
one to remind you that self-induced hilarity is absolutely
vital and if you think your GPA will matter for the rest
of your life, you need a reality check (and a cocktail,
sister!).
Oh, I’m really just the smart-ass you probably think I am.
I’m not much of a joiner, so you won’t see me doing
book signings or hanging out at craft fairs. Not that
there’s anything wrong with that, it’s just not my scene.
Also, you won’t see my photo out there, because I value
my anonymity (I mean, look at those fools on reality TV.
Ech!). Besides, it’s really not about me, it’s about YOU
and where you take this idea and how you make it your
own. That said, I’ll throw in a couple of odd photos to
quell the rumors that, like JT Leroy, I really don’t exist.
I do. Just ask my cats. They oughta know, those needy
little bastards.
Text from www.subversivecrossstitch.com. Subversive
cross stitch is also a book and can be found at your
local retailer.
Images are of cross stitch kits available from the subver-
sive cross stitch site.
27
 Eduardo Recife
A TYPOGRAPHER, PHOTOGRAPHER, DESIGNER
WITH A NOTICABLY HANDMADE STYLE.

Eduardo Recife was born in 1980, Belo Horizonte Brazil. He

started his own website titled Misprinted Type to showcase
his designs and experimental typefaces.

In 2003, Recife launched the 2nd version of Misprinted

Type and got the attention of many magazines, books and
websites. Media Temple also took notice and offered to
host the site.

Eduardo’s skills and creations cover a number of disci-

plines. He draws, creates typefaces, photographs, collages
and creates vectored artwork.

Eduardo creates most of his drawings, collages and type-

faces by hand, and employs the computer to enhance the
personal touch and not to obscure it. Evidence of decay in
his work reflects his recognition of the decadence of the life
around him, notably urban and at times distinctly Brazilian.
He produces his artworks for himself, for magazines and
art journals, and while he sells a few of his typefaces, many
are available free. His work, including his typefaces, may be
viewed at his website.

Some of his well known commercial clients include Burton

Snowboards, Digitaria, Entertainment Weekly, F/Nasca,
Fast Magazine, GNU Snowboards, Graniph, Nakd, Panic!
At the Disco, Rip Curl, Showtime, The New York Times and
many more.

Opposite page: Clockwise from top: Panic! at the Disco

t-shirt design. History is Fantasy ad for... Burton snow-
boards t-shirt design. Promotional race and hollywood

28 ad. Photos this page: Top: Eduardo Recife commercial

29
website. Bottom: Personal website.
 DIESEL SHORTCUT DOWNCOME

Porcelain Disgusting Behaviour PASTELARIA

Type posters and examples of just a few of eduardo’s free fonts
30 available at his website www.Misprintedtype.com
Funky Razors draws on the idea of funk to
survey cultural production outside of the
art gallery.

Curator Ross Liew says of this visual mash-

up: “Funky Razors examines the cultural
product and productions that come from
these diverse communities extending to
elements of behavior, dress, style, attitudes,
and approach. Culture is the participant as
much as it is the process and product.“

The gallery space is used to uncover the

richness of cultural life throughout Auckland,
to make visible what is hidden, make public
what is private, and to give value to what
is often regarded as trash. Established col-
lectives such as Fleet FM and the Craftwerk
fair are profiled alongside little known
groups such as The Shoe Kings, with one of
Auckland’s largest sneaker collections, and
a host of individual artists and musicians.
Stretching across a multitude of cultural and
social groups, the exhibition also spans two
galleries in separate cities; St Paul St Gal-
lery in central Auckland, and Te Tuhi Centre
for the Arts in Manukau City.

Text by George Clinton at www.aut.ac.nz/schools/

art_and_design/st_paul_street_gallery/exhibi-
tions_2007/

Images opposite page:

Top: Selection of Craftwerk
goods. Bottom: Second area
of St Paul’s gallery showing
photography, multimedia and
sideroom magazine. This
page top: Photos of Craftwerk
stalls. Center: Wall detail from
entrance. Bottom: Wall detail 33
from entrance. Next page:
Craftwerk Items on display.
Must Haves
Cross stitch pins.
Skull and bird
available online
from www.pre-
sentandcorrect.
etsy.com

su reaL reversible
beanie. Gorgeous
brown, pink and white
on the neopolitan side
and a yummy brown
on the reversed side
which is called nut.
Made to order.

Skeleton earings with

articulated joints avail-
able online from www.
emmbob.etsy.com

Amanda A’Hara
cross stitch’s
from Craftwerk
display at Funky Bird encyclopedia
Razors Envelopes (Pack of 6)
available online from
www.presentandcor-
rect.etsy.com
 Collections

THESE PAGES CELEBRATE SOME OF THE

PERSONAL AND UNIQUE, DESIGN, CRAFT
AND ANTIQUES DIFFERENT PEOPLE HAVE
PICKED UP OVER THE PAST FEW YEARS.

The very first collection profiled are a selection of the

vintage aprons owned by Stacy McIvor. She began col-
lecting a number of years ago. The collection includes
full aprons but mostly exists of half aprons. She talks
about her collection...

“The thing Iove about vintage aprons is that for

items created for mundane, routine housework
and chores, they are full of beauty and originality.
Great care has been put into the choice of fabric,
detail, embroidery, design and they are beauti-
fully finished. I enjoy exploring op shops and
experiencing the thrill of finding a great apron for
between 50c and $2.00. I especially treasure the
aprons friends and family have added to my collection.

36 The aprons shown are a small selection of the collection.

They were given by friends and found in op shops.
 Learn to Knit
Casting On
The instructions below will show you how to
cast on and to make a knit stitch, also known
as garter stitch. If you follow them exactly,
you’ll complete a 7” by 9” block.
With these basics, you can make a scarf, hat,
pillow, bag or any number of projects.
Beginner Knit Block
What you need:
- Worsted-weight yarn, any color or colors
- Size 8, 14”-long knitting needles
- Yarn needle with big eye
- Small scissors
38
Casting On
Step 1: Make a slip knot on the shaft of one needle.
This counts as your first stitch.
Step 2: Place this needle in left hand. Hold other needle
in right hand to control the yarn. Insert point of right
needle, from front to back, into the slip knot and under
the left needle.
Step 3: Hold left needle still in left hand, and move left
fingers over to brace right needle.
Step 4: With right index finger, pick up the yarn from
the ball.
Step 5: Release right hand’s grip on the needle, and use
index finger to bring yarn under and over the point of
right needle.
Step 6: Return right fingers to right needle, and draw
yarn through stitch with point of right needle.
Step 7: Slide point of left needle into back of new
stitch, then remove right needle.
Step 8: Pull ball yarn gently to make the stitch fit snug-
gly on needle. You have now made one stitch (called
casting on), and there are two stitches on left needle
(slip knot is counted as a stitch).
Step 9: Insert point of right needle, from front to back,
into stitch just made, and under left needle. Repeat
Steps 5 through 9, 26 more times, until you have 28
stitches on the left needle. This completes the cast-on
row, which is the way all knitting is begun.
First Knit Row
First Knit Row
Step 1: Hold needle with stitches in left hand; insert point
of right needle in first stitch, from front to back, just as
in casting on.
Step 2: With right index finger, bring yarn from ball under
and over point of right needle.
Step 3: Draw yarn through stitch with right needle point.
Step 4: This step now differs from casting on: Slip loop
on left needle off, so new stitch is entirely on right needle
This completes one knit stitch. Repeat Steps 1 through
4 in each stitch still on left needle. When the last stitch is
worked, one row of knitting is completed.
Now measure your work. It should be about 7” wide. If it
is too wide, start over and cast on fewer stitches; if it is
too narrow, start over and cast on more stitches.
When the width is correct, begin next knit row as follows:
turn right needle and hold it now in left hand. With free
needle in right hand, work Steps 1 through 4 of First Knit
Row in each stitch. Again take needle with stitches in left
hand, and work another row of knit stitches. Work rows
of knit stitches until block measures 9” long.
To complete the block, now bind off all the stitches.
Binding Off
Binding Off
Step 1: Knit the first 2 stitches; insert left needle into
stitch you knitted first, and pull it over the second stitch
and completely off the needle.
One stitch is now bound off.
Step 2: Knit one more stitch, insert left needle into first
stitch on right needle, and pull it over the new stitch and
completely off the needle. Another stitch is bound off;
don’t work too tightly.
Repeat Step 2 until one stitch remains; now cut yarn
from skein, leaving a 6” end. With needle draw end up
and through last stitch to secure it. Thread yarn end
into yarn needle and weave end into several stitches to
secure it.
Instructions sourced from www.learntoknit.com
39
 thank you

Thank you very much to my wonderful tutor Delaney.

Thanks for your encouragement. This has the most enjoy-
able project in my degree so far. Thanks to my classmates
for your support, advice and ideas.

Thanks Mum for helping with the proofreading, letting me

make a mess and letting me photograph your aprons.

Thanks to Jen and Guy for contributing. To Holly, Mikey and

Ben for being my best friends and number one fans.

If you like any of what you’ve seen here. Please don’t

hesitate to contact me. If I get enough encouragement I will
bust my to make another one for you to enjoy more often.

Do you have some crafts or design you would like to see

showcased in the next issue? If you’d like to advertise,
make a submission or give encouragement please contact
me. My email is craft.d.zine@gmail.com

40