Nicholas Elliott
Presented by
B-STORE
24a Savile Row
London
14 April-10 May

B- STORE is pleased to present-- a solo exhibition of installation – The Gates of the Gods by Nicholas Elliott. The show is made up of two installations one named after the title of the exhibition and ‘Prometheus series 2008.

Prometheus one of the Titans, an immortal God of fire, (creator of man) was punished by Zeus for stealing fire, and thwarting his attempt at destroying man which is how he came to be bound and tortured.
Of Prometheus “ Not only did he give fire to humans but, according to Aeschylus, he was responsible for a host of other cultural benefits he taught man to build houses, to distinguish the seasons and understand the signs of the stars, to use numerals and letters, to yoke oxen, to tame horses, to sail ships, to manufacture medicines, to foresee the future, and to interpret dreams and other warnings, Humans previously as helpless as children, were taught by Prometheus to think and see. (Prometheus Bound 422-506)
During the day an eagle would consume his liver only for the organ to grow in time for the next dawn. The piece seeks to reinterpret this myth, the gift of fire by Prometheus to Man is seen to symbolise technology, and in the installation Prometheus is represented as a man-like machine. Prometheus is the culmination of mans technological revolution, inorganic made no longer from flesh and blood humanities complete devolution from Nature. In response we see the battle between the natural world and the machine.

‘The Gates of the Gods’ is the sight of ritual between two spectral skeletons. The piece is an amalgamation of different forms of worship. Shamanic ideas lack the institutional framework and the centralization that other forms of worship have and in doing so can be adapted for any place and time which is apt for the society we live in which bastardisation of culture is rife. The work conveys that death and birth are cyclical parts of nature. The Knight kneels on the back of a turtle shell. The turtle is regarded differently in a number of religions in the Far East, the shell was a symbol of heaven, and the square underside was a symbol of earth and so was seen as an animal whose magic united heaven and earth. In the West, early Christians viewed them as symbolizing evil forces during war and in Greece, turtles were once believed to be citizens of hell.  The Shaman who stands over the Knight is healing or initiating him.  The two crows are symbolic more of the spiritual aspect of death, or the transition of the spirit into the afterlife, although they have long been associated with death and pestilence and as harbingers of doom for there diet of carrion within European folklore. The scarab beetle is an Egyptian symbol for regeneration and resurrection. The installation looks at our western appropriation of variant culture for the creation of our own homogenised belief systems.

London-based  Hans Christian Madsen has recently graduated from the RCA specialising in menswear and tailoring.

Originally from Denmark, Madsen takes a refreshing and contemporary angle on experimental knitwear, inspired by classic US military uniforms.

The results are chunky, oversized knitted layers in grey and coal nuances worn over neat tailoring. A perfect balancing act.

Q&A

Q.How do you describe your style?
 
A.Nordic Folklore reinvented
 

Q.Who inspires you at the moment?
 
A."Rebel style": 1950´s youth culture, the time between the end of World War II and the election of John F. Kennedy. The shift in Hollywood film, the fresh wave of actors: Marlon Brando and James Dean. This new attitude and style: the leather jacket combined with jeans and T-shirt.  All in combination with traditional handcraft techniques to evoke a casual image.
 
 
Q.How do you describe this collection (SS08)?
 
A.My work is a personal expression though a process orientated approach to design –a tradition of beautiful simplicity meets the minimalism and medative style of the military clothing and the Scandinavian Knit tradition. A clean graphic line with references to the importance of good craftsmanship and knowledge of material. The clothes are casual and the design is based on thorough design work and focus on techniques.
It is a modern approach to the classic military clothing, a masculine minimalism combined with a detailed look, with finely sharp silhouettes. Relaxed and comfortable elegance, built around eloquent designs in grey nuances.
 The look is Scandinavian style with a twist of a raw sporty military look.

End.

On Thursday 13 March b-store hosted the preview of Previous Arrangements, the latest collaboration between photographer Tim Gutt and set designer/art director Shona Heath.

Guests enjoyed a Japanese-themed evening.

The photographs bring together their different styles – Gutt’s minimalism and Heath’s expressive nature - in a series of iconic images that are inspired by a class in Japanese flower arranging that Gutt took at the Daiwa Anglo-Japanese Foundation in Regent’s Park. The clothes used in the images were selected from designer Peter Jensen’s archive, adding an extra dimension to the end result: a selection of breathtakingly strong images that have a cinematic and almost daydream quality about them.

Valentine’s Day hosted Spijkers en Spijkers’ AW08/09 show. A show inspired by Scarlett O’Hara a muse and heroine both strong-willed and dynamic.
The collection was romantic and integrated feminine shapes and textures using bold colours such as gold, red, aubergine and green amongst staples black and cream.
Strong shapes took centre stage with garments such as panelled bell-shaped coats, short wide jackets in silk, and dresses that came in at the waist echoing a strong 1940s silhouette; and classic tailoring elements were introduced in their high waisted trousers, pencil skirts and blouses made of gauze and silk. Their dresses were playful in their detailing; ruffled sleeves, removable collars and embellished trimmings.

The overall feel was one of lightness, strength and vast amounts of style.

b Clothing - Kaleidoscope

b Clothing’s presentation, Kaleidoscope, represented three ways of looking at the same thing. Repetition was reinforced by using three cameras to film and project, and was reflected in the choreography as three models, appearing together, circled the set three times.
Shapes were clean and sharp using interesting lengths, such as trousers ending at the ankle and short biker jackets worn over classic slim-fitted shirts in fun fabrics -including a red and a burgundy check. Accessories featured grey pilgrim hats, white-rimmed circular glasses and some super-slim belts ideal to complete the look.

Carola Euler - Apres Ski

Carola Euler’s show title was Après Ski and took a regular sports collection to an unprecedented level of precision and sexy style. The models and the music were fast-paced reflecting shear confidence and sophistication; and her signature use of detailing was conveyed by the use of padding, folds, and zips. The colour palette of neutral pewter, slate grey, silver and white with a splash of burgundy reflected an alpine scene and key looks included a pair of tailored ski pants and a very sharp corduroy metallic grey suit. A very hot collection to be worn on the coldest of days.

American Psycho hits the slopes

Carola Euler describes her work as strong, sharp, sexy and ironic and if she had to pigeonhole it she would define it as Nouveau Classic, as she is all about re-inventing classics in a modern way.

In her AW08 collection, the use of irony is subtle yet constant: ‘I sometimes worry that people won’t get my sense of humour, as fashion can be perceived as very serious’ says Carola. Her work is continuous - as soon as one collection has been shown, she is already planning the next one often using ideas that she didn’t get around to implementing in the one just gone.

‘Putting a show together is like creating a work of art’ she says. Her themes tend to be based on ideas or fictional characters which she then dresses up. This season she has chosen a rich boy in his early thirties who goes skiing every year and stays at his family chalet. Money is no object, he is arrogant, self-obsessed - in the American Psycho sense - and he hangs out with beautiful people. Although he might venture onto the ski slopes once or twice during the week, most of his time is spent sipping champagne and lounging around is his thermal underwear. Her favourite piece this season is the sweater.  ‘I love their intricate collars, which are technically very complex and sophisticated but look very easy. I like things that are not ‘in your face’ and that are hidden. A lot of my work is like that’. It is her effortless simplicity and sense of humour that have become her signature style and like Helmut Lang, one of her favourite designers, Euler’s quest is to find balance and to know how much you can take away before something stops working.