Going through Emma Bell's pictures posted on her Instagram page is a bit like stepping into a magically surreal world made of thousands of colours, flowers, cute animals and smiling anthropomorphic inanimate objects. Bell's images are indeed a pretty and crazy visual diary mixing photographs from her recent holiday to Japan and pictures from Korea, where she is currently living.
Rather than getting trapped in the stressful and conventional routines and rhythms imposed by the fashion industry, the artist and fashion designer decided indeed to embark onto a series of exciting creative experiences and projects. Since we last spoke to her, Bell has worked in Vienna, Taiwan and Slovenia, and has recently moved to Korea.
In Seoul, Bell is exploring the local culture, traditions and language while experimenting with new materials, colours and shapes. While Bell has never been afraid of mixing colours, textures and patterns in her designs, this new experience is definitely allowing her to absorb other influences. The shoulder line of some of her designs has started evoking the gently sloping roofs of Korean temples, and who knows which other traditional or architectural references she will be reworking into her wearable art pieces while living there.
Irenebrination is honoured to have Emma Bell taking over the site today and sprinkle on it her colourful magic.
How did your holiday to Japan go?
Emma Bell: It was magical, thank you! I spent a few days shopping, temple hopping and people watching in Tokyo, before whizzing far up north into Hokkaido where I sampled the more rural side of things. I spent some time in a beautiful little town called Furano which is famous for its rainbow-like, striped fields of flowers; it had been a longtime dream to see these colourful hills, so it was really awesome and gave me a tonne of inspiration!
In the last few years you have been working in other countries as artist in residence. Can you tell us more about your experiences?
Emma Bell: I embarked upon my first residency a few years ago as part of the Quartier21 AiR program at the MuseumsQuartier in Vienna which was a really exciting experience and started a new chapter in the way I was working. Prior to this, I had been mainly concentrating on my fashion label and working freelance as a designer. My first residency gave me the chance to explore more artistic avenues by focusing more on print and textile methods and aiming to bridge design and art by creating wearable art pieces. I found it really exciting to be able to step away from the commercial constraints of design and work more on pieces that were able to use unconventional materials and didn't necessarily have to have a practical or functional purpose. I went on to work as artist in residence with a project based in a tiny village called Mino in Japan which has a long-standing history of washi (paper) making and is home to various skilled craft masters such as lantern makers. This was a totally different experience for me as I got to explore working with traditional, handmade paper and combining with modern medium such as plastics and latex through knit, weaving and print. I made an intentional decision to spend some time travelling and working as artist in residence, so that I can place myself in new surroundings and amongst a different network of creative talent and produce culture specific collections of work based on a particular period of my life. I since participated in residencies in Taiwan, Slovenia and Korea which all gave me a chance to develop news series’ of work as well as focus on collaborations with locally based artists, photographers and fellow creatives. Last year I spent 3 months working with a contemporary art centre here in Korea called ‘Incheon Art Platform’ and, during this time, I was based in a little yellow bungalow on Baengnyeong-do Island. It was incredibly rural, very remote and essentially a military frontline as it sits only about 10 miles away from the North Korean coast. It was a really interesting project to be part of and also gave me great insight into Korean lifestyle and culture which I totally fell in love with.
Do you feel that all these experiences and residences have influenced your design processes/collections?
Emma Bell: Definitely! I find being thrown into a situation where you have to adapt to either new environments or cultural expectations to really push me into a different way of working. When I'm in an alien scenario I'm much more switched on and observant because everything around me is so different, whether it be something as simple as a little back street to a split second glimpse out of a bus window and also down to the relationships and exchanges I have with people that I meet on the way. Likewise with my approach to physically producing work as I have worked on projects which have been in total contrast to each other in terms of access to resources and available facilities, so I like the idea of sometimes having to adapt and create regardless of the ease of what you have at hand. For example, there have been times when I've had everything on the doorstep from digital printers to endless fabric markets and then other times such as last year on the island when I was so cut off from the world for weeks on end that I had to pack myself off on the boat from the mainland with enough fabrics, trims and yarn to see out the duration of the project. My attitude to problem solving in terms of my design process is one thing that has been massively influenced by my time overseas.
When did you move to Korea and how long do you plan to stay there? How are your Korean language classes going?
Emma Bell: I arrived here just over 4 months ago and the time seems to have whizzed by! My plan is to just go with it and see how life here pans out, so, as of yet, I have no end date in sight! I really want to make the most of the experience here, though, and take as much from it as possible by learning more about the culture, so the idea is to stay at least a year and then evaluate it all. My Korean classes are beyond a challenge! It's the first time in about 10 years I've had to do homework too! Learning Korean is pretty much a double whammy affair as on top of the complicated lingo there is also the task of learning how to read and write in Hangeul characters! I feel it really helps here to be able to communicate and it opens a lot of doors, so I'm hoping I start to get a better grip of the language and eventually be able to string a sentence together. So far I can ask for a trash bag and say "It’s 1 p.m. in Moscow"!
Will you be working on any new fashion collections/shoots/exhibitions while in Korea?
Emma Bell: Yes, I am currently working on building a new series of wearable art works which are influenced by my daily life and experiences here. I began collating research and scribbling in my journals from the moment I stepped off the plane and have since been developing new concepts and sampling before moving these new ideas into finished garments. I have been looking at traditional Korean craft techniques such as folk embroidery and quilting and experimenting with ways of working them into contemporary design. I've got some exciting shoots scheduled working with some talented photographers and creative teams here in Seoul which we will hopefully go on to present at an exhibition here in the city. I also like the idea of using Seoul as a base to engage more with the Asian platform as I feel it works well with the direction of my design so it's been great whilst being in this neck of the woods to start to make connections also with publications and new networks in other Asian cities such as Manila, Tokyo and Kuala Lumpur. Most recently I've been involved in a project with a contemporary boutique and creative space called LLL+ which is the brainchild of a store called LAH'LAH'LAND that works on exposing both Malaysian and international designers, it's great to get involved with creatives in new places!
Did you find any unusual materials to incorporate in your looks while travelling in Korea/Japan?
Emma Bell: Being in different places is a great chance for me to collect new materials and experiment with mediums that I might not otherwise encounter. I like the challenge of working with fabrics or items that wouldn't usually be used in commercial fashion such as bamboo, paper, metal and polypropylene. Being in Asia there is a lot more exposure to such materials such as bamboo fibres being woven into cottons; back when I did my previous residency in Japan I got to visit a factory that makes socks and thread out of paper! The socks were amazing, you would never know they were made from super strong washi threads and they could even go in the washing machine! It's great to get to pick up on both new technologies and traditional materials that are specific to certain regions as it helps create so many new ideas during the design process.
What's the fashion scene like over there at the moment and are you stocked in any Korean stores/shops?
Emma Bell: I really love the fashion scene here as it's so diverse. Just out and about on the streets - regardless of neighbourhood - you see so many different types of looks ranging from the typically Korean super frilly, girly fad to people imitating their favourite K-Pop stars, a lot of the younger ones are mega into the Hip-Hop angle, so it's a real free for all out there! I really love that there are so many independent designers working out of Seoul and there's also some really interesting brands ranging from the more commercial high street labels such as 'Style Nanda' to wonderfully talented designers that I really admire such as Steve J & Yoni P and Heezin Jung. As of yet, I'm not currently stocked in Korea, so it would be great to find an outlet here that fits with my brand!
Your Instagram images are always extremely colourful – what inspires you the most about Asian culture - art, fashion, film, the music scene, food or temples?
Emma Bell: So many things! I absolutely adore the culture and the pride that people in Asian countries have in their heritage, it's really amazing to observe. I also love that you can find colour almost everywhere from the magical temples to the flashing neon and even down to the rows of weird packaging on the supermarket shelves! I like the mixture between nature and urban here, as you have these huge, overwhelming cities surrounded by glorious green mountains and beautiful forests, so there just always seems to be so much to take in!
Do you have a favourite Korean musician or film at the moment?
Emma Bell: I love a bit of K-Pop, although I've got a good few years on the general fan base! It's blaring from every corner around here, whether I'm passing a bakery, riding the subway or even sitting at home as it seems to drift through the window from the various shops below on the street! Likewise, every time I go into a cosmetic shop, supermarket or convenience store I can guarantee there will be a gaggle of life-size cut outs of various K-Pop stars promoting their products! I particularly love G-Dragon, one of the guys from a group called Big Bang as his videos are super weird, fun and colourful! I also love 2NE1, Girls Generation and Sistar!
Which is the most extraordinary/bizarre thing you've seen in your travels in Korea/Japan?
Emma Bell: I see so many strange sights here on a daily basis such as sparkling holographic visors on the over 60s, extreme hiking gear when people aren't actually hiking and, often, dogs with their ears dyed pink wearing little backpacks. I have also seen people pushing cats and puppies in prams like babies! One of the most bizarre sights in Korea is 'couple dressing'. This is when couples dress identical from head to toe and it's really common here, I find it really weird and kind of creepy! Also sometimes children get their hair permed and, often, when passing little neighbourhood salons, I've seen 6 year old boys with a head full of curlers which is a super strange sight!
Can you recommend us a shop, cafe/restaurant or place to hang around in Korea?
Emma Bell: Hongdae is one of my favourite areas of Seoul. It's kind of like Seoul's equivalent of Harajuku, but way more tame and a bit more studenty as it's right by Hongik University which has a big art school, so it's an awesome creative area. It's a really fun place full of little boutiques as well as endless cafes and restaurants. There's even a Hello Kitty Café there which is all bubblegum pink and ridiculously cute! It's loud and brash with K-Pop playing at max volume and it tends to get overrun by teenagers at weekends, but I love the energy of this part of Seoul! The neighbouring area of Hapjeong is a bit more of a grown-up version of Hongdae; it reminds me of Shoreditch with a bunch of nice cafes, little eateries, independent boutiques and contemporary art spaces. This is where I mainly opt to go if there's an evening of dinner or drinks on the card as the place has a great atmosphere and there's so many great places to check out, so it's fun to hop from place to place! I also love it around Hangangjin as there are some great little bars and places to hang out around there and it's home to the creative crowd. I particularly like a place called Takeout Drawing which hosts exhibitions and has really great coffee and cakes!
Selected designs by Emma Bell will be featured on 31st August 2014 at the "Japan Expo Thailand" as part of the Lah Lah Land pop-up store event at Central World Bangkok.
All images courtesy Emma Bell
1. Photographs by STREETHING at LLL+ launch.
2, 7, 8, 9. Photographs by Jessica Berggrun.
3, 4, 5, 6, 10, 11 and 12. Photographs by Yuji Watanabe.
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