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Schiaparelli and Prada: Impossible Conversations
June 8th, 2012
Being in New York for the week, it was at the top of my list to see the Met’s Spring 2012 Costume Institute exhibition, Schiaparelli and Prada: Impossible Conversations. Braving torrential rain, I finally made my way to the museum. As you enter the exhibit, you are greeted with the two fashion icons, Elsa Schiaparelli and Miuccia Prada, in the cinematic illusion of a discussion between them. The Met and curator Harold Koda commissioned filmmaker Baz Luhrmann to direct eight short features, with Prada as herself and Schiaparelli portrayed by actress Judy Davis. The videos set the tone for the exhibition as both women reflect on their taste, politics, culture and promoting non conventional ideas of beauty. Sometimes they agree, sometimes disagree. The debate is refreshing and somewhat touching as we see Schiaparelli being brought back to life as well as listen to Miuccia Prada who is known for being extremely shy. Each conversation is played along side garments and accessories putting forth the differences and similarities between the two designers. The result is thought provoking. I leave with my brain feeling teased, wandering wether Prada And Schiaparelli would have been friends or foes, who knows?
Water Poem – Interview with Elena Kalis
July 5th, 2011與倫娜卡利斯的專訪
by Geraldine Wharry
Photos of Elena Kalis – Alice in Wonderland
Last year during one of my late-night searches for inspiring artists, I discovered underwater photographer Elena Kalis. Captivated by her series “Alice underwater”, I couldn’t help but wonder how she came to create images so poetic and intriguing.
Months later, I’m now speaking with Elena on Skype, from my desk in rainy London. She’s at home in the Bahamas, on an island so distant and beautiful, that I can’t help but feel she is not just retelling a tale, she’s living in one.
去年一個深夜，我在搜尋一些具啟發性的藝術家時，意外地發現了她﹐一個擅長水底拍攝的攝影師 – 倫娜卡利斯(Elena Kalis)。當時﹐我深深被她一系列作品「水中愛麗斯」吸引着，並開始對她那些既有詩意又耐人尋味的影像製作產生了好奇。直至數個月後，倫敦的一個下雨天，我在辦公室透過Skype和倫娜通電話，才得知她身處美麗又遙遠的巴哈馬群島。我不禁地猜測她生活的地方是否正是「愛麗斯」中的童話世界。
What inspires you?
The ocean is my main daily inspiration. It’s vast and multifaceted: bright, sunny and fun. Yet it has another side which symbolizes darkness, even death. The ocean is forever changing and that’s the biggest inspiration for me.
G︰是甚麼啟發你的創作？
E: 我平日的創作靈感主要來自海洋。遼遼闊也的大海存有多重性格，一方面明亮燦爛和有趣；另一方面卻象徵著黑暗，甚至死亡。海洋永恆的變化，就是我最大的靈感泉源。
Which artists have played a role in your art? Your work seems to encompass different disciplines: music, painting, ballet.
Paul Gauguin is one of my biggest inspirations, especially his use of colour. I’m also inspired by photographers, especially Connie Imboden. But my ideas come from everyday life, they can occur in a fleeting moment. In fact we live in a world so overwhelmed with images that, for some projects, I don’t even look at images to avoid being influenced.
G︰哪一位藝術家對你的美術生涯最具影響力？你的作品似乎都圍繞著音樂﹑繪畫﹑芭蕾舞等不同的範籌。
E: 保羅高(Paul Gauguin))是其中一位對我啟發最大的人，尤其是他的用色；同時我也受到攝影師康妮伊姆伯登(Connie Imboden)影响。不過﹐我的創作點子大多是源於日常生活，靈感可以在霎時之間出現。事實上，我們生活的世界正被圖像支配著，故此在創作時，有時我甚至會不看圖像以避免受到影響。
Do you see yourself as a storyteller because I see a lot of poetry in your work?
I do but I don’t like to retell stories literally. I prefer ambiguities and expressing a feeling. You’d be surprised at the interpretations people have made of “Alice underwater”. That’s what I like: the viewers can make their own story. Lewis Carroll didn’t have any specific public in mind. It just came from his heart and that’s why it speaks to people.
G︰在你的作品中我看到滿溢的詩意，你會不會視己為一個編織故事的人？
E: 我不喜歡平鋪直述，我會選擇用含糊的方式去表達一種感覺。你會因別人對「水中愛麗斯」的詮譯而感到驚訝。這就是我喜歡的地方: 讀者可以構造出另一個屬於他們自己的故事。劉易斯卡羅爾(Lewis Carroll) “愛麗絲夢遊仙境”的作者之所以能與觀眾溝通﹐是因為他並沒有任何特定的對象，這一切只是發乎於心。
I noticed in your photos the fabrics, objects and colours are carefully picked.
The props and costumes are very important. Especially the colours because underwater you have a lot of blues so I choose reds, oranges and yellows that will stand out. White always looks very good underwater. I also tend to use fluid fabrics, which look gorgeous, especially when the sunshine strikes them. It creates a dramatic effect which fascinates me.
G︰我留意到照片中的用料、物件和顏色都經過精挑細選。
E:我認為道具和服裝是非常重要，特別是顏色。在水底下拍攝，大多會呈現藍調，故此我選擇了紅色、橙色和黃色來特出物件。而白色在水中看起來的效果亦非常之好。我傾向選擇輕型布料，當經過陽光的照射，它會顯得份外華麗而產生出的戲劇性效果，讓我非常著迷。
What is your background and how did you get interested in photography?I’m a painter. When digital photography started, I composed images on the computer for my paintings, and that’s how I started taking pictures.
With underwater photography I work differently though. I don’t want to create an image, I want to capture it. So I barely do any retouching other than colour-corrections because the photos already have so much going for them. I wouldn’t even be able to recreate the reflections that happen naturally underwater.
G︰談談你的背景，你是如何對攝影產生興趣？
E:我是一名畫家。當數碼攝影出現時，我會利用電腦把影像融入於我的畫作中，於是我的拍攝生涯便開始了。
當我拍攝水底世界時﹐我有異常的想法。我不想創造影像，而是希望能把它捕捉過來，因此我基乎不會作任何圖片修飾和顏色修改。相片的原色已經是最完美，我根本不可能重新創造一個可以反映自然的水底世界。
So did you fall into underwater photography the same way Alice fell into the rabbit hole?
I was already doing underwater photography and had experimented with a few images. But no matter how much you prepare ahead of time, shooting underwater is always full of surprises and you might end up creating a whole different image. That’s what’s interesting to me, the element of unpredictability. The key is going with the flow.
G︰你有像愛麗絲掉進兔子洞一樣掉進水底攝影嗎？
E:我當時已經嘗試過水底攝影，並實驗了一些作品。但不管你作了多少事前準備，水底攝影總是充滿驚喜，最終可能創造出完全不同的影像。意外的元素令我感到有趣，而最重要是順其自然。
What’s your favourite aspect of photography?
Being underwater and seeing how colours, shapes change. I listen to my breath and heartbeat because it feels like I’m in a different dimension. I forget about everything and look through the viewfinder to capture the moment.
G︰你最喜歡攝影的那方面？
E:我喜歡在水底觀看顏色和形狀的變化。聆聽著自己的呼吸聲和心跳聲有如仿忽在於另一個空間之中。那刻我忘記了一切，只期待通過鏡頭去捕捉那一刻。
That sounds very inspiring and like a very nice way to live and create art.
Yes, I’m fortunate I must say. I love what I do and that’s probably why it speaks to people.
G︰聽起來十分鼓舞，這是個非常不錯的生活和創作方式。
E:對，我必須承認我非常幸運。我熱愛我所做的，大概因此別人也能從作品中感受到。
I’m curious, what brought you to the Bahamas from your native Russia?
I was always drawn to water since childhood. It’s my element and embodies my way of life. I swim all the time and often with my camera.
G︰我很好奇，究竟是什麼驅使你從故鄉俄羅斯移居到巴哈馬？
E:我自小就被水吸引着。水是體現了我生活方式的元素。我從小就經常帶著相機去游泳。
Do you work in a swimming pool or natural surroundings? I wonder about the challenges that come with that.
I shoot in both but the ocean has a much better atmosphere. It’s much harder to work with though, everything has to be right: the conditions, the clarity. Also physically it’s more challenging. It takes a lot of time as there are many variables. “Alice underwater” was shot in the pool because it was easier for children and I had too many props to shoot in the ocean.
G︰你是在游泳池或是在自然環境中進行拍攝工作？當中存在甚麼的挑戰？
E:我在這兩種環境下都有拍攝過，但在海洋的氣氛好很多，不過亦較為困難，所有事情包括環璄和清澈度都必需要準確地呈現才行。體能上也會面對很大挑戰，因為在拍攝需要很長時間和水中存在著不同的變數。「水中愛麗斯」是在泳池中拍攝，因為相中的主角年紀小，泳池會比較容易掌握，而且需要運用太多道具了。
Is there something you think children bring to photography that adults don’t?
Children bring innocence, they’re not as guarded and can be free. The only thing is you can’t push them like adults. If they loose interest you have to wait for the spark to come back.
G︰你認為哪些東西只有孩子才能帶給攝影而成年人是不能呢？
E:孩子們能帶出純真，沒有戒心的他們表現得很自在。唯一一點是你不能把他們當成大人般看待，如果他們失去了興趣，你就必須耐心等待。
In “Alice in Wonderland”, Alice swims in her own tears, she shrinks and later turns into a giant. It’s a complete dream world. Why did you decide to retell the story underwater?
Underwater your sense of reality subsides. Your perception is altered and your link with other people is broken. It has the same quality as when Alice walks through the mirror. Alice’s world is not that much different to the world underwater. Also, I had my models: my daughter Alexandra (who actually only wants to be called Alice), and my son, who played The Mad Hatter.
G︰在「愛麗絲夢遊仙境」中，愛麗絲在她的眼淚中游泳，縮小了，後來又突然變成了巨人。這完全是一個夢幻世界。你為什麼會決定在水中去講述這個故事？
E:在水底中真實的感覺會消失。你的知覺會被改變，而你與其他人的關連亦會被打破。這跟愛麗絲走進鏡子時的情形一樣。愛麗絲的世界跟水中的世界其實沒有太大分別。再者﹐我有我的模特兒，我女兒亞歷山德拉(她只希望被稱為愛麗絲)，和我兒子演繹瘋帽子一角。
Finally, the tale of Alice in wonderland has a lot of symbolism. What are the things in the story that attracted you the most?
It’s my favourite tale of all time. In essence it’s a nonsensical story. There’s nothing really happening, it’s not set in a particular frame, it’s limitless and free. That struck a chord with me in the bottom of my heart and I chose to make it my own.
G︰最後，「愛麗絲夢遊仙境」有很多的象徵意義。在故事中哪些東西最能吸引你呢？
E:「愛麗絲夢遊仙境」永遠都是我的最愛。荒謬的它並沒有真的發生了任何事情，亦沒有設在特定的框內，既自由亦沒有限制。這使我從心底引起了共鳴﹐並選擇使它成為我自己的故事。
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