Week 2 - Hussein Chalayan

Hussein Chalayan is an artist and designer, working in film, dress and installation art. Research Chalayan’s work, and then consider these questions in some thoughtful reflective writing.

1. Chalayan’s works in clothing, like Afterwords (2000) andBurka (1996) , are often challenging to both the viewer and the wearer. What are your personal responses to these works? Are Afterwords and Burka fashion, or are they art? What is the difference?

Not all clothing is fashion, so what makes fashion fashion?





When I saw his Afterwords at first time, I was really interested that it can use both the cloth and table. Afterwords which is table skirt, is very very fun and unconventional thing. Moreover, I was surprised about his Burka because it can be bic issue in the world. He changed Burka which is religion of a country, strong belief and ceremony resolutely as fashion.
I think afterwords can look fashion because Chalayan made the skirt and we could see it which was worn by model on runway but Burka it isn't fashion I think. it is just expression of belief or rule like law. People who don't live Iran or don't have same nationality, can't understand Burka and it can't be fashion to them. I think Burka disturbs our expression of fashion and individual freedom, instead.

2. Chalayan has strong links to industry. Pieces like The Level Tunnel (2006) and Repose (2006) are made in collaboration with, and paid for by, commercial business; in these cases, a vodka company and a crystal manufacturer. How does this impact on the nature of Chalayan’s work? Does the meaning of art change when it is used to sell products? Is it still art?



‘The Level Tunnel‘ is a project for Level Vodka, designed by Hussein Chalayan. The tunnel a 15 meter long, 5 meter high, glass installation that captures the essence of Level Vodka. Visitors can walk through the tunnel blindfolded or experience it from outside. Chalayan used sound, scent and touch to create something unique. The sound for example, is created by a flute made from a vodka bottle. And when a visitor is going through the tunnel, his position is tracked and he can smell the scent of lemon and cedar as he goes further into the tunnel. When the visitor leaves the tunnel, he can of course taste the vodka. All these senses together should give the visitor an impression of what Level Vodka stands for. It is currently on display in Mexico City but it will travel to Paris and Athens later this year.
(http://www.todayandtomorrow.net/page/202/)



Hussein Chalayan created an airplane wing balancing against a wall. When its large wing flap moves, a long strip of Swarovski crystals are illuminated by LEDs. — Photo courtesy of Swarovski
Hussein Chalayan, an internationally regarded designer celebrated for his progressive attitude to new technology created Repose, a conceptual art installation piece. Repose shows an airplane wing balanced against a wall; its large wing flap moves up and down to reveal a long strip of crystals illuminated by LEDs.
(http://www.digitaljournal.com/article/36556)

I think his works are still art. Even though his works used as business purpose, when people see his works if they feel good or fun it can be art. Moreover if he considered about some essential elements esthetically, his works can be still art.


3. Chalayan’s film Absent Presence screened at the 2005 Venice Biennale. It features the process of caring for worn clothes, and retrieving and analysing the traces of the wearer, in the form of DNA. This work has been influenced by many different art movements; can you think of some, and in what ways they might have inspired Chalayan’s approach?

Hussein Chalayan represents Turkey at the 51st Venice Biennial

In the 51st International Venice Biennial, Hussein Chalayans video installation The Absent Presence will be realized in the Pavilion of Turkey at the Fondazione Levi, Academia. Under the auspices of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the Republic of Turkey. The Pavilion of Turkey is sponsored by Turquality, Garanti Bank and shop&miles&club with the collaboration of Istanbul Bilgi University and Istanbul Foundation for Culture and Arts.
The project curated and comission by Beral Madra and coordinated and produced by Murat Pilevneli (Galerist / Istanbul).
Exclusively produced for Venice Biennale, The Absent Presence, is an enigmatic story based on identity, geography, genetics, biology and anthropology. Chalayan opens the argument on how certain identities can or cannot adapt to new environments and generates a research based narration for his cross-disciplined installation with filmic images and sculptures. There is a serious research behind the end product displaying the interplay of the real and the imagined with a series of collected clothes and deformed crystallized garments. A DNA extraction process from the clothes collected from unknown people, an anthropological evaluation, and a 3 D manipulation all treated through the London sound-scape as the environment reveals the approach of Chalayan to the dilemma of identity.
(http://www.e-flux.com/shows/view/2032)

4. Many of Chalayan’s pieces are physically designed and constructed by someone else; for example, sculptor Lone Sigurdsson made some works from Chalayan’s Echoform (1999) and Before Minus Now (2000) fashion ranges. In fashion design this is standard practice, but in art it remains unexpected. Work by artists such as Jackson Pollock hold their value in the fact that he personally made the painting. Contrastingly, Andy Warhol’s pop art was largely produced in a New York collective called The Factory, and many of his silk-screened works were produced by assistants. Contemporarily, Damien Hirst doesn’t personally build his vitrines or preserve the sharks himself. So when and why is it important that the artist personally made the piece?

I think in artists case, an important thing is making own work themselves.
Even though ideas also can be important thing, if they can make own work themselves they have already understand-ed their idea and purpose. Think about that someone copy other's work. I think if someone can make it as own thing that is not bad. That can be your.