Thursday 29 August 2013

Tiago Galvan for 'Move_on_Baroque'

Tiago Galvan is one of F6.Studios more lively residents. Specialising in fashion design he spends his time working on commissions and new collections. He began his studies in art and design when he was aged fourteen, paying particular attention to fabric manipulation, eventually progressing to investigating the use of science and technology in fabrics. 

His collections are very much inspired by the fusion of materials, and incorporate his interest in holistic therapies with his sensitivity towards how people react to colour and touch, elevating their moods through fabric choice.




At aged just twenty-one, Tiago launched his own fashion label, focussing mainly on limited-edition club-wear and theatrical garments. Past projects include designing and making outfits for presenters at a Mercedes Benz car launch in Germany, as well as various commissions for dance and theatre productions.





His most recent project involves creating costumes for Baroque-style dance piece 'Move_on_Baroque', which previewed on Friday in Newcastle's Dance City. The drama and gothicism of his fully lined black and red skirts contributed to the chiaroscuro style of the production, said to be inspired by Carravagio, contrasting sharply with the minimal white light. The costumes played an important role in the piece, adding visual drama and movement, which was emphasised by the sophisticated use of water in the production. Shot from an elevated angle, the images below demonstrate the pared back yet dramatic imagery created throughout the dance, and were taken by local photographer Tracy Daniel, owner of Denial Photography (http://www.denial-photography.com).








We caught up with Tiago earlier in the week. This is what he had to say on the project:


F6.Studios: The show on Friday was really interesting to watch, what made you interested in the commission for 'Move on Baroque'?

Tiago Galvan: I like to push my boundaries, and when you work on daily wear, you don't usually challenge yourself to the limit. It was a good opportunity to bring the best out of the fabrics in an unconventional way.

F6: We can see how it might be more challenging than creating a ready-to-wear dress, is the project as good as you expected?

TG: Better than I expected! I still have a dress to make. As the art council liked the show so much, they have funded Anthony Lo-Guidance to continue and to develop the fifteen minutes show to a full performance that will culminate in Italy with a cast of nine international dancers.

F6: Congratulations, sounds like it's been a great success! Do you feel encouraged to work with dance again in future?

TG: Oh yeah, I've always loved dance and theatre. I've always loved to make costumes for dancers, as you can expand yourself a bit more. It's a stage thing so you're not restricted by architecture or modern transport.

F6: So say there was no boundaries, what would be your dream commission?

TG: To be commissioned to make clothes for people in Africa that cannot afford them, specially shoes. A part of that may be so they can enjoy the things that we enjoy. Maybe it would be safe to design outrageous clothing for a classical orchestra, as they tend to dress in black. I think that the contrast would enhance the performance, and even add an element of theatre.

F6: We've seen one or two amazing costumes you've worn yourself for various parties. Costume or no costume, describe the best one you have ever been to.

TG: It was the swimming pool closing party for the demolishment of the Palácio Estoril Hotel where the James Bond film 'On her Majesty's Secret Service' was shot. Oh it was fantastic. It was held in the magnificent gardens surrounding the pool on the border of the Atlantic Ocean. They took all of the water out of the swimming pool so it became the dance floor, and they had lots of entertainers and there were people coming with fruit kebabs to refresh you, and at midnight we were all given a glow stick and at midnight the DJ said throw your glow sticks in the air, so at midnight everyone threw their glow sticks in the air, and it was just...fantastic. Seeing thousands of glow sticks flying in the dark was quite simple and impressive at the same time. I like to enjoy the simple things of life.

To see more of Tiago's work and keep up to date with his current projects, take a look at his Facebook page at: https://www.facebook.com/tiago.galvan.75

To contact Tiago, he is available via email at: tiagogalvan@hotmail.com

Image credits to Michael McGuire and Tracy Daniel.

Monday 12 August 2013

'Renew Newcastle'...in Australia

Here at F6.Studios, we are lucky enough to be situated in the heart of what has been described by the Washington Post as 'the North's culture capital', with its historic bridges, beautiful architecture and numerous galleries and studios littered across the city. Commercial Union House, home of F6.Studios, has six floors of sheer talent and creativity, ranging from performing arts and games design to a variety of designer-makers at F6. 


Interestingly, on the other side of the world in Newcastle, Australia, there is an ongoing project (Renew Newcastle) which 'aims to find artists, cultural projects and community groups' to occupy disused buildings until they are 'commercially viable or redeveloped'. The project injects some much-needed excitement and vibrancy to Newcastle's decaying or vacant buildings, filling them with colour, creativity and inspiration. 'Renew Newcastle' is unique in that the project includes not only studio space, but various events and creative talks, skills workshops and gallery space, covering pretty much every aspect of the creative industry.




Their most recent exhibition which carries the theme of owls, birds, beauty queens and killer bees, named 'Winged Things' (at the Emporium Galleria), features recent works by local artists Sarah Louisa, Lu Quade and Jo Dyer shown below.

Sarah Louisa

Sarah Louisa's brand 'Paper Kitschen' demonstrates a fondness of paper and how it can be adapted into sculpture, collage and installations through the technique of hand-cutting, a tradition she has recently stumbled across. Her work shows an influence of pop-art with elements of Richard Hamilton or James Rosenquist with an appealing combination of imagery which gives a dreamlike effect to her art. Sarah sells both original and reproduction works online, at markets and also through local hand-made shops in Newcastle, Australia and Melbourne.

photo credit  Shana Dennis & Sarah Lousia

photo credit Sarah-Louisa

photo credit Sarah-Louisa

To see more of Paper Kitschen: http://www.paperkitschen.com


Lu Quade (Luke Wade)


Lu Quade is a local artist whose work is very much focussed on illustrative owls with quirky personalities. Unlike the standard patch-work style owls which have recently exhausted the high-street, Lu Quade's inspired characters include 'Mexican wrestler batowlman', butterfly owl and 'Blues owl' (as seen below). The motivation behind his illustrations was prompted following the birth of his daughter, so he could 'kick a video gaming habit' and 'engage in a more creative activity' with her. Since he has drawn hundreds of owls in a beautiful and distinctive fashion, with bold, intricate detail and selectively placed colour. His work can be viewed around the city pasted on walls, as stickers and even magnets.



all photo credits Luke Wade

Luke's illustrations can be seen on his Facebook page at: https://www.facebook.com/LuQuArt


Jo Dyer


Jo's work combines drawing and painting for a delicate, multi-layered and romantic appearance, and she says of her own work "I've come to appreciate that my creativity can be a timid and unpredictable creature". The soft, smudgy rainbow colours compliment the fine linear illustrations, and the expressionist style of overlaid mark-making gives her work it's wonderfully playful quality. The thoughts behind Jo's work is the 'freedom from the every day complexities of human existence', which is often explored symbolically using birds. The past few years have seen Jo being very involved in 'Renew Newcastle' projects, including becoming co-founder of company 'Little Paper Cup'.



all photo credits Jo Dyer

To see more of Jo's work, check out her blog at: http://happilyeverafternoon.blogspot.co.uk

The information on this blogpost is just the tip of the inspiring iceberg that is 'Renew Newcastle'. If you are interested in finding out more about their projects and artists in residence, the website is http://renewnewcastle.org. Go take a look as there is plenty of exciting things to look at on the website, and there are even ways to get involved with the project.

Image credits to; Marni Jackson, Renew Newcastle, Luke Wade, Sarah Louisa, Jo Dyer

Monday 5 August 2013

Mr Mexico - Self-taught Photographer

Mr Mexico (aka Michael Gordon) is one of our newest residents at F6.Studios. Fast making a name for himself not just regionally but nationally, he specialises mainly in portraiture, including fashion, physique and head-shots. He is impressively self-taught; this gives him a competitive edge as he creates his own rules and boundaries. Using minimalist pallets, his style is bold, streetwise and seductive. He has an ability to utilise light and texture to create an eloquent ethereal quality.








Recently Michael has been busy photographing for several clients, including Phaze Clothing which he shot last Thursday. Phaze Clothing specialises in gothic, punk, PVC, steam-punk and alternative clothing. Thursday's shoot consisted of fetish-style PVC in the form of spray on leggings, tight corsets and a Rihanna-style hooded cape. All of the clothing showcased can be found at http://www.phazeclothing.com. Here are a few behind-the-scenes images of Honorata modelling the garments.





And here's a sneak peek of one of the final edits:



 To see more of Michael's work or to get in touch with him, here are a few contact details:




Phone: 07528362182