Mary Katrantzou in collaboration with Pablo Bronstein at the ICA
By PDD
on June 29 2011
Mary Katrantzou has been making a name for herself as an expert print designer, with her meticulous & detailed designs taking strong information from not only the discipline of fashion – but other areas including product and chiefly interior design.
Katrantzou’s visual aesthetic shouts hyper-realism; being so two-dimensional graphically concentrated, her prints are as exciting and as beautiful as when seen in 3D within their own contextual surroundings. Her maximalist approach was first recognised as part of her MA graduate collection (from CSM) in 2009. Since, she has created a number of collections delving deep into the mixed-discipline world of design.
Professor Lousie Wilson OBE, esteemed Course Director for MA Fashion at Central St. Martins spoke candidly with Mary Katrantzou in Cinema 1 at the ICA to help mark the opening of the exhibit Sketches for Regency Living. The conversation focus was ‘Culture Now’ – examining Katrantzou’s surrealist masterpieces and her appreciation of classicism and detail.
Katrantzou’s five seasons at London Fashion Week have showcased her inate talent for fusing furniture , interior, product design, removing these elements from their usual context and placing them into fashion.
Naturally, after building up strength as a reputable, and recognised designer, Katrantzou’s invested interest in mixed-discipline outputs led to collaborative opportunities appearing on the horizon, namely, the collaboration between her fashion, and Argentinian architecture enthused artist, Pablo Bronstein.
Bronstein’s approach to the ICA was to celebrate the space, its shape and flaws, creating architectural interventions and choreographing extraordinary art and ballet performances. Katrantzou and Bronstein worked collaboratively, allowing for Katrantzou’s famed visual realisation of interior objects to come alive through the medium of print and movement. Pablo Bronstein has choreographed two unique performances that will take place within the Lower Gallery throughout the duration of the exhibition wearing the two specially cultivated ensembles.
The Exhibition: Sketches for Regency Living by Pablo Bronstein will be on at the ICA until 25th September 2011, with live performances occurring throughout the day.