as seen by Keisuke Otobe
I. The transparent cover wrap designed by Paul Boudens.
II. A white ‘readymade’ power cord, scanned by Maison Martin Margiela.
In celebration of the 2021 limited edition reprint of A Magazine Curated By Maison Martin Margiela (2004), the Milan-based Japanese artist Keisuke Otobe reinterpreted a series of images from inside the issue through his digital-meets-analogue photographic practice.
Through a meticulous layering of physical manipulation, flatbed scanning and collage techniques, Otobe continues the legacy of unconventional image-making that is present throughout this landmark issue – a document that unites so many diverse styles of photographic methodologies across its pages, from X-ray to cyanotypes, photocopying and more.
Starting with the transparent cover wrap with white screen-printed typography designed by Paul Boudens, Otobe delved into A#1 selecting existing imagery that corresponded to his wishes to transform bodies and objects, isolating flat imagery from the printed document and giving it a new three dimensionality.
Scroll below to investigate Otobe’s personal interpretation of this historical project, flowers and flies included.
www.keisukeotobe.com
III. Photography by Ronald Stoops & Inge Grognard.
IV. Fabric and newspaper collages by Julian House.
V. Girardi, a long-time house model, meets Maison Martin Margiela’s written motto.
VI. Violeta Sanchez by Laurent Mercier.
I’m drawn to the books by their cover, their texture and design; it must catch my eye instantly for me to pick it up. I need a book to intrigue me! I like to spend the whole day reading through my initial selection, as there might be books by many artists I don’t know yet. I can spend more than two hours in a single bookstore, checking every book until I am exhausted. Then I go sit down and get a coffee. And then come back to it again.
‘There’s a relationship between chairs and clothing. Clothes and chairs are objects that function for the body. Each chair is different: even ones made of the same material, the interpretation might be completely different. Like here at this table, all the chairs are made of wood, but each has been designed and treated in a unique way by the designer who made them. For me there’s a link between this and say a pattern for a shirt, where each designer interprets the same thing differently.’
‘We don’t fight.’ The statement is delivered without emphasis, simply as fact. In fashion, volatility is reframed as creative energy. Raised voices, late pivots, visible intensity — these are common. Encouraged, even. But Awa Malina Stelter and Stephanie Gundelach, the founders of Opera Sport, are not interested in that way of working.
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