Hormazd Narielwalla

To view the work up close visit Sheridan & Co, 10A Blandford Street, London W1U 4AZ until 3rd March 2012. To acquire visit here.

Please visit Matin’ Kousidi’s beautiful blog Architecouture to see more photos she took of my exhibition.

For his Memento Mori exhibition Homi asked if I could provide some sort of looping ambient video title projection. Perhaps one of his paper skulls in an acrylic box slowly rotating he suggested. As a software artist I have a prejudice against looping video. However I’m also lazy and don’t want to write software unless I really have to. And so this is what I came up with. I used the lovely wide-screed HD DLP projector that was available to project nothing but the title and an empty square canvas. The skull in a box is hanging by a fishing line between the projector and the wall rotating freely in the air currents. The result is an “analogue projection” with unsurpassed resolution and frame-rate, otherwise known as a shadow. Satisfyingly simple  See narielwalla.com/2012/02/20/dead-mans-patterns-memento-mori-skull-show-installed ” – Ed Burton

Thanks to artist-friend Ed Burton for his collaborations for my show – the light projection is rather splendid. Please visit Sheridan & Co at 10A Blandford Street, London W1U 4AZ to view the projection installation, three-dimensional and two-dimensional skulls and my first book Dead Man’s Patterns..

A big thank you to Julien & Michael Sheridan for hosting this show, Kevin Knox the Retail Design Director  for al logistics and productions to see the show through, my dear friend and artist Ed Burton for the analogue light projection, which looks splendid, Fiona Gilgrist of Housepr for all her efforts in promoting the show, India Warman from Sheridan for working on the show, Steve Thomas Head of Design at Sheridan for his help in poster and projection design, Shawn (in the photo) and Wayne for being my muscle for installing the show and finally Julie Shipston who’s invaluable support helped to make this show a realisation.

Hope you can make it to Sheridan&Co at 10A Blandford Street, London W1U 4AZ  between today and the 3rd of March..

Just uploaded a new work titled Regalia – please visit Saatchi online for details.

Thank you Design Week for this rather nice preview of Dead Man’s Patterns – Memento Mori show at Sheridan&Co 10A Blandford Street, London W1U 4AZ.

It was indeed a pleasure to receive an e-mail from Saatchi online to say that my work (Dead Man’s Patterns – Memento Mori Skull) was featured on their Homepage – I guess it’s a nice conciliation since I didn’t get through their Showdown competition…I’m also pleased that they showed this work in their ‘drawing’ collection along with 18 other artists from all over the world..It challenges the conception on what is a drawing?

It’s exciting that this would happen now as the Skulls along with the artworks will go on display on Monday 20th for 2 weeks until the 3rd March at one of my patrons Sheridan & Co 10A Blandford Street London, Greater London W1U 4AZ..

I woke up this morning to receive a very kind e-mail from Helena Tepli, Editor-In-Chief of Semprey Magazine. She wrote – “Thank you for sending me a press release about your upcoming exhibition and congratulations on your success! I read the text attached with great interest. What a unique and creative concept! Information about the exhibition has been published on our magazine’s website in the Culture section.” Thank you Helena – see you at the show, I hope!

Accompanying the three-dimensional skulls is a parallel series of two-dimensional collages. Each three-dimensional skull is cut from a dead man’s pattern, leaving precious remains of his imprint. I have used the remains, the absence of the skull, to make a two dimensional collage revealing a silhouette of the skull in negative space. All artworks can be viewed here and available to acquire here.

Thanks to Kirstin Knox (the lady behind the Clothes whisper blog) for a preview. She touched on something quite sentimental – when she heard about the skulls made from Savile Row patterns – the first thing that came to her mind was Lee McQueen  who began his career as an apprentice for one of the tailoring houses on Savile Row. To read the whole article please visit the Clothes Whisperer.

Thank you Diane for featuring my exhibit on your beloved www.ashadedviewonfashion.com – I hope you are able to make the show…peace & love – Hormazd x

Richard James – one of the new Establishment tailoring houses on Savile Row has written such kind words about my work on his blog. He describes my work as Patterns of life and proposed an interesting proposition – customers who wish to create personal portraits using their patterns – very interesting indeed. Please click the image to read the whole blog post.

I am so pleased to announce that Sheridan & Co are presenting my next solo show – Dead Man’s Patterns Memento Mori featuring pattern skulls as objects and artworks all remembering death, made with tailoring patterns of bespoke Savile Row customers who are now deceased.  The show will take place between the 20th of Feb to 3rd March 2012 featuring 7 three-dimensional skulls from a limited edition of 50 accompanied by 7 two-dimensional artworks from an edition of 50 all exploring the remembrances of death. The exhibition will also feature an analogue light projection by BAFTA winning artist Ed Burton.

Watch this space for more info.

I have posted my work-in-progress and finished 3-d skull object. To be reminded visit here. During the process of making a few samples and the finished object – I began to amass a considerable amount of remnant pattern cut-outs. I saved these for a rainy day – only to realise that I was left with a lot of curves – like curves of an armhole, neck, crotch of a trouser etc – which I could paste in a way that the negative space creates skull collages. Please see below some initial ideas.

I was going about the process in a very arbitrary way. I was looking at photographs while pasting the pieces – so there is a shape being formed and one can see a skull; however, I wanted to achieve a more accurate outline of my 3-d skull. In a conversation with my friend and artist Ed Burton came up with the idea of projecting the skull on a wall and working with shadows. This also promoted the 2-min film, directed by Ed, who also composed music for it. See here

We then concluded that the best method to achieve a shadow would be to work with an overhead project, which I happened to rescue 2 years ago. See below photos.

I will post once I have done some more collages in the negative using the overhead projector as my guide..

On a final note I am going to get sentimental by saying I am so lucky to have a friend like Ed. My lecturer at Westminster once told me that throughout a creative’s career it is imperative to have someone you trust; with who you can have open honest conversations about ideas, experiments, concepts etc and my comrade is most definitely the eccentric Ed Burton.

It was a splendid end to the week, yesterday! I had a productive morning in my studio and then visited the Serpentine to see the late Brazilian artist Lygia Pape, which I might say – absolutely outstanding and inspiring…influenced by Russian Constructivist art. My favourite was the book of architecture and the book of time, where they are not actually books but rather a series of objects…This is something I thought I could perhaps reference whilst creating a book on tailoring!

My outfit for the day

I then walked through Hyde Park on a beautiful evening…to reach the Centre of Possible Studies…

where I have exhibited 2 collage artworks from my Lady Gardens series at Imprint at the Centre of Possible Studies..

A big thank you to my friends Fiona Ransom, Alexis Bechu, Ian Govindhir, Denis Laner, Taryn Cianciaruson, Sina Shamsavary (who took the first photo of me) and Daniel Schweitzer (who photographed the second of me) for being present and supporting my work.

Photos by Carlos Martyn Burgos another artist at the festival. Also read a nice article on all artist’s (including her own) work written by Nicola Anthony

All in all a day of art with the Serpentine!

I am so pleased to be part of the artist group Fabelist run by Francesca Goodwin, who has worked really hard to secure an exhibition titled Imprint at the Centre of Possible Studies, Serpentine Gallery. The exhibition which includes performances opens on the 27th of January and will run for a week! It is really important for me to support this project because it is about bringing different hybrids together with the community as the focus.

How can we as artists impact society?

For the exhibit I have submitted 2 collage artworks from my Lady Garden series. Here’s one of them with written context below…

Lady Gardens.

Two words side by side that make an indelible impression on all who hear them. Children may see flowers pretty and peculiar. Men see mother, mouthwatering and mysterious. Women see themselves flattened, flattered or flaunted. The space around Narielwalla’s bold collages invites the individual imagination of the viewer to blossom. He breathes life into antique tailoring patterns rescued from the 1930′s onwards all too often left orphaned by deceased gentlemen whose shrunken shanks have no need for fabric. Freed from function tailoring patterns are drawings ahead of their time; anthropomorphic in origin and beautifully abstract in isolation. This is an artist who hasn’t touched this particular muse since birth yet like any man cannot resist but return to the grip of those lips that first spoke his name. Handling folds of stiff brown paper he yearns his becoming; cut, curved, c**t.

A work-in-progress analogue projection of collage in collaboration with artist Ed Burton and I, looking at my Memento Mori Skull as an object in positive and negative.

I am so pleased to learn that Humans Invent have published Negative Space a film that documents the behind the scenes process of making bespoke clothing, the focus particularly being on the pattern. It features a conversation between Dege & Skinner’s (only female) cutter Nina Penlington and I with a final scene of some pages of Dead Man’s Patterns. The film was made by Federico Urdaneta and commissioned by the Crafts Council for the exhibition Block Party…

To read the article visit Humans Invent

I just read some terrible news – the fantastic Claire-De-Rouen, who founded the lovely little bookshop under her name has sadly passed away. She will be missed dearly. Claire supported Dead Man’s Patterns immensely by putting it forward to various collectors and even dedicated a window for the launch of the book. She subsequently supported my other publication and included my work in the exhibition “Fairytale-in-fashion”. It was at this exhibit that my work caught the eye of Steve Salter from Style Salvage – So, I have a lot to owe Claire…! My condolences to her family…much love, Homi xx

Thanks to Italian based magazine Enquire magazine for including my Diane Pernet drawings in their homage to Madame Pernet. I don’t speak Italian (unfortunately!), but the writer thinks that my DP drawings remind them of Barbie illustrations. It’s always interesting to see people’s interpretations of my work. Please visit the website to view the article and some lovely portraits of Diane.

Grazie molto!

Oscar Hodgepodge was drawn as an eccentric Englishman pottering along with his Bowler hat and rolled umbrella. He was exhibited at the Shop at Bluebird, Chelsea. His face adorned with an impressive moustache, and from a chance meeting via a social media – I can reveal that he was inspired by the handsome face of designer Richard T A Borges

Please visit Saatchi Online for price and details of these 2 original artworks added  to the Lady Gardens series.

My recently acquired tailoring patterns have been on my mind since I received them. The first thing that caught my eye was that there are many notches present on Mr. Moore’s pattern blocks. For those readers who do not know what a notch means – it is an industrial snip made into the pattern to denote a seam, or position where it has to be affixed with another pattern – so for instance a sleeve head and armhole is notched appropriately so that the tailor is able to sew together in a precise way. The bespoke Savile row patterns I normally work with do not have so many notches – I suppose because they are not being mass manufactured, which Mr. Moore’s patterns would have been drafted for that purpose.

Also, the gentleman who delivered the patterns, apologised profusely that some of them were mixed up and I might have to spend some time sorting them – so that I am able to match all the patterns to create a garment – however, if you follow my work, that won’t be my intention.

I have recently begun thinking about a brief for a Fabelist project titled Connect, and I made a literal translation between the above 2 points and started jumbling the patterns, choosing them randomly and using the notches to connect them – to investigate new unconventional abstract shapes that were being created in the process.

This methodology reminds me of Shelley Fox’s 2006 collection – Negative Collection, where she sourced domestic pattern drafts, and after mixing them up she created a new pattern draft to make a collection. View here..This also reminded me of Dai Rees’ leather sculptures where he used Vogue patterns, translated them into leather shapes and sew them to together to create leather (carcass looking) 3-d artefacts. Incidentally both designers work along with mine is in the Crafts Council exhibit – Block Party

Just thought I would share this.

My friend and fellow tailoring enthusiast Sven Raphael Schneider from the Gentlemen’s Gazette alerted me that a tailor’s pattern archive was up for grabs on e-bay. I promptly placed my bid and acquired these beautiful patterns of womenswear overcoats, jackets and other outerwear garments. The gentleman who dropped them told me that they belonged to his father who worked with east-end designers. His name was Mr. Eric William John Moore and he studied at (possibly) the London College of Fashion in the 1930’s. I am so lucky to acquire them. I can only do justice to this man’s professional life as a pattern cutter by creating art.

All photos taken by me, augmented by Instagram 

I am pleased to inform you that the Crafts Council touring exhibition BLOCK PARTY will travel to Smiths Row in St. Edmunds, Suffolk since opening at Design Junction, Design Week in London. The exhibition is curated by Lucy Orta and include artists such as Yinka Shonibare MBE, Dai Rees, Shelley Fox, Philip Delamore, Simon Thorogood, Suzanne Lee and Charlotte Hodes. See the complete participation list here.

Also commissioned for the exhibition is a film directed by Federico Urdaneta, 2011 where I and cutter Nina Penlington take you through a behind-the-scenes at Savile Row tailors Dege & Skinner.

I am very excited to learn that an image from Dead Man’s Patterns is featured on the exhibition poster.

The exhibition runs from 14th January – 10th March 2012.

I would like to thank Marian Kihogo for her kind words towards my Dead Man’s Patterns Skull submission for Saatchi’s Online Showdown in the category of Collage. Please support the piece as much as you can..I have to credit a 2 people who helped with it. Ed Burton who nudged me to take Dead Man’s Patterns into a 3-d form and taking photos of the skull and Designer-patterncutter Fiona Ransom who patiently helped me staple and glue the piece. Also the Sheridan family who bought the first skull that helped with sampling and perfecting to reach this final sculptural piece.

Thanks and I need your VOTE.  Please visit Saatchi Online to view the submission.

I am so proud to be part of the Fabelist network. It is run by the very talented Francesca Goodwin who has strong beliefs that Art is the route to building communities. She contacted me earlier this year and after 5 mins over coffee I committed to her project. Please visit the wonderful Fabelist website.

I am also excited to inform you that the artists (including me) will be showing at an exhibit titled “Imprint” at the Centre of Possible Studies, a project run by the Serpentine Gallery. The show opens on 27th January until the 3rd of February 2012. Please visit here for details.

Well done Francesca!

All Photos: Ed Burton

It was such a special night on the 20th of December 2011 at St Martins Lane Hotel. They were so generous to host a celebratory dinner in their much celebrated restaurant Asia De Cuba for the lovely Marian Kihogo who has worked so hard for the last 2 years to create a visionary platform for the communication of what fashion really is and how it is to be perceived, and above all that it is inclusive…Thank you ever-so-much for inviting me to be part of the celebrations!

A toast to Marian Kihogo

The Artwork: I had to capture my feelings in a third collage-drawing I have made on Marian. She is depicted as a gold fairy and her dress is made up of pattern pieces – all off-cuts, thrown on the floor of a cutter’s workroom that I have been collecting….I am once again playing with the interaction between negative and positive space.

The Invitation: St. Martins Lane were absolutely top hosts in arranging a lavish drinks reception and spectacular dinner for us all – Definitely worth a visit if you are in the centre..I also had an opportunity to meet some lovely people at the dinner…A familiar face – Alistair Guy, Hannah Almassi of Gracia magazine who informs me she is a fan of my pattern artworks, the lovely Daisy De Villeneuve who is a fabulous illustrator, Lisa – a bubbling power magnet – Head of Harrods social networking, the very beautiful Tolula Adeyemi who was Marian’s guest of honour and Sabina Sdemrit from Access Fashion to name a few…

I was also spoilt with a goody bag filled with treats from Daisy (also my Mama’s name) by Marc Jacobs, Mulberry, Bodhi, Weleda, Mavala of Switzerland, Violent Lips, Biscuiteers, Diego Dalla Palma, Orla Kiely, Revlon, Jainnisa.

Thank you for a wonderful night Marian!

The skull collage is finally taking shape – this becomes my first 3-d object. It has taken the patience and meticulous skill of my friend Fiona Ransom, who is a  pattern-cutter/designer, who helped in the creation of this object. We found a pattern, which needed modification…We changed the shape of the head and got rid of the nose – it didn’t work! Please visit the source if you fancy making your own skull. However, watch this space if you fancy a Dead Man’s Patterns Skull.

All photos augmented using Instagram

I have recently started compiling raw photos in a Scrapbook A/C – A jumble of things that have caught my eye.

To view and explore – please visit my Tumblr

I was invited by my co-sponsors of my recently opened exhibit Fairy-God,Fashion-Mother 3 Objectives to create an installation for Diane’s portrait.

The menswear suit patterns from the Dege & Skinner archive were then collaged in a way that the negative space created a stylised female form. The concept is to search for a form within a form. This methodology of working all began when my good friend and fellow artist Ed Burton prompted and directed Fantastique – a work-in-progress film where I responded to the pattern shapes by creating collages in which I was looking at what we can’t see – the negative!

To view Diane’s portrait – please visit 3 Objectives

Photo: Jens Marott for his One Hour Project

It was a pleasure to welcome Raphael Schneider (the German name for ‘tailor’) who was most courteous to visit my studio. Raphael is the director of the Gentlemen’s Gazette, an online platform to everything related to tailoring. I first came into acquaintance with him was when he reviewed the Savile Row Cutter. (Master Tailor Michael Skinner’s biography that I have written with Michael)

Raphael took some interesting photos of my work-in-progress. To read the whole article – please visit Gentlemen’s Gazette

Thank you Raphael.

I am so grateful to my friend Tsuya who translated Dead Man’s Patterns into Japanese text some time ago. She is herself a pattern cutter and a fan of my drawing collages. This is a work-in-progress – The Japanese people have responded really well to my work with the initial copies being sold in BEAMS, Tokyo…It would be a dream for me to launch the Japanese version of Dead Man’s Patterns in the land of the rising sun.

The translation process was funded by Doreen Adusei M.B.E. from Fashion-Works…

Thank you Doreen, thank you Tsuya

I was so happy when Daniel and Jonathan from the Les Garçon des Glasgow invited me to create a drawing to celebrate them turning 2. My drawing is a homage to their craft – photography, and I thought they both looked rather resplendent in their dinner jackets on the red carpet of the Scottish Fashion Awards where they were nominated for an award.

Happy Birthday Boys – to see the whole post please visit Les Garçon des Glasgow

Marian Kihogo has become a fan of my collage-illustrations. It is quite clear that I  have become a fan of her persona. She was very interested in my work for my PhD and decided to visit my studio to see more on my research at the National Army Museum and Savile Row. Hence, re-starting the discussion on Negative Space, a film commissioned by Crafts Council during the exhibit – Block Party, curated by Lucy Orta.

This is my second drawing.

Here is the first drawing I had made as a Birthday gift.   More drawings on Marian to follow…

Lawrence McGovern who makes videos for 3Objectives Photography e-mailed me the final cut of the Private View video. Apologies to my viewers for ranting on many-a-Thank-You’s. But, it had to be done as so many people helped to put the exhibit together. Hope you like it and thanks to everyone who made the event, especially my muse Diane Pernet.

FAIRY-GOD, FASHION-MOTHER at the Modern Pantry is on until the 7th of January 2012.

We all at Dege & Skinner are very sorry to loose a wonderful man. One of our tailors Stefano sadly passed away the weekend before the Private View. He has taught his craft to many, and his current student Emma won a prestigious award – “Young Tailor of the year”. I had done this drawing of him a long time ago and forgotten about it. We will miss you Stefano!