CW x Ekaterina Bazhenova Yamasaki
Wake
Collection Narrative
Fold is a comment on memory, society, consumerism and a host of other massive topics. Dramatic silhouettes flow elegantly and effortlessly in a series of pieces that present creases, pleats, ruffles, and layered folds and explore the essences of texture and shape.
Referencing the way drapery has been used by painters to convey movement since the Renaissance, particularly in the sketches of Leonardo da Vinci, Fold is fascinated by the way fabric is folded depending on the particularities of the human condition. Informed by a knowledge of art history, the collection narrates differences in a series of folds: a neat fold in the medieval Dutch portrait, a careless fold in that of a merchant sitting for a renaissance painter - these tell the story not just of a person's mood but also their historical moment.
Combining with the history of painting, the collection also investigates the writings of Georges Perec's and his exploration and documentation of the everyday and "that which is generally not taken note of, that which is not noticed, that which has no importance". Referring back to Perec's work, household cloths, folded bedsheets and hair scrunchies are used as motifs throughout Fold - not only for their ability to capture qualities of form, light and atmosphere, but for their material and everyday presence.
Fold uses a combination of materials including ceramics, pearls and precious stones - moving fluidly between the disciplines of jewellery and sculpture. The colours of the ceramics are rendered in green, blues and whites - bands of pure colour that recall the light and shadows in the vegetable garden of the designer's grandmother in Devon.
The piece is thoughtfully handcrafted. It has a height of 13cm (5.12 inches), a width of 7.5cm (2.95 inches) and a depth of 8cm (3.15 inches) at it's highest, widest and deepest points. Wake has a textured surface that is rough to touch and that lends it an imposing quality. It can stand on its own as a sculptural object without any floral arrangement.
Ekaterina used a series of presses, dents and imperfections to both give the vessel a sense of movement and to create something that when viewed from each angle is different.
Source Material: Goya / da Vinci / Georges Perec, La Vie mode d'emploi (Paris: Hachette, 1978) / Georges Perec, Species of Spaces and Other Pieces (London, Penguin Classic, 1998)
Background noise: While this collection was in development we may or may not have been influenced by the following experiences: [01] Watching all of the films of Kore-eda Hirokazu available on DVD in the UK. [02] Listening to Philip Glass - mainly Einstein on the Beach and Metamorphosis [03] Two visits to Gormley at the Royal Academy (one with children)
Ekaterina is an interdisciplinary artist working between London and Los Angeles. Her practice focuses on the body, fetish and patterns of self-perception.
