The fourth edition of the Arnhem Mode Biennale, an international festival and biennale in Arnhem, The Netherlands that brings together a carefully selected group of designers to examine the very nature and diverse culture of fashion today.
Exhibited at three picturesque locations in the historical Dutch city (including the Museum for Modern Art) the Biennale offers a veritable ‘carte blanche’ to fashion designers and maisons from across the globe, with dedicated spaces for all manner of artistic installations, fashion displays and audiovisual presentations.
To name just few participants: Damir Doma, Iris van Herpen, Juun J., Klavers van Engelen, Maison Martin Margiela, Rad Hourani, Alexandra Verscheuren, Raf Simons and Bless. Check out the amazing list of AMB 2011 participants: http://www.arnhemmodebiennale.com/en/participants/2011/
For more information: http://www.arnhemmodebiennale.com
As a sweeping theme for the edition, artistic director JOFF has personified the biennale with the character ‘Amber’, a cheeky pun on the festivals ‘AMB’ initials. He penned a letter to this imaginary muse, which was read aloud at the Biennale’s press conference on February 21st:
A LOVE LETTER TO AMBER
“Dear Amber,
We have known each other for quite a while now.
You appeared that day and revealed your face to me, only to disappear into thin air. You left me there, confused, with only a fleeting image of you. That first time, it was your flaming red lips; another time, it was the way your moustache curled against your cheek; the other day, it was the click of your stiletto heels calling to mind the serene chords of a harp.
Over the last few years, you have played this trick on me several times – completely different at every turn, each time you radiate a new beauty, and occasionally an apparent ugliness. By now, you have left me bewildered more than a million times. I will simply admit it: I am addicted to your deceit and seduction; I will never be able to live without this on-again, off-again relationship. And for this I want to thank you, for this eternal farewell and infinite reconciliation. Again and again, you show me who I am, where I am, and where I want to go. You give me perspective; you make me see anew. You are the one who opens my eyes. Wide open. Making sure I will always see that new allure.
Amber, you are a phenomenon. And as much as I would like to hold you close and never let you go, I, more than anyone, know that this would mean the end of you. I accept your volatility; I accept that you are not only mine to have. Fortunately, I know that we have something special and that we will find each other time and time again. Your name is like music to my ears; your scent washes away all my fears. With you, my life is like a film, a photo album of magnificent moments. You illustrate my life’s constant flux. I am the canvas; you are the painter. With resolute strokes of subtlety, you colour my most precious moments.
Amber, never stay who you are, but stay with me forever, or at least keep coming back to me. I want you always to be different, because that is who you are. What will happen in June is a tribute to you. I want everyone to know who you are. You are capricious and frank, and I want them to know that is OK, that this is what makes you who you are. The ultimate transformer – the one who shows us beauty and who helps us to determine who we are.
Amber, you are the most beautiful.
Photography by Anuschka Blommers, Niels Schumm and Uta Eisenreich
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