Mr. Polaroid by Ferry Van der Nat

MR. POLAROID 
Sat 01 Mar 2014 - Sat 26 Apr 2014

The Ravestijn Gallery’s upcoming exhibition ‘Mr. Polaroid’ by Ferry Van der Nat is a playful exploration of the nude form and its transformative nature under the spell of the instant camera. Van der Nat worked for many years as a make-up artist and began to document his surroundings through Polaroid shots. Recently his approach has evolved into a more formal and sustained engagement with this flexible medium, and ‘Mr. Polaroid ’ showcases the exciting middle ground between backstage and the studio. The resulting images are a focused yet suggestive moment in time, pushing the viewer to confront sexuality head-on.

Van der Nat works with two cameras, each with particular technical features and cultural importance. The 1965 Polaroid Land Camera 103 sheds a greenish blue tint across the prints, seeming to distill an aura and mystery around the subjects. The second camera, the Polaroid Big Shot from 1975, is famously the same model used by Andy Warhol as he produced some of his most overtly sexual images—a mood that inspires Van der Nat’s own project. The camera’s bulky construction means the photographer stands at a physical distance from his subjects, while the photograph is nonetheless quite intimate.

This collection certainly pushes the viewer into uncomfortable territory. A sense of constricted space is created by the large size of the prints; as if the viewer were frozen at eyelevel somewhere between the camera apparatus and the naked subject themselves. Van der Nat experiments with gay cultural stereotypes, amplifying them in number to a nearly exhibitionist degree. But who is the exhibitionist? The subject or the photographer?
 ‘Mr. Polaroid’ compares the face, full of erotic potential, with the straightforward, unflinching depictions of the nude lower-body. While Van der Nat’s subjects stare down the camera, inviting the viewer to return the gaze, the more private and most sexual images become anonymous, even objective through an emphasis on shadow, contour and frontal framing. ‘Mr. Polaroid’ captures the smallest details over and over again: patterns of hair growth, the curve of the thigh or buttock, a chiseled jaw and sulking eyes, and yet through his artful timing, Van der Nat balances between moments of humor and drama.
More images and information: http://www.theravestijngallery.com/exhibitions/2014-03-01/ferry-van-der-nat

All images courtesy Ferry van der Nat

DIORALOP SS2014 collection

DIORALOP by Andreja Bistričić and Maja Merlić

Inspired by socialist architecture of former Yugoslavia, surrounding Zagreb, the SS14 collection stands strong and stoic, facing the world without contention.
DIORALOP collections are inspired by Polaroid pictures, which are created through intentional spills of chemicals and their exposure to different temperatures. This technique yields different patterns, which are then manipulated and constructed to form the different pieces of the collection.
Androgyny plays an important role within this collection, trying to transfer different elements of both sexes, but retaining feminine characteristics and appeal. Maintaining clean lines and silhouettes, the way the print is cut is key in fulfilling a collection, which is fluid and effortless.
The fabrics used also highlight the transmission of both sexes, through the contrast of heavy cotton panama and light silk organza. All of the fabrics used are digitally printed and purchased within the Glasgow School Of Art in Scotland.
The colours used in every collection are very experimental, due to the technique employed. A spectrum of purple is encapsulated within this collection, with highlights of petroleum green, a robust palette, which fits with the designers daring aesthetic.
Uncompromising, aware and individual.

Lookbook credits:
Photo: Sanja Bistricic
Model: Antonija Bilobrk @Sonic Models
Make-up: Ana Rajic
Hair: Mijo Majhen

http://dioralop.org

Instagram Polaroid Socialmatic Camera

The Polaroid Socialmatic Camera Coming In 2014

As social networking continues to permanently settle into the lives of millions, companies are making it hard to ignore. There are a thousands of apps and products that can be used to maintain social networking sites and Polaroid is ready to jump in and conquer the market again.
They are getting ready for the release of Instagram Socialmatic Camera at the beginning of the 2014.
I am not a gadget person but this is really exciting. I am really curious to see in which direction this will develop.
For more information: http://www.social-matic.com/site/

DIORALOP at FASHIONCLASH Maastricht 2013

DIORALOP by Andreja Bistričić & Maja Merlić is one of the labels showing their collection at FASHIONCLASH Maastricht 2013.
I am really excited to see that we will have a label from Croatia for the very first time.
Here is a short preview of their AW 2013/14 collection.

“Dioralop is the quirky palindrome of Polaroid, meaning it's simply spelled backwards.”

Hailing from the island Pag, Andreja Bistričić is a 31-year-old fashion designer with a graduate diploma in fashion from Central Saint Martins in London. Hailing from Zagreb, Croatia, Maja Merlić is a 22-year-old student in architecture at the Faculty of Architecture & Urbanism in Zagreb. They founded Dioralop label together and it seems like a golden team. They won the Croatian Elle Style Award for the best young label in 2012 and gaining international exposure.

More info: http://dioralop.org/
Facebook

Photography: Goran Matijašec
DIORALOP a/w 2013/14 from Rene Batista on Vimeo.