!VOLUME 1NOT FOR SALE

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MAPPIN! "H# INVISIBLE:

TRACIN! "H# CONTOUR$ %& "H#

FUTUR#Cover: Do Ho Suh , “Staricase III”, Courtesy of TATE modern

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Emilie Pallard, “Longue Vue”

Interviewing people is an exciting moment, being interviewed is a less interesting moment. Why? Because being the interviewer you go in the mind of the person in front of you. Being interviewed is like being obliged to give your soul away probably not for the right purpose; you feel uncertain, you blossom and sometimes you lie because reality is more complex then you wants to pretend. Can we go in the brain of people and dream their dreams? Can we imagine the future, traveling through the brains of thousands of people worldwide? Yes, we can try to; we can find our way in the liquid world, searching data, searching changes in the society, communicating between unknown friends and having fun sitting on our bed or listening to music or watching at style.com. The more we know the more we become un-knowledgeable, the more we doubt and the more we lose control. It is an endless circle of questioning both the others and us, but the answers are inside our body. Every human being is knowledgeable. We all have the inner mechanism of survival by knowing. Let’s use it to predict the future. Let’s go for the new and the brave. Let’s stick together for sharing a vision, for creating a platform in order to give answers to questions without lying. Together with researchers, archeologists, scientists we have to analyze the symptoms of our own behavior. We have to look in the mirror and say hello, who are you, which way are you, what are you doing, where are you going. If we find the answers, if we challenge ourselves, we can find internal peace. Luckily every day there is a new challenge because of the fast changes in the society; luckily that mirror is waiting for us every day; luckily there is a lot to do for finding the answers…

BEFORE CASTING

LINDA LOPPA

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CONTENTS

I AM AN ARTIST

10

RENATURATION: BEAUTY REBORN

22

34bioME: RE-­TW

ISTING REALITY;; THE WORLD IS GREEN?:

ENLIGHTENED EATING

44

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54

64CHASING THE ETHEREAL:

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TREN' (DITOR$

Aline )onnard

Isadora *ertolucci

Sina +noell

Alicia )ayor ,odriguez

Jacqueline )olotsane

Elizabeth -auck

Hesperus )ak

Suthini "anangsnakool

Dimitra .ennaris

Victoria ,einsch

Sara (cheverri

Copyright is held by the publisher, Polimoda. All images used herein remains the property of respective owners. Reproduction in whole or part is forbidden save with the written permission of the publishers. Polimoda cannot be held responsible for any loss or damage to unsolicited material.

PHOTOGRAPHE/

Ruggero )engoni

PUBLICATIO0 1IRECTO/

Aki 2hoklat

CONSULTANT$

Danilo 3enturi

Roberta 4azanelli

CREATIV# 1IRECTO/

Hesperus )ak

1! 1!I AMANARTIST

Contemporary art has always influenced

different artistic domains. This is a journey through

its new directions, to give a glimpse at the future.

From intimate perspectives to the appropriation of the

environment, today’s artists are exploring a multitude of paths.

Editors:Aline MonnardDimitra Gennaris

1!

1! 1!

“I PORTRAY

THE UGLY”

A f t e r c e n t u r i e s

of focus on the aesthetic

properties of beauty, ugliness is

eventually a field of interest. Art deals with the

reality of ugliness, its impact and what kind of shapes it takes

(for example, artist Emil Alzamora focuses on the deformed human

body). Ugliness in art might represent ugliness of the world we live in. We all feel

like aliens in this no longer aggregated society deprived of collective rituals letting see us the

others as similar. Individualism and selfishness make us see others as monsters. Of course ugliness is

a concept historically and socially determined. To which extend can we introduce ugliness in our lives? How much

can our perception of disgust and horror change?

Emil Alzamora, “Voluptuary”

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“I EMBODY

ART”

Artists use their own body as their instrument of artistic creation. In one case the body acts as a tool, but at the end the artist is distinct from its creation (artists Tony Orrico and Chloe Faith Urban both choreograph their movements to draw/paint on canvas). In the second case they are perfectly integrated, inextricably linked not only conceptually, but also physically (artists Levi Van Veluw and Liu Bolin merge with their work). In both cases the artist blends with the artwork that becomes an extension of him/her. In a world where everything seems fluid, uncertain, temporary, this form

Tony Orrico, “Penwald: 6: project, recoil”

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of artistic expression might be a way to take roots, to find a place in the universe. The outcome is an unbreakable bond between the artist’s body and the object of art. The author is the subject of the creative act, but the object is there to remind him who he is and give confirmation of its existence as a man and as an artist.

Liu Bolin, “Demolition Site”

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“MY POINT OF

VIEW”

Artists’ point of view is valued and respected, following his/her eyes enables to discover new ways of interpreting and understanding. The

distinctive feature of postmodernity is the dematerialization of reality; processes that rule the world are mostly invisible. The interconnection between

art and science (see artist Cris Orfescu’s nanoart), expresses the aesthetic of immaterial.

Similarly, a camera implanted behind the head makes visible what we wouldn’t see otherwise (see artist Wafaa Bilal). At the same time we live with the illusion that everything

is close to us and can easily be reached. We need to change perspective and not to stop at what is directly accessible; to pass from a superficial point of view to a deep one. This is translated in

art through bringing focus on organs: artists Lorraine Clarke and Pinar Yolaçan respectively present them as gems and garments in their work.

“THROUGH ME

COLORS FLOW”The man in the city is used to walk on the asphalt, not on the land. Everything that

surrounds him in the urban landscape, from buildings to pollution, is gray and gloomy. This explosion of color in art (Nick van Woert works with antique busts covered with colored plastic.) might be a hymn to nature and its variety in forms, including the deformed and the disgusting, like vomit (appearing in Alexandra Lekias’ illustrative work, in Millie Brown’s performances and graffiti artist TYPOE’s installation).Vomiting colors appears as a rebellion against dichotomies (inside/outside), and simplification (black / white). It is an invitation to put out, to react, not to comply, and not to stay uniform.

Lorraine Clarke, “Nosce Te Ipsum” Pinar Yolaçan, “Maria”

Nick van Woert, “Poor Me”

TYPOE, “Confetti death”

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“I LEAVE

TRACES”

These artists are focused on

traces, on the past, on the memory of

representing the residues of the artistic production

(Andreas Gefeller), the second

Martin Pfeifle (www.pfeifle.de), “Rotemartha”

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RENATURATION :

Beauty reborn

Editors:Alicia Mayor RodriguezSuthini Tanangsnakool

Victoria Reinsch

Artist:

Kar

l-Hein

z Peters

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YOU ARE UGLY. NO OFFENSE, BUT YOU ARE.At least if you compare yourself with the “people” we see everyday on magazines, billboards, tv ads, series, films, ...even the people who impersonate those images look ugly when they stand next to the final pictures. Ok, let’s start over.

You think you are ugly. No wonder, for almost 3 decades you have been bombarded with images on how you should be, how you should look and how you should behave, all these under the pattern of one single view on beauty. Therefore, how is any of us going to believe him/herself as beautiful, if (thank God) we are all so different and diverse all over the world, that only the smallest percentage of population can look like people on ads.

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In this era of change and crisis, the moment for a change has arrived. Our society, immerse in the negative thinking of a difficult economic situation, a world collapsing due to natural disasters and global warming, need to get in touch with the really important things for human beings. People need to recover a mentality that eases their relationship with their bodies; they need to get rid of the nonsense-bordering-sick way of perceiving beauty. Therefore, the time has come to re-introduce the attraction to natural.

THE TIME HAS COME TO RECOVER AN APPRECIATION FOR THE NATURAL.

Patrick Mohr Mercedes Benz Fashion Week 2011Antwerp Royal Academy of Fine Arts Graduation Show 2011

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Is it possible, however, given the level of infiltration and

acceptance that the current vision on appearance has, to successfully

introduce the new one? Definitely, it is a challenge. The easiest way to get people’s

attention and interest is through shock: one powerful image can be stronger than a million

words. How about introducing the concept of ugly in the most fashionable, prettiest way? Can we

teach people to love ugliness? And if so, once you love ugliness, isn’t it easy to love natural, biological beauty?

Floris Wubben, “Upside down lounge”

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Beauty equals balance and well being, a healthy image of happiness

the penetration of the "super skinny" model is major, caucasian beauty floods the media

the extreme slimness establishes as the "way to be" in order to be attractive body-wise. Beauty is not real anymore: images in commercials and billboards are extremely photoshopped, everybody knows that no public image nowadays is free from digital remastering and still assume that image is the one to aspire to.20

00

50s -­ 60s

80s -­ 90s

THE PERIOD OF CHANGE. The way to cause a reaction is repetitive exposure to huge amounts of ugly, uneven, imperfect images on a fancy, high-class, attractive and interesting way, so people change their mentalities into embracing all kinds of looks.

People will be ready to be exposed to images of naturally beautiful women and actually see them as pretty as they are.

2020 -­ 2030

2000 -­ 2010

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Editors:Jacqueline Molostane

Sina KnoellSara Echeverri

bioME

Re-­twisting reality;; the world is green?

3! 3!

Isn’t it astonishing, how quickly humans can recoverafter a big environmental disaster andforget what happened? The catastrophe in Japan has touched the world; people from all over the globe were helping and grieving. But how long does it last? How long are the repercussionsof the flood in Australia, the oil spill in the Gulf of Mexico, Hurricane Katrina remembered? What we don’t see, we simply forget.

Forgetting is a human need. Nietzsche stated: “Who cannot live in the now by forgetting the past, will never reach happiness.” But if ‘forgetting’ is the path, then at what point will we recognize that our behavior regarding our environmenthas to change? We have been told for years that environmental responsibility is necessary; but a crucial change has yet to occur. So how can people fully realize the need for a change, when the media show mainly the beautiful side of the environment?

Safety

EsteemSurvival

Belonging(Virtually)

Belonging(Reality)

Esteem

Self-­Actualization

Safety will be more important than physiological needs. The

occurrences in the last years (e.g. Financial crisis, Natural disasters…)

and the Internet (with its undiscovered and infinite contents) leave a doubtful and

anxious human, feeling lost and fearing lose.

Belonging stage: Spending more time in the virtual world and putting more effort in virtual

relationships subconsciously decreases time spent on real relationships. Therefore decreasing

the experience of real emotions and human touch.

Humans have to eat, sleep and be healthy to survive. But many people stop eating to become skinnier, and doing

plastic surgeries that endanger health to be accepted by society’s view of beauty. Esteem and physiological needs are

sometimes on the same level and their importance alternates.

For a successful “Green” strategy it is imperative to understand human motivation. Maslow´s Hierarchy of Needsdescribes the needs that motivate humans: primary (physiological, safety, and belonging) and secondary (esteem and self-actualization). These needs must be reevaluated.

Environmentally responsible behavior is largely pivotedonapproval from others thus resulting in a multitude of oxy-morons: “Congratulations when you drive your SUVs to organic food markets or carry shoppers with slogans like “I love my planet” whilst throwing plastic bottles in the street… This is the resultof a misplaced environmental concern fostered by the media. Environment related strategies should appeal to human´s innermost need. We must vision the perilous results of our behavior. It is time to wake up and face reality. Only then great changes will happen. Wearing used shopping bags is just one way to follow extreme recycling…

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Evidently, companies, organizations and politicians have to find a way to reach one’s innermost need in order to implement being green, rather than wait and hope for one’s compassion: Even if this means that plastic surgeries are only permitted for those who can prove that they recycle plastic bottles.

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Fortunately, we can count on organizations such as “5 gyres on Board”, which raise awareness on matters regarding pollution by taking people to explore the seas in a different enlightening way. They provide a new traveling experience, through perceiving the reality of our surroundings, the vivid scenarios of our earth.

PLASTIC- a material made to last forever, yet meant to be thrown away. So, where does it end?

Well, first in the water, then in its inhabitants and finally in us… It’s a vicious cycle without an end, of which people do not take into account.

It works like this:

Consumption – pollution – circulation – accumulation – ingestion = PLASTIC SUSHI

Has it come to your mind that today perhaps will become the dream of generations to come? What we have nowadays will soon fade and become the illusion of our tomorrow? If ignorance remains bliss then the wonders of our land may have to be viewed in a different way: in order to observe nature, trees may have to be projected on the walls and preserved as precious items in museums; or phenomena such as snow will have to be generated in indoor installations.

ARE WE THEN…. PERHAPS LIVING THE UTOPIA FUTURE?

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In one corner, we have the ever-­arising issue of “Green” awareness raising its

the other corner we have ever-­evolving “Tech” striking a stare of intimidation to it’s opposition. “Green” and “Tech” have been head to head in the “boxing-­ring” of society, so to speak. Yet, both serve a unique importance and an even higher value when used together. For example, artist, Gilberto Esparza’s Plantas Nomadas is a robot that “processes and

from residual waters into nutrients for a plant and energy for machine operation.”

Furthermore, our gardens or vegetable patch may be a place that we can grow successfully even if we are not gardening-­inclined. According to New York Times, “there are products to keep pests at bay and reduce water consumption. One of them — a robotic lawn mower —has designs on replacing our gardener.” Even cooking has been taken to another level with Lapin Kulta Solar Kitchen Restaurant opening during Milan Design Week this year.

of the Japanese natural disaster, where

that “has tried in vain to rise above it”. Yet in the midst of the ashes, Electric cars were used after the earthquake. Yes, electric cars. Not Hummers or Jeeps. These battery-­electric automobiles, including models from Mitsubishi and Nissan, aided the post-­disaster recovery efforts, as they were able to “refuel” with ease at any electrical outlet. According to Ken Belson of New York Times, “[The electric cars] were pressed into service ferrying supplies to refugee centers, schools and hospitals, and taking doctors, city workers and volunteers on their rounds.”

Historically, the Japanese culture has been one that values the harmony between man and nature;; however, their technological capabilities and impressive electronics industry have ensued a struggle between its technological heart and natural soul. So the question remains: Is there a battle between nature and technology or a search for symbiotic equilibrium? The crucial equilibrium between nature and technology lies in the ability to feed from Mother Nature but not bleed her.

“THERE IS ENOUGH IN NATURE FOR EVERYBODY’S NEED BUT NOT ENOUGH FOR EVERYBODY’S

GREED”

-­MAHATMA GHANDI

45

4! 4!

EATING

EN

Editor:Elizabeth Lauck

4! 4!

ADVENT OF THE SIMPLE.It is clear that as we seek to untangle the threads of the current global crises, we are also charged with the task of re-weaving the strands of our own mythology. The idea of Enlightened Eating stems not only from the need for new ritual and spiritual practices, but also from the advent of the Simple.

Over the next several years, we will see the birth of new spiritual practices and the revival of old religious t radit ions. As the world continues to establish a greater and more complex web of virtual communities and connections, a similar web will develop beneath us, created by a need for ritual and faith.

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Enlightened Eating is a meditation of sorts, a praxis of living sustainably, heartily, and joyfully. A need for “the basics”, for the elemental, is reawakened as the world around us seems to spin exponentially faster by the hour. Our relationship to food is complex. “For Lévi-Strauss, ultimately to learn who we are, we [must] look at [our] food and cooking patterns,

Examined more broadly, the ways in which cultures create, produce and consume food, fair, cuisine and the like, can be seen as “narrative performances of how societies construct notions of self and community, and their relationship with the world.” Food cannot be examined in isolation. “When we talk about food, we are then, in the midst of a rich

for they tell us something about the basic structure of our systems of signification.” Food presents a complex grammar, “a rich symbolic alphabet through its diversity of color, texture, smell and taste.” It is a language in and of itself; a language learned long before that of spelling, syntax and speech.

and complex mosaic of languages, grammars, narratives, discourses, and traditions,” all of which are intricately affixed. Individually, the parts mean nothing. They must be examined dialectically; in contrast to and in conversation the adjoining vertices of the matrix.

5! 5!

En l ight ened Eating is a

means of feeding the spirit; a need that

is often overlooked in a society driven by consumer

capitalism. Through food, we encounter our whole being.

The task is thus: “ we must learn to cook and to eat from the inside

out. For in learning to nourish and be nourished, we open ourselves to receiving

real nourishment that feeds us — inside and out, body and soul.

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Even though we all know this, death is an unpronounceable taboo cut out of the perceptual world of the living and from the places of daily life. We usually tend to tie death to external and extraordinary events. Geoffrey Gorer, a British sociologist, uses the concept of “pornography of death” to express this situation. In most of the Western societies, it is not considered problematic anymore to see naked bodies, but it is a great shock to be confronted with a corpse, as if there was a risk to be contaminated in some way. This is often expressed in fashion: Thierry Mugler’s designer Nicola Formichetti chose the skeleton-tattooed model Rico as a muse, Givenchy’s summer 2011 collection included molded masks on skulls, etc. The ability to conceive the idea of death is proper to the human race and in a few decades, the choreography of death has undergone a remarkable transformation.

Courtesy of Palais de Tokyo

Editor:Dimitra Gennaris

5! 5!

Even though we all know this, death is an unpronounceable taboo cut out of the

perceptual world of the living and from the places of daily life. We usually tend to tie death

to external and extraordinary events. Geoffrey Gorer, a British sociologist, uses the concept of

“pornography of death” to express this situation. In most of the Western societies, it is not considered

problematic anymore to see naked bodies, but it is a great shock to be confronted with a corpse, as if there was a risk to

be contaminated in some way. This is often expressed in fashion: Thierry Mugler’s designer Nicola Formichetti chose the skeleton-

tattooed model Rico as a muse, Givenchy’s summer 2011 collection included molded masks on skulls, etc. The ability to conceive the idea of

death is proper to the human race and in a few decades, the choreography of death has undergone a remarkable transformation.

It has become a technically medicalized phenomenon which no longer belongs to the subject itself or its family. This act is now rather in the hands of professionals.

Nowadays the environment of dying people is marginalized, confined in hospitals and places of care. About 75% of deaths in the Western world take place in health structures.

Consequently death is now much more scary, lonely, mechanical and dehumanized than it used to be while the full awareness of its universal and fatal character already produces

emotional despair and anguish. That is the main reason why human beings have always embraced the idea of faith in superior power. Religions provide humankind with hope of continuity and a

representation of post mortem which makes death somehow acceptable. However, religiosity seems to have lost its persuasive force in today’s society. Traditional certainties, built-up in order to make life

possible, are being questioned. The abandonment of the structures of meaning and actions, celebration of cults and rituals leave a gap in our lives.

WHY NOT ARCHIVE

OURSELVES AS WE

ARCHIVE EVERYTHING?

Courtesy of Il Giardino di Daniel Spoerri

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Nowadays reassurance is partly provided by fantasizing of the immortality of vampires, imagining that we can prevent and hide age or control our death (euthanasia).The newest way to cope is by the hope to digitally live forever; and why not archive ourselves as we archive everything?

Digital urns already exist and by 2050 we will be able to attain digital immortality by storing a human’s personality (behavior, reactions, way of thinking etc.) in a more durable media such as a computer, and allowing this avatar to communicate with people in the future. The digital clone will be able to share personal stories, values or ideas. Individuals will be able to speak directly to their ancestors, an alternative to the 19th and early 20th centuries’ spirit mediums, who claimed to channel the minds and personalities of the dead.

Consequently, people will be more influenced by their ancestor’s memories. This will provide us with images and dreams that don’t really belong to us. It will be much more difficult to escape from the subconscious level of having this information coming up again and again.Tradition is also returning through community rituals permitted by the new digital aspect of our lives. Many non-Western cultures build rituals around death that allow a person to grieve over time, but in highly individualistic societies death can be physically very isolating. In fact, relatives and friends of the dead are expected not to show their emotions or to abandon themselves to despair. Everything that can clog the social machine is banned. Funeral processions held in large cities are now being abandoned as they are accused of hindering traffic and normal, profane life.One of the new community rituals is customization of a digital headstone and its environment. It appears as a return to traditional rituals, such as performed by the Ga tribe in Ghana which celebrates death through physical manifestations and beautifully decorated coffins.Digital funerals are also more public and easily accessible, and the internet’s constant availability will enable people to grieve in their own time. The users often have a close relationship with the web pages of the passed away affiliated, visiting them three or four times a day, years after the person’s death.

Finally, it appears that the digital world does not give us the chance to escape further, but rather helps us to return to a semblance of humanity through new forms of rituals and the building of a post-modern tradition, in a world where science became predominant. Possibly digital funerals might replace progressively physical funerals. Digitalization of death is an evolution that gives answers to our society’s evolution.

So as said in the beginning, or as learned from birth on, one day we will die and then? What will be or won’ t will never be revealed to the living. The final eternal outcome of death will not change, however the dealing and ideas of it will.

Photo: Ruadh DeLone

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OF DEATH IS

AN EVOLUTION THAT GIVES ANSWERS TO OUR SOCIETY’S EVOLUTION.

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t h e e t h e r e a l

c h a s i n g

Editors:Isadora Bertolucci

Hesperus Mak

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There is a silent revolution going on, from inside, to outside. We may not be seeing it on the TV or newspaper, but it is big.

Traditional religions are using the new technology to engage existing believers and recruit new followers. In January this year, the Pope encouraged the Catholics to make use of the social media networks and recognized it as an important platform for exchanging information and having better relations. Rabbi Irwin Kula, the president of the National Jewish Center for Learning and Leadership, is actively using twitter and Facebook to spread the Jewish wisdom. Besides, spirituality is more portable than ever. Bible, Quran or Buddhist passages can be downloaded to the phone. Direction of Mecca can be located through apps. Confession comes handy too. One of the confession apps, called Penance, relies on the crowdsourcing concept and let the users play both sinners and saint.

Despite traditional religions discover a new land for spreading their words, we seems turning away from them. In a quick poll by USAtoday, 40% of the respondents declared that “I’ve quit all religion but I’m still spiritual.” With more

SPIRITUALITY HAS SEPARATED FROM

RELIGIONthan 2000 members, Network of Spiritual Progressives is an interfaith group that support each other spirituality but not religiously. Spirituality has separated from religion.Without limiting ourselves in

specific religion, human is once again looking for new explanations.

As seen in movies in last 10 years, an awakening is coming out on a heavy way. As a reflection of human lives, movies are now representing our demand for new explanations that can put together science, religion, and facts.

Meet Joe Black and What Dreams May Come, both released in 1998, were remarkable by putting us closer to the afterlife subject. We should make a note on the scientific documentary released in 2004, called What the #$*! Do We (K)now!?, which was not a blockbuster,

but have reached a lot of people, being exhibited on the commercial movie circuit. The main subject was to explain the quantum physics on a colloquial way, bringing clearly the idea that there is something else about the way we perceive the world, explained by renewed scientists. The Secret in 2006 was polemic but also a movie based on a lot of testimonials, revealing the power of our thoughts, announcing the new era for humanity with no more supressed secrets. Then, one year ago, Clint Eastwood came as a director with a strong movie, called Here After. Full of coincidences and medium experiences, but still, is categorized as drama and fantasy movie. In all these movies the

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IN AN ERA OF APOCALYPSE, IS THERE SOMETHING YOU BELIEVE IN?

ancient rel ig ious

dogmas were questioned in

order to understand the unexplainable

mysteries of our lives.

The more human explores about science and religion, the more we see limitation on both sides. Faith does not tell us how the universe began, only says that behind the Big Bang there is a creator God. Science knows the phenomenon of death but do not dare to say what’s after

the e n d

of life. All this

a p p a r e n t contradictions are

now getting closer, and at the same time

put the pieces together. Religion coexists with science.

As Einstein put it, “science without religion is lame, and religion without science is blind.”

We don’t have to take side. Freeing ourselves from the endless debate between religion and science, we are learning to be spiritual again, without boundary of traditional dogma. A pine tree that standing still in Rikuzentakata after tsunami in Japan can become a tree of hope. The spirituality does not have to be based on a deity, it can be in everywhere, in nature, at home, in everyday life. In an era of apocalypse, are there something you believe in?

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