vibskov emenius

Interview†The Fringe Projects, METROPOLIS M
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You both run your own practices as designer (Andreas Emenius) and fashion designer (Henrik Vibskov) and started of your carriers by founding your own businesses. You Henrik run two fashion boutiques in Copenhagen and Oslo and an online-store and Andreas a design consultancy. In 2007 you decided to work together under the name Vibskov/Emenius to start a series of autonomous works called the†Fringe Projects. What do you regard as the surplus value of your collaboration?

It was a spontaneous decision to start the Fringe Projects; we liked the feel of the fringes and so decided to make 10projects with an esthetic common theme, set in different contexts and with individual content. We didn't have a big master plan, but at the same time once we got going we were fairly focused. We know each other from school and share some esthetic references, we have some common grounds, and at the same time we are very different as individuals. The process of association, which is very instinctive, and visual understanding we have developed is very valuable. This means we can run on a similar tempo, and movement, and we have fun, it's what fuels things.

As well, obviously, we both bring different backgrounds to the table, Andreas is born in a suburb of Stockholm, Henrik is from the countryside of Denmark, and originally Andreas has a graphic design background, while Henrik comes with a fashion background. This mix of input, diversity, and our interest to criss cross within different principles gave some good angles.

With†The Fringe Projects, both your practice seem to move from the commercial towards the art world. Is this a deliberate choice, or was there never really a big difference between the two worlds for you both?

We feel an artist work is uncompromising and by definition the commercial world is compromising, and sometimes we believe this to be the truth. But it's an idealistic view, and in praxis, however the worlds are more blurred and we still move frequently between them. But it is a deliberate choice to be uncompromising and only follow through on project we want to complete.

In an article in Frieze, Nick Currie a writer and musician based in Berlin, writes ëthat design is having itís Duchamp-momentí. Design had been getting ëmore conceptual, more playful, more self directed, less tied to clients, less servile, less practical.í He mentions several reasons for design ësliding up to artí. Such as: ëIn an age when computers make simple graphic design tasks accessible to non-professionals, professional graphic designers have diversified as a distinction strategy.í Or: since design-for-production is heading east to workshop nations like India and China, designers have to find new roles. ëDesign hasí, according to Currie, ëarrived at its own kind of abstraction ñ a freedom from the object.í What do you think of this theory; do you recognize yourself in it at all?

The computer accessibility, and the design boost in the nineties definitely generated a designer flooded situation, which helped start the long overdue reinvention of the design concept in the last five years. A more polarized situation emerged were some designers joined the commercial big client based groups, becoming powerful enough to move across nations, others digging their head down locally, moving in the very opposite direction. The later group could now perhaps be considered the design disciplines own private art army. Then there are the designers who donít fit into either category; the in betweens are left doing the 'simple tasks' for everyone in need for design refreshment. In our end of the world, society has now transformed into a place where design is easily consumed and surrounds us like never before, most people can afford a sleek table, pretty wallpaper, or a fancy dress. In our consumption driven world design is not exotic anymore, in some ways it lacks strength, hanging on to dated ideas like 'form follows function', or chasing the latest trend. That leaves a void for something more unique. This, together with the, (until recently) upturn of the economy gave art a boost up the status ladder, and with designers looking for a new identity it makes sense to try on some new shoes. So, sure, though Droog and Tomato played their part in the mid-nineties, there is now more acceptance of experimenting, playful, self-expressive design. With galleries as a result paying more attention. But it is also a definition question, what we used to call experimental design is now referred to as art, so in that sense design is having it's Duchamp-moment.

Having said all this, we realized a while back that ignoring the noise and keeping producing is the best way to go, both strategically and sanity wise.

A last quote from Nick Currie: ëSince a lot of the work of designers is already conceived with exhibitions and magazine coverage in mind, the leap to the art world will be a small one. This seems especially true for†Fringe Projects No.6,††a photo of the both of you in a boat, dressed in surrealistic red costumes in an abstract fringy red landscape! The photo was published on the cover of†Soundvenue Magazine.†Can you tell something about this shifting of production strategies and media?

For us itís a lot more straightforward, we use the different channels - a magazine, a gallery, or something else - as triggers that give life to the project, that's it. We are not connected to the media more than that and we always have complete control. If your question is if artwork is perceived differently if the artwork is viewed on the front cover of a magazine such as Soundvenue, then your statement is the answer to the question. It's a paradox in a way, the image is probably less convincing as artwork printed on the front cover of a magazine, but it will be seen by a lot of people. Opposite, when shown in a gallery, less people will see it, but the context guarantees the image art credentials. I haven't actually made up my mind if I think the Fringe Projects, as a whole would have turned out differently if it were produced specifically with galleries in mind.

The title of†Fringe Projects No.6†says ëWe take a boat trip through a red swamp, with references to popular culture and history.í Tell me all about it! What inspired you to make this work?

With project 6 we wanted to create a self-portrait set in our fringed parallel universe. It's an image of a crucial moment in time, suggesting a story of some sort, a struggle or a mission that needs to be accomplished. Driven by obsession, fear, revenge or simply curiosity, with or without reason. A self-destructive mood. Like when Sigourney Wivers character in the film Alien goes hunting extrteretioals, or Britney Spears is dodging paparazzi. Then again, it's just us taking a boat ride in the red swamp.

There obviously is a link between the Fringe Projects and the staged performance-like fashion shows of Henrik Vibskov on the one hand and the abstractnormal force†objects of Andreas Emenius.† On your website the Fringe Projects are described as ëa series of work exploring illusion, surface and movementí. Can you elaborate on this: whatís the unique proposition of the Fringe Projects, the principle or ëfringeí?

The fringe itself is not necessarily interesting, it becomes an interesting element when multiplied or sat in motion. We use the fringes as esthetic glue for the ten projects, a visual port into our universe, and we use illusion, surface, and movement as overall themes. But each project has its own content and the full story is only told when all ten projects are completed.

For the exhibition at the Zeeuws Museum youíre working on the realization of†Fringe Projects No. 10.
Can you give any hint/idea on what kind of project we might expect?

We wanted to do something where you walk through fringes, a tactile gate, of cleansing or transformation. We settled for an installation consisting of 10 spinning fringed pillars, inspired by turbulence, car wash, Paul Verhoeven's 'Total Recall', and the monotone environment of factories.

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The exhibition will also be the first time all the Fringe Projects are showed together in a museum like surrounding. Donít you regards this a little strange, since the form of all the projects is so much attached to the production context in which they were generated and the medium that belongs to it? For instance the†Fringe Projects†took the shape of a cd/music, videoís, stage-like objects,†even a ëcoatí for a bear bottle.† How do you think this will ëhold itselfí in a museum-like setting. Have you thought out a strategy for the exhibition?

We don't really see the projects attached to the production context. As mentioned earlier, we use the media as triggers and a way to keep up production, but conceive the project with the series as a whole in mind. A criterion for us doing a project is complete control, for instance the beer we did a 'coat' for, we also decided on the bottle, alcohol percentage, and the colour of the beer itself. The fringed 'coat' was then juxtaposed with images of muscles, questioning strength and masculinity. Also, some projects have been shown in various contexts, for example project 8 has been screened in a gallery as well as at Showstudio.com, we think it's interesting to have each project being able to stand up and shout by for itself, but they are also layers making up the entire story. The museum is a perfect frame for completing the puzzle.