At some point, I realized that I have made similar experiments through a series of digital print projects for textile design, dealing with the common theme, the relationship between body and space. I think that the final destination of textile design can be categorized into two areas, fashion and interior. I figured the concept of "Camouflage" to be the key link between them. Added to this, the conceptual background of my work is deeply rooted in my personal experience. Growing up in an unusual place (a brand new city, but surrounded by rural countryside), made me acutely aware of man and his extreme environments. I came up with the idea that how our physical bodies are connected with our surroundings, sharing same organic elements and mathematical structures. I found the concept "Camouflage" as the status of reconciliation of man and his environment, especially in nature, where I used to find myself most comforted during my vulnerable childhood. This subject went more private for the recent project - Urban Camouflage 06: Knitted Room. A certain space has been set and it is supposed to be at the border between fantasy and reality. For the interior decorations, I put the same patterns of my knit jumper onto the wall in a way of Camouflage, to get vanished and be invisible. The initial idea could be considered as a confession of almost painful memories of the psychological uneasiness of my childhood which still attacks me from time to time in my adulthood and a cure by hiding myself and escaping from reality to fantasy.
You are using a special digital technique in an innovative way: could explain us how does it work practically?
I studied Fine Art and Visual Communication Design before I come to the field of industrial design. During my study of Media Design, I became to know about the innovative digital graphic program called processing, created by Ben Fry and Casey Reas from MIT Media Lab. This attractive technique has been known to the graphic designers from many years ago, and yet it has been used only for the limited fields of design, mostly for virtual and conceptual presentations. I used to consider myself being at the border of different areas and my aim was applying new digital techniques into the analogue-real life. Considering the function of textile design, which is used most directly onto the people's daily lives -for their bodies and surroundings, I became to think that the graphics, even though they are 100% digitally created, should embrace Humanism in them. Processing was the perfect solution, conceptually and practically, as the unique result shows a real sense of the human hand with natural expressions while it is generated by coding process. Thanks to the new reprographic technologies, I have been able to experiment my delicate graphics on the diverse tactile media. I digitally printed my graphics onto the fine silk and further upholstered and stitched to give an added 3D illusion with an effect of tufted furnishing fabrics. I developed this idea further for the recent project 'Knitted Room'. The lines, as fine as you can get with digital graphics, were re-interpreted as delicate threads. They were braided, knitted and upholstered to become extended to patterns. These knitted patterns, printed in grayscale with light and shadow effect, were graphically applied onto fashion, product and space, making a camouflage scene.
What are your main sources of inspiration for your work?
I found that my recent project has been successful, because the inspirations have come through many levels of my personal background and studies of art and design. I started my career from Fine Art where I have built logic for my artwork. I found the similar interests on great artist's works, such as René Magritte and Gerhard Richter's paintings, Jorge Luis Borges' novels and Korean contemporary poet Lee Sang's surrealistic works. These artists found their motives from the scenes of daily lives and then re-interpreted them with their unusual but accurate logics regarding Time-Space. The sources of my artworks used to come from these personal interests, but I am trying to combine them with the innovative skills which I learned through media design study. The creative techniques developed by some pioneer media designers always stimulate me to think in a progressive way. Also, it helps my works to get more objectivity with contemporary aesthetics.
What kind of application and what products have been made (or will be made) with the urban camouflage pattern?
The collection Urban Camouflage 05: Smallest Garden has been developed from last year and the results are coming now. The pattern with upholstered furnishing fabric illusions have been taken to the company Innermost (www.innermost.net) and developed into a lamp-shade. It will be on the market on January 2010 Maison et Objet, and we are also planning to continue the collection with other geometrical patterns as well. The same pattern is also in progress for sofa furniture. I am currently working on Urban Camouflage 06: Knitted room. One of the patterns was selected for D3 Contest in Germany. This pattern is currently in wallpaper production and it will be presented by the scale of 15 square metres at the international contemporary furniture fair in cologne (IMM 2010), January 2010. Also, this project is on further development with the ceramic designer SeNa Gu, who has been making successful sales on the market in Europe, including Max Mara, Selfridges and Spazio Rossana Orlandi. The production is in progress as we are working on from a small ceramic product to the collective installation for interiors. I expect to broaden a range of product and add some more commercial sense through the collaboration. Besides my own project, some digital print patterns for fashion will be made through collaboration with Central Saint Martins Innovation Centre: Design Laboratory in 2010 February.
How do you define your work: is it more art or design?
I started my idea from my own subject and story, but as I come to the industry, making practical and commercial sense has been more important on my work. I find some design leaders who have been making well balanced work between art and commercial product and the common character can be found on their works that they put more value on their creativity rather than functionality. My basic philosophy is that things on the surface of the planet should have their justifiable reasons to exist, whether it regards their private logics or absolute functionality. Artists sell their works like commercial designers and designers experiment their product with their own philosophical contemplation in this age, where the convergence between art and design is a big trend. It could be told that they are making their profits in a same way. I believe that it is not about clarification between art and design. The creative result should have their role in a way to be worthy. Simply aesthetical works without any functional consideration in an industrial or sociological aspect, or simply functional works without humanism, both will not be good enough. From Fine art and media design, I changed my subject of study to the industrial design, because I could not bear the alienation between big thoughts and the reality. I have been developing my ideas in a personal way so far, and I would have to consider practical and functional aspects more for my works to be in common use. However, regardless of the current trend, my works will be still at the border of Art and Design even after the time, as my path and own inspiration itself has been at the border of fantasy and reality.
Could you tell us something about your ongoing and future projects? Are you going to further develop the camouflage theme?
Currently, I am working on Urban Camouflage Project 06: Knitted Room. The process of storytelling, graphic experiment, pattern development and productions has been reached to the end. The first presentation will be made on the exhibition in cologne January 2010. A range of products and new patterns will be made through the collaboration with SeNa Gu and Design Laboratory in 2010. I will be focusing on commercializing my previous and current works through this year. Also, I have been currently developing my ideas for the project Urban Camouflage 07, using unusual textile materials with traditional weaving and knitting skills. I expect it will be more fun and experimental and more focused on the concept of Camouflage itself.
