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AUDIO GARB GARB words Zara Hedderman Mike McGrath
-Bryan Danny Wilson Sinéad O’Reilly Refresh your Rigout... with a pair of ‘Big Face Earrings’ - a worthy alternative to this summer’s Picasso-earring compulsion - from freshly-launched Dublin label This Jewellery - @thisjewellery Connan Mockasin Jassbusters [Mexican Summer] HEMLINES FLYING THE FLAG words Amelia O’Mahony-Brady Few creatives have merged mediums as dextrously as Dublin polymath Aoife Dunne. With an extensive career trajectory that crosses continents with ease, she melds the worlds of costume design, fashion styling and large-scale artworks. Her feeds are bursting at the seams with project announcements. This summer, she’s added yet another feather to her jewelencrusted cap with a week’s residency in Margate Location House, whose “acid-aesthetic” interiors go hand-in-hand with Dunne’s personal style. “Walking-art-installation” is the simplest way to describe her look. The spoils of her creative output are now splashed across @efadone and @margatelocationhouse for all spectators to see. Between these visuals and Aoife’s freshly-minted website, you’ll find no better colour fix. aoifedunne.com “You can do anything to get good grades. Anything,” says the lingering narrator at the midpoint of Connan Mockasin’s latest record, Jassbusters. Sinister undertones abound, lyrically (B’nd and You Can Do Anything) and throughout the eight lethargic funk-led melodies, to strengthen the story created by Mockasin. Entering into a Connan Mockasin album, the listener is offered an introduction into the world they are about to settle into. On this occasion, the setting is a high school. Jassbusters is a concept album better understood after you watch a fivepart companion film entitled Bostyn ’n Dobsyn. It features Mockasin as Mr. Bostyn, a high school music teacher who plays in a band with his fellow music teachers. Predominantly featuring guitar chords lifted from the 1970s that are set to equally slumberous vocals that waver between gorgeous harmonies London-goers, make sure to catch Fashion Space Gallery show Inside Arc which liberates precious archive pieces from their vaults. Replete with masterfully-crafted garments and accessories, highlights of the show include items from Givenchyera John Galliano, Alexander McQueen, and accomplished Irish designer Sorcha O’Raghallaigh. Her featured creation, a vibrant embroidered cape from her Central Saint Martins graduate collection boasting an abundance of semi-precious jewels and prayer beads, must be marvelled at in the flesh. Running until 28th July. fashionspacegallery.com on Momo’s and the voice of the sleazy narrator. “Your grades are slipping everywhere, except for music,” says the principal to Dobsyn, the student of the school, to break B’nd’s otherwise gorgeous instrumental. Far less expansive and experimental than Mockasin’s previous records, particularly 2011’s wonderfully weird Forever Dolphin Love, Jassbusters, nonetheless, is an enjoyable and enticing record from New Zealand’s most interesting musician. ZH Like this? Try these: Ariel Pink - Mature Themes King Krule - The Ooz Alex Bleeker & The Freeks - Alex Bleeker & The Freeks CALLED FROM THE BAR HATS OFF The Smashing Pumpkins Shiny and Oh So Bright Vol. 1 / LP: No Past. No Future. No Sun. [Napalm Records] IN THE WORDS OF PHILIP TREACY, “HATS MAKE PEOPLE FEEL GOOD, AND THAT’S THE POINT OF THEM.” WE TALK TO TWO SUCH LOCAL DESIGNERS WHO WANT TO INSTILL THE FEEL GOOD FACTOR. It’s odd to say something with such a unique sound lacks in personality, yet, that is where we are left with Corgan and Co.’s return to the limelight. Shiny feels more a missed opportunity than total write-off, more forgettable than disastrous, less pumpkin and more pumpkin-spiced; a lot of what’s on here sounds like the band pitching one of those disposable recent Bond themes. Though likely still defensible collection to their army of baying devotees, if you’re looking to relive their golden years; perhaps move on and leave the memories unbesmirched. DW Right: cape by Sorcha O’Raghallaigh Below: Aoife Dunne at her studio “Have we met before?” she asks. About a year ago outside Grogans I remind her. We were amongst a group of NCAD graduates huddled together for warmth, swapping tales of post-college tribulations and reminiscing. It was here that I first heard about Choy’s broken hands and the seemingly impossible graduate collection that followed, something of legend on the fashion course now though Choy would never admit it. Three months before the graduate show, Choy went over the handlebars of her bike and broke both of her arms. “Ah I’m grand!” she said after the fall, in what I now understand to be typical Choy fashion. 12 hours later she was on the operating table having a plate and three screws put into her arms. Bed-bound, unable to move her fused arms and with the first fitting in four days she realised she was “completely screwed”, in every sense of the word. With full recovery time estimated at 12 weeks, like funding and planning. But seeing what you’ve created being worn is a really amazing feeling, it sort of gives you a boost to get through those boring bits. What were you looking into for your SS16 collection? I star et d by looking at the artwork of Wesley Triggs and François Morelli, they’re very geoIN THE REFLECTIVE AGE J Mascis Elastic Days [Sub Pop] her tutors heavily advised that she defer the year. “They said ‘these are great, I can totally see these t very r pleopd and co lo . I th ugoey ret thse s uct pos nble it was.hapnyo e e s er attitt no hought twice ab rat throwing in thy nice 100% co on anory aa ou metric abstract artists. Their lines f ro med the shapes in the garments and the mood of the collection was insp eir d by a young Patti Smith, desig jus ns on e axele’, but I think th h ali d he tr ow im ure asi d linear s” A es, w n ith hl e migh ude wast have e io, I lo uden Far from the mind of most casual alt-rock fans, who seem intent on characterising J Mascis as an eternal precursor to grunge’s fuzzier excesses, the Dinosaur Jr. man has been slowly refining his strain of folk-rock on the side since that band’s original lineup came back together. With Elastic Days, Mascis and collaborators head further down the path that ‘90s Dinosaur Jr. may have traversed, referencing psychedelia and country along the way. MMGB Ch d crisp wearing co ottdle o akes ye u f ld me ab f esh colol who broke h lf w t and deferr d ot cemh te anoy’s decision to trun n mn. “Thoy toeel. I like rout a girurs, but I m eyser wriosuld wear a loet and then had to defer again. I knew I couldn’t wait around for a year. I’d just be moping and I of black. When I’m designing I tend to think ‘fresher’ than maybe just designing for myself. wanted to get on with it.” For the six weeks when Choy was completely unable to move her arms, she adopted a Matisselike approach to work, enlisting the help of everyone from her granny to her boyfriend to help create the collection. Her inexperienced but diligent volunteers were delegated to cutting patterns and sewing garments. In the remaining six Could you tell us about your design process? I will start by looking around me, usually going to IMMA and compiling imagery on the internet. I tend to save a lot of imagery, not even specifically for that collection, but for the future. I also look at people around the streets and get the mood from how I’m feelCHARLES BRADLEY Black Velvet [Daptone] WASTE NOT. WANT NOT. A NEW COLLECTION AND ONLINE VENTURE SEW SUSTAINABILITY INTO THE FABRIC OF THEIR OPERATIONS. ir d her new mf It’s a sad fact that the gravelly tones of soulman Charles Bradley finally reached wider ears in 2016 with a heartfelt cover of Black Sabbath’s Changes, released just months before the cancer diagnosis that would take his life. From the third act of his career, which saw him picked up by specialists Daptone for a turnaround in fortunes, comes this collection of pre-signing once-offs and collaborations, which showcases poignantly his range and strength as a frontman. MMGB TWO JEWELLERY DESIGNERS FROM ROSCOMMON AND VENEZUELA TRACE THE PATH TO WHERE THEIR CAREERS ARE AT RIGHT NOW. WARNING — IT INVOLVED BAR WORK. lex her creative muscles again. Choy decided to h your designs? h t hos a s rong sense of their oll sligh ln sy ‘wearable’ b cau es y u co aran be s urn t ise r e commut wao woould brain off. Thrk. Soa etimes yo ey t ke iaw t aord w r it t nu might o b have ae commerciaour husad of somewing t, but eph h g sev w t a nice little co ton ust. I used a reall e towel but anotther st d a lbmbt a p’s le rtha ver us stve h w fresen d O Emperor Jason [Big Skin] guess so unadul ualitt d side of her b o c a g eral more. I od n exercise in un c ing t a n,h t e wah oy y u think. The lastt yeler was weeks, her arms were beginning to regain mobility, though not very willingly. Yet the looming deadline, says Choy, “actually helped recovery [because] I just had to do it, I just had to sew a little bit more. I think I would have been lazier about the exercises otherwise.” Six outfits later she had a collection, to disbelief of pretty much everyone including her tutors. It’s clear that Choy does not like being told what she can or can’t do. After a year long stint designing for Dunnes Stores abiding by the constraints of the commercial industry where profits trump expression every time, she felt an urge to f What kind of woman do you see wearing old an exhibition of her personal work, though she founA g l wh ’os quite coly le n able in who th’t so r ea tsilay f argottten. “They were sti aroretd habits wereney a e, w t tyle. I guess It’s a fitting farewell for Waterford psych-rockers O Emperor: for a band that has brazenly stuck to its guns over the years, it was a logical conclusion to piece together wildly different elements of the same days-long jamming/improv session into a loose collection of work. The result is the most inherently ‘O Emperor’ thing they could have done, as the band’s familiar forms come off altered and even warped in places, yet vested in reverbdrenched tape warmth. MMGB re oy’s l v u at leslect lle e can allow her ide s t cep t an e coa e a c aract st enr yoursein.e g cursing and being self-effacing when discussing the concept of the collection because it’s rea y about not giving a fuck and just being really chilled.” jo beeading. The d karcere wh a bi f th t o d m lle k ctioh Edel Traynor is stocked at Atelier 27, Drury Street, Dublin 2. You can see ore of her work at edeltraynor.com ll uc o rorae feminine woith s me su hen dillo us ou t g th someetimse it’s h d to t urp h d abo ercihl side of y ur b uy your woen I remlised I do ’t want t e in thn image in yl ind e try.” F llo body his y c , she founy diffterent ap d I likd coatinue h w en tit h er o n wnk creeaatin heir o n way collections, eacmeb h a hy w o appreciates goolo k d desig nice qtera ey, and think that thrain ay ce gaan inoin. “Y u hara t thh iece ine pn e th to t eir wardrobe as a s ap a. still breaking that down. It’s t ka en a year to enjoy thWhark ae you working on next? e wot arnd not be worried about it being commIer’ cial a d sl llin . I g on Al W16, so t nctio’m looking at tmmero ogtipe a ayn n be totalld a s udio s nace an e thnt. I like d w h h corpovete m currn t een y wogrk t’ins slow y getting bherk tac ’s ge o oing hat I used to do” w to be a little cha.nge-up and be much d kar er than p Ch io s co t coio s. I n, her least cohe phcital to dphra ate since her departh e from Dunnes, ies in her reflerk, sn of a’s going ti o be a bioint w ere sh tic. It y of Sally Mann, ture mood she creat s a woctio o it n arr val to a p t m hore roman will be a to a h m m fre le y. Ch y beocomesbtle k y but not insin er nig ts a scw ysin o dress ue con-p n. “I juer fo d up b lf Do you have any favourite designers or style icons? In terms of designers, I like the new wave of London designers like Craig Green, who has a really interesting style, he has a great balance of creativity and conceptual work, and still manages to be commercial. I like Faustine Steinmetz for her technique and fresh colours. I guess these are designers that have a nice signature and know their brand. I think everybody loves FKA twigs, she’s got such a cool style that I think anyone would love to see her in their clothes. We sat down with Hannah Choy O’Byrne afterhours in Thirty Four, café below where her studio is located, to discuss her latest collection, a meditation on unlocking the spirt of our inner child and losing our inhibitions in an age when it feels like Big Brother is always watching. ing, and put them all together and that would be my research process. I would go on to sketch and take elements from painters I like, it tends to mostly be artists that I’m inspired by. Then I’d start toileing up and it evolves from the design work. It’s nice to sew up a few designs and see how they’re working together, and at that stage of the making I would put a critical eye to it. That’s the most exciting part of doing a collection – seeing it come to life. We produce everything in Dublin, as it’s still small scale, I would work on the samples and toiles, but my machinist sews up all of the production. It’s easily contained at the moment which is nice because I get to have control over everything and be very particular. Kazumi – 36 Molesworth Street – T 083-355 17 80 18 18