Where are you from? Where and what did you study?
I’m originally from India with Persian-Zoroastrian ancestry and I now live in London. I came to the UK to study Fashion at the University of Wales, Newport and then did my Masters in Fashion Communication and Enterprise at the University of Westminster, under British designers Shelley Fox and Zowie Broach of Boudicca. Currently, I am pursuing a PhD at London College of Fashion looking at ways of artistically communicating construction details of uniforms of the British Raj.
You worked on Savile Row, and worked with pattern cut-outs for suits that inspired your work. Can you tell me the process you went through when turning patterns into art?
After finishing my Masters I started working for Savile Row tailors Dege & Skinner. It was an eye opening experience in tailoring. I was at the time still finding myself as an artist – this position then turned into an artist residency. The residency at Dege & Skinner entailed the production of the first artist publication, Dead Man’s Patterns; collective exhibitions in London, Europe, Australia and America; and finally the commission of compiling the tailoring biography of Master Tailor, Michael Skinner. In the case of the first publication – a limited edition visual design story narrative derived inspiration from sets of patterns belonging to customers who are deceased – the beginning of the concept of pattern-cutting research as art. The second textual publication, which had a larger run published, was a Master Tailor’s working life story told through the aid of miniature pattern drafts he made whilst studying his craft.
The patterns used in previous artistic projects and works all belong to Savile Row customers who are now deceased. The tailor has absolutely no use for the pattern, as it was engineered for a body that no longer exists. They are usually removed from the working archive and then discarded. They are also disposed of to maintain secrecy in the relationship built between customer and tailor. This secrecy is maintained in the artworks by concealing all names printed on the pattern – a promise maintained since working on the residency. The past projects have endeavoured to create artistic visual imagery by collaging the patterns, illustration-drawings, and cut out photography.
I will always work with patterns in some form; I love them!
Can you tell me about your project, A Study on Anansi?
The project will always be one close to my heart, as it was my first exhibition held at Paul Smith’s Mayfair gallery. The project conveyed a Western African folklore story around the trickster ‘Anansi’ – half spider, half human-god – who tricks the sun into giving him stories of wisdom, which he then passes on to Earthly beings. Anansi was made by collaging black silhouette illustrations with bright colored patterns. The patterns acted as robes, covering the body – it was basically removing them from a tailoring context and looking at them in a very different way!
What are you working on at the moment?
I’m working on two exhibitions – the first is a group show in Stockholm entitled Drawing on the Body, which articulates research practioners work around the body. I have decided to work on communicating some of my PhD research into art; the uniforms and their patterns will be collaged to create six pieces. The second exhibition is a commission from ATOPOS for RRIPPP Paper fashion curated by Vassilis Zidianakis – where I am collaging their paper dresses, patterns and drawings to make Diane Pernet impressions. It is my biggest piece of work, and I am collaging actual pieces to create the artworks.
For more of Hormazd Narielwalla’s work, check out www.narielwalla.com
