BEHIND THE SCENES ON “FOUR WALLS”
Behind the Scenes on Four Walls (6:43) is a documentary short on the making of the video art / fashion film Four Walls, with interviews of various featured artists whose work made the film possible, including artist Andrew Poneros and Designer Sue Stemp. XXXX Magazine, “The Untitled Magazine” Creative Director, Indira Cesarine, also talks about her concept for XXXX Magazine, bringing together collaborations between artists and the merging of contemporary art and fashion.
“FOUR WALLS” was directed by Indira Cesarine & Edward Symes in collaboration with designer Sue Stemp. Starring Stazia Niementowska from IMG Models, the 5 minute short features works by contemporary artists Andrew Poneros, Aaron Young, Hubert Le Gall and Jason Miller, video artist Edward Jahn, and original music composed by A.W. Burlington and M.E. Martone.
–
CONTRIBUTOR’S BIOS:
INDIRA CESARINE
INDIRA CESARINE first discovered her love of photography aged 15, while taking a summer school course at Parson’s School of Design in Manhattan. By the time she had graduated high school Cum Laude from Choate Rosemary Hall, she had exhibited 4 one-woman shows of her photographic work at the esteemed Paul Mellon Arts Center. She was the recipient of Choate’s prestigious Kaufman Award in “Photographic Art”. While completing a triple major in Art History, French Literature and Women’s Studies at Columbia University in New York and Paris, France, she began shooting for a variety of top modeling agencies including Elite, Ford, and Wilhelmina Models. Once she finished her degree, she went to London to pursue her interests in photography and journalism. Within a year she was appointed Editor at Large of the British magazine “Don’t Tell It”, and began shooting for many magazines and clients in England, the US and Europe. She is currently represented internationally with agents in New York, London and Milan.
Her photography has been published in numerous international publications including British Vogue, British GQ, British Marie Claire, Tatler, Flaunt Magazine, British Esquire, Elle, L’Officiel, French Glamour, Harper’s Bazaar, In Style, The Times Magazine, Grazia, Oyster, Out, Lush Magazine, Surface, Arena and Vogue Bellezza. She has worked commercially with clients including Cerutti 1881, Nino Cerutti, Charles Jourdan, Christian Dior, Kenzo, Seven Jeans, Agent Provocateur, Wonderbra, DIM, Passionata, Harvey Nichols, Neiman Marcus, Harrod’s and The Body Shop. She has photographed celebrities for such titles as In Style, Tatler, and Esquire including Alicia Keys, Collin Farrell, Dakota Fanning, Macy Gray, Amy Winehouse, Anna Paquin, Lauren Hutton and Jimmy Fallon among many others. She also has collaborated with record labels such as Sony BMG, Jive Records and Virgin Records.
Aside from her photographic work, she began her career as a director with the short film “City of Love”, which was featured at the Short Film Corner at Cannes Film Festival 2007. In January of 2008, she was appointed Fashion Editor at Large of Lush Magazine. In 2009 she launched the online magazine “XXXX Magazine”, now The Untitled Magazine, showcasing multimedia based conceptual films, documentaries, photography and contemporary art. Other upcoming projects include “The Goddess Manifesto” a documentary, book and installation project, and “Inspiration, Organisation” a multimedia based non-profit group.
Indira and her work have been featured internationally on TV shows such as MTV, E! TV, Entertainment Tonight, Inside Edition, HBO’s Special “Ford Supermodel of the World”, “Make me a Supermodel” UK and US.
–
EDWARD SYMES
Edward Symes is a producer, director, and founder of Here and Now Films. He has produced and directed videos for the United Nations Development Program, UNAIDS, and global health organization Project Hope. He has made documentaries from over half a dozen countries including Rwanda, Ethiopia, Guatemala, and East Timor. Edward has focused his efforts on web distribution creating online videos for media clients Current Television, Yahoo! Assignment Earth, Time Magazine, as well as political films for the labor union SEIU and immigration reform group Center for Community Change. As a cinematographer he has filmed subjects including the global film 1 Giant Leap (Palm Pictures), firefighters post 9/11, homeland security contractors, as well as musicians Gogol Bordello, Boots Riley, and Michael Stipe. In 2008 his film, Los Medicos, premiered at the Jackson Hole Film Festival. He is currently editing On the Campaign Trail a five part multimedia web series including photos by photojournalist Caroline Bennett and video that he shot on the Obama and McCain campaigns in five states over the past year. Edward has taught documentary filmmaking with Barefoot Workshops and the Maine Media Workshops. He attended Kenyon College and NYU Tisch School of the Arts in London UK.
–
SUE STEMP
New York based fashion designer Sue Stemp, from Burnham -on – Crouch in Essex, England, moved to London to study fashion, earning a First Class BA Honors degree in Fashion Design. After graduating she began her design career working for the innovative British fashion label Ghost. Her talent then brought her to New York where she worked first with Daryl K and then took the position of co- Head Designer of Tocca leading the brand to a successful re-invention. Subsequently Sue began designing and selling her one-of-a–kind inimitable party and wedding dresses under her own name. During this time she also embarked on various freelance projects including design research in New York for Alexander McQueen where she worked on his Fall ‘05 collection. This all culminated in Sue launching her label with a debut full collection for Spring 2006 during New York fashion week in September 2005, which graced the cover of WWD.
Familiar in fashion circles in New York and London, Sue’s distinct personal style reflects in her designs, bringing together relaxed, feminine silhouettes with sharp English tailored sportswear and a flirty, modern, cool. Her clothes rely heavily on her passion for color and textiles, often collaborating with other contemporary artists on print designs.
Kate Moss, Chloe Sevigny, Kim Gordon, Michelle Williams, Charlize Theron, Cameron Diaz, Sophie Dahl, Ginnifer Goodwin, Jacquetta Wheeler, Erin O’Connor and Natalia Vodianova wear her clothes amongst others.
For Fall 2006 Sue held her first presentation at The Players Club on Gramercy Park, with her “Honeymoon Delight” collection. This was well received to critical acclaim by press and buyers alike.
Sue held her first runway show with her Spring 2007 collection, “Byrd of America” on Wednesday September 13th 2006 at the Nokia Theatre in Times Square.
Her subsequent show (held 3 months after giving birth to her first baby) took place on February 3rd 2007 at the Soho Grand Hotel in New York with her Fall 2007 collection entitled “The Girl in the Golden Atom”. An after party at the Tribeca Grand followed this where the New York based band Arckid performed. Then during London Fashion Week the following week, Sue launched her Fall / Winter collection in the UK with a party hosted by Erin O’Connor.
For Spring 2008 Sue’s collection “ Désordre Anglais” (a French expression used to describe the haphazard chic of the English) was shown at the Cabanas in the Maritime Hotel in New York on September 5th 2007. The front row included an eclectic mix of downtown meets uptown high profile girls including Agnyess Deyn, Jacquetta Wheeler, Margarita Missoni, and Lauren Davis.
Her Spring 2009 collection was showcased with a rooftop presentation on September 4th during New York fashion week.
In 2008 Sue was invited to become a member of the CFDA.
–
STAZIA NIEMENTOWSKA @ IMG MODELS
Stazia Niementowska is a female fashion model born on March 11, 1991 in Wroclaw, Poland.
Her mother modeling agency is Spp Models. Other agencies she was associated with are IMG Models, IMG Models, Mc2 Model Management, Place Model Management and UNO.
Stazia was described as special and precious but never specious by Maud & Pénélope .in Lexposure.net. According to them, Stazia definitely has her place among the special models even if you wouldn’t call her the most coveted face of S/S 09. The shows that she has managed to book on her list were more than honest and interesting, among them were of Vena Cava, Benjamin Cho and Alexandre Herchcovitch in New York.
Stazia’s delicate look and walk has caught the eyes of AF Vandevorst, Junya Watanabe and Wunderkind for they believe she perfectly matched their collection and would suit very well for their runway show.
–
ANDREW PONEROS
info@porknewyork.com
On a sunny spring morning of 1978, a Greek boy was born in Queens.
Being first generation born in America, his parents were of the “old school” to say the least. His mother was all but impressed when he discovered “tagging” walls at the age of 14. As the years progressed his obsession with graffiti evolved into a love for visual arts. Since his folks would scorn upon a degree in art, he opted for the safer route of Design, at which they only snickered.
With an ear for irony and a love of satire he took the name “PORK” for no reason other than pure nonsense. His appetite gained him much praise as well as a few arrests. For both efficiency and aesthetic reasons he decided to remove the gestural element from the work and created a library of stencils. This directed his aesthetic within the limits of what could be carved out of a single piece of cardboard and applied to the street. For over 10 years he has stenciled and postered walls across the globe.
By course of natural selection, the process evolved as did the symbolism. Inspired by mythology of his Greek heritage and referencing folklore and symbolism researched through his travels, he began to create his own mythology. Creating satirical metaphors for human nature and evolution, his work is seen as somewhat of a “playfully apocalyptic” dark comedy. His affection for all things old led him to working with found objects, giving his aesthetic a new dimension, a kind of antique reverence.
–
EDWARD JAHN
Edward Jahn is a multimedia artist living in New York who never seems to settle on a single form of expression. Originally trained as a vocalist and musician, he has made much use of rhythmic concepts and harmonies as inspiration for dreamy film and video installations at many of the hottest fashion shows, clubs, restaurants, and private events for clients such as Ralph Lauren Beauty, 50 cent, P.Diddy, Flux Magazine, Sundance Film Festival, the French Embassy, and Ian Schrager Hotels. His work has been shown at Milk Studios, The Knitting Factory, Tao Restaurant and Nightclub Las Vegas, Lavo Nightclub at the Venetian Las Vegas, Body English at the Hard Rock Hotel Las Vegas, the Paramount Hotel, Sun Studios, new year’s in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, and in countless other venues. From the opening until the end, he held a Sunday residency at New York’s notorious and celebrated Pangaea Lounge.
His original music has appeared on Rhythm love Records’ vinyl and CD release “Turntables on the Hudson Volume 3”, and he has played electric bass on stage and in recordings with Luaka Bop artists Ivan Benavides and Andrew Blanco, Phish drummer Jon Fishman, and numerous other musicians from the East coast scene.
Edward also ran a multimedia and computing department at Barnard College / Columbia University until early 2009, where he worked with students and faculty developing web, video, and database technologies.
In a new venture, he and partner Mark Maurice have developed New York’s first Swiss “La Bleue” style Absinthe since the infamous liquor was banned in the early 20th century. Information about Edward III New York Absinthe can be found at http://www.edwardthethird.com.
–
M.E. MARTONE
M.E. is a Singer, Songwriter who plays Electric and Acoustic Guitar, she has written, recorded and performed live in London, Bermuda, Florence and New York with an eclectic cast of musicians including Martin Gore of Depeche Mode, Neil Davidge (Massive Attack), Paul Stacey (Oasis, Black Crowes) and John Hogg.
M.E. is currently working on bespoke singles, samples, scores for feature films, TV, website, multimedia projects and art installations.
M.E. will be performing live in Florence, Italy March 2009.
–
A.W. BULLINGTON
A musician and film composer, A.W. Bullington is an alumnus of the Berkley College of Music. Andy has been a composer, guitarist and teacher for over 25 years. In 2007 he composed an album for the film soundtrack Los Medicos. The following year he scored the music for the documentary web series Ship of Hope. In 1998 he composed and performed the score for the first full performance ever of Percy Shelleys “Prometheus Unbound” at the University of Texas. From 1983 until the spring of 2001,he spent his winters in Austin, Texas performing, composing and teaching music. In the 1997 Clarksville Jazz Festival his trio performing his original compositions won “Best New Group”. Andy has become a year round resident of Nantucket with his wife, photographer Cary Hazlegrove, and daughter, Virginia Page. He performs in solo and group settings and teaches.
–
AARON YOUNG
www.gagosian.com/artists/aaron-young/
Aaron Young’s work “SWING” is featured in the “Four Walls” Conceptual film courtesy of Cumulus Studios
Aaron Young was born in 1972 in San Francisco. He attended San Francisco Art Institute in 2001 and then received an MFA from Yale University in 2004. The artist lives and works in New York City. His work has been exhibited internationally in many exhibitions including P.S. 1 Contemporary Art Center, Long Island City (2005), the Whitney Biennial, New York (2006), the Serpentine Gallery, London (2006) and the 2nd Moscow Biennale of Contemporary Art, (2007). He lives and works in New York City.
Aaron Young’s artworks rely on the aftereffects of dynamic, energetic, and sometimes even dangerous performances. He hires participants stereotyped as marginalized rebels, such as skateboarders and motorcycle riders, to perform various stunts in exhibition spaces on specially prepared platforms—such as the performance Arc Light for the exhibition, for what you are about to receive. Like Steven Parrino, Young uses destructive actions as generative force; the traces of his ephemeral acts are recorded as videos, drawings, sculptures, and photographs to constitute artistic artifacts. In Arc Light, Young takes Robert Rauschenberg’s iconoclastic gesture, Automobile Tire Print (1951) as his starting point. But in the place of the older artist’s single tire track, Young produces an opus of traces of the complex and intricate choreography performed by a team of riders. And thus an unexpected, updated, and expanded interpretation of Jackson Pollock’s seminal “action paintings.”
–
ALF NAMAN / EMERGE-N-SEE
Alf Naman donated the use of the EMERGE-N-SEE location for FOUR WALLS
Five years ago, if you brought up the name Alf Naman at a developer’s lunch, you probably would have received a lot of blank stares and an awkward silence. Who? Now the man is a hot topic, pitched to the press and around town as something of a maverick. The epithet is not unwarranted. A look at the two development projects he’s had hands in to date—the Jean Nouvel-designed 100 Eleventh Avenue, which is being developed in partnership with Cape Advisors, and Neil Denari’s HL23—reveals a man conscious of design and optimistic about the potential of architecturally forward buildings, dedicated to laboring within and nurturing a specific neighborhood, who has positioned himself to rise with the tide. But mostly he is a man alone, without family business or large corporation behind him, working to put his distinguishing mark on a city so full of them as to make the brightest stars seem commonplace.
Of course, Naman didn’t spring fully formed from the girders of the High Line. After moving to New York in the late 1980s as a political science student, the Boston native got a job at a real estate company and has never looked back. By the mid-90s, he was buying and flipping residential buildings in Tribeca. He soon discovered, however, that he had gotten into the area too late to really take advantage of it, and so turned his sights to other frontiers, namely far West Chelsea. “My focus has always been emerging markets,” said Naman. “I saw West Chelsea as a natural outgrowth of the Meatpacking District.” The neighborhood had other promising features as well: It was basically a blank canvas with an appealing dollar-to-square-foot ratio. The opening of Chelsea Piers Sports & Entertainment Complex in 1995 brought new life to the area’s waterfront, and the first of the art galleries were still rolling in, laying the groundwork for what has become the city’s premier gallery district.
