The LCF Forum for Fashion Design & Visual Arts Practice Presents: Working i...

As a result of the success of our first ‘What is Critical Fashion Practice’ event, we are pleased to invite you to the second discussion in the series. ‘If something’s too clear, it’s very often not so much inspiring to me anymore.’ – Raf Simons, 2014 The ‘interzone’, a term borrowed from a collection of short stories by William Burroughs, refers to a metaphorical, liminal, self-governed and stateless state. The term has emerged more recently to describe the creative practice of Raf Simons whose work tends towards collaboration and crossovers with art, design and multiple contextual influences. In this sense, it also alludes more broadly to fashion’s capacity to be a radically porous and interdisciplinary field. This panel discussion aims to take the context of critical practice further to explore interdisciplinary practices within the field of fashion. We aim to address the notion of the ‘interzone’ as a tactic for artistic output, as well as recent collaborations that transcend disciplinary boundaries and, finally, what is at stake when boundaries are dissolved or crossed. Artist and shaman Matthew Stone will be presenting a talk on his work across the fields of fashion and art, followed by a discussion with Caroline Stevenson (LCF) and Nathalie Khan (CSM & LCF). Matthew Stone was born in 1982 in London, England. He graduated from Camberwell College of Arts with a first class honors degree in painting in 2004. Stone works across a number of different disciplines including painting, sculpture, photography and performance. Stone has been part of a number of critically acclaimed solo and group shows both nationally and internationally. In The United Kingdom he has shown at Tate Britain, The ICA and the Royal Academy of Art, and internationally at the Marrakech Biennale, Fiorucci Foundation and Viafarini, Milan. Stone has performed recent works at the Ny Glyptotek, Copenhagen and at the 2013 and 2014 editions of Art Basel Miami Beach. Stone’s most recent body of work demonstrates an innate enthusiasm for the development of painting within the framework of art history. He organises and examines complex statements in regard to the relationship between photography and painting, disrupting the holy status of painting as the ‘cosmic flesh’ of art history whilst simultaneously pushing the visceral experience of paint forward. Stone’s performance art serves also as an important narrative in the artists’ oeuvre; one of his most significant recent works Love Focused Like A Laser was performed against the backdrop of Art Basel Miami 2013. Seeking an examination of the ‘uneasiness’ that exists within contemporary culture, Stone looks to promote philosophical and moral trajectories through an emotional manipulation of his audience. Journeying through a variety of complex notions and ideas, Stone intensively examines the lens’ through which human behaviours exist and adapt. Named as London’s music director-artist-provocateur of choice (Matthew Schneier, STYLE.com) Stone has also composed soundtracks for Gareth Pugh’s films and catwalk shows as well as Rick Owens’ Spring 13 show. He has also worked as a fashion photographer for Vogue and I-D magazines.