Monday 28 March 2011

Jean- Albert Loic 
Nicknamed the Flying Dude, Jean-Albert Loïc, the world champion skydiver, wingsuit flyer, BASE jumper and internet sensation is more comfortable flying through the sky than pounding pavements. Just six years-old when he first tried paragliding, Jean-Albert moved to France at 18 to join the French Skydiving Federation, and at 32 he has made a name for himself as one of the most successful and driven figures in extreme sports, top of the field in three of his sports as well as a licensed pilot, he is not a wallflower when it comes to a challenge. IDOL chats to the 'Flying Dude' about his accomplishments, knock-backs and what he’s working on now.


WHAT DOES SKY FLYING MEAN FOR YOU?
The closest you can get to birds.


WHEN YOU STARTED SKYDIVING YOUR PARENTS WERE YOUR FIRST INSTRUCTORS. WHAT WAS YOUR THEIR REACTION WHEN YOU DECIDED TO GO PRO?
They were scared because it is hard to make a living out of it and I was leaving home at 17 but also happy because I was living my passion and doing good things.


SOMETHING YOU WOULD NEVER DARE TO DO
Take crazy risks without thinking about it.


IF THE SKY HAS NO LIMITS THEN WHAT ARE YOUR LIMITS?
The ground...


WHAT WOULD YOU SAY TO A BEGINNER IN WINGSUIT FLYING NEVER TO TRY?
Don't try and do what you see on videos without proper training. It took us years to get there.


HOW DO YOU DEAL WITH COMPLICATIONS WHEN YOU’RE UP IN THE AIR?
I'll do my best… It's a pretty natural survival reaction!


APART FROM BEING WINGSUIT FLYER YOU ARE ALSO A WINGSUIT DESIGNER, PHOTOGRAPHER AND CAMERAMAN. THIS YEAR YOU ALSO OBTAINED AN AIRLINE PILOT LICENSE. IS MOVING FORWARD PUTTING A STOP ON YOUR WINGSUIT FLYING?
I broke my back while parapenting and that put a stop to my professional wingsuit flying. Flying planes, helicopters is keeping me in the air.


YOU ARE A WORLD CHAMPION IN SKYDIVING. WHO WOULD YOU SAY IS YOUR GREATEST COMPETITOR?
There are many in each discipline I practiced. USA and Russia are the two strong nations fighting against France. I don’t know a competitor who's been on world podiums in three disciplines like I did.


IF YOU WEREN’T SKYDIVER WHAT WOULD YOU BE?
A bird!


WHO IS THE PERSON YOU HAVE LEARNT FROM THE MOST?
Not one person! You have to take a little bit of a lot of great minds to build your own knowledge. Using just one would be like a photocopy!


WHAT DO YOU WANT TO DO BEFORE YOU DIE?
To live! Full and free!


WHERE DID YOU GET YOUR NICKNAME THE “FLYING DUDE”?
A guy posted his own edit of my Verbier flight on You Tube and called it that…it got a big audience!


YOU ARE TESTING A WINGSUIT TO LAND WITHOUT A PARACHUTE, HOW IS THAT GOING? ARE YOU GOING TO BE THE FIRST ONE TO TRY IT?
Even though a lot of media are saying that, I am not really testing this type of wing suit. We are developing different models to get better performance out of it in different fields, including lowering flying speed.


WHO IS YOUR IDOL?
There are many people I like, because they are good technicians in their fields as well as good people. I do not like the idea of idols. We are just simple individuals, whatever we've accomplished!




Interview by Katre Laan
Pictures courtesy of Jean-Albert Loïc

Published in IDOL magazine online version:
http://idolmag.co.uk/art-culture-interview/jean-albert-loïc

Wednesday 23 March 2011

Ben Wallace
Ben Wallace, 23, is one of Europe’s top BMXers, having invented his own tricks, thrashing through countless competitions and holding a Guinness World Record, he is determined to be the top of his game. IDOL caught up with him to talk about embracing fear, the thrills of extreme sports and how it has changed his life.


HOW DID YOU GET INVOLVED IN BMX RIDING?
I started riding BMX after being introduced to it by friends at school. Going to the skate park with my mates got me started, and I just never stopped unlike them when they found other things to entertain them.


WHAT MADE YOU DECIDE FOR BMX (INSTEAD OF OTHER EXTREME SPORT)?
I used to be a championship go-karter, but due to financial reasons I couldn't further that hobby and as I said, I just found BMX instead and haven't really looked back. I found that I got more of an adrenaline buzz out of BMX than the other sports - I could go faster!


YOU ARE KNOWN FOR YOUR UNIQUE TRICKS. (HE INVENTED THE BARREL ROLL, THE DOUBLE DOWNSIDE TAIL WHIP AND PULLED A TRIPLE TAIL WHIP). WHAT MOTIVATES YOU TO GO FURTHER?
The motivation you get is from other riders. The sport is consistently progressing and to be on top of your game you have always got to be one step ahead.


WHERE IN THE WORLD IS YOUR FAVOURITE RAMP FOR RIDING?
There are too many ramps in the world to pick a favorite, but the skate parks out in America are possibly the best due to their size and unique builds. They are all top quality materials and designs making riding more fun.


HOW HAS YOUR LIFE CHANGED SINCE YOU JOINED TEAM EXTREME?
Team Extreme has allowed me to travel the world including the SMP skate park in China, which I had never visited before. However thanks to Team Extreme I now hold a Guinness World record for highest back flip on a BMX and am returning to Beijing next week to re-break my record!


YOU HAD FEW INJURIES AT 2009. HOW HAS 2010 BEEN TREATING YOU?
2010 hasn't exactly been smooth sailing as early in the year I broke my heal in Germany at a dirt contest. That has given me a bit of hassle throughout the season however I never let it get in the way too much and have continued to compete internationally during 2010.


WHAT ARE YOUR BEST ACHIEVEMENTS SO FAR?
Other than my Guinness World Record, this year I placed 1st at a dirt comp in France called Lords of Dirt. I was competing against the world’s best dirt riders and was pumped that I won. Also completing the Dew Tour in America, as previous years I had to retire due to injury.


WHO IS YOUR IDOL?
BMX legend Dave Mirra, he influenced me to ride and made a career out of something that he loved.


HAVE YOU EVER BEEN REALLY SCARED?
I cant really say I have been scared riding my bike, but certainly traveling at 38,000 feet in a plane to America in a storm shook me up a bit.


WHAT IS YOUR BIGGEST FEAR?
My biggest fear would be having it all taken away from me. I have seen some bad accidents throughout my career which have happened to pro friends. It just goes to show that no matter how dialed you think you are, the tiniest mishap can change your life forever. Big shout-outs to TJ Lavin, Stephen Murray and Mike Aitkin who have all suffered a terrible mishap, but stay strong and fight for the love to ride their BMX again!


NAME SOMEONE FEARLESS AND WHY?
I think everyone has fear in them, if they don't they're stupid. Fear is what sparks your adrenaline and gets your body pumped. To be honest if there was a fearless person in the world I would feel bad for him or her because there is nothing better than the buzz you get before doing something daring no matter how big or small.


WHAT DO YOU THINK YOU WOULD BE DOING NOW IF YOU HAD HAVE NEVER DISCOVERED BMX?
I would more than likely be in a 9-5 job with no stamps on my passport.


WHAT ARE YOU PLANS FOR 2011?
My plans are to continue riding, traveling the world, partying with friends and living the dream.


WHERE DO YOU SEE YOURSELF IN 5 YEARS?
In five years I hope to have made the move to America, settled with a family, epic skate park in my back garden and still shredding on my bike. 


Interview by Katre Laan
Pictures courtesy of Ben Wallace
Published in IDOL magazine online version:
http://idolmag.co.uk/art-culture-interview/ben-wallance

Monday 14 March 2011



“Coming In From The Outside” by Michael De Feo @ Orange Dot Gallery
8th - 15th of March 2011
Current street art scene is diverse and exciting, plunged in immediacy. Characteristic to artist Michael De Feo is the simple flower, which adds sparkle to bustling urban city streets. This solo exhibition is his first in UK showcasing works in collaboration with already legendary printmaker Gary Lichtenstein at Orange Dot Gallery.
The exhibition is called ‘Coming in From The Outside’ showcasing Feo’s flower screen prints and recent portraits against graphic and lively surroundings. However, the current show draws emphasis on the use of colour, which is very much a key embedded in Lichtenstein’s artwork. Michael De Feo has worked with Lichtenstein before, previously in 2008 on a project Artists’ Editions series to benefit Aldrich Contemporary Art Museum as part of it. Currently Lichtenstein is working with Robert Indiana on his HOPE series.
Feo’s iconic flower is represented on illustrative surfaces with a pop art touch. His style is very down-to-earth and even childlike, but the concept has been positive and spontaneous since early 90s. His portraits are unique the continuous line makes the profile even more figurative and sensational. A self-portrait against silk-screen inked geographical map stands out for its style and spider web structure.
His artwork reminds me my experiences as a child in art school. Creativity does not have boundaries. Feo has let it go and followed the thread. His paintings, street art and drawings might seem primitive in technique but the vision embedded in them is noble and minimal as his style. Feo’s agenda on streets is set on liveliness, a positive and aspiring message.
Feo is also well known for his prominent children book Alphabet City. Currently he is in town, rather than keeping up with newsletters watch out on streets, for the iconic flower.

Tuesday 8 March 2011

‘I am Solitary’ exhibition at Gift Vyner Street Gallery

3rd March 2011 – 16th April 2011

The latest group exhibition at Gift 10 Gallery showcases along with Beers. Lambert Contemporary Art an extended range of emerging artistic talent. The central theme is embodied in identity: artists express the journey in a representative way, as well as conceptually through various mediums.

Eleven international artists exploration over the notion of solidarity embeds diversity, imagination and self-exploration. All the artists have conveyed the notion with use of peculiar medium and techniques. The showcase is finely balanced with conceptual and installation artworks in relation to figurative visual art form.

Andrew Salgado’s figurative portraits on canvas are immersive, even engaging viewers to interpret the model’s mind. His thick scope of brushstroke technique adds likeness and energy. Among Salgado’s artwork, large scale it is also synonymous to current showcase. Grace Kim’s black and white archival pigment prints are simplistic yet profound. Its pureness is embodied in dreams explored through a journey of mediation and death. Imaginative abstract world by Jin Han Lee entrenches solidarity in communities.

A masterpiece that truly catches a sight is Adam Ball’s fine white hand cut pattern. Its calming and appealing composition draws viewers to his mesmerizing imagination. Similarly, Lindsey Bull traditional paintings on linen depict characters seen as ghost-like in a subtle and interesting form. Winston Chmielinski draws the importance on a gloomy shadow behind a reluctant profile.

Alvaro Sanchez-Montanes explores depth through photography, encountering an exit in his conceptual approach. Alternatively Joshua Bilton draws attention to his fascination with a notion of buckle in a staged set.

Series of installations exhibited are inspiring and evoke somber substance such as Sarah Pager’s ‘Hole’. Andrew Friend’s installation, device for disappearing (at sea), takes solitary into a level new, while a photography installment by Tom Lovelace derives its significance in profound concept.

The inspiring exhibition offers an insight to everyone interested in innovative and groundbreaking talents in contemporary art.


Pictures courtesy of Gift 10 VYNER ST & Beers.Lambert



Sarah Pager ‘Hole’

Andrew Salgado

Tom Lovelace

Sunday 6 March 2011


This week I discovered a new gallery whilst visiting Vyner Street district during the famous first Thursdays. Based in east London, The Vyner Studio has an alternative touch to contemporary art. The current group exhibition 'Untitled' is fabulous, bit of Terry Richardson, bit of evil Picasso perhaps even. Foremost it is vivid and intriguing.



Leandro Quintero

Vinicious Jayme Vallorani


Vinicious Jayme Vallorani


Vinicious Jayme Vallorani


Clemence de La TourduPin


Anna Laurini

For further information about the artists' check out
www.annalaurini.com
www.leandroquintero.com
www.vjvallorani.com
www.clemencedelatourdupin.blogspot.com/


Photography: Katre Laan