PULP
Magazine
click here to see the original spread of 8 pages in flemish.
" I'm a bit of a copycat."
Tokyo is, before he takes on
the rest of world, the personal playground of Japans newest design-wonderboy
item idem.
Pulp asked him about his five favorite objects.
Whether it is with the establishment of the design
of Bernard Willhelm’s flagship store in Tokyo, a noticeable intervention
in the Céline store, a coat made out of golden Louis Vuitton bags,
melted car tires and tar, Mickey Mouse meat steaks, or a cut in half
Bart Simpson "alla Damien Hirst"… item idem's medium is consumption.
Item idem is the artist
name of Cyril Duval, creative japanese centipede, and well on the way to single-handedly
improve the, already quite exciting, Tokyo shopping landscape, &
make it much more interesting.
He designed the lay-out of Bernard Willhelm’s shop in Tokyo, a remarkable
space composed of found and filled objects, readymades & flea market
junk aesthetics. The step after Dover Street Market.
Warhol himself already predicted that all concept stores would becomes museums,
and its appears as item idem's mission. "I'm involved in contextual
relocations of all kinds of structures, providing new means and interpretations",
he answered our question before we asked them. Second on his list of
favorite items is this Japanese, vintage medical doll that he spotted and
used for the edgy design of the flagship boutique of Bernard Willhelm.
"I'm a bit of a copycat, and my copy is always badly made, " he
throws in an interview. A quote for which he has clearly no regret, as
he puts it up centrally on the homepage of his website. Asked again
to describe himself in 5 words, his answers goes as smoothly: ‘New.Kid.On.The.Block…
yep, that makes five!!'
Item idem is a Warhol overdrive, with – temporarily yet, before he takes
on the rest of the world - the heating Japanese fashion capital as its personal
factory, and with a boulimic fascination for how we consume.
"Can consumption become the Medium itself? Does the purchase of
a product compare to an adrenaline shot of spirituality? Is a LV handbag the
modern artefact for opium religiosity? Well, you tell me! " Laughs Duval,
smart teeth all exposed.
His latest work and also number 3 on his list is this Midasphaltarmacoat
jacket he made out of golden Louis Vuitton bags, melted car tires, tar and
Comme Des Garçons's TAR synthetic perfume. 'Made for Joseph Beuys',
he explains.
His intervention inside & for the Celine Tokyo flagship store, a
bastion of luxury in the area of Omotesando, resulted in stylish raised eyebrows
from the yet very posh target, when he displayed many everyday objects in
the space, and allow completely different dynamics to emerge. A
mini nightclub invading a luxurious retail store space, a gallery that mutates
in an ethnical gastronomical restaurant, or an usual apartment that suddenly
becomes a photography studio… these are all the potentials
cards in item idem's game.
In 2007, he won 'The Great Indoors Award 2007', and his work includes collaborations
with people such as Michel Gaubert, Terence Koh, Bruce LaBruce, Karl Lagerfeld,
Nagi Noda, Kevin Spacey, Tobias Wong, and now Bernard Willhelm.
Pulp, always looking for the good stuff, requested a selection of five
of his favorite objects and this Pop Metal readymade, a handy Box of
a kilo of the purest Pop metal product, was certainly a must-be in his
list.
We actually have no idea what that Pop Metal item is, but that is certainly
something we want for our home interior ! Somehow though, it does sounds
familiar, as its exotic denomination appeals to our high-tech or cosmetics
desire glossary: Alarmingly simple and therefore just an amazing
visual stunner.
Item idem’s fascination for consumption, is, of course, reflected
in all "Mickey" things, so a portion of Mickey meat could
obviously not be absent of his selection.
The idea that our favorite Disney’s mouse, will be available
for sale in lovely slices of the purest kind… simply appears
as the most normal and evident thing in the world in item idem. We like.
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Published in PULP Magazine, Antwerp, march 2008.