If It's Hip, It's Here (Archives)

Bela Borsodi Breathes Life Into Product Photography

Vienna born, New York based photographer Bela Borsodi has a unique approach to product photography. By incorporating three dimensional sculptural environments and unique materials, he builds mini sets that personify the products and turn what would be simple table top images into living breathing pieces of art.

He has used everything from bent wire, cut paper, shadows, balloons, silhouettes, collage, suspension and more as homes for the products, turning such static items as diamonds and shoes into sculpture. In some instances, the inanimate objects become 'people', in others, the editorials are reminiscent of artful narratives. Some executions mix photography of models with animation, adding whimsy to what might otherwise be a typical fashion shot.

He has such a large body of work, I wish I could share it all, but instead, I'll show you some of my favorites from the past few years. Several blogs have featured the image that is on the home page of his site, but frankly, that's nothing compared to much of his other work. In addition to his editorial work for magazines like Tatler, Wallpaper, V Magazine, and Elle, he has created advertising for such well known clients as Nike, Sportsac, Selfridges and Hermes.

Coincidentally, he collaborated with another photographer whose work I previously featured, Paul Graves, for several editorials in 2004 and 2005 - as in the "Inflated Egos" shown below.

He has some fabulous, but very sexually suggestive work, he's created for Swedish and Danish publications (no surprise there, huh?). I will share with you some of the tamer executions (like the wonderful foot fetish editorial), but for the more risque ones, those you must go see on your own. be aware that the following images are NSFW.

"I try to treat each of my projects equally and to make them interesting for myself. I always try to do something that can translate the joy and the intrigue that I experience when I am working on it. With commercial projects there is more responsibility involved with all the logistics and demands to deal with –but I believe in making images that inspire and tell stories, that touch and intrigue peoples’ minds and hearts. A fascinating image will always stand out and will be recognized –whether it is found in a commercial context or in a freer art context. I have the luck to work with interesting clients who trust me and understand what I am up to." -- Bela Borsodi

Bela Borsodi
bela@belaborsodi.com

Agent USA : Art-Department
Contact: Patrick O’Leary
tel (212) 925 4222
Agent FRANCE : Mily Kadz
Contact: Mily Kadz
tel +33 (0)1 58 05 19 19
mobile +33 (0)6 84 83 67 55
Agent SWITZERLAND : BMR-Fotografen
Contact : Beatrice Mächler
tel +41-44-709 20 11

The Dirt Show by H. Mathis

Clockwise from above left, Alaska, Florida, Hawaii and Utah, each with their respective soil samples

On Craigslist, artist H. Mathis, posted a listing in each of the 50 United States, letting people know he was working on an art project and hoping for samples of actual dirt from each state.

He explained that he'd created a "retrieval" system and would send a kit for the actual packaging and returning of the dirt, postage paid. He sent out over a hundred kits in hopes to get 50 usable samples for his project.

He then had to sift through the samples, remove bugs, gravel and some other disgusting items and then dried most of the samples out. He then bagged and tagged them.

From there he created a very artfully displayed presentation in the Dirt Show, part of the Multi Polar Exhibition, in which the culmination of the intensive dirt collection became an installation in which the dirt from each state was displayed on an individual rotating pedestal.

And the orange surface on which the dirt was placed is shaped as each state.

above left: Alaska and above right, Florida and their respective soil samples

Dirt from AK to WY:

See more of H. Mathis unusual thinking and expression at his site, antisuccess.

A Revealing Project: Naked People By Photographer Sebastian Kempa (NSFW)

Photographer Sebastian Kempa, 31, has an interesting photographic project called Naked People. As the name suggests, the site and shots in this post, although NSFW for many people, are in no way pornographic, but instead a simple study of ever day individuals, first as they appear in their normal clothing and then, in the same pose, only without clothing.

In 2003 a Dutch architect from an architects family and an English shoemaker from a shoemakers family decided to start a brand. Disillusioned with fashion and not wanting to be yet another shoe brand or architecture firm, a design company was born – set on releasing specific, iconic products and rejecting broad seasonal ranges. The products evolve in projects from international teams (United) in an open way with direct recognition (Nude).

Above left; Rem D. Koolhaas and right, Galahad Clark

The company has several fabulous styles of shoes now and continues to grow in both styles and staff. It was originally co-founded by Rem D. Koolhaas (Rem D. Koolhaas is the nephew of better known architect Rem Koolhaas and distinguishes himself from his uncle with the middle inital) and English shoemaker Galahad JD Clark, who is a seventh generation shoe maker from the Clarks family in Somerset. Galahad took over the running of Terra Plana, an eco friendly shoe company, in 2003.

The concept of the company was and still is to meld architectural design and unusual materials with product design, creating unusual but functional shoes. United Nude is part of a creative collective, functioning as a hub of interaction between architects, fashion designers, magazine editors and photographers.

Each single pair of shoes is a reinterpretation of an architectural object or represents an exploration of different materials and colours: the first shoe created by United Nude was called “Möbius” and it was inspired by the Barcelona chair created by Bauhaus director Mies Van Der Rohe for the International Exposition in 1929. The uniqueness of this special sandal stood in the fact that it was characterized by a single strip that formed the sole, heel, foot-bed and upper of the shoe.

Above: the Barcelona chair as the inspiration for the Mobius shoe

Mobius
In the Ultra mobius, a single piece unites the sole, heel, footbed and upper, a revolutionary achievment in shoe construction and design.

The Mobius is also available in hi and mid heel heights as well as in other color leathers, below are a few examples.

Eamz

Ray and Charles Eames' famous aluminum office chairs inspired the “Eamz” series, featuring pumps and sandals, even a tech sandal, that integrate the chair foot into the heel of the shoe, a feature that seems to suspend it in mid-air.

Stealth

The “Stealth” is a dynamic platform shoe inspired by the straight lines and styling of the Stealth F117 Nighthawk fighter plane. It's available as a peep toe pump and as a sandal as well.

Porn
The Porn Toe and Porn Toe Buckle styles are made from molding the strongest plastics in the world so the floating foot bed can function and support all while appearing to defy gravity.

above: Porn toe in mirrored silver patent leather

Mono Jane
Molded from very lightweight EVA material, this shoe claims to be the world's lightest weight wedge and comes in tons of fun colors.

Mono also comes in a flat ballet slipper like version.

Cosmo
the Ultra Cosmo uses hand molded carbon fiber for the light weight construction, creating a high-technology piece of art with sex appeal.

The Cosmo Ultra has a heel height of 11 centimeters, and is limited to production of only a few hundred pairs.

Also new for Spring Summer 2009 are the No.2 and the Six strap styles.

No.2
The No.2 is made of a tech nylon heel and available in four bright patent leather colors or two striped elastic versions.

Six Strap
The Six Strap comes in four different elasticized variations, one in solid black and three striped variations.

To learn more, see prices or to purchase any of the above shoes shown, go here.

Be sure to see their other styles and other color variations at United Nude.

If shoes made with unusual and or eco-friendly materials interest you, be sure to check out