W KOREA – JUNE 2008

JUNE 2008

W KOREA – JUNE 2008</b>

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YOUR BRAND BOOK IS NAMED 'L'AI-JE BIEN DESCENDU?'. WHAT DOES IT MEAN? 

IT WAS A QUOTE FROM A FAMOUS PARISIAN SHOWGIRL NAMED CECILE SOREL WHO USED TO SAY IT TO THE AUDIENCE AFTER MAKING HER GRAND ENTRANCE ONSTAGE, DESCENDING A LONG STAIRCASE IN A HUGE FEATHER OUTFIT. IT MEANS 'HOW WELL DID I DESCEND?' TAKING IT OUT OF THAT CONTEXT, I LIKED THE OMINOUS CONNOTATION. 

HOW DID THIS EVOLVE INTO A BRAND BOOK? WHAT WOULD YOU LIKE TO SHOW THROUGH IT? 

I HAD ORIGINALLY INTENDED TO MAKE A HANDBOOK FOR NEW EMPLOYEES TO SHOW THEM WHAT THE BRAND WAS ABOUT AND WHAT I WANTED IT TO BE. AFTER COMPILING IT, I THOUGHT MAYBE SOME OF OUR CLIENTS MIGHT LIKE IT, TOO. 

WHAT DID THE BOOK ALLOW YOU TO EXPRESS? 

IT WAS A WONDERFUL EXERCISE TO ISOLATE WHATEVER I FELT I DID GRACEFULLY AND ELIMINATE WHATEVER I CONSIDERED AWKWARD OR UNRESOLVED. I WISH IT WERE AS EASY IN REAL LIFE. I WANTED TO EXAMINE WHAT I'D DONE CALMLY, SUMMARIZED. I'M AFRAID THAT IT WAS A VERY SELFISH INDULGENCE. 

THIS IS A BOOK WITH BLACK-AND-WHITE PHOTOGRAPHS. WHAT DOES BLACK REPRESENT FOR YOU? 

I GET TIRED OF THINGS EASILY IN COLOR. BLACK AND WHITE IS LESS INTRUSIVE AND GIVES EVERYTHING A SENSE OF GRAVITAS AND ELEGANCE. TO BE ABLE TO REDUCE AND STRIP IMAGES DOWN TO SILHOUETTES AND HIGHLIGHTS IS PLEASANT FOR ME. IT'S JUST ONE TINY STEP LESS CLOSE TO CHAOS. 

I HEARD THAT YOU TOOK PHOTOGRAPHS OF ALMOST ALL THE PHOTOS IN THE BOOK. 

I DON'T PRETEND TO BE A GREAT PHOTOGRAPHER, BUT WHEN IT'S A PERSONAL EXPRESSION, I DON'T THINK YOU CAN REALLY MAKE A MISTAKE. I LIKE THE IDEA OF CAPTURING AND APPRECIATING PERFECT MOMENTS. MANIPULATED OR NOT. I'M NOT PRESENTING THIS AS AN ART BOOK, BUT AS A PERSONAL ALBUM. 

WHAT BOOKS OR VISUAL WORKS INSPIRE YOU? 

MY FAVORITE PHOTOGRAPHY BOOK IS 'BUNKER ARCHAEOLOGY' BY PAUL VIRILIO. HE DOCUMENTED WORLD WAR II BUNKERS ON THE FRENCH ATLANTIC COAST AFTER THE WAR. THEY'RE ABANDONED CONCRETE FORMS THAT LOOK LIKE ALIEN BAUHAUS TEMPLES TO ME. I LIKE TO PRETEND THAT MY CLOTHES BELONG IN THEM. 

WHAT IS YOUR NEXT STEP?