Questa is an artist based in Tokyo who conducts live performance paintings using fluorescent paint under blacklight. Excerpts from an interview with Questa earlier this year…
Q: Is there a reason you prefer fluorescent paints?
Energy is closely related to light, specifically the light that comes from the sun. I want people to get their feelings and inspiration from that kind of light, born from that same energy. Fluorescent paint under the blacklight is the translation of that radiant energy.
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Q: Why do you choose to do only live paintings?
“I think people relate to them. Thinking on the spot, in reality, I remove the image from my head and the audience can see it as I create. It’s also a unique way to change the flow of time by drawing in public consciousness. It’s a kind of entertainment. The DJ’s song selection creates an atmosphere – I want to create an atmosphere with the people who come together for the occasion. It gives the work a good energy.”
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Q: Why the flower motif?
One day, I was watching a flower bloom on the street and all of a sudden I felt that our world was so alive and that I wasn’t so tragic. Though we are completely separate from the flower, we can relate to that delicacy. There is such a life force in flowers and I want to express that in painting.
We met Karmela Lozina at the HBA trends conference where she was speaking on a panel. She’s cut and styled basically every kind of person you can imagine: celebrities, models, musicians, circus entertainers, designers, you name it. So, we sent her a list of some questions and asked if she could give us some feedback.
She invited us to the John Sahag salon for a first-hand view of the Sahag dry cut and of course we said yes. So, for the sake of beauty call, we headed to midtown on a rainy Tuesday to experience one of NYC’s most celebrated salons.
Karmela greeted us at the door in a bright pink and yellow ensemble, pink heart sunglasses and patent leather rain boots that immediately set the tone for the rest of the day. “I like to dress according to the weather and the weather sucks today, so I went bright.”
How did you get started in hair? Can you talk about your experience as a stylist, past work experience, you know, maybe some crazy fashion shoots?
I was always styling my Barbie’s hair, not cutting cause god-forbid I’d ruin it and you know that hair’s not going to grow back. But styling it and I guess it just kind of stuck with me. My sister said I should go to school for it so I did. I even went to barber school so I can cut men’s hair with the best of them. Learning the Sahag method under John was intense – it’s a two-year program, but I mean I’m still learning every day.
I love working at shoots – fashion shoots are the best and you meet a ton of amazing people and everyone is always so nice.
Can you talk about The Sahag Dry Cut Technique? What are its benefits, why is it unique?
The Sahag technique is so great because I can work on small sections at a time. When hair is dry, I can see how it falls and trim and trim and trim until I’m happy. It’s like the ultimate customized style for you because I can see what it looks like after every hair I cut. When hair is wet, you just can’t tell what you’re doing.
How do you decide what cut to give a client?, what is your styling process?
You need to listen to the client, understand them and then give them a cut that they want. It’s a process you have to go through together. Like, if you feel like you can’t walk with short hair, I’m not going to style it that way.
What are some hair trends for fall?
Straight is going to be on its way out. No one wants poker straight hair anymore. They want it loose and tousled, almost curly but we’re not talking perm curly.
Do you ever think the perm will come back?
(Laughs) Um.
How do you recommend taking care of hair for the winter?
Our Moroccan hair treatment is great because it gives winter hair a healthy shine, but for the ultimate winter care I just love our Keratin treatment. Flyaways, frizz, breakage is gone instantly.
And of course, when it’s raining like this, I just hairspray the hell out of everything.
You have a very distinct personal style. How would you describe your personal style?
I dress according to my mood. Some days I go for bright colors, some days not but always full of energy, I have to be on my game for my clients.
What has Sahag been offering their clients in response to the economy?
I’ve been doing a ton of weddings on weekends – we’ll go wherever and do an entire bridal party, the bride, it’s so much fun. Everyone wants to get married in a recession – who knew. It’s almost like people are returning to old-fashion values, want to settle down and have that part secure. But anyways – it’s a win for everyone. I actually have a wedding I’m psyched about this weekend.
Where can we find you on a Friday night?
Well Fridays normally aren’t big for me since Saturday is always such a crazy day at the salon, but I find time to get out on other nights. I usually spend about three hours getting ready so…when I’m out, I’m out. I love 1OAK, just love it, they make a mean cocktail – cause a girl needs a good cocktail and it’s always such a blast. Last week, I went out in a wedding dress. My friend’s a designer and he gave it to me so I rocked it with some Louboutins and everyone loved it, it was great. I mean, who wouldn’t?
Be prepared to spend a good 2 hours in the seat as Karmela expertly styles the perfect ‘do. It’s worth it. I got exactly what I wanted and walked out feeling like a rock star.
For the new prefall collection of Chanel: Paris-Shanghai, Karl Lagerfeld wrote & directed a short movie,”Paris-Shangai: A fantasy”, just as he did with last year’s Paris-Moscow collection. In the movie you can spot Freja Beha Erichsen, Heidi Mount & of course, Karl’s fave: Baptiste Giabiconi.
It is rare to be able to follow the complete evolution of an artist’s ideas, but through the work of prolific sculptor Constantin Brancusi, it is possible to see the evolution of his thought in precise intervals, to follow his idea from its inception, through its intermediary phases into ultimate realization.
From the 1920s to the 1940s, Brancusi completed 27 sculptures of birds. He returned to the theme again and again, concentrating not on the physical attributes of the bird but on its proportion. He said, “My ‘Birds’ are a series of different objects in a quest that remains the same – [to create] an enlarged version that would fill the vault of the sky.”
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Maiastra, Constantin Brancusi, 1912. Bronze, 55.9 cm high
His first bird, the comparatively naturalistic Maiastra, with its outstretched neck and open beak, was inspired by the legendary Pasarea Maiastra (Master Bird). A magic bird in Romanian folklore famed for its radiant plumage and marvelous song, it was a messenger of love who guided and protected Prince Charming in his search for his Princess. There are seven variations of this form.
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Golden Bird, Brancusi, c.1919. bronze, stone & wood 217.8 cm. high
Several years later, through a series of four variations which he called Golden Bird, the form becomes more attenuated, taller, absorbing the head and neck into a swelling urn-like body.
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Bird in Space, Brancusi, c. 1941, Bronze. 182.9cm high, on two-part stone pedestal 44.1cm high
Finally, in 1923, he established the form of Bird in Space, which exists in sixteen versions, an aeriform blade of bronze. The swell of the body is elongated, and the head and beak are reduced to a slanted oval plane. ”My most recent ‘Birds’ are the ones where I got closest to the right proportion,” he said, “I approached this correct proportion to such a degree that I was able to rid myself of myself.”
Maison Hermès in Tokyo commissioned Tokujin Yoshioka to recreate his 2004 installation for their December windows – a video of a woman alternatively blowing air through two scarves. Aside from its inherent aesthetic value, it’s interesting how the product is encapsulated within the performance without being subsumed by it. Often with such large, essentially two-dimensional objects, it’s nearly impossible to properly display their full design. With this installation, though the consumer is engaged by the performance aspect, the full design patterns of the scarves are beautifully showcased.
Maurizio Anzeri is an Italian artist based in London who embroiders over found photographs. In the post-modern tradition, his work emphasizes the visual and tactile qualities of both the photograph and the thread, but exploits the banality of both materials – an unfamiliar photograph, thread made of synthetic hair – to create something meaningful.
“I engage in the ritual of making and reshaping stories and histories.”
The sudden cold weather and our office’s big feng shui move last week inspired a sudden desire for personal transformation. I decided to dye my black hair red, went to my neighborhood salon and ended up with an in-between red brown that washed me out. 2 words: Not. Cool.
Bummed out, I accompanied Alyssa to the renowned John Sahag Workshop on 49th and Madison the next day for a dry cut with our awesome stylist Karmela. After working her magic, Karmela introduced me to colorist-extraordinaire Samantha from France. (Yes, everyone there is really that great.) Samantha took one look at me and pronounced the color too light. She suggested coloring the top of my hair a rich burgundy and lightening the tips with bright red accents whereupon I plopped down in her chair as fast as I could and put my hair in her capable hands.
Always the first to sign up for a class, learn a new technique and be in the know, Samantha is on the cutting edge of hair color. While I was in the chair I picked her brain about Fall 09 hair color trends and products.
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Q.WHAT ARE THE POPULAR COLORS FOR FALL/WINTER 2009?
Samantha: For Brunettes, chestnut is a beautiful color. So is spicy tone on tones – think cinnamon and chocolate.
For Redheads, rich burgundys and mahoganys are perfect for the colder seasons.
Blondes tend to tone down their color in the winter time. Warm, golden blonde with caramel and honey highlights has been really popular. The highlights add a nice dimension to the color.
Q.WHAT CAN CLIENTS DO TO PROLONG THEIR COLOR IN BETWEEN SALON VISITS?
S: A glaze is great way to refresh and enhance color in between visits. So if you do highlights every few months, come in during the 4th or 6th week for a glaze. A glaze gives shine while prolonging the color.
Keratin treatments are also perfect for those with lots of frizz and density. It’s perfect to do right after coloring because it locks in color and moisture. You can’t do it in reverse because the color process will strip the keratin from the hair.
(Keratin, keratin, keratin. This deserves a whole post to itself. Everyone at the salon was talking about this. Its a restorative treatment that infuses your hair with Keratin (a protein that’s found naturally in healthy skin, hair, and nails) and eliminates ninety five percent of frizz and curl as well as cutting down drying time by seventy percent.)
Q. WHAT ARE SOME ALTERNATIVES FOR WOMEN WHO DON’T WANT TO DO A FULL COLOR BUT STILL WANT TO COLOR THEIR HAIR?
S: Facial frame highlights are a great alternative that look amazing on both long and short hair. These are highlights placed strategically at the natural hair part and around the head.
For Blondes I recommend facial frame and top part highlights. Highlights just at the tips also add lots of movement and interest. Highlighting hair tips is very much in fashion right now with celebs. Its easier to maintain because you’re not starting right at the roots where the root growth is so obvious.
For Redheads and Brunettes, tone on tone pieces add instant dimension. Highlights at the tips are also fun.
Q. WHAT PRODUCTS DO YOU RECOMMEND FOR COLORED HAIR OR FOR KERATIN TREATED HAIR?
S: Sahag Clean Chemically Altered Shampoo and Conditioner is a must for color treated hair because they don’t strip the color. The shampoo and conditioner don’t contain sodium chloride so you can also use these for Kertain treated hair. If you get a Keratin treatment, you should not use a shampoo with sodium chloride so this duo is perfect for color treated hair AND Keratin treated hair.
Q. IS THERE A NEW PRODUCT THAT YOU’RE EXCITED ABOUT?
S: Bleach with Keratin. The bleach has keratin in it which makes it less damaging for the hair. It takes longer for the hair color to come out but its better for your hair in the long run.
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1.5 hours later, my hair was washed, glossed and blown out by Xavier and it was a rich shade of burgundy with cool shots of red at the tips – exactly as she promised. 3 words: I. LOVE. IT!
John Sahag Workshop
425 madison Avenue, NY NY 10017
212-750-7772
www.sahagworkshop.com
For color or keratin treatments ask for Samantha Viguie
Stay tuned for Alyssa’s interview with Sahag stylist Karmela later this week!
Black Venus, 2005, Mixed media collage, 130 x 196 inches
“Maybe it’s about mapping or tracing the ghost of cities past. It’s the pulling off of a layer and finding another underneath. It’s the reference and the details that point to people saying, ‘We exist; we were here.’”
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"Analog", 2004, Collage on canvas, 125 x 125 inches
“I have a labor-intense practice- cutting and cutting, which is grunt work, almost mechanical. That’s foreground. But what’s going on in the background is a thinking process that’s very slow, almost like a meditation. Improvisation is what I like. I limit myself materially- another way of slowing myself down. When there are too many choices, I get confused. So I tell myself something like, ‘I’m only going to use black paper.’ It puts pressure on my creativity to make that black paper sing.”
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"Backward C", 2005, Mixed media collage on canvas, 84 x 120 inches
“I do really large-scale paintings. The one I’m working on now is nine by thirty feet. And somewhere in that landscape you get lost, completely lost, inside the body of a painting. You don’t know where you’re going, and it’s not speaking to you, but you just keep moving through it and you find your way. You find a space that looks familiar, and you make your home there for a little bit. And you don’t get too comfortable because you’ve got to charge off again.”
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"Potable Water", 2005, Mixed media collage, 130 x 196 inches
“It’s all the interconnected secrets and overlays that I really find interesting in public space. I guess I keep talking about that. Why not private space? Because private space is private, and public space has the potential to be inclusive.”
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