All photographs taken by Wataru Shimosato of An Unknown Quantity
This past Thursday Nate and I attended Michelle Matson‘s artwork unveiling at PLEATS PLEASE ISSEY MIYAKE boutique in Soho, NYC. In case you’re not familiar with Michelle Matson, she was a top contender (not to mention art critic Jerry Saltz’s fav) in Bravo’s Work of Art: The Next Great Artist Season 2 TV series. Matson, who makes awesomely constructed sculptures out of paper was given the opportunity to collaborate with PLEATS PLEASE in order to create an installation for the boutique’s window display.
Inspired by PLEATS PLEASE’s own Spring/Summer 2012 collection, which was based on Kachina – the Native American Hopi spirit often depicted as a colorful doll – Matson created small, layered Totems and a flock of brightly saturated birds to fill the windows. “The totems are like stand-ins for the Kachina and the birds are physical depictions of the spirit,” explained Matson. Colorful, intricate and playful, the installation, which was entitled RISE, responds directly to PLEATS PLEASE’s bright yet technical aesthetic. “I love the way that the cut and folded paper looks next to the pleats of the garments,” exclaimed Matson. “I think my paper pieces are very much at home in the PLEATS PLEASE world!”
When I asked Michelle whether this collaboration will influence her work in the future, she excitedly responded that “It already has!! I’m currently working on three large scale totems, they are much larger than the ones from PLEATS PLEASE ISSEY MIYAKE- almost 7 feet tall. I loved the small abstract totems so much that I wanted to make large versions- big enough so that they could loom over you. These new totems look like otherworldly cacti.” I don’t know about you, but I’d love to see what a 7-foot tall version of these spunky little guys look like!
Also on view, although only temporarily, were a few of Michelle Matson’s non-collaborative sculptures, shown below:
Matson’s RISE installation will be on view at PLEATS PLEASE ISSEY MIYAKE until March 11, 2012 – go check it out!
PLEATS PLEASE ISSEY MIYAKE is a Japanese fashion label created by the designer Issey Miyake. Like Michelle Matson’s work, the PLEATS PLEASE line utilizes a material (in this case polyester jersey) which has been meticulously folded and cut. Although the pieces may seem incomplex at first, once on, the designs ironically transform into seemingly wearable sculptures themselves!
To add, the ISSEY MIYAKE USA Corp. has invited artists to exhibit their works regularly in their company’s US-based retail stores since 2001 when the company opened its new space in TriBeCa called “tribeca ISSEY MIYAKE.” Per Robert von Leszczynski of ISSEY MIYAKE USA Corp. the “tribeca ISSEY MIYAKE has opened its doors for a dynamic series of lectures, performances, and art installations [in the past]. The RISE paper sculpture installation by artist Michelle Matson was the first art feature introduced at the company’s PLEATS PLEASE ISSEY MIYAKE space in SoHo (opened in 1998) as an alternative to our regular TriBeCa-based art features.” Thumbs up to them!
PLEATS PLEASE ISSEY MIYAKE/ 128 Wooster St./ New York, NY 10012
Michelle Matson is a sculptor and 2005 BFA graduate from the School of Visual Arts.
