In its third incarnation, House of Voltaire 2014 sells covetable one-offs by some of our all-time fantasy collaborators – think Roksanda Ilincic and Irish minimalist artist Eva Rothschild, or knit whizzes Sibling teamed up with Glaswegian artist Jim Lambie. As if that wasn’t enough to get you in a giving mood, this year for the first time Chloé has gotten in on the act. In support of the initiative, creative director Clare Waight Keller has hand-picked three female artists – Cao Fei, Karen Kilimnik and Jenny Saville – to create bespoke items exclusively sold via luxury haven Net-a-Porter.com.
Whether sold online or in-house by one of their shopkeepers (writer Alice Rawsthorn, consultant Susanne Tide-Frater, designer Peter Jensen and actor Russell Tovey will all be taking a turn behind the till), sales of the specially commissioned prints, homewares, clothing and accessories, priced between £1 and £30,000, will boost funds for much-needed artist studios, exhibitions, performances and its education programme. As far as fundraising activities go, this one is a pretty stylish affair.
Ahead of the launch, we spoke to London designers Simone Rocha and Christopher Shannon about the products they’ve created and what’s on their Christmas wishlists!
This autumn you’ve worked with Kim Gordon and Leslie Winer respectively to create limited edition products for House of Voltaire. How did you come to work with Studio Voltaire?
Simone Rocha: Studio Voltaire approached me and asked would I be interesting in working with an artist to create something for them. When they suggested Kim I was delighted.
Christopher Shannon: They approached me a few months back to ask if I would be up for doing something. I was aware of them as I bought the Julie Verhoeven beach towel last year and am also itching to get some Linder Sterling Christmas decorations this year.
Simone, can you tell us a bit about what you’ve created?
SR: We talked about the best way to collaborate, we had been writing to each other and with us being so far apart we thought that I would send Kim some clothes, pieces that I had designed the fabric and were very signature to me and she would photograph them on the floor as part of her ‘flung ‘ series of work. It was about how Kim would interpret it.
Kim’s been lucky enough to be successful with Sonic Youth as well as in other industries – as an artist, a writer, designer, and actor – if you could swap day jobs, what would you do?
SR: I would like to be a florist.
What was it like working with Leslie Winer? What did you create together?
CS: We work by endless e-mailing, stop starting. A while back we talked about working on some Ghost Writer Shirts. We shared some images, lots of white on white – it was just a loose idea hanging around. This was the perfect chance to realise it. Leslie sent me pages and pages of text – her writing, poetry and lyrics. It was the idea that the text was like mending, darning, sort of illegible. Then I worked with Leanne and Ita from RART to realise the text in embroidery. I love that the shirts just look like three white shirts. You actually have to look at them properly, they are quite un-internet friendly, which for me is always good. It’s not a digital t-shirt with a big screaming face on it in every colour available. There’s quite an absence in them. They felt nice to work on.
Leslie has worked with some amazing musicians including Grace Jones. If you could collaborate with anyone living or dead in music who would it be and why?
CS: Hmmm, not sure. We worked with Neneh Cherry a lot this year on her new album stuff, that was really nice and she was one of my childhood heroes and has continued to make such great work. I really love John Grant, – something with him would be ace. I’d love to do something with Vanessa Paradis. I watched a really great old interview with Janis Joplin the other day, she seemed like a right laugh.
House of Voltaire is perfectly timed for Christmas shopping.. What’s on your Christmas wishlists this year?
SR: I like would like one of the Linder Christmas decorations.
CS: Defo some Linder Sterling deccies, and I’ve seen a print I’m after. I’ve just cleared my house out of so much stuff, I think this year I might swerve loads of things. Time off feeling nice would be top of the list.
studiovoltaire.org/house-of-voltaire
Credits
Text Katie Jane Rose
Images courtesy House of Voltaire