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AP: And so you two work
together often?
TG: Working together on
projects doesn't feel like work, it feels very
natural.
AP: You're so lucky...
TG
[Smiling shyly]: I know.
AP: When you say "projects,"
are you referring to presentations of your work,
like the one this past February at Klemens Gasser
+ Tanja Grunert Gallery in Chelsea? And did you
have any shows before that? TG:
The first presentation I did was last October,
and it was at Seven. It was great - they just
gave me the store for the day. We cleared everything
out of it, covered the top half of the walls with
black and white paper, and then I had seven mannequins
that we put on one side of the room. We wrapped
the mannequins with muslin, then Jon had these
images that he had screen-printed on paper...
we collaged those onto the mannequins. That was
our first installation.
AP: It sounds amazing...
TG: It was a good way to
start, because it was small. Before that, I was
overwhelmed by the idea of actually doing some
sort of public presentation... [Tess rises to
get some pictures of the event].
AP: What do the initials
D.O.R. stand for?
TG: The collection I titled
"Daughters of Revolution." It wasn't about a specific
revolution, but more about an evolving sense of
revolution, on more of an emotional level. The
collection was about protection. On every piece
I had sewn some sort of talisman within it. I
was doing a lot with layering the fabrics, making
badges... I realized last summer, before I started
working on these pieces, that a lot of the drawings
had my version of emblems, like crest details,
and one jacket I designed had a kind of badge
on the back of it. And so I just thought about
why they were there, and where I was placing them.
Then I built the whole collection based on this
idea, one of calmness, from the sense of protection
of where they [the badges] were placed on the
body, and the way they felt on the body.
AP: Your sense of the
body, your awareness of how things will feel on
the body, is quite amazing. I don't think many
designers' clothes are made with the actual body
in mind...
TG: My process of working
is very intuitive... it's more about emotions,
it's more about feeling. I don't think of the
designs as just a sketch. I am interested in the
whole aspect of creating a pattern, and that includes
how it feels on the body, and the emotion that
it brings up in the person wearing it.
AP: How does that psychological
sensitivity reflect in your process of creating
a piece?
TG: There's not a static
way that I work, it's always changing. Sometimes
I start with a pattern, sometimes with a fabric...
it depends on what appeals to me emotionally at
that particular point.
AP: Do you think the
distinctiveness of the hand stitching will always
be an element of your work?
TG: I think so, because
that's really my way of drawing, those are the
marks, and each season I add to it, but I am always
maintaining certain things from previous collections.
The accumulations of stitches have had the most
continual presence in the pieces.
AP: It's like an artist
building a distinctive body of work...not like
a designer, who's usually more motivated by trends...
TG: That's something I just
can't relate to... it's just not natural for me.
I'm not really interested in working with trends,
thinking what the next thing will be... I think
I'd get really bored working that way. I really
like the way I work now.
AP: I can think of a
number of my favorite female artists who work
that way...and it sounds like your mother works
that way as well, which I imagine was a huge influence.
You said earlier that she works on a project in
a particular medium for several years, and then
moves on to another project in another medium.
Do you see that happening in your future?
TG: Definitely. I love working
with clothing, and it may be something that I
always do, but I don't want to limit myself to
doing just clothing. I'd love to make wall hangings,
I'd also love to make sculpture, because a lot
of the way that I approach working with the clothing
is in a very sculptural way.
AP: On the subject of
influence, I almost forgot... do you respond,
or refer to any particular era in fashion history,
or history in general?
TG: Right now I am actually
reading a book on the history of fashion, just
because I felt like I haven't really studied the
history of fashion in this way since college,
where I took a bunch of courses on it. It's very
interesting to look at how styles change, and
how that reflects the times, and the social and
political values of the society. I also love to
see the construction of clothing made in the past...
there was so much more attention paid to detail.
It's much more interesting to look at that, obviously,
than at anything current.
AP: Tell me about it...
TG: Again, there's not one
specific time that I am more influenced by, and
I don't ever like to pull directly from something.
I just like looking at fashion history out of
interest, rather than direct inspiration for the
clothing. But I do love looking at old sewing
books, and just the pure construction of the clothing
- how seams were finished, or the inside of a
garment was treated... those sort of tips are
really invaluable.
AP: I was wondering
about this with your designs, all being handmade,
and so unique... how do send them out into the
world of fashion?
TG: In an ideal world I'd
love to give away the pieces, and make it so that
it [the clothing] was affordable to everyone,
but that's not possible. First of all, I have
to make it worth the time of doing it. The prices
I put on the clothing don't even cover the time
I put into each piece, but I just try to come
up with a number that seems to be fair.
AP: Enough about fashion
then, back to art. The show at Gasser + Grunert
was a pretty extensive collaboration. Do you plan
on working with these people again in the future?
TG: Well, once again, it's
dependent on the specific project. I can't realize
if people are going to be appropriate for a certain
project until I've begun to work on it. It has
to be organic. For the project at the gallery,
it involved a lot of people, and I loved having
all of those people be a part of it. The next
project again will be working with a lot of people,
although it's not the same group. I like bringing
new people into this whole thing.
AP: How often do you
come out with something new?
TG: So far it's been every
season, but I don't want to just get into the
routine. I'm planning to do another show in September,
and I don't know what I'll do after that. I like
to be able to stay open, so that I'm free to work
on projects that appeal to me, rather than just
doing fashion week. If you think, every year,
at the same time of year, to feel imposed with
a due date...
AP: And the same people,
the same time cycle, the same routine...
TG: Yes. And so I want to
make sure I keep things open, to bring energy
to each new creation... so that the ideas don't
get watered down and less inspired. To show every
season is not necessary. The fear that people
will forget about you can't be the only motivation
to doing things.
AP: I really don't think
you need to worry about that.
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