KampfKunst

KAMPF KUNST

This collection is firstly inspired by my childhood, my father being a martial artist by profession while I immersed myself very early on into the fine arts. The more I observed both, I began to notice all the parallels between Martial Arts and the Arts in general. So I chose the German term for Martial Arts to examine its meaning in both directions (Kampfkunst & Kunstkampf). Asking the questions of what the Art of Combat is and wherein the Combat in Art lies.

And then there is also our shared interest for beautiful objects and my father’s collection of ancient fencing artefacts (including books, arms) which had been inspiring to me for many years.

Whilst doing research I discovered the historic figure of Julie de Maupin, a legendary female duelist and opera singer, who lead a quite turbulent life in and out of the society around Louis XIV. She became the main archetype for my collection, free-spirited, independent, passionate, sensitive, artistic, fearless but at the same time a hopeless romantic.

My silhouettes are particularly inspired by the clothing Renaissance fencers wore with its voluminous shapes adorned with quilted patterns and rhythmically positioned slits, the way they can be seen in the fencing manuscripts of Joachim Meyer and Thibault d’Anvers.

M.A. Thesis

Fashion

& Textile Design

INDUSTRY

Fashion

(A BIT OF A LONGER JOURNEY)

SO YOU MAY KEEP ROLLIN’

OR JUMP DIRECTLY TO ☞

✒︎

FINE ART

✍︎

FASHION DEVELOPMENT

✄ TEXTILES

♕ LOOKBOOK

CONCEPTION & MOOD

In the beginning, there was chaos gained creative momentum and the sifting of historical sources concerning the art of fencing. I focussed on historical (fencing) clothing from the Renaissance and its craftmanship, especially the slitting, layering and padding of textiles.

The result was a small, surreal cosmos of fencers and works of art that inspire me, with women who could embody the collection for me; it should have a mysterious element without simply being gloomy, reflecting a multi-layered creative soul.

FINE ART

The print dancers and tulips explores the correlations of movement between renaissance rapier hilts, tulips and Pina Bausch’s dancers. I created a series of ink drawings set in repeat, as well as an acrylic painting suitable for placed artwork.

FASHION DEVELOPMENT

DANCERS AND TULIPS

LADY AND THE DRAGON

Symbolizes the special strength of the woman, also as seen in the example of la Maupin. It’s a take on the historical motif of St. George slaying the dragon, but the woman at this point neither needs rescuing nor does she have to slay the dragon. It can be viewed as a concept of duality which is also applicable to our mental dragons.

ORNAMENTS

All-over print and placed application as screen-print and quilt. Referencing the ornamentation of small sword guards also viewed as interpretation of the flowers of battle and a more abstract form of dragon skin.

Hand-cut ornament sword guard inspired screen print on Pepita

Quilted by hand to achieve a relief structure:

One layer of wadding, silk gauze and the main fabric

ORNAMENTS // LADY AND THE DRAGON II

Colour variation of the ornament print and placed print from an original oil painting, as a variation of the Lady and the Dragon motif. The wing as a symbol of freedom and inspiration runs through the entire collection in various forms.

WINGS OF INSPIRATION

All-over print Hand, eye and wing as the symbols for the eye of the artist, the hand of the artist and the wings of inspiration. Below is a placed print featuring an original etching of mine.

THE DUELLIST

Personifies the muse of the collection, inspired by Julie de Maupin, as an example of female strength.

A seamless all-over print combining collage, photographic elements, such as the houndstooth pattern which was scanned from the cashmere version, that I also used in the collection, then the sea, a red dress silhouette and of course a wing, taken from an angel statue. The main figure and the roses are drawn by hand with ink and brush and assembled digitally with the other elements.

CERCLE MYSTÉRIEUX // ANGRIFF DER KILLERTOMATEN

Erigeron annuus (flowers) is a medicinal plant, protective herb of small children, now labelled a weed, for me symbolising resilience.

Then we have the cercle mystrérieux from Thibault d’Anvers’ book l’academie de l’éspée in which every movement was planned and follows the proportions of the human body as an ideal ratio.

At the top is a hand painted striped print combined with collages of myself as a kid, reminiscent of Childhood memories between pure dedication to art and inner quarrel, the joy of discovery, high aspirations, lightness and play in creativity as well as fearlessness. As it’s still the spirit from which I create today, I adopted the motif as my logo.

CAPTAIN

Jacquard knit from original drypoint etching, paint and silk organza strip hand-embroidered poem as well as print created with collage and mixed media. The Captain of the soul acts as personified

self-determination, inspired by Ernest William Henley's ‘Invictus’. Parallels can be drawn to the (martial) artist’s spirit.

(scroll down to read)

INVICTUS (William Ernest Henley)

Out of the night that covers me,

Black as the Pit from pole to pole,

I thank whatever gods may be

For my unconquerable soul.

In the fell clutch of circumstance

I have not winced nor cried aloud.

Under the bludgeonings of chance

My head is bloody, but unbowed.

Beyond this place of wrath and tears

Looms but the Horror of the shade,

And yet the menace of the years

Finds, and shall find, me unafraid.

It matters not how strait the gate,

How charged with punishments the scroll,

I am the master of my fate:

I am the captain of my soul.

THE LOVERS

Screen-print from original ink drawings inspired by Rodin’s and Claudel’s sculptures, as the movement and strong emotional connection the captured in a still object really fascinates me. The figures are in the same time gravitating towards and away from another. The lovers stand for intimate connection between devoted love, devotion, passion, is used the in this here to impersonate the relationship between artist and genius, creativity and art and the parallels that can be drawn to the opposing interplay between fencers.

THE FLOWERS OF THE BATTLE

The manuscript ‘Flos Duellatorum’ by Fiore Friulano de'i Liberi de Cividale d'Austria (1410), is one of the oldest surviving Italian fencing books.

The book is written in verse and artistically illustrated. On one page he describes the four virtues of the fencer: prudence, speed, strength and courage, each of which he assigns to an animal. In the centre stands the fencer with seven swords, symbolising the seven sword blows.

I created an all-over pattern with my own ink and quill interpretations of the four animals as well as a female centre figure, as to show that these attributes may also apply to female fencers (which was not commonly recognised or practised back then).

„We are four animals, he who arms himself with us carries us in the whole. And he who shares our good virtues wields the weapon and honours the skill.“

“Be like a lion:

No one brings a more daring heart than I, the lion who challenges everyone in battle.”

“Be like a lynx:

no other animal as clever and clear-sighted uses the divider for length and measurements

as I do.”

“Be like a tiger:

I am the tiger, fast in turning

and twisting,

an arrow cannot distract me.”

“Be like an elephant:

I, the elephant, bear a burden, the burden of a castle, I never kneel down, nor do I leave my true place.”

L’ILLUSION SEUR D’ICARE

The initial inspiration for this dress were Rodin's watercolour nudes. The subtly vibrating drawings with just a hint of colour, which at the same time express a calmness and yet an inner movement. I painted the fabric directly with silk colours to emulate the spontaneous watercolour effect.

The motifs on one side are the sculptures ‘L'Illusion, sœur d'icare’ by Rodin, as well as ‘La Fortune’ and

‘La Valse’ by Camille Claudel. On the other side are Italian-style fencers who have a similar dynamic.