Meet the artist who's using tulle to create spectacular works of art

Fashion and art have always been great allies. Artist Benjamin Shine's works are a testament to that fact. A tulle artist, Shine has been garnering international attention for his artworks made by enfolding, creasing and ironing several metres of tulle (a light, finely textured netting). His experimental art has also received a critical nod from the fashion fraternity. Just last year, he collaborated with John Galliano for Maison Margiela's Spring 2017 collection, adding a face made of tulle to a white trench coat. Recently, the NYC-based luxury goods store Bergdorf Goodman exhibited Shine's compelling five-piece tulle installation. With an expanding clientele in the Middle East, Shine talks to us about his process and the message his works are attempting to convey to the world.
What drew you to art/fashion in your formative years?
I spent my early childhood years in London. I was always obsessed with drawing and making things since the earliest age I can remember, but at age 10, my parents divorced, which resulted in my brother and I living with my mother, who relocated us to a small, remote country village. There were literally no shops or anywhere to go within walking distance, so instead we found creative ways to amuse ourselves, and drawing, painting, building things, and making films and animation took over every spare moment.

When exactly did you begin experimenting with tulle?
It grew from my studies in fashion design. I studied at Surrey Institute of Art and Design and then Central St Martins in London and was quite obsessed with creating clothing from a single length of fabric. The garments were very technical and required precision cutting in order to balance all the seaming perfectly. While I loved constructing clothes in new ways, I saw even more potential in fabric as a medium to create ideas away from the body as a sort of three-dimensional paint to create forms and images. The tulle technique is the most recent development in this idea of bringing the painted line to life through fabric. I've worked with torn strips of tulle in early pieces but it wasn't until I saw a crumpled ball of it on my studio floor that I noticed its greater potential. Pressing it under glass, various tones became apparent from the layers of folds and I began to test out ways to create identifiable images from those folds. Much of my work explores one-piece construction and the tulle technique wholly epitomises this train of thought, whereby a single piece of tulle is manipulated into an image.

Benjamin Shine

And what about the process?
Most of the tulle works are created from a single length of tulle fabric. A long length of about 20 metres is piled onto a canvas in a dense voluminous layer. I then begin to move the tulle around to define the basic tones, before working on the detail by either pressing and manipulating it with a hot iron to bond it, or I hand sew it into place. Pieces can take from a couple of days to several weeks to complete.

Shine's tulle installations at Bergdorf Goodman (Photo: Max Bolzonella)
As a contemporary artist, you often find yourself at the intersection of art and commerce. How tough is it to balance the two?
There can be a striking juxtaposition when these two worlds collide and I very much enjoy that. My recent tulle installation, Seeing Through the Material, shown at Bergdorf Goodman in New York, expressed the idea of an inner contemplation in contrast to the physical and materialistic presentation of the self, depicted by a figure adorned in luxury clothing and accessories. Who is the true self - the inner version or the outer version? I'm interested in the subject of luxury and its role in influencing notions of identity in how we perceive ourselves, and others. For decades, luxury brands marketed their aspirational goods as marks of status and lifestyle success, beautifully packaged as materialistic meanings to life. But I think we've grown up and we see through it. Of course, it's important to acknowledge beautiful designs and finely crafted things but not at the expense of defining ourselves by them. In my opinion, a meaningful life is a better measure of success to aspire to than one of material possession.

Shine added the face made of tulle to this white trench coat for Maison Margiela's Spring 2017 collection

What were the creative highs and challenges of collaborating with John Galliano?
Working with John at Maison Margiela was a dream come true. However, the fashion calendar is very fast and any problems had to be overcome quickly. Generally, when I develop ideas, they can take a year or even three years to work out, but in this case, it was much more intense. That said, I enjoy the minutia of detail and John is the king of detail, so many versions were made before the final details were finalised. That piece was completely hand sewn over 300 hours.

What is it about the process of creation that excites you the most?
I find the process of creating often very challenging, frustrating and even stressful. Occasionally, it's not even enjoyable. But it's the knowledge that in completing the project I will have accomplished the challenge and, most importantly, grown in skills that I did not know I had. That phenomenal opportunity makes it so exciting and rewarding.
 

A tulle artwork by Shine
Any plans of bringing your works to the UAE?
I've spent almost five months developing many new ideas in my studio, which I had been struggling to realise for many years. This year I also received several wonderful invitations to present my work in the UAE, so I am looking forward to finalising some exhibitions soon!
anamika@khaleejtimes.com