In the lead-up to CARBON festival 2013, we’ll be running a series of interviews with the lineup of speakers appearing at the festival of contemporary design, style and culture. Returning for its third year, this inspiring mix of creative entrepreneurs and artists will gather in Melbourne over the weekend of the 13th and 14th of April for a collection of forums and creative events. First up in the interview series is Geoffrey Lillemon, the digital artist and art director.
As one of the leading artists of the Net Art Movement, Geoffrey Lillemon believes in the coexistence of the digital and physical, and the fusing of art and technology. His works explore and reinterpret artistic practice for the digital age, producing a tantalising glimpse into art of the future. Unrestricted by form, Lillemon collides classical painting techniques against 3D modelling, literature against soundscapes, producing interactive animation that responds to human touch, brainwaves, and even heartbeats. Whilst the unpredictability of his work can be confusing and confronting, it is also hauntingly hypnotic and deeply engaging. Lillemon has exhibited internationally as Oculart and was the Invite d’Honneur at the Centre Pompidou. Co-founder of boutique design studio Champagne Valentine. His state-of-the-art fashion shoot for Bernhard Willhelm’s Spring/Summer 2013 collection turned heads around the world. As a creative visionary of the contemporary art world, adidas recently selected Lillemon to feature in their Unite All Originals campaign.
How would you describe your style?
The mixture of a classical criteria of intimacy and romance, merging with the advantages of modern technology, then swirling the two sides together in a psychedelic visual cauldron to create a new media artwork.
What kind of response do you aim to draw from those who view your work?
A personal experience that seduces and lures the viewer in, a captured moment in time, a new world, a new dimension, a new perspective to spend time in.
Tell me a bit about working with adidas Originals…
[It’s been] a beautiful collaboration that pushes the adidas brand into the role of the art patron.
Who would you love to collaborate with and why?
There is always a natural synergy between fashion designers, musicians and artists working in complementary mediums. In this case it’s always good when people collaborate and collide – it offers capabilities previously unexplored.
Define what ‘creativity’ means to you…
A chance to reference one’s own instinct to make a decision in the arts. In our modern time of almost anything being possible or accessible, creativity can be seen as a process of knowing when to stop, when to start and feeling confident on a core level that this is the statement one wants to make.
To see more of his work visit Geoffrey Lillemon.
See Geoffrey Lillemon in the flesh as he speaks at Carbon Festival over the weekend of 13th and 14th of April at RMIT’s Storey Hall Auditorium on Swanston Street, Melbourne CBD. For more information on speakers and ticketing options, head over to the CARBON 2013 website.