How did your upbringing affect your career path?
“Well, my family aren't artists, but they are very much makers. My grandfathers and dad all built houses, working with wood and metal. My grandmothers were great with textiles. And my mother and I, were always following the latest design and fashion trends. Of course, we were never able to afford the beautiful things we saw in magazines. But instead, we just made it. I've always learnt to look at how things were made, and how to translate my ideas into something physical. Even though my family aren’t working in my industry, I want them to be able to understand each of my concepts. I’ll pitch my ideas to them and depending on their reactions, I know if it's good or not.”
Where does your fascination for objects and the value behind them come from?
“I’m always into researching. Looking at how we construct value and give meaning to objects. And I find it interesting to look at the cultural associations of everyday things that surround us, you know, our ‘collective memory’. For example, a wedding ring symbolizes being married, so we all collectively assign value to this ring. Even though, marriage is a concept made up by us, but we’ve been taught to read the object in that way.”
27 July 2023
Art
Waving The Denim Flag
Designer Pien Post contributes to The Art of RAW by investigating collective memory and denim
Objects and materials are the focus within her work. Intuition leads her creative process. And through familiar cultural associations, viewers are introduced to the unfamiliar with her experimentation and design. Pien Post talks family, flags and fascinations.
“Historically denim has been worn as a rebellious statement, in contrast to the everyday wardrobe staple of now. From all classes, from all races, and from all cultures. It’s such a versatile material and it really connects us. And I think a flag
is the same."
- Pien Post
So, looking at objects and their associations in a way…
“Yes, I think when you look at an object you always interpret it through your cultural lens. Once you realize the meaning you assign to it is constructed, you can change the way you approach it. So, in a way, I highlight associations to make the viewer aware of them. We don’t do this just to objects, but everything and everyone around you. And in every culture there are different connotations, so it completely diversifies across the world. I know that I respond a lot to the culture I'm in.”
“Yes, I think when you look at an object you always interpret it through your cultural lens. Once you realize the meaning you assign to it is constructed, you can change the way you approach it. So, in a way, I highlight associations to make the viewer aware of them. We don’t do this just to objects, but everything and everyone around you. And in every culture there are different connotations, so it completely diversifies across the world. I know that I respond a lot to the culture I'm in.”
Inspired by pieces from the G-Star archive, you created ‘Waving The Denim Flag.’
“Yes, a series of seven denim flags. Each one features their own material experiment. From laser cutting and heat press printing to weaving and quilting.”
Where did you start with the concept?
“I looked at how historically denim has been worn as a rebellious statement, in contrast to the everyday wardrobe staple of now. From all classes, from all races, and from all cultures. It’s such a versatile material and it really connects us. And I think a flag is the same. You can distinguish yourself and say, ‘We are different from them’, like in war but they also unite people like ‘We are together, as one team’. Depending on how you place a flag in space or in relation to the body it conveys a different meaning but, in the end, it can be both. That for me was the starting point and the connection.”
“Yes, a series of seven denim flags. Each one features their own material experiment. From laser cutting and heat press printing to weaving and quilting.”
Where did you start with the concept?
“I looked at how historically denim has been worn as a rebellious statement, in contrast to the everyday wardrobe staple of now. From all classes, from all races, and from all cultures. It’s such a versatile material and it really connects us. And I think a flag is the same. You can distinguish yourself and say, ‘We are different from them’, like in war but they also unite people like ‘We are together, as one team’. Depending on how you place a flag in space or in relation to the body it conveys a different meaning but, in the end, it can be both. That for me was the starting point and the connection.”
You used many different techniques within your designs. What led you to this?
“G-Star obviously has a strong visual language. From the fashion archive to the air hangar headquarters. I saw the runway pieces from your archive and wanted to recreate different ones using different techniques. And the dark blue color was very leading, so I tried to react to that. I always look at the denim itself to see what suits it best. And then yeah, I started to experiment, which is where my intuition kicks in.”
A big part of your creative process is experimentation. How does this work?
“Sometimes I work like an art director, in the sense that if there’s a technique I don't master, I will ask someone to collaborate with me on the project, which was the case with the laser cut flag. It’s very much trial and error, I always react to what’s happened during the process and improve the designs along the way. For me, what I love, is experimenting and seeing the designs start to live their own life throughout the process. It all happens very naturally.”
“G-Star obviously has a strong visual language. From the fashion archive to the air hangar headquarters. I saw the runway pieces from your archive and wanted to recreate different ones using different techniques. And the dark blue color was very leading, so I tried to react to that. I always look at the denim itself to see what suits it best. And then yeah, I started to experiment, which is where my intuition kicks in.”
A big part of your creative process is experimentation. How does this work?
“Sometimes I work like an art director, in the sense that if there’s a technique I don't master, I will ask someone to collaborate with me on the project, which was the case with the laser cut flag. It’s very much trial and error, I always react to what’s happened during the process and improve the designs along the way. For me, what I love, is experimenting and seeing the designs start to live their own life throughout the process. It all happens very naturally.”