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Interview by Amber Ogden
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Star Wars fans rejoice. New York based designer, Blank William has created his latest collection The New Order Stormtroopers and it is a definitive showcase of Star Wars meets the wild.
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Created out of glossy chrome and various textured additions in a palette of black and white you’ll find a rhino, hippopotamus and elephant ready to charge. Each sculpted soldier is armored and distinctively polished with gold trim pronouncing the animalistic facial features. BASIC magazine sat down with Blank William to dive deeper into his exhibit.
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BASIC: How do you wish the public to view a Blank William project?
I would like for my work to be considered contemporary art.
BASIC: We know the inspiration that led to the New Order Stormtroopers pieces, and as a Star Wars fan, I can appreciate the nod. What was the inspiration behind the similarly sculpted figures of the Stampede: White project?
Stampede was based on popular Nike shoes. The Roshe Run, Air Force Ones, and the Air Jordans. I took it from a shape and detail perspective, not pushing too far to recreate a shoe. Blending an animal head with a shoe can very easily push into kitsch. I felt the treads and general proportion of each shoe was enough to communicate my idea. The deer is the roshe, the ram, the Air Force Ones, and the bull – of course – is the Jordans.
[/vc_column_text][vc_single_image image=”8650″ img_size=”large”][vc_column_text]BASIC: And what about the more understated Kingdom Figures?
Kingdom Figures was meant as a collection for a chess set. The star pieces are the Tortoise and the Hare from Aesop’s fable. The two animals have very contrasting movements which is reflected in the pieces they represent – the King and Queen. The back of the Tortoise has the cross reflected in the King chess piece. The other animals are all North American forest creatures. The squirrel in my mind moves like a bishop as well as having the cut detail worked perfectly to simulate a squirrels two teeth. The Frogs movements is like a knight hopping around the board. The owls fly straight, much like rooks, and the snails have the most limited movements. For the shapes, I wanted a somewhat humanoid form defined by strong fluid lines and surfaces. As for the board, I wanted to create an abstract piece of earth ripped from the ground
BASIC: Lastly, what can we expect to see from the Blank William studio in the 2017/2018 season?
I’m working on a piece right now that expresses my views on what’s going on in the politics of our country right now. Of course, everyone has their views on the president and I do think he makes an easy target. My thoughts, however, revolve around my stance on our system being broken and that the GOP is a big cause of it. I can go on into great depth on my feelings here, but that’s another time and another interview.
Order Issue 5 HERE
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