Siff Pristed

Siff Pristed:
Siff Pristed Nielsen, 26. Kolding School of Design, MA Textiles Graduate 2011-

- specialism: Mixed Media

Design Background:

During the education I have been interning both at Moonspoon Saloon, Los Angeles, and Walter Van Beirendonck, Antwerp, and I really learned a lot! I think, that an internship is one of the most important things you can do to educate yourself. I have learned about how to deal with the real world, and found out more about my own strengths and weaknesses.

Project title:

THE GREATEST SHOW ON EARTH

Inspiration:

THE GREATEST SHOW ON EARTH – is the wonders of nature and what it creates. The project was inspired by the freak shows of the late 1800, and tries to criticize the common body ideals of the modern society, which preaches a very narrow view of the perfect and beautiful body.

I see the beauty in the small differences of the human body, and want the world to embraces the surprises of nature.

The individuality of the human being is connected to the small deviations and flaws, that make us different than the ordinary, and to be unique we have to contain some kind of imperfection.

Each one of us is born with a different body, which has its own dynamics, strengths and weaknesses, and we should embrace that.



Where do you get inspiration from in general?

I find my inspiration everywhere! But mostly my instinct to explore and investigate something is triggered when I see something, which is a little bit off, disgusting or ugly. Technically I find inspiration in old textile techniques, and try to bring them into a new context.

How is your process when you design?

Very intuitive! For each project I try to be open-minded and develop the methods I need for the process, while doing it.

What do you find most difficult about the design process?

The decision-making! It is always hard to kill your darlings!

What are your strengths?

I have a very good overview, and I am very good at multi-tasking.

What are your weaknesses?

I could be better at presenting my work and myself for others!

Describe your collection with three words?

Show, complexity, techniques.

What techniques did you use:

Branding leather, quilting, discharge printing, resist dyeing, gum Arabic, expantex, foil print, embroidery, mola-technique (old Mexican patchwork), digital print, digital knit, hand knit, knotting.

Which technique was the most difficult?

The branding of the leather was maybe not the most difficult, but the most complicated! I went to my fathers place in the countryside, made a bonfire to heat the iron to the exact right temperature! To work with something that hot, leaves no room for mistakes. As soon as the iron touches the leather, it makes a mark! So you have to be very concentrated all the time!

Do you have a technical or conceptual approach to designing?

Conceptual… definitely! The concept is the most important, the techniques I choose to use is defined by the overall concept.



Which garment was most difficult to make?

The leather corsage! See the explanation above…

Which garment took the longest to make?

The skeleton-pants, made with the mola-technique. It is a very beautiful technique, which creates a very unique look and feeling, but it takes forever, because of the hand stitching!



Which garment is your favorite?

I like them all for different reasons, some are so amazingly beautiful in movement, some are nice just hanging with at spotlight on, some I love because of the effort I know is put in to them!

What technique is your favorite?

I like the branding! The simplicity and history of this technique is amazing! The smell of the burned skin is not very nice, but it has a real authenticity to it.

How long did you work on this project?

February to start June… 4 months I guess.



Is there something you regret not doing in your collection?

I would like, to have had more time, to also think about making shoes for the collection.

What made you pursue mixed media?

I guess I don’t really have a specialism. I am driven by my curiosity to explore new techniques and methods all the time. And I guess this is my specialism – Exploration.

… in the end, I would like to thank a couple of people who helped me out with my project!

- Noam Griegst, for the beautiful pictures of the final project.

- Marie Westergaard, for hair and make-up for the photos.

- When I Grow Up, for making the catalog and graphic work.

- The models; Louise (scoopmodels) and Daniel Ronge

- Sponsorships, Læderiet Aps and Det Grøndlandske Hus Odense.

Why did you choose Kolding School of Design?

Because it was the best one in Denmark.

What did you think of the education?

I think the BA is great. There is a lot of commitment, and the social network is fantastic. Kolding School Of Design is great at hiring a lot of guest-teachers, which gives you a lot of new inputs.

For the MA I could have wished for a more challenging program!

During your education, which project has been your favorite?

I would like to highlight my BA-project, which was really great! I worked together with my good friend Nina Born, and it was so fun, and we made a fantastic project.

Since then it has somehow been a bit of a struggle to work on my own again, because one person can never live up to the work and fun of two brains and two pair of hands.

So now, that I have been working on my MA-project, it has been great to feel, that it was actually possible to make a big project on my own, and to watch it succeed!

What advice would you give new students?

Don’t try to be like everybody else, be yourself and follow your own instinct! Teachers do not always know best!



Which fellow students would you like to highlight?

- Nina Born of course. I hope, that we will still do a lot of great things together in the future.

- Birke Gorm, who works very conceptual in the field between fashion and art. Her projects always have heart – a message or story to tell.

- Sophie Lassen just graduated with me from Kolding School of Design, and made a very nice menswear-collection. Her sense of detail and color is great!

What have you been doing since graduating?

Curating and setting up a group-exhibition in my studio, with some friends who are working with art in different ways.



Have you been offered a job?

Kind of I am still negotiating…

Have you assisted some one?

I have been working with Moonspoon Saloon on different projects through the last years. It has been very interesting, and I hope that we will work together in the future.

Favorite moment post-graduating?

Beers at the riverside, barbequing at my friends place, having drinks and dancing all night long!

Where can we find more information on you?

You can have a look at my website; www.siffpristed.dk or follow the development of my MA-project on www.the-greatest-show-on-earth.tumblr.com

Contact info:

Siff Pristed Nielsen, siphph@hotmail.com, +45 61 69 12 88



from spot on textiles.