I    KNOW SIMPLY THAT THE SKY WILL LAST LONGER THAN    I , 2013
video, excerpt 2:21 (52:20)
courtesy PIERRE DEBUSSCHERE

–

I am still overwhelmed by the impressions of this year’s festival of fashion & photography at Villa Noailles in Hyères, and particularly with the imagery of PIERRE DEBUSSCHERE.

If you are not familiar with his work, the belgian artist succeeds in bringing to life a fascinating and independent world that pushes the boundaries between video and photography, art direction and performance, fashion and fine art.

His last work entitled I   KNOW SIMPLY THAT THE SKY WILL LAST LONGER THAN   I  – and created especially for the 28th Hyères international fashion and photography festival at the Villa Noailles – is a comprehensive project which comprises a book, a touring exhibition and a website.  The exhibition features a series of original photographs as well as an important video piece, both investigating themes in the beauty context, the impact of music as inspiration and a precise exploration of emotional constraint.

There are plenty of interpretations possible for this project – I want to leave it open for the viewer, but I can tell you a bit about inspiration. Music is a big inspiration for all my projects, I always start with music so I   KNOW SIMPLY THAT THE SKY WILL LAST LONGER THAN   I is also a way to reference and acknowledge that. You could see this project as my first pop album in a way, sharing different emotions. Music always takes you to a certain place in your mind and I tried to harness that feeling. There is also the classical Flemish painter influence, Umberto Ecco and ugliness.

The body is a conductor of emotions and messages, passing through the face. I didn’t want clothes to get in the way. We ask more than usual of our models, pushing them further and further as you can see in the full version of the film, which is 52 minute long. I really wanted to work with models I knew and had a relationship with but also totally new faces that for me had great expression. The cast gave us a lot. – PIERRE DEBUSSCHERE for Dazed Digital

Either way, DEBUSSCHERE relies on instinct to evolve an uncanny visual path that is powerful, primal and unique and that leaves plenty of room for the viewer to bring their emotions and own stories to the table.

PIERRE DEBUSSCHERE is the online artistic director at Raf Simons and has shot editorials and numerous fashion films for magazines such as Vogue Homme Japan and V magazine, as well as being a regular contributor to Dazed & Confused.

–