Guest Interview n° 15 – Lurve Magazine
Executive Editor Zana Bayne gets in depth the concept of body limits on the 3rd issue of Lurve Magazine, actually investigating what’s beyond our perception of this bound. As most of the times pure sensitivness comes with melancholy on the background, from the pleasurable net chat we had with Zana a vision of the world immediately turns out, involving an enigmatic view of dance, artists’ global fil rouge, the effectiveness of the internet and fashion evolution.
Describe the deeper love feeling that the meaning of the word Lurve presupposes.
LURVE replaces the generic and robotic term of “love”. Love is so easily spoken, so quickly used in arbitrary situations. Its overuse can flatten its meaning. By simply tweaking the letters and smoothing its pronunciation into “lurve”, a new richness is born. Lurve is a sensuous word.
Is that feeling concerning the way you approach your content and visual investigation?
We are more concerned about showcasing the work of the artists involved than selling clothing or selling trends, so the visual contributions can really be varied. Once you start to limiting content to a certain aesthetic, you instantly shut off potentially incredible work! I always love (or lurve) to see mediums and locations used in ways that you are typically not supposed to.
How would you describe Lurve’s visual strikes?
Fluctuating.
‘Beyond the body proper’: how did your contributors develop the theme? Is it a kind of interaction between the magazine and them? Does Lurve give any limit or track?
We start each issue with a broad thematic idea, and through the contributions we become more specific, so yes – the interaction between magazine and contributors is very important. I believe in artistic global consciousness; people around the world who, without any prior connection to each other, are working on similar concepts. So its not surprising when a line of similarity is drawn throughout editorials and written content even before the final theme is announced.
Is there a way to trascend reality and phisicality through our bodies?
Surely – dance, for instance, is one of the most primal ways of doing this. I can not think of any greater escape from my physical self than being absorbed into music and letting my body go. I find it equally powerful to watch others dance – they become oddly less human, alien gestures and language created through movement.
What are the body’s limits? In which situation or effort do these boundaries show up?
What the body can not physically accomplish, the mind certainly can – that is where some of the greatest art comes from!
In which way the relationship between fashion and body will evolve?
The body and clothing always have a close relationship, however their connection to each other is constantly shifting. For this fall, Maison Martin Margiela chose to ignore the natural body with trousers that have a floating waistline, Comme des Garcons and Louise Goldin continued to create new bodies with their abstract-form based clothing, Mark Fast showed his painted-on knits that utilized the body itself to inform the shape of the garments, while Viktor & Rolf supersized garment proportions and lost the body altogether.
Try to assume your readers point of view. What kind of refelctions or thoughts do you think he could have after reading your magazine?
I would hope that the reader would feel the urge to look through the magazine again. The need to take in all of the images slowly and read every word. And then a day or two later, do the same again except for even more comprehensive. It should be a seductive experience, each time finding deeper connections.
How do you choose your contributors? Is the process sometimes inverted, being Lurve choosen by its contributors?
The process is a gut feeling, less calculated more instinctual. In some situations, there is a particular individual who we feel would suit the issue perfectly, so we pursue them strongly…and at the same time, we have had people fall into our lives who instantly understand the rhythm of the magazine and have quickly become family.
What is, in your opinion, the feeling that people are mostly scared of?
Being alone, being poor, being powerless.
What are the principles (rules) dominating our culture over this century?
Well time has certainly sped up, and media has increased and multiplied at an astonishing rate. There has been a major disconnect from the personal a big shift towards worldwide access. We are at a point in time where our identities are not as strongly shaped by our location, since the internet has opened up what people are doing or look like in virtually every corner of the world. At the same time, there is a stronger feeling of international connection than ever before! And that to me is incredible.
By Elisa Lusso – images courtesy of Lurve magazine