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About
Us › Maxim
Magazine
Interview from
Maxim (German edition)
This publicity-shy American’s heart
belongs to his bizarre worlds and the Icelandic
pop star Björk. We spoke with Linda
LaBelle, Barney’s costume designer
for “The Cremaster Cycle” – and
one of the very few people, who holds
the key to his works.
Costume designer Linda LaBelle worked
together with Matthew Barney on the “Cremaster” cycle.
This close collaboration afforded her
the key to his world of imagination.
What is your greatest talent?
My ability to crawl inside other people’s
heads, to recognize and realize their visions.
Regardless of whether it’s Matthew
Barney or my students, who want to create
their dream hats.
What was your first impression of Barney?
I met him in a Vietnamese restaurant in
Chinatown after a party for the artist
Laurel Katz. He sat across from me and
we got along really well from the get-go.
Although he was very charming and funny,
he seemed shy as well.
How was the start of your collaboration?
It was wonderful! It was more of a meeting,
during which we felt each other out. He
explained to me his goal of making five
films in five years.
Did you design the costumes together?
In some instances, Matthew already
had specific ideas, and I would then
just
advise him on the materials to use.
When the concepts
were a little vaguer, I would search
out fabrics and colors. Then we’d experiment
on the dressmaker’s dummy with cottons.
Matthew loved to have a hand in every aspect.
It wasn’t really high art,
but more like we were just playing!
You have said that there
was a “creative
familiarity” between the two
of you.
I spoke of a “creative intimacy”.
For a short time, I had a very intense
and concentrated relationship with the
artist and his imagination. I had fun with
him when everything was going well, and
I suffered with him when we encountered
stumbling blocks. After the “Cremaster”,
it was as if I were going through
a breakup. I was in a sort of state
of
mourning.
How did you manage to capture his fantasies
in the costumes?
I always concentrated on the costume
and its immediate surroundings alone,
and never
on the larger context. I also thought
of the costumes as sculptures. The
ability to extract their specific
functions and
to work together so well with Matthew
Barney
made it possible for me to capture
his fantasies. I was captivated by
Matthew’s
imagination in the things he showed
me.
In order to realize these fantasies, did
you have to work with some unusual materials?
Absolutely! I think this helps to
bring life to a piece and to create
an atmosphere.
In Matthew’s world, I always
look for new materials. For example,
we worked
with Teflon, filters from air conditioners
and thermoplastic materials.
The press is touting Barney
as the new “god
of art”. How do you see him?
Oh, I don’t know about that. I find
that Matthew shook up the art world in
a very positive way. People want to see
his work over and over again. They want
to know what’s coming next. Regardless
of whether people like his work or not,
they’re fascinated by it, they
want to see it, to ponder it and
then talk about.
I think this is the real point behind
art: people should want to see it,
think about
it and then talk about it.
Linda LaBelle:
By day, the renowned textile
and fiber specialist produces works
from
designs
by New York’s artists. In the evening,
she teaches hobby knitters how to weave,
crochet and spin in her shop “The
Yarn Tree”. For more information:
www.theyarntree.com.
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