Week 3
The idea of art v. commerce is something I face everyday at work. A client's objective (depending on the client) is to speak to their customers (new or old). A Photographer or Director, on the other hand, approaches assignments from an artistic point of view. This can cause problems in the collaboration process between client and creative, which can result in a client's objectives becoming blurred. My view is that the "sweet spot" and what all collaborators aspire to, is when art and commerce can fit together and use a Photographer's or Director's creative arsenal to reach out to a client's audience. A lot of creatives I have worked with clash the client because they think they know better or have their own ambitions. If a client isn't happy with a delivered project, that to me is failure.
Fashion advertising is able to combine art and commerce. Fashion campaigns use contemporary art trends to promote the use of their brand as an aspirational product.
1. Jim Goldberg is someone clients go to for his practice. He isn't a conventional photographer and his style has become popular in contemporary culture, interestingly the clients that he works with share his aesthetic: Hermes, Armani, Vans, Palace.
2. Bafic is a young London contemporary artist and someone who I know and admire. I find it difficult to explain his style. The GIF's below are for fashion clients. They are a blend of text, digital, systems based surveillance. It feels like the brain of a computer in overdrive. Clients work with Bafic because of shared aesthetic values.
3. Thibaut Grevet's photography is experimental and playful. He is a graphic designer, Director and Photographer. He is similar to Bafic in the sense that he is approached by clients for his style of work.
