Ilia Beckmann - In Focus

Photography today has become nearly ubiquitous, and it’s now such an intrinsic part of our everyday lives that it’s hard to imagine a reality without it. The work of Ilia Beckmann seeks to thoroughly examine photography in contemporary society, questioning its value while at the same time providing its own answers. Simultaneously work of technical ability and handcrafting, these diverse pieces prompt the viewer to critically analyse photography as an artistic medium.

Ilia studied media publishing in Germany and attended classes in Cologne at the Institute of Art History and the Academy of Media Arts. Currently, he is studying photography at the University of Applied Science in Dortmund, travelling to Australia in June this year to complete an exchange program at Griffith University.

“Photography is my biggest background, although I would say that first of all I’m an artist, then I’m a photographer, then I’m an artist again”, Ilia said. “I always think in terms of art, but I use photography as my main medium.”

Ilia’s first solo exhibition entitled ‘Mens in Corpore’ was displayed in the upper floor of the Woolloongabba Art Gallery over the weekend, drawing in art enthusiasts from across Brisbane. Containing a selection of work developed over a two year period, these pieces have been produced with complicated photographic and sculptural techniques that are still in the process of being perfected and expanded upon.

“It always takes time in the beginning, then you find out what you want and how it works, and you can actually produce it pretty quickly”, Ilia said. “It’s all quite different work, but I think it’s been really organic coming together. These pieces can work together, and talk to each other, although they’re still bodies of work which can exist by themselves.”

Ilia’s portraits and sculptures can certainly be appreciated on a superficial level, but it’s the process behind the work and the complicated procedures involved that make the art all the more captivating. One of the most visually striking pieces in the exhibition was Ilia’s Fotoplastik series, which were essentially black and white photographs onto plaster cast faces. He applied the chemicals normally used for developing photos on paper onto the three dimensional object, which took months of experimenting and adjusting to make the plaster waterproof and chemical proof. Another piece which attracted significant attention was his tile mosaic entitled ‘Dem Bildnis ein Denkmal’. This is roughly translated to mean “A memorial for the Image”, but Ilia stressed the importance of the word ‘Denk!’, meaning to think. This piece was conceived during the artist’s studies when he was asked to produce ‘constructed photography’. Taking digital photographs of tiles and printing them skilfully with colour management onto paper, he mounted those inkjet prints onto wood in the same size of the tiles and then arranged the real and artificial pieces together. Instead of showing something constructed as being unreal or fake looking, he showed that it could look nearly identical to reality.

Even though photography is central to Ilia’s work as an artist, he describes his affiliation with the medium as a love/hate relationship. At its inception, photography had a difficult struggle to become accepted as an art form, but today, this is not questioned at all. In some ways Ilia’s work is a critique of photography’s almost unchallenged artistic merit, but it also seeks to address the medium’s shortcomings in its own way.

“I think my work shows what photography can be and how great photography is, but at the same time it shows how problematic it can be. Especially my Fotoplastik series, which shows that photography can be seen as the perfect combination between beautiful and terrible, and between very alive and very dead,” Ilia continued, “The dominant theme is that the medium is the message. I encountered problems with this medium, and I wanted to give solutions. I just want people to be a little more critical about photography, and try find out the actual purpose for making pictures is, what you can learn, and what’s good about it.”

As for his next artistic endeavours, Ilia will continue to refine his techniques and work towards more exhibitions in the near future. Finding himself often exhausted when working with the same subject matter, he strives to push himself in new and interesting directions. His immediate plans are to continue developing the processes demonstrated by his Fotoplastik series, and introducing colour pigment into its already intricate procedure. He would also like to expand upon his work with backdrops, an idea which occupied only a small part of his latest exhibition.

“Unfortunately this exhibition was just for four days, but I came to Australia hardly knowing anybody, and I’m really happy that I was able to achieve so much, and I’m really glad and grateful to have had this opportunity,” Ilia said. “I’m full of ideas, and I’m really interested in experiencing something right here and now in the space-time continuum with other people together, creating really emotional spaces”.

“I try to avoid making my work too reproducible. Because of the many steps involved, the more mistakes I can make, and mistakes are actually a great source of new and interesting things. I just hope that younger people who grow up in times where the computer is such a normal thing, that they still learn to do things with their bodies, to do something with more soul.”

Visit Ilia Beckmann’s website: www.iliabeckmann.com

FLIGHT OF THE CONCHORDS - July 7th

Everyone’s fourth favourite folk-parody duo is preparing to launch their first ever Australian tour this Saturday. It looks like Murray has finally managed to book a gig at last.

For those of you who have been living under a rock (or perhaps merely residing in New Zealand), the Conchords are comprised of Bret Mckenzie and Jemaine Clement, made famous by their self titled television show and award winning music.

The sideburn and sweater donning duo have been keeping busy since they went their separate ways back in 2009, with Bret winning an Academy Award for The Muppet Movie music and Jemaine acting as lead villain in Men in Black 3.

It is still uncertain whether this tour could mark a glorious return for the group, or whether the rumours of a Flight of the Conchords movie hold much weight, but these recent tours should satisfy even the most ardent fans for the time being.

Whether you’re going for the banter, beats or spectacular rap battles, one thing’s for certain – it’s business time.

Destroyer - Kaputt

Despite the remnants of a few broken Rubik's cubes and several packets of Pop Rocks, experts have found it near impossible to visualise what life was really like in the 1980s. Some have even debated whether the 80s really existed. Most knowledge of the era is based around legend and hearsay, folk tales passed along by battle scarred warriors and elderly Medicine Men around the 3D family campfire. And as we post-1990s kids huddled close together, occasionally feeding the fire with old vinyl records, the wizened sages would tell us tales of mystery, imagination and how good MTV used to be. Seeing the skepticism in our expressions, they would smile knowingly at each other and reach for the cracked and worn Destroyer record, the nearest recreation of an era lost to the fires of Time. With each twist of swirling synths and driving bass, entire sonic civilisations materialised, the numbness within us melted, an era was resurrected. Then, culminating in a truly magnificent finale, the last notes faded, leaving the elders with glistening eyes, making our cave seem all the more empty.

Although hardly a new trend, these last few years have seen a resurgence of retro sensibilities, be it 60s surf rock from the likes of Best Coast, the Britpop inspired Smith Westerns or the 90s hazepop of the Pains of Being Pure at Heart. Bands have increasingly begun re-appropriating the sound of a bygone era and injecting some of their own personality into the mix. This nostalgia fascination society has recruited a new member to the club with Destroyer's latest release, Kaputt. Mastermind Daniel Bejar has played with various influences in the past, but never has one of his albums felt more cohesive and comfortably unified in its sound. Although this is a near perfect stab at early 80s synth rock, the music transcends age boundaries, finding a common ground amongst widely differing people. Escapism, young love, and other universal themes slide in an out of focus. At times this record is a night of rampant partying, being drunk on life and cheap wine. At others it's the peaceful languor of the morning after. More often than not it's both at the same time. Also, if you're not sure of the quality of a given album, you can usually gauge it by observing the sheer amount of trumpets and saxophones used. Kaputt certainly fulfills that requirement, ending up more horn-y than a goat and a rhino getting intimate at a Kenny G concert.

But the shiny 80s synth pop veneer is only the tip of the ice berg. Scratch away the surface and you'll find Destroyer just keeps on giving. Bejar's lyrical content is often stuffed with oblique poetry, sometimes completely indecipherable but always memorable. Whether lamenting racial discrimination on Suicide Demo For Kara Walkeror amusingly insulting the press on Blue Eyes, Bejar approaches it with sincerity and intelligence. What at first appears to sound like a starry-eyed plea about life or love turns out to be, after repeated listens, a list of passionately crooned music magazines. Who thought music journalism could be so emotionally affecting? And there are only so many people alive that can utter the words "I've seen it all", and make you believe it in every sense of the phrase. You can jump into the Destroyer hole and fall as deep as you want to.

So we continue to live through other people's memories, combining them with our own and making something truly unique. And as the plastic from an old 7" bubbles and hisses in the flame, dimly lighting the cavern, it feels like our only means of survival. Take the best of our past, unite it with what little we have, and forge our own personal future.

The Weeknd - House of Balloons

In the name of transparency, I'm going to make my biases perfectly clear. I've had little to no experience with what the kids are calling 'rhythm and blues'. The sickly smooth auto-tuned vocals, that mind-numbing drum machine and synth repetition, the overused clubbing vibe... I can't exactly pinpoint what it is exactly, but it's there, and it takes all my self control to prevent a 'nam flashback whenever Chris Brown or Usher pop up on the radio. Although these artists are hardly representative of the genre, the damage has been done, and I've had little hope for reparations. Until now.

Enter Abel Tesfaye, aka The Weeknd. Virtually emerging from the ether in the back half of 2010, the Toronto-based R&B singer quickly garnered the attention of a broad and diverse audience. All it took was a few plugs from Drake, a likably strange name/album art combo and an intangible sense of mystery surrounding the project to turn up the hype-meter. The music was also pretty great. While it walks the tightrope of atmosphere versus songwriting with commendable skill, often it teeters towards the former, which isn't necessarily a bad thing.

The album's strongest allure lays in its manipulation of feelings, it's ability to transport the listener to other locations, experience others emotions. These places and people are instantly familiar with those who've experienced the urban nightlife, but taken to extremes few dare to tread. It drags you through the seedy underbelly of the city, has you gazing through bleary eyes at the streaked lights through the window of a taxi. It's the glamour of penthouse apartments mixed with lines of coke and meaningless sex. Elevating a smorgasbord of vices to an art form, it feels so sinister and dirty you'll need a shower after listening. Abel Tesfaye really sells it with his often malicious, at times vulnerable vocals, alternating between taking pleasure from debasing himself — and others — and feeling regrettably shitty about it. One moment he may sound incredibly distant, untouchable behind a drug induced haze; words sounding like they came from the bottom of a well, echoing and distorted. Other times he'll soberly utter a simple phrase with crystal clarity. Fragmented glimpses of scenes tumble through your mind with the same stilted rhythm of his singing/rapping.

Stripping away the ambiance of the record, there's still plenty to enjoy about the music on offer. The production is dense and complex, with more nooks and crannies than your average prostitute. It's got the traditional nine-car genre pileup, with influences ranging from dubstep to indie rock. Beach House and Siouxie samples may surprise some listeners, but they somehow perfectly match the nocturnal mood rather than feeling jarring or alien. Memorable moments come thick and fast, making it impossible to catch all of them in the first couple of listens. The gunshot in The Party & The After Party, the barely audible whispers in Coming Down, the warped underwater distortion inLoft Music — it's these details which prolong the record's lifespan when the ominous atmosphere starts becoming stale. One of the more diverse and enjoyable pieces which shows this is the ambitious Glass Table Girls. Consisting mostly of a fracturedHappy House by Siouxie & the Banshees, Tesfaye swiftly makes it his own, with scary-as-hell vocals, sound effects like a plummeting 8-bit spaceship and a thrilling transition into something else entirely. It still sends chills up my spine when he sings in a menacing voice "I'm a nice dude, with some nice dreams, and we could turn this to a nightmare, Elm Street".

There's much to enjoy here, whatever your taste. Many have admired it for its unification of the underground and mainstream, with both sides of the musical divide being satisfied. Even with the frequently crooned "guuurls" and the lyrics about "sexin' up bitches and pluggin' niggas", pale white boys can listen to it in their isolation chambers just as well as your neighbour can blare it out at his post football game hootenanny. But really, though, all these discussions about taste and it's supposed crossover appeal cheapen the music. What House Of Ballons does do is tap into a perhaps universal urge to let it all go, the temptation to stop acting prim and proper for once. Some may empathise with it, or others that control this urge daily may just see it just as an acceptable release. It's popping drugs like bubble wrap. Sex like scratching an itch. The pursuit of pleasure above anything else. Nihilistic, fractured and haunting. Waking up at 6:45 am with a pounding head, seeing near lifeless bodies sprawled on couches and floors, knowing there's no future in this, that it's destructive and toxic, and smiling.

Cold Cave - Cherish the Light Years

Cold Cave’s latest offering is less of a departure from the 80s new wave of their debut and more of a dramatic magnification. The slick synth driven pop is still here, but this time around it’s been blown up to gigantic proportions. Hammering in its intensity, the wailing guitars bombard the listener into submission with a colossal wall of sound, while frontman Wesley Eisold yelps pleas of bleak romance and destruction. Yet through the deafening melodies and apocalyptic lyrics, the music is human, intensely personal. It’s an achievement for a band to make the chaos of your soul this danceable.

Esben and the Witch - Violet Cries

Gothic, dramatic and sinister, Esben and the Witch have created the Tim Burton of albums. Guitars churn and cymbals clash with ferocious intensity, creating a haunting, cavernous experience. Equipped with a stunningly chilling wail, lead singer Rachael Davies’ vocals take these songs to new, darker places as she shifts seamlessly between themes of love, war and death. At times, however, the gothic shtick sounds a little forced, and the drones, hisses and ominous percussion takes priority over hooks. Sadly, atmosphere is no replacement for songcraft. When they get the mix right, it’s fantastic – beautiful, engaging and as scary as hell.

Magnetic Heads - You Will Tear Down Everything That Stands in Your Way

It’s not often that an Australian band captures the influences of music close to home and that from distant lands. The debut EP from NSW based five-tet Magnetic Heads evokes memories of bygone eras yet still seems immediately recognisable. Sounding reminiscent of both The Church and Echo & the Bunnymen, the magnetic heads sun bleached 12-string guitar pop couples perfectly with their extremely literate lyrics. These four tracks bring back memories of swimming in suburban pools on a Saturday, getting scorched by the harsh Australian sun, not having a care in the world.