At So Catchy! Where Fashion Begins, we enjoy finding out about multidisciplinary artists who are able to blur the lines between fashion and art and TODOMUTA STUDIO does just that so we talked to them recently about their artistic installation at Vejer Fashion Weekend, ARRAIGO. According to the team at Todomuta, archeology, anthropology and the most surprising and unfathomable aspects of nature are what fascinate them.
The objects they create are powerful pieces of iconography and not necessarily functional, and, with them, they’ve practically created their own universe of mythologies. Todomuta, which loosely translates to ‘everything changes’, is made up of professionals whose career paths have led them to disciplines as varied as sculpture, graphic design, illustration, photography and more, and they’ve collaborated with creative types in other fields like architecture, industrial design and fashion.
So Catchy!: How does TODOMUTA STUDIO relate to fashion?
TODOMUTA STUDIO: Todomuta is by nature a multidisciplinary studio which has allowed it to get involved in the world of fashion through a few specific projects. What we bring to fashion is an artistic point of view, mixed together with the functionality that garments or accessories have.
SC!: What did you do at Vejer Fashion Weekend?
TM: It’s an installation on the façade of one of the most representative buildings in Vejer. The piece is called “Arraigo, -Act I-“, to settle or take root, and it refers to the idea of going out on stage to show others what you have been thinking about and working on for a certain amount of time. The process of taking root brings the idea of actual roots to mind, of the essence from which new ideas can grow. For the formal development of the idea, the studio worked with classical, ornamental architectural pieces on which we built our vision. With the same concept and in concert with the installation, we’ve developed a series of objects as well; a bag that was produced in collaboration with MOVEX (Technological Center of Leather in Ubrique), a T-shirt whose production was limited to 20 pieces and a limited-edition of 25 screen prints.
You could say that with “Arraigo”, the studio has begun to explore new areas of art as a means and a way to affect emotion.
The village of Vejer provided a black and white color scheme and a specific texture that comes from the whitewash used on all of the houses.
SC!: What is your creative process like when it comes to the materials you use?
TM: We always use materials that are closely linked to the idea that we wish to express. We don’t do anything ‘just because’; it should always be discussed and well thought out. At times the material itself comes to you and becomes a starting off point that will take you to the idea you want to transmit. In the end, it’s the same path, just in reverse; IDEA-MATERIAL or MATERIAL-IDEA.
SC!: Where do you find inspiration? Are there any websites, blogs or Instagram accounts that you recommend?
TM: There are a lot of sources of inspiration; from the architectural, scientific, anthropological or sculptural concepts. We also look at a lot of visual information on a day-to-day basis from different places. We like to follow design studios that we can look up to such as Forma Fantasma, Faye Toogood or Henrik Vibskov.
SC!: How do you think Seville fares in the areas of creativity and cultural?
TM: Seville is changing and more and more you can find people who are working on interesting projects. It’s always been said that the city of Seville doesn’t have a lot to offer on those fronts but that’s not something that bothers us; it obligates us to get out and see and do other things in other places to refresh our minds and find different perspectives. We like Seville as a city to work in. It’s classical and traditional and we love to appropriate these aspects to contrast with our own imagery.
SC!: What dreams do you have that might seem impossible now?
TM: Back when we were starting up the studio, a friend told us: “Be careful, sometimes dreams come true…” and I think that he was right. Our dream is for our projects to contain more of us, and more of our ideas and our ways of seeing the world.
SC!: Which creative minds do you admire?
TM: It would be impossible to name all of the people that we admire so we’ll just say that any creative mind is admirable.
SC!: What projects will you be working on next?
TM: Right now we’re working on a new series that we plan on presenting at the end of the year. We’re also working on various other projects for different clients, like the creation of a sculpture piece that goes through the interior of a building and which will be installed in a museum in Brussels in 2016.
Images courtesy of Todomuta Studio
Translation and Layout by Michael Padilla
