UNDERCOVER: JUN TAKAHASHI

 

“Following UNDERCOVER’s impressive menswear defilé around the fountain of Neptune, guests scaled the gravel path in the Giardino di Boboli up to the top gardens that overlooked the Palazzo Pitti and all of Florence. With expectations of little more than a prosecco and salad, we were greeted with the majestic sight of a multitude of Jun Takahashi’s Grace dolls posed in a great pine tree, their larger fellows standing below.

The dolls stood up to a metre tall, with their lace gowns and jewels covering warped kangaroo-like bodies composed of metal framing and cut-up teddy bears! Each doll is completely unique, a variation on the eerie theme that Jun has been exploring for many years in doll-making, and that is his hobby and personal interest aside from fashion.

The dark stage that stood 20m from the doll tree burst to life as Jun Takahashi and two assistants arrived to begin the creation of a Grace doll. In a flurry of sewing, cutting, and screwing nuts and bolts, the three men worked for almost an hour as the doll took shape in front of our eyes – from a pile of teddy bears, metal bars, light bulbs and wiring.

Kan Takagi and Atsuhiro Ito accompanied the performance with their electronic punk improvised soundtrack, even utilising a fluorescent light bulb as a musical instrument. This added to the buzzing atmosphere, and the lack of ambient lighting drew our eyes straight to the violently industrial display. The ripping of teddybears and the wiring and sewing ultimately created an eerily romantic and solemn artwork, its single eye blinking soft orange light, the body illuminating the soft folds of it’s vintage lace dress.

As the doll was left standing alone on the stage, its creators standing to the side admiring their work alongside the audience, a 20-metre projector screen sprang to life with a stunning animated film of the grace dolls created by Jun Takahashi and the UNDERCOVER team. We hope to bring you the video in the coming days, but below are some sneak preview still shots”:

– http://www.ablogcuratedby.com/about-a-blog/

And now… a few of my favorite designs from UNDERCOVER.

fall 03′

spring 04′

spring 04'

spring 04'

fall 04'

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spring 05'

fall 05'

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spring 06'

fall 06'

fall 06'

 

fall 06'

fall 08′

fall 08′

fall 09′

 

FIN.