Dadachat

An Interview with Dadadandy by Delphine Arbonne

1 How would you define yourself ?

Dadadandy is born out of a collaboration between artists curators Simon Moretti & Paul Heber-Percy and was launched in June 2006 at Art|37|Basel. Dadadandy is an artist, a curator, a production company and an art-brand.

2 What is the philosophy of Dadadandy ? Why did you choose this name ?

Dadadandy is an art brand that borrows from a variety of historical references and operates as an art production company for multi-disciplinary projects produced in collaboration with international museums, galleries, artists, designers and brands.

The name Dadadandy was inspired by a collage by Hannah Hoch, Da-Dandy, 1919.

3 To you, what is the definition of Dandyism ?

No Limits

4 Where does your inspiration come from ?

Everywhere! Especially Amanda Lear

5 What messages do you whish to convey through your work ?

Be Inspired

6 Why does surrealism appeal to you ?

Being conceived as a Dada inspired project it was a natural progression for Dadadandy to adopt attitudes and strategies from Surrealist thinking, Dada being a precursor to Surrealism.

7 What philosophy do you share with surrealism ?

We are seduced by the Surrealists’ obsession with desire and their irreverent spirit.

“Freedom is not given to you – you have to take it” Meret Oppenheim, Basel 1975

8 What are your inspirations in term of surrealism ? (artists, artworks etc)

Jean Cocteau’s Le Sang d’un Poete and La Belle et La Bête, Meret Oppenheim’s Objet (Déjeuner en fourrure) and Max Ernst’s paintings and collages have all been particularly important to us. We share with them the concept that reality is open to mutation, where boundaries between art and life and life and art are broken down, creating a world of fantasy and mythical dimensions.

9 What was the concept of the artworks you created for the Selfridges event ?

As a homage to Surrealism, Dadadandy has devised a programme of artworks and events titled Le Palais Des Etoiles, whichconsisted of several projects includingThe Sum of All Reasons, a 5 meter diameter inflatable sculpture of an eye floating on Oxford Street by Simon Moretti & Dadadandy;Homage to the Goddess, Dadadandy window display on Oxford Street, consiting of five naked mannequins in a straw lined cage with diamond jewellery,These Are Also Wings, a fashion performance event in collaborationwith Goshka Macuga, featuring 16 dancers performing guerrilla style in the department store wearing show pieces by John Galliano, Boudicca,Alexander McQueen, Vivienne Westwood and Agent Provocateur.

Last but not least Dadadandy created The Fountain of Innocence, a fantasy palace based on Surreal set designs from movies such as Jean Cocteau’s ‘La Belle et La Bête’, ‘Orphée’ and Stanley Kubrick’s iconic film ‘2001: A Space Odyssey’. The palace contains illusionary devices such as semi-transparent mirrors, distorted rooms and dramatically changing lighting, as well as Dadadandy artworks based on the 1938 International Surrealists Exposition in Paris.

The installation’s soundtrack is a combination of sound effects from thunderstorms to the chattering of monkeys juxtaposed with the music of composer Erik Satie’s ballet Parade, for which French poet, writer and art critic Guillaume Apollinaire wrote the programme notes, and coined the word ‘Surrealism’. The ballet premiered on May 18, 1917 at the Theatre du Châtelet in Paris.

10 What is the concept of “Choix” ? Is it an humoristic way of showing the consumer market ?

CHOIX came out of a desire to produce an artwork that dealt with ideas of desire and packaging, in a poetic way. We have always enjoyed the painting Choosing by G.F.Watts, the famous 19 century English painter, which shows the seventeen-year-old Edwardian actress Ellen Terry choosing between camellias, which despite their luscious appearance have no scent, and violets which are far humbler in appearance but smell sweeter. The choice is symbolic of that between worldly vanities and higher virtues. This idea of a seductive but scentless flower became the inspiration behind CHOIX, which we conceived as pure poetry in a bottle.

From Mumbai to Columbia, Russia to Sidney, this unusual and rare perfume seems to have captured the imagination of people who may not normally pay attention to contemporary art, it has delighted us that this artwork has been able to cross the boundary between objects d’art and products.

11 How do you define the boundaries between reality and dream ?

Which boundaries?

12 Do you think London is a surreal city ? why ?

Everywhere has its surreal moments and places.

13 Is proper surrealism still alive today ?

The spirit of Surrealism is alive and well and has become intertwined with our visual culture and everyday experiences.

14 What do you think of the art business today ?

We feel it is a very positive and exciting time in which so many more people are passionate about investing and collecting contemporary art and in doing so are supporting artists and art projects all over the world.

15 What are your future projects ? Are their any form of expression you would like to explore ?

We are working towards a book, possibly a dance record and really enjoying making some new artworks in the studio, we also would love to collaborate with an iconic luxury brand…