The Visual Artist Behind Fashion Radio's Bespoke Animations

For everyone here at SHOWstudio, Fashion Radio was never meant to be 'just another project'. It was the birth of something new yet also uncannily familiar. Just as Jean Luc Goddard's 1968 film Sympathy For The Devil became the building blocks for our 2009 project Fashion DJs - which took place over three days at Abbey Road Studios featuring anyone who was someone from Naomi Campbell to Micheal Clark - this inexplicable deep dive into fashion's relationship with music also paved the way for the ultimate podcast clashing sound with style: Fashion Radio.

Fashion's tumultuous relationship with music is no secret. Since the dawn of the 20th century, the two have been in a waltz, a sort of slow dance that eventually sped up into a Quick-Step the latter half of the century, giving way to a gargantuan explosion of colour, sound and style. From the beat of the catwalk to the tracks powering fashion photographers’ studios across the globe, our Fashion Radio podcast - hosted by DJ Fat Tony - explores this inextricable link by revealing the stories of the people who make both fashion and music so compelling.

Knowing this was no mean feat, we had to design the best of the best to attract the best. Which is why the inspiration for the set of Fashion Radio began with not just David Bowie‘s groundbreaking Station To Station but, more specifically, its album cover which uses a direct still of Bowie playing half-alien-half-human Jerome Newton while immersed in a futuristic spaceship in Nicolas Roeg's sci-fi film The Man Who Fell to Earth. Considering pretty much every guest we've had on Fashion Radio has attributed their love of fashion to the ginger-haired space man, we thought it only natural to take the subterranean-looking space as a reference point for our own.

Once we had the podcast sorted, the guests ticked and the host checked in, we thought we were ready to shout 'lights, camera action!'. But wait, there was something missing. How could such an incredible podcast not have a unique set of animations to accompany its logo? This is SHOWstudio, after all. Cue artist @reinfected.me.

Christina Donoghue: Can you talk a bit about your background and how you got into graphic design?

@reinfected.me: Back in the day, I was accepted to study at the Academy of Fine Arts in Wroclaw (Poland), in the graphics department. I underwent a full academic path as well as subsequent stages of commercial graphics, starting from printing, through web design, UX, UI, and finally, animation. In the meantime, I worked on music videos and short films. I must admit, during my time at the academy, I wasn't exactly the teacher's favourite – I didn’t put much effort into every subject. I never really spent too much time on drawing, which is now to my regret. Painting wasn't really my thing either. But I loved the audio-visual classes. In the times when I was studying, the main working tools were a VHS camera, editing on some old tape-to-tape video recorders, as well as 16mm tape and gluing. I was always delighted with it. I stayed after classes and edited short films that I didn't fully understand myself using these primitive methods. That's probably why I was left with the urge to style my current animations for 16mm film and 24 frames per second.

CD: Can you describe your aesthetic?

@reinfected.me: Dark, orderly, simple, and understandable in form. Then I build up chaos around it and give it shape using music. Short films, moments taken out of context, flashing images without a beginning or end, giving the viewer room for their own interpretation. This is a world in which I feel good and which I try to visit every day. It’s kind of an addiction to me; the process also constantly occupies my mind, helping me with everyday life and day-to-day challenges.

CD: What inspires you as a creative?

@reinfected.me: Now, I am mainly inspired by my moods. I treat stories, images, and music as daily catalysts for all the emotions I experience. After so many years, it's hard to say who or what inspires me. Experiences, emotions, and observations - all these factors overlap, creating a unique perception for all of us. Of course, at a young age, I was also inspired by artists from various fields: Aronofsky, Von Trier, Lynch, Beksinski, Warhol, Cave, Eldritch... I was blown away when I first watched Aronofsky's Pi. These aesthetics and emotions stayed with me for many years. And the madness and fear.

CD: What was your creative process like, from concept to creation, in response to Nick Knight’s brief to design the fashion Radio animation intros?

@reinfected.me: In the case of this project, I knew from the very beginning that our styles would complement each other perfectly. I work oppositely to most creators. First, I generate a lot of random images, and then I select the most interesting and promising ones for the change-processing process. Once I select them, I start the manual modification. It often happens that the final version looks completely different than what it was at the beginning. When I like the form, I start animating. Then comes the music, editing, and applying effects. I don't put pressure on myself - I know that some ideas are more interesting than others. I like to call these short animations visual experiments. Each of them is a process, wandering around - this gives me satisfaction. I'm glad that I'm participating in something I don't understand. I enjoy it. I generate dozens of images a day. Dozens of strange places that I visit. Also, collaboration is woven into my everyday life. I hold a deep appreciation for working alongside musicians. I firmly believe that visualisations remain incomplete without the musical layer. That's why I always convey to the musicians I collaborate with that this endeavour is a 50/50 effort, though deep down, I feel they give far more of themselves than I do.

CD: What are your thoughts on social media as a platform for showcasing your work?

@reinfected.me: I think social media is quite a useful tool. Thanks to it, I have had the opportunity to work with fantastic people, including Nick Knight, who trusted me with creating video art for Lady Gaga’s Chromatica tour, for which I am very grateful. Hopefully, there will be more creative adventures ahead of us.