SOCKET Magazine - London Metropolitan University
A magazine is synonymous with revelation, sharing and reflection; it is a colourful compact guide through ideas and suggestions that can stay with us even after newspaper headlines are shredded and hasty videos are scrolled away. There is no ‘perfect’ or ‘easy’ way to create and launch a magazine. Yet, the 20/21 BA Photography Year 2 students of the School of Art, Architecture and Design, London Metropolitan University, brought together their creative idiosyncrasies to produce a fantastic source of collective energy and inspiration – aptly called SOCKET. Diverse photographic genres blend in a symbiotic narrative that features selected work from the students’ array of projects. They reach out to the world with an inspective eye (AGORA), follow people to their various roots (TRACE), expose our shapeshifting mood in our strive for survival (CHAMELEON), and shed a spotlight on digital heroes and hidden icons (EYESOME). The productive cross-contamination of creative practices (in this instance, photography, poetry and painting) is celebrated as a serious field of enquiry in which the process of discovery transcends to the final outcome. Yiannis Katsaris Senior Lecturer, BA Photography London Metropolitan University
A magazine is synonymous with revelation, sharing and reflection; it is a colourful compact guide through ideas and suggestions that can stay with us even after newspaper headlines are shredded and hasty videos are scrolled away. There is no ‘perfect’ or ‘easy’ way to create and launch a magazine. Yet, the 20/21 BA Photography Year 2 students of the School of Art, Architecture and Design, London Metropolitan University, brought together their creative idiosyncrasies to produce a fantastic source of collective energy and inspiration – aptly called SOCKET.
Diverse photographic genres blend in a symbiotic narrative that features selected work from the students’ array of projects. They reach out to the world with an inspective eye (AGORA), follow people to their various roots (TRACE), expose our shapeshifting mood in our strive for survival (CHAMELEON), and shed a spotlight on digital heroes and hidden icons (EYESOME). The productive cross-contamination of creative practices (in this instance, photography, poetry and painting) is celebrated as a serious field of enquiry in which the process of discovery transcends to the final outcome.
Yiannis Katsaris
Senior Lecturer, BA Photography
London Metropolitan University
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SWITCH
Cristian Marianciuc
the artist that thrives in solitude
INTERVIEW
When did you first become interested in origami?
I have folded simple models as a kid, without knowing what origami
was. I rediscovered this art form at university, where I took
a subject on Japanese Culture and wrote a paper on origami and
the story of Sadako Sasaki. I felt personally attached to her story
because one of my sisters passed away after having struggled to
the same illness as her, leukaemia.
How much time does it take to create one origami figurine?
It all depends on the design I decide to go with. Since I am constantly
developing new techniques and signature elements and
since I no longer have time constraints, I tend to allow myself as
much time as it is needed to complete one piece: which for my
most recent cranes means on average 15 hours.
How many cranes have you created so far and how much influence
had Sadako Sasaki have over your creation?
During my ‘1000 cranes in 1000 days’ stage of my project, I
folded and decorated approximately 1200 cranes. And since
then, I have allowed myself more time to perfect existing skills
and to develop new ones, so there was no longer a focus on the
frequency of creating new work, but rather a focus on creating
more elaborate work. I would say that since 2017, when I concluded
my initial part of the project, I must have created around
350-400 cranes.
Why did you decide to make 1000 of them?
There is a Japanese tradition called ‘senbazuru’,
which promis es good health or the granting
of a wish to whoever folds 1000 cranes. I
wanted my project to be a respectful nod to this
tradition.
I thrive in solitude, so
this Pandemic hasn’t
affected me as much.
68
East meets East
How did it become a body of work?
I would say it was a dual process: firstly, by
the sheer volume of work, and secondly by
the specificity and the recognizability of said
work. Finding my own, original “voice” took
time and a lot of exploration and experimentation,
but once I found what it was that would
define me as an artist, I believe that was the
moment my work became a cohesive body.
Do each of your individual outcomes hold
separate context or influences or is your
practice a matter of craft before concept?
Absolutely! Although the vast majority of my
work has the same starting point – a traditional
origami crane, each finished piece has a
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