KICKERS
Art directed campaign for Kickers latest “Reveals Talents” Collection. In Collaboration with young CSM graduates, armed with a vision and their post-graduates existential crisis sought out 5 local young talents and hung out for an afternoon. The results? A refreshing exciting and talent-led conversation between young creatives.
Whether is is surfing, music or art, Kickers Reveals Talent.
Art Direction by Ella Bas Backer
Photography by Ella Bas Backer
Text Edit by Louise Grosjean
HERE & THERE
‘HERE & THERE’, explores two ethnography methodologies, a type of qualitative research when tackling an anthropological study. In both cases, the artist attempts to immerse herself within her dutch culture and simultaneously reflect upon her cross-cultural identity. It is a personal journey; however, it reflects upon the third culture kid by understanding one's culture to which we lost connection. Simultaneously, it questions the methodological implications of artists and designers in the anthropological study.
HERE
The plate series developed for the project carry stories or, more so, a journey through my identity and cultural discovery. Using the same colours and motifs of Delft Blauw’s ware, I am recreating my own milestones to celebrate the dutch influences I have grown with. I am allowing myself to tell a story in encrypted designs and style. Through the use of idioms, the plates carry a cultural depth through language. Knowing idioms and understanding them is to know the sub-levels of a language thus the culture, it has a deep cultural attachment. This allows us to read into the cultural conventions and values of the foreign. By learning and adopting that language on the plates, I am acclaiming my place as a Dutch citizen.
DUTCH GARDEN IN LONDON
"A Dutch Garden in London" is part of the "Here & There" body of work. These potatoes were self-grown in my back garden up in north London. The process took approximately 6 months to grow, during the same time as my final work was being developed. The potatoes became a metaphoric reflection of my personal growth towards my cultural identity throughout my final project. Notably, approaching food in a cultural context has proven to enrich one's perspective as it is often used as means to retain cultural identity. The Dutch food is not extraordinary. In fact, it is very ordinary and simple. It is often described as "survival food" and has been the case, especially after the world wars, that was then adopted with traditions. Growing potatoes from scratch was an essential part of this project and a direct translation of the potato culture used in many traditional dutch dishes. Taking on that task also brought a great perspective on the process involved in making the food we eat, understanding where our food comes from and the labour and time it encompasses.
THERE
‘THERE’ is the photographic result of a field study conducted in the Netherlands. This study explores the effectiveness of ethnography through field research within the complexity of our cultural crisis. As a Dutch citizen born in France and grew up in Germany, I try to give sense to my heritage through my mixed cultural identities. The book brings together image and text to endeavour a personal cultural loss. The images were taken across various places in the Netherlands; accompanied by diary entries about my experience together with recorded dialogues.
CRITICAL REPORT
by Ella Bas Backer
The Beauty in the Complexity of our Cultural Crisis.
How can a designer harness the power of icons to solicitate one’s cultural identity within a third culture society?
IN MEMORIAM
“In Memoriam” was part of a body of work entitled “Last Acts of Publishing” that challenged the very meaning of intentional and unintentional publishing. I designed a series of tombstones, making the unintentional intentional. The engraved names, dates, and epitaphs ultimately represent and commemorates the person buried underneath. One rarely gets to design their tombstone, the final inscriptions are often published by another. Therefor, upon resquests for their last act of publishing, I designed people’s tombstones.
WILSON
Freelance Graphic Design for Wilson, 2021 Spring/Summer collection. For their first apparel collection, I worked closely with their Creative director reimagining the brand and providing an innovative, modern touch to their well established heirtage.
Freelance Graphics for Wilson, 2021 Spring/Summer collection.
ROXY X KEEP A BREAST (K.A.B)
CHOSEN ARTIST TO COLLAB TOGETHER WITH ROXY TO DESIGN TWO T-SHIRTS FOR KEEP A BREAST FOUNDATION