Åbäke

ÅBÄKES BIO=On Going By Karl-Johan Dykinte London, October 2005.To whom it may concern, What is a CV For? was the title of a workshop presented by åbäke to a group of photography and graphic design students in Lausanne three years ago. The question was genuine and the reason you are reading this is probably because you requested some biographical informations about them. So unsure of how to handle this sort of ghostly list, they had to ask someone else, i.e. the present 'writer' to come up with the third voice, probably trying to avoid the oscillations between the self deprecating and over-celebratory voice of a BIO. Please note whenever etc. is used, three more examples minimum exist.EDUCATIONS Patrick Lacey, Benjamin Reichen, Kajsa Ståhl and Maki Suzuki are åbäke. Four graphic designers educated in Brighton University, Ecole Nationale Supérieure des Arts Décoratifs in Paris, HDK in Gothenburg, the Royal College of Art in London etc. where the partnership had started through a common signature. They total a quarter of a century of graphic design education but are happy to consider themselves slow learners. Since graduation in the pretty Summer of 2000 the group has been working in London, using a french e-mail address and trading under an obsolete swedish name in the pursuit of local democracy. The present document is updated to a partial account of their activities, mainly selected through the lens of collaborative continuation and contemporary relevance (at time of this text being sent). Teaching has quickly become part of their practice and although the RCA is the only place they weekly tutor at (1), they organise workshops in Europe. Last 5 projects are: Come as You Are Someone Else (Universität für angewandte Kunst Wien Institut für Design, Vienna 2005), Bridge It (Teach Me—Workshop—, Venice 2005) The Best Trilogies Go by Three (Ecal, Lausanne 2005), Corner Stone of Democracy (Beckmans College, Stockholm 2005), Bench (Kingston University, Kingston 2005) etc.EDITORIAL (AD)VENTURES The four graphic designers have always highly rated editorial involvement as essential to their professional practice and created two other entities of expression; taking full responsibility (from credit to shame) of the content they design: Sexymachinery (2), an architectural production with current co-members Shumon Basar, Dominik Kremerskothen and Dagmar Radmacher, and the label Kitsuné (3) with Gildas Loaec and Masaya Kuroki. Each opus of the two dissimilar spin-offs could be discussed in more details but in a nutshell the former is a 'magazine' existing in print, live events, exhibitions and shared activities occurring twice a year. The latter has released 28 records—mainly 12" vynils— 47 objects and garments—from customised 4-colour bics to trainers for Zorro— and organised 35 musical events.2D+3D= Another long-time and perhaps for-life like-minded co-worker is products and furniture designer Martino Gamper for whom they recently edited and designed a book. It cheekily features many collaborative work, like a table football competition lit by a leather chandelier or four floors of 'woodlands' seatings for Bloomberg's European headquarters etc. Half of åbäke also cook monthly alongside Martino in a temporary kitchen/dining room, appearing and disappearing in different venues in London or more recently in Berlin. No Meat is served but Veggies and fishes are freshly prepared in front of the paying guests.FASHION TASTES The everyday professional life of åbäke involves regular and seasonal designing for fashion designers Maison Martin Margiela (film direction, photography and design of MM6), Hussein Chalayan (graphic design for his second line h chalayan), Peter Jensen (prints for garments, graphic design) etc.TRAVEL Pretourism, is an ongoing production of postcards depicting åbäke visiting embassies of countries before actually going there, if you are a friend of theirs, expect mail from Canada, Slovenia, Germany or Albania next. Originally, the travelling were mainly about working, giving a talk or teaching. A natural bend towards killing two birds with the same stone has generated contextual projects such as the Happy Birthdays (a series of negotiations leading to coinciding travel with the celebration of one of åbäke's member's birthday), the Acquired Taste yellow T-shirt, depicting a Durian which was especially marketed toward the asian market after they heard a strange comment about Asian looking people NOT wearing yellow or the P(a)lates, three plates meant to be a present to the japanese showing instructions on how to articulate phonemes existing in English, French and Swedish but not in Japanese. An articulatory method will allow to exercise three times a day—depending on meal frequency.LOCALITY Located in East London, åbäke's studio is easily 'biked to' from their respective home. The area could be considered fairly rough (4) and is rapidly changing (5)(6) and even if too many Cappucino places can't be a good thing, they welcomed and worked for the Filmshop, their favourite rental DVD/Video Shop, only 2 minutes from the comfort of all the members' sofas as well as art galleries Hollybush Gardens and Ibidprojects. They also organise events such as picnics on listed yet derelict roundabout parks (Arnold Circus Picnic, summer 2005), Tango lessons or bring the 'most sensitive rock band of Sweden' in Shoreditch (ERIK BEYOND AND THE AVANT GARDE, December 2005) etc.EXHAUSTIVITY and REPRESENTATION One day, this document will reach the exhaustivity one sometimes wishes for, although it is unknown to whom this might be relevant to. The members of åbäke may also change their mind about having—or rather not having—a website. In the meantime you can give them a call or write an e-mail. If you really want to know more about their work, it is possible to google bits and pieces but you can also try to get hold of their parasite Magazine: I Am Still Alive which only exists in other people's publications. Back issues: #1 in Rebel Magazine 2, automne hiver 2001–2, insert poster p. 50 (Fr) #2 in Super, Welcome to Graphic Wonderland, Thomas Bruggisser and Michel Fries, 2003, ISBN 3-89955-005-6 (Ch) #3 in Communication What?, Ma Edizioni, pp 120–7, 2002 (I) #4 in IDEA 297, 2003 pp 99–114 (Jp) #5 in Sport and Street, April 2003 (I) #6 in Sugo 0, Ma Edizioni, pp 16–25, 2003 (I) #7 in idn:2003:three:volume 10:number 3: flight of fancy ii special insert (HK) #8 in Sugo 1, Ma Edizioni, pp 112–9, 2004 (I) #9 in A Magazine 1, Flanders Fashion Institute, 2004 ISBN 90-77745-01-7, pp 75–80 (B) #10 in Graphic Magazine 7, Bis, 2005 ISBN 90-6369-092-4, pp 149–56 (UK) #11 in IDEA 309, pp 31–8, Feburary 2005 (Jp) #12 in Lodown 45, March 2005 (D) #13 in Math 2, May 2005, www.posikids.org (UK)It is always easier for graphic designers to express themselves visually and åbäke is no exception. They accepted that this biography should be sent without any images (yet). They particularly value storytelling in one form or another and images seem to be too immediate for a wider vision of their work. So please feel free to imagine what is described above and ask for visuals for the ones you really want to see. That is until you meet them in a pub.LINKS (1) www.developme.org/dwl (2) www.sexymachinery.com (3) www.kitsune.fr (4) cf. Ella Gibbs and Amy Plant's Laburnum Pilot magazine, 2004 (5) cf. Apolonija Sustersic's Community Research Office book, 2005 (6) cf. Johanna Billing's Works book, 2003 (4), (5) and (6) locally designed by åbäke