Image Culture Chameleons Feature, March 2015

1. Everyone knows that Paris is the place to be when you’re an artist,
you work in fashion, or you simply have a creative passion that needs
nurturing. But what’s it really like for the Irish who’ve made the leap?
AOIFE DREW meets eight expats who won’t be leaving anytime soon.
Photographs by KATIE DONNELLY.
P
aris is universally renowned as the
City of Light, a dazzling cultural
metropolis. It’s unquestionably a hub
for the world’s best art exhibitions,
museums and fashion shows, and the
city’s architecture, beauty and spirit have inspired
innumerable artists, writers and poets over the ages.
A lesser known fact, however, is that Paris is
home to a vibrant community of Irish people
rocking the city’s cultural centre. Quietly yet
confidently successful, they are an eclectic mix
hailing from the worlds of art, fashion and
music. They have taken their Irish heritage
and transcended it in spheres where there
are no cultural boundaries. We spoke with
eight such Irish creatives about their craft and
how the multicultural experience of Paris has
informed their work ...
CULTURE
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2. GODFREY DEENY
FASHION EDITOR AT LARGE, LE FIGARO
“
N
inety per cent of life is showing up,”
says Godfrey Deeny, Paris-based
fashion editor at large for one of the
biggest French national newspapers, Le Figaro.
He’s certainly risen to the challenge. Deeny
is an international fashion critic at the top of
his game, and you can spot him in the front
row of haute couture shows all over the world.
With the stroke of his pen, he can make or
break a collection and has even earned himself
slaps in the face from Miuccia Prada and
Diane von Furstenberg for what they deemed
to be unflattering reviews.
Notwithstanding causing a commotion with
fashion’s hoi polloi, Deeny’s CV is just a teeny
bit impressive. Armagh-born, he was educated
at Clongowes, Trinity College Dublin and
earned a master’s in politics and economics
in The New School in New York. He then
worked with the Associated Press in Rome and
later The Wall Street Journal in Milan, covering
serious topics like economics and finance,
when Women’s Wear Daily came knocking with
a job offer as a fashion critic in Paris. Why?
“I had a way of writing that was colourful,
and a lot of people could get what I was saying.
That helped.” Fluent in French and Italian, he
went on to edit Vogue Hommes in the 1990s
and built up an international reputation and
address book and took up his current post
in December 2012. He loves his job, saying
that during the international fashion weeks,
he finds himself “several times a day in the
presence of genius”. The networking isn’t bad
either: Giorgio Armani introduced Deeny
to Leonardo DiCaprio, and Karl Lagerfeld
acquainted him with Blake Lively.
Although it’s a world filled with glamour and
celebrity, Deeny feels that contrary to the
stereotypes, people in the business are anything
but superficial. “Fashion people are very well
informed. Fashion is aesthetically a comment
on our times.” And, despite the perception
that fashion is an incestuous world of insiders,
he says that it’s actually quite a meritocratic
system. “France is not chauvinistic. There
are a lot of non-French people making it
here. The very fact that Le Figaro can hire
a non-French person is remarkable.”
And how does one get ahead in the
business? Deeny advises people to have a
good cultural background, saying that people
who can “connect the dots” are always
in demand. Also, to have style with your
manner. “Karl Lagerfeld talks to the cleaner
the same way he talks to Anna Wintour.
Good manners cost you nothing.”
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3. CARLY
BLACKMAN
FILM DIRECTOR/PHOTOGRAPHER/
SINGER-SONGWRITER
C
arly Blackman, formerly the singer-
songwriter known as Carly Sings, is
a creative all-rounder, who excels
across a variety of artistic disciplines.
Originally from Wicklow and currently
based in Paris, she has a number of exciting
projects on the go.
“Recently, I’ve been working as a film
director and photographer, directing music
and fashion videos, and my first feature
film is being released in France in a few
months.” The film, entitled Ma Sacrée
Jeunesse, is a coming of age journey that
follows 24 hours in the life of a Parisian girl,
who is deliberating when an unexpected
visit from a former crush throws her
gloomy existence into doubt.
The film, which has the atmosphere of
cult teen movies and is an homage and
parody of French New Wave cinema,
was shortlisted for the prestigious Jean
Vigo prize for innovative cinema last year,
and will be released in French-speaking
countries, the UK and Ireland this year.
In addition, Carly recently started a new
electro pop project with a young French
DJ called Venture Paradise. They have
an EP coming out soon and are in the
studio mastering it with the record label of
Woodkid and The Shoes at the time of our
interview. Where does this creative talent
come from, and why France?
“I grew up with a mother who was crazy
about literature and a father who was
passionate about music. My mum specialised
in Samuel Beckett and, of course, his
entire writings and life are inspired by his
relationship to France and how ‘outsiders’
were treated in society. In fact, from what
I’ve seen, many of the main players of
20th century art and literature are, in fact,
Irish or of Irish heritage, who at some point
were living and lecturing in Paris.”
So has being Irish helped propel her
forward in her career in France? “I think
Irish people have a unique way of seeing
the world. Our education and the fact that
we are a small country, an island, means
that we are used to being outsiders, and
not afraid to venture afar or be ambitious,
like the many incredible artists, writers,
and activists that came before us.”
Carly has get-up-and-go in spades,
but it’s not all been smooth sailing. “At
the beginning, I struggled enormously.
But having no money and no friends in
a large unsympathetic city was the best
motivation for starting from scratch,
and creating a dream existence.”
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4. ENDA CLEARY
WHOLESALE DIRECTOR, CÉLINE
B
e honest. Who hasn’t, at some
point in their lives, lusted over
Céline’s to-die-for handbags,
usually draped over the arm of a
nonchalant supermodel?
Enda Cleary, living in Paris since
1998, is the company’s wholesale
director, and with his team, he
oversees the sales business of their
European, Russian and Middle Eastern
clients and franchisees.
Is it all absolutely fabulous working
in that kind of business? He says
that typical days vary considerably:
“For example, Brown Thomas Dublin
is a wholesale client of the Céline
womenswear collection. At this
moment, we are preparing for our Paris
fashion show and sales campaign. All
the international buyers (and press) will
descend on Paris to buy the summer
2015 collection. So we are working on
everything from show seating plans to
budgets to planned new store openings.”
Cleary thrives on this broad scope,
noting that “France, and in particular
Paris, is very multicultural. This,
plus the fact that I have to travel
extensively with my job, means a real
necessity of cultural understanding
when doing business from Stockholm
to Abu Dhabi. The fashion industry
already groups people from all over the
world, so it’s a constant exchange and
learning experience.”
There’s also plenty of room for
innovation. He mentions that he
particularly enjoys “the setting up
of new projects or collaborations in
interesting markets. At the moment,
I am working on a store opening in
a new contemporary art centre in
Beirut, a phenomenal place.”
Cleary cites the highlights of
his career as having worked for
inspiring designers such as Rei
Kawakubo, Martin Margiela or
Phoebe Philo, whom he describes
as “uncompromising, highly creative
people”. And, in fact, in this world,
being Irish is a definite plus.
“The French really like the Irish and
often will talk to you about a super
holiday in Ireland or a deep desire
to come visit. So in general, you are
already at an advantage from the
beginning! I firmly believe that we are
strong at problem solving and bringing
people together, which in any industry,
fashion included, is often necessary.”
Would he have any advice for
Irish fashion fans thinking of a
move to Paris? He mentions that
it’s “important to understand the
cultural differences – it sometimes
helps to get the job done” and adds
that perseverance is key. “The
French often give a non before
a oui, so keep your eye on the
ball and don’t get distracted!”
DENIS CONNOLLY AND ANNE CLEARY
FOUNDERS, CLEARY CONNOLLY
I
nternationally renowned artists with bilingual
teenage twin daughters, Anne Cleary and
Denis Connolly zip around Paris every morning
on their foot scooters accompanying the girls to
school – it’s at these moments they get their best
ideas. But beyond this daily dose of inspiration, they
have another secret behind their success: “The work
speaks to a lot of different cultures. It’s important
that the public enjoys it, that there’s something
they can bring to it, and they’re not being passive.”
Communication with the audience is key, and is
surely why their art speaks to so many. Their work
tourstheworld,andtheirCVlistsexhibitionsatvenues
such as the Centre Pompidou in Paris, the Barbican
in London, and the Yokohama Triennale in Japan.
The pair studied architecture at Bolton Street in
Dublin and moved to Paris in 1990. Back then, “in
Ireland, there was no work. And Paris was appealing.”
Although they started out as architects, it wasn’t long
before they realised they had a different calling. “We
kept doing some graphic work. We made video art
initially, then more short film and interactive work.”
They now have an art practice, which invites the
public into a participative loop. Their recent work
has culminated in the creation of the extraordinary
“Meta-Perceptual Helmets”, which explore the
physical way we perceive and view the world. The six
helmets“transformvisionindifferentways:proposing
tohumansthehyper-stereovisionofthehammerhead
shark; or the wide peripheral vision of the horse;
or the backward/forward vision of the chameleon.”
They credit the Irish Arts Council as being very
supportive, and especially the Irish Cultural Centre
in Paris, where they held an open studio earlier this
year. For them, crossing cultures has been a big plus.
“Irish people are prepared to take risks, and we don’t
expect so much. The attitude is if it doesn’t work out,
it doesn’t matter as long as you can feed your family.”
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5. JUDY AND CONOR LOVETT
FOUNDERS, GARE ST LAZARE PLAYERS IRELAND
“
I
enjoy living through a different culture
because it constantly asks you to
question your identity and your place, and
what your culture actually is, and how to marry
those. It keeps you on your toes. It’s humbling.
You have to relate to another culture all the
time, you don’t get too comfortable,” says
Judy Lovett.
Judy and her husband Conor are the
award-winning creators of Gare St Lazare
Players Ireland, and are constantly creating,
touring and producing theatre on an
international scale. They are an Irish theatre
company based in France with an impressive
repertoire of 17 Beckett titles, as well as a
solo adaptation of Moby Dick and new plays
by Michael Harding and Will Eno. They
have toured to over 60 theatres in Ireland
and over 100 more in over 80 cities in 25
countries. Last year alone, they brought their
work to Cork, Geneva, Ventura (California)
and Edinburgh, where Conor picked up The
Stage Award for Acting Excellence 2014.
Judy says, “touring is the signature of the
company, and has opened up the potential to
sponsors and patrons and a support network
we need to survive.” Ireland has been “hugely
supportive” to them, especially Culture Ireland,
and the Irish Cultural Centre in Paris, which the
couple describe as “a wonderful flagship for the
Irish arts scene here”. When the couple are not
touring, home is the town of Méricourt, not far
from Monet’s home of Giverny, north-west of
Paris. “We’re living in a Monet painting! We have
three kids and they are all going to school here,
and we feel very much part of the community.”
Would they recommend France as a base for
Irish artists? “Let your art lead you, but there is
a wonderful network of Irish artists and people
herewhoarehappy.Maybeit’sthetypeofperson
who comes here, but they engage with the local
culture and stay involved in the Irish network.”
MALACHI FARRELL
ARTIST
“
Y
ou’ve got to teach yourself,” says Malachi Farrell. This
autodidactic approach has been successful for the esteemed
Franco-Irish artist, who by blending science, art and technology
has taught himself how to “make anything out of anything”. But Farrell is
modest – he doesn’t just make “anything”. He travels the world with his
work and is very much in demand: when we met in his studio in Paris, he
was preparing for his live show, Collateral Fiction, at the Centre Pompidou,
which he has created with his musician brother Liam, aka Doctor L. It’s
an extraordinary installation that brings together recycled materials, new
objects, sound and light. The Pompidou terms it a “contemporary
fable”, a modern day tale that can teach the spectator
something or make them see things in a different way.
Another project that employs this idea of the
contemporary fable is called Surround, held in the children’s
gallery, also at the Pompidou, which will run until late
March. At this interactive exhibition-workshop, he creates
a sound and visual journey for children, with ocean drums,
recycled material and dancing tubes. Farrell describes it as a “circus
show where the kids control the objects and creativity – it’s all a game
for the children to understand a bit more about the environment”.
This focus on creativity runs in Farrell’s family. His father, Michael
Farrell, was one of the best-known Irish artists of his generation in
the late 1960s and ’70s. Disillusioned with Ireland and its politics,
Michael moved to France in 1971, when Malachi was a baby.
Even though he has spent most of his life in France, Malachi still has
an Irish passport. “My Irish heritage has been a very interesting identity
for me. In France, I’m exotic!” he laughs. He’s gone back and forth
between the two countries all his life, and even named his son Sligo.
Being based in France, he admits, isn’t a piece of cake. “As I’m not
a commercial artist, it’s difficult.” On the positive side, though, he notes
that in France, “since the economy broke down, they’ve realised that
art must be more social. Art must be a form of communication.”
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