Anna Pesonen Speaks About DISCOURSE

Aug 18, 2023

We hear from the multidisciplinary artist about her sculptural debut, carving a space for reflection, and her ultimate goal of combining fashion and sculpture.

Photography by Nicola Gnesi

Multidisciplinary creative Anna Pesonen is perhaps best known for her work as an image director and stylist for high fashion and lifestyle brands — such as Maison Margiela, Off-White™, Nike, Rimowa, and A-COLD-WALL*. Stepping into a new phase of her artistry, DISCOURSE marks her sculptural debut. A collection of limited-edition Carrera marble collectibles, each piece is handmade in Northwest Italy by Anna and local artisans.

An interactive and engaging collection, DISCOURSE prompts both self-reflection and dialogue with others. Touching on political issues, the misinformation of media channels, and a growing separation of humanity, the sculptures serve as a site of transformation. You enter in one state of believing and exit with a new understanding or way of thinking. Facilitating two types of discourse, with one's self and with another, the pieces include "Introspection Seat 001" and the Victorian-esque loveseat "Dialogue Seat 002".

Pesonen staged the work against marble at the top of the Apuan Alps, creating editorial images with model Ottawa Kwami that evoke this dialogue.

We had the opportunity to speak with Anna Pesonen about working with marble, communicating grand ideas through art, and her ultimate goal of combining fashion and sculpture.

For more information, visit here.

Now for the interview…

When did you start working on this project? Had you ever worked with marble before?I started to sculpt marble for the first time in Summer 2022 – my first sculpture was a 2 metre tall abstract totem. From there I started work on the CONTEMPLATION SEAT 001 and DIALOGUE SEAT 002.

What is it like to work in Carrara marble?Truthfully it's difficult but that makes it fascinating – it's a material and act that demands the sculptor's full focus and presence, physically and mentally. If you’re rushing or trying to force something, you’ll likely end up taking out too much material or doing something you didn't intend to… And with marble, unlike with clay for example, you can't go back and patch it up.

You’ll need to reach a state of flow and intention. You’ll develop a feel for when to apply pressure and to judge with your hands whether a surface is uneven rather than only using your eyes. The stone is all at once very hard and heavy but fragile material, which I find almost endearing in a way.

Every time I got to the studio and felt scared to work with the angle grinder, which happened fairly often, I’d have to psych myself up to be able to start working. This psychological aspect is a big part of the process for me – you’ll have to either get over the fear or learn to work alongside it.

The studios are noisy and very, very dusty. It's also worth noting the work is very physical, you’re working with your whole body all day. I discovered a small muscle on my palm I had never felt before!

How did the idea behind DISCOURSE come about? The works are reflecting on challenges our global community is facing – including the effects of intensification of divisive politics, misinformation media, growing separation, solastalgia and the uncertainties the rapid progress of AI evokes. Working with sculpture, I’m able to freely address and reflect on these open-ended questions and anxieties that I, and perhaps many others, have about our future.

Marble sculptures aren't often as interactive as yours. Why was this immersive nature of your project important to you?I’m currently interested in communicating my ideas through art works rather than purely design, which in my view should ideally improve or benefit our lives on a more pragmatic level. Art is free from that, however instead I’d like to contribute to the creative conversation with something that can benefit someone on a more profound, philosophical level.

Art is often seen as something that we shouldn't touch, something that should be admired from a distance, but I specifically wanted to dismantle that approach, and heighten the experience by creating pieces which are rich in metaphysical possibilities and juxtapose that meaning with a reduced, minimal form.

The interactive quality opens up the possibility for the viewer or subject to be prompted to feel, think, connect when they use these functional sculptures as sites for contemplation and connection, and I think that's incredibly powerful in our digital age.

How does it challenge the viewer?As the creator, I can only speculate this. But the series does challenge the viewer to awaken, to take it in a bit slower, to look closer and deeper. With a quick glance they can look like pieces of furniture without deeper metaphysical meaning – which they can also be. But if the viewer is open and willing to spend a few more minutes here, they’ll discover the deeper meaning and possibilities the functional sculptures offer.

That quality is important and fascinating to me – with our current attention span it's actually really nice to press the breaks to say and create something that requires a bit of effort and commitment from the viewer as well in terms of attention and time.

The sculptures resemble Victorian loveseats and conversation chairs, in a minimalistic, modern manner. What is this significance?I’ve been interested in furniture and spaces that are created and built for a specific purpose and act, as I’m also interested in the ritual related to them. As you noticed, The DIALOGUE SEAT 002 shape was informed by the form of the Victorian seat however for me it was important to focus on the challenges the global community faces (such as growing separation, existential anxiety caused by environmental changes and effects of misinformation media) and what I felt like could be suggestions on how to improve the conditions, or at least contribute to the global conversation with suggesting these softer values and something as simple as communication, unity and self awareness.

I’d love to hear about the video and images — how do they embody the sculptures and add another dimension to the project?Working as a stylist and image director, it's natural for me to think about the sculptures through that lens too – beyond the moment when sculpting is finished. Building a visual universe around the physical works adds the dimension that is integral for my storytelling.

The images and videos created for DISCOURSE were shot at the marble quarry in Italy, which is the origin of the material. The location posed some obvious challenges as it was situated on top of a mountain and we were shooting in the heart of winter.

I was in the role of creative director but also of a producer, and I sometimes can't believe it all came together exactly as envisioned as it was actually a bit of a miracle to even get the chairs up there. It was just a very guerilla, hands on approach. Shoutout to the incredible team.

I wanted the visuals to have a meditative, even hypnotic mood, almost as if we would be peeping into a private moment of the subject. The incredibly talented model, and a friend, Ottawa Kwami was the perfect person to embody that mindset.

A longer edit of the video is currently being edited, and I’ll be filming PART II soon in another incredible location, which will further tell the story of these pieces and my works going forward.

How does this mark a new chapter of your artistry?I’m completely in my element contributing to the wider discourse through art and design, and I am full of ideas and projects. I’m currently growing the team within my studio with skilled people so we can start branching out to a larger scale soon.

Will you continue to work in this medium or what is next for you?I’ll keep working with functional sculpture in marble but also in other materials. The interactive quality will be even more in focus with some future works, which will occupy space between interactive and performance art. Creating a visual universe to accompany the works is going to carry to the future as well — the films will be works in itself. And there's some works on a very large scale which blur the lines between sculpture and habitable space. Alongside the art practice I am working with fashion brands as consultant, image director and stylist. A new venture that I would love to take on at some point, which would perfectly combine the two worlds of fashion and sculpture, would be stage design and tour visuals for some of my music heroes. That would be so much fun.

Photography by Nicola Gnesi

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