Cool Collaboration: Parallel Exhibition

INTERVIEWED BY Michaela Stehr IMAGES Adam Mays

Graphic illustrator Si Maclennan and origami master Ross Symons are collaborating on an exciting new exhibition called Parallel, opening on Thursday 7 April 2016 at the Red Bull Studios in Cape Town. We caught up with them to get the lowdown on their work and how the collaboration came to be.

Something fun for the exhibition on Thursday with @simaclennan_studio. P A R A L L E L -> @rbstudioscpt -> 07.04.2016-> @the_thursdays #firstthursdays #whiteonriceorigami #collab #redbullstudios

A video posted by Ross Symons (@white_onrice) on Apr 3, 2016 at 11:05pm PDT

What inspired the collaboration between you two?

Si: We’ve known each other for ages – since working together in 2011 at a digital marketing agency. Ross was a developer and I was a designer. We decided to move on at about the same time, but spent a while out of contact doing our own thing. I was really surprised when I finally got back in touch with Ross and found out that he’d started folding paper full time. Surprised and really inspired. That’s actually what gave me the motivation to put together my first solo. When I saw him make such a brave move away from his day to day, I felt obligated to give graphic art a serious go.

Since then, we’ve stayed in close contact and talked loads about working together. I guess it was just a matter of finding the right formula. I feel like we’ve finally done that.

Ross: Si’s use of colour and clean lines has always looked amazing to me, so when I saw his exhibition last year I thought, “We have to do something together”.

Like Si mentioned, we’ve kept in touch since we worked together and having walked a similar day job path in digital marketing. We both understand what looks good and how to get something out to the world. We did a small Instagram collab in 2015 where I sent him an origami polar bear and he added some geometric radness to it which came out so nicely. Since then it’s just been a process of waiting for the right time to get a full-on collaboration together.

Why the name Parallel?

Si: It’s kind of ironic. The nature of origami is such that every fold is somewhat organic, and no two lines – even those that run along the same axis – lie perfectly parallel to each other. My 2D artwork for this exhibition is literally only made of circles, so there’s really nothing in this show that subscribes to the concept of two straight lines that never meet.

The show is also about our journeys as artists. They’ve pretty much run parallel until now. This represents the convergence of two parallel lines, a mathematical impossibility of sorts.

What is the concept behind the exhibition?

Ross: It’s a realisation of a desire to create something fresh and exciting by combining two relatively new art forms – digital illustration and origami. Origami has been around for years but only recently become recognised as a legitimate form of art.

Si: Yes! The concept relates to experimentation and reaching for a deeper understanding of the two disciplines. We’re trying to understand how origami and graphic art intersect, and second to that, we’re trying to make people think of geometry and three dimensional space in a different way, drawing connections between 2D and 3D space.

It’s also educational in a way. We’ve spent ages trying to find a show layout that adequately explains the process behind the artwork. Hopefully some of that comes across in the final experience.

What do you each bring to the collaboration?

Si: Well that’s fairly simple – I’m a 2D artist, and ross is a 3D artist. I make graphic art and illustration and Ross makes sculpture. We’ve conceptualised a method that allows us to combine these disciplines, but our influence on the collaboration is pretty black and white in that respect.

Ross: I’m obsessed with folding paper, collaborating with other creatives and sharing ideas. This started with me reaching out to other Instagram artists and creators to do collaborative single post pieces on social media. I worked out quickly that I was just as obsessed with Instagram and chatting to people I followed and who followed me. As a result of me spending my life on Instagram I built up a large following and I can now use this as a great inspiration and connection channel.

Si’s ability to get stuff done in a very professional manner is inspiring. His attention to detail (which is something I overlook) and relationships with many other local creatives has made this project possible. He won’t let anything out with his name on it unless it’s perfect and he’s been like that since I worked with him back in the day.

How long has this been in the pipeline?

Si: This particular show has been on the cards since November last year. But we’ve been chatting about doing something in this vein for ages. Practically, the production of Parallel has taken almost 4 months since inception.

How do you see the connection between your work?

Ross: Origami is geometric up to a point, and then becomes sculpture. Si’s illustrations are very geometric too, so the basic connection lies in this similarity.

Si: We share a lot of opinions on creativity and work. I think we’re both into similar styles of music, and share an appreciation for certain aesthetics, which makes working together easy too.

Describe your work in three words.

Si: With obvious references to colour and style aside, I’d say methodical, meditative, and experimental.

Ross: Experimental, animated, organic.