Welcome to Curated. A new column featuring the art & artists of our time, guest edited by Tami Ramsay. I'm nothing short of totally blown away by the creative output from her first subjects, Nikki Nye and Amy Flurry of the paper-cut-project, and am certain you will be too...KRISTA
Evolution of talent is such a beautiful spectacle, albeit wrought with a myriad of growing pains and phoenix rising versions before landing at the right place at the right time. Timing helps for sure, but raw talent backed by sheer will and a completely unique spin, really seals the deal. This is especially evident in the case of Nikki Nye and Amy Flurry, the creative duo tour de force behind paper-cut-project.
Creating jaw-dropping art from paper is what these partners do, with unparalleled precision and vision. For those new to their handiwork, Nye, as lead designer, and her creative partner Flurry, create custom-made paper installations and sculptures that are fueled by a love of fashion and an appreciation for the grace and nuance of this humble material.
Build it and they will come has never been more true than in the case of Atlanta-based paper-cut project. Requests for custom, runway and private collections and installations have since come rolling in from the likes of Hermes, Cartier, Christie’s, The Victoria & Albert Museum, Jeffery, The Bay,Kate Spade, and Jen Kao. In their most recent project, Nye and Flurry created intricate wigs for mannequins as well as animal and nature scenes for REDValentino’s new flagship boutique on Corso Venezia in Milan. At once girly and fanciful, with a wink and nod to Victorian era aplomb, Nye and Flurry’s paper creations helped create a dreamy world of fairy tales for showcasing the Winter 2012/Spring 2013 fashion collection.
“This was certainly a "pinch me" moment,” Flurry said of she and Nye working with the creative team of a storied brand like REDValentino. “The inspiration that drove the fashion collection, characters frolicking in this dreamlike kingdom straddling reality and fantasy, was the same story they used to convey the direction for the wigs.” Getting from inspiration to final creation is quite a process though. “The pot of notions that needed to be stirred into one collection was quite full!” according to Nye. “The collection was meant to hearken a bit back to older Victorian-esque styles, though it had to be modern. There also needed to be a feminine aspect that was soft but also bold and adventurous.” As you can see from the images in this post, just a few of my favorites from the REDValentino project, Nye and Flurry nailed it. Be sure to check out the entire series here as well as images of the boutique installation here.
I love the finished product but nothing thrills me more than a glimpse of how inspiration and concept, that alchemy of creativity, becomes a work of art. Because clients often come to paper-cut-project with a concept that is not fully fleshed out, “one thing we do understand is that our clients are looking for our interpretation of their idea, which is determined, in part, by the material we work with and by our particular point of view,” Flurry said. “We both bring to this project backgrounds in fashion.” Always though, the creative process begins with Nye sketching. “We iron out a final design with the client and, once that is approved, I as the lead artist will figure out how it needs to be constructed, from the base to the outer, finishing details, and will work on designs and elements that Amy and I can then both work on,” Nye explained.
These images share an intimate look at how Nye and Flurry work, the delicate nature of the material they work with, and the beauty of that process as captured by photographer Rinne Allen. Also, be at the ready for limited edition prints of their paper creations, available through paper-cut-project, in the very near future.
And since the world is their oyster, what other creative jaunts would this dream team like to see on their radar? On Nye’s list would be an installation for the Barneys New York holiday windows. For Amy, “We've long talked of doing a jewelry line - casting the paper pieces in precious metal - as guest designers for an existing fashion house. These situations do exist, right?!”
No matter how they slice it, paper-cut-project does it right. Eat your heart out Edward Scissorhands.
IMAGE CREDITS | REDValentino paper wig and animalia images courtesy of paper-cut-project | paper-cut-project process images courtesy of photographer Rinne Allen