Editorial
Beauty and alienation
Celebrating the beauty of everyday objects: that essentially is our ambition at Serax. Working with Brussels-based duo “_aboutuntitled” therefore made perfect sense as “_aboutuntitled” elevates utilitarian objects that we all use on an everyday basis to the status of veritable gems. The result is a dozen surreal — but also quite funny — compositions with Serax’s top designs and a bunch of knick-knacks. An inspiring look at beauty far outside everyone’s comfort zone.
But first, let’s get to know the duo behind “_aboutuntitled”.
Jorre Janssens: “My name is Jorre, and I mainly work as a portrait photographer in both the fashion industry and other industries. My photos always have a bit of a rough edge. I prefer models and locations that deviate from the norm. I don’t like overly Photoshopped images. I want my images to be simple and pure, preferably making them with as few resources as possible. I find authenticity, being genuine, really important. I’m married to Justine, and we have two children.”
Justine Verplancke: “I’m Justine, and I work as a set dresser. I arrange the props on the sets for photo shoots of fashion and interior design brands. Every job is different. Sometimes, they ask me to create the entire atmosphere of the shoot; other times, I am responsible for the details in the images. My approach is very intuitive. If I had to describe my style, I would say it’s a combination of elegance with a rough edge.”
“_aboutuntitled” creates still lifes rather than fashion images. Your motto on Instagram is ‘capturing moments where good taste ends and pleasure starts. ‘That sounds like no holds barred to me.
Justine: (laughs) “We started noticing that we ventured much further into the unknown than our customers — which makes sense as their focus is always on the product they are selling. That’s why we started creating still lifes alongside our other jobs. At some point, we combined all these photos, and that was how “_aboutuntitled” was born. The title refers to the fact that these images did not have an actual purpose. As for our subtitle: we only really start to enjoy ourselves when we move beyond the boundary of recognisable beauty.”
Jorre: “We are driven by curiosity. We are not afraid of asking what would happen if we added a scouring pad to the composition.”
And that is precisely what you did for Serax.
Jorre: “That’s right. For Serax, we photographed still lifes, stripping objects of their functionality and creating an alienating context. You really have no idea what you’re looking at. Take the keyring in a cup from Serax’s Marni collection flanked by a scouring sponge. The way the light reflects on the texture of the aluminium sponge is really fascinating.”
Justine: “A keyring is a very banal object. But some people have keyrings with a photo of their loved ones. We found this paradoxical fact very poetic. We set out to create alienating images. Because people tend to look at these images much longer compared with images that meet their expectations.”
You took photos of the kind of things that people tend to edit out of their photos.
Jorre: “People instinctively tend to remove this mess in Photoshop. But we embrace the beauty of everyday objects. I recently did a shoot for Meryll Rogge (a young Belgian fashion designer who is making waves) in a rather banal house in Ninove that was for sale. When I showed the pictures to the owner, she became very emotional. Because someone finally saw its beauty”.
You combined this mess, as you call it, with Serax tableware by leading designers such as Vincent Van Duysen, Sergio Herman and Marie Michielssen.
Justine: “I intuitively made a selection based on colour and shape. In some cases, the designer’s backstory also played a role. This was the case for Kelly Wearstler, who is also known for taking risks. We liked the idea of working for Marni because it is a fashion brand first and foremost. Our idea was to take their tableware out of its flamboyant, Italian atmosphere.”
I also see a cake presented on a plate from our Ottolenghi collection being destroyed by a not-so-innocent hand.
Jorre: “We’d been playing with this idea for some time: to have a picture printed on a cake and then smear it. Ottolenghi’s colourful and funky design provided the perfect backdrop. We avoid creating an overly perfect image in everything we do. Instead, we like to highlight life’s imperfections.”
The beauty of imperfection is a concept that Serax also values greatly.
Justine: “Yes, this is a common thread in Serax’s narrative. This really appealed to us, and we found it very inspiring. For this job, we did not have to smooth out any creases or hide anything. We were given free rein to showcase real life, to depict things as they are.”
Jorre: “Serax gave us carte blanche, which is incredible. I was a bit worried about the reactions because we essentially did our own thing. Fortunately, they liked the result. This shoot was way out of everyone’s comfort zone, including ours.”
