WALTER’s research for SS2024: DAWLEETOO

Walter Van Beirendonck speaking:

‘I love to research.

That’s how I always start.

Diving into memories, discoveries, history, art — new & old.

My collection books filled with drawings and collages

becoming visualizations of what is happening inside my brain.

Embracing fresh technologies has never been something I shied away from. But let me tell you: researching in the era of accelerated A.I. is trippy in many ways.

This time, I stumbled upon incredibly intriguing images of DAWLEETOO.

Was it a lost city? Or a fake place?

I am not ashamed to admit: when the first simulated visuals popped into my

feed, telling truth from fiction wasn’t easy. I wasn’t the only one tricked, surely!

WHAT WAS REAL AND WHAT WAS SURREAL?

In a way I found it shocking.

But I’m also curious.

FASCINATED!

Where are the machines taking us?

The world around us is transforming at breakneck speed

and it feels like we are being used as crash test dummies.

I CREATED AN ALIEN ALPHABET.

Thinking of new pictorial characters that could be used in this mixed reality that we are now occupying.

This collection plays with hard materials for cover.

Soft and vulnerable (one-)pieces underneath.

Voluminous versus close-to-the-bone.

Protection versus transparency.

Monochromatic / Bi-coloured. Red/White — Black/Yellow.

WARNING! PAY ATTENTION.

We are new world explorers and guinea pigs.

COSMIC OUTSIDERS UNITE.

Dream big but keep protecting our humanity.

WELCOME TO DAWLEETOO.’

XXX

WALTER

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