Federica Belli The language of photography is still among the most contemporary ones, despite the growing diffusion of other digital arts. Which forms of photography do you find particularly exciting in our time?

Beatriz Lamarca I am particularly attracted by documentation, being able to capture glimpses of magic (I’m obsessed by prisms and rainbows, gradients of light & colors) in chaos or everyday-maybebanal-moments. I struggle with construction, over stylised imagery - that’s probably because I am an impatient person by default. I feel like never before, the way we produce and create content should be as conscious and as sustainable as possible... natural light and a good local story does the job for me. I am super inspired by the work put together by the guys at Atmos magazine, they are a big inspiration to me, both content & form.

F.B. As Artistic Director at Louis Vuitton, you have the role of imagining how photography might shape the identity of the brand. To do so, one really has to understand the values behind a company, almost like an actor impersonating a role. How do you ensure your fantasy aligns with the future of the brand?

B.L. Right, the values and the DNA of a brand become almost like a mantra... it’s a tricky exercise to try to give new shapes and create new stories with the same essence and authenticity. It’s hard to talk about the future when we are often working so hard to make things happen in the present. At the office, the closest to the future is actually tomorrow’s meeting or presentation - which somehow keeps me grounded and balanced considering I am an Aquarius, haha. It’s been only one year and a half since I moved to Paris to work for Louis Vuitton – the company is such a wonderful living organism, every single person is key to something, it’s not really the place for big egos or solo players. I feel my fantasies are fulfilled whenever there’s space for real collaboration with whoever believes in the purpose of a project - it happened to me recently to have had the best connection with a team that is not necessarily working as creatives - but yeah, I often joke about the fact some projects feel like “making love” and “giving birth” as a team. It doesn’t happen that often, but when it does, it charges my energies for a long time.

F.B. What are the most exciting ways in which artists and brands can grow alongside each other, according to your perspective?

B.L. To me, artistic collaborations are just like love bonds - don’t get me wrong, I am trying to find a simple analogy to explain that “drive” and “connection” you need to feel for one another, and as you may probably imagine, the most exciting ones aren’t necessarily the most fluid or easy - it can get toxic but you end up learning so much... I guess just like in any relationship, the key is simple: mutual respect and freedom. I love the idea of growing alongside and discovering young talents more than focusing on already established ones.

F.B. How does your personal research, brought forward under the name of Bibi Yamamoto, influence your vision as Art Director?

B.L. The truth is I am trying to amplify my existence by creating multiple personalities. Bibi Yamamoto was my first while living in Milan and traveling to Tokyo to escape Christmas with my family - but since Paris, I am becoming more and more the Beatriz in quest of her Brazilian roots, haha - joking aside, I feel it’s important to me to take a healthy distance from commercial work, to question my essence and myself. Other than being therapeutic, it helps me a lot actually, it gives me the right boost, the opportunity to experiment things and play the other side of creative (being photographer, director, assistant...). I love role playing, I guess.

Mar 15 Parallel Lines: Beatriz Lamarca

Mar 17 Happy St. Patrick's Day!

Mar 15 Triggered: Alexander Coggin

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