The Accidental Fold: Saskia de Brauw, an artist turned model, and back again

Model and artist Saskia de Brauw releases her new book, The Accidental Fold. The self-published tome is a sensitive exploration of her archival artistic practice, filled with the natural and man made debris that she has collected on her travels
The life and times of a successful fashion model are so often depicted as a jet-set flurry of glamorous photo shoots, galas, and gowns, when in fact the reality is a lot more sobering. Long hours of waiting rooms, fittings, and international air travel find many girls glued to their iPhones, pulp fiction, and even their school textbooks, yet for 34-year-old Dutch supermodel Saskia de Brauw it is those in-between moments that have informed her first artist book, The Accidental Fold. De Brauw studied photography and textile design at the Gerrit Reitveld academy in Amsterdam, where she focused on photography, text, and performance-based work documenting urban and domestic spaces.
Launched at an intimate book signing at the Librarie Yvon Lambert in Paris last week (just as the S/S 2016 Haute Couture season drew to a close), de Brauw’s self-published tome is a sensitive exploration of her archival artistic practice, filled with the natural and man made debris that she has collected on her travels. Captured with the small handheld scanner that de Brauw has carried to the four corners of the globe, each item holds a totemic value in her evolving oeuvre - she calls them an ‘evidence of presence’ - referring to the delicate transience of one’s time on earth. Through her process of scanning and liberal use of negative space, those symbolic objects appear on her thin pages (and a handful of loose leaf inserts) as fragile relics; there is a ‘seven of spades’ playing card found in Cambodia, a rusty nail from Marfa, Texas, a broken sandal seen in Marrakech – all manner of humble, everyday objects cast aside by others only to be re-contextualised within de Brauw’s sensual memory map.
Designed in collaboration with Parisian art director Erik Haberfeld, The Accidental Fold is a poignant and personal art book, and a testament to de Brauw’s dedicated methodologies, with over six years of photographic and poetic observations recorded within its pages. As an object, the 500-print run edition lives up perfectly to its creator’s spontaneous and imperfect aesthetic, as elements such as French binding, a recycled cardboard slipcase, and a folded poster-size dust cover add to the unassuming natural beauty of its contents. Though The Accidental Fold opens with a quote from Georges Perec, this reporter could not help think of Michael Ondaatje when rifling through its pages. 'Trust me, this will take time but there is order here, very faint, very human. Meander if you want to get to town.'
Debrauw studied photography and textile design at the Gerrit Reitveld academy in Amsterdam, where she focused on photography, text, and performance-based work documenting urban and domestic spaces - all of which are evident in her book
It includes over six years of photographic and poetic observations recorded within its pages
Designed in collaboration with Parisian art director Erik Haberfeld, The Accidental Fold is a poignant and personal art book, and a testament to de Brauw’s dedicated methodologies
The book is a beautiful, archival tribute to everyday objects from her travels
Elements such as French binding, a recycled cardboard slipcase, and a folded poster-size dust cover add to the tome’s unassuming beauty
To accompany the scanned images of the objects, de Brauw has penned some musings and commentary, bleak and fragile in outlook
The Accidental Fold was launched at an intimate book signing at the Librarie Yvon Lambert in Paris last week - just as the S/S 2016 Haute Couture season drew to a close
De Brauw is pictured here as orignially featured in our September 2013 issue of Wallpaper*.
INFORMATION
For more information, visit Saskia de Brauw’s website
-
Last chance to see: Sharjah Biennial 15, ‘Thinking Historically in the Present’
Built on the vision of late curator Okwui Enwezor, the Sharjah Biennial 15: ‘Thinking Historically in the Present’ offers a critical reframing of postcolonial narratives through major new commissions
By Amah-Rose Abrams • Published
-
For London Gallery Weekend 2023, the mood is hardcore
With London Gallery Weekend 2023 almost upon us (2 – 4 June), here’s our list of must-see art exhibitions
By Harriet Lloyd-Smith • Published
-
Birkenstock celebrates its most memorable styles with colourful capsule (and matching socks)
Birkenstock marks the 40th, 50th and 60th anniversaries of the Gizeh, Arizona and Madrid sandals, respectively, with limited-edition versions
By Jack Moss • Published
-
The finest fashion books for style enthusiasts
The fashion books taking pride of place on the Wallpaper* style desk. From monographs and photographic tomes to limited-edition titles, we explore the latest releases
By Jack Moss • Last updated
-
Fendi and Kim Jones pay tribute to Bloomsbury Set in new book
The Fendi Set: From Bloomsbury to Borghese, published by Rizzoli and featuring ethereal imagery by photographer Nikolai von Bismarck, celebrates the dual history of the Roman fashion house and the mid-20th century British intellectual group
By Laura Hawkins • Last updated
-
Louis Vuitton celebrates its ateliers and artisans in chic new tome
Louis Vuitton Manufactures, published by Assouline, explores the French maison’s craftsmanship through specially commissioned photography
By Hannah Silver • Last updated
-
Tedy Eiley, the Paris-based brand inspired by mundane domesticity
Our Next Generation 2022 showcase shines a light on 22 outstanding graduates from around the globe, in seven creative fields. Here, we profile fashion graduate Brian Tusin, from Institut Français de la Mode, Paris
By Laura Hawkins • Last updated
-
Paul Smith on a few of his favourite things
Fashion designer and inveterate collector Paul Smith shares a few of his favourite things in a new book, and here with his friend and travelling companion Deyan Sudjic
By Deyan Sudjic • Last updated
-
Celebrating the fabric futurism of Stone Island
Rizzoli’s Stone Island: Storia explores the experimental history of the Italian outerwear brand
By Laura Hawkins • Last updated
-
Common scents: Aesop’s first book reveals the secrets behind its global success
A small hair salon from Melbourne has shaped the contemporary grooming industry – and the rest is hairstory
By Elly Parsons • Last updated
-
Strokes of genius: a new tome captures the illustrative ingenuity of Kenzo Takada
By Laura Hawkins • Last updated