Bea & Ale – what reads like the resonant start of a poem, is actually the letters on the doorbell to Beatrice Clarke and Alessandro Rachellà’s colorful urban spot in the middle of Amsterdam’s Westerpark district.
Hailing from Australia and Italy respectively, the quirky couple settled in Amsterdam where they’re part of the city’s small yet growing zine scene. Bea, a self-proclaimed pattern enthusiast, specializes in fashion design and illustration while Ale works in the field of graphic communications. Together they’re part of ReKult, a cultural initiative dedicated to the world of zines and independent artistic projects through a multitude of workshops and events. One of their main aims is to promote the immediate and democratic publishing of ideas as well as explore the DIY culture’s insouciance.
As perfect hosts, they welcome us to the kitchen table with a full breakfast and freshly brewed Italian coffee, to discuss zines and their approach to handcrafts.
What exactly is a zine?
Bea: A zine is a variation of a magazine, but alternatively published. The basic concept is very democratic: You can bring your own ideas and thoughts to life quickly and release them out in the world. The process is quite simple too. People draft up their ideas and mostly photocopy them on paper. The motto is ‘quick, cheap and easy.’ It’s not about perfection – it’s about the power of the individual to express their opinion freely and fill the world with easily accessible culture. It’s a very direct and creative way to speak to someone. Zines are mostly displayed in independent bookshops, record stores and fairs where people sell or trade them. It’s a unifying platform for everyone.
How did you get into zines?
Ale: It was funny because I had never heard of zine culture before visiting Bea in Melbourne. I first came across it when I went to a shop called The Sticky Institute, where they also do workshops and festivals. It was love at first sight. This whole thing was completely new to me. There was nothing similar in Amsterdam at that time; all the publications were very commercial or high-brow. So when I returned, I spoke to a couple of my friends about making a zine. We started off with a workshop at Stranger Festival – a festival for short films. We had the idea of letting film-makers storyboard their ideas and publish them in the form of a zine. This was the first trial to see if people would like it. Bea had more experience in that area and helped us develop our approach further.
Why do you think this kind of art form became so popular?
Ale: First of all, it’s different to the consumerist character of magazines. Some people have niche interests, but they can hardly find like-minded people or references. A zine allows them to simply write about what interests them, discover a new way to share it and maybe meet others who are into the same kind of subject as well. It’s very authentic and uncontrived.
Plus, anybody can do it! Everyone who wants to make their voice heard. It’s a great and independent way of publishing something, a form of creative expression which is indeed very appealing.
Different countries have different interests, by the way – we’ve come across a lot of Japanese zines focusing on illustrations, for example. In other countries you see more political issues raised. People are the voice of their country and the zine culture reflects that in a way.
So, is it the ultimate form of DIY?
Ale: It’s a different way of DIY. You can go to supply stores and buy stickers, stamps or pre-packaged things that you have to put together yourself. They are called ‘art supplies’ but these pre-created packages are everything but art – they’re actually creativity killers. There’s nothing original about it. But if you give people pens, paper and a photocopy machine, they fall back into their childlike mindset where they just experiment and see what comes out. It’s beautiful to observe what happens when people discover their explorative side.
Bea: Zines often have no great monetary value – technically, they’re just a few photocopied pages stapled together. However, the content is what makes them priceless. People share extremely personal things in zines – they describe their hopes, heartbreaks, traumas and secrets. We love zines because people really bare their souls in them.
You live in Amsterdam Westerpark. What do you like about this neighborhood?
Ale: Being right next to the Jordaan and all its tiny streets. There's quite an urban renewal in the West. The Westerpark always has a market or festival going on and it's one of the most open green spaces in Amsterdam. Also, De Hallen and its new food court is really transforming the area around the Kinkerstraat. You can find us there more and more frequently.
DIY seems to be a big topic in your life. Your house is a mix of brands, handmade furniture, mixed patterns and a lot of plants.
Ale: Yes, Bea loves patterns and colors. They are everywhere. A lot of our stuff comes from the streets, actually. It’s amazing! This doesn’t happen in my hometown of Rome. Tuesday afternoons are good for thrifting here in Amsterdam. Of course, you need a sort of vision to imagine how you would place an item or combine it with others to make it spectacular. We found a lot at the IJ-Hallen flea market. Amsterdam has great places where you can hunt for rare and unique objects. But we also did the grown-up thing: We rented a van and drove all the way to Belgium in the hopes of finding beautiful antique French furniture. We were dreaming of an armoire! But it was an absolute washout. Guess what, we came back with a completely empty van.
Bea: The plants also come from the streets. We’re both originally from places where we were used to being outside a lot as children and so we are attached to greens and nature. I actually really like plant patterns and colors. I started making curtains with fabrics from Capsicum, a fabric shop in Amsterdam, and Vlisco. We’ve also got another piece of beautiful fabric from Marimekko which I turned into a curtain. I adopted it from my parents who had it since the 70s. You can definitely spot a lot more DIY all around the house. We also put up sketches and drawings on every wall. We tend to mix framed pictures with spontaneous drawings – like a temporary ever-growing exhibition.
What’s the concept of your decoration in general?
Ale: Our interior style is a mix of designer items, vintage finds and pieces salvaged from the streets. Lots of geometric patterns, natural wooden surfaces, artworks by friends and plenty of plants! We also love things that have a crafty quality to them; items that tell a story or spark curiosity. If we had to choose between a brand new mass-produced carpet or an old worn-out hand-woven rug, we'd choose the latter every time.
Any items that have particularly interesting stories?
Bea: I made our trippy red bedroom curtain out of vintage Marimekko fabric that my parents bought in London in 1972. Also, I often work with the iconic Amsterdam fabric store Capsicum, so several of our curtains are made out of their beautiful hand-dyed, hand-woven ikats.
Ale: We have installed a glass bulb vase on the wall opposite the kitchen which we use for different floral arrangements. We call it "the boob." This is our second one because Bea accidentally broke the first. We're slowly growing our little art collection. We have a watercolor painting of Dante's Inferno done by Joakim Drescher who worked with us at the Amsterdam Zine Jam. And we have a beautiful print from Jordi Huisman's Rear Window series – we met him during his show at Mini Galerie.
Among your carefully selected items, there’s a Eames EA 108 chair. How did you get it and what do you know about it?
Bea: We found it on Marktplaats (a Dutch online platform), second hand. It’s still in a beautiful condition and we are super happy to have such a cool classic in the house in such an outstanding color. It’s part of the VitraAluminium Group by Charles und Ray Eames. We fell in love with it because it’s in this very rare teal blue. It’s actually an office chair but we love the way it blends harmoniously with the rest of our interior. The chair gives a design edge to the space. Our colorful mix has fully embraced it.
Is there anything you like about Vitra in particular?
Bea: The mix of retro and modern that makes their furniture timeless. Like in our home! We'd also like to visit the Vitra Design Museum in Weil am Rhein one day.
How do you explain its popularity amongst your generation?
Ale: I think our generation is attracted to Vitra's understated style. The furniture is not overly dominant so it coordinates seamlessly with all sorts of objects and different styles. I think that’s what people are looking for nowadays, understatement.
Would you like to expand your Vitra collection? What pieces would you like to have next?
Bea: We just visited the Eames House in LA and they had an early prototype of the Lounge Chair & Ottoman inside, covered in beautiful fine leather. We'd never say no to this lounge chair!
Is there a particular design era you’re attracted to?
Bea: It's only in recent years that we've come to appreciate the modernist era. Nowadays, we especially love Danish design. In architecture we love the 30s and 40s. We also love Memphis designs – we're always walking around, spotting things and saying, that's very Memphis.
What’s next for you?
Bea: I’m really passionate about expanding my illustration work. I’m also diving back into textile design through various collaborations.
Ale: Besides my day job, I want to keep on making Amsterdam’s zine culture more popular, work with different crowds and organize more events. There is still so much to explore!
Follow Beatrice and Alessandro here:
Bea: http://honeyclarke.net
Ale: https://instagram.com/raschellathings/
ReKult: https://www.facebook.com/rekult.org
Interview: Felicitas Olschewski
Photos: Jordi Huisman
See more of this portrait on Freunde von Freunden.
http://www.vitra.com/en-gb/magazine/details/beatrice-clarke-and-alessandro-raschella
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