feeder insider w/ Andrei Orcula [en]

feeder insider w: Andrei Orcula

 

[ro]

feeder insider w/ Andrei Orcula

Andrei Orcula is a good example for the inevitable and ceaseless change man is subjected to. Starting off with drawing and on with a handful of photographs, he joined the ranks of those who can freeze time in a frame only to be brought back to the world of pencils and crayons by spirituality.

His evolutionary journey carried him from gigantic advertising structures such as JWT, DDB or Grey closer to more specialized projects like those he did together with Les Ateliers Nomad or Moir Art. His spirit felt an immediate urge to merge with the light and so the mandalas were born as his primary passion – drawing – came back into the limelight.

We discuss life, overcoming challenges, human interactions, technology and all that lies outside of them. Together with Andrei we try to figure out why we do what we do and why we’re always trickling over the burning flame present in every one of us. Better not get ready to find out something, rather read to discover what it is you are looking for.

Keywords: personal development, visual arts, spirituality, consciousness

Hello, Andrei!

Shooting photos helped me… discover a reality, apparently unseen in the everyday life. It opened the door to a conscious conversation with the light.
I draw, therefore… I am.
Music is for me… a means of travelling beyond the mundane.
A place I like in Bucharest is… Gradina Icoanei.
I would never say no to… instinct.
Everyday… I give thanks for everything I was given, for everything that was taken away from me and everything I am left with.
When we talk about food, I count among my favourites… blueberries, avocado and carrots, onion and garlic, orache soup, banana bread, homemade sweets.
Innovation emerges from… authenticity.
3 plastic artists which inspire me… Constantin Brâncuși, Maurits Cornelis Escher, Salvador Dali.

feeder insider w/ Andrei Orcula

Alexandru Bogdan: Hello, Andrei, I am happy we met and I am excited that you’ve chosen to stick with us for a chat. Drawing on vinyl surfaces is just one of the creative activities you indulge in, photography also being among your preoccupations. The art director experience probably offers you an interesting insight on the creative industry in Romania. How are these activities intertwined?

Andrei Orcula: Warm regards Bogdan, thank you for having me here. Drawing is one of my favourite activities and the vinyl is one of many types of surfaces. We just happened to meet at Misbits, a place reserved for vinyl, where I showcased my art in context.

As everyone has his own perspective, I touched in my own way some main interests in my life after high school, like architecture, photography, advertising and spirituality that lead my back to drawing. I gave up architecture school after 3 years of study to get into the advertising business with a bunch of photographs coming from a small hobby.

Introducing Andrei Orcula

It took me 8 years to uncover enough of the advertising universe to discover the “chocolate” I was so much and devotedly enjoying since the beginning. The Advertising Industry in Romania is an incredible source of richness from the perspective of those who make it and at the same time, an even bigger scam than the church, speaking of it as an industry.

Getting back to activities in general, I see them as bridges linking different aspects of my existence. They are interconnected and support each other.

AB.: Each action generates insight. For example, tourism can help understand destinations and the habits of travellers. How about your pursuits, how and of what use are these to you?

AO.: Everything is like playing. With art it started as a kid, following the art classes of Constantin Kessler at Scoala de Muzica si Arte Plastice nr. 4 in Bucharest. There I ran into the wheel of colors and chromatic harmony for the first time, together with a vast palette of mediums ready to receive artistic expression such as paper, canvas, wood, glass and others, more ore less conventional techniques like drawing, painting, engraving, modelling and clay sculpture, pottery, etc

De la advertising la artă

Afterwards, for me, there came a break from the creative act. In high school I enjoyed sleeping. It was only when I entered Mincu that I started drawing all over again, from a different angle, 3D geometry being one of my greatest joys.

Among other discoveries were the importance of functionality, simplicity, using the essence as a base or the art in architecture.

This final joy had almost disapperead by the time I was in the 3rd year at the University when I decided to switch and enter the only industry which would hire me based on the few photos I had to show. I came across digital photography during university. I had no idea what I was doing, but the shots found their audience.

Later on, I became aware of the conversation I was having with the light.

All these pursuits enabled me to rediscover myself and contributed to my development. Everything is connected, each experience transforms you. For me it is important to do what I feel, when I feel it.

AB.: Tell us how one day in your life goes. How much time do you dedicate to your personal projects and how do you organize your program?

AO.: My life is a personal project. I set my interior expressiveness free in all of my activities. My schedule is very flexible. I enjoy being sufficient and necessary when I wake up at 7 am. Everything else comes in its own timing. I like to take things as they come. The more relaxed, the more efficient I become. Once my space is clean and clear I start working on other scheduled projects. Outside is where I’d rather be, in nature, daily. It is there where I feel at home.

Mandale pe vinyl

Mandale pe vinyl

AB.: Your mandalas cover one side of the vinyl, leaving room for tracks to play on the other. Is there a connection between illustration and song? Could you tell us a bit about the relationship you share with music and other settings where you find inspiration?

AO.:

Illustration is music. A sequence of dots, straights or curves, united through rhythms in order to create expressive unity.

I adore the creations which I can feel deep inside me, those which do not need explanations or labels. Music satisfies all these requests. I love listening to Mother Nature singing in all its ways, through birds, wind, rain or the fire cracking the burning wood. I love seeing, listening with the extended senses colors, shapes or compositionsEach has its own melody. Everything is music.

Inspiration and creative force strike me at any time I need them. The source is itself the first beat of the breath. Meditative space enhances the clarity of the perceived information. Creation occurs to me from the inside and will always reflect my state of being. About the mandalas, all I know is I start from the centre. I never have a pre-set plan, besides the intention.

Dot by dot, line by line, the drawing builds by itself.

Tehnica mandalei

AB.: What kind of tools you use when you draw? What items and techniques caught your attention?

AO.: I love to use what comes at hand. Anything that is leaving a trace is a good instrument. Anything that accepts manipulation is a good surface. For drawing, I favour the pen and the ink although now I mainly use Posca markers due to their reliability.

I love using only my hand while drawing because of the fewer number of filters between the source and the creation. There is an energy we pour into everything we do. The purer and clearer the entire channel of creative information is, the more expressive the final outcome becomes.

AB.: Moonlight breakfast and the End of the World Party are part of the achievements you had from the cooperation with Les Ateliers Nomad. Are there any other projects in the works?

AO.: Les Ateliers Nomad are part of the creative richness I spoke of in the beginning, who had the courage to do something different than they were told. I love working with them. Respect! Our works were all very spontaneous and I will happily accept futures commissions.

Les Ateliers Nomad

AB.: Technology moves faster than our capacity to follow it. Under these conditions, what do you think is best, focusing on one particular area or engaging in a variety of fields?

AO.: I always did what I wanted to do. I always made contact with what I felt pulled me in, while always indulging in pleasure. I didn’t notice straight away how one experience adds to another regardless of the domain. Versatility appears while exploring a multitude of spectrums.

The human body is advanced technology. The technology you refer to is to me more of a block, a limit set against the true expression of self.

The tablet I draw on and the software which interpret the information I send through a pen or a mouse according to a fixed set of rules, contributing in an artificial, mechanical and seemingly heartless way. However I am happy to get to Stockholm, Paris or London in under 3 hours and I enjoy the smart things which apparently make my life easier.

Mandala

AB.: Your photos are part of Moir Art. What kind of themes do you aim for, and what techniques do you use?

AO.: I mostly enjoy ambient photography, or mood photography. I like to capture the atmosphere in urban or nature shots. My plan with photography was unclear as well. I just walked around with the camera and shot whatever compelled me to do so. It was always a hobby. I am honored to be part of the Moir Art collection.

Orcula

AB.: Your name has a nice ring to it and feels filled with the unknown, which begs the question, what does it mean to you? Did you know they gave the same name to snails found in the Alps?

AO.: I too have an honest curiosity with regard to my name, but it’s not necessarily followed by more information than the above.

My first name, Andrei, means light in the skies, the last, Orcula, carries the weight of the earth’s element.

AB.: For almost 11 years feeder.ro sets connections between those sharing passion for electronic music, alternative sounds, unconventional outdoors and design. We introduced our readers with Aitch, Pisica Patrata, Kitra, Irlo, Bast, Ghica Popa. What do you think of our initiative and in what ways do you relate to our website?

AO.: Communication between artists and the audience is crucial to me, and Feeder.ro enables it, makes it natural, especially through the “Insider” section. Thank you.

It was a pleasure!

insider-signature-1

Photo VJ VLC

 

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