There is of course a great tradition of figurative artists making accessories for favorite performers.
Alphonse Mucha designed jewelry for Sarah Bernhardt! So when someone inspires me with their style like Ixa Psyborg does, I find it quite reasonable to create something completely unique for them. And the timing worked out great with this piece!
Ixa has so much new music & art right now!
Check out their new music video for “Codex” out on Youtube, Codex streaming on soundcloud, and a new LP, “Androidgyne”, dropping on August 31.
Plus gigs all over town! Ixa is one of the performers at an incredible show this Sept. 5 at queer clubhouse Monster Ronsons – “Psychedelicious” features the original music of Berlin drag performers!
I outdid myself with this headpiece I must say!
Like the one I made for GodXXX Noirphiles, It is based on a transparent blue acrylic mask. The “horns” are made of Angelina Fantasy Film, custom cast UV resin crystals and butterflies, mermaid pearls, Swarovski crystals, jelly crystals, microbeads, glass beads and UV drips and drops, which are cured on the fly in the sun.
It is fairly light, and robustly constructed, so it can be worn on stage, flung around, packed in a costume suitcase, etc.
I drilled holes through the mask at the earpieces and wired the “horns” of Angelina Film on to make it structurally sound.
It takes a long time to make one of these!
Curing the UV resin is a very slow process, and getting the two sides balanced compositionally is really hard!
After each dendritic cluster of drips is formed, I add pearls, crystals, and microbeads, secured with glue.
Then I go back and secure everything with resin. Then more drips, curled colored craft wire, more microbeads (these have to be attached with glue because the surface tension of the resin is too high to hold their light weight) and more pearls.
It’s very satisfying and meditative!
As I have said before, I also see these pieces as psychonaut companions, a safe place to put your consciousness if a situation or psychedelic experience is challenging. You can drift off into their infinite detail quite peacefully!
Here is the drawing I made of Ixa performing at twilight last year, with the colors that inspired the headpiece.
Ixa is on Insta, Youtube as Ixa Music, bandcamp, and Soundcloud. Check out this Berlin talent!!