esquire singular suit exhibition
somerset house, london
july 31st to august 31st, 2009


1.5 metre long light tubes project out of a man's body
image courtesy of traffic

esquire magazine invited 18 fashion designers and tailors to collaborate with artists of their
choice to develop a one-off suit representing their skills and artistic vision for the
'esquire singular suit exhibition' at somerset house, london. italian designer, donatella versarce,
chose james clar, a light artist who practices art and design in dubai. the inspiration for the piece
was cinema's iconic gentleman spy - film characters such as james bond, the saint and thomas crowne
have continually dodging bullets and dangerous situations, all while dressed in classic tailored suits.
the result is a piece that pushes film fantasy into visceral reality. an elegant man stands in a burst
of giant spikes of light which each measure approximately 1.5 metres long. the more than 3 metre tall
sculpture is a re-interpretation of a still frame in a film at the moment just before an explosion.

other collaborations in the show include aquascultum and antony gormley, louis vuitton designer
paul helbers and christian schoefer and dolce & gabbana with ron arad.


the tubes create an explosion of light
image courtesy of traffic


the inspiration behind the piece was hollywood gentlemen spies
image courtesy of traffic