In the mind of architect, photographer and entrepreneur Fokion Zissiadis Iceland is a work-in-progress, that is a country still being shaped by natural elements, with mountains and rocks sculpted by water, wind and fire.
Harsh, desolate and wild, Icelandic vistas have been fascinating Zissiadis for years, making him fall in love with landscapes that could be considered as the complete opposite of the ones from his native Greece.
Zissiadis took his passion to the next level on two trips he planned with his wife Mata and his son Leonidas in recent years: travelling through 10,000 kilometres, in both Summer and Winter, Zissiadis ended up taking 1,000 photographs that captured the natural beauty and spirit of Iceland.
The selected results of Zissiadis' trips have now been collected in a recently released volume entitled Iceland published by teNeues.
The images show lava fields, sharp ridges and rugged mountains; impetuous waterfalls and quiet rivers; rumbling waves crashing on dark sands; glaciers melting into lagoons; frozen landscapes, wild moors, and dramatic clouds formations.
The photographs have an abstract quality about them, emphasised by the fact that there is very little human presence in the images: farms look abandoned, churches deserted and there is an occasional lighthouse that may or may not be inhabited.
Human beings are indeed only occasionally captured by Zissiadis: they are usually standing in the distance almost to remind us how small and insignificant we are compared to the nature surrounding us.
Some of the landscapes portrayed look more alien than others, but all of them have a sublime dreamlike beauty about them.
The book – released in a limited edition of 149 signed and numbered copies – includes both coloured and black and white images and also features an interview with the author in which he talks about his practice and explains readers how he prepares for his adventures (Zissiadis has travelled extensively taking several photographic trips to Europe, Africa and Asia).
You may wonder what kind of inspirations fashionistas may be able to take from landscape images portraying the Strokkur Geyser in South Iceland blasting from the earth or the calm Fjallsarlon Glacier lagoon in Southeast Iceland.
But, apart from borrowing from these images a beautiful palette of deep greens, strong greys, earthy browns and titanium blues, if you stare at the textures of some of the natural elements portrayed in the pictures, you can easily imagine these landscapes recreated in soft velvets, delicate cottons or warm wools, and spot quite a few ideas especially for knitwear designs.
Immortal and sublime landscapes can indeed provide interesting inspirations: for example during London Fashion Week, designers Peter Pilotto and Christopher de Vos translated the shapes, formations and lines of icy wintry landscapes in tactile elements included in their A/W 2016 collection.
Dresses, coats and tops were decorated with patchworked lace and chenille embroidery, handworked appliqued details and shiny Lurex threads that formed abstract patterns derived from natural northern landscapes, while liquid skirts and dresses in intense shades of blues hinted at vast expanses of water.
The results weren't always consistent or incredibly majestic as glacial landscapes, but there was a coat with what looked like a mountain trail map for an exploration to a Nordic land that looked graphically interesting and that called to mind the map of Zissiadis' trip to Iceland included in the book.
The designs were matched with a collection of jewellery including earrings, cuffs and tiaras designed in collabration with Atelier Swarovski. Called "Arbol", the collection was inspired by frozen tree branches and featured colourful crystals replicating ripe fruits and berries miraculously hiding under the snow. So there's a lesson to be learnt here – never underestimate the power of landscape photography and of wearable topography.
Iceland by Fokion Zissiadis is out now on teNeues.
Image credits for this post:
Image 1 cover of Iceland by Fokion Zissiadis, published by teNeues
Photographs 2 to 11 in this post © 2015 Fokion Zissiadis. All rights reserved.
2. Hjörleifshöfði, Hjorleifshofdi Cape, South Iceland
3. Jökulsárlón, Jokulsarlon Beach, Southeast Iceland
4. Kirkjufell, Kirkjufell, West Iceland
5. Seljalandsfoss, Seljaland Waterfall, South Iceland
6. Sigöldufossar, Sigalda Waterfalls, South Iceland
7. Eldhraun, Eldhraun lava field, South Iceland
8. Seljalandsfoss, Seljaland Waterfall South Iceland
9. Reynisdrangar, Reynisdrangar, South Iceland
10. Kirkjufellsfoss, Kirkjufell Waterfall, West Iceland
11. Jökulsárlón, Jokulsarlon Glacier Lagoon, Southeast Iceland
Image 14 in this post is an elaboration of a Peter Pilotto A/W 2016 design combined with the map of Fokion Zissiadis's travels to Iceland. The map is taken from the volume Iceland by Fokion Zissiadis, published by teNeues, but the collage is a personal interpretation of the author of this post and the owner of this site. It is therefore not included in the book, but it is employed here to provide inspirations to readers.
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