Pavel Postovoit
13th Annual Album Art Nominee
Nominated Piece: Adaam James Levin-Areddy –
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www.facebook.com/pavel.postovoit
Company name: Pavel Postovoit – Illustrator
Home Base: Jerusalem, Israel
Category Entered: Album Art
Describe your nominated work: The work is an illustrated album artwork for “Good Applied to People” by Adaam James Levin Areddy (AJLA). The image depicts a fantasy city landscape, drawing inspiration from various sources – One way to describe it would be a dystopian, steampunky Venice. It gives a feel that we believe resonates well with the music – a surface that says “everyhing’s okay” but underneath it a tension waiting to explode.
How did you get involved with this project?: I was approached by my high-school friend Adaam James, who’s an all round artist, musician and writer. He liked many of my illustrations (which he kept track of through Facebook). We had an instant artistic “click” and worked closely on the visual development of the whole project, talking through the concept and how to visually realize his musical/narrative vision.
What was the concept & process? Did you & the band collaborate?: We worked together a lot. Adaam James had a certain vision that I was quickly drawn into, and we tried to manifest it together, relying heavily on things that inspire us both. His songs talk a lot about the feeling of surveillance, more metaphorically than literally, but we liked the idea of making it into a real world that’s surrounded by floating cameras and huge screens. A lot of the songs in the album allude to that feeling that you only exist through screens today, and only through the eyes of others. Our memories and all of our experience are real only through mirror images. There’s no more private, and no more quality control. Just the oppression of abundance and overexposure (which, as Adaam’s song goes, is “taking up all of our nows, all of our thens”). But there’s also intimacy, and real people living their lives in this world. So there’s also a tender line to it, the sunsets are still gorgeous. We had many joint sketching sessions, and shared reference material all the time.
Was the design/image you created used in any other promotional materials for the artist? Please describe: We used the image itself and many of the elements I created for gig posters, Youtube covers and other web based promotional platforms. We are also working on an interactive project that draws it’s visual aspects from this artwork. We saw the cover as only the beginning of a world which we would like to develop further alongside the album. You can find a lot of that touted in his site adaamjames.com.
Describe what it was like working with the musical artist: Since I really loved the music, and also AJLA’s general vision, I had a lot of fun with this project. It’s easy to work on something that you totally stand behind. It’s like illustrating for one of your favorite bands.
What other independent music projects have you worked on?: I haven’t had much experience with other music projects – The only one I did was before I started my Visual Communication studies. But I would definitely love to do more of that.
Which musician’s would you like to work with next?: I would be thrilled to work with any musician that would consider my artistic style appropriate for their music. I like doing things “my way” – in terms of style and technique – and I had that freedom in this project, since the Adaam James approached me knowing approximately where it would go. On the other hand, I find it helpful and really fun to cooperate with an artist who has a general vision that we can develop together, as was also the case here.
What role will album art/photography play in a digital/streaming world?: I think the future is dynamic. The shift towards the digital world opened so many new possibilities – from Interactive comics and videos of pretty much anything. As a 3rd year student of Visual Communication, I witness these trends both in the industry and in the academic environment. For example, where I currently study, the Bezalel Academy of Arts and Design in Jerusalem, we have courses that revolve around such ideas as sound visualization, dynamic album covers and gig posters.
How have changes in the music industry affected your career & art?: As a student and an illustrator in the making, I am privileged to “ease in” into these changes. Versatility is key in this industry, and fortunately it was highly emphasized throughout my studies.
Why did you choose to submit to the 13th IMAs?: Actually, Adaam James decided to put in my work, thinking it’s a cool opportunity to see how my work will fare. I think he almost believed in it more than I did. And I’m amazed that it got that far. I’d like to also express my awe of the rest of the entries that got to this stage – The other competitors are super talented.
What photographers/graphic designers/artists inspire you?: At the moment, my favorite artists are all illustrators working in a sharp graphic style, that I constantly learn from: Tomer Hanuka – His amazing work really helped lay the guidelines for my personal style; Goni Montes – another illustrator that I just love; Sergi Brosa – A crazy, super talented young illustrator from Spain – They are at the top of my Pantheon – but the list is endless.
What’s your most memorable achievement to date?: I think that I’m still at the point where every new project is going to be that great achievement – I still have a long way ahead of me.
Finish this sentence: the music industry is…getting more and more visual. The constant branding “arms race” did not skip this part of our culture.
What do you have in the works for the upcoming year?: I am constantly working on projects, not all are as interesting as this one. I’m open for commissions as a freelance illustrator.
Where can fans find your work?: You can catch my work on the facebook page titled “Blackdog Illustration” – The page of the illustration studio that I share with my colleague Pierre Kleinhouse, as well as on my Behance page: www.behance.net/PavelPostovoit