We interviewed Patrick J. Thomas, director of Art Lovers Unite!, presented in official selection at the 2022 Melbourne Documentary Film Festival, which we are covering as official media partner.
As proud Official media partner of the 2022 Melbourne Documentary Film Festival, we are offering you a series of interviews with the filmmakers in competition at this year’s MDFF, running in person on July 21-31 and online on July 1-31.
In Art Lovers Unite!, one follows activist/fashion designer Vivienne Westwood and artist Dacob as they embark on a journey through art and its history. Vivienne Westwood and Dacob drift through the hallways of the Gemaeldegalerie in Berlin, Germany, while they unlock the history and secrets behind masterpieces painted by Raphel, Caravaggio, Rembrandt, Velazquez, Titian and many more.
We were delighted to chat with director Patrick J. Thomas, about the making of Art Lovers Unite!.
“Not many have had the chance to watch one of the living legends of fashion talk about a huge passion of theirs in such an intimate setting.”
How did the project start? How did you get to collaborate with Vivienne Westwooda and Dacob?
Dacob and I have worked on projects in the past. Through Dacob’s work in the fashion industry, he had the chance to meet and get to know Vivienne Westwood and her team. He approached me with the idea to invite and film Vivienne at one of her favorite museums (Gemäldegalerie in Berlin, Germany) and this is how the idea of Art Lovers Unite! was born.
What was your quest when you started working on the film?
My goal was to capture and show the knowledge and respect Vivienne has for classic art. Not many have had the chance to watch one of the living legends of fashion talk about a huge passion of theirs in such an intimate setting.
On a personal note, how did Vivienne Westwood and Dacob inspire you?
Vivienne had an endless amount of energy during our shoot. She was able to film for many hours without ever wanting a short break. Her knowledge about art was deep and touched me on a personal and spiritual level. Dacob was amazing in balancing out the conversation and creating a calm and relaxing atmosphere for Vivienne, allowing her to completely open herself up to our cameras. After a private screening in London, her team informed us that we managed to capture Vivienne on camera like no one else before.
To your eyes, to what extent is fashion an art?
Fashion is not art but fashion can be inspired by art and it can also inspire art. Fashion can enshrine art elements within itself as a frame to a painting. It is a vessel while art is the essence. The essence can be contained within the vessel but the vessel can also often be empty and is unfortunately often empty.
How excited are you about the World Premiere at MDFF? What do you expect audiences to take away from the film?
Dacob and I are both very excited about our World Premiere at the Melbourne Documentary Film Festival. I was told that Melbourne is the cultural capital of Australia and we couldn’t be happier to have our world premiere in a city with such a rich cultural history. We also have never been to Australia and hope to be present at the world premiere.
