Ali

Although Alison Dean is pretty laid back on her down time, which is filled with reading, music, movies and her family, her education back ground tells a different story. Focusing on literature and photography, she received both a B.F.A in drawing and a B.A in English at the U of R and a M.A. at the University of Guelph. Aside from working at the Mackenzie and a trip to B.C this summer, she will be catching up on some classic Cary Grant and Hitchcock movies.

Considering your interests and background, let’s talk style in Arts and Literature. Which period of art history do you think has influenced style the most?

One that I see pop up a lot is Japanese printmaking. I see it quite a bit in North American and European work, but also a lot of design work is pretty heavily influenced by it. Today I see it in style with Ukiyo-e prints and the defined black lines and colors.

With your interest in portrait photography, were you ever interested in fashion photography?

Yes, I am a huge fashion magazine fanatic! I love the theatrical and rich colors, and even though fashion photography is not very realistic or practical, it still looks really beautiful. I think a lot of movies fit in with that too, like Audrey Hepburn movies or ones where Edith Head did the costume design. For example, when Grace Kelly comes in wearing a specific outfit and that is the whole movie right there.

You have mentioned many older fashion icons and movies stars. Is that something that inspires you?

Yes, I think my favorite styles come from the 40’s and 50’s. Personally I just like them, but I think they have a huge influence on today’s style. And they keep coming back into style over and over again. I have really been enjoying old Hitchcock and Audrey Hepburn movies lately as they are interesting little time capsules. I didn’t used to like old movies, but once I started watching them, I realized how everything refers to them. For example, in Sleepless in Seattle, they always refer to An Affair to Remember. Once you start understanding where it comes from, it all makes everything mean more.

Would you say that there is style in literature?

My biggest influences have come from authors like Jane Austin and Thomas Hardy. My bias is visual in a lot of ways, and that is why I like Thomas Hardy, because his writing was so visual. And Jane Austin has had a huge influence, and it hasn’t diminished at all. People are either influenced by it, or reacting to it, so it still has a really big place in contemporary culture.

Interview and photography by Carey Shaw for Prairie Dog