Where do you get inspiration for your works?

McNeil: A lot of what inspires us and excites us is the opportunity to work with talented people and to work on projects that are a challenge. To have the chance to work on things of all different disciplines whether it is fashion, painting, shoe design, or making a toy. The ideas of getting locked in and known for one thing and having to reapeat. It sounds like a dreadful situation to be in. Recently we got the opportunity to work on the new Duran Duran album with John Warwicker for Tomato. We have always been really inspired by the work they have done and having the chance to work with him has been super inspiring and exiting.

Berlin, 2003

I’ve looked at your activity archive “Faile 2004 Calendar”, and it was impressive that some images have a kind of lovely components like pink colour, small flowers, ribbons, stuffed toys but it also have gloomy face expression or destructive impression. What do you want to express through these works? Is there any message in them?

Miller: There has always been an attempt to embrace the idea of duality in our work. Love / Hate, Peace / War, Violence / Beauty. This has a distinct place in the world we live and can always be felt as a constant push and pull. That kind of duality has found its way into our work by juxtaposing certain visual, language and symbols which represent these ideas.

Faile Bast show at Neurotitan, Berlin, 2003

Could you tell me about the compilation book “Lavender” which has just released from Gestalten?

Miller: Actually we have made 4 books. Orange, Death, Boredom and Lavender. Orange and Death only exist as hand-built books with an edition of around 80 each. Boredom and Lavender have been published in limited edition as well as their hand-built counterpart. The books in a way serve as two functions for us. one is that they give us a chance to work with people that inspire us and second is they kind of act as a year book for us. We do a lot of traveling and along the way we meet a lot of talented people. the books kind of give us the opportunity to tie every one together under one theme and to see what happens. The themes are not what makes the book, it is the people in the books. The themes that we choose are often chosen quite randomly. In each book we try to mix it up a bit bringing together people from around the world and all different backgrounds from music, writing, fine art, street art, photography, to design. The books we do are one of the first projects that we started based on the idea of collaboration and bring together the talented people that around us.

Lavender Book show at Transplant Gallery, New York, 2004

Almost the half of 2004 has passed. What’s the biggest news for Faile so far?

Miller: It is always interesting at the beginning of each year we kinda think about what is to come. What we want to accomplish and what will come our way. 2004 has been a great year, we have been lucky enough to work with some great people and great companies and we certainly feel fortunate. I guess the highlights, have been working with Asics Onitsuka Tiger line, Duran Duran and John Warwicker from Tomato, Walrus Magazine in Toronto, a variety of great shows and releasing our fourth book Lavender.

But I think the biggest news of the year for Faile is that the whole team will finally be living in the same city (NYC) starting in October. No more long-distance late night work sessions. We will be starting a magazine set to release next Fall along with the fifth Faile Book and a whole lot more.

Tell me the concept of the cover design for this month of Shift?

Miller: It was a simple idea really, based-off a lenticular card that appears to change from one image to another as the card is shifted. The idea that with a shift in perspective you see something entirely new.

Faile painting exhibition at One Eye Space, Los Angeles, 2004

Is there any project your are planning to from now on?

Aiko: The biggest project which is already scheduled is still under operation in secret, so I can’t mention about it now. The other is a mask show at X-girl NYC from August 26th, where we show seven piece of Faile special wrestling mask created in collaboration with a fashion designer, NAM. Also, Faile web site will be renewed this fall. Cover design of Duran Duran’s new album will be released soon. In the next summer, Faile shoes (with toys) will be released from Onitsuka Tiger.

Please pass a message to Shift readers.

Miller: Whatever you believe in follow it towards its best possible notion, and truly appreciate every step of the way.