Who's Who: Kai Bastard
Over the past decade Kai has helped brands and agencies create award-winning campaigns through engineering photographic, CGI and interactive elements seamlessly together. His work explores blending tradtional creative direction with digital space to create interactive and emotionally engaging experiences.
How you got into advertising in a sentence?
I developed my practice of deconstructing the traditional photographic image and blending its visual identity with other mediums, technologies and approaches from a Fine Art Photographic background. These seemed to naturally let me stumble, trip, and fall through the back door of advertising.
The most recent work you’ve worked on?
Working in collaboration with WCRS, we created a hard-hitting campaign for Woman’s Aid called If You Could See It, You’d Report It. Consisting of 3D printed letter stamps being pushed and embossed into areas of womens’ body to leave these impacting words imprinted onto the surface of the skin. These images reflect the sad and hidden world of verbal abuse.
The best piece of creative work around at the moment is?
The latest "Royal Opera House" campaign shot by Giles Revell for Atomic London are sublime. It’s visual poetry of the human form where art meets advertising.
The next big thing in advertising is going to be?
“Contextual Photography” – This is something close to my heart and I’m always looking at how to connect photography in a digital and more 360 approach. Contextual photography allows photography to physically change in appearance according to specific data points. These could be one or more of the following; location, temperature, colour, gender, time. Allowing the image to adapt to different situations.
The piece of advertising work you wish you had thought of is?
Young & Rubicam, Paris created a campaign for the International Fund for Animal Welfare (IFAW) depicting endangered animals being rebuilt by 3D printers. The images illustrate the irreplaceable and irreversible aspects of killing wildlife pieces. The accompanying test read "if only they were this easy to reproduce".
The internet/digital tool you couldn’t live without is?
The humble mobile phone, it the Swiss army knife of gadgets.
A word or phrase you overuse?
"Hey" – It can be used in a variety of situations.
Your last social media update said?
Announced the release of my latest collaborative project with Bill Turpin under "BASTARD . TURPIN" called "Rise". You can view the project release here: https://www.instagram.com/p/Bny_HV_l6Vi/?taken-by=kaibastard
Your dream collaboration is?
I would love to create a piece with Novalia, incorporating their technology into some photography.
A piece of criticism you’ve received was?
"Is your surname really BASTARD?” It certainly is, a blessing and a curse, but 100% legitimately born and proud to be a BASTARD. The origins of the name can be traced back to 1066, stemming from William the Conqueror who was also called "William the Bastard".
The last piece of music you listened to was?
“Ibibio Sound Machine” – Give me a Reason.
Instagram handle: @kaibastard
Website: https://www.bastard.london
