Trickster Magazine

Perfection – is it a path we’re meant to walk forever, or just a trick we play on ourselves? At Eden.exe, designers open up about perfectionism and the demands it places on their work and careers, revealing how the pursuit of flawlessness shapes – and distorts – creativity.

This Saturday, August 23rd at 19:00, Eden.exe takes over Viimsi Artium’s foyer and main hall with fashion and performance art. Guests from Estonia, Milan, and the Baltics will gather to see how far perfection can be pushed before paradise breaks. 

We’ll be there – and you should be too. Come watch modified cultures collide with mortified futures.

Question 1:

Liisa-Chrislin: "Both, but I'm not obsessed with perfectionism since we have now all the tools & technologies to produce technically perfect objects via machines. As humans we are flawed in many ways & somehow some imperfections can give art a more handmade-human feel which I appreciate."

Question 2:

Liisa-Chrislin: "Honestly I don't feel that kind of pressure or I just don't put my attention there. The only pressure I feel is to put out my art in an honest-to myself way & not start to produce things just to please the market/my tutors or anyone else. By that I don't mean to sound full of myself or selfish but I feel that as soon as I try to please someone else's vision or taste I'm not emotionally invested enough & the work loses a lot of its charm/quality. There are a lot of brilliant craftsmen who are great at producing anything by order but I learned that I'm not one of those people."

Question 1:

Mari: "In my opinion, perfection does not truly exist. It is a standard created by humans – an illusion of something flawless and absolute. Perfection appears unreachable, something you can dedicate all your time and energy to chasing, only to risk losing yourself in the process. It becomes a never-ending pursuit that often leads to the destruction of our nature.

For me, nature itself is the closest thing to perfection, but not because it is polished or symmetrical. It is not artificial. Its flaws, mistakes, and dirt are what make it unique and alive.

In our show, we walk this path toward 'perfection,' questioning and reshaping ideas into what we believe perfection might be. We constantly modify everything around us – and even within ourselves – in an endless attempt to improve, to change, to perfect. But it is never enough. There is always another detail to adjust, another element to refine.

But the perfect world was already given to us, exactly as it is… alive."

Question 2:

Mari: "I have never really paid attention to perfection, because I don’t even consider it an option. In fact, I would say the opposite: striving for perfection is the worst enemy of an artist. Within perfection, there is no honesty, no emotion – everything becomes polished and artificial.

What is truly demanded from me is efficiency and results: a concept that resonates, touches people, and makes a difference."

Question 1:

Karl Cristoph: "I think perfectionism is a crutch a voice in the back of your head that either pushes you past your limits or stops you from even trying. The closer I come to perfection in my art, the less I feel I have to offer. I’m drawn to the uncanny and the imperfect – the things that shouldn’t be where they ought to be. Yes, on the path toward perfection, things get made better in terms of productivity, efficiency, and durability, but in the end, I think perfect things often lack soul."

Question 2:

Karl Cristoph: "I declare myself as an artist working in fashion rather than a fashion designer. This inherently leads to confusion, since most of my local peers create garments to be worn and lived in, while I make pieces to be looked at and admired as objects. Lately, I’ve been questioning why I strive for perfect linings in works that will never be worn outside of art contexts, and therefore will never be noticed. I realised why – I feel more justified asking for higher rental fees when I know my pieces are made 'perfectly'.

People also tend to assume that my work should be easily transportable overseas, yet I can’t even fathom putting many of my pieces into a box –they’re far too fragile. It’s assumed that things I make can be handled casually, but that couldn’t be further from the truth. Most of my embroidered pieces can’t even be sat on, as they could release thousands of tiny glass shards when doing so."

Question 1:

Erik: "I’m sure the idea of perfectionism is different for every artist. I like to think of it as a lifelong path to pursue. I definitely don’t believe my works come out perfect – usually the opposite – but I enjoy the chase toward perfection. In that sense, the contrast between the perfect and the imperfect can create a beautiful balance within an artwork."

Question 2:

Erik: "In the art of jewellery making, I deeply respect the demand for perfectionism when it’s thoughtfully explained – especially in terms of craftsmanship and quality. That being said, I love when a piece emerges imperfectly perfect in relation to its core vision or idea."

Art Direction by MARI LEMET 
Photography by MIKK KEIS
Creative Production by JACQUELINE MAXINE JÜRGENS
Styling by VICTORIA TRUUVERT & CAMILLA SUNDVOR 
MUAH by EKATERINA SUZI 
Model LISANDRA METSALU
Hook, courtesy of CARMEN KREMM