In Memory of Jérôme Andrieux

Although it has been one year since we lost Jérôme Andrieux, our beloved friend and colleague, his tragically early passing is still difficult to comprehend. Jérôme was a valued member of the Brick team. Not only was he a dedicated Key Account Manager, but he was a creative mind and entertainer who always brightened our mood with his sarcastic, dry humor. To honor the anniversary of his passing and pay tribute to Jérôme, we summarize the contributions he made to the creative scene through this month’s Art of Brick article. 

 

 

Jérôme was from Lyon, France, who initially came to Budapest for a short visit. He fell in love with the city so much that he settled here permanently in 2007. His name is well-known in the underground artistic circles of Budapest: he had established himself as the curator of the alternative gallery called Reaktor as well as a freelance graphic designer, photographer, DJ, and event planner. Whatever the medium of expression, he leveraged the manifold experiences he had gained as a visual communication professional to create new projects that are unusual, interlacing Eastern-European cultural elements with his own influences.  

 

Jérôme, the street photographer

As a street photographer, Jérôme witnessed the peculiar dynamics of everyday life. His pared-down, predominantly black and white images present moments captured in seemingly peripheral areas. Patterns, geometric shapes, and architectural fragments are frequent subjects of his compositions, shown from a disrupted, unexpected view. 

 

 

The pop of vivid colors particularly lends his photographs a powerful aesthetic while introducing a sense of variety – a visual punch. Human presence is sporadic, albeit sometimes needed to complement the shapes, light and shadow play to result in an authentic view.

 

 

By scrolling through Jérôme’s Tumblr page, other features of his work can be picked out – the way he maintained his curiosity towards his surroundings, often by documenting raw reality in a tongue-in-cheek manner. 

Jérôme, the graphic designer

A versatile talent, Jérôme had also created cutting-edge graphic designs for a range of clients as a freelancer. He had received commissions from a photo agency, a theatre, an international collective of creatives, a clothing shop, a vintage bike shop, a magazine, and some household names in the local food and beverage industry, among others. Jérôme did more than preparing and delivering the visual identity, logo, key visuals, typography, or photoshoot of brands. During the rebranding process, Jérôme stayed true to the unique values or legacy of a brand while offering solutions to make them appealing to younger target groups who have an eye for the arts. 

 

Jérôme, the DJ 

The nightlife and club scene of Budapest is nothing short of vibrant, in which Jérôme was actively involved as a DJ and party organizer. He had founded La Cuisine, a minimal techno DJ crew, characterized by an always changing but recognizable style. In his mixes, he explored unusual tracks, often from the deep, dark, experimental side of techno, and fused those into a danceable set.

 

He played his set at the Sziget festival, one of the largest music and cultural festivals of Europe, but performed at smaller-scale, local festivals focusing more on the community-building aspect of contemporary art, such as the Bánkitó festival. With the collective Contra Mundum, the goal of which was to ‘shake things up in the Hungarian underground’, they hosted house and techno marathons, spanning 18 and 24 hours.

If music is too fast, you’re too slow.

Wrote Jérôme under his track Contra Mundum Around the Clock, which he performed at the 24-hour-long party. More sets of his are available through his Mixcloud profile, taking one on an audio journey packed with mysterious sounds. 

 

One year down, too many to go

Even though to a modest extent, this article bears testament to the manifold talent Jérôme was. His activities and interests were not confined; his passion and devotion to the creative scene are undeniable. We will long remember Jerome’s energy and the wonderful person he was. Those special memories and experiences we share with Jérôme help him live on even though he’s gone.