Artist and set designer Marina Skye has designed sets for music videos, clothing stores, and restaurants as a creative director. In 2017, she started her own business, Set by Skye, and has created moods for 21 Savage, Big Boi, and T.I.’s Trap Music Museum.
Skye’s latest project, artwork for a custom-wrapped Polaris Slingshot three-wheeler, will be on display at this weekend’s Blank Canvas show at The Interlock, 1115 Howell Mill Road. The show will mix art and Slingshots on Friday from 7-10:30 p.m., Saturday from 6- 10 p.m., and Sunday from 1-5 p.m.
We caught up with Skye to talk about the Slingshot project, her artistic inspirations, and her grooving In the Mix playlist (Alex Vaughn, Doja Cat, Solange, N.E.R.D, Baby Keem), which you can listen to below.
How did the Polaris Slingshot gig come about and what is your inspiration for your artwork on it? Is this the first time you’ve put your art on an automobile?
The amazing Polaris Slingshot collaboration came about through a friend working with the Slingshot team and their agency. My inspiration for the mobile coloring book artwork was the city of Atlanta and the impact it’s had on me and my work since I moved here from Los Angeles over 10 years ago. It encompasses some of my favorite places, foods, and moments of my journey here. My entire business and company are based off experience and interaction, and because of that, I decided to create something that is interactive, like a coloring book – As a way to make community and collaboration a key component.
You’ve designed sets for music videos, stage shows, nightclubs, and as art director for the Trap Museum. How did you become interested in this part of the creative art world?
While attending Clark Atlanta University, I had the chance to meet so many creative people and, as someone who has always been a creative person, I found myself surrounded by musicians, artists, event producers fashion designers, and more. Everyone I was around was doing something within the creative industries. That’s what makes Atlanta such a beautiful city.
What spaces or places in Atlanta help you conjure up ideas as a “mood magician”?
I truly find inspiration all throughout the city. There’s always so much going on, inspiration could be found almost anywhere. However recently, the Atlanta BeltLine and the Atlanta Botanical Garden have been serving as major inspirational sources. The BeltLine has the ability to bring many cultures together and many types of art together all on one concrete trail. The botanical garden has always been a source of inspiration for me because you never see the same thing twice.
You have a big following on Instagram. How does social media inform your work and does it lead to creative inspiration?
Social media can often be considered a gift and a curse all in one. On one hand it can serve as a proponent of imposter syndrome. While on the other, a supreme source of inspiration. As an artist, I feel I easily internalize things, thus handling social media with the upmost care is key. But ultimately it greatly informs my work. With its powers, I’m able to quickly receive company feedback, push out new work, communicate with potential clients and watch my nieces experience a lemon for the first time all in the same tech ecosystem. It’s kind of magical. It’s also extremely inspiring to be able to see creative peers from around the world without having to make the trek.
You’re well known for working with musicians, what album or song is on repeat in your studio right now?
Ooooooh! This is a good one. I’ve been listening to “Mirage” by Alex Vaughn on repeat recently. It just feels timely. Her vocal composure is great and the song itself just feels like young love.
