REACTION
n o . 1 Fa l l 2 0 1 8
Mise en Abyme. Anaya Medina
The hall of mirrors; Layers upon layers of perceptions from a single position. This is what I believe to be the precise description of a reaction and develops a type of portraiture as infinite and unique as life itself. For what one sees in another, the latter cannot. We are simply a series of reflections or negative impressions of what does and does not exist. Each of our actions create a vibration, a reaction. This reaction receives a response and that response too receives a reaction and so on and so forth. This chain continues for miles, for days, and weaves deep into the layers of our psyche. We move through this hall of mirrors attempting to make sense of our many reflections whilst mirroring others, and wonder why others might not see this same way. This series of mirrors represents our many humanistic facets for being, our life experiences and exposures. These eventually develop into the reasons we respond to situations in certain manners, they determine our passions, and the reasons we rise each day. I have realized there is and always has been a gray space and I attempt to find the beauty in its inconsistency. Universally beginning to digest the concept that maybe, just maybe nobody’s mirrors are one way or the other, nobody is or has ever been right, nor wrong for that matter. Digesting the idea that each mirror refracts light into countless other mirrors far beyond our own personal comprehension, far beyond our perception from our singular position.
Buy the printed version to get this poem on hallographic paper email abyme.mag@gmail.com subject line: REACTION ORDER
Mise en Abyme no.1
CONTENT
MISE EN ABYME ANAYA MEDINA REVIEW-- Janelle Monae’s Dirty Computer Reaction to our current political regime MIKAELA ELSON MUSIC INTERVIEW -- The No. 44 A few words on their new album Reflexive//Repeater & performance reaction ANAYA MEDINA VISUAL ARTS -Deonte Williams’s Gender Fluid & Queer Photography Exposing the Radiant Human Form MELANIE SMITH DO YOURSELF Are you doing yourself? Exercise your creative bone. ANNIE JAYLIN POETRY--Hibernation ANAYA MEDINA ZINE FEATURE -- EMPTY CORNERS A Zine created through coping with the loss of a loved one in the arthouse fire that happened in San Francisco. NATALIE JAHABANI CONCEPTUALIZE -Furniture that makes your art A conversation with Guy Glikshtein (AKA JENGO) on using coding to make art. MELANIE SMITH & MARLENA MARTINEZ
EVENTS *Art in the Lobby Every Second Saturday (Pomona Art Walk) O’Donovans 101 E. 3rd St. Pomona CA *Sunday Sessions Every Last Sunday Music & Poetry O’Donovan’s 101 E. 3rd St. Pomona CA
Produced by Marlena Martinez
Reaction
Mise en Abyme
L aU y oTu t U De ABO Ss i g n
by Marlena Martinez
Mise en Abyme (mee-zan-nah-beem) is an art history term used to refer to a picture within a picture. We refer to it as the space between two mirrors infinitely reflecting into eachother. Path into Abyss. We are artists for artists. Writing and featuring works that perpetuate progression pasts norms of in-the-box thinking. Through the barrier breaking minds of artists we stand to publish creative ideas in order to provoke thought & contribute to influential action. WRITERS MELANIE SMITH : visual arts Hello Reader! My name is Melanie Smith. I am a student at the University of California Riverside majoring in Art History and Administrative studies with a concentration in Production Management or Marketing or something else. I love my community as well as global-interconnectedness. My aim is to help keep the arts alive and further develop as an individual. @8389950060w
A N N I E J AY : a d v i c e Hi, my name is Annie Jay, I am a musician, artist and writer from Upland California.In my own ongoing journey of battling blocks and energy drains I have picked up a couple tips on how to reconnect to myself and the creative spirit. Each issue I will be writing a column focusing on creative blocks and connecting to the self. @anniejaylin
A N AYA M E D I N A : p o e t r y & m u s i c Hello all and thanks for reading! I’m 21 years old, learning, growing and writing. My work comes directly from my experiences and explores the facets of my personal reality. I aim to share these experiences with others in hopes that they will receive this knowledge and gain insights into their own lives to create their path as I create mine. @anayerr
M I K A E L A E L S O N : rev i ew s Mikaela Elson is a student at UCR with a strong interest in afro-futurism. She has a weekly radio show on KUCR and sings in the neo-jazz band Mother Mosaic. Apart from singing in a band herself, she also hosts a jazz jam at Back to the Grind in Downtown Riverside and has her own blog. @mikplss
Prints done by Avocado Imprint Pomona, Ca
Fall 2018
Advice
Mise en Abyme
Fall 2018
ADVICE for your
CREATIVE BONE A n n i e
HI, i
J a y
am a musician artist and writer from upland , ca .
In my own ongoing journey of battling blocks and energy drains I have picked up a couple tips on how to reconnect to myself and the creative spirit. Each issue I will be writing a column focusing on creative blocks and connecting to the self.
In this issue’s exercise I will guide you through a
our inner wisdom so that grounding can happen.
technique used to focus attention on the side of
When we feel grounded and aware of our needs we
the brain which we do not typically use as much.
can start to find ways to meet them. Often times
By switching back and forth between writing with
as artists we can accept or take on stereotypes
our dominant hand to writing with our non-domi-
that do not serve us. For example some people
nant hand we access the “inner child” or subcon-
even pride themselves on being “tortured souls”
scious mind. The term “inner child” can be defined
or “starving artists” as if this martyrdom somehow
as a person’s original, authentic self that can be
makes their art more meaningful. Although many
wounded, hidden and suppressed as a person
beautiful things can come from pain, it is not
journeys into adulthood. This part of our con-
necessarily the pain itself that is what makes it so,
sciousness is linked to the non-dominant hand.
but the growth, reflection, and understanding that has happened because of it.
Our dominant hand, and the side of the brain it is governed by, has learned how we “should” feel,
When we heal ourselves we better the world
act, behave and perform. By using our passive
around us. When we can understand our blocks,
hand we connect to a more honest and less
wounds, and needs we can understand ourselves
judgmental way of thinking and the freedom and
better. With this understanding we can see the
creativity of youth before societal conditioning.
world with a more compassionate lens. When we
Using the non-dominant side of our brain to
commit to opening up to our true selves we allow
answer questions can give insight to the ways we
connection to all that is to unfold through our lives
can heal ourselves emotionally and connect to
and our art.
Reaction
Mise en Abyme
Draw yo u r s e l f
F
IND a drawing or writing surface without lines. Using your non-dominant hand draw a picture of your inner child, true self, or what you imagine your inner wisdom would look like. When you have finished reflect on this and imagine this “person” as vividly as you can as you move onto the question portion of this exercise on the next page.
To submit a topic about creativity you’d like to Fall 2018 know about send an email with the title Annie J Abyme.mag@gmail.com
A sk yourself
U
SING your Dominant hand write out a question to yourself.Then put the pen in your non-dominant hand and respond as intuitively as possible. Here are a few examples of how to start: Hi, I want to know you so I can take better care of you; How do you feel? What do you need? What are you curious about? What do you miss? What can I do to take better care of you? What are you scared of? What is stopping you from feeling free? Feel free to ask any questions you wish or follow any paths that the conversation takes. You may be surprised what is revealed to you.
Submit your work to be featured in our newsletter// print// social media// art shows Abyme.mag@gmail.com
Email us for the link to our Online Gallery Abyme.mag@gmail.com
Nicole Anderson
"Literary Diet" 28.25" x 31.25" $400
Review
JANELLE MONAE’S DIRTY COMPUTER: REACTION TO OUR CURRENT POLITICAL REGIME
Nothing is certain anymore; not even death, not even taxes, in a contemporary society whose media and marketing schemes thrive off the self-conscious of the individual. In Janelle Monae’s new album Dirty Computer, she touches upon this very premise, particularly, that of our current political regime under, Donald. The media and popular culture frame the government or any established order as infallible, delivering a message as if they can do no wrong. We are taught this ideological view point that creates an idea of homogeny, “oneness,” under a monolithic umbrella. We are depicted as a diverse and well functioned society, but under what dominant perspective? Do we ever question what we see? Do we question who is running our computer, cell phone, bank, internet, and social media companies? Well, in Janelle Monae’s short film comprised of her latest album, Dirty Computer, she does exactly that. Challenging the dominant perspective and using her position of fame to help spread a powerful and much needed reminder towards the positionality of the rest of the world that aren’t white, rich, and heterosexual.
JANELLE MONAE PERFORMING IN LOS ANGELES, CA AT THE GREEK THEATER PERFORMING “SCREWED” THAT FEATURES ZOE KRAVITZ (in the song). photo by Mikaela Elson
Reaction
Mise en Abyme
Fall 2018
In Monae’s, Emotion Picture, she touches upon normalized concepts that further oppress marginalized members of society such as equality, equal pay for women, representation of queer and people of color, as well as hypersexualization. In an interview with Radio One-Baltimore, Janelle Monae goes into detail about her new album. The relevance behind this interview centers around the deeper meaning of a dirty computer that coincides with the current political regime and how it affects people that aren’t rich, white, and powerful. Although, the title of the video completely contradicts the message she is trying to deliver (Janelle Monae On Kanye’s Rant About Slavery: I Don’t F*ck With That [EXCLUSIVE VIDEO]), which is another important message to point out in relation to the power behind media and how just the title of something can change the whole meaning and purpose behind the proposed argument. Monae goes into further detail about queer possibility and how the political operations are unfortunate for people who are different, however, she highlights how she was born and raised in America, this is her country as much as anyone else’s. She argues to stand up for the self and what a person believes because she as well as others are not going anywhere and will freely express who they are.
“Everything is sex, except sex, which is power. Everything is sex, now ask yourself who’s screwing who.” “Let’s Get Screwed” Janelle Monae
Standing up against the political regime while using the power of media she upholds is a powerful statement by Janelle Monae. She is setting the bar for other women of color that are queer, therefore, creating an image for other black lesbians to follow. This is also associated with self-naming (coined by Barbara Hammer) creating representation for the other that is not commonly portrayed in mass media. I would recommend this album to anyone who needs breath of fresh air. Seeing her live was one of the most uplifting experiences of my life. Until next time, Mik “Riots start everywhere” on the back of Janelle Monae’s jacket. This is the end of “Don’t Judge Me,” from Dirty Computer. photo by Mikaela Elson
Conceptualize
Art & C C o n v e r s a t i o n
w i t h
Article Marlena M Article & Photo Me
Coding G u y
G l i k s h t e i n
artinez elanie Smith
In thought deeper than what is obvious and beyond tangible reach, organic desire to create a reactive invention ties together the inevitable bond of coding, art, culture and society. In our contemporary world, none of these things exist separately. Guy’s conceptualized inventions introduce us to a space where our environment reacts to us, rather than us reacting to our environment; Revealing how our relationship with environment created through sophisticated coding can change the way we make art.
Conceptualize
We arrive to Guy’s place around one or two pm and knock on his Mid-City apartment door. Though he’s just gotten back from starting his day at a nearby coffee shop he offers us coffee. We talk casually about composting while a small shot is brewed on his stove top. His house is decorated with an abundance of jungle-like plants, a pothos vine climbs across two walls--above his computer and over the sliding door to the balcony. It’s in that space where Melanie and I sit on a long comfy couch that faces his workspace. He sits at his desk, where on the screen it looks like he may be working on a layout design for a client. Above the computer screen is a TV screen and across the rest of his desk sits a turntable and laptop that is gently playing trap music. Guy begins to talk about one of his conceptual pieces, the music fades and the sounds of birds from outside become more audible. The conversation progresses and the possibilities of using coding to create art become the focal point of our conversation.
MARLENA M.Your whole
concept is based around the possibilities of coding right? Or in the technicalities of it at least?
GUY G.The possibilities of it
because look, fuck, everything is coding right now, everything. Really. A year and a half ago I was working on all of these more “technological” projects where I was thinking about computer reaction. I think that’s where my fascination with reaction is on a more specific level rather than, this very general like “yes, everything is a reaction” thing because if everything is a reaction, then a reaction is one of the most human things ever. So then the question is, how do we construct a reaction from a computer, because...if you’re a digital artist more like me [then] you know...My world is in this virtual world. [For] more organic artists, you still talk to a computer, so the way a computer reacts to you is crucial. So- yeah that’s a fascinating concept. So I thought of like your environment, your home,
Human Perspective
your studio, effects you and reacts to you. And then how you as an artist communicate with that and what’s the relationship there. So rather than you reacting to your environment, just as we always do as artists and as people, you’ll have your own environment reacting to you, by taking pictures and manipulating them and like kind of code and processing and all that, and then always updating a bank, like a portfolio of images that your environment, your furniture, took. My way of thinking about it is creating these furniture that capture the environment and react, and you know process the images that they take.
MELANIE S.So the furniture becomes the artists in a sense. GG. Yeah exactly. I wrote a piece of code that has certain variables that are open for interpretation, there is a strict system but open variables and these variables always change. Now, what I can do is change that randomness into an input from something else. And it’s kind of based on this previous
Object Perspective
project, which I can go into to; it’s more focusing on facebook and making music out of your facebook feed but that’s a different thing. The point is that there is a system that is ready for an input, and it’s ready to translate it into visuals. So It says I’m going to take X and translate it into whatever particles this is, and I’m going to take Y and translate it into the number of particles and, I’m going to take Z and translate it into the shape that it’s doing with the particles and then B I’m going to translate it into the background. And then, the point is that, then your desk could take a picture of something. It’s a filter that translates, and again if I knew more code then you could create way, way, way, cooler stuff. This was, again, I was like, “That’s not really,really cool on its own, that’s not really, really cool on it’s own,” but all of them together is what I’m trying to get into this thing, where… It’s kind of like finding a different outline of certain images and then… it almost looks like a doodle. But again, it’s all automatic, it’s all from these other photos, all from these patterns, and then I ended up using these patterns that I really loved for another project. I just needed a weird pattern. [The project] was all about this new--it was a TV show. It was about all of this like new kind of like wave of thoughts and schools, and you know digital world and blah blah, so you know, I mean, that fit perfectly, and these patterns were all…
MS. A template. GG. Right, and that’s exactly the
point. Like I don’t need to create these patterns anymore, I’ve just got this environment that just does it for me, it’s like collaborators! It’s you kind of like using the computer as an assistant and what’s more of an assistant than a person! You know that was your assistant for years, so and like you know, c’mon, this has been the conversation in so many aspects for about one hundred fifty
Computer Perspective
Reaction
years, ya know, since machines really started replacing human beings in these like repetitive work. These things that are beyond the design, right? Cause this is why design became important, like, there was no more need for that one person to build a chair, right? So it’s not about the fucken, the woods, the craft person, the you know who built the chair, it’s about the designer who can design a system for the machine to build a chair. And it’s about knowing how to kind strategize the parts in an efficient way that the machine can understand, and then that’s it, that became the artist. The point is that my mind was blown when I started learning that this thing was possible. Started learning it, realized what I can do with it, and so had to think of something to do with it. Right? I was like, alright. How do I take this whole reaction thing? Because it is like this thing where I’m talking to the computer, and that’s why I’m so fascinated with coding because, again, we’re all fucking using coding. And I’m talking about the DMV, the IRS, your health system, like everything. Everything. I picked CHUCK a coding language developed here in California.It’s a coding language specifically for music. So you write a code and then you hit, ‘do your thing’, and it plays music. It’s about taking a code and having a system that reinterprets the code as sound. We’re used to having a code that’s showing a website or showing a software or showing you something...But when you play a code and you hit render and then it plays music, It’s BEYOND I did it. It’s like, What the hell is going on! You know? What’re the possiblities? So then I’m like if this is the reaction I’m getting from it, then what’s the next reaction in the chain right? I thought of social network. This idea of social networking is this very, very, very, abstract fundamental [way of looking at it], way more than music even, this idea of engaging and sharing, and being apart of a network.. That’s arguably the most important thing for a human to have. I created this system that was like reinterpreting posts, and reactions, cause reactions is a big part of facebook right, it’s not a ‘like’ anymore it’s a reaction, so combining the posts and reactions I kind of translated into a system of combining waves with modulations of the waves and then I kind of
Mise en Abyme
limited the kind of frequencies, and every reaction is harmonizing the initial post sound, with these kind of different chords.
MM. So you’re breaking down the sounds that each one of your clicks makes? GG. So for example there’s always an original post and then an initial reaction to a post, that’s how I kind of thought about the general idea of facebook right now. Like you post something and then there’s a reaction to it. This is the ping pong right? MS. How do you capture the reaction in order for it to… GG. Everything is captured. Everything is in code, like that’s the whole point. The whole point is that all this intricate system of human interaction, and building identity and building a character, and building your environment, and it’s like, It’s so important. And it’s so much online now, and it’s all through code. I’m breaking it down. Post and reaction. So I’m saying every post, you know there’s a status change, a photo post, when you like a page, all these things that you post, and then all the things that people react to, and then the original posts would be these one frequency waves, and then the reaction would be the modulation of those waves. And that’s how music works, there’s this initial clean sound, and then it’s about how you harmonize it, how you sequence it, what effects you put on it, does it have reverb, does it echo, is it distorted, is it high frequency, low frequency, all these things right? But that’s the whole thing. You start from this initial frequency and then you modulate it in a way. And then you put it all together, all these frequencies and modulations to create music. So, you see what I mean? For example a post would be boop, then a reaction to the post would be taaaa, like taking that note and making a major chord third. MS. That’s controlled by you? GG. No that’s controlled by the
system. So the system says, If you post a status change, play a sine wave at five thousand hertz frequencies, and then whenever somebody in your network reacts uh, “Ha Ha” reaction, it’s pitching down an octave. So it’s taking that initial note, this ‘oo’ and it’s (high pitch to low) ooOOOOOO, Does this thing where it’s going down an octave. Or
Fall 2018
if you ‘Loved’ it then it’s this very slow, major chord like a very happy, ‘aAAaAAaaaah.’ So what’s the point here? The point is it’s kind of manifested in this weird speaker, tiny speaker, that’s like...you’re supposed to put it in your ear and listen to this orchestra, so the speaker that’s connected with the system with your facebook and translates all these endless infinite amounts of posts and reactions that are going on to create your kind of social network diary as a musical piece. And it’s all about having all these different sounds. So for example, I don’t know, if you post a lot of funny stuff you’re gonna have more like, ‘ta ta ta ta,’ like changing pitches right? And if you post more… I, I-- I don’t know more heroic like uh, stuff about pets, I don’t know what, then you’re going to have more like super lovey dovey major chords. If you’re more of a political I don’t know what, then you’re gonna have more of like fast, aggressive, dissonance, the ones that are like angry, you know what I mean? Or sad. And it all plays through this speaker that you put up to your ear.
Guy studied graphic design at Cal Arts and was a graduate in the May class of 2017. There he delved deeper into thoughts of graphic design and how the changing world affects the way we communicate.
“...how a culture communicates beyond specific languages and beyond specific cultural symbols, it’s these things that are beyond [composition and appearance]. And that’s where a graphic designer is really starting from. It’s these things, how we interact.”
DEONTE LEE T r a n s c e n d i n g
s o c i a l
n o r m s
&
e x p o s i n g P h o t o
&
r a w
a r t i c l e
b y
h u m a n M e l a n i e
f o r m S m i t h
Deonte Lee is a 21-year old student and artist originally from Adelanto, California and currently studying Media and Cultural Studies at UC Riverside and interning for fashion and fine art companies in Los Angeles. His photography, namely portraits and candids of interesting figures, engages viewers with a taste for raw, colorful, and androgynous flavor. I seek to highlight Deonte to further understand his creative process and motivation as an artist because he is a captivating individual full of life and artistic ambitions. Just before I sat with the artist within the vibrant walls of Chinatown in Los Angeles, I asked to take his portrait for the article. What we expected to take no more than ten minutes went on for over an hour as we connected creatively in an effortless manner moving from wall to wall in the plaza. Once we were ready to talk, we sat on a red bench and began our conversation‌.
Photographyc
MELANIE S. What is your photo editing
process like?
DEONTE L. While editing I have found myself guilty of enhancing the image in such a way as to fulfill societies expectations but when I realize I am fucking up I stop. I restrain from retouching the figures in my work because I feel it is important not to play into what mainstream society views as a “good” or “beautiful” image. MS. How would you define beauty? DL. I feel like beauty is au natural. I view the
body as a canvas. Everyone is made differently. We are all different shapes and sizes and we are all art and we are all to be valued.
MS. How do you feel others, perhaps with more conservative preferences react to your work? DL. It’s been interesting seeing how people
respond. On Instagram, for example I get a lot of followers who enjoy the body. Others who are likely old friends from high school and aren’t into art, tend to unfollow me.
MS. How do you react to losing IG followers? DL. Not bad. If my work isn’t someone’s cup
of tea so to speak, then that is ok. Thankfully however, no one has ever left any negative comments. I’m really grateful for that but I’m equally ready for it when it comes.
MS. How do you connect with your subjects? DL. I gravitate towards individuals who have
the confidence to radiate their essence into the world. I sense creativity and once I approach them they can sense that (creativity) in me as well and it strengthens the entire process. For most of the nude shoots I have done it was their first time. This process is different because it takes gaining a deeper connection or trust with my subject. This starts with taking a whole bunch of bad images to begin with, then showing them one image out of them all that turned out great. This then makes them realize their beauty and gives them the confidence to exhibit it in front of the camera. The beginning is the preparation then it goes through the simmering and then it gets real good and juicy. Then I throw some spice on that bitch and fuck shit up. OR In the beginning it’s all about making them feel comfortable. I’ll take some real ugly ass pictures in the beginning just to like dive into the aspect of shooting. MS. Your images imbue fashion. What is your connection to fashion?
DL. I’ve always been interested in being a model. When I was younger I would watch marathons of America’s Next Top Model with my mom and thought to myself, “I want to be a beautiful person traveling the world and taking dope ass photos.” I know that sounds narcissistic and vain said out of context but it looked fun. Growing up I would take photos of my outfits, embracing my new found beauty. Before this time, I felt I was very ugly because I’m gay and I felt I didn’t have a nice body. No one was fucking with me for the fact that I’m gay and no one else was. So I lied to myself saying, “I am the unicorn amongst cows,” just to make myself feel better. While going through the process of being inspired by fashion models, there was a modeling competition being held at my local mall. I begged my parents to let me join. After they agreed, I remember having to memorize a script on the spot and I felt confident in myself knowing I had a gained knowledge from all of those ANTM episodes in my memory and had of course, practiced my cat-walk. I was the only competitor able to do both of these things effortlessly and I won the competition. Soon after I knew I had to learn everything I could about fashion and signed to an agency (unrelated to the competition). It’s been a part of my life since. MS. How would you describe your art? DL. I feel like I’m still deciding and defining my style and who I am as
an artist and why my art matters and why I feel the need to make art in the world and why it’s different. It’s a process I am going through. I’m going towards the route of finding my voice by trying out all things like color/styles and using my inspiration from artists like, Thomas Ruff and Robert Mapplethorpe.
MS. When did you realize you were an artist? How did you respond when you realized you were an artist? DL. It took a lot for me to actually realize I was an artist. I’ve always taken photographs on my phone but never valued them as anything other than nice photographs. When I was living in Brazil I started to photograph individual’s tattoos. I’d see them walking in the street and I’d ask in broken Portuguese, “Can I take a photo of your tattoo?” They always reacted with confused facial expressions at first but they would always say yes. Still I only valued this as documentation. My freshman year of college I had an internship in San Francisco and it was there that I felt myself drawn to people who expressed themselves creatively in the street. Like in Brazil, I’d ask to take their photograph with my Snapchat and I’d have them sign it. This experience allowed me to realize that I really liked fashion photography and so I began to consider myself a fashion photographer. Fast forward to the fall of 2015 when I was set to study abroad. I traveled to Spain, Ghana, South Africa, Vietnam, India, Japan, China and Burma but before my trip I had a decision to make. I had $1,000 to either buy a real camera or to simply spend on my trip. After some contemplation, I decided to buy my first camera (“Daud”) and set forth my ambitions of developing my art form and becoming a real artist. MS. How did traveling around the world shape your artistic perspec-
tive?
DL. I feel like traveling allowed me to discover aspects of myself that I would have never discovered otherwise. [By] Escaping the desert scene I came from and doing things on my own in other countries and meeting people who were creative like myself, I realized that I could really live a life being myself.
Reaction
Mise en Abyme
Buy printed version for photo insert
email abyme.mag@gmail.com subject line: REACTION ORDER
Fall 2018
Mise en Abyme
Photography
Fall 2018
(Looking at his works)
DL. One thing I’m finding about my work is the desire to include symbols within it. Right now I don’t really feel like I create works in a conceptual way. My photography professor, photographer Amir Zaki, says, “A beautiful image is just a beautiful image. If you are taking a photograph of a beautiful person or environment what are you really doing as a photographer?” Hearing this, I thought to myself “Damn, that’s deep.” So I am now experimenting/working towards unveiling the inner personalities of my subject as portrait photographer such as the style of photographer, Richard Avedon. I want it to linger on your tongue. MS. Your work holds a balance of bold masculine and feminine attributes. Such as men embracing what is traditionally women’s fashion and poses. Can you talk about this further? DL. I feel like photographers, and artists, often times like to incorporate themselves into their work. In other words, their work whatever the subject matter may be, is a self portrait. I definitely have the duality of masculinity and femininity and I do enjoy to see that in my work. MS. Is there any deeper message within your work in regards to past or present society and politics? DL. I am not consciously trying to create a meaning in my work. I see the world in a certain way that moves me to create and capture these images. I do however think that I am trying to empower my subjects with bold poses, certain angles, and a wild sexy and free vibe. Our conversation ended as a chilly breeze swept through from the alleyway. We continued our night enjoying the sweet experimental sounds at Backbeat LA. Learning about Deonte’s background I came to understand his work in a new light. Being someone who stood out in his hometown to exploring new cultures independently, and meeting other individuals who are just as charismatic, open minded, and creative Deonte was able to bloom into an artist. In his work I see him placing individuals who like him, are the non-conformist or simply the creative type onto a pedestal. Through this process Deonte is able to express his deep inner self and present the beauty that exists within himself and these figures in a colorful, sometimes otherworldly, and boundless style.
For more of Deonte’s work visit nuveauriche.format.com Instagram @eclectic.nomad
Review
REFLEXIVE // REPEATER I n t e r v i e w
w i t h
T h e
N o . 4 4
b y
A n a y a
M e d i n a
No. 44 is a band that consists of four members: Dustin Fernandez (bassist/backing vocals), Evan Lomnitzer (guitarist/backing vocals), Dan Gee (lead vocalist/guitarist/keyboardist), and Evan Achen (drums/artwork) who have a collective passion and natural harmonization which is used as their driving force and inspiration for playing music. They are currently working on their first full length album called Reflexive // Repeater and plan to release it by the end of this year. The album is, “a concept album with two sides,” each side containing 8 songs for a total of 16 songs. Having only released a small four song EP titled, Venus Eye Trap, in 2017; According to the group, some great change and growth can be expected compared to the band’s first EP, Venus Eye Trap. The band feels that although a lot has changed, the core of who they are is still prominent. Although its members come from multiple areas, the band is mainly situated in Pomona, California and they can most likely be found recording in Upland, California, where I had the pleasure of interviewing them.
Anaya M: How would you classify your style?
Dan G. Psychedelic would be the closest word for it. I don’t really like to do that though, I like to just say rock-n-roll. Evan A. Yeah, nobody likes to corner themselves in a genre, but you could definitely say we play rock music with psych influences. DG.There’s pop hooks in there too, I’m
a sucker for a melody.
AM. In regards to the theme of the zine, Reaction, what are some components to your art that you feel fuel the vibe or reaction within your audience the most? DG. For live shows, I think the first thing that gets people is the energy. So we try to have an energy on stage that is palpable. It’s pretty easy to pick up on it; we aren’t subtle about it.
DUSTIN F. One key component
is to be as weird as possible. Like writing unconventional bass lines because then, there are moments that have the listener’s attention. It allows me to be as expressive as I can through dancing, making odd faces when singing, or smiling with anyone on stage or in the audience.
EA. I find other music much more enjoyable to watch live when I feel that there’s good energy from the band on stage. I think that we all feel that’s an important component. That it’s not boring to watch, regardless of the music. DG. The part that I would hope people react to is well written songs and actually liking the music [laughs]. And with the production or, quote on quote production, we put a lot of thought into entrances, like whose part comes in when and how they interact with other things in
the performance. So yeah, just the whole production of the song and the songs themselves.
AM. Since creation could be explained as a series of reactions, for example you react to this thing in your outside environment which provokes you to create, which part of the creative process makes you react the most? DG. Hmm. Hearing it back I guess. Like I’ll have an idea and I’ll play it and hear it and sing it or whatever and lot of the times I’ll say “whatever it’s not that great,” but then I’ll record it and a couple weeks later I’ll hear it back and be like, “oh, that’s actually pretty cool!” So it’s kind of like this fractling of ideas...thing. I read about a lot of people who are like, “oh I saw this beautiful thing that happened and it just affected me so much that a song came out!” For me personally,
Reaction
that’s not really how it happens. I’m not that type of romantic songwriter.
EA. I don’t want to speak for the whole
band, but I think that an important part of our process is always the reaction we get listening back to what we do together because in the moment it can sound completely different than when we listen back to it. So that part of the creative process gets the most reaction from me personally. Hearing back exactly what it is that you have created and then critiquing and changing it and improving it.
Evan L. Yeah he pretty much summed it up. Every time Dan comes to us with something, especially at its most bare boned stage, usually everyone has a process, like should I be simple or not. I always just want to be weird and from there simplify it. I want to make it so ridiculous that I can pick and choose and then after dissecting it, simplify it and keep the little tidbits that I like. DF. One thing that’s totally different
from everything else, when we just play and something just clicks right away and we don’t have to go back and change it.
EA. Like we can all agree that this thing we just did, works.
DG. Haha, yeah and then we don’t record it! EA. And we’re like, “what was that thing we came up with yesterday?” Hahaha.
DG. Gone forever! AM. What influences in your
environment and personal life have caused you to react/create?
DF. I would say the influence is being attracted to sounds that we hear on a daily basis. Whether it be the freeway, rain, crickets, or music, there’s always another way of hearing that same thing and I’ve always found that to be interesting. That idea allows me to pursue an idea with every angle until I find the right way. [Inspiration] also came from being both a marching band student and teacher.
Mise en Abyme
AM. How do you react to the end result of your work?
DG. Haven’t heard it yet, we aren’t sure
yet. The song is done, quote on quote, when we can play it live, but really it’s done when it’s recorded and we can hear it back. We have our EP out, but we are in the process of recording our album. So I feel like none of these songs are done really. It’s never done, it’s always evolving.
EA. Yeah, we’ve only recorded like one
thing so far [Venus Eye Trap] and even the reaction towards that has changed over time. It was like a year ago, and I like what we’re doing now so much better. I’m never truly satisfied with the finished work because there are always improvements that can be made.
DF. My reaction is always feeling
“relieved.” I try to give everything so that it can be as finished as it can possibly be, whether it be a song or show.
Fall 2018
is; it’s more lush. There’s more synthesizer tones, more dynamic. There’s more song to explore, more structure.
EA. It’s not drastically different, it’s not totally different from the EP, but it’s a more mature sound. The album is more representative of who we are now. AM. Is there any particular inspiration for this album or any particular reason you have chosen to take on the task of creating a 16 track album? DG. Yes, it’s a concept album.
There’s two sides with 8 and 8. There’s Reflexive and Repeater two separate sort of albums with sister songs on each side that reflect each other.
EA.
It was a big undertaking too.
AM. What can listeners expect to hear DG. It’s honestly a really dumb on your debut album?
DF. From a bass standpoint, you’ll
definitely hear a more refined sound from the Höfner compared to the EP; punchier with a woody deepness. That clarity translates into the collective of sounds we produce by cutting through the mix, without being overwhelming. I would say it’s the one thing other than the drums that has an “organic” sound.
EL. It’ll feature a wide variety of guitar tones that we were not able to explore on the EP. Now that there is an expansive journey to traverse, we have more opportunities to play with our sound. The album will contain guitar sounds from heavy fuzz to synth like melodies. All that gear you see at our live show is finally put to use on this new record. DF. They can expect to hear our songs in a way that hopefully feels as charismatic as our live performance, but with sprinkles of nuances that aren’t in a live setting. DG. The roots are there in the EP
and you can see it, but it has definitely sprouted in the album. You can see a little more of the “plant” or whatever it
decision [laughs], as a new band to create a concept album as your first album. I’m glad that they agreed, and were like, “yeah, let’s do this.”
EA. We could have easily been like, “let’s widdle this down to 10 tracks,” and put out a standard album. But personally, I feel very strongly about each of the 16 songs on the album and we just said, “you know what, no, let’s make this work.” DG. I hope people get it. I hope
it hits them in the right way. I hope they understand what we’re trying to do which is, I guess just a great rock album. I feel like the art of the album is dying especially in this digital age. It’s all about singles and pushing them to get radio play, spotify radio, pandora, soundcloud plays, and stuff like that. I really like the album artform and I hope that people get that we’re trying to bring that back and get what I’m talking Instagram: @theno.44 Spotify: The No. 44 Twitter: @theno_44 Facebook: facebook.com/theno.44 Bandcamp: theno44.bandcamp.com Website: www.Theno.44.com
EMPTY CORNERS
BY: NATALIE JAHABANI
HIBERNATION BY: ANAYA MEDINA Drown myself in sounds; blankets of bass, tender tones, and the ringing of singing bowls wrap like liquid velvet ‘round my ethereal bones. I will sit solely in one space and let my mind become complacent thinking of nothing but the present, for I will age days in this space and never have moved a single muscle.
On December 2, 2016 a fire erupted at the Ghost Ship warehouse in Oakland, California. My partner Em was one of the three trans* women who were killed.
Sick, Sad Girls
Always, for Em.
My zine was written over the course of a year following the sudden death of my partner Em. Writing and editing this zine helped me find meaning during the darkest parts of my grief. To write about losing Em also serves as a way to feel close to her, as she was also a writer and poet. Receive a copy or contact me nataliejahanbani@gmail.com
A photo and link to your art and website here along with showing dates and a kinky message that you got from an ex lover that aint gettin none from you
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HEY LADIES, SHAVE YOUR HEADS!! Before I shaved my head, I dyed my hair pink. I dyed my hair pink, because I just wanted to be more feminine! And after a while, it faded, and you know, grew out, and I came to this realization of how, unnecessary the maintence was going to be, and just the fact that it’s fake, it’s a cosmetic adjustment that I did to myself to fit the norms of feminity by associating myself with this color that is said to be a “girly” color. With that, and a couple other factors, I shaved my head. And afterwards, felt sooo good. I was left with my fully exposed face, and body. And what I found was, just me! Just me. Reactions: Mother- Deeply disturbed. Luis - Also shaves his head Derek - Mourns long hair Co-workers -“It looks good” Grandma - You’re like a GI Jane
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