"Contrast" Issue 14

BUMF MAGAZINE ISSUE 14

CONTRAST

Anna Luk @lukphotography_

BUMF is the official student publication from AUBSU. We celebrate a selection of exemplary work from AUB students in print, online and across social media.

EDITOR’S LETTER Welcome to a very special online edition of BUMF. In these unusual times, we think it’s more important than ever to celebrate the amazing creations of our fellow students, so with this online issue, you can enjoy our magazine wherever you are in the world.

By commenting, sharing and posting your responses, this issue will provide you with a space where you can stay connected to the AUB community.

When we set a theme, we’re never quite sure what we’re going to receive, but once again you’ve delighted and surprised us with your responses.

Your Editors, Ellie and Laura

CONTRIBUTIONS Executive Editors Ellie Grant @gretellanie Laura Andrade @unthinkillustrations

Design Team Caitlin Mbabgong @c._creative Isabel Murphy @isabelmurphydesign Eddie Suthers @eddiesuthersfilms Hyemin Kang @graphicdhm Rosie Clayton Richards Rowena Shaw @rowenashawdesign

Illustration Team Isabel Rentoul @isabel_r_art Jamie Truscott @artjammies Lola Beale @trichechuss Miles Bagarinao @sameshork Pavlena Mateeva @pav.mat.art Stella Bonova @steluna.jpg

Photography Team Ben Marwood @itwasthewinter George Maund @george_leon_maund James McPherson Kinga Kutermankiewicz @kinga.jpg Leya Ahmad @leya_aub Miriam Kristen @miriamkristen

Writing Team Brad Coulson @braddcoul Kwabena Devonish @kwabz_fash_comms

Gallery Team Amelia Jackson Anna Luk @lukphotography_ Izzy Cunnen Lucy Kane @lucykane.art Serap Doglarliogly @dglrlioglu Stanislava Vaseva

Visual Content Laura Andrade @unthinkillustrations

Writing Content Ellie Grant @gretellanie

Find us @bumfmedia bumfmedia.co.uk

CONTENT 7

Ben Marwood

@itwasthewinter

11

Clara Barroso

@claraxbarroso

15

Heidi Williams

19

Ellie Grant

@gretellanie

21

Amita Seth

@amitaax_x

25

Miriam Kristen

29

Lauren Marin

@laurennmarinnn

33

Dimi Vakrilov

@dimi_vakrilov_

37

Kwabena Devonish

39

Katie Mcveigh

41

Taran Knight

43

Pavlena Mateeva

47

Mia Havis

49

Sophie White

53

Tony Puerschel

55

Eliza Young

59

Rebbeca Fox

61

Sam Beach

65

Kinnari Saraiya

@art.kinnarisaraiya

67

Laura Andrade

@unthinkillustrations

71

Ankush Ranu

75

Patricia Csuhaj

79

Izzy Wedderburn

81

Anna Luk

@gullviedheid

@miriamkristen

@kwabz_fash_comms

@katiemcv.pdf

@chezmoihoney @pav.mat.art

@sophiekatewhiteuk

@eliza_illustration @Rebecca_L_Fox

@smdb.photo

@classic_ankush_design @patriciacsuhaj.art

@lukphotography_

MONS CORPS EST UN CONTINENT BY BEN MARWOOD @itwasthewinter

Q: WHAT INSPIRES YOUR WORK? The notion of the body as an influence over my identity is what inspired this project. I often find myself evaluating my “self” and attempting to discern what makes me “me”.

In a more general sense, I am inspired by the people that I surround myself with, bringing in my interest in psychology to find what makes each and every person unique.

I then create artwork based around their personal experiences, or the experiences that I share with them.

My work is often spontaneous, similar to intimate holiday snaps, so this project was different from anything I had done before.

Q: WHAT IS YOUR WORK PROCESS? For “Mon Corps est un Continent”, I used film photography to capture different bits and parts of my body (using a close up lens) and then scanned the negatives and printed them on Acetate paper.

I then put the Acetate prints between paper, which had been painted with the chemical solution needed for the Cyanotype process, and then exposed them to UV rays in a small “tanning” machine.

This inverted the images so that the negative space on the print became the blue of the final images.

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“Through this piece of work, I want to create confusion. What I like most about it is the abstraction of sense, as these different parts of my body could be considered as strange landscapes. What do they represent? Why is there hair on that photo?�

9

(Model) HANNA FALK @hannaafalk (Stylist) EMILY DUNCAN @dunc.imagery (Mua) GEORGINA SMITH @georginasmithartistry

THE HUMAN INSIDE ME BY CLARA BARROSO

@claraxbarroso

Q: WHAT INSPIRES YOUR WORK?

Q: WHAT IS THE MESSAGE OF YOUR WORK?

I find myself spending a lot of time on social media. Scrolling through inspiring photography or creating mood boards from images that catch my eye or that I personally find interesting. I look at fashion magazines such as Dazed and Confused, Wonderland, Vogue, or even i-D magazine. When I feel a connection to a piece, having a hard copy work rather than just google images is very important.

Being inspired by a lot of female photographers (such as Harley Weir and Petra Collins) at an early age was how my interest in photography first grew.

The current message with my work is about trying to portray female beauty and personality within fashion.

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“I have also been shooting on film, medium format cameras lately.

The rawness of capturing an image on film with a limited amount of exposures puts me to the test with regards to the way I compose my images and how I interact with the model during the shoot.�

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VOID BY HEIDI WILLIAMS @gullviegheid

Q: WHAT INSPIRES YOUR WORK? Inspired by the 2016 coming of age film “Lady Bird� prior to the project, I aimed to present a similar atmosphere and tone as the director Greta Gerwig.

She displays the protagonist at the cusp of change thus highlighting the characters fading adolescence.

The main element within the film that inspired my practice was the atmosphere of entrapment.

Q: WHAT IS THE MESSAGE OF YOUR WORK? My recent project ‘Void’ explores the often vacant interval between juvenility and maturity.

My intention was to depict the strange middle ground which is necessary to progress through to achieve adulthood, as well as the isolation which manifests within this space.

The images begin to display the contrast between childhood and adulthood and expose the diffculties that come with the progress.

15

“The creatures, although physically not entirely human, employ simple human-like features and characteristics in order to resonate with a teenage audience who can recognise and relate to the themes of seclusion and isolation.�

17

SUMMER’S SON

BY ELLIE GRANT @gretellanie

Born into silken reeds, you surrender to slumber let your tears roll away and drift downstream to the place the river greets the sea.

A gently warming current to thaw the northern shores.

And if winter comes to wake you welcome her with a smile, first dawn light will protect you from her glacial embrace.

Then slip once more to sleep.

With days this long and lazy, there is no rushing here, no worrying, we’re all safe in summer’s reign.

(Writer) ELLIE GRANT @gretellanie (Illustrator) MILES BAGARINAO @sameshork

SUMMER’S SON

BY ELLIE GRANT @gretellanie

She wades through white meadows to make her nest with shards of stalactite and bone.

A spool of scarlet ribbon unravels down her leg and pools around her like a bloodied wreath.

Falling tears freeze.

A mask of ice concealing sorrow, as she delivers her daughter to the frost and waits for her to thaw among the thorns.

A tiny silver bundle, that wails for winter’s throne.

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TRACES BY AMITA SETH

amitaax_x

Q: WHAT IS THE MESSAGE OF YOUR WORK? I am using the microscope to capture the details of manmade objects that are not visible to the naked eye.

My intention is to attach a new perspective to the mass-produced objects that go beyond the shiny surfaces presented. Capturing the traces embedded on the surfaces with marks, rust, scratches, and paint, I want to investigate the history of the inanimate objects.

In particular I want to document the traces that are left behind on objects, either made by the maker or the user.

Q: WHAT IS YOUR WORK PROCESS? I used the microscope to gain a close-up perspective that is not visible to the naked eye.

This enabled me to gain a new perspective and make the invisible visible. In particular, I want to document the traces that are left behind on objects, either made by the maker or the user.

Through zooming in and examining the intricate details that often go overlooked, I found certain specifics.

As a result, this transformed the mass produced manmade object from something accessible to something unique, thus representing the object as a whole.

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“Impressions or ‘traces’ in this case, allow the following photographs of the particular objects to narrate themselves, without the restrictions caused by myself, as the artist’s, intentions.”

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@miriamkristen

MOTHERHOOD REIMAGINED

BY MIRIAM KRISTEN

Q: WHAT INSPIRES YOUR WORK?

Q: WHAT IS THE MESSAGE OF YOUR WORK?

In Motherhood Reimagined, I aimed to create a fashion editorial that reflected the current image of motherhood but also taking inspiration from classical art depictions, such as the artworks of the Madonna by Bouguereau and impressionist painter Mary Cassatt.

The image of a mother and child is no longer the typical European representation that was seen in the past depictions of the Madonna.

As a culture, we are moving toward a more inclusive image in media and especially in fashion.

Dr Ronald Milon, the chief diversity officer at the Fashion Institute of Technology, explains, “This is not a fad; diversity and sustainability will continue to grow and be the dominant thing in the industry.�

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“I am heavily involved in every aspect of the shoot, from the styling to hair and makeup. I will usually run a few tests before I am happy with the final look.�

27

CHIAROSCURO BY LAUREN MARIN

@laurennmarinnn

Q: WHAT INSPIRES YOUR WORK? With a background in theatre, and currently an exchange student of Costume and Performance Design at AUB, my painting’s narrative and aesthetic inspiration traces back to dramatic scenes seen onstage. Inspired by masters Carravagio, Rembrandt, and Vermeer, chiaroscuro acts like a spotlight for the characters and the concepts in my narratives.

Q: WHAT IS THE MESSAGE OF YOUR WORK? Conceptually, I think the chiaroscuro approach removes a more realistic rendering from existing as a direct image of the world.

In these paintings, I have explored “forms� or areas of my own being that only reveal themselves in specific physical or mental spaces.

Therefore, they are not fully lit, overbearing, or entirely attainable. In some areas they shine, in others they fade back into black. I hope the message conveys emotion and moments while hopefully being somewhat thought-provoking, due to the subject and perhaps the technicalities of the painting.

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“For these pieces, I write or sketch first. Then, I often set up the still life, friends, or myself as reference and paint away! [ #iluv2paint ]�

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ANACHRONISMS

BY DIMI VAKRILOV

@dimi_vakrilov_

Q: WHAT INSPIRES YOUR WORK?

Q: WHAT IS THE MESSAGE OF YOUR WORK?

I’ve always found myself inspired by the world that surrounds me. I love to observe other people, their mannerisms, expressions, and distinctive looks.

That is probably why my favorite style of photography and the one that I mostly gravitate towards is street photography.

For me it represents a way of capturing reality, telling stories, while still being able to express yourself through the approach you chose to take.

I’ve always been inspired by the different, the ones that carry a story within them, I love juxtaposing those characters to their environments, explore how they change and mold their surroundings or exist in contrast to them.

My work process for my photography is straight forward as it is street photography. In this particular series the difficulty was that I arrived at the flea market as they were preparing to wrap up the market day.

I normally like to walk around the environment without thinking about my photography, to try to experience the place, the people and their surroundings in order for me to later properly capture them.

Here I didn’t have that luxury and I had to be quick because moments were passing by in an instance.

Normally street photography is a big waiting game, but this flea market was just so saturated with interesting people.

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“Ultimately I strive to tell a story with my photographs and leave the meaning up to the observer.�

35

NOTHING BEATS A BOOK

BY KWABENA DEVONISH @kwabz_fshn_komms

Nothing beats a good book they say.

The flipping of the page, the smell of the paper, the ache in your wrist.

Why does the gloss of a magazine make it all so more appealing?

And the unclean feel of a newspaper more endearing Digital could never be a real page turner The physical evokes a feeling, When the pages come alive with true colour.

How the weight of a book feels like the power of knowledge Or how the turning of a page feels like an opening of a door into a new world To break the mould, it doesn’t take much.

Just step outside the A4 boundary and flat pages After that, the print becomes tactile It can be like a wrestling match or a tug of war As the pages fight you, grab you and force you to look.

While sometimes they are timid and shy, small in stature and minimalist in design However this intrigues us, and whispers to us, encouraging us to look.

(Writer) KWABENA DEVONISH @kwabz_fshn_komms (Illustrator) LAURA ANDRADE @unthinkillustrations

So when print is dead will we be forced to subscribe to a life of repetitive thumb movements, Glaring at a bright screen.

Altering the text size and ruining the authors original vision.

It can’t be all bad maybe in the digital world we can create our own reality Gone are days we we’re dictated to how to view something Now we view it how we see fit With experimental layout infinite in digital And typical A4 made to fit a phone size screen Small bites of information are easier to digest Information on the go is the modern mans way Does this law less land of information have less authenticity?

Is an Instagram story less creditable than a website of the same name Are the mediums taking more importance than the art itself Has the unnatural art of scrolling caused us to constantly look down But surely that’s no different to getting stuck into a good book.

37

LUCID DREAMS BY KATIE MCVEIGH

@katiemcv.pdf

Q: WHAT IS THE MESSAGE OF YOUR WORK?

Q: WHAT IS YOUR WORK PROCESS?

I focused heavily on lucid dreaming as it is interesting to think that something so deep and complex can be controlled. Using a combination of watercolour and typography, I tried to visualise how I see lucid dreaming and the brain activity surrounding it.

There’s a lot of research involved, looking at designers and artists already out there as well as taking photographs whenever I see something that could spark a project. I like to scan and use real objects, so I usually begin with that as a base and use Adobe software to overlay this with illustrations, prints and text.

39

MOLASSES

BY TARAN KNIGHT

Fields away, past the grass and isolation, a train cut distantly through the black silence. Soft metallic whining.

The rails traced through the rivers and streams bordering the lakes of murk into which they tributaried.

- “Tar doesn’t drink much,” I said.

- “Wanna go on a train,” he said; he spoke across another smatter of laughter from inside the shed.

- “Good luck mate.”

The closest station was an unnecessarily long walk.

- “I always wanna when I’m here,” he said. “Wanna walk somewhere.

Go somewhere. Just get the fuck out. The whole...fucking way.” He spat, leant down to pick up one of the dog balls, and hurled it skillessly down the garden’s length.

- “I wanna be nowhere.

Not at anywhere just... between something.

And something else.”

- “You sound like you’re having a stroke.”

- “Okay band.”

- “Are you having a stroke?”

I asked, smidge concerned.

- “Fuck off,” he said, “I’m young.”

- “You’re older than me.”

- “Somehow.” He licked the air for no discernable reason.

“I feel younger around you guys.”

- “That’s soppy as shit man.”

He swivelled and smacked a hand limply on my shoulder.

- “Don’t eat your emotions.”

He swallowed and stared at the floor. “It’s like everytime we’re here we...get to drink some youngthness for the night and be nigh-by-be-be kids.

Then we grow up at sobriety’s... cue to enter.

Little older everytime.”

- “That’s how time works man,” I said. He inhaled long and slow; he sniffed until his face contorted, seeking out either specification, or absolute generalisation.

I hesitate to say he found it, or anything but the smell of ethanol and piss and caffeine and sugar.

- “It might not get any better,” he pondered through an exhale, the words clouding.

- “Well...yeah.”

He shook his head violently, until he tired. From beneath the hung head and dangling conversation, his eyes met the unpolluted skies we stood under.

- “Need those strings... getting through...to get through I don’t know...the physical night, when it becomes something all gooey like...like treacle like...like…”

(Writer) TARAN KNIGHT (Illustrator) JAMIE TRUSCOTT @artjammies

41

SOLITUDE IN NATURE BY PAVLENA MATEEVA @pav.mat.art

Q: WHAT INSPIRES YOUR WORK?

Q: WHAT IS THE MESSAGE OF YOUR WORK?

I’m very inspired by nature and people’s relationship with it, and how they can change after experiencing the power of the mountains and rivers.

Other things that inspire me are old movie posters, vintage textures and the work of various artists like Owen Gent, John Holcroft and Evens Brecht.

I like illustrations that let you think and find all those different details that make them more and more meaningful.

For these illustrations, I wanted to recreate the peace that I feel when surrounded by nature, the escape from the loud and busy city. I also wanted to underline how different and contrasting people and manmade objects are to nature, how they always stand out.

43

“When I start a new project, I usually begin with researching the topic I’m interested in, then putting down some ideas on paper in my sketchbook.

I used Photoshop and added a grainy effect because I love textures.”

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CONTAINED IN SQUARE SPACE BY MIA HAVIS

Q: WHAT INSPIRES YOUR WORK? My work is largely inspired by the human body in space and the ways that this can be challenged and pushed to abstraction, as well as ideas of identity and the ways we can present ourselves.

I am also inspired by conceptual artists working with performance, such as Ana Mendieta whose work revolves around the female body and the treatment of it, and Claude Cuhan who challenges identity by photographing different representations of herself against the female stereotype.

I also like the Surrealist and Dada movements that challenge reality and logic to create interesting artworks full of juxtaposition.

Q: WHAT IS THE MESSAGE OF YOUR WORK? For this particular project, I wanted the underlying themes of the treatment of the female body to come through. I wanted to create a response to the highly misogynistic work of Hans Bellmer who created his own dolls that were depicted as women and girls, posed in violent and sadistic ways.

So, I used different objects to contain the body in space, creating contrast by tying it up or trapping it in a mirror. By doing this to the body in my own photographs, I am bringing it to the forefront of the male gaze, but the use of self-portraiture allows me to be the subject of the gaze as well as return it.

47

SILNECE BY SOPHIE WHITE

@sophiekatewhiteuk

Q: WHAT IS THE MESSAGE OF YOUR WORK?

Q: WHAT IS YOUR WORK PROCESS?

Each image I shot referenced a word I thought of when listening to this song. I ended up with a message portraying how someone has come to accept their inner self, using the following words: silence, sadness, emptiness, isolation, regret, change, acceptance and peace.

I guess before I start a new project, I like to get inspired by what is happening around me.

This could be anything from the music I listen to, to an important event that has happened in my life. I always try to get a sense of realism within my work and hope others will understand and appreciate how I have turned it into something creative.

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“I was inspired to create this work by listening to Marshmello and Khalid’s song ‘Silence’.

I wanted to produce my own fashion editorial that showed my skills as a conceptual, portrait and fashion editorial photographer.”

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SHE, BUT IT HURTS

BY TONY PUERSCHEL @chezmoihoney

And I don’t know which ​ she ​this is about The sun, the moon, the earth A Minor Love, I​ used to say, But the moon is written in a-major And my name-tag says Buzz Aldrin Still, there’s no place like home Though I’m inclined to call it ​gravity Because the earth ain’t big enough for the two of us And we could run for miles and miles But thanks to Pythagoras we’d just end up where we started Like we never departed And nothing changed

Sometimes I want to convert to a flat-earther So I could run for miles and miles And push Pythagoras over the edge of the world Where he’ll float gently towards the sun She’s always had a triangular face And on her mother’s side, they’re all mathematicians Which I remembered recently, when the moon shone red And cops stopped in the middle of the road

(Writer) TONY PUERSCHEL @chezmoihoney (Illustrator) PAVLENA MATEEVA @pav.mat.art

Because they wished they’d been pilots instead But the pilot is always the most uncomfortable episode Because it’s a new show New people, new home There is no place like home, and home is where the heart is And my heart has never broken the sound barrier Still, my ribs hurt when I wake up And my head hurts when I make up my mind That the best way to stop climate change is to leave forever

And night and day only matter from my perspective ‘Cause the sun can’t shine on herself And the moon seems so warm from my perspective But she can’t shine by herself And earth, oh earth Is so heavy from where I stand Maybe she’ll see that she doesn’t need to hold me down Because all she needs is herself And all I need are softer ribs And teeth that are harder to break Cause when I look at ashes like stars.

53

PUBLIC AND PRIVATE LIVES

BY ELIZA YOUNG

@eliza_illustration

Q: WHAT INSPIRES YOUR WORK?

Q: WHAT IS THE MESSAGE OF YOUR WORK?

I like to take inspiration from everyday scenarios and people I have met. I really like zooming in on and appreciating smaller aspects of life over drawing vast vistas and magnificent magical creatures. This just feels a bit more relatable and down to Earth to me.

In this project, I recall wanting to convey the idea of people having both public and private lives.

I liked the idea of looking into how these separate versions of ourselves can both compliment and contrast one an other in sometimes surprising ways.

55

“I like to work by first drawing my lines with whichever pen I have a crush on that week onto paper, scanning those lines, then colouring and tidying the drawing in Photoshop.�

57

CIRCADIAN

BY REBECCA FOX @rebecca_L_Fox

It’s been two months since planetfall.

The scans said it was an S3 planet. It was the same size as Earth and built up of mostly ocean, but instead of continents, it had many small islands peppering the surface.

Earth-like in comparison, but most importantly, it was habitable.

I caught a glimpse of the planet’s surface through the viewing platform just before the engines failed.

The tremor produced by the multiple system failures pushed the ship out of orbit, entering freefall, frenzied, and powering towards the planet.

At first glance, I believed it was Earth.

I wished it to be true.

I wanted it, and I prayed for it.

I was desperate for it to be home. If it was Earth, then I had a team of incredible humans to rescue me. My friends.

My family. Somebody.

Here, a thousand light-years away, I had nothing.

The ship broke apart during re-entry.

I couldn’t slow it down.

I had cuts and bruising, but nothing was broken.

I’m surprised that I even survived at all.

It was dusk when I touched down.

The ship hit the water, destroyed on impact.

I was thrown free, many miles from any landmass, my ears still ringing from the explosion, and even days after. The drive core gave out within the hour, irradiating a three-mile radius. The debris spread for twice the distance.

(Writer) REBECCA FOX @rebecca_L_Fox (Illustration) LOLA BEALE @trichechuss

I had to get away in time.

I did, just, and it was thanks to my glider, but all the emergency resources were in the wreck. Scans showed the Blackbox was five hundred metres down.

Too deep for manual retrieval.

I had to make do with what I could salvage from the debris field, and I didn’t have a rad suit. I had to let the wreck go.

Dwelling on it only made me less productive.

I mean, what was the point? With no comms, no crew left, food, or water, it seemed pointless to even try to survive. It would only prolong the inevitable.

The only thing I had to protect myself was a knife.

It was useful for scavenging and protection, but the planet appeared barren. No life.

There was nothing to protect myself from, and I wasn’t sure what was worse, being alone, or having someone else to go insane with.

I pondered that for hours, hungry and lonely.

Luckily my suit still functioned, so it gave me someone to talk to.

The gentle voice brought me comfort, even when it periodically said ‘calories’ to remind me to get my daily intake.

The day and night cycle was extensive. I tried to sleep the hunger away, but it only seared my stomach more the next morning, and morning was never when I expected.

On the first night, as dusk fell, I never slept for more than an hour at a time.

When I awoke, twelve hours later, there was no sunrise.

It’s been two months since planetfall.

If I’d known that day would my last sunset, I would have watched it burn.

59

BRUTALIST ARCHITECTURE BY SAM BEACH

@smdb.photo

Q: WHAT IS THE MESSAGE OF YOUR WORK?

Q: WHAT YOUR WORK PROCESS?

For this project, I chose Brutalist Architecture and my aim was to portray it in a way that nobody has seen before.

Usually people overlook these concrete blocks, however, by creating a double exposure in black and white, it instantly makes these structures intriguing to the viewer and draws you in by focusing on line, shape and contrast. Brutalism is not for everyone, but by changing your perspective, I feel like I can make people become interested and intrigued by these structures.

I looked at different Brutalist buildings and decided on Trellick Tower, Wyndham Court and The National Theatre.

I then used two images from each of the three building to create my final six pictures.

For each building I focused on two different perspectives. The inside perspective concentrated on the resident and the interior of the structure, while the outside perspective focused on what you see standing from the street.

61

“My main inspiration came from Alexander Rodchenko because I like his experimental approach to photography.

His architectural images focused on blocked shapes, lines, symmetry and unusual viewpoints.�

63

COEXIST BY KINNARI SARAIYA

@art.kinnarisaraiya

Q: WHAT INSPIRES YOUR WORK? My grandfather, a resident of colonial India, has a diary of random thoughts and feelings that he wrote during the time. I usually start with contextual research, so I read his journal and stumbled across an interesting aspect of Indian history.

Recently, I visited India again for the first time in a few years and every day was a new inspiration.

Every material, every icon and every tiny decision communicates a certain symbolism. I then begin experimenting with materials, draw some installation sketches and just begin making.

Q: WHAT IS THE MESSAGE OF YOUR WORK? The complexity of the Indian history and the form it takes in the physicality of India’s landscape and culture is incredibly inspiring to me, especially because I grew up around it.

In contrast to many of the stereotypes, the Hindus and Muslims of India share a unique relationship which defies the attempt to divide and rule during the British Raj. This work celebrates the multiculturalism seen in India and the impact that these religions have in the country’s culture.

65

@unthinkillustrations

BEAUTY STANDARTS

BY LAURA ANDRADE

Q: WHAT INSPIRES YOUR WORK?

Q: WHAT IS THE MESSAGE OF YOUR WORK?

In any of my creative work I start by reflecting on an emotion that is overwhelming me.

For these illustrations I was feeling sick of the socially imposed standards of beauty.

It was a stand against them and an ode to acknowledging the beauty in the contrast between each one of us, I believe that our true beauty lays in them.

Ever since I can remember I have been outraged by the world’s general view on beauty, perhaps because I don’t seem to fit in it. This work is meant to remind me and everyone who sees it, that our beauty is our own to define, independently from skin color, size or style.

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“My work process is very simple, I start by doodling something on my notebook. After that I finish it off in Procreate or Adobe Illustrator.�

69

CONSTRUCTION BY ANKUSH SINGH RANU

@classic_ankush_designs

Q: WHAT INSPIRES YOUR WORK? The idea surrounding ‘innovation’ has provided a source of inspiration throughout the development of my work.

Often using architecture as a physical reference, the geometric shapes and patterns are translated through abstract mark making a nd tactile surfaces that are manipulated thorough materials.

Inspiration is derived from an in-depth exploration of raw and exposed materials, allowing the use of linear qualities and colour to help create contrasting collections.

Q: WHAT IS THE MESSAGE OF YOUR WORK? The aim is to create statement pieces that allow the viewer to question their surroundings and stimulate responses based on personal aesthetics, defining the contrast between structures and folds in relation to textures and patterns.

The work aims to echo an industrial atmosphere that challenges the perceptions towards traditional textiles – as it demonstrates the use of technology to create a collection with contrasting materials.

It creates a challenging stimulus that combines the use of ‘construction’ as a source of visual references, whilst looking at how textile designs can be ‘constructed’.’

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“My work process had been refined over the past three years to create a cohesive and sophisticated body of techniques suitable for fashion applications. This includes the use of laser cutting and etching to support the use of Perspex into my accessories, as well as the use of Adobe Photoshop to distort and layer my digital designs.�

73

WHAT THE DARKNESS HIDES BY PATRICIA CSUHAJ

@patriciacsuhaj.art

Q: WHAT IS THE MESSAGE OF YOUR WORK?

Q: WHAT IS YOUR WORK PROCESS?

I’ve previously worked on children books where the use of space was vital, so combining my love of creating monsters with the layout I’ve learnt from children books to create something I didn’t know it would work. Thinking outside the box or just going with a random idea can take your work in the best direction.

I start with blobs of watercolour on a page and once it’s dry I will draw over it with pen, trying to figure out the shapes of a body or head that could be in that space.

Using movies, shadows, or just a chair full of clothes in a dark room can get the mind going and wondering ‘what is actually lurking in that space?’.

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“Composition is really important to me and is inspired by horror/ suspense movies where the director uses the contrast between the colours to hide a monster’s appearance in the shadows. The use of space is really important.�

77

INTROVERSION. EXTROVERSION.

BY IZZY WEDDERBURN

Introversion and extroversion have always puzzled me. It is an interesting personality trait which still isn’t fully understood.

I recently listened to a Ted Talk

by Susan Cain, the author of ‘Quiet: The Power of Introverts in a World That Can’t Stop Talking’.

A seriously inspiring lady.

It touched a nerve in me, being an introvert myself. It was the way she articulated what the world of an introvert looked like.

I could feel introverts in the audience nodding and sighing with relief: “phew, other people think like me!”

What Cain articulated so well was the difference between the two personality traits. I think the obvious presumption is that introverts are shy, an extroverts are confident.

This is not always the case.

As astonishing as it is, shy extroverts exist, and confident introverts exist too. I hear what you are saying, it does sound strange, but being shy or confident is a learnt behaviour, whereas being an extrovert or introvert is more innate.

(Writer) IZZY WEDDERBURN (Illustrator) LAURA ANDRADE @unthinkillustrations

Whether you are an introvert, extrovert, or somewhere in the middle (ambivert), depends on how you gain your energy.

I don’t mean eating a Mars bar or drinking a Monster energy drink, but how social situations either fuel your batteries or drain them.

What Cain highlighted was this distinct difference. Have you ever been to a busy gathering with lots of people you don’t know and within about an hour of being there you just want to leave?

Or you’re the opposite and feel full of energy and just want to keep partying? You know what you feel, and this is the distinct difference.

In 1962 the Myers Briggs test, aka MTBI, was developed. I find it fascinating that all of us have one of sixteen personalities.

Obviously, every individual is different to the next in so many ways, but subcategorising people’s personalities means we can try and learn more about personalities in general, as well as finding more about ourselves and what makes you, you. If you take a MBTI test, the results will probably feel like you are reading your own mind and own thought processes. Weird, right?

So, yes, we are introverts and yes, we are extroverts, but really we are all both. It’s where we fit on this long, irregular, strange shaped scale which makes us who we are and makes us all different.

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THE GESTURAL NATURE OF PHOTOGRAPHY BY ANNA LUK

@lukphotography_

Q: WHAT IS THE MESSAGE OF YOUR WORK?

Q: WHAT IS YOUR WORK PROCESS?

With my work I’m interested in slowing down the viewing of the image, as well as the questioning of its being. Within the digital age we are constantly surrounded by an influx of imagery and often our consumption happens with barely a thought. Endlessly scrolling and flicking through imagery, one image is constantly replaced by the next. Through the letting go of representation in favour of allowing actions and materials speak for themselves, I hope to introduce an alternative perspective on the photograph itself and our modes of viewing.

I work in the colour darkroom to create unique photographs, made using a hand painted transparency rather than a negative. This way of working distills the photographic process down to its fundamental elements of time, light, and light sensitivity. Without the need for a camera, the photograph depicts light, its own making and the gesture of the hand. My work is created purely by analogue means, with the only digital aspects being its scanning and rephotographing for reproduction.

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“My practice explores the ontology of photography (what it is that makes a photograph a photograph), by pursuing qualities typically tethered to painting and sculpture.�

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CONTRAST

BUMF MAGAZINE ISSUE 14