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“We don’t see things as they are, we see them as we are.” – Anais Nin
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The Light Side of the Dark Side | Fashion is Not a Crime | Avant-Garde Style: A Hair Raising Experience Spoofs or Spirits? | Great American Southwest Film Festivals | Master Creator, Matt Clark
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culture
The Light Side of the Dark Side WRITTEN BY Signe Adams | PHOTOS BY Nick Adams
“Those who think they know how the universe could have been had they created it – without pain, without sorrow, without time, without death – are unfit for illumination.” - Joseph Campbell There is a vision of heaven where angels garbed in white robes float on high clouds in the bright illumination of perpetual sunshine. At the same time the dwellers of heaven have the knowledge that there are sinners below, forever toiling in the hot, dark depths of the underworld. Western culture has always placed certain values on light and dark: one is good, the other is bad. The evidence is everywhere, storied in our earliest books and portrayed in the latest blockbuster films. We root for the light and want to banish the dark. But what if one or the other didn’t exist? Every artist, every writer, every filmmaker knows that this would lead to ... a stunning lack of contrast. It is this contrast, this chiaroscuro, that defines our human experience and makes things ... interesting. From Rembrandt to Ansel Adams, from Shakespeare to Star Wars, contrast is the foundation of the art we love. And without realizing it, we embrace both.
“And God saw the light, that is was good; and God divided the light from the darkness.” - Genesis 1:4 The philosophy of the Yin and Yang expresses this perfectly: a swirl of contrast with darkness in the light and light in the darkness. With contrast we can communicate beauty, courage, hope and universal truth. We can communicate meaning. We can evoke emotion and shared experience.
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My husband, Nick, is a photographer. I am a stylist. Together as artists we deal with light and shadow mechanically through the process of making a photographic image, but also thematically in the expression of art. We try to make sense of our experiences, to interpret the world and share our interpretation with others. Some of the photographs we create may at first glance seem somber, dark, or spooky, but there is light in them. Those are the images that move me the most. I feel good about an image that in some small way is able to communicate the yin and yang of life – the joy, sorrow, poetic beauty, and tragedy of life well-lived. I think of these images as being less about darkness and more about contrast and perception. One of the wonderful things about art is that ultimately it is up to the viewer to decide if they will see beauty or ugliness. Honoring the dark side and the light side of life gives me an appreciation for the light in the same way I appreciate the warmth of the sun after a storm.
“La Jeune Martyre” (1855) by Paul Delaroche (1797-1856) hangs in the Louvre, Paris, France.
Romeo and Juliet “Soft Monster in an Angelic Landscape” (1977) by Salvador Dali (1904-1989) hangs in the Musée d’Orsay, Paris, France.
Dia de los Muertos In parts of Mexico, Day of the Dead is a celebration honoring deceased loved ones. Though it is filled with decorative imagery of death, it is not at all scary, spooky or somber. It is a custom that demonstrates a strong love and respect for one’s ancestors while celebrating life, family, and community. It even finds humor after death.
One of the most consistent visual motifs is the contrast between light and dark, often in terms of night/day imagery. Shakespeare is ambivalent – light is not always good and dark is not always evil. Rather he uses light and dark to provide contrast and hint at opposed alternative. “Come, Romeo, come, thou day in night; for thou wilt lie upon the wings of night, whiter than new snow on a raven’s back.”
Momento Mori A Latin phrase that translates to “Remember your mortality.” It refers to a widely used artistic theme dating back to antiquity that serves to remind people of their mortality.
“Many of the truths that we cling to depend on our point of view.” - Obi-Wan Kenobi
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Fashion is not a crime I’ve always loved kooky, weird fashion. As a young girl I would pour over the fashion magazines, tear out the pages and cover the walls of my room. I would study every nuance of the looks in an attempt to understand the creative and cultural undercurrent that inspired the photographers and designers - I still do. I learned to predict in a very natural way what was coming next, the art of trend-spotting. Like other art forms, fashion is based on cultural relevancy. It continually references itself. Runway designers challenge us with interpretations of the world around us as they see it. At its best fashion and style can be one of the most creative and authentic forms of human expression, something we see in every culture. We wear clothing to cover and protect ourselves; we use fashion and style to send social signals to those around us. To quote a dear friend, let us “embrace the crazy” and imagine a world where we are free to express ourselves creatively without fear of being judged insane, ugly, disrespectful, rebellious, unprofessional or immodest. Let us banish the tiny voice in our head that says “what will people think of me?”
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Re-purposed Romantic: *Skirt and blouse re-purposed vintage table cloths and doilies, Signe Adams *Head piece and Veil: Signe and Nick Adams
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FA L L I S S U E 2 0 1 2
Bohemian Apocalypse: Feather Head Piece: Signe Adams Shirt: tulle, re-purposed crochet doilies - Signe Adams Skirt: Signe Adams, Lindsey Madsen
Victorian Argonaut (far left): Re-worked vintage dress Hat Embellishment: Signe Adams Punk Barbie Princess (left): Wool Skirt: Vintage Classic Mariniere T-shirt: Urban Outfitters Headpiece: f abric flowers, feathers, re-purposed barbie - Signe Adams New Model Army (cover image): Vintage military style jacket, Lace Dress, Top Hat - Designers own Photography: Nick Adams Model: Taylor Honey Designer: Signe Adams Stylist: Signe Adams assisted by Lindsey Madsen Note: Boots, Jewelry for all looks - Designers own
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avant-garde style A Hair Raising Experience WRITTEN BY Darci Hansen | PHOTOS BY Mitch Meyer
“What can be more dangerous than to be understood? The more, because it’s impossible. Always are we understood in the wrong way...” - Pablo Picasso Call it eccentricity or even madness. It’s the deeply personal view of the world that fuels true creativity regardless of ongoing trends or progress. Avant-garde. In French it means “vanguard” or “advance guard.” It is at the opposite end of the spectrum from the status quo or, that which follows tradition. Avant-garde is usually referenced to the visual, literary, or musical arts or the fashion industry whose works are characterized chiefly by unorthodox and experimental methods. Unfortunately, avant-garde is too often tagged to almost anything out of the ordinary, good or more often, bad. Unique ideas are apt to be judged or at least considered, “odd.” Only in hindsight do we acknowledge the pioneers who forever changed our collective viewpoint. Every industry has its unsung heroes who are recognized by their peers but are relatively unknown to the rest of the world. Such is the case in the realm of hair artistry and avant-garde style. As Steven Robertson explains, avant-garde steps into the world of fantasy and the unrealistic. “This is where innovative techniques push the boundary and vision or expression into unthought-of areas.” Robertson, who is the co-creative director for Lunatic Fringe Salons, says that avant-garde hairstyles prove that hair is an incredible medium for expressive art. Steven and his team created a photoshoot that represented some of the elements associated with avant-garde style. “We were inspired by aged portraits photographed during the mid to late 19th century. Janae and I created beautifully sculpted hair and place it on models who portrayed that stiff, kind of gloomy, almost haunting pose. With a little modernization and added color (yet subtle and cold), I think we got what we wanted!” The images, extraordinarily captivating in their abstract, imaginative, and alluring execution provide us with the opportunity for a subtle glimpse of avant-garde artistry and an open perspective towards the often misunderstood form of expression. Hair: Steven Robertson and Janae Johnson, Make Up: Paula J. Dahlberg, Wardrobe: McKell Maddox
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