Elementaire zine dream issue no7 by Mark Kiszely

The Dream Issue | n째7 April 2014

EDITORS NOTE Welcome all to Issue 07 of Élémentaire Zine, the Dreams Issue. With Dreams, we celebrate our one year anniversary, and the first milestone in a journey that has been exciting, terrifying and liberating all at once. We hope those that have been with us from the beginning have seen a clear progression and let it be known that our sights are firmly set on expansion for the future. So, it’s important for me to thank all of our readers, both new and old, for continuing to read Élémentaire Zine and I intend to make it better for you with each coming issue. ‘Dreams’ has been a fantastic theme to celebrate our first year with, providing us with endless inspiration and familiarizing us with the most incredible assortment of creatives. Within these pages you will find art sourced from talents all over the globe, some artists you may know, some we may have the pleasure of introducing you to. To the artists we have included goes my next thank-you, for allowing us to showcase your work to create what I hope is our best issue thus far. You have all been a pleasure to connect with. Last but not least, thank you to Theodora Pangos & Laurence Jephcote, for your continued support and priceless help in creating each and every issue. Now, I hope you enjoy Issue 07 and keep your eyes peeled for what we have in store for our second year. Kindest regards, Mark Kiszely Editor-in Chief

EDITOR-IN-CHIEF Mark Kiszely www.facebook.com/markkiszelyphotography

ART DIRECTOR Theodora Pangos www.behance.net/pangos

COVER ARTWORK Laurence Jephcote www.facebook.com/venusflytrapdesignlj SPECIAL THANKS Roopini Partiman EMAIL elementaire@live.com LINKS www.facebook.com/elementairezine twitter.com/ElementaireZine behance.net/elementaire

05 JORI VAN DER LINDE/ 09 EGENE KOO / 15 MARIANA PALOVA/ 19 JAMES MCCARTHY/ 25 ALESSANDRO GALLO/ 31 SAROLTA BAN/ 35 PABLO JURADO RUIZ/ 41 GARCIA MORALES/ 43 LAURA COUTO/ 45 BÜŞRA ŞAVLI/ 51 SEBASTIAN WAHL/ 57 DIEGO MARMOLEJO/ 59 CRISTINA ALONSO/ 61 KEN TAN/ 65 MICHAEL PAGE/ 69 MARK KISZELY/ 75 MICHAEL VINCENT MANALO/ 81 FRANCOIS ROBERT/ 87 JOHANNES HEUCKEROTH/

JOR

Links: www.jorivanderlinde.com www.jvanderlinde.blogspot.com www.facebook.com/jorivanderlinde

VAN

DER LINDE

it’s the beauty of the West Coast nature, being inspired by other illustrators and artists, listening to a song that takes her breath away, or seeing a detailed piece of beading on some fabric. These daily interactions and experiences are what she uses as tools, combined with her imagination, to create her own unique world of storytelling. Once she finishes Art school, Van Der Linde hopes to gain exposure in the illustration world. Recently her work has been accepted by the Society of Illustrators in both New York and Los Angeles, and she hopes partaking in competitions will lead to some amazing opportunities. In the Long term, she’d love to do more editorial work, book covers, or simply any opportunity that allows for her to be constantly creative, passionate, and challenge herself to work harder. Jori Van Der Linde is a 22 year old illustrator, living and working in Vancouver, Canada. Currently, she is completing the final year of an Illustration Major at Emily Carr University of Art and Design. Alongside this, Van Der Linde spends most of her days locked away in her studio, chain drinking tea and creating whimsical, detailed illustrated stories. The rest of her time is spent outside, exploring the world for inspiration. Van Der Linde tells us she finds it hard to narrow down her main inspirations because she’s constantly being inspired by interactions in everyday life, whether

Both of the images feature belong to one of Van Der Linde’s most recent projects; a series based on the idea of escape. In this project, she explores the idea of inwardly escaping, in an attempt to cope with the things in our lives that are out of our control. The first piece for this series is Bird Heads, and it tells the story of how we are constantly badgered by the opinions of others and how we find our lives being shaped by those opinions. The other piece featured from this series is named Fish Tales, which illustrates the way in which our usually fast flowing streams of consciousness peacefully drift into a simpler world when we dream. 5

JORI VAN DER LINDE

EGENE

Link: www.egenekoo.com

Please tell us about yourself My name is Egene Koo. I’m female. I’m a painter and I live and work in Seoul, South Korea.

- Keeping on-going projects which help me growing up - Have a lifelong reading list and companions to share with

My favourite thing is travelling without moving through books and music. I love books, paintings and music that extend the boundary of my ego.

If you could summarise your work in three words, what would they be?

What is the story behind these images?

Why do animals play such an integral part of your imagery?

Mostly, I start my painting works from symbolic images where an old myth and my own story (or an archetype and my inner ego) meet. On ‘Girl grown up….’, I focused on the ‘inner child’ archetype by retelling the Grimm’s tale ‘Hansel and Gretel’, my favourite childhood story. I imagined a circular relationship between Gretel, the little girl and the witch. ‘Hello?....’ is another variation of the inner child archetype. What are the main sources of inspiration for you? Symbolic imagery from old myths and folktales. I understand those images as a version of collective dreams. Inspirational images emerge when the symbols in stories touch something inside me. Then I keep questioning what’s going on and what they are. It’s almost like trying to investigate the meaning of a dream. What are your aspirations as an artist? - Making a proper living as a full-time artist

Trivial Myth Variations.

So far, I have been involved with understanding and recreating symbols (or archetypes). Symbols are not old fashioned language, but are still required when we need to talk about unspeakable parts of life. My ‘trivial myth’ images are to describe the indescribable human nature. The images of animals have been one of the most popular vehicles. They are rather traditional. You have a very fine-tuned, beautiful colour palette. Do you feel like the colours you use are vital to defining your style? Thank you, but I don’t think of myself as a talented colourist. I just feel fascinated with the tranquil mood of old paintings like 15c’s Flemish masters’ and many pieces of Asian art from hundreds of years ago. Their down-toned colours seem to embrace the sense of time-passing. They allude to invisible parts of the world. I always hope to learn how to recreate their refined mysteries. 11

EGENE KOO

MARIANA P

Link: marianapalova.weebly.com

V A

MARIANA PALOVA

JAMES MCCARTHY Link: www.surrealseasons.webs.com

Tell us a little about yourselfâ&#x20AC;Ś I was born in Kalamazoo, Michigan in 1956. I was part of the first generation of kids brought up on TV. I think that may have induced certain escapist tendencies in me - that and being shy. Besides cartoons and comedies I liked fantasy and science fiction. At the same time, early on I had a deep love of nature with its changing seasons, especially the melancholy but serene other-worldly quality of winter. My family moved to Florida when I was only nine but these memories are still vivid. They shape what I paint now, almost fifty years later. Where do you feel your surrealist tendencies have developed from? This would be where my surrealist tendencies developed. Also, as a teenager I was enamoured by 'mind-scape' music as I still am: psychedelic, medieval, certain classical music and what would later be called 'prog' rock. I also like new age music which came later. There is a resurgence of this kind of music with the younger generation as well. Listening to this music often inspires me. Are your images primarily developed through cognitive thought or do you find yourself subconsciously arriving upon ideas? I usually have a cognitive idea going into a painting but not always. Some paintings I envision clearly and carefully lay out ahead of time.

Others are mostly spontaneous- even then an idea or theme will present itself somewhere in the process of painting. Your images are rich with symbolism. Do you intend to expand upon your current understanding of semiotics to further enhance your paintings? Actually, I usually reserve intentional or conscious symbolism for my paintings that are inspired by music lyrics, such as my King Crimson or Yes- inspired paintings, for example. There is such a thing as unconscious or unintentional symbolism- images I have a tendency to paint repeatedly in different variations because they mean something to me even if I'm not absolutely sure why. Dreams can provide a huge pool of inspiration for some artists. Are you a creative dreamer? Most of my dreams are rather mundane and rather stupid- often influenced by what I happened to watch on TV that night. Once in a while though, I will have a vivid dream of a beautiful mountainous or hilly landscape that I stumble upon while visiting my old neighbourhood in Kalamazoo or come across just outside my neighbourhood here in Florida. In my dream these places seem familiar as if they were always there. What equipment is essential to you when working on an image? Besides the usual paints, brushes and canvas I collect numerous black and white copies I make of photos I like.

JAMES MCCARTHY

What are you looking forward to in the next 12 months? I would like to say that I'm looking forward to being a successful enough painter a year from now to pay off the mortgage, pay all the bills and maybe be able to own a car but so far it's still just wishful thinking. I do have hope. I'm starting to get more attention and a few more sales. Are you currently exhibiting? I'm currently exhibiting at the Loft Gallery in Lakeland, FL and the Wandering Eye Gallery in Ybor City, FL. Sometimes I display work in the local gallery next to the library here in Brandon, FL where I live. What is your Dream? My dream as I mentioned earlier is to be a successful artist- successful enough to pay the bills. I have no desire to go back to commercial art which I did for 25 years and I don't want to have to get a regular job. I was a part-time janitor for a while and though my hours weren't long it still prevented me from putting the time and energy I need into painting. I'm at the point now where I can't imagine living a life without painting. It would be so incredibly dull.

ALESSANDRO GALLO Link: www.alessandrogallo.net

SAROLT

Sarolta Ban was born in 1982 in Budapest, Hungary. Originally she trained as a jewellery designer, but later discovered digital photo manipulation and it became her passion and main activity. Ban enjoys using a combination of ordinary elements to create various stories and allow for her images to develop personalities. She hopes that the meanings of her pictures are never too limited, are open for interpretation and each viewer can transform them into a personal aspect. Ban struggles to talk about herself, instead preferring her pictures to do the talking. It’s strange to say, but for most of Ban’s images, the idea is simply an accident. That said, once it appears she sometimes later recognizes the happening in her life which may have been the catalyst for the idea. Besides that, interesting books, emotional dialogs, inner feelings and dreams are amongst the things which are her main sources of inspiration.

It’s important to Ban that people discover their own stories in her images. She aspires to continue providing this service for people, in the hope that they continue to react. She considers her work to be surreal and story-like. Ban’s current project is an interesting attempt to find owners for abandoned animals by increasing visibility of existing sheltered animals through photography. Via her Facebook page, she asked people to send photos of dogs, cats or other animals that are currently in shelters. She then creates photo montages from these images, Photoshopping animals in majestic and fantastically splendid settings where the pet takes centre stage. The images are then shared on her Facebook page of over 160,000 fans, along with a description, contact info and location of the animal in need of adoption. So far, Ban has received over 400 images to work on. As an extra nudge, future owners will receive a free print of the animal they adopted. Links:

www.saroltaban.com www.facebook.com/photoallegoryofsaroltaban

TA BAN 31

PABLO JURADO RUIZ

Garcia Morales is a Barcelona-born freelance photographer, now living and working in London, UK. In all of his photography, Morales aims to play with the isolation of things and people. In particular, Morales focuses on the isolation of beauty. He tells us of his time spent living in Birmingham, UK, a city he viewed as ‘Grey, dark and depressing’. Many pieces in his portfolio reflect his time there and his search for moments of beauty.

GARCIA

Inspiration finds its way to Morales in many forms, whether it be from his surroundings, from interactions with people or simply from his own emotions. These inspirations are evidenced by his very atmospheric portfolio. When asked what his aspirations are for the future, Morales replied – “To die doing what I love.” A nod towards the great Irving Penn. Link:

MORALES

www.facebook.com/garciamoralesphotography

Laura Couto originally graduated with a degree in Advertising , but has since turned down an alternate route, focusing upon Photography as an art form. Her intention is to create stories, sometimes surreal, hopefully all informative. Couto considers her working methodology to be similar to that of a documentary photographer, but feels that there is still a lot of space for her style and identity to develop. Her inspiration is thick, taking influence from all areas of the arts, with no specific ‘favourite artist.’ Key photographers for Couto are the likes of Phillippe Halsman and Diana Arbus, then in painting and graphic arts she’s influenced by the works of Salvador Dali, Pablo Picasso, Eric Drooker & Alex Gray. Couto also takes a great deal of inspiration from the world of Cinema, following directors such as Gaspar Noe, Michael Condry

and Darren Aronofsky closely, amongst an assortment of others. In the future, Couto is aiming to be a Photographic Author, presenting her words and ideas through her images. She is particularly passionate about the portrayal of women, believing that women need to be represented more in a natural state, showcasing what it is to be a woman in touch with their essence. A future project of Couto’s is to reflect the daily attitudes of everyday people on the street, using the project to question why we are so disunited as a society in general. The project, Couto hopes, will cause people to reassess their habits. The photo included is the first of a series Couto is developing called ‘Practical Lessons, Free Flight and Other Cool Tips’, it's about girls and their ability to be free.

LAURA COUTO Links: www.facebook.com/CamaraNaranja camaranaranja.wix.com/camaranaranja 43

BÜŞRA ŞAVLI Link: www.behance.net/turuncuaz

Büşra Şavlı was born in Istanbul in 1993. When she was a teenager Şavlı got her first camera, a mouldy Zenit 11. For her, it was fantastic to see the nostalgic texture of analog photography representing her memories. Şavlı has never been interested in learning more about digital photography even though she adores working with digital video. However, perhaps that's also due to the fact she doesn’t own a traditional analog video camera. Şavlı always tries to shoot in images suitable for all genres, but the most important one for her is Portraiture.

A city in harmony is what she’s after, if that’s even possible anymore. Şavlı sees the beauty in almost everything, but is really inspired by movies about the human condition. To her, faces bring everything with them to the viewer, through expression and emotion. This feels somewhat magical to Şavlı, that every difference on a person’s face tells a unique story. “A smile is a good source for inspiration as are tears.”

The main inspiration for Şavlı though, is a camera’s ability to Although she feels passionately record memories. The sight of a about it, Photography has always stranger, the smell, the sound, the just been an interest. Şavlı is a aura. These are all things that bring senior student, studying Film & emotions to the surface, but that Television and has a double major sense of atmosphere is also somein Psychology. She is currently still thing near impossible to catch. If for living in Istanbul but finds herself dreaming about living in a place with every photograph she takes she can hold a shred of that initial feeling, as many eople, but less chaos.

she can then find a way to reach that memory. To be an artist, Şavlı feels there is still a lot for her to do. She really wants to find ways to be more open to people and ask for them to show their true characteristics to her and her camera, so that she can keep them in her mind forever and have the chance to show their hidden personalities in a wrinkle or a beauty mark. This is not only in photography, but also as a film student, creating documentaries as well as fictional screenplays on human conditions are her aspirations as an artist in the future. 'Leave my body behind' which was one of Şavlı’s first photographs (and her very first editing experience) shows a 9 year old girl who is in the middle of a dream of being a woman and a nightmare caused by the great pressure from society.

A faceless photo makes the message anonymous and it's impossible to figure out if she's lost and crying with the burden she holds or enjoying the feeling of nudity. Worst of all, she is just little and can't even begin to realize that it's not just a lovely dream. On the other hand, Into the Vistula is just a spontaneous photograph from a sunny day with a beautiful friend in Krakow. After a youth festival in the first day of summer, it was nice for Şavlı to sit by the Vistula hanging her legs into the river and dreaming about swimming in the warm sea as in childhood. This was a quick shot to keep that nostalgic feeling and the perfect weather with her forever. The three words Şavlı feels best describe her imagery are memory, emotion, growth.

BÜŞRA ŞAVLI

SEBASTIAN WAHL

Link: www.sebastianwahl.com

Tell us about yourself My name is Sebastian Wahl I was born in Stockholm Sweden in 1970, but New York City has been my home since 1990. I am an artist and my medium is collage. I made my first collage in 1992 and I haven’t stopped since. We understand that you’re a hoarder of imagery. Do you have the view that anything could be useful in the future or are you drawn to certain images in particular? I consider myself more of a collector than a hoarder, but there are definitely certain kinds of images that I am looking for, so I am selective as to what I keep when I look through images. Nowadays, I scan all the images I find and then catalogue them. This makes it easier to find them later when it’s time to work with them. I started to work this way a few years back. Before that I used to keep everything separated in piles and boxes, cataloguing the images in the computer saves you time and you don’t have to lose your mind looking for an image you know you have but you don’t know what pile it’s in.

What do you find so interesting about Sacred Geometry? Sacred Geometry illustrates how we are all connected to this infinite net. All living beings, all plants, every rock, every drop of water. Everything on this planet and beyond is made of cosmic stardust that came from the Big Bang so we are obviously all connected, all ONE. The fact that we humans have been taking notes, recording and illustrating this for so long is just awesome! Mind bending is putting it mildly. Sacred Geometry is an amazing catalyst for the imagination and I guess that is why I am drawn to it. Are you a spiritual person? Do you work with Mandala’s because you enjoy their geometric structure or as a nod towards their symbolic meaning?

I get this question a lot : ) Yes I am a spiritual person. There are a lot of reasons as to why I like working with Mandalas. I do love the geometric aspects and the symbolic meaning, but I am also a fan of a challenge when it comes to my work and this shape never fails. It’s like a complicated puzzle. The amount of What are the main influences for your concentration needed when working on a psychedelic creations? piece as rich with details as a mandala also I am influenced by life by my friends, by nature, puts you into a meditative state of mind and I do enjoy that aspect of it as well. Mandala is by music, by love, by art. Life is full of influences. Psychedelics are one of many in my the Sanskrit word for circle. It is a spiritual and ritual symbol in Hinduism and Buddhism life, but one that has undoubtedly rippled representing the universe. The most basic form through my work. of a Mandala is a square with four gates containing a circle with a centre point. It is a shape that brings your attention to a point of singularity.

with each layer of resin having to cure for about 12 hours and most pieces having about 10 layers of resin, so even with a simple piece Dreams are a glimpse into one’s subconscious, the resin will add 10 days to the process no so for some it might be a great tool. Like most matter what. people I have a hard time remembering my dreams so I do not rely on them as a tool in my Do you have any ‘Nearly finished’ pieces that are just waiting for you to find that final creative process. I am a bit of a daydreamer though so if daydreams count I guess I tap into image? those. I have loads of projects that are in the making What are your favourite subjects to focus upon but that have yet to be realized. Like I mentioned before I don’t usually start to when creating new imagery? assemble the collage until I have every image, I would not say I have a favourite subject that I so things live on a hard drive till I have all the focus on when I am working. It really depends pieces, and once the collage is virtually done I on the piece though. Sometimes the piece I am print the pieces out and then cut it all out by hand to then assemble it between the multiple working on has a subject built into it like the Jimi Hendrix images for instance. Usually I try to layers of resin. keep an empty mind and let the images I am looking through lead me to the subject. It’s the What are you most looking forward to in the same with the titles of my works. They come to next 12 months? me during the process or once the piece is I am having a solo show at ArtNowNY at the done - not before. beginning of next year, so I am excited about Are your images constructed quickly or do you that. I am also excited about a commissioned piece that I am almost done with. It is a 6.5 foot have several ‘works in progress’ at any one diameter circular piece for a friend of mine who time as you accumulate more imagery? is a collector. To see that piece installed at his house will be a highlight of this year for sure. I usually have more than one piece in the making. I pretty much create the whole collage before I start to assemble it so this part What is your artistic dream? of the creation varies a lot depending on what I could tell you that I want to be recognized by kind of piece I’m working on. A large scale Mandala gets quite complicated with a ton of the art world, have sold out shows at all the images and loads of details whereas a smaller fancy galleries and museums around the piece might only have 10 images. Something world, have a huge studio with lots of assistants and that would not be a lie. Making like a large scale Mandala could take me as the work is the most important part for me long as 3-4 months from start to finish and a though, and I get to do that so I am very smaller piece might take me 3-4 weeks. The resin process that I employ adds time for sure blessed. Do you think dreams are an important creative tool?

DIEGO

MARMOLEJO Links: www.diegomarmolejo.com www.behance.net/diegomarmolejo

Diego Marmolejo is an illustrator working and residing in Barcelona. Before drawing, he graduated from the Faculty of Psychology at the University of Barcelona before proceeding to study design at Escola Massana, followed by illustration at Escola Eina, both also in Barcelona. Marmolejo describes himself as ‘a normal person who draws weird stuff’. He views his art as a way of talking with his fingers. Marmolejo’s drawings are a strange mixture of minimalism and maximalism. His work initiates from the disproportion of elements, mostly resulting in anthropomorphic figures, with design finishes and nostalgia towards old illustration. The humanfigure is present in most of his works, however, it is always depicted from the perspective of his interior world. Marmolejo has multiple sources of inspiration. Illustration in Barcelona is soaring thanks to artists like Arnal Ballester, Daniel Sesé and Alexis Rom. They all teach at Escola s themselves under Massana and set the design slogan: “less is more”. This means to communicate a maximum of visual narrati narrative with a minimum of elements. This axiom is present in the majority of Marmolejo’s work and means using a minimum of elements in order to express the most possible.

At a European level, among the artists he admires most are Golden Cosmos, Till Hafenbrak and Emmanuelle Kerner. On the other hand, other inspirations are more classic artists such as Picasso, Miró, Chaissac and Fernand Leger. His artistic aspiration is to find his a own personal visual narrative, which would allow him to draw everything, to evoke an interior world with a recognisable, personal style and little by little, to be able to do it with fewer elements, i.e. to work on minimalism. However, this is a long journey and it might take a professional lifetime. Marmolejo’s work can be summarized as minimalist /expressive /interior. “Dreaming” is about the thin line between the real and the unreal. About the parallel worlds that appear in our dreams and evoke feelings and perceptions of ourselves. ou The main character in this illustration is the dreaming child in the centre. The unreal world of a child opens up around him, in his imagination. There is no hostility, just fantasy and colours leading to contemplation. A world that is over at the instance of opening one’s eyes but which can persist in memories. This piece is Marmolejo’s personal interpretation of what a child’s dream might be like. 57

CRISTINA

ALONSO

Cristina Alonso is a 24 years old author and illustrator based in Valencia, Spain. Alonso graduated in Hispanic Philology at the University of Valencia and is the University Specialist in Illustration at the Polytechnic University of Valencia. Since childhood her passion has been creating worlds and telling stories, using both images and text. In 2012, Alonso focused her professional sights on the artistic world and began exposing her artwork in a wide range of exhibition halls and galleries of emerging art all over Spain. A year later, she began combining her studies with her job as a freelance illustrator, publishing work with different publishing houses and magazines (Anaya Multimedia, Nuevos Rumbos, Juxtapoz, Superior, etc.) She loves to work with traditional methods without renouncing new technologies: graphites, inks, watercolors and digital enhancement are her favourite techniques. Alonso has always believed that inspiration is the result of the combination of two factors: being open to the world around, and hard, consistent effort. This is the reason why she finds inspiration from everywhere in her everyday life, but especially from simply working. Literature, photography, music and cinema are constant references in her work, and of course, the classical art

masters and all contemporary movements from which she’s able to nourish herself. She see’s visual culture nowadays as an inexhaustible source of inspiration for all of us. Alonso confesses to always have a thousand and one ideas floating around her mind, but aims to be realistic and try to focus herself entirely on upcoming projects. Working in editorial, fashion and advertising illustration are all exciting possibilities for Alonso, but she especially wants to develop her own projects of illustrated books and albums for both children and adults. She believes this to be an area where she can express herself in the best possible way. This illustration is the first in a collection of four images, which reflect the process of creation. This particular image is called ‘The Idea’ and it refers to the emergence of the concept that is behind any artwork, where the universe of dreams and feelings merge with our ability to rationalize the world around us, giving birth to an idea, the origin of any piece of art. If you could summarise your work in three words, what would they be? Poetic, emotional and intimate. Links: www.cristinalonso.com www.facebook.com/cristina.alonso.illustrator www.behance.net/cristinaalonso 59

Links: kentanart.com www.behance.net/krenx

PAGE Link: michaelpageart.com

MARK K I S Z E L Y Link: www.facebook.com/markkiszelyphotography

Make-up Artist | Roseanna Velin (Using Illamasqua) www.roseannavelin.com Head Artist | Masanori Yahiro www.masanori-yahiro.com Model | Lottie Benson Assistant | Ian Davies cargocollective.com/Ianfromred Special thanks to Garcia Morales

Tell us about yourself.

What are your aspirations?

I’m Mark Kiszely, a 23 year old photographer and artist based in Birmingham, UK. Currently in the process of concluding my time at university and getting ready for the trials and tribulations (and I guess the rewards too, hopefully) of the real world. I enjoy getting lost and finding my way, both figuratively and literally, and have a real love for travelling and exposing myself to different cultures, traditions and artforms. I work with traditional photographic methods, experimenting with out of date films and surrealist techniques. I also have a keen interest in global ethics.

I guess to be happy, successful and respected for the ideas I have is the simple way of putting it.

What are your inspirations?

To develop Élémentaire further is essential to me. I want to start putting into action more of the ideas I have, begin tackling bigger issues and make it an important tool for the artistic community as a whole. Using art to generate awareness of political and ethical issues around the world is a route that I will be pushing for in the very near future. I’m intent on making an honest publication that isn’t motivated by any agenda other than to inform and to inspire. With my photography I want to continue experimenting, progressively getting wilder, and just keep having fun with it. It’s a nice escape so I don’t want to put anything on it, but it would be cool to refine my style.

Photography-wise, I’m pretty enamoured by the work of Neil Krug. I find anyone experimenting with expired film interesting, but the stories and compositions of Krug’s images are so dramatic and cool. Atmospheric fashion imagery by the likes of Paolo Roversi and What steps are you taking towards those goals? old surrealist masters such as Jerry Uelsmann are also big inspirations. I’m beginning to formulate politically charged articles for the next issue of In life it comes from the people around me that keep me on track, pull me back Élémentaire which will be released late to earth when I get carried away or raise June. Its real interesting sourcing artists, journalists and people to interview for my mood when applicable. Working on the issues we’re exploring and the teams Élémentaire has also introduced me to such a wide range of incredible imagery, for each issue are starting to come together nicely. I don’t really want to give I love learning about other artists, how away too much about this though, but they got to where they are, and where they’re aiming for the future. Travelling is I’m hoping it will add a very unique element to the magazine. also a key source for me, witnessing different cultures and the beauty of the Other than that I’m just looking at the world, finding myself in alien situations things I love and enjoy and trying to and expanding my horizons. surround myself with these more.

How would you describe your style in three words? Surreal.Vivid. Atmospheric. Your work is headed more and more along the route of fine art. What has encouraged you to go in that direction? I guess I’m just being influenced by the artwork I’m looking at. My interest in traditional methods and expired film is definitely playing its part too as I’m enjoying trying to experiment more ‘in-camera’. When I first started with photography I struggled with creative thinking and felt very imbalanced. I therefore focused more on commercial things and always worried I’d never start being ‘Creative’. It’s taken a couple of years but I’m now starting to generate more ideas subconsciously and I’m just enjoying putting some distance from my earlier commercial work. Whats the idea behind these images? These images were created with the Dreams issue in mind. The image with the multiple exposures reflects the overlapping of thoughts, different personas and the internal struggle for clarity. It’s about being lost in your own mind.

The image with the cloud texture is kind of the opposite; it focuses upon dreaming of an escape - to float through the clouds. The other of this style was constructed to show off Roseanna’s beautiful makeup. I was blessed to work with Roseanna Velin and Masanori Yahiro for this piece. Witnessing Masa’s unbridled creativity and experimentation was a fantastic experience, then to see Roseanna toe a thin line, creating makeup looks that were so striking, but not overpowering when paired with Masa’s hair sculpture. It was inspiring to watch them both work. How has the combination of being a photographer and being editor of this magazine influenced your photography? As I said, I’m hugely inspired by all of the artists we feature in Élémentaire. Looking at other people’s work definitely makes me want to challenge myself and I don’t think my artistic development would be where it is now without this ongoing source of inspiration. At the moment I’m managing to keep a fairly stable balance between the two, but I think my professional ambitions with Élémentaire exceed those of my personal photography. My intention is to maintain a ying-yang situation where I can work on and develop both, enjoying the challenges and differences each provide.

MICHAEL

VINCENT MANALO Dreamy, Nostalgic, Melancholic

MICHAEL VINCENT MANALO

Links: theflickerees.wix.com/mvmanalo www.saatchiart.com/michaelvmanalo soundcloud.com/oortclouddistrict 79

FRANCOIS ROBERT Link: Â www.francoisrobertphotography.com

Francois Robert is a Swiss born Photographic chameleon, with a portfolio rich in all genres, from po portraiture to still-life, candid street photography to fine art, the list goes on. Robert has a physiological need to photograph and allow his eyes to travel around this amazing earth.

When asked of his aspirations as an artist, Robert tells us “My goal is to stay healthy and open-minded”. With travel plans for the next year already containing Paris, Switzerland, Iran and the Napa Valley Film Festival, it is evident that Robert’s horizons will continue to expand.

When exploring a small village in Jamaica, Robert saw a sign that he feels explains his photographic career the best. It said simply, ‘We specialise in everything’.

Do you prefer to work with traditional photographic methods or are you a keen supporter of the digital revolution? I am completely immersed in the digital journey.

JOHANNES HEUCKEROTH Links: johannes-heuckeroth.delI 500px.com/pfn

Johannes Heuckeroth is a designer and photographer from Germany. He is 29 years old and addicted to architecture and landscapes. Heuckeroth cites two important elements as his principal sources of inspiration. The first is collecting. Collecting information and collecting visual impressions from all over the real world and the internet. The second important source for

Heuckeroth is time. The more time he has, the clearer his mind gets, allowing for him to bring all the little pieces of inspiration together. Due to the fact that his time is often very limited, it's not so easy to get in that clear state of mind. Heuckeroth wants to show other people how he sees the world. He wants to show you all his own interpretation of reality, a visually more intensive reality, a parallel reality. To

do this is essential for his being, as a human. He simply could not live without it. What is the story behind these images? In 2012, I was on a mission: to experience Dubai and build a unique portrait of this unbelievable city. I spent 5 days there, collecting images. After being back in Germany I worked for 5 months on a book about Dubai.

The result is called "Dreaming of Dubai" and shows different photo series from there. My goal was to create images that are more intensive and surreal than the reality. You can have a look at the whole project on the website: dreaming-of-dubai.com If you could summarise your work in three words, what would they be? Beauty. Aesthetics. Clarity