Gradient Frequency-3 by G M

frequency - 3 FOU N DER S Creative Director MATT FRIED Editor in Chief ALAN VINOGRADOV Production Director BARRIS VINOGRADOV

STA FF Fashion Director ALAN ECKSTEIN Assistant Fashion Editor DONNA KANG Design Assistants MAURICIO VARGAS and DAN BERKOWITZ Assistant Editor in Chief CALEB CLARK and JEFF ROLL Culinar y Editor ADAM BEN’OUS Public Relations KRISTIAN LALIBERTE Assistant Production Director RICHARD BASSETT Translator WILLIAM DEBORD Illustrator JOHN GAGLIANO

PHOTO GR A PH ER S BRYAN GURSKY JEFF FRIED IRINA MOVMYGA

W R I TER S REMY MELINA JOHN FAVREAU NATE HURWITZ MEGAN PFAUTZ STEVEN PEGRAM JOSHUA E . NEWMAN

CON TR I BUTOR S ANDRES SERRANO, DAVID GENSLER, AEROSYN-LEX MAESTROVIC, EDWARD GIVIS, LAUREN WANG, DAVID ZAMDMER, YASUTAK KOSAKA, OSMANE, LUISA ASCENSAO, ANASTASIA ARIANAS and DR. ANTHONY WEISS

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contents

frequency - 3 The Blend In Between 27

GALLAREI

Gallarei is designated for visionaries that contribute to the creation of a catalog dedicated to creativity. The artist in Gallarei include Alexander Noe, Matt Rowean, AliXSmith, Xylor Jane and Zac Max.

WOOD YOU BUY THIS CAR?

PALATABLE

By built, weâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;re not talking carbon fiber here. This concept sports car is made almost entirely of wood; light-weight and rigid wood composites to be exact.

Refresh. Revitalize. Reinvent the norm with Chef Adam Benâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;ous and his dish Salmon with Mango Salsa.

THE MIDAS TOUCH

WHERE WE FALL

DJ Hell discusses his thirty-year career in electronic music and club culture, his album Teufelswerk, the future of Techno music worldwide, and what he has planned to do next in life.

A visual encounter spoken softly through the lens by Bryan Gursky.

A SECRET PAIN

THE NEW LUXURY

A visual encounter spoken softly through the lens by Bryan Gursky.

If we consider our COMPETENCIES, CONSIDERATION, COMMUNITY, and CHILDREN, we can guide our lives and our country to that glorious future.

85 Gradient Magazine is a publication bent on connecting the creative vectors of popular culture . Unifying the diverse tastes of an actively engaged generation coming of age in a millennium of phantasmagorical information. The urge to absorb it all is great, yet with all that is out there it can be difficult to navigate through the hype. We at Gradient have reached out to some of the most inventive and creative young minds in each of their fields to bring you the scoop on the cutting edge and the innovative. Gradient is opening a new frontier of exploration; into the imagination of the artist. Whether they be sculptors, musicians, writers, street performers, or designers, we seek to bring you the unique beauty found in each of their mediums. It is an idealist articulation and a realist exposition. Elevate your Gradient. 5

W W W. B N E O N E . C O M

GRUPPO TRE ESSE Text by MEGAN PFAUTZ

Who ever said that avant-garde is something only seen on the runway? Avant-garde embodies the breaking of boundaries of what is accepted as the social norm in culture, and allows for people and their love for the finer things in life to take charge. The Italian company, Gruppo Tre Esse, has brought the fulfillment of this unique luxury and obscurity to the personal space of home, further more the bathroom. Coming home from a long day at the office calls for personal time and clearing your mind in a long, warm bubble bath. Their designs are that of ones that could be seen in the MoMA, but they are in fact meant for your own bathroom luxury. The sophisticated styling of each shower, mini pool, or tub balances have futuristic electronic elements in each installment. The Bali Mini Pool even allows for you to receive a Swedish massage without having to step your dreary feet into a spa, nor leave the comfort of your home. The spacious tubs come with the option of mp3 players that allow you to set the mood with music or soft sounds - your alone time to soak in bubbles is made more of a rewarding retreat. Though its understood many of us donâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t have the time each day to sink in a luxurious bath, Gruppo Tre Esse supplies an array of soothing showers for those more on the go. Jets can be placed at different levels to accompany what you are comfortable with, to make an everyday ordinary shower, extraordinary. With such an array of lavish ways to bathe and even keep you entertained whilst you wash the day off, would you ever want to be just sitting & relaxing in a silent, small and boring old tub again, would you? I didnâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t think so.

WITH

photography

MATT FRIED

styling

ALAN ECKSTEIN model

LEAH HIGHT at FUSION

hair

YASUTAKE KOSAKA stylist assistant

LAUREN WANG

makeup

ANASTASIA ARIANAS special thanks to

JASMINE DESAI

and

DESTA

The Toren Building fashions the future floor plan of Brooklyn. Each story gave Gradient the shape of things to come. The inspiration compelled us to break down the blueprints of the building and shoot our fashion spread within their corresponding locations......

Top SVSV Leggings PLAN B. Shoes STUART WEITZMAN

Wool Vest LAUREN WANG Pants ABIGAIL LORICK Bow STYLIST’S OWN

Bow Shirt ABIGAIL LORICK Scarf/Skirt SVSV

Dress FORM Boots TE CASAN Necklace LIZZIE FORTUNATO

Tank Top LAUREN WANG Silk Jacket SVSV Ascot TIMO. Pants ABIGAIL LORICK Shoes CHRISTIAN LOUBOUTIN

Top FORM Pants LAUREN WANG Shoes FENDI

Dress FORM

Each artist in Gallarei defines themselves through various forms of expressions. Each expression is a voice of the artist that help us tantalize our senses. Gradient chose works from Alexander Noe & Matthew Rowean, Alix Smith, Xylor Jane and Zac Max. This Collaborative series is the second in and ongoing creative endeavor between photographer Alexande Noe and artist Matthew Rowean. Exploring the relationship between photography, design, and painting they have created a limited series of 4 lithography prints. With Alexander’s black & white images as a foundation, each piece is then worked into painstakingly. Matthew then brings in hand crafted watercolor textures, symmetrical and geometric compositions and subtle use of color to express a tone evoking for this series the musical inspirations of Pink Floyd, mood, negative space and contrast are major components to this series. The artists aim to provoke the viewer with the visceral photography yet at the same time allow them to get lost in the depth of the piece. Through Imitation by Alix Smith explores the idea that identity and gender are products of cultural and social influences. By creating a spectacle of gender - gender as a performative act - drag queens Truly Fabu and Ingenue challenge traditional conceptions. Throughout our lives we imitate the individuals with whom we identify, often appropriating those traits, mannerisms, and qualities we most idealize. Traditional psychoanalytic theory suggests that this identification is primarily with a model of the same sex. Judith Butler challenges this tradition, asserting that people are neither male nor female, but rather “perform” masculinity and femininity as cultural mores. Drag goes a step further, pulling back the veil of gender stereotypes and revealing the absence of an authentic and original sense of sex. Drag thus insists upon the artifice of the very notion of gender, challenging the gender-focused ideal of identification. Truly Fabu and Ingenue were photographed in the New York City apartments in which they were raised. Adopting the costumes and poses of the upper class, each subject challenges/appropriates the cultural stereotypes of the world in which they grew-up. At first glance the images look like the photographs traditionally shown in Town and Country Magazine; however, as one looks more closely, the flipping of both gender and of conventional notions of reality, become more apparent. This serves to highlight the artifice that is present not only in the performance of the drag queens themselves, but in the imitation of the upper-class social stereotype Xylor Jane’s work draws on mathematical algorithms to make intricate and staggering installations. Deriving her patterns from often basic arithmetic exercises (such as the Fibonacci Series or prime numbers), she deals in both complexity and simplicity, finding hidden curiosities and subtle patterns amidst swarms of numbers. Her rigorous execution highlights the personal touch and commitment she brings to each piece. When Zac Max was about seven his dad would lay out pieces of scrap metal on the shop table. He would look at the pieces and play with them until he finally turned them into the craziest creature he could come up with. Since then his process has changed. The material is no longer the controlling factor, rather he will take that scrap and turn it into something which he has already mapped out through a series of mental explorations. Metal, as unyielding as it may be, is his modeling material of choice. With a welding machine, a torch, a hammer and a grinding machine he can bring to life anything which he envisions. Metal is Zac Max’s way of probing at life’s unanswerable questions. 27

GALLAREI

MATT ROWEAN & ALEXANDER NOE • ALIX SMITH • XYLOR JANE • ZAC MAX

WISH YOU WERE HERE Matt Rowean & Alexander Noe (2008) Lithography artist print

THE GREAT GIG IN THE SKY Matt Rowean & Alexander Noe (2008) Lithography artist print

COMFORTABLY NUMB Matt Rowean & Alexander Noe (2008) Lithography artist print

US & THEM Matt Rowean & Alexander Noe (2008) Lithography artist print

THROUGH IMITATION 13 Alix Smith (2008) Digital C-Print

THROUGH IMITATION 10 Alix Smith (2005) Digital C-Print

THROUGH IMITATION 1 Alix Smith (2004) Digital C-Print

THROUGH IMITATION Alix Smith (2008) Digital C-Print

BOMBINATING Xylor Jane (2009) Oil on Panel 44”x 41”

GATES Xylor Jane (2008) Oil on Panel 48”x 36”

ICEBRIDGE Xylor Jane (2009) Oil on Panel 43”x 53”

TUNNEL Xylor Jane (2008) Oil on Panel 31”x 29

CHESS SET Zac Max (2008) Cast Bronze, Steel and Stainless Steel 3’ x 3’ x 2’

NO REST FOR THE PIANO PLAYER Zac Max (2008) Steel 1’3”

MALEVOLUTION Zac Max (2009) Cast Bronze, Steel and Found Objects 13’

DUMPSTER DIVERS Zac Max (2008) Fabricated Steel 10’ x 16’

Text by STEVEN PEGRAM

YOU BUY THIS CAR

WOOD

Fledgling car designer Joseph Harmon is just what the American automotive industry needs right now. He’s got unparalleled vision paired with a can-do attitude. And he’s designed and built the baddest, sickest, and [insert whatever adjective of the moment] supercar you’ll ever see. By built, we’re not talking carbon fiber here. This concept sports car is made almost entirely of wood; light-weight and rigid wood composites to be exact. It’s almost as if the 28-year-old from Charleston, SC took two steps back to go four steps forward. Everywhere you look, you see a species of wood: on the body, chassis, suspension, wheels, seats, and even the steering wheel. There’s osage orange, hickory, ash, bamboo, balsa, walnut, and birch. The car exterior is elegantly fabricated with carefully woven and polished 1/8 inch cherry wood veneers, molded into shape. Inspired by WWII era all-wood aircraft like the de Havilland Mosquito, Harmon and a collection of friends and fellow industrial design graduate students at North Carolina State University started building the high-performance “Splinter” Wooden Supercar as a master thesis project in 2006. Located in nearby Durham, NC in a makeshift workshop located behind a nondescript house, Harmon’s studio is far from the spotless design labs found in the automotive design hotbed of Southern

California. Inside the workshop area are a self-made, rotisserie-like “Whirly McGee” rig, wood loom, veneer slicer, laminating press, and countless sanding blocks, glue bottles, clamps and other tools supplied by sponsors like Porter-Cable and Delta. The project begs the question of why a wooden car? “We looked at wood as an engineered material,” said Harmon. “When you see the strength-to-weight ratio and versatility it has you realize it is natural for building something like a car out of. It has all these great upsides to it.” Every car part has been carefully vetted. Can it be structurally made of wood; will it be strong enough; and can it withhold the heat? If each question was answered with a yes, then Harmon and his team experimented to find a way to design and build it with wood. Harmon, who graduated last December, has shown the built Splinter in public at a woodworking and race industry trade show. The next step is installing the brake system and dropping a Cadillac Northstar 4.6 liter, V8 engine into the mid-section to take it for a proof-of-concept test drive “as soon as I can,” said Harmon. At a projected curb weight of 2,500 lbs., the twin-supercharged V8 is expected to

output 600 to 700 hp and propel the Splinter over 200 mph. With that comes a lot of heat that, when mixed with wood, creates issues that Harmon has to design workarounds. One still in development is to combine the muffler with the rear spoiler. “That would be really cool, but the wing would be hot,” he said. The number of other wood design advancements and work-arounds are staggering. Even so, the humble Harmon always seems surprised by the response he gets from forum posters on his website (joeharmondesign.com) or from the public when he’s displayed the Splinter. “You get your share of people who don’t get it or don’t believe it,” he said. “I’ve heard every fire joke known to man. But, for the most part, people are really excited about it and are very open to the concept.” After graduation, Harmon accepted a job at an engineering design firm in Mooresville, NC in the heart of NASCAR country. There, he plans to advance the woven wood technology, rather than bring the Splinter into production. Ford, GM and Chrysler: are you watching?

SALMON

WITH

MANGO SALSA

A NEW SPRINGTIME DISH BY OUR FAVORITE PRIVATE CHEF, ADAM CHASE BEN’OUS. written by JOSHUA W. NEWMAN & photography by MATT FRIED

Refresh. Revitalize. Reinvent the norm. Keeping with his mantra of “simplicity” chef Ben’Ous spent a mere 25 minutes preparing this palate pleasing dish. “Sit here”, he told me while pointing to a wooden chair in the kitchen of his upper east side loft. “Simplicity is the key to success,” he said. With deeply determined eyes, Ben’Ous set up his chopping station and began organizing his ingredients. Tender mango’s, crisp cucumbers and red onions diced and mixed with fresh mint, jalapeno’s, cilantro and a splash of lime create a pleasantly fragrant and visually stimulating salsa that acts as the foundation of flavor.

Once the salsa is complete, the only thing left to do is sear the salmon and garnish. Voila.

As simple as the dish is to make, the little intricacies Ben’Ous adds make it truly his own. Whether it be a unique chop ping technique with the fresh mint or precision cutting of the jalapeno garnish, when the completed dish is placed in front of you, a feeling of comfort and warmth embrace your senses. With the first bite, those winter blue’s melt away and leave your palate certain that spring has arrived. Each bite reveals layers of flavor, although ever so slight, they leave your mouth watering for more. Served with a dry red wine, the delicate zest mixed with the juicy mango creates a pristine balance that enhance the individual flavors. So whether you’re looking to impress your significant other or blow away your guests at a dinner party, it’s hard to go wrong with something simply delicious. 47

4 3 9

INGREDIENTS 1. 1 ripe mango, diced (about 1 1/2 cup) 2. 1/2 medium red onion, finely chopped 3. 1 JalapeĂąo/ Serrano chili, minced 4. 1 Seedless cucumber, peeled and diced (about 1 cup)â&#x20AC;¨ 5. 3 Tbsp fresh cilantro leaves, chopped 6. 3 Tbsp fresh mint, chopped 7. 2 Tbsp extra virgin olive oil 8. 3 Tbsp fresh squeezed lime juice 9. Salt and pepper to taste 10. Salmon fillet 11. Canola oil/Vegetable oil

DIRECTIONS

SALSA Step 1: Combine the first eight ingredients in a bowl. Add salt and pepper to taste.

SALMON Step 1: To a large nonstick frying pan, add canola, mediumhigh heat, allow the pan to heat up. Step 2: Add the fish to the pan and cook, turning once, 3-4 minutes on each side. Step 3: Add the salsa to the plate, (leave a little salsa aside for garnishing) and place salmon on top of slasa. Squeeze a little fresh limejuice directly on the salmon. Than garnish the top of the salmon with the remaining salsa.

Picture this… Worn out chefs nearing their tenth hour of non-stop work. They frantically cook as

their orders continue to pile in. They maintain composure not allowing their exhaustion to show. Their razor sharp knives in constant motion effortlessly slicing away. The sizzling fryer spitting its scalding hot oil never allowing the chefs to forget its presence. The heat from the oven, the flame from the stove, the roaring fire of the grill all working together to create an unbearable heat. The chefs simultaneously sautéing, roasting, braising, grilling, steaming, and poaching with only a few feet separating them from one another. Each chef intensely engrossed in their own world but still aware of their surroundings.

In an environment like this mistakes are bound to happen and when they do they are painful. Ev-

ery knife cut and burn tells a story. Chef Jose Colin and Chef Paul Scordino illustrate this perfectly. The battle wounds on their arms and hands are more then just burns and cuts. They signify experience, determination, and a devotion to their craft.

IF IT’s NOT H T IT’s SH RP Text by ADAM CHASE BEN OUS’ Photos by MATT FRIED

Chef Colin has been working in New York City for over three years. In his short time spent in NYC Chef Colin has already worked at two prestigious and prominent restaurants. His scars are a reminder for him to work smarter. Chef Colin explains “When a Chef is in the shits and the orders keep piling in there’s always an urge to take short cuts.” When the short cuts are taken is when the injuries occur. When Chef Colin returns home from work, scars in hand, he can’t help but stare at his massacred arms and reflect over his mistakes. Chef Colin explains that the day his hands and arms are free from fresh scars will be the day he’s truly mastered his craft.

Chef Paul Scordino has been cooking professionally for seven years. His first restaurant job was as a dishwasher at age fourteen. He’s worked all around the world, including the Dominican Republic, and currently cooks in New York City. Chef Scordino’s scars give him a sense of pride. He’s described his scars as permanent reminders that have documented his culinary progress. If you point to a scar on his arm he could tell you how old he was when he received it and which restaurant he was working at during the time. His most memorable injury occurred when his Sou Chef scolded him purposely in order to teach him a lesson. Chef Scordino was leaning against a table taking a minute to catch his breath during a busy work night. The Sou Chef noticed how he was leaning on the cooking table and branded him with a scolding hot fish spatula. Chef Scordino learned his lesson.

THE MIDAS TOUCH “I don’t believe in an afterlife, so I don’t have to spend my whole life fearing hell, or fearing heaven even more. For whatever the tortures of hell, I think the boredom of heaven would be even worse.” Isaac Asimov Text by JEFF ROLL Photography by MATT FRIED Hair & Makeup by ANASTASIA ARIANAS The ability of a person to sustain longevity in a particular genre of music is nothing short of a magical occurrence. But, this fact is not solely determined by the public’s choice of a musician. Music is an art form that is constantly changing and not only represents a particular era in time but it defines a culture. The Rolling Stones achieved fame defining Rock n Roll; Madonna did it with Pop; LL Cool J characterized Hip Hop; and DJ Hell has done it with electronic music. Since the inception of Hell’s music career back in the late 1970’s, he has taken on many forms of music. Quite literally his music has transcended every genre and sub-genre in the realm of electronic music. The sound of his productions have influenced many a Techno and Electro producer - a track like, “Allerseelen,” was 5 years before the Kompakt kids or Plastikman birthed the modern concept of “minimal techno” in 1999. It’s safe to say that DJ Hell’s new masterpiece album, Teufelswerk, will have a similar effect on future producers. Gradient was able to catch up with Helmut Geier a.k.a. DJ Hell to discuss his thirty-year career in electronic music and club culture, his new album Teufelswerk, the future of Techno music worldwide, and what he has planned to do next in life. To understand the significance of DJ Hell and his new album, one has to go back in time and embrace the accomplishments of the individual and his productions. Hailing from Bavaria, Germany, Hell began his musical career as a teenage DJ in 1978. Like many adolescents of the era he transitioned from punk, rock ‘n’ roll, pop, ska, disco to new wave, then on to electro, house, and hip-hop by the mid-’80s. The experimentations with different sounds and genres of music led him to start producing his own music. In 1992 he closed his DJ set at Berlin’s Love Parade with

his own track, “My Definition Of House,” and was immediately signed to Belgium label R&S Records. By 1994 he launched the record label Disko B and simultaneously recorded the DetroitTechno inspired album, Geteert & Gefedert, with Richard Bartz and Mijk Van Dyk. Needless to say, the album defined a generation of clubbers. Interestingly, this era of electronic music culture was a very special time for Hell, “…Detroit techno was ruling the world and it was all about the music. The songs were the only things that mattered. It was kind of an innocent time.” Two years later in 1996, Hell started the International Deejay Gigolos label. It was supposed to be a subsidiary of Disko B., but little did Hell know that International DeeJay Gigolos would far surpass Disko B., spark a whole new genre of electronic music, and go on to consistently reinvent itself, becoming one of the most critically acclaimed labels in Electro and Techno. With the release of Munich Machine in 1998, Hell’s use of Warm Leatherette and Barry Manilow’s Copacabana made his tracks so colorful in contrast to other Techno music that it pulsated like a strobe light in a dark club and catapulted unknowns like Chicks On Speed into the public eye. Around the same time, International DeeJay Gigolos gave birth to the electro-clash sound by fusing electro bass with the live vocals and percussions of rock. The genre was to become the trademark sound for International Deejay Gigolos, but in the subsequent years after the turn of the century, the electro-clash sound began to generate negative reactions from the public and artists. By the time Hell released the 2004 album, NY MUSCLE, he was able to throw off the chains of electro-clash. He began to embrace the new minimal electro sound. International Deejay Gigolos transformed into one of the premier electro-techno labels as their catalog of releases included Tiga, Fischerspooner, Alan Vega, James Murphy, Billy

Ray Martin, and Miss Kittin & The Hacker. But even with all of Hell’s and International Deejay Gigolos previous achievements, they all pale in comparison with last April’s release of his new album Teufelswerk. Teufelswerk is the culmination of Hell’s thirty years of experience in techno and electro mu-

shouldn’t control the audience. I mean some nice textures and patterns coming together in a tasteful way can be really nice. But, this whole idea of visuals involving a Barbie doll flying around on a magic carpet with a polar bear through Ibiza and a giant spaceship in pursuit...” The opinion has come from thirty years of experience; he

“There’s so much music out there and it’s getting harder and harder to find music that stands out. The song you find on Thursday is already old news on Monday.” sic. The album is a work of art; every track on Teufelswerk is the epitome of the future sound of electronic music. He has quite literally taken the best parts of electronic music from the last thirty years and put them back together in productions that are flawless. The tracks are so refined as to say that they are “organized chaos”. Hell commented, “I’ve said it before but I still believe it - you will go farther as an artist by really concentrating on what it is that you do best. Now that’s not to say that you shouldn’t be a flexible and adaptable producer, because times and trends change, but it’s important to not be defined by those things. I think my style and my releases have seen plenty of changes over the years but there’s always a special touch to remind you that it’s Hell. And I would follow this especially now, at a time when there’s so much music out there and it’s getting harder and harder to find music that stands out. The song you find on Thursday is already old news on Monday.” Hell has always been ahead of the curve with his vision of the future of music. The new sound emanating from International Deejay But bear this in mind; Hell is a DJ who has always believed that the music should speak for itself. He has preferred to play in almost complete darkness – not allowing any of bright lights on him during his performances. Hell has stated, in age of club culture where a lot of DJ’s have elaborate visuals and extrasensory tantalizations, “as far as visuals are concerned, they should just enhance the tracks or the mood. They definitely

has played events on every continent around the world and knows what works for him. The years of traveling around the world have given him the incite, not only into the U.S and Europe, but to the global electronic music scene. For a country that helped give birth to the electronic music industry, the U.S. as a whole, has been very slow to accept this music full force. The reason behind the lack of support in the U.S. is the dominating forces of America’s Pop, Rock n Roll, Hip-Hop, and ever growing Country music industry. Techno, House, Electro, and Trance have always been the underground music in the U.S. Hell explained, “I think that the US if a very diverse place and anything is possible there. I think a lot of people in the States who don’t understand a lot about techno or listen to it at all, they see all electronic music as this euro trash kind of trance music, and for sure from my experiences a lot of clubs in the US playing “techno” are playing mainstream electro-house and trance, but I see a slow yet sure incline in the progression of great electronic music becoming more popular in the States. More festivals are booking electronic acts and DJs, and more attention is going to conferences like the WMC. So it’s happening slowly, but it’s getting there.” Slowly electronic music has crept into multiple facets of the U.S. culture. Many of its elements can be heard in the pop and hip-hop music of the United States; even television commercials for Fortune 500 companies have chosen to

use electronic music as the key selling factor in them. Regardless of this subconscious conditioning of the American public, techno has always had its most profound effect on people in the clubs. Hell is the type of techno DJ to take you on this musical journey that inevitably leads to the delightful torture of your cerebellum as he says, “I just played some great parties in the States when I was there for the WMC. In NYC, this warehouse party run by the reSOLUTE guys, it was fantastic. I played until long after the sun came up with Peter Kruder, Anja Schneider, and Jeremy Caulfield. Two thousand people packed into a warehouse in Brooklyn going insane!” Unfortunately, this type event is hard to come by in New York City. Even the number of partygoers is comical compared to tens of thousands of people who show up in droves on any given weekend in Europe. Electronic music has made an indelible mark on the lives and culture throughout the United Kingdom, Europe, South America, and Asia. According to Hell, no country has received techno so completely as Germany. Berlin has become a central hub for the electronic music industry. Hell comments, “There’s a wealth of resources there that can’t really be found in one particular place, it’s like a Mecca for anyone in this business because you can find the best of the best in studios and production, video makers, clubs, labels, the whole setup. In this respect there’s no place quite like it in the world. On the weekends there are

month. They’re more than a club - it’s like an institution here.” It is easy to see why DJ Hell would choose to reside in Berlin. The city’s fusion of music, art, and fashion is exactly what he’s been interested in since he was a child. It’s no big secret that DJ Hell has been heavily involved in the high fashion culture throughout the globe. He has scored multiple catwalk shows with many of the major players in the fashion realm including Donatella Versace and Karl Lagerfeld. This obsession started at an early age as he stated, “I was concerned with how I presented myself aesthetically. I don’t wear sweat suits on planes and I don’t DJ in sneakers. Fashion is just another artistic expression of mine, along with music. The fashion press has always been very kind to me and incorporating fashion into my lifestyle just seemed to happen. I love to study it and wear it and really discover the philosophies behind the lines and the directions that designers take.” Hell actually had plans to develop his own fashion line, but with the amount of time needed to create such a thing combined with his numerous musical projects and constantly jet-setting around the globe nothing ever materialized. But not to worry, he has planned to release his own line of sunglasses with Freudenhaus and will be unmasking a small line of men’s underwear with Austrian designers Wendy & Jim. DJ Hell has been able to partake in whatever

“I don’t wear sweat suits on planes and I don’t DJ in sneakers. Fashion is just another artistic expression of mine, along with music.” a hundred clubs completely packed with people who just have to dance.” Hell went on to explain that the clubs actually function as a creative collective because, not only, do they focus on having the best music, “…but they are also running a label, showcasing artwork all around the club, and commissioning artists to design their programs every

industry he has wanted to be apart of and come out a winner. Whether its releasing a techno album that is sure to be ranked as number one this year or flirting with a transition into film scoring, he has methodically thought out how to achieve each success. Hell is an artist whose influence will have an effect on people for years to come.

Dense as a horse mane is: rain in our eyes. And hills. We have passed the suburb. Now we are out of town, which is there but not for us. Stepmother not mother. Nowhere is lying ahead. And here is

where we fall

photography BRYAN GURSKY styling ALAN ECKSTEIN & DONNA KANG hair OSMANE for KERASTASE LOREAL-PARIS makeupe LUISA ASCENSﾃグ for CHANEL models ALEKSANDRA at MUSE & GORDIE WALKER at VNY photographers assistant EDWARD GIVIS stylist assistant AUDREY SHANAHAN special thanks to JOHN FAVREAU & RICHARD BASSETT 57

HER Faille Short Blazer, Silk Blouse with Knotted Collar and Faille Skinny Pant CAROLINA HERRERA HIM Fur Military Coat FENDI Two-Button Suit MICHAEL KORS Button-Down Cotton Shirt DIOR HOMME

3/4 Sleeve Rain Coat FENDI Three-Button Boxy Suit MICHAEL KORS Button-Down Shirt STYLIST’S OWN Umbrella STYLIST’S OWN

HER Sculpted Bubble Jacket FENDI Leather Skinny Pant STAERK Ribbon Embroidered Blouse CAROLINA HERRERA High Heeled Oxford Pump STAERK Paper Leather Bib TIMO. HIM Sculpted Bubble Coat FENDI Cotton Button-Down Shirt DIOR HOMME Slim Pant, Sleek Oxford Shoe MICHAEL KORS Perforated Leather Bow-Tie TIMO. Feather Scarf CAROLINA HERRERA

HER Fur and Wool Striped Sweater FENDI Velvet Pants STAERK HIM Tweed, Slim Coat EPIC FIRM Sweater Vest ADAM Button-Down Shirt ADAM Skinny Jean MARC JACOBS Boots FENDI Satin Draped Collar TIMO.

HIM Patent, Toggle Rain Coat MICHAEL KORS Suit MICHAEL KORS Assymetrical Collar Shirt VINTAGE Boots FENDI Feather Scarf CAROLINA HERRERA HER Embroidered Feather Dress NINA RICCI

LEFT HER Short, Luxe Rafia Blazer CAROLINA HERRERA Tree Print Chiffon Blouse CAROLINA HERRERA Leather Racer Pant STAERK HIM Wool Coat MICHAEL KORS COLLECTION Wool Cardigan ADAM Button-Down Shirt VINTAGE CHRISTIAN DIOR Pants CORPUS Oxford Shoes FENDI HIM Long, Draped Collar Cardigan HENRIK VIBSKOV Turtleneck Sweater FENDI Pants MICHAEL KORS COLLECTION

HER Long, Plaid Coat, Tailored Vest CAROLINA HERRERA Velvet Pants, High-Heeled Oxford Pump STAERK HIM Double Breasted Cardigan EPIC FIRM Button Down Shirt DIOR HOMME Pants MARC JACOBS Duchess Satin Neck Bow Wrap DONNA KANG

HER Draped Dress, Draped, Open Vest STAERK Wide Belt CAROLINA HERRERA Shoes FENDI HIM Fur Coat, Fur Bomber Jacket, Patent Leather Shoes FENDI Button Down Shirt MICHAEL KORS Wool Pant MICHAEL KORS COLLECTION

Long, Plaid Coat, Tailored Vest Bow Neck Blouse CAROLINA HERRERA Velvet Pants, High-Heeled Oxford Pump STAERK

Imagine if there was a disease that was affecting more and more young people – your friends, your relatives, your classmates – and most of the population was oblivious to it because it was considered too embarrassing to openly discuss. Imagine the frustration of trying to spread awareness about a disease that is often overlooked, misunderstood and misdiagnosed. I’d like to clear the air about this disease and get it all out in the open. What it is, what it’s like to live with it and why it needs more of our attention. Hopefully, after reading this article, you will be more inclined to start an open discussion about it with the people you know, and in the process help to dispel some of the stigma surrounding Crohn’s disease.

Written by REMY MELINA • Typography by JOHN GAGLIANO Photography by MATT FRIED and Special Thanks to DR. ANTHONY WEISS

One day, out of the blue, you begin to suffer from mysterious stomach pains. You often lose your appetite. When you do manage to get some food into your system, it doesn’t stay there for very long. Bouts of diarrhea and vomiting plague you several times a day. This of course leads to rapid weight loss. You develop a persistent fever and discover rashes on your body. You notice that you’ve been catching colds more easily that you ever did before and that your energy levels are lagging. Despite a constant feeling of tiredness, you suffer from sleeplessness, which allows for you to spend your nights tossing and turning in bed, worrying about what’s wrong with you and why it seems like your own body has suddenly turned against you. Your doctors run a battery of tests, then more tests, trying to determine the cause of your ailments. If you are lucky, your doctor will recognize the symptoms of Crohn’s disease and will refer you to a gastroenterologist - an internal medicine physician that specializes in the treatment of disorders of the gastrointestinal tract. However, if you doctor doesn’t have enough knowledge about the range of symptoms a person with Crohn’s disease can experience, he or she may misdiagnose you or try to treat each symptom individually, putting you on an array of medication and possibly even resorting to surgery, all while being unable to pinpoint the direct cause of your sickness. “When I was diagnosed, I was ten years old,” says 24-year-old Amanda Weinstein, recalling what it was like to grow up with Crohn’s disease during a time when many people had no real knowledge of what it was. Thankfully, medical treatment has advanced a great deal over the past few years for Crohn’s disease patients, but it still has a long way to go.

sometimes making it difficult for doctors to establish a definite diagnosis between the two, as they are the main disease categories that belong to a larger group of illnesses called inflammatory bowel disease (IBD). The CCFA estimates that approximately ten percent of colitis cases are unable to be identified as either ulcerative colitis or Crohn’s disease and are called indeterminate colitis. With both illnesses, the body’s immune system has an abnormal response, possibly to microbes such as the bacteria normally found in the intestines. The body sends white blood cells into the lining of the intestines in order to attack what it has mistaken as foreign or invading substances, in the process causing chronic inflammation and ultimately leading to ulcerations and bowel injury. If a child is born with Crohn’s disease or develops the disease early on in life, he or she may experience slowed growth and delayed sexual development as nutritional deficiencies are common among Crohn’s patients. This is why knowledge of the disease’s symptoms and early detection are crucial to improving the quality of life for people with Crohn’s. Despite continuous research being done on Crohn’s disease, investigators have yet to determine what causes the disease. They believe that the patient’s immune system is unable to properly control its’ inflammation response and turn it off at the right time, leading to damage of the intestines and a range of related symptoms in varying degrees of intensity. Because of this, many doctors recommend the use of medication to help Crohn’s disease patients better regulate their immune systems.

“Basically, as much as I can remember, I was rapidly losing weight, probably about five to seven months before I was diagnosed, along with being so sick every time I ate. I’ve seen a picture of myself the day before I went into the hospital, I looked like a skeleton. I also remember going to Disney World the year before I was diagnosed and I think that was when things started to act up, because I couldn’t eat and I couldn’t even really walk anywhere… I was forty pounds, with green colored skin all the time, losing hair and basically I couldn’t walk, because I also had severe joint pain. It took months of going back and forth to the doctor before anyone had any inkling of what it could be... They thought first that I was not eating on purpose, then because Crohn’s shows itself in different ways, they thought Leukemia or Lupus. Finally I saw a new pediatrician who took one look at me and immediately thought Crohn’s.”

There are several groups of drugs used to suppress the inflammatory response of Crohn’s disease. Often, patients have to try a number of different medications at various intervals to determine which is right for them, or use a combination of several drugs and supplements that is carefully monitored by their doctors. Special diets can also be followed to restrict foods that a patient knows tend to cause their symptoms to flare up or that they have a history of having negative reactions to. In between flare-ups, a period of time which can last anywhere from a few weeks to several years, many people with Crohn’s disease live relatively free of symptoms. “Currently I have never undergone any surgery, but I am on Remicade, which is an IV treatment. I get it every two and a half to three months,” Amanda says. “I consistently take Pentasa, Prevacid, folic acid, Methotrexate and Remicade, all to manage my Crohn’s and rheumatoid arthritis.”

The Crohn’s and Colitis Foundation of America (CCFA) defines Crohn’s disease as a chronic disorder that causes inflammation of the digestive or gastrointestinal (GI) tract. It most commonly affects the small intestine and/or colon, although it can involve any area of the GI tract from the mouth to the anus. Ulcerative colitis is a disease that is related to Crohn’s and has many of the same symptoms,

A manda was diagnosed with rheumatoid arthritis at age 15. Because Crohn’s disease is not always limited to the gastrointestinal tract, it can also affect the joints, eyes, skin and liver. Early detection and a correct diagnosis are vital to controlling symptoms and preventing irreversible damage to the patient’s body that could result in the need

JAY PACITTI

for surgery. Two-thirds to three-quarters of patients with Crohn’s disease will require surgery at some point in their lives, according to statistics gathered by the CCFA. Patients must undergo surgery when medication can no longer suppress their symptoms or when the disease has caused intestinal obstruction or other dangerous complications. The development of fissures, or tears in the lining of the anus which lead to pain and bleeding, may also require surgery. The constant inflammation of the intestines can also cause fistulas to develop. A tunnel that leads from one section of intestine to another, or that forms a connection to the bladder, vagina or skin, fistulas often require surgery to be corrected. Chris, 34-year-old living in Queens, first realized that something was wrong with his stomach when he was 17. Due to Chris’ consistent lower abdominal pain, his doctor originally thought that he had an ulcer, but after a colonoscopy, it was determined that Chris had Crohn’s disease. Since then, he has had four surgeries to treat fistulas and other Crohn’s disease-related conditions. He says that he has been on too many medications to remember all of their names, but that taking Remicade has significantly improved his ability to overcome the symptoms that have plagued him for almost two decades. “When they first diagnosed me, I didn’t take it seriously, I didn’t listen,” Chris says. “They told me to take Asacol and Prednisone. I stayed on that for maybe a month because the medication didn’t really make me feel better. Nothing worked for me until Remicade.” “I needed an operation for a fistula, which was a hole in my bladder, in 1997. My intestines were pretty infected. I had the operation, but then in 2001, the fistula came back and I need to be operated on again. At that point, I just didn’t care anymore. I didn’t take any of the medication; I kind of gave up on life. Then in 2006, I was back in the hospital because I’d had another attack. I weighed maybe a hundred and thirty pounds. I thought to myself, ‘I’ve got to accept the disease already and just move forward, step by step.’”

Remicade relieves symptoms by binding and blocking the effects of TNF-alpha, a protein involved in the inflammation process. It is prescribed to patients only after they have tried other therapies and it is clear that other drugs have failed to treat their symptoms. Chris says that his previous doctors considered Remicade to be a ‘last resort’ treatment option for him and he believes that if the IV treatment had been made available to him earlier on, he may not have had to undergo so many surgery procedures. He receives a dose of Remicade every two months and also takes a drug called Azathioprine. Chris was recently able to go on a trip to Japan, something that he would not have been able to do without getting seriously ill prior to being on Remicade. He credits the treatment with allowing him to lead a very active, energetic lifestyle. “I’ve been rockin’ and rollin’ on this drug. Remicade was the thing that made me believe that everything was going to be alright. All the bad things I’ve been through, this drug finally made it possible for me to enjoy life and live it to my fullest.” Darlene Miranda, 34, was diagnosed with Crohn’s disease at the end of her freshman year in college. She had lost 17 pounds and was experiencing major cramping. Despite her older brother being diagnosed with Crohn’s disease when he was 22, Darlene says that her knowledge of the disease had been limited at the time she was diagnosed.

“Although my brother was diagnosed years before me, there really wasn’t a whole lot of information available,” Darlene explains. “And, the thing with Crohn’s is that is that it can impact individuals very differently. What I did know was that he was in pain, had to have surgery and substantially limited his activities, such as traveling. So immediately, I thought that’s what it would mean for me too. I have more of an adventurous spirit than he does, so I was pretty upset about the whole thing.”

Since he began taking Remicade last May, Chris has felt a tremendous increase in his energy levels and overall health. The first t r e a tm e n t made specifically for Crohn’s disease,

Living with Crohn’s disease for 16 years now, Darlene has had two surgeries to remove parts of her small intestine. She still experiences daily symptoms such as cramping and diarrhea, even when she is in remission. Darlene and her doctor work together on her treatment to determine what works best for her, and she is currently on a maintenance medication after first trying Prednisone, Entocort, Imuran and Pentasa at separate intervals. “Those times when I was leading up to my surgeries were completely miserable,” Recalls Darlene. “Your life literally

AM AN DA W EINSTEIN

has to pause. Employers aren’t always understanding of having to go to the hospital emergency room every few weeks and being kept there for a week at a time. The pain is unimaginable. And, basically, you’re withering away because you can’t keep anything down.” Crohn’s has not dampened Darlene’s adventurous spirit or determination. After attending graduate business school, Darlene began working full time for a financial services company and has been there for three and a half years. “That keeps me pretty busy,” Darlene says. “But, when I’m not here, I am usually cooking, spending time with my two miniature schnauzers, traveling or training heavily for various athletic events that I participate in such as triathlons and long-distance bike rides. When I am in remission, I can pretty much do most anything. Don’t get me wrong, I still have to know where the bathroom is and deal with the embarrassment of having to go, but you learn to live with it, you adapt.” Scott Nadler, 23, recently graduated from Ithaca College with a degree in sport management and works for a sports marketing company called SportsLink, as well as writing for an independent basketball scouting service. When he was 13 years old, Scott experienced what he describes as a deep and intense pain in his lower abdomen and blood in his stool for two weeks straight. Following a meeting with a gastroenterologist, he was diagnosed with ulcerative colitis. Scott has had three colonoscopies and two endoscopies and is currently taking Asacol and Purinethol for his symptoms. “I think one of the fascinating things about the disease is how different it can be for each person inflicted with it,” Scott says. “One of the hardest things someone with Crohn’s or UC has to go through is finding a combination of medications that can control the disorder. This can take a very long time for some people, and in the process many suffer because of the trial and error course that needs to be taken. For me, I was extremely fortunate to find the right medication early in my diagnosis and have been on relatively the same medication for nine years.”

fully recover. To go along with that, my joints are weak as well. I’m an avid basketball player and have experienced many injuries because of this, which has affected my ability to stay on the court. I’m also reminded of the disease on a daily basis because of the medication that I take and also watching what I eat. From a social aspect, I don’t drink alcohol because of the potential harm the mixture of the medicine with alcohol could do to my body.” Eli Brown is an example of a patient strictly monitoring their diet in order to control Crohn’s disease symptoms. Eli, 34, lives in Brooklyn and works as a chef at a prestigious hotel in Manhattan. He has suffered severe symptoms of Crohn’s disease since he was 15. Originally, he tried to ignore his symptoms and downplay the signs of the illness. At one point he was vomiting 25 times a day, having to constantly run to the bathroom and spending entire nights on the toilet because he was unable to keep any food in his system. His symptoms included diarrhea, bloody stools, sleeplessness, fatigue, a weakened immune system and severe weight loss. As his condition worsened and the disease took its toll on his appearance, he was unable to ignore that something was terribly wrong. Because he did not initially describe all his symptoms to his doctors, mainly telling them that he often felt tired, they misdiagnosed him with exhaustion and depression. After giving his doctors more specific details about his ailments, Eli was correctly diagnosed with Crohn’s disease. Refusing to undergo surgery, he attempted to alleviate his symptoms through several drugs that his doctors prescribed in trial intervals to see which worked best for him. Eli was taking 30 pills a day, but every medication he tried either didn’t help or gave him side effects that were as equally unpleasant as the symptoms he was taking them for. Eli says that they would “fix one thing but create another problem.”

Frustrated with the lack positive results he was getting from medication, Eli decided to create a special diet for himself. Using his culinary education and his skills as a wellrespected chef, he first only ate very simple, bland foods that would not irritate his stomach. He then slowly began to introduce new items to his daily diet, gauging his body’s reaction to each newly added ingredient.

Although no food plan is universally ideal for every person with Crohn’s disease and it has not been proven that any one specific food causes of cures the symptoms of Crohn’s disease, Eli advises simplifying one’s diet by eliminating unhealthy junk food and cutting back on fat and spices, even salt and pepper. He recommends ‘going to the basics’ by starting from a ‘baseline diet’, which includes organic foods like brown rice and bananas, apple sauce and plain toast. As his symptoms began to improve, he added more items to his menu, including thoroughly cooked vegetables, lean fish and fresh, hormone-free chicken. Eli’s symptoms have decreased considerably since he incorporated the new diet into his lifestyle and he stresses the importance of people with Crohn’s disease avoiding foods that

The decision to live a healthier life is one that people with Crohn’s disease often have to make. Most have to watch their diets to make sure that they do not accidentally consume foods that may trigger their symptoms. Some have to avoid alcohol because it will cause an adverse reaction to the medication and/or supplements they are taking, while others simply choose to not drink, smoke or do drugs because they want their bodies and immune systems to be as healthy as possible as they undergo treatment for Crohn’s. “It’s affected my life in several ways,” Scott says of having ulcerative colitis. “Due to the disorder, I have a fairly weak immune system. Whenever I get sick, whether it’s a cold or the flu, it takes my body longer than the average person to

BARRIS V INOGR ADOV

they know from experience will make them ill. “I have to always be aware of what I’m eating, I couldn’t just act like everyone else at college,” Amanda says. “Drinking like everyone else in college was so difficult and I went to a school where it was a very social thing, so learning that my health is more important has always been a hard thing for me to deal with.” Jay Pacitti also has to monitor what he eats. He avoids eating anything containing certain vegetables that he knows his body will react to negatively, and is careful to not eat large quantities of any vegetables. He has also noticed that he can’t go without eight hours of sleep each night for more than a couple of days. This realization actually helped him to make the decision to change his career, as having to get a full night’s rest “made it tough to be a lawyer in New York City.” For people with Crohn’s disease, monitoring stress levels is a must, as anxiety and tension can often directly impact the severity of symptoms. While Jay chose to change his occupational path so that he could set his own hours and decrease his stress levels, Eli works to alleviate the extremely high amount of stress he often encounters as a chef by practicing deep breathing exercises, positive visualization techniques and mediation. Exercise plays a large role in Darlene’s stress management strategy. “I take care of myself and try to watch what I eat,” Darlene says. “I also exercise a lot. Most important, I have to be way more vigilant than others about my stress levels, since that is my worst trigger. All these things help me cope and live fully.” While social outings are a form of reliving stress for most people, the worry of having a sudden attack of symptoms while out with friends or on a date is itself a source of anxiety for many people with Crohn’s. Over time, the disease can dramatically take its toll on a person’s social activities and relationships.

she has adapted to living with Crohn’s disease and the additional levels of privacy that the disease sometimes requires. “At work, things are a bit different. Many people there, except for my close friends, don’t know that I have Crohn’s. So, even though I may seem okay on the outside, they will never fully know how much pain I can actually be in.” “The ways that Crohn’s has affected my life varies depending on the situation,” Says Amanda. “For one, unfortunately I’m almost always concerned about where I’ll be and what if I don’t feel well all of a sudden or have to find a bathroom. You never know and it can be really scary because in a matter of minutes you could feel sick and then it becomes this really embarrassing situation. I think probably overall the basic awareness of myself is what has affected me the most. And always feeling like I’m the sick friend...And knowing that it doesn’t just affect me but everyone around me who is involved in my life.” “The issue I always feel that comes up for me personally is whether or not the person I’m with can withstand what it means to be with someone who has Crohn’s,” Amanda continues. “It requires someone who is willing to learn about it, understands what it’s about and realizes that it is present and requires attention. It can’t be ignored. I always get worried that I’m going to be dating someone and then I’ll tell them about Crohn’s and they’ll run, but in the end they aren’t worth it anyway. Being twenty-four, it’s hard for me to tell someone about my health issues because it always makes me feel like a burden and the sick girlfriend. But either that person won’t care that I have Crohn’s, will get over it and become a part of my life with the illness, or they won’t.”

“At first it began to restrict me from everyday life experiences,” Chris somberly recalls. “It takes away your ability to interact with the public. You don’t want to be bothered with people and you’re always in a bad mood. It affects you mentally, socially and physically.”

“Thinking back, Crohn’s has always made starting new relationships a bit awkward. If you didn’t know I had Crohn’s, you wouldn’t guess it from my appearance. However, think about what happens when you’re in a new relationship. Sleepovers cause more stress than you think because the last thing you want someone new in your life to experience is you running to the bathroom several times throughout the night. For my current relationship, the first time we ever traveled together, when I sensed things were getting serious I had to have ‘the talk’, explaining what a long-term relationship with someone with Crohn’s could mean… Flare-ups, hospital visits, colonoscopies, etcetera. Romantic, huh?

“I think there’s a bit of an embarrassment factor that comes with the disease,” Says Scott. “Always having to know where the bathroom is because of sudden urges and the psychological toll this can have on you is draining. As a result, many people pass up on great opportunities, whether it’s traveling to a foreign country or just going out with friends, because of the fear that comes along with the illness.” “I won’t share hotel rooms with other people except my partner, but it won’t keep me from traveling and enjoying myself,” Darlene says when giving an example of how

Darlene similarly relates how Crohn’s disease has affected the ways in which she approaches relationships. Although she had been with her partner for nine years, she still remembers the challenges that Crohn’s disease used to pose during the early stages of dating.

DARLEN E MIR AN DA

That’s why the people who love people with Crohn’s need to get a lot of credit too.” “I was twenty-nine when I was diagnosed,” Jay recalls. “I exhibited symptoms a year earlier. My only symptoms were pain, serious, serious pain and fevers. I think this is important, because the lack of ‘bathroom issues’ was one of the reasons why I was undiagnosed. Proper diagnosis would likely have avoided more surgery . . .” Jay’s surgeries include an emergency appendectomy, then ileocolic resection, during which he had eight inches of small intestine and eight inches of large intestine removed. He has been in relative remission since 2000, post-surgery, with his daily medication schedule consisting of twelve Pentasa pills. Jay has one relative, a cousin, with ulcerative colitis and says that he had no knowledge of what Crohn’s disease was prior to his own diagnosis. “It definitely also took a huge toll on the relationship I was in when diagnosed and for several years after my diagnosis. But since my disease is now under control post-surgery and with medication, I am one of the very, very lucky ones, and quite a bit of the effect on my life has been positive.” Jay’s experience with Crohn’s disease has not only had a positive effect on his own life, but on the lives of the thousands of people he has helped and inspired through a not-forprofit organization he started in 2004 called Get Your Guts In Gear (GYGIG), which creates and produces events for people that have Crohn’s disease and ulcerative colitis as well as the people who support those affected by the disease. The bringing together of patients and their family, friends and caregivers creates a very positive environment of understanding and encouragement that is essential to people with Crohn’s. GYGIG main goal is to raise awareness of Crohn’s disease, ulcerative colitis, and related conditions through multi-day cycling events that benefit and support inflammatory bowel disease organizations and patient advocacy groups.

“We raise funds and awareness about the disease, but, more than that, we connect with each other in a pretty powerful way,” says Darlene. “Most people on the rides either have an illness or are there to support a loved one. It’s an amazing group of people. Last year was my first ride, but really, this will be a lifetime association! Plus, 210 miles? It’s hard but you feel like a rock star when you cross that finish line.” For people dealing with Crohn’s disease, ulcerative colitis and similar gastrointestinal illnesses, support and understanding from the people around them is very important. Support groups, fundraisers and other social events help to lessen the feelings of isolation that people with the disease may experience. To be surrounded by people who recognize what they are going through and who have had similar experiences, even if their symptoms are different, is comforting to someone living with Crohn’s. “I once believed that I had to fight this illness all on my own,” Darlene says. “It was as if I was a passive player in my own illness. Talk about feeling isolated! Now that I know more about causes such as Get Your Guts in Gear and Web sites like ‘Crohn’s and Me’, I know that’s not the case at all. Thanks to things like this, I have now become a more active player in my illness and in the Crohn’s community. So, I encourage everyone out there to keep the healthy dialogue going and help to drive awareness.”

Crohn’s disease shows itself in many different ways and to various degrees, but a cure is yet to be found. According to the GYGIG Web site, it is estimated that at least 1.4 million Americans have inflammatory bowel disease —with that number evenly split between Crohn’s disease and ulcerative colitis. IBD is primarily a disease of adolescents and young adults between 15 and 35. However, IBD can occur in people of any age, including older adults and very young children. Ten percent of those affected by IBD— at least 140,000 patients—are under the age of 18. That is why increasing awareness of what the disease is, its’ wide range of symptoms and how it affects people’s lives, as well as continuing to fund future research, is so important.

Since its first ride, Get Your Guts in Gear has returned more than $1.25 million to support IBD charities and research, including GYGIG’s own programs. The organizations holds three-day bike riding events in several locations across the country, with an upcoming Hudson River Valley Ride in New York, where cyclists will leave New York City and pedal to Saratoga Springs from June 12th to the 14th. In August, cyclists will complete a three-day loop north of Seattle from August 7th to the 9th and an inaugural ride will take place in the Midwest between October 2nd and 4th. Jay stresses that you don’t have to be a cyclist to participate. Many people, including Amanda, become volunteer crew members to help make the rides happen and are an integral part of the community that is created.

SCOTT NADLER

Don’t hesitate to talk about the illness with your family and friends. Chances are, you probably already know someone who has Crohn’s disease or an IBD-related illness. It is also important to find out of you have a family history of gastrointestinal disorders. If you are currently experiencing any of the symptoms of Crohn’s disease, voice your concerns to your doctor and request to be tested for the disease if you suspect that you have been misdiagnosed. Honest, open discussion will help to bring attention to this very serious, often insufficiently acknowledged disease and bring us closer to determining the cause and, hopefully, the cure for Crohn’s disease.

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NATE HURWITZ photos by

JEFF FRIED Meat photos by

MATT FRIED

I’m not quite able to put my finger on why the trip to the ocean, across the borough of Brooklyn, feels like a migration. This is the “old country,” of which I’m three generations removed, known as Brighton Beach. The old Brooklyn of my parents and grandparents generation was a totally new culture, created by a diverse mix of immigrants, eventually becoming the quintessential New York. I’m traveling to understand the culture of a community that made the same trek to New York as my great grandfather did almost 100 years ago. My journey has led me to imagine that however feeble my own trek has been, it just to makes the ride out to Brighton Beach feel shorter. After we had been deposited onto Brighton Beach Avenue, we walked below the hulking skeleton of the B train to the National – one of the original Russian dinner/nightclubs in Brighton Beach. The rumble of the trains made it impossible not to yell to one another as they passed overhead. But, we had not yet mastered the neighborhood natives technique to drop and pick up their conversations seamlessly around the roar of the trains. Even for one unfamiliar with the area, the National is impossible to miss. The sturdy gilded brick facade gives the impression of an old Soviet Bloc complex that might have been the latest feature on Extreme Makeover: Home Edition. Whether this is nostalgia, an attempt to wrest ownership from former oppressors, or a mix of both – the aesthetics of the building aren’t exactly clear. We walked beneath the gold awning through the revolving doors and into a recreation of old world grandeur. Two winding staircases flank the lobby on either side complete with columns and gold leafing. Sitting behind a large wood desk, supporting a seemingly even larger ledger, sat an older man in a suit. His serious demeanor certainly would have given Robert Duval a run for his money as Michael’s consiglieri. After a few words from Barris, our indispensable interpreter and one of the founders of Gradient, we were ushered in through two large swinging doors. What ensued blew our minds. New York has always been an immigrant city. From its inception as a Dutch colony the emphasis was on trade and commerce. Unlike many of the other American settlements, which were organized along religious or ethnic lines, New York’s economic focus allowed people of all backgrounds to do business here. New York’s diverse origins, while not noble, set the path for the city to become one of the greatest melting pots in the world. We take great pride in the fact that

almost every nationality is represented in our city. The food, music, or art of almost any culture is only a subway ride away. The ability of immigrant groups to hold on to their heritage, while adopting parts of others, is something that is quintessentially New York. E.B White wrote, “commuters give the city its tidal restlessness; natives give it solidity and continuity; but the settlers give it passion.” Upon first hearing this as a native New Yorker, I loathe to accept this line. Natives often cling to the idea that having a sense of the city is a birthright. The more I try to justify that emotion to myself the more ludicrous it seems. The fact of the matter is that White is stating, what makes New York – New York, the birthright of any who wants to claim it. While the city has retained or even expanded its diversity over the decades, in recent years, there has been a feeling that it’s gritty soul is being threatened. Over the last decade, the economic boom and housing market has led to the vast expansion of Manhattans luxury housing market. While everyone can agree that this has cleaned up the city and brought great economic gain, there remains a nagging voice in the back of many people’s minds: at what cost? Many ethnic neighborhoods have seen rents rise exponentially, either pushing out long term residents or making once welcoming areas untenable destinations for new arrivals. Tenements and brownstones have been the choice over larger more modern apartment buildings. Local bodegas and “mom & pop” shops have been replaced by superstores and insanely expensive boutiques. The Meat Packing district’s cobble stone streets no longer run red with blood, the Lower East Side’s once gloriously grotesque dive bars have become destinations as opposed to sinkholes, and you can actually park your car on the street in Hell’s kitchen and still find it there after a night at the theatre. While many of these changes have been positive, making once poverty stricken and dangerous areas livable, the clean up has coincided with the displacement and homogenization of many of those neighborhoods. How many Italians actually live in Little Italy? Can any of the residents of Alphabet City and the LES explain it’s Loisaida nickname? Can you get a straight razor shave anywhere for under $50? These changes have spread across the water to the outer boroughs as well. You can still get a great perogi in Greenpoint, get your shoes cobbled in Williamsburg, and get amazing roti in Crown Heights, but for how long? What roti shop, cobbler, or perogi bar could afford to double their rent and still be able to service their communities with the same inexplicably low prices that have allowed them to thrive? So now I find myself 78

telling anyone who will listen “when I was your age I walked five miles barefoot in the snow to get to school, and on my way had a perogi, roti, a canoli, pernil, corned beef, got myself a shave, and played dominoes.” You now point out that I am your age, so before I completely jump 40 years into the future to become the disgruntled old New Yorker I sound like, let’s acknowledge the fact that New York remains a city in which almost all of these things are available – if you know where to look. There are countless ethnic communities throughout Brooklyn, the Bronx, Queens and yes, even Manhattan, that have been able to retain their vibrant culture. Though for many it has been relatively easy for the simple reasons that the areas are too poor or geographically undesirable to be threatened by gentrification, there are several neighborhoods that have been on the frontlines and have nevertheless kept their heritage intact. In some neighborhoods such as Harlem, it has been the city that has worked with neighborhood associations. They ensure that longtime residents are not pushed out in mass by designating a certain number of buildings to remain affordable and capping rent increases on local businesses. In other neighborhoods, like Chinatown and Brighton Beach, residents and local groups come together and do the work. Although some might rightly maintain that these neighborhoods stay too insular, it cannot be argued that these tactics ensure the continuance of a neighborhood’s cultural integrity. In the 1860’s, William Engeman founded Brighton Beach as a middle class beach resort. Engeman made his fortune during the civil war; he bought up the ocean front property for cheap and carved out the large Gravesend area of Brooklyn. While Coney Island had already established itself as a first rate beach resort, Brighton Beach had to scramble to keep up. Engeman created the Brighton Beach Baths, a racing association, and wilder forms of entertainment, including Buffalo Bill’s Wild West Show, which he brought to Brooklyn. As rents began to rise, the one family homes and bungalows lining the shore became too expensive; instead, the residents favored large apartment complexes. As the carnival atmosphere dwindled, the mostly Jewish middle-class families, who frequented the resorts, began to make Brighton Beach their permanent residence. They received a huge boost to their ranks with the massive waves of European Jews immigrating to the area after World War II. Brighton Beach remained a calm middle class neighborhood until the 1970’s; like much of New York City, it fell into economic decline. A group comprised of mostly second and third generation Americans decided to leave, but those who couldn’t afford to move, watched their neighborhood become tarnished by drugs and crime. Following years of persecution and on the heels of loosening Soviet regulations, Brighton Beach saw an influx of Russian Jews, as well as others fleeing Soviet Satellite countries in the 1970’s. The neighborhood was able to rebound quicker then many because of this wave of immigration. Although there are pockets of South Asian, Pakistani, and Hispanic communities, Brighton Beach remains predominantly Eastern European, with Russian the first and sometimes only language spoken. Brighton Beach is like the modern day Ellis Island for Eastern Europeans. The large majority of immigrants from Russia, Ukrania, Georgia, and other former Soviet Satellite countries, are moving to Brighton Beach or at least stopping here on their way to various destinations. At the very least, for those living in other parts of the country, it is a must see. On a recent Saturday afternoon, I spoke with a young Russian woman named Alena. She was student at Clark College in Massachusetts and had come to Brighton Beach for the day and a taste of home. She had brought one of her schoolmates, an asian woman, who stared wide eyed at store windows as if in a foreign country for the first time. In a sense she was. Brighton Beach has been known as “little Odessa by the sea” referring to the Ukranian port city on the Black Sea. Many residents point to Brighton Beach’s location on the ocean as one of the main reasons why so many Russians settled here. One of the ways in which Brighton Beach has been able to keep itself a Russian enclave is the near impossibility of an outsider 79

â&#x20AC;&#x153;Tenements and brownstones have been the choice over larger more modern apartment buildings

(meaning non-Russian) being able to find an apartment there. It is not that others are discriminated against but many of the realtors as well as building owners and operators are Russian speaking. As Arthur Kessler, a longtime resident and real estate agent says, there are almost no rentals and the few rentals available are almost exclusively word of mouth. If you don’t know someone chances are you’re out of luck. The fact that the real estate market in Brighton Beach is almost exclusively made up of those looking to buy ensures the longevity of families in the neighborhood. In many other eth-

Jewish artifacts. It is the strange conflagration between the old and the new that Russians in Brighton Beach seem to be constantly wrestling with. There is a desire to stay connected with their culture and history, but also a relentless energy to throw off the old repressions, in some ways shatter them, and start anew. Another microcosm of the Brighton Beach culture can be found in the nightlife at the famed National. The National is an almost exclusively a Russian destination. As was explained to me many times by most of the people here, it

“It is the strange conflagration between the old and the new that Russians in Brighton Beach seem to be constantly wrestling with. A desire to stay connected with their culture and history but also a relentless energy to throw off the old repressions, in some waysshatter them, and start anew.” nic neighborhoods, renters make up the market in large part. When a neighborhood becomes more desirable, the rents go up and the residents are forced out. Brighton Beach’s emphasis on ownership and the proliferation of co-ops and condos has safeguarded the neighborhood from such upheavals. The emphasis on ownership does not limit itself solely to residential properties. The majority of the businesses in Brighton Beach are locally owned and operated. One of the first things you notice as you walk down the main thoroughfare, Brighton Beach Avenue, is that there’s almost a total absence of any chain stores. No giant golden arches, no sky-high Blockbuster movie ticket, and certainly no mega supermarkets. Almost everyone I spoke to told me of the various jobs they had worked until they were able to purchase their own business. Most of the people who did not have their own business explained that it was what they were working towards. Slightly further down Brighton Beach Avenue is, Vladimir’s, a barber shop and salon owned by Vladimir Konefsky. Vladimir is the impeccably dressed owner and barber who has been living in Brighton Beach for almost 27 years. He has seen the neighborhood go through its bad times and is

“The dark heavy carpeting and faux regal wallpaper call to mind Atlantic City seniors frittering away their social security checks on a tuesday night. Somehow that most depressing association does nothing to dampen the lively atmosphere of the ballroom." now enjoying the good. His shop is the perfect microcosm of the neighborhood. Young women come in and out of the shop in skin tight jeans to have their hair styled in the latest fashions. Like the Russian pop stars that flit across the T.V screen, these women go through the intricate process of getting their hair bleached platinum blond. The patrons sit beneath Vladimir’s photos of their moshciach, Lubovitch Rabbi Schnierson, and next to his wood carvings comprised of naked women and 81

is a culture of work hard and party hard. Friday and Saturday nights are reserved for recreation – period. Though we arrived around 10 pm, relatively early for the National, the party was in full swing. The large rectangular room resembles a wedding hall, with a horseshoe-shaped elevated dining area wrapping around a dance floor that gives way to good sized stage. The dark heavy carpeting and faux regal wallpaper call to mind Atlantic City seniors frittering away their social security checks on a tuesday night, but still does nothing to dampen the lively atmosphere of the ballroom. The National is not a date night place. It’s a get all your friends plus the whole family, order vodka by the gallon type of place. Most of the tables seat parties with a minimum of six, reaching up to makeshift banquet rows for parties up to 30. There were two tables set for couples. Waiters’ rush back and forth carrying large trays of liver, cured fish, grilled meats, and of course, copious amounts of caviar. Throughout the evening a group of singers perform on stage, singing a mix of Russian ballads,

American pop songs, and the much-adored Abba catalog. At a certain point the lights went down for one of the most insanely unique cabaret shows I’ve ever seen. Is there anywhere else in New York you can see a variety/ cabaret show while eating caviar? Performers decked out in Brazilian Carnival outfits danced the macarena “kitchified” in neon-splattered tights. A young man danced a waltz with two mannequins tied to him highlighted in neon. The show was capped off by three women sensually dressed as flappers singing in boozy voices, and must I mention the neon? The audience sat rapt through the incredible performance and was only to eager to hit the dance floor once it was over. The food, the music, and the culture of Brighton Beach is something to be celebrated regardless of how accurately it is described as Little Odessa By The Sea. Many people in Brighton Beach have mixed feelings about the motherland. Many who have come here were as much running away from Russia as moving to America. Depending on whom you talk to, you will hear varying accounts of Russia’s greatness or scathing remarks of the horrors some have suffered there. The one thing that seems almost uniform however, is the sense of self-determination. Everyone I spoke with had come to America before the fall of Communism to work. Vladimir had come by way of Austria and Italy and had worked for various Russian businesses until he was able to buy his own. Vladimir

does not get very sentimental, although, he seems happy with the success he’s had in New York. Asked if Brighton Beach was really like Odessa, he points outside, “This is Brooklyn, how could this be Russia?” Though much of Brighton Beach seems set up to be a replica of home, many feel it has taken on a life of its own. The recent collection of essays by Lara Vapuyar titled, “Brooklyn Was Mine,”characterizes this principle. In her piece I Hate Brighton Beach, the Ukranian born writer who moved to Brighton Beach, writes everything here seems “too Russian” and ultimately unlike any of her memories of home. However, on a recent trip to L & M International, the famed Russian food market I found an old couple sitting over borscht and pimieni (Russian dumplings) who said the opposite. Although they had long since moved away from Brighton Beach for the calm suburbs of New Jersey, they come back at least once a month and said that, “just sitting and speaking Russian with others makes me remember my mothers kitchen.” Whether or not it is anything like home seems to be dependent on how fond those memories of home are. Although many in the younger generations are living in Brighton Beach to lead more assimilated lives in the city or the suburbs, Brighton Beach remains a lure for newly arriving immigrants and it seems safe to say that its cultural integrity will stay intact for the foreseeable future.

“Though he seems happy with the success he's had in New York Vladimir does not get very sentimental. Asked if Brighton Beach was really like Odessa he points outside "This is Brooklyn, how could this be Russia."

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Art The

War of

“ …the victorious strategist seeks battle after his plans indicate that victory is possible under them, whereas he who is destined to defeat first fights without skillful planning and expects victory to come without planning.” - Sun Tzu, The Art of War Written by Jeff Roll & Photography by Irina Movmyga

conferred the title of creative director. Lex is the true manifestation of “artist”. While in Japan, he developed his own calligraphic style of writing whose characters are reminiscent of ancient Islamic scripture. Lex’s design influence is seen throughout every piece of the SVSV line. His brilliance has led to branding and editorials for clients including MTV Japan, Sony BMG, Apple, and Nokia. His projects have made the impact of the Keystone Design Union seen everyday throughout the world. Gradient Magazine had the privilege of catching up with Gensler and Lex only days before the presidential inauguration of Barack Obama, at the KDU headquarters nestled in the hipster-doofus capitol of the U.S. – Williamsburg, Brooklyn. However, neither Gensler nor Lex could ever be classified as a hipster let alone a doofus.

A resounding set of traits is visible when analyzing the history of any accomplished business. But, the naïve commoner might say that being in the right place at the right time is one of them. Although this occurrence cannot be overlooked as the definitive source for many businesses fortunes, other key attributes are far more critical to the fundamental success of any venture. All lucrative businesses have a definitive goal, a superior product, knowledge, expertise, foresight, and strategy. An example of these phenomena is the design, research and strategist conglomerate known as the Keystone Design Union (KDU).

Their involvement in this momentous occasion went deeper then just casting a vote back in November of 2008. Preceding the Presidential Inauguration, Gensler and Lex were commissioned to create exclusive pieces of art for the exhibition MANIFEST HOPE in Washington, D.C. The presentation rallied a diverse collection of the nation’s most talented visual artists under one gallery to note this monumental triumph in our nation’s history. It encouraged artists and activists to uphold the ambition to bring about true change in the United States. Lex commented, “I really believe that the design of Barack Obama’s campaign is what helped to get him into office.” After taking inspiration from Barack’s signature “ O ” and slogan “ YES WE CAN,” Gensler rewrote The Preamble to the United States Constitution. Lex used his signature calligraphy for this piece, and then spelled out “YES WE CAN” using the currency signs from various countries for a second piece of work. The artwork was awe-inspiring. Maybe that’s why the mood of the KDU was in such high spirits?

“If you’re predictable then you’re vulnerable to attack.”

The KDU, a private creative collective, is the brainchild of Strategist and Designer, David Gensler. The genius has worked fifteen years as the strategic branding authority for a number of Fortune 500 Companies including Adidas, Reebok, and Universal. Years of practical practice and his business education have helped, this loyal Freemason, catapult brands like Rocawear and Roca-fella Records into the spotlight of youth culture and it’s fashion. But as the 21st century began, a new street wear trend emerged. The baggy jeans and boring white sneakers were left behind for a new vibrant look inspired by sneaker culture and the 80’s. Gensler spoon-fed the entire street wear genre from its infancy while continuing to have his hand on the pulse of the whole apparel industry. Around five years ago Gensler took his real world experience and put together the KDU; simultaneously, he began the construction of his own menswear line, Serum Versus Venom (SVSV).

The aura of this creative collective is unlike that of your typical business. As we enter through the captivating SVSV showroom, the gallery exudes a minimalistic chic energy – yet, it compels us to touch the garments. After ripping ourselves away, we enter what feels more like someone’s home rather than an office. The atmosphere was more like that among friends rather

One of the creative powerhouses Gensler has integrated into the KDU and SVSV, is the current creative director and senior partner, Aerosyn-Lex Mestrovic. It takes only one glance at his works of art to understand why he has been

than business colleagues. We weren’t there for more than ten minutes before David Gensler ended up in a wrestling match with Laurence, from Tribeca based printing house, Proof 7. Nikes flew across the room and New Era hats were crushed. Needless to say, we felt right at home. Gradient sat down with David Gensler to discuss the KDU and capture the future vision of design, marketing, and fashion. His provocative farsightedness gave us, not only a new understanding of the KDU and it’s function, but a look into the imminent fate of street wear fashion and a dissection of today’s youth culture in America. He equates the KDU as a tool for the people involved in this partnership. Gensler observes, “Most of these people have never met, but all of them have a reason to come together more than just knowing each other on Facebook. They participate in projects and collaborate together. Each helps one another with their businesses and they share resources. But, you can’t do this publically – you have to do it privately.” The fact of the matter is that this group of people is the largest private creative collective in the world. It boasts 720 members but Gensler explains, “We don’t just have illustrators, photographers, and graphic artists in the KDU. We have an army of MBA’s and a battalion of attorneys that are in entertainment, fashion, and finance. These are people that specialize in all the elements necessary to keep us on track.” Gensler and Lex have focused the KDU to serve as a function in business. Whether it’s their brand or someone else’s, the organization acts as a catalyst to make a business more profitable. Gensler describes this process by a number of means, “Design. Research. But primarily, the main thing we do is strategy. We’ll develop competitive strategies to figure out why something works better than something else.” In order to facilitate the best possible product, The KDU constantly tear apart their designs and rebuild their strategies. David Gensler stresses, “Our design facilitates the strategy – but everything is driven by our strategy.”

There is a savory morsel of terminology that both Gensler and Lex use repeatedly to illustrate their methods of marketing and brand development – STRATEGY. Gensler believes they are designers, “but the core team here is about strategies first. And that sets us apart. I have a lot of friends that run design shops that make clothing, run retail stores, and consult for clients and the solutions that they offer are very predictable. You can very clearly understand the trajectory of their brand and the way they think which makes them vulnerable. If you’re predictable then you’re vulnerable to attack.” When dealing with a new brand or one that is trying to reinvent themselves, the KDU consistently strives to ripen their tactics and dissect their past accomplishments. The age of ubiquitous computing mushrooms about us; ultimately, David Gensler takes this into consideration when he’s made decisions regarding the KDU or his own brand SVSV by not, “ignoring any thing new. You have to take advantage of any new delivery mechanism or technology. If you want to make a sound business decision you can not ignore anything.”

“We basically held our breath, went under the radar, restructured, and re-strategized the entire global concept of what we are.”

As the discussion shifted towards the Serum Versus Venom line and the current state of his child, the street wear industry, a particular air reverberated from Gensler’s demeanor, like that of a military general in a game of chess. For lack of a better word, he unveiled his maneuver to play the role of “possum” and proclaimed that it would be all out in the open by time this article was published. He informed us, “When everyone was sort of at their pinnacle of street wear design culture and they were launching their sites – we pulled all our sites offline. We basically held our breath, went under the radar, restructured, and re-strategized the entire global concept of what we are.” Over the last two years, the street wear market has become in-

by Aerosyn-Lex Maestrovic

ROCHAMBEAU LOOKBOOK (2009)

The KDU Gold, Silver, Bronze and Leather

undated with so many new brands that the bubble reached the point of its inevitable burst. Gensler didn’t want to grow and grow and then blow up with everyone else. Instead he, “… took a step back – we were still very active but just publically we were in the shadows. It was a rouse – its called strategy. When everybody else was putting out their limited edition t-shirts and trying to figure out how to get a Japanese distributor we were investing properly.” Gensler explains that never have they considered themselves part of the street wear market. It would be a mistake to categorize them in any one genre as he explained, “…we have focused on making a modern design brand.” The gamble paid off – especially when you take into consideration the current condition of the world economy. Street wear businesses have suffered throughout the current financial crisis. But on the contrary, the KDU and SVSV have dealt with multiple opportunities presented to them because they were very careful. Gensler felt that the saturation of this market combined with a recession has, “…killed off the weak. If they’re not dead they’re dying – they’ll be dead soon and that’s fantastic for us and the other brands that represent true design, not fads! It’s hard because a lot of these people are my friends. I am not being a pedigreed snob, but most of them are not formally educated in design. Lets say half the time they’re not formally educated in any design or business. I would say that 98% of the time they have no formal education in business.” Most of these companies have never formulated a proper business plan or invested the time in business development. According to Gensler, these companies have failed because they, “…have no strategy. Their strategy is to react quickly to the fads that are taking place on a weekly basis. They try to take advantage of them and sell a fad, sell a fad, sell a fad. That’s not how Macys was

built if you’re a retailer and it’s not how Ralph Lauren was built if you’re a brand.” Unfortunately, the ignorance of American youth today stretches far deeper then just their fledgling attempts in business. Buzzwords

resonate throughout the country including, “global warming”, “downsizing”, and “war in Iraq.” Most recently, the financial markets around the globe have imploded. However, the majority of American youth today have had only materialistic pleasures on their mind. Gensler commented, “It was way more interesting to go onto your favorite blog and to pay attention to that new limited edition shoe. It’s more interesting to spend a $1000 for a shoe because there were only one hundred them released. We’ve become so numb by consumerism that we don’t even give a shit about the world we live in. They’ll be like, ‘Yo, yo, yo – I’m gonna take off work today so I can go down to that hot boutique in SOHO. Then, wait in line for twelve hours to get that limited t-shirt or limited edition sneaker.” He explained that over history it’s always been the responsibility of the youth generations to be the “checks and balances” for what the generation before it has done. I guess the trait must have skipped this generation.

“We’ve become so numb by consumerism that we don’t even give a shit about the world we live in.”

David Gensler and Aerosyn-Lex Mestrovic have created a private entity that cannot be rivaled by any company. Their goal is to remain private and to not tell everybody everything that they are doing. They will always strive to have the KDU and their own brands on a constant competitive level. There is a key request that David Gensler requests from his industry though, “more brands pushing real innovation and value and less junk brands cluttering the market.”

Much has been written about what has gone wrong, where did the system break down, and who is to blame. Good analyses all, and important information and history to know, but what to do with it all? Some say that the definition of insanity is repeating the same behavior and expecting different results. I agree, but again, where do we go from here? The world as we knew it has changed, financial markets in a turmoil, American jobs, families, industries all at a turning point. And not only here, but worldwide. Are we at the edge of the abyss? Change is upon us and our new leader champions this point, but we still try to foresee the future, creating anxiety and doubt and depression. But why? Why try to foresee the future, it will come as we live and work, and it will come as a result of our actions. I propose that the new luxury: allowing for change, believing in hope, of starting anew, and having a free pass to change our lives and our behaviors. Let us four “c” the future, learning from our past and changing our way of thinking, of doing. Four “C”, what does this mean?

If we consider our COMPETENCIES, CONSIDERATION, COMMUNITY, and CHILDREN, we can guide our lives and our country to that glorious future.

competencies is a word bandied about by human resource specialists and re-engineering gurus. How do you personally define it, and does our current work environment and business practices help and/or hinder our growth? Across the business world and into all areas of work across America and the world, basic competencies have evolved into specialization and have led to isolation and futility. Piece workers know how to do one thing on an assembly line, financial analysts just know the numbers, and everyone seeks to specialize to prove their worth and satisfy their ego.

The greatness of America has been built by men and women who knew how to do many things beyond their job, their career, or their specific role in the community at large When we only know how to do one thing well, when that one thing is not needed any more, or there are too many who can do the same, we marginalize ourselves and end up disposable. Think of the car companies who have churned out the same vehicles, unable to adapt, only good at creating one thing and not expanding their horizons beyond their current capabilities. I have come across so many management teams that are paralyzed by the fear of invalidating their lives work by having to change. “I have always done it this way” or “this is the way it is done”, is no longer acceptable in the new world of constant change. Just because what is necessary to do now is not the way it was done in the past does not mean what was done in the past was not relevant/productive/ appropriate. Self worth is validated by the ability to survive, not in the ability to rest on one’s laurels and refuse to adapt. Knowing how to do many things in many ways puts everything in better context. Look at your skill sets, see how they can be applied to other areas, and seek out the new. My parents taught me well, my mom teaching me to cook, clean, sew, and write, my dad almost everything else. He taught me plumbing, electrical work, tiling, carpentry, farming, and a whole host of other skills. His work was electrical engineering, designing fuel cells for the space shuttle, and his motto was, “I’m a rocket scientist, and all this other stuff is not rocket science, so we should be able to do it.” And we did. Now I am not advocating that we all need to go out and learn the trades, but with what needs to be done in rebuilding this country, it is not a bad place to start. Don’t just watch HGTV, the Food Network, expertvillage.com and wonderhowto.com, live it! And I have to tell you, the satisfaction of planting a garden and eating my own grown food is as rewarding as closing a multimillion-dollar acquisition.

onsideration is an area where America has lost touch over the years. Think of the day laborer who is marginalized as less than: less than a doctor, lawyer, dentist, master of the universe. When did pride and admiration in labor escape America? And can we get it back? Immigration is an issue because we all feel entitled. Entitled to everything we want, or what we are told we want. A college education, a fancy car, a mc mansion, luxury items and far-flung vacations. Is life simpler that way? Equally satisfying? Or are we so busy keeping up with the media and advertising dictated Jones’s that we never stop to consider our lives, how happy we are or are not? The farm worker, the mechanic, the domestic help, the landscaper, they all seem happier, hard working with a purpose, focused on the family and doing a good job. The day is over when the work is done, simple as that. They love this country for the opportunity that they can achieve, and do just a bit better, but always through hard work that they embrace and actually choose. Do we need more and more and more, leveraging our lives and our children’s lives with credit cards and second mortgages, while doing less and less, easy money and entitled good living for all? We see where that has led. Curious as to where the $700 billion went in banking? Look no further: it is estimated that mortgage loans of $60 billion a year in excess of the value of the underlying real estate were granted over the last 8 years. And that money was spent. Flat screens, new SUV’s, and all manner of consumer products and excess consumption. We went on a buying binge, inflating the economy and consuming, consuming, consuming. Now we have to pay for it, but now we don’t have the money, and this fiscal hang over is going to take more than a glass of Gatorade and a few aspirin to make it go away. What will work is what President Obama and his fiscal plan have in mind. Shovel ready and ready to go. Investment in infrastructure, education, healthcare and well being.

Creating jobs that create something lasting, something beneficial, something that all can use, not just for the benefit of a chosen few. Retraining and rethinking will prevail, and maybe Wall Street will help to rebuild Main Street one financial analyst turned construction worker or cabinetmaker at a time. Maybe those hedge fund managers will have to learn to trim their own hedges in the Hamptons, if they still have the house. As with work, play and life, doing it with others is a basic human need. We are social animals and society and community are an essential part of our daily lives. Whether on line at Starbucks, or on line on Facebook, community creates harmony, if done with consideration. Again, I am thrilled with President Obama, setting an example by giving back, focusing on the community, and lending a helping hand. It’s not always all about you, what you want, what you need. The funny thing is though, when you give to help out, you help yourself. Try it. Volunteer. Lend a hand. Reach out. And to people you don’t always know. Community takes an effort, and what goes around comes around. Feel the satisfaction of making a difference, one kindness at a time. As with work, and play, and life, doing it with others is a basic human need. We are social animals and society and community are an essential part of our daily lives. Whether on line at Starbucks, or on line on Facebook, community creates harmony, if done with consideration. Again, I am thrilled with President Obama, setting an example by giving back, focusing on the community, and lending a helping hand. It’s not always all about you, what you want, what you need. The funny thing is though, when you give to help out, you help yourself. Try it. Volunteer. Lend a hand. Reach out. And to people you don’t always know. Community takes an effort, and what goes around comes around. Feel the satisfaction of making a difference, one kindness at a time.

ommunities are built by people with a common purpose, and often for the benefit of the new and next generations.

hildren are literally the lifeblood of the future and we must take care of them well and always consider them in our actions and deeds. We are the ones who set an example, with discipline, devotion and love. I have always stayed young by embracing the new generations, learning from them and mentoring in return. Good management is the same. Discipline is necessary, and the best lead by example. Organizations reflect the values of their leaders, and greed or goodness is systemic. Give where there may be skills that are lacking and never underestimate the value of a challenge, communicated well and with a clear and noble goal.

Focus on the success of those for whom you have responsibility and your own success will follow. Mentor well, teach, and show compassion. I had been recently lamenting the lack of news of noble and heroic deeds, the kind that are inspiring, showing the way, and instilling hope and a bit of pride in our fellow human beings. Now, no more. The recent landing of a USAir jet into the Hudson River of New York serves as a perfect metaphor to our current predicament. Seemingly undone by the high flying financial geese of the new millennium, our economy and country splashed down in the icy waters of doubt, despair and doom. Let those waters not engulf us in fear and anxiety, but let us flee that airship of no hope and rise above it, working individually and as a team to save our lives and our futures. Piloted by one man, but with the aid of those who came to the rescue, doing their duty and making a difference, all were safely brought to shore. Noble deeds and heroic actions, no matter how big or how small, will right the course, keep the waters at bay, and land us in a future safe, sound and with a new attitude on life, on love, on what matters. This is the luxury I covet, so let the future fall where it may.

A creative collective can be defined as a collaborative force of the most imaginative individuals who transform the generic into the extraordinary. Gradient Magazine epitomizes this definition while functioning as a transcending media outlet. Our magazine is not just a publication; it is the characterization of culture. Frequency-3 of Gradient Magazine, embodies a set of instructions which were invented to understand the intertwining and stimulating forces that fascinate our senses. A vision through Gradient can be defined by the faรงade of Frequency-3, a piece of head cheese. Head cheese illustrates the basic necessity of consumption, made up of some of the most lively organs of a hog, head cheese is a combination of the undiscovered and illusive ingredients that make up Gradient.

GEOMETRIC MEAT a collaboration between GRADIENT & The KDU

“America dislikes welfare for the poor but doesn’t mind bailouts for the rich. Soon we won’t be able to tell the rich from the poor. “They” are us.” ROOSEVELT (1990)

Andres Serrano