000 INSPADES ZERO by INSPADES

A NEW BEGINNING Celebrate our NUMEROZERO with PR0JECT_UNO THE ULTIMATE COMMUNITY

Incredible Artists

VIVA TRIO When Souls Sing ALBANY MCCABE Poetry from the Heart

Numero

ZERO $6.99

S E P T E M B E R

Journey from a tiny dream To a reality most unexpected Life is about choices All of them yours Who will you choose to be?

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InSpades Magazine is an open window to the world. Whatever your art, whatever your craft, be it dance, photography, modelling, poetr y, cinematography, extreme photo editing or something yet to be imagined, whatever you do, do it #InSpades. Connect with us @pr0ject_uno @inspadesmag

PHOTO BY SERGIO D. SPADAVECCHIA

NUMERO ZERO MAGAZINE

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014

034

From pen to page

A community of dreams

Like youâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;ve never seen before

Poetry to ponder

When creativity takes you beyond

ALBANY MCCABE

PR0JECT_UNO

TANNEKE PEETOOM

your wildest expectations

008

JACLYN TRUSS, LETTER FROM THE EDITOR Hello, it is a pleasure to virtually meet you!

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FROM THE ASHES WHAT IS INSPADES AND WHY A MAGAZINE? Right there, right under your eyes, what we were looking for! Our new venture uniting Creative Spades, @pr0ject_uno and You!

014 REBECCA WEAVER 020 LINDA KRISTIANSEN 024 NIKKI 028 ANETA IWANISZCZUK 044 JERI SAMPLES 048 TANJA MORTENSEN 052 KRISTINA REESE 058 DONALD TURNER 064 OLAF 074 KATIE TEIXERA 078 LEEANN 080 TREY LANE 084 CHRISTOPHER FUNK 088 CHANEL CHANEL 092 KIARA CONSOLANDI 098 FLAM 102 BRANDON CARROLL 108 BRIAN JOHNSTON 108 CAROLINA VILLARAOS 120 VIKTOR 124 MAR RICHARDSON 128 CHELSEY SINCLAIR 132 PAT DE KRUIJFF 134 TAKUMI KAIZAKI 138 NICK WONS 144 MAYK BAUTISTA 150 RAFAEL AVCIOGLU 154 HERRI SUSANTO 168 PIERS BOSLER

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TIANNA BROWN Every Penny Counts

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ViVA TRIO A Wicked Game of Voices and Souls

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CREATIVE SPADES Opening our pages to poetry that uplifts your soul from the young pen of a new

THE TEAM HIGHLIGHTS CAROL “CEE” GONG Forget the Mother of Dragons, all hail the Mother of Pr0ject_Uno! Carol “Cee” Gong, has unwaveringly tended her growing community for 10+ hours a day for the last 4

abandoned buildings and creative photography. Kris is the cofounder of the Pr0ject_Uno pages and with Carol “Cee” Gong she has an eternal will to help, she’s always for us.

years. Together with Kristina Reese, they brought the featured artists of the @pr0ject_uno Instagram community to over 1.4 million

strong, like those creative souls struggling to become better with each click of the shutter. Her creativity will make you dream and we are so proud to have her onboard as our Social Media Graphic Designer!

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ANISSA STAMBOULI

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REBECCA WEAVER

followers, with a reach that goes

She is our General, Anissa works

well beyond 2 million. As our Chief

hard to make our magazine be

Content Aggregator, Cee is the

on time working tirelessly with

main artery linking Creative Spades

all our writers and making sure

to Pr0ject_Uno and it’s affiliate

that all the words are “in the right

groups and pages. Always alert,

place” and writing some of the

always aware, Cee is always there,

amazing reviews of our artists.

and this is only the beginning of a

InSpades Magazine is so proud

revolution that promises to exceed

to have her as part of our team

our wildest expectations. You don’t

knowing that this issue would

I can assure you that you will be

want to miss it!

not been possible without her

looking at her legs...and you’re

help. Anissa is currently working

supposed to! An Art Director

on our October and December

that has so much more to

issues (inclusive of a caffeine IV

show (other than legs), and we

drip), and she is looking forward

have it all. Check her out her

to getting to know all of you!

page, follow her incredible art

048

KRISTINA “KRIS” REESE

and cross your fingers that she scouts out your talent for the

Look really deep into her eyes and you’ll have a chance to see the world through her eyes and it’s simply mesmerizing. She stretches through long exposures and amazing landscapes,

074

TREY LANE Is that kind of person that you connect with right away and

next issue of InSpades Magazine!

158

SERGIO D. SPADAVECCHIA

generally claim as your spirit

Where it began and where

animal. She knows what she’s

we are going...work smart!

doing and you feel that she is

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If anyone looked at me, and truly saw me, they couldnâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t fail to see the marks: gentle fingerprints leftover from where you touched my soul. - Albany McCabe Albany McCabe Featured on page 116

ISSUE ZERO

@inspadesmag

InSpadesMag MAGAZINE

SERGIO DAVID SPADAVECCHIA Publisher/Creative Director info@creativespades.com creativespades.com - @creativespades JACLYN TRUSS EDITOR IN CHIEF inspades@creativespades.com ANISSA STAMBOULI - Writer astamdesigns.org - @astamdesigns TREY LANE - Social Media Graphic Designer treylanecaptures.weebly.com - @Treylane_captures ALBANY MCCABE - Opening Poet DARIO SPADAVECCHIA - Media Content Research

Pr0ject_uno

@pr0ject_uno CAROL GONG CHIEF CONTENT AGGREGATOR KRISTINA REESES COMMUNITY MANAGER @pr0ject_uno @thedarkpr0ject @themysterypr0ject @thegraphicspr0ject @pr0ject_soul @pr0ject_bnw @sombresociety

@sombrescapes @sombrebeings @sombrexplore @s0mbrebw @human.edge @m3xtures

COVER: Linda Kristiansen INSTAGRAM: @lindakris10ansen FACEBOOK: fotograflindakristiansen WEB: www.lindakristiansen.no InSpades Magazine is designed & distributed by

@tanneke.peetoom Photo by Tanneke Peetoom Featured on page 34

Letter From The Editor Jaclyn Truss

Hello, it is a pleasure to virtually meet you! I

didn’t think I would be writing this today. Or, in truth, any day. The natal progression of this magazine from zygote to healthy, pink and crying, was such a phantasmal whirlwind, I still fail to grasp that it is here and it has happened. But fortunately, this isn’t about me. You are here, right now, reading this, because you want something more. You may not know that is why you found, stumbled upon or linked to us, in whatever manner it happened for you, but it’s true. We exist now in your chosen reality because you are searching for something more than you are currently doing, thinking, feeling and being right now in this moment. The truth is, we exist, right now, for you, because you willed us into existence. Well played. From our perspective, it looked different. We weren’t inside the intricate workings of your brain, in the labyrinthine energies that make up your being and creates your lives as they are. We were not privy to the unobservable side of your personal magic, but still we couldn’t help but bear witness to your undeniable greatness. What we saw, nakedly, without reservation or shame, was the unabashed world of your art, your individual and collective creations. We saw all that you had made, and it was very good.

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We a l so s aw your dif f icult y, how hard you have to work for the barest of acknowledgements, to simply be seen. How, in a matter of moments, you are forced to watch the due of your efforts become lost in an endless stream of images, waterfalling off the edges of someone else’s imagination, someone you would never know, before they idly forgot you. We saw an unnecessary strife, something undeserving, something not indicative of the generous pouring of blood, sweat and tears, and wecould not help but disagree with this stillborn method of “success”. We wanted you to be able to birth your creations kicking and screaming into this world, with the chance to grow and change and affect the universe in which you have manifested it. With that said… Welcome to Inspades Magazine! So, how do we work? Partnered with Pr0ject_Uno, a massive Instagram community that is over 1.4 million strong, InSpades Magazine will have an immediate world stage for artists to acquire much deserved exposure and showcase their work, not only with a single post, but with full galleries, rich media, interviews, videos,

PHOTO BY SERGIO D. SPADAVECCHIA

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podcasts and a behind the scenes look at how these artists create their masterpieces. Many digital options offer a mere glance of an artist’s work, often an individual image representing a long and intricate process of creation. These digital expressions will generally garner a “like” or a “comment”, but in a saturated market, it is difficult for an artist to rise above the noise and gain a truly engaged following. A digital magazine however, offers tangible exposure, artistic credibility and a platform to deeply venture into an artist’s world. Being featured in InSpades Magazine pulls you above the noise, illustrating who you are, what you do, how you do it, how people can connect with you and how they can get access to your next venture. InSpades Magazine offers the power of story, biography, television and radio, inciting longer and more in depth exposure, creating a playground for active engagement with you and your work, and initiating the opportunity for a committed following. It also allows for public exploration of exclusive content that you may not have been otherwise able to exhibit or reveal. Utilizing cross-promotional strategies within all new successful and established media pl at for ms, InSpade s Ma ga zine comprehensively showcases artists of every

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kind under one umbrella. Many events, contests and international digital experiences will also be executed throughout the year, in an effort to unite artists in various communities, both locally and around the world. InSpades Magazine is a digital platform for artists to be published, maximize their exposure and gain public credibility as an artist. InSpades Magazine launches with an immediate reach within the millions and stands to take the world of art by digital storm! How’s that for kicking and screaming? Again, welcome, and thank you. Thank you for your contribution, your submissions, your support and your love. Thank you for being and sharing who you are! We know the journey isn’t always easy, we know that in this life there are narrow margins just room enough for regret, but always remember, you are an incredible and limitless creator, and as your devoted fans, we absolutely cannot wait to see what you come up with next! Wherever you are, Whatever you do, Do it #InSpades With love, —Jaclyn Truss

PHOTO BY SERGIO D. SPADAVECCHIA

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WHO WE ARE

MORE THAN A TITLE, MORE THAN A TAGLINE, MORE THAN A MAGAZINEâ&#x20AC;ŚA WAY OF LIFE TO EMPOWER CREATIVITY! This is why we created InSpades Magazine with @pr0ject_uno, because we believe that our eternal struggle and love for creating art has to be shown with love and passion. On our pages, artists of all genres, find space to express themselves in a community that reads, engages, follows, loves, shares and above all empowers your creativity. The founders of Pr0ject_Uno, Carol Gong and Kristina Reese, reach millions of creative minds with their Instagram pages, and they are the heart of a wonderful community that strives to showcase your art. After years of cultivating their pages they have managed to surround themselves with the most talented moderators on the web. These extremely talented ar tists and moderators spend countless hours each day selecting, sharing and tagging artists on the wonderful pages under the @pr0ject_uno umbrella. Creative Spades is the core of the creative team for InSpades Magazine, and at its wheel is Sergio D. Spadavecchia, creative director and professional photographer with over two decades of captaining the best magazine and advertising companies. Seeing an unacceptable canyon between amazing

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creators and their ability to be seen, he decided that was this moment to create a new opportunity. With the editor in chief and second in command, Jaclyn Truss, to help steer the content and project in the right the direction, the two embarked to create a unique stage for these incredible artists. With their dedicated and talented team spanning Canada, the U.S., Europe and Asia, including writer Anissa Stambouli, social media /graphic designer Trey Lane and talent scout Rebecca Weaver, we break all barriers, everyone collaborating to bring to life the special vision of InSpades Magazine and to showcase how special each and one of you truly are! In our introductory issue we present the content moderators of Pr0ject_Uno artists from all over the world. These moderators are your doorway to InSpades Magazine, check out the Pr0ject_Uno pages, because if you have amazing content they will be checking you out, and you want to be ready when they ask you to contribute! This is who we are and we are inviting you to join us, to become the best that you can be! Inviting you to do it #InSpades.

PHOTO BY SERGIO D. SPADAVECCHIA

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@_legsweaver_ / @mylegsproject

EBECC 15

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“Hi dear, I’m back, I took a break to fix my life” —Legs And we are we ever glad she is back.

Rebecca Weaver, known as @legsweaver, posted this messa ge af ter her return Instagram in July 30, 2014. Whatever she did on her sabbatical, it was well worth it, as Weaver returned full force, ready to bear the fruits of her new future. A talented Art Director in Milano, Italy, Weaver is in love with all forms of art and graphics, and it is obvious they have an equal love of her. Having been recently featured in Vogue Italia , Weaver’s skill behind the camera and computer are clearly not to be reckoned with, nor the definitive style that is all her own. While she has acquired much recognition for her work, both digitally and in print, Instagram remains her favourite way to share her incredible artistry. “Instagram is not an ordinar y social network, Instagram is human-to-human and a real way to share my creativity. I like to find new talents, gain new friendships a n d c o - o p w i t h ot h e r In s t a g r a m e r s . I’m really proud to be a part of and know

all of the amazing crew of the Pr0ject_Uno family.” Rebecca told InSpades. It’s true, Instagram is different, it broke all the rules of text-based social networking and carries an engagement, tranquility and esprit de corps that is unique from other social networks. It is the only social media outlet where you can set it down and come back days, weeks or months later, and still pick up right where you left off. Its image-based nature weeds out much of the fire starting politics, pop culture drama and trivial social fillers, and replaces it with a playground of creativity and unimaginable talents. The engagement within various Instagram communities is palpable, and the commitment, support and excitement are born both of the dedication to craft and a tangible camaraderie. Pr0ject_Uno represents a strong heartbeat in the pulse of this network, unifying the community in an inspiring way, and it is in this playing field where Weaver finds the freedom for her self-expression. “I love to work with my body, especially my face, but currently I’m working on a new project with my legs. I like to create a surreal mood with my images, this is the reason why my skin in most of my work is a desaturated white…My intent is to communicate art, not sensuality…I’m not a model and my target is to create some form of emotional art by creatively using a normal human body” Rebecca explained. As with any social media outlet, it isn’t dif ficult to find the ever blurring

BY JACLYN TRUSS

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line on Instagram bet ween those who post nude-esque pictures for the sake of having virtual strangers validate their physicality, and those who create honest art with the human body. The difference is not the presence of nudity itself, but in the intentâ&#x20AC;&#x201D;the craving of validation over the sharing of creativity. Celebrating the unbounded beaut y of the human body, with the focus being exactly that, @legsweaver is the definitely the latter. With her stunning expressions of the natural human form, woven with bursts of sensationally bright colours, mixed with stark desaturated whites, the creativity of her artistic intentions shine as brightly with clarity as they run deep with emotional honesty. If you are wondering what part of the line you walk, know that she is the benchmark. Weaverâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s photography may be seen with the eyes, but they are felt with the soul. There is a noticeably unrestrained experimentation within the themes of her work, allowing for the full expression of her creativity. Some of her images create a sense of tender and mysterious vulnerability, while others are marked by a naturalness and ease of being, and a refreshing and invigorating playfulness that may invoke in you the sudden urge to run naked through a flowered field. Her work is so exposing, so baring and so undeniably beautiful, you cannot help but eagerly anticipate what new project she comes up with next! Stay tuned on Instagram @_legsweaver_

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A Moment With The Cover Artist “I started experimenting with creative imagery a few years back, as a way to express myself and communicate feelings and ideas I could otherwise not word. In photography, I found a different way of communicating and simply being more me. I fell completely in love with the process and I now spend as much time as I can doing this. I love storytelling imagery and connecting with the world through it.” “I have a few different styles to my photography and I love them all. They are

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@lindakris10ansen

all part of me and my personal expression, from the surreal and painterly storytelling, to the more conceptual and sometimes provocative images.” “Every image has a personal meaning to me, with that said, I love the idea that the viewer might see a different story and relate in their own way. I always wish to learn new things and do not want to limit myself to one specific genre. I will go where my imagination takes me.”

lindakristiansen.no

fotograflindakristiansen

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â&#x20AC;&#x153;I always use my own stock and I also make my own textures. This way each image is a result of different moments in time and space, all representing bits and pieces of my life. Put together, they give room for the creation of a new and different story. To me, this is inspiring and, in a way, I hope to inspire others as well. Photography for me is not so much what I do, but more who I am.â&#x20AC;?

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BY JACLYN TRUSS

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the world in between

Living in rural Pennsylvania with an amazing husband and twin five-year-old daughters, Pr 0je ct _ Unoâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s moodie s t moderator is anything but. Nikki, also known as @521gemini, may appear to be the master of spook, but in reality, is a perpertual ray of sunshine. She has as many devotions as she has talents, and you may not guess her artistic weapon of choice: an iPhone. A s i d e f ro m b e in g a P r 0 j e c t _ U n o administrator for the @themysterypr0ject and @m3xtures, a mod for @thedarkpr0ject, @ s o m b re s o ci et y @ s o m b re s c a p e s , @ pr0ject_uno, @pr0ject_soul, @s0mbrebw, @thegraphicspr0ject and creator of @ sombrexplore, Nikki has her own page filled

@521gemini

with striking and wondrous images, all taken and edited with her smartphone. Her images vacillate between dreamlike and nightmarish, with shadowed figures looming against the gloom of an eerie forest, juxtaposed with close-ups of plants and flowers, sometimes reaching beyond the desaturated fog into hushed hues, dampened by droplets dripped from some dark and delicate fantasy. Images that are hauntingly stirring and unquestionably stunning. A digital artist of the highest order, Nikki creates a world where photography and art rip through into a new and ghostly dimension. Hyper-edited, the manipulations of her ima ges are so strong , that you cannot help but question what is real in

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the image and what is not. An avid user of the Mextures photo filtering and tex turing app, Nikki even developed her own series of actions and parameters to create her own filtering formulas, two of which are now offered in the “Dust & Dirt Mextures Premium Pack ” on the app. Nikki has also been interviewed by @mextures and featured on the “news” section of their app for her incredible edits, and was also featured as a photographer on @mexturescollective. She has been published in N8 of Shooter Magazine and three of her images were even used as cover ar t on the digital versions of Michael Marshall’s trilogy series: The Straw Men, Blood of Angels and The Lonely Dead. Nikki works, takes care of her loved ones and attends relentlessly to her passion, she unites a multifaceted personality and extreme talent in one place. Nikki is a pillar of Pr0ject_Uno and is a holographic representation of its community, and all eyes are on the queen of sombre to see what she will thrill us with next.

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BY ANISSA STAMBOULI

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Aneta Iwaniszczuk If Aneta Iwaniszczuk were a comic book character, her name would be something like “Madame Freeze-Fl ash”. Capturing images using a slowed-shutter technique, Iwaniszczuk brings time to a standstill, where light stretches in neon bands across the crisp backdrop of her scenes.

Featuring cityscapes with the occasional natural setting, Iwaniszczuk’s keen eye situates and exults urban architectural achievements. Her piece “Roads of the Night” is incised by the lightening streak of delayed highway momentum. Car movements slow to a steady stream of electricity as they plow through the

@anetkaiwa

grey-washed city, edged by the golden hue of dotted streetlamps. Using a shallow depth of field, Iwaniszczuk successfully exaggerates the “structural density and the close distance of the winding roads to make the viewer feel like they are right in the scene.” While Iwa niszczuk ’s work includes travel photography, her featured works mostly exhibit Toronto, Canada. In “Cit y Pulse”, a night shot with scarlet accents of light, Iwaniszczuk again lengthens exposure to find “the motion of the cit y and its pulse.” Conver ting Toronto trademarks, like the Rogers Centre, into glowing orbs against a darkened stretch of skyscrapers, and an average highway into a current of ruby energy, Iwaniszczuk portrays Toronto as a crisp collection of towers, trembling with light. Iwaniszczuk’s interest in photography began with black and white film more than a decade ago. Since discovering the wonder ful world of digital cameras, her zeal became unstoppable. “Last year I felt I needed a more artistic outlet in life and I finally got my first DSLR camera. My life has never been the same since.” Shooting with a Nikon D750 and a 1635mm lens or a telephoto 70-200mm, Iwaniszczuk uses Lightroom for all her edits. She favours the long exposure effect for the “surreal feel” that it brings to an image, be it landscape or cityscape.

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“Mist Magic” brings the forceful waters of Niagara Falls to a docile pace, giving the water a silky texture against the silhouetted tree line and murky clouds. In “Blue Hour Sunset”, Iwaniszczuk’s impeccable use of Lightroom transforms the Toronto skyline into a sorbet of orange and yellows bursting from blues, city and landscape blending harmoniously. While exploring the beaches of Jamaica, Iwaniszczuk preserved the image of a tree submerged in water by a magnificent twist of the trunk. “Beach State of Mind” is vacant yet inviting, with seaweed-strewn sand and

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sky interrupted by feathery clouds. Even when the effect of a slowed shutter is not applied, Iwaniszczuk manages to capture the movement of structures within her scene. When the vibrant lights of urban and natural settings are harnessed by the lens, playing in tandem with motion left frozen, Iwaniszczuk creates a salivating result for her viewers. Though Aneta Iwaniszczuk is recognized by her artistic peers, we’re still holding out for “Madam Freeze-Flash” big debut. Make sure you follow her at @anetkaiwa to see her next masterpiece!

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BY JACLYN TRUSS

Tanneke

Peetoom Tanneke Peetoom is a Dutch autodidact photographer, born in 1967 and the married mother of two teenage daughters. In October 2010, she received from her husband her first camera and she hasn’t unleashed it since. She began taking pictures of her daughters, then girlfriends of her daughters, and soon, these pictures ended up on social media and shor tly thereaf ter she got her first photographic assignments. Tanneke has developed her own unique style: bright portrait photos, always made

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with natural light and with a romantic look. She uses antique hairstyles and clothing, photographing children between the ages of 5 and 18 years. She emphasizes the purity and fragility of the child with the focus on the eyes. She has several publications in magazines, 8 book covers and an entry in the book ‘The New Dutch Photography Talent 2014’. Recently she won the silver award in the prestigious European photo competition: PX3 Prix de la Photographie Paris 2015, with her photo “EVA, The GIRL WITH VEIL”

@tanneke.peetoom

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NOTES FROM THE CREATIVE DIRECTOR

first contact with Tannekeâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s style rendered me utterly speechless. How could such beauty be captured using almost no color? How could harsh whites and cold, washed out tones be so warm and inviting? I dwelled on her incredible photos trying to grasp the essence of their beauty, almost trying to deconstruct her techniques and try to emulate her simplistic approach. All of Tannekeâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s images are a snapshot vision of

when our world was awash with modest and natural beauty, a time which would flow slowly, giving chance to fully enjoy the wonderful grace of a child looking back at you. Tanneke needs no words to make you slow down and focus on the details, on what you can achieve with what surrounds you. Lose yourself in those sharp blue eyes, connect with Tanneke and follow her amazing photography.

BY JACLYN TRUSS

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Tianna BROWN Every Penny Counts When Chasing Dreams

Tianna Brown is a 16 years old that has dreamed of being a dancer for as long as she can remember. It has been all she has ever wanted to be, and from the time she was a little girl who taught her stuffed animals to dance, her determination and dedication to her passion has been nothing short of remarkable. As Tianna grew from an 8 year old donning her first tutu, to the tender 10 year old who understood that this would be her journey in life, she was still but a fledgling when she began having to make major life choices in order to follow her bliss. “Choices in school began getting harder. I quit choir so that I could dance. I had to give up basketball, my dad was not happy. I was now getting to the point that it wasn’t about me, but the art form. The way I could make the audience feel what I feel in the dance. It was now all about making people hear the music differently.” Tianna admitted. Entering into the ninth grade, Tianna had to make the hardest sacrifice yet - in order to maintain her dance classes, she would

@twinkle.toe.tianna

have to leave the public school system and become home-schooled. “It was hard, doing that my freshman year. None of my friends understood, many stopped talking to me. I don’t let that bother me, because I know what I want with my life, and if they can’t stand by me now, they could never do it later.” Tianna explained, engulfed in a wisdom beyond her years. Her sophomore year marked yet another time of increased responsibilities, but unlike many teenagers, some were responsibilities she insisted on having. Tianna asserted that she help her mother with the household bills, and after much begging, her mother finally relented and allowed her to get her first job. With her already constrained schedule, hectic doesn’t even begin to describe Tianna’s days. “It then became school, work, then off to dance. I worked harder than I ever had, because I had something to fight for. I got to go to dance at the end of the day.“ Tianna remarked with unquestioning devotion.

gofundme.com/2gujn98 >> @pointe_girl

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This past January, Tianna auditioned for 21 different dance intensives. These intensives are offered to advanced dancers that show promise, dedication, drive and discipline. Two weeks after the audition, Tianna got back her results: she was not only accepted for the summer intensive at the Joffrey Ballet School, but into year training program as well! All of Tianna’s hard work and dedication paid off and her dreams were coming true! Well, almost. Yet another challenge has placed itself in her path - she can’t afford to go. “I am really excited to be able to go, but I know my mom can’t afford it alone. I am doing little things here and there to raise money. I am having a garage sale, a movie night and selling calendars I made myself. It’s not a lot, but I always say, every penny counts! I am working on other ways to save money, the only other thing I have is a GoFundMe account. I would appreciate any help, or ideas to help raise the money.” This is a link to Tianna’s GoFundMe page: https://www.gofundme.com/2gujn98 and like she says, every penny counts! If you have any ideas that could help this amazingly optimistic young woman or would like to donate, please do not hesitate to contact her or check out her page. Tianna and her family are most grateful for any help they can get so Tianna can live the dream she has worked so hard to achieve!

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“It was hard, doing that my freshman year. None of my friends understood, many stopped talking to me. I don’t let that bother me, because I know what I want with my life, and if they can’t stand by me now, they could never do it later.”

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Events & Experiential

Talked About and Seen 2016 Canadian Event Industry Award Winner—Best Public Event Winner—Outstanding Logistical Achievement

2016 International Live Event Association Winner—Best Public Event Nominee—Best Logistical and Support Services

Jeri

BY ANISSA STAMBOULI

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@jsamples99

Often exploring train tracks, bare trees and seemingly abandoned houses, the photography and digital art of Jeri Samples mostly features rustic settings with a wash of colour edited in. Samples’ edits often take on a surreal and chilling tone. In “Darkest Mood”, a set of wide, unkempt stares ascend a hill, crowned by a scraggly tree. The path is covered by dried leaves, a grainy filter with vignette edges and a cool tone overlaying the photo suggest the brooding atmosphere of a horror film flashback. “I love the use of editing apps and involving people to create moody captures,” said Samples, who achieved an vividly emotional response from “Stop Bullying”, an inspiring anti-bullying piece. The compelling photo is a macro shot of a young person’s eye, their features clearly captured, yet marred by digitally added scribbles and illegible writing across their skin. A shadow of hair darkens the right side of the photo, and a gold taint offers the image an aged, damaged look. “Words are like scars to the heart,” Samples captioned the piece on his Instagram account. “Take a clean sheet of paper, wad it up into a ball. Now, unfold it. It’s not the same and will never be the same, just like a person’s heart n soul.” The caption, paired with a face scarred by negative language, achieves instant pathos towards the anti-bullying movement.

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Another piece to boast of Samples’ digitally artistic finesse is “Escaping Your Fears”. Conveying a sense of escape as a flock of birds pass through a cylindrical tunnel of stone and into the open air, the image is both claustrophobic and liberating. “I create images that will consume the viewer with awe and hopefully leave an impact of an open imagination...” mused Samples. Samples is a digital artist with an avid Instagram career. Besides his personal account , Samples is a moderator for @pr0ject_uno, and also founded the Lovely Dead Crap (@lovelydeadcrap) and Fingerprint of God (@fingerprintofgod) communities, ser ves as the administrator for Royal Snapping Artists (@royalsnappingartists), and curates for Royal Snapping Artists, Nature Pics (@rsa_naturepics).

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BY ANISSA STAMBOULI

Mortens W

hen you first see Tanja Mortensen’s gallery, a phrase that comes to mind is “photography wiz”. With an element of somber fantasy and the occasional multiple exposure, Mortensen is nothing short of a wizard with a lens. Incorporating gentle elements of horror into her portraits—blood stained models or grimacing faces smothered by plastic wrap, to name a few—Mortensen’s concepts and use of lighting maintain a mystical tone. In her image of a falling woman, Mortensen juxtaposes beauty and demise, embracing the collapse of oneself as it crashes into the unknown. Titled, “I can’t tell anymore—is this pain or is it pleasure, is it hunger or satiation”, the image brings to mind the sensational tragedy of Alexandre Cabanel’s painting, “Ophelia”.

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Another photo, titled “I Can’t Forget Who I Am…Nr 8 Alice?”, captures the emptiness of a lone journey to finding oneself. The main subject sits in a deserted forest with her back to the viewer, the seemingly endless underbelly of a train track hovering to her right. Above floats a mirror through which the viewer can see the subject’s face, her eyes captivating the lens as well as the viewer. The image seems to hint that the subject holds the gaze and not the viewer, just as the subject is taking ownership of her identity amidst the isolating experience of others attempting to define her. When taking in the sight of “Feelings, E m o t i o n s , T h o u g h t s ”, M o r t e n s e n ’ s usually bright, rose-hued tones take on a noticeable turn. Instead she uses an

s.a.l.t.photography7

@s.a.l.t_photography

anja

sen

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ashy shade, where feather y contrasts i n l i g h t e v o ke a s o m b e r r e s p o n s e . Featuring her husband as a model, who poses for much of her work, Mortensen’s piece recalls the age-old tale of forbidden fruit, shame, and a glint of thrill. With an image so lovely and morose, one is left with a sense of brooding pleasure. In addition to the temperate confrontation of her content, Mortensen’s pieces are paired with soft lighting, leaving us to wonder at the enchanting settings of her work. Many of Mortensen’s outdoor scenes are shot in Bremen, Germany, where she scouts her locations two days in advance to “get the feeling for the place” and allow her “vision to flow”. As for indoor scenes, Mortensen usually shoots from her home, converting her living room into a mini studio. Born in Denmark to a family of creative minds, Mortensen was raised to revere and practice the arts. Describing her art as her own “personal therapy”, she feeds “what [her] soul needs” by slipping into her visionary world behind the lens. Today, Mortensen gains great satisfaction in producing her work, feeling that she is “leaving [a] mark” to be remembered by, using photography as her unique fingerprint on a world of images.

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reese kristina

BY JACLYN TRUSS

ristina Reese, the right hand of Pr0ject_Uno, was born and raised in Long Island, New York, enjoying a long exposure of city life before landscaping herself into a country girl in Chapel Hill, North Carolina. She now resides in Arizona, enjoying nature and all the beautiful things the desert has to offer. A diverse photographer, Reeseâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s spirit of exploration has her contrasting between ultra-saturation and desaturation, the fullness of the soul and the emptiness of the abandoned, and playing with the penetrating brightness of light against the deep and healing dark.

@shadow.boxer

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“Creating a photograph to me is so much more than snapping the shutter of a camera. Photography is a feeling, a reaction and a long drawn out thought. I enjoy all genres of photography, but mostly I enjoy urban exploration. I first started exploring abandoned buildings with my brother, when I was a child. When I found my passion for photography, I harnessed my love for dark undiscovered places and abandoned spaces long forgotten. When entering a forsaken structure, it instantly takes me back to another time. With that feeling, I try to create a sense of what was. With that territory, dark, spooky and even creepy feelings slip into the psyche and those are the emotions I try to capture.” Reese related to InSpades. Reese’s love took on new life when she partnered up with Carol Gong at the humble beginning of what was to become the remarkable and impassioned community of Pr0ject_Uno. “I started taking photographs seriously about 3 years ago, when I discovered the ability to share my ideas with other artists on Instagram.” Reese explained. Realizing she could share the harvest of her talent and dedication with like-minded artists, Reese helped Gong build the many “project” pages on Instagram from the ground up. Now, together, with the team they have built, they are uniting the pages under one mega-community, constructed of some of

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the best, most brilliant and driven artists the world has to offer. One of the most unique qualities Reese enjoys about her growing online family is that they are just that â&#x20AC;&#x201C; a family. In her focused endeavor to forge a place to support the people who love what she loves, she found her own support, from those same people who now love her as well. Kristina ran into some unfortunate trouble with her flight on her way to join up with the Pr0ject_Uno team at their last meet. She was stranded in Dallas for a day before having to reroute home, sadly missing out on the New York adventure. So to make it right, for the next P1 meet, we have promised to bring the meetup to her, in sunny Arizona. There Kris, we said it, publicly, and in printâ&#x20AC;Śnow it has to happen! We hope to see everyone there!

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ANIS I’M A SORRY PARTNER

FOR SMALL TALK When people ask me where I’m from, I lie and name the last place I’ve been; it’s easier than explaining my nomadic lifestyle, which tends to be a long-winded answer for an unsuspecting small-talker expecting the name of a single city. Similarly, my creative projects are a conglomeration of textual and visual expression, another tedious response to, “what kind of art do you do?” I am writer, a painter, a graphic designer, a musician. For some, mastering a niche is ideal; however, my creative outlets fit no specific form, much like the locations that sum up “where I’m from” can’t be traced to one place. Being a par t of InSpades Magazine has been quite a thrill. When I first joined I thought, “Hey 2016, thanks for living up to my fortune cookie’s promise of a big future. I will forthwith have confidence in my pastries’ prophecies.” Like many of the featured artists in “Issue Zero”, my work is being premiered for the first time in a big, shiny spread, keeping

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company with the pages of many talented artists from around the world. Before moving to Toronto, Canada, one of my most recent homes was in a small town in New Brunswick. The town had one streetlight intersection—that’s how tiny it was, and vacant farm fields and calm lakes were within a ten-minute walk, even if I dallied. My creativity manifested through painting and poetry, song writing and music. Moving to the city, I found my outlets changed; painting turned to graphic design and black ink illustration, while song writing morphed into fiction filled with streams of consciousness. Still, I am most inspired by the natural world. Most of my visual pieces blend forest, mountainous terrains and other aspects of wilderness with a human element— an expression of humanity’s contradictive attempts to subjugate and resurrect nature. For “Issue Zero” I wanted to feature my most recent pieces. In these images I aimed to capture the calm control of the restless soul, endlessly wandering.

@astamdesigns

astamdesigns.org

SSA 57

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D O N A L D

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BY REBECCA BOWSLAUGH

I love the challenge

of capturing a moment in time

@everydayimshuttering

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There is something about New York City that makes artists and filmmakers want to breathe life into it. By giving it anthropomorphic characteristics, it becomes the hero, villain, or love interest; a supporting character in the protagonist’s story. Don Turner has accepted the challenge of New York City, capturing its pulse and constant motion with momentary glimpses of time. Turner’s style is engaging and relaxed, which can be hard to achieve in the city that never sleeps. To reach his goal, Turner’s approach is always the same, whether he is photographing the city or its inhabitants. As a New Yorker, he is able to find inspiration even as he immerses himself in everyday city life. The only time he isn’t searching for the perfect shot is when he is spending time with his girlfriend and two daughters. While Turner captures a wide variety of subjects, including street and urban photog r a phy, l i fe s t y le, a nd p or t r a i t s , his cityscapes show his true versatility. Sometimes the city is muted in black and white with a focus on angles and shadows; sometimes it’s enhanced by a stunning sunset, opening the eye to colours often out of place amongst the concrete and skyscrapers. Turner seems to prefer the city when daylight is fading, obstructed, or missing entirely, allowing him to capture the hushed, calm moments often impossible to notice in the endless bustling of the city.

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Turner also tells a story through each of his photographs, using different perspectives and unique viewpoints. “I love the challenge of capturing a moment in time, for instance, a long exposure night photo of a city skyline reflecting on the water. One moment it’s there and then a boat or something comes by and the reflection is gone; or capturing a person’s smile or movement that I can freeze that won’t exactly happen again.” Turner’s portraits have the feel of an intimate voyeur; the subjects know they are being watched, and they apparently enjoy the gaze. “I take great pride in capturing the true spirit and personality of the people and subjects that I photograph,” said Turner, who captures New Yorkers by “engaging in conversation, listening with my ears, using my eyes through my camera and paying close attention to the details.” In one image, drained of colour and light, a woman is waiting underground, surrounded by the pipes and tiles of the New York subway system. She is seen through a security mirror, drawing attention to her body and facial expression. She appears tense, as if she has been waiting for a long time, perhaps for someone, and her gaze trails outside the image, annoyed at something the viewer cannot see. The image itself provides the viewer with very little information, creating an air of mystery and expectation.

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Just as Turner has captured the pulse of New York, his photography projects the visual representation of silence in nature. His ima g e of P ater s on Fa l l s displ ays this faultless calm; despite the ra ging water f a l l , t he ima g e vacuums sound, drowning out the cacophonous din into a

peaceful respite. There are no people, the trees are motionless, and the clouds are momentarily still. Turner continues his search for the perfect moment, the perfect image and the perfect subject, to seize each of them in that perfect moment in time.

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Olaf Tigchelaar

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Octaves of Olaf

BY JACLYN TRUSS

“I have only one goal with my Instagram. A humble one. I want to move people. Whether it’s the raising of an eyebrow, a lip curling into a beginning smile, a burst into laughter or simply the dropping of a jaw, I’m happy when my photos evoke at least some kind of emotion. But most of all, I hope my photos entertain people. I usually start a photo without a plan. I don’t sit down and create. An idea comes in my head and that’s when it happens. Without Photoshop or any other programs. Everything is done on my iPhone. You wouldn’t believe it, but I never save my photos. I upload them to Instagram and then they’re gone.” —Olaf Tigchelaar @_thisisolaf_

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A Wick of Vo @vivatrio @katyatchoubar @erinfishermusic @anna7bateman

ked Game oices and Souls PHOTO BY SERGIO D. SPADAVECCHIA

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“Singing is an out-of-body experience for me. I wake up and look forward to our music, harmonies, and expressing sincere emotions. Everything else ceases to exist. That’s my drug.” —Katya Tchoubar

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ViVA

is an ex traordinar y vocal group expanding the boundaries of the classical crossover music. Comprised of three sopranos, this all-female trio’s music and stunning sound is inspired by fellow crossover artists such as Il Divo, The Tenors and Evanescence. The ladies of ViVA have been trained and educated at some of the world’s most celebrated music institutions: The Royal Conservatory of Music, University of Toronto and University of British Columbia. They have each performed individually in acclaimed opera and concert hall stages such as the Toronto Operetta Theatre, the Four Seasons Centre for the Performing Arts in Toronto, the Orpheum in Vancouver, the Rudolphinum in Prague, Aldeburgh Festival in the UK, and New York’s Chautauqua Festival. Sopranos Anna Bateman and Kat ya Tchoubar were previously members of the vocal group NARIA, which recorded two selfreleased albums and performed regularly in Canada, Europe and the United States. As well as having their own concert series, NARIA did a number of corporate events sponsored by such companies as General Motors, KIA and Alcon to name a few. In 2011, NARIA was selected from hundreds of competitors to showcase at Midem, one of the world’s largest music conferences held in Cannes, France. They were also selected to showcase in Ohio at the Ohio Arts Presenters Network.

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“I’ve always known it was my destiny to sing. I grew up singing a variety of styles; and though I love opera, I love variety more. We sing everything from opera to pop, and I crave that musical freedom.” —Erin Fisher

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In 2015, Bateman and Tchoubar decided that it was time to take their singing careers to the next level, and with the addition of the seasoned mezzo-soprano, Erin Fisher, ViVA was born. With perfect complementary strengths, p a l p a b l e c h e m i s t r y a n d u n d e n i a b ly sensational sound, this dynamic and strikingly talented trio has hit the ground running. In less than a year, ViVA has taken center stage at such prestigious venues as Toronto’s Palais Royale , Trinit y-St. Paul’s United Church and Casa Loma. Their enthralling live performances feature up to two hours of classical and crossover repertoire and they are never fearful of throwing in an dazzling jazz number. In concert at Casa Loma , the ladies serenaded a me smer ized audience of over 1000 people, moving many to tears with their spect acul ar voices and remarkable stage presence. That per forma nce ha s been feat ured on Toronto’s CityTV, CityNews and more recently the group was featured in the Toronto Star. ViVA’s incredible sound and personality has made a strong start in their social media outreach. Currently, they have over 15K Twitter followers, 5K Facebook fans and over 60K views on their YouTube channel, featuring their most viewed video of

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“I have been lucky enough to have carved out a life in music that fulfills my desire to connect with a varied audience of music lovers through classical and classical crossover music. Nothing feels as good to me as when I am able to share my voice in live performance.” —Anna Bateman

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Leonard Cohen’s “Hallelujah”. They kicked off 2016 with a YouTube release of “Hallelujah” live in concert, followed by the release their first three singles: “Hello,” “ What a Wonderful World ,” and “ Wicked Game.” This indie trio is working hard on their future singles, but they’re also preparing for a busy performance schedule in the Fall, where they will be featured at the Living Arts Centre with Maestro Rozbicki’s Celebrity Symphony Orchestra , and on a televised broadcast of the Toronto Polish Festival. ViVA sings everything from opera to pop, always bringing a classical or cinematic feeling to their music. With their powerful and soulful voices this trio of sirens will lead you to a place of place of sheer auditory ecstasy. With music director, Mark Camilleri, ViVA is now working on their debut album and are also hard at work on their next 2 singles. Follow ViVA on Facebook, Twitter & Instagram, and sign up for their newsletter, so you don’t miss their next releases. It’s going to be epic!

vivaoperatrio.com facebook.com/ViVATrio twitter.com/ViVAtrio www.instagram.com/vivatrio soundcloud.com/vivatrio www.reverbnation.com/viva1

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Katie eixeir

BY ANISSA STAMBOULI

It’s time to thank your high school teacher for preaching William Shakespeare—the man was accurate and uncannily prophetic when he ascertained that “all the world’s a stage”. In an age when each hand holds a cellphone, and each cellphone holds a camera, life is a set just waiting to be staged and exhibited with the click of a button. One of the many benefits of the cellphone revolution is the exposure of art to unlimited eyes. “The availability of always having a camera on hand, and the mobile photo editing apps, allows me to really explore my creative side no matter where I am,” photographer Katie Teixeira told InSpades. She was true to this side of herself at the Pr0ject_Uno New York meet, where at any moment you would discover her lost from the group, climbing over rocks and rails, finding the best place to take a shot only her mind’s eye could see. Teixeira’s photography sur faced with the help of networking communities like Instagram. Though she shoots at times with her Nikon D5300 DSLR camera, much of Teixeira’s work is actually captured with her iPhone 6.

@katieteix

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It’s difficult to believe that Teixeira’s self-portraits are taken with her cell. Using apps for editing, Teixeira was miraculously able to reveal the gentle glow of the Edison light bulbs in the background of “Tattoo”, meanwhile reflecting light from her skin and hair in the foreground. “Self-portraiture is my favourite style of photography to shoot and edit.” Teixeira explained. Having no models to work with, and often shooting at a moment’s notice when “the inspiration arises,” self-portraiture offers Teixeira maximum artistic freedom without the loss of creative momentum that a lapse in time can cause. Many of Teixeira’s self-portraits include floral arrangements or stark contrasts in light. “My go-to’s are nature [and] natural light,” said Teixeira, whose spontaneous shoots require little preparation, simply complementary positions of the sun. Mobile photography is a recent art form, appealing in part for it’s convenience—no equipment haul necessary. In conjunction with cellphone cameras are mobile editing apps like Mextures, Union and Darkroom, and are the mainstay of Teixeira’s editing arsenal. Yet while Teixeira reaches for her iPhone for landscape and portrait pieces alike, she does wield her DSLR for macro photography and nature shots. “I like the ability to control the depth of field and exposure when I’m

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zoomed in and focused on detail.” In “Queen Ann’s Lace ” and “Nature’s Lollipop”, Teixeira achieves a clean capture of the buds while casting sombre shadows with the use of mobile app edits. It was six years ago when Teixeira first got her hands on a DSLR camera. “Being able to manually control the outcome of my photos really pulled me in,” she remembered, but it wasn’t until Teixeira purchased an iPhone 6 that she became more deeply involved in her love affair with photography. Thanks to the mobility and ease of her phone, each day is a “blank canvas” awaiting the lens. “If the mood strikes – I shoot. Period.” Since emerging on the mobile photography scene, Teixeira has been recognized by the Mobile Photography Awards of 2016, SHOOTER magazine and the Mobiography website. One of her self-portraits will also displayed at the Galleria Lancelotta in Rome, Italy during the “Impossible Humans – ‘The Unexpected Happening’ ” (IHUH) exhibit of March 2016. Today Teixeira remains active within online photography communities like Pr0ject_Uno and with other artists—“family” as she warmly regards them—on Instagram. If the world was a stage for Shakespeare, it became the set of a photo shoot awaiting discovery by contemporary photographers like Teixeira: “Everywhere I go, I’m always capturing something to take home with me.” BY ANISSA STAMBOULI

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BY JACLYN TRUSS

Leeann LaCarbonara “My friend created my Instagram account 4 years ago and I swore I’d never use it.” laughed LaCarbonara to InSpades. Famous last words. Like many of us who adamantly refuse to become hooked on social media outlets, it was only a matter of time before she cracked, and when she did, it was wide open. Now a moderator for both @ig_collection and @pr0ject _uno, and the curator of @elegance_in_abandonment, a page devoted to portraits shot in abandonment and decay, it is safe to say LaCarbonara’s found her social media sea legs. “I was quickly inspired by other artists and genres I was exposed to. I was obsessed with textures like peeling paint and rust which

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quickly turned into a serious interest in urban exploration. My current work is nature/macro photography.” LaCarbonara explained. LaCarbonara shoots with a Nikon D3300 and iPhone 6s and editing primarily with the Mextures App and Snapseed. “I love texture and finding beauty in decay! I edit mostly in color but I also embrace the darkness of bnw/ mono photography.” She expressed. L aC a rbona ra’s love f inding beaut y and tex ture in decay actually creates something that is colour ful , lively and almost seemingly in motion, as though at any moment an idle breeze would awaken a petal or dried peel of paint, blowing it softly and silently out of the frame.

@sazzafrazz71 / @lilac71_

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TreyL

Lane BY ANISSA STAMBOULI

itâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s hours of work but the finished product is well worth it @Treylane_captures

www.treylanecaptures.weebly.com

When it comes to modern photography, editing and digital creativity are just as impor tant as natural talent. Trey Lane combines her skilled eye with experimentation to create a whimsical world of fantasy. Even without colour, her black and white images are layered and complex, like visions from another universe. Lane is from Worcester, Massachusetts, where she has been a photographer for three years. She often travels all over New England to seize lifeâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s little moments, and when she is searching for inspiration, she adventures to capture the world from her perspective, and then shares her discoveries with others. Lane is a self-taught ar tist who is constantly learning and testing the limits, but she dreams of one day being a professional photographer. She loves to be inspired by other shutterbugs and hopes one day her art will be aspirational for young artists.

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“My work is constantly changing with my growth as a photographer,” she told InSpades. “I welcome fellow Instagrammers to follow my progression so that one day maybe I can be their inspiration.” Lane’s creativity is evident in her images and so is her natural inclination to experiment. “Recently, I’ve gotten into creating art with my photography; it’s hours of work, but the finished product is well worth it,” she admits. One of her strongest and visually interesting photographs is “Bird Man”. Taken with a Nikon D3200 at Rock Harbor Beach in the Cape, the shoot started out simply, as a photo of her friend, Christopher Funk, sitting in a chair enjoying the sunset. Then Lane saw the potential for transformation and took the image into the digital editing room. She used Vsco and Photoshop to blend a flock of birds emerging from Chris as he nonchalantly leans back, creating ripples in the water. The surreal birds don’t bother Chris—although they appear to have come from another dimension— so the viewer also has no reason to be alarmed, creating a unique piece of art that blends the natural landscape with a hint of fantasy. “Lost Soul” and “Less is More” are two more examples of Lane’s ability to create a dream-like world, immersed in a world of fantasy. “Lost Soul” is a self-portrait, the artist as a whisper, a human in the form of a shadow. “Less is More” is a single boat

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on the shore, standing tall with a perfect twin reflected below it. The water and sky merge until the boat seems unmoored, floating as if by its own accord. Another strange but completely satisfying image is Lane’s “Clay Time”. On a whim, she brought home some clay and with the help of a friend proceeded to wash in it. After covering their skin, they allowed it to dry and stretch, creating large cracks in the surface of the “skin”. Lane then picked up her Nikon and started shooting. The result was something artistic and monstrous, a close-up of skin stretching into a scream, resisting the tightness of the clay. Each crack mesmerizes, drawing the viewer deeper and deeper into the monster’s nightmare. Lane’s style is ever changing and always growing. She looks for inspiration in unusual places, often emerging with new vantage points and memorable images. She has a strong voice, and with the eyes of the world now on her, we’re waiting to see what she has to tell us.

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BY JACLYN TRUSS

Christopher FUNK

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My passion for photography developed during my travels throughout New England. I have become especially drawn to capturing foggy scenes. I am not sure exactly what motivates me, but I love the fog so much, that when weather is just right, I am up in the wee hours driving to a location to shoot.

@cfunk44

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I live for photography

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For some reason it just taps into my inner core. My niche is my umbrellas, trees and fog but lately I have incorporated sunrises and sunsets into my work. My photography is constantly developing and Iâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;m always finding new and exciting ways to share my point of view with the world. I started with my smartphone to capture my shots but recently bought a Canon Powershot and am saving my pennies to buy my first DSLR. I am currently working as a registered nurse but would really love to make photography a career of mine. I live for it. I have also had the privilege of meeting talented Instagramers face to face and I am constantly surrounding myself with people that inspire me and have found that with instagram and the Pr0ject_Uno family.

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Jansen

Chanel

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BY JACLYN TRUSS

There is a solitary loneliness emanating from Chanel Jansen’s images, akin to pieces of stories untold and unfinished. They are beautifully wistful, touched by a mournful melancholy, as though waiting , heav yhearted and hopeful, for what may come next. The field grass waits for the sway of a breeze, the shore waits for the lap of a wave, the fog waits to be broken by the sun, and the woman waits, patiently, for someone to take her hand. Jansen loves to share her emotional captures, she creeps into the very depths of what the moment itself is feeling, searches out your intense vulnerabilit y and the hidden strength that exists within it. “I use my Instagram account as a means of self expression, through a combination of self portraiture, nature shots and various different styles. I do not have a definitive style and like to mix things up and try new things. Instagram to me, is all about sharing with others and to inspire and be inspired!”

@painting.with.light

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Chanel Jansen is a brilliant photographer, dancer, human and best of all, a moderator for Pr0ject_Uno. She will be part of the team seeking out your creations to submit to InSpades Magazine, so inspire her and be inspired, and remember that when she finds you, sheâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;ll find all of you, so be sure to give her your truest self.

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ROSSI CONSOLANDI

IARA

When one thinks of the female form, art inevitably comes to mind. Since opposable thumbs first learned to grasp tools and scribble, the history of human culture has recorded the female essence through a myriad of artistic platforms. For Italian photographer Kiara Rossi Consolandi, women are the “protagonists” for her visual tales. “I love the female body,” she explained to InSpades. Comparing herself to a sculptor, Rossi Consolandi extracts the raw spirit of her female models and reflects it on their exteriors. “Caryatid”, a self-portrait, connotes the era of classical Greek sculpture. Traditional in its elements yet contemporary in the subject’s positioning, Rossi Consolandi’s piece is an evocative visual ode to ancient Grecian culture. Clutching a draped sheet, her slender limbs maintain a sense of motion within the still image, while her foot grazes a stone pedestal. With her hair shrouding her face, Rossi Consolandi seems to both invite and reject the viewer’s gaze. “I’m not a photographer, I’m a visionary storyteller.” Rossi Consolandi’s collection “Mnemosyne”—the title again recalling ancient Greece with the reference to the mythological goddess of memory—creates the narrative for a heritage home within a series of images featuring model Roberta Falardi.

BY ANISSA STAMBOULI

@kiararcphotography

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Set in an old Italian house, where “memories of a mysterious pa st ” are preserved in the sombre atmosphere, Rossi Consolandi explores the potential tales and history contained within the setting. “I do not photograph what I see, but what I imagine, stories of parallel worlds.” In one image from the “Mnemosyne” series, shadows from a window pane divide the subject’s face, casting warped rectangles of light and dark across the scene. In another, the subject’s stiff and vertical sprawl against a wall leaves the viewer feeling uneasy. Stringy hair conceals her face, obstructing the viewer’s attempt to ascertain the subject’s expression; here, the instinct that humans habitually rely on to assess a social situation is denied, thus enabling viewer vulnerability. Despite the apparently simplistic positioning of the scene, the viewer is lef t feeling unsettled and haunted by the subject’s eerie pose in the starkly vacant house. While Rossi Consolandi’s past interests included travel photography and visual reportage, she now indulges in the photography of human subjects placed within an “unusual context [that is] dreamy, visionary.” “Water Dream”, reminiscent of Ophelia’s dainty demise in Shakespeare’s Hamlet, presents a woman submerged in a water, flowers in hand. She wears nothing but a translucent slip, soaking between waking and sleep, the bouquet incarnating her “dreams of flowers, blue.”

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While Ros si C onsol a ndi considers photography to be her “great passion”, it has lately evolved into a profession. Rossi Consolandi’s work can now be found in homes, the result of her collaboration with a studio of interior design. Immersing herself in the visuals arts force that Italy is known for, Rossi Consolandi stands apart not just for her ability to capture the curves and miraculous forms of a woman, but for her skill to gently coax a woman’s essence from the body and through the lens, draping it over her form and making her being visible to all.

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BY JACLYN TRUSS

Flaminia Cicchino

On the Adriatic coast of Italy, in the small fishing town of Termoli, with a population of a little over 30,000 people, there are gorgeous sea side resor t s, historic Romanesque architecture, and a visionary of bared soul photography. Flaminia Cicchino, a resourceful portrait photographer, armed with a humble Iphone, uses Termoli and it’s residents as her studio and subjects. “My models are not real models, they are the people who surround me. Everyone has something special to offer, you just see it and highlight it.” Cicchino explains.

@la_petite_robenoire

Everyone has something special to offer, you just see it and highlight it

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Her st yle is mostly stark, revealing portraiture, and she loves to create a sense of pathos in her work. Her shots are crisp and clear, a detailed confession of every line, wrinkle, crease and pore. â&#x20AC;&#x153;I love people in every way. Skin details, unexpected poses, naked bodies and faces. The hands are beautiful ways to express emotions. I love black and white; painting with light and shadow highlights the details.â&#x20AC;? T hroug h t his met hod, she exposes the strength of fighters, the sensualness of lovers, the beauty of age, and intersperses these with surprising bursts of colour, highlighting the occasional body and wisp of hair. Cicchino also stirs into the mix the odd brightly coloured landscape, surfacing from the ocean of emotionality she captures, like a whale breaching the depths for a breath of clear air. Her images read like an eloquent visual novel, an epic tale filled with love, secrecy, loss, vulnerability, loneliness and triumph. Cicchino offers a wonderful perspective to the Pr0ject_Uno team that translates visibly to their pages, and she takes pride in being able to offer her own individual flavour and texture to the community, a vision that is uniquely her own.

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WELCOME TO THE

DA R K N E S S , ISN’T IT BEAUTIFUL?

If the Grim Reaper had a get-together with old pals within the setting of Steinbeck’s Grapes of Wrath, it would probably look like Brandon Thomas Carroll’s “Shepherd”. With a flare for dramatics, shrouded figures and occasional streaks of blood, Carroll’s compelling photography recalls the cultish, hauntingly beautiful images of rural America at the turn of the century. Carroll’s evocative photographs combine fear and comfor t in a discursive way. The subject of “I Gave You” appears as a frighteningly alluring figure, as it is unclear as

@digbickbrandon

to whether the subject is fearsome or fearful. Similarly the concealed figure in “Untitled Final”, reminiscent in appearance to J.R.R Tolkien’s Ringwraiths, holds a bloodied and despairing person in a dubiously comforting embrace. A figure, all at once terrifying, and yet, assuming the role of sympathetic companion. B o t h t e n d e r a n d d a r k , C a r r o l l’s photography embraces the somber and morbid with a tasteful and sincere delivery. It may come to no surprise then, that it was Carroll’s own stroll through the shadows inspired his creative work.

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It was only two years ago that Carroll recovered from an episode of anorexia that had plagued him for seven years. During the time since his recovery, Carroll “discovered an outlet for [his] emotions through dark art.” Though Carroll is quickly establishing himself within the photography community, it is interesting that, prior to his emergence from anorexia, he had “never picked up a camera.” “War” portrays the ironic struggle of hiding a visible secret in plain view, exhibiting selfdestructive behavior as a silent call for help. In this piece, a man walks toward a noose, his briefcase open and spilling its contents. On the foreground is a blood-smeared sign reads “HELP”. “I struggle with [anorexia] to this day, and continue to make [dark art] my outlet instead of taking it all out on myself.”

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Attraction to the darkness and aversion for its destructive capabilities is an age-old spar, represented with visual perfection in â&#x20AC;&#x153;Everything Was Beautiful And Nothing Hurtâ&#x20AC;?. In this piece, a woman floats motionlessly, entangled in strips of cloth that blinds and constrict her as her hair floats indifferently toward the surface. Seemingly unconcerned, she shows no sign of visible struggle, simply accepting a painful circumstance, painlessly, as though suffering were her surrender.

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B y s u b l i m a t i n g s e l f- d e s t r u c t i v e inclinations with creativity, Carroll projects his ongoing struggle within his images, and yet, while their voices may still be strained with the shadowed emotions that have haunted him for so long, their very existence depicts his ever growing liberation from them.

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BY JACLYN TRUSS

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The Im

mage Of Love

BRIAN Johnston Carolina Villaraos

This adorable pair found love in the arts and with each other. Both currently live in New York, and while they have different goals and face different challenges, they find joy in endeavoring them together. For the past 6 months, Brian has been engulfed in the overtures of New York City, itâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s fantastic charisma and architectural beauty. Surrounded by artists, whether local or online, he finds himself deeply inspired and motivated by everything this new experience has to offer. He has recently fallen in love with the darker side of portrait photography, pushing himself

@caro_villaraos

@brianj_photography

to explore and push the boundaries of dark and light, and his recent worked is marked heavily with his new found techniques. “It’s my goal to have people realize that there is always a light to look for. Capturing emotion is what it’s all about for me. A lot of my motivation comes from my beautiful girlfriend, Carolina Villaraos, who pushes me everyday to take my photography to the next level, whether it be photoshoots out of my comfort zone or discovering new editing techniques to set myself out of the crowd. A LOT of emotion goes through my heart and head when I take photos and I try to recreate that with the final images I let the world see. ‘Moodiness’ is everything to me and I just hope when people see my images they feel something too.” Brian explained.

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His muse, Carolina, is a dancer, recently graduated from The Boston Conservatory, and is trying to make a name for herself in New York in the challenging world of Concert Dance. While that remains her overall goal, she has taken this life opportunity to delve deeper into the experience of art as a whole and participate in its myriad of offerings. “Together Brian and I have found passion and motivation and you can see that through his photos. It has all to do with positivity and an emotionally driven photographer. To call this work, would be nothing short of a lie... He picked up a camera and immediately became fascinated in capturing moments, and it wasn’t until he did so, that I finally saw my true potential through his lens. Everyday I find beauty in photography and what it means to be an artist. I now have no limits.” Carolina told InSpades. As new additions to the Pr0ject_Uno family, we are sure this is just the beginning for this artsy couple, and hope that they will show us exactly what “no limits” looks like!

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Everyday I find beauty in photography and what it means to be an artist. I now have no limits

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BY ANISSA STAMBOULI

Albany 116

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cCabe

his soulful young poet delivers a cache of romantic one-liners that put “You had me at ‘hello’,” to shame. Albany I. McCabe, writer and photographer, hailing from northern Maine, U.S., has been using Instagram as her personal quote bank since early spring of this year. Illustrating her poetry against graphics, McCabe taps into our unarticulated, sentimental reverie and lays them bare in comprehensible verse.

“If anyone looked at me, and truly saw me, they couldn’t fail to see the marks: gentle fingerprints leftover from where you touched my soul.” Simple in its relatability, honest in its vulnerability and moving in its innocence, McCabe’s style appeals to anyone with a beating heart. With phrases like,

“He told me I would always be an island... But now I wasn’t shipwrecked alone,” McCabe recalls the unique impression that humans can leave on one another, be it romantic, platonic or familial.

@albany.new.york / @the.aimless.muse

In a world where romance is often bound by “the game” and words of love and affirmation tend to be tossed tragically to the wayside, McCabe sidesteps the rule book and writes what everyone is thinking: “You’ve made your way into every moment of every day.” When asked about her creative writing process, McCabe describes it as, “a bit chaotic.” Most of her poems stem from phrases blossoming in her mind, later elaborated with specific intention; however, McCabe admits that the main “muse” for her creative flow is her boyfriend, Emery. “Sometimes we’ll be talking and the conversation gets very deep, he’ll then prompt a response from me that gives me an idea for a short poem,” says McCabe, revealing that the handle of her Instagram account, @the. aimless.muse, is also inspired by Emery. While McCabe tends to write in rhyme to produce an “attractive flow, without taking away from the initial meaning,” she also writes free verse poetry with equal zeal. “Poetry does not have to rhyme to be enjoyable.” She asserts. Beyond the written word, McCabe’s poetic vision exceeds the pen, composing through her camera lens into elegant imagery. Though she has been honing her writing skills since childhood, McCabe only began photography in recent years, publishing her first images on Instagram in June of 2015. It wasn’t until this year however, that she developed a “serious”

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commitment to the art form, taking “giant strides in that department,” with a clear progression of skill and soulful experimentation. Today, McCabe makes an effort to balance her pursuit of photography and writing. “There [are] definitely periods of time where I’m lacking creative inspiration for either photography or writing . . . but I try not to let too much time go by without engaging in either activity.” For InSpades’ first issue, “Numero Zero”, McCabe will be publishing her poetry in print for the second time, having also contributed her work to Maine’s Echoes Magazine. Readers find her poetry to be so relatable, depicting emotions that many of us feel but struggle to put into words. She hopes that through her poetry she can empower others to find their own inner voice and bridge the imaginary gap we place between ourselves and others.

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BY SERGIO D. SPADAVECCHIA

A gentle touch of warm colors, soft edges and sharp words compose a vision of a world that will make you reflect, make you ponder what the “normal” vision of our life has been hiding from us all along.

“The most robust walls we build around us to keep sadness out can collapse at any moment” This quote empathizes the doleful look of one of Viktor’s beautiful subjects, who recurrently appears in his collection,

@euphoric_fluctuations / @vibflow

presumably for her inspiring look, those shiny eyes that seep into your gaze, sharing the moment with you, as though she can actually see you back. But does she?

“Although the eyes reflect your inner emotions, they are the perfect tool for deception” The beauty is still there, right in her eyes, again looking at you, but not seeing you. Viktor carries this theme further, outright covering a model’s eyes with her own braids,

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restricting her from deception, forcing her, and the viewer, to look inside themselves. Contrastingly, he posts this quote, once again delivering something to you and compelling you to see beyond it:

“Dwelling upon the self too much produces terrible fatigue. A man in that position is deaf and blind to everything else. The fatigue itself makes him cease to see the marvels all around” —Carlos Castaneda This quote is absolute perfection when matched with his photography, giving more power to his paradoxical vision. The beauty of Viktor’s work is not just the delicate reveal of his subjects, but that he delivers an inspiring medium for the world to reveal it’s paradoxical nature to you. We dare you to hold their gaze freely and decide for yourself, do you prefer subtle serration, or do you like your edges rounded off?

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MAR

RICHARDSON BY ANISSA STAMBOULI

rainy, gothic and a little horror film-esque, the somber photography of Mar Richardson is an eerie pleasure for the eyes. With each piece teetering on the edge of ghostly and alluring, Richardson balances a tone both elegant and haunting. For Richardson, it all comes down to mood and lighting. “Without darkness, light can’t become that focal point within an image,” Richardson told InSpades. In each of her pieces, light shines through the darkness, an influential sliver to pierce the shadows of outlined trees and feminine silhouettes. Working mostly in black and white with the occasional piece infected with dusty hues or invaded with glowing colour, Richardson’s style is “ethereal and mystical” with a wash of grit. Though she enjoys shooting, her main attraction to photography is the editing process through which she can manipulate contrasting light and atmosphere with aging ef fects. “I work with textures and tones...Honestly I’m a painter, not so much a photographer,” Richardson admitted.

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Much of Richardson’s work features forests and the looming outlines of trees. “I just want to escape into the woods...My true inspiration is the shapes and textures of the forest,” Richardson admitted. Her piece “Shadows in the woods” brings to mind The Secret Garden. As if the photographer were privy to a lush stash of greenery inaccessible to the outside world, the image features a pocket of forest so overgrown that the trunks of each tree are supple with leaves. True to her style, Richardson’s editing reduces the saturation of the forest’s vibrant green, enhancing the shadows to draw the eye to a soft light that filters through the scene. Like an aged, naturalistic landscape photo, the image offers a hint of vintage style.

Again, Richardson captures a natural moment in her signature style of contrasting light. In “The Lonely Soul”, a lone wolf drinks from a stream in a dark forest of blue, spires

@merderich

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of branches break from the shadows, while subtle streams of light illuminate a frosty mist. The water glints under the light of an assumed yet unseen moon, making ripples visible. An undercurrent of tension stirs this tranquil moment, as the viewer observes the vulnerability of a predatory animal in a chilling atmosphere. In this image Richardson offers undisturbed companionship between viewer and wolf, allowing the viewer to absorb and experience the scene in the presence of an animal often unseen.

While Richardson claims the forest as her main muse, “Alone in the noise”, captures a symmetrical por trait of daughter and model Kat against a bare background. “In essence, I’m a landscape artist,” Richardson shared, “but that doesn’t mean I don’t like to play with people as landscapes, or subjects within a space.”

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Another source of inspiration for Richardson is her work place, where creative minds and artists surround her. “Human story lines are interesting to me.” Since her daughter is an experienced model, using Kat as a subject means Richardson can easily “concentrate on the whole framework, rather than worry about the model within the space.” Richardson now lives in Kansas City, Missouri, working in the Arts District by day and editing her photography on the side.

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CHELSEYSINCL I believe the human form is beautiful and capable of communicating emotion better than anything

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LAIR

BY JACLYN TRUSS

The mysterious, eerie and borderline bizarre photographs of Chelsey Sinclair, are raw, unapologetic and preternaturally poignant. “I can’t really give myself any specific label, I try to do it all when it comes to art.” She said of her work. Born, raised and schooled in Los Angeles, California, she completed part of her studies on the “Golden Coast” for Film, French and Psychology, before journeying to France to complete her studies at an art school in Paris. “I love to express emotion, especially the dark stuff that no one likes to talk about. A lot of my photographs are self-portraits-sometimes it’s just easier for me to convey my own thoughts using myself. In addition, most of my photos lack [the wearing of] clothing. I believe the human form is beautiful and capable of communicating emotion better than anything, and sometimes clothing can inhibit that. For me, expressing myself visually is something that alleviates a lot of inner turmoil, and creating the things I see in my head is one of the most rewarding experiences.” Sinclair revealed to InSpades.

@chelsey_sinclair

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For me, expressing myself visually is something that alleviates a lot of inner turmoil

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Her favourite self-portrait is ”Bon Voyage”, a photo meant to symbolize taking what you have left and moving on -- even if the only thing you have left is a shell of the person you used to be. Sinclair contorts defeatedly into a suitcase, head down, her bare rib cage exposing the emaciation of the moment. Collapsed awkwardly into a piece of vintage luggage, Sinclair is the quintessence of her own personal baggage. In “Itty Bitty Demons”, Sinclair tackles the theme of “insecurities, self doubt and not being able to escape a vicious mind that you’re trapped in”. Twisted in emotional pain, she claws toward her stretched vertebrate like a woman possessed, besot by demons we cannot see, but unquestionably exist. Standing in antithesis is “Photosynthesis”, in which the same subject, the same body, now eases itself tenderly beside the leaves of a healthy, flowering plant. Sinclair explains that is is about “absorbing the good things around you and letting them grow inside of you, it is hope that you will bloom as flowers do”. What truly blossoms here is Sinclair’s ability to succinctly envelope the infiniteness of human emotion into a finite portrait. We sit in eager anticipation of her next masterpiece, where she will undoubtedly be found in the throes of unravelling yet another provocative fragment of the human condition.

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BY ANISSA STAMBOULI

Pat De Kruijff If iPhone is looking for a new commercial, we’ve got an idea worth pitching. Pat De Kruiff, a photographer based in the Netherlands, has made a name for himself using an iPhone as his only camera. D e K r uif f ’s photogra phy skills emerged five years ago when he purchased his first iPhone. Since then he’s been an “iPhone-ographer”-purest. W it h da r l ing photos of his family in the Netherlands and of their travels through France, De Kruiff’s style is consistently bright and crisp with the occasional pop of pastels. “ Eve r y o u t in g we d o automatically turns into a shoot with the fam,” Kruijff admitted. Featuring his t wo children and wife in most ima ge s, Kr uijf f ’s work documents the lifestyle and landscapes enjoyed by his family.

@sound_design / @pats.stamppot

In “At First Sight” De Kruiff’s child gazes curiously through a coin-operated binocular tower overlooking a landscape. The size difference between the child and machinery is immediately enduring, while the exquisite lighting, gold accent and pastel coat offer a sense of innocent delight. “Some days we plan a shoot with a certain theme, other days they are spontaneous. Sometimes it’s a spur of the moment thing where [my kids] just need to hold an object in their hands for a second,” De Kruiff said of their family outings. Though De Kruif f ’s wife is al so a photographer, she and his photogenic children prefer to do the modelling. In “A Sip Of Sass” his daughter pauses for a drink while leaning sassily against a door. The combination of her sweet attire against the pastel blue wall, with the nonchalant attitude of her posture achieves a wonderfully charming effect. While De Kruiff’s work tends to focus on his young family, he also branches out to capture landscapes. With a per fectly s y m m et r i c a l a n d c l e a n s h ot in “ T h e Towering Tour Eiffel”, De Kruiff snaps the iconic Eiffel Tower. In a world of smartphones and GoPros, it’s easy to snap shots on the go; however, to achieve tasteful and artistic results, one requires the eye of a true mobile photographer, one which De Kruiff has no doubt developed.

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BY SERGIO D. SPADAVECCHIA

DECAYING BEAUTY OF A FORG

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GOTTEN WORLD

TakumiKaizaki Sharp shots of decaying beauty, visions of human authenticity lost beneath a sea of excess, plastic and disposability. Takumi Kaizaki recovers a hidden world that is all but lost, his photography capturing a world so fascinatingly in decline, a world that the media will keep away from our eyes, that will never be advertised, that you will never see offered in the overflowing mailbox. But Kaizaki implores you to see, to open your eyes and look beyond the fake polished world to another reality, so exquisite and so uniquely creative. Distorted by a 10mm lens over a magnesium alloy Pentax K5 Body, and Kaizaki knows how to squeeze every little detail out of that sensor, to bring you a truly picture perfect moment.

@c1thee

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How he gets these photos is beyond my comprehension. Fearlessly, he scales tall buildings and structures, capturing impossible sights, with astonishing precision. A veritable cavalcade of vertigo, Kaizaki’s collection will have you double-taking. His inverted image of him appearing to “hang” off a sheer sided structure, while in actuality he is simply lying on the ground, will momentarily have you convinced that he is one slipped finger away from falling, instead of one smirk away from seasoned genius. Kaizaki is a man of few words, but each of his pictures is worth a thousand of them, and we hope he never shuts up.

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BY ANISSA STAMBOULI

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Wons @nwons / @the.wons

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you’ve visited the Canadian cit y of Toronto then you’re most likely acquainted with the iconic red and white streetcars that clamour through it ’s electric streets. For regular transit users these vint a ge-looking c a rs may have lost their novelt y, but for Toronto bred photographer Nick Wons, streetcars are just one of the city’s many signatures worthy of spectacle. In a world of Photoshop and DSLR cameras, where digitally altering an image is an art in and of itself, Wons stands apart as a skillful photographer with the ability to incorporate special effects into his work without the infiltration of hardcore edits.

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“I guess you could call me a sor t of a purist,” Wons admits to InSpades. Though he respects the practice of digitally manipulating an image, Wons considers himself to be a photographer only, and not a digital artist. “99.9% of my photos that you see are shot in-camera.” Yet while Wons avoids the major editing process that some artists relish, he is by no means a conventional photographer. Often featuring clean reflections and vibrant long exposure shots, Wons expertly wields his Nikon D750 to naturally achieve special effects in-camera. “I’ve been living in Toronto my whole life and I’ve seen pretty much every nook and cranny in this city,” Wons explains. He goes on to compare the views of Toronto to a nice steak dinner, where eating the same thing every night can become a little “mundane”, just like shooting Toronto’s trademark sights repeatedly had become bland for Wons. “I add a little ‘seasoning’ to my steak dinner by creating a whole new world within Toronto and creating parallel universes through the reflection effect.” The image “Trained Orb ” boasts of Wons’ capability. Ensnaring the image of an oncoming streetcar with a reflective orb, the piece portrays the streetcar on two planes: in close proximity and warped by the spherical reflector, and filling the background as a blurred version of itself. With mere minor

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edits, the in-camera technique that Wons applies is absolutely astonishing. “I’m a full-time Toronto based freelance photographer who left my office job to chase my dreams of doing what I love for a living,” says Wons. Working in event and fashion photography, Wons uses his spare time to shoot street photography and experiment with techniques. When asked if his professional artistic st yle influences his personal creative expression, Wons tells InSpades that it is in fact the opposite. “My personal work is sort of my playground where I create and discover things…a lot of the time a client will come to me because of something personal I’ve shot that they’ve seen.” Reflection is just one of Wons’ favourite techniques in his reper toire. In a piece from his “Nocturnal Tendencies” shoot, Wons successfully manipulates time by slowing his shutter speed. Like a sacred, seductive goddess one might find painted on the ruins of a temple wall, model Kehli G splays twelve arms caught in motion. Taken in a single shot, Wons masters the long exposure effect without the use of layering in his editing process. As a “freestyle” photographer, you can find Wons exploring his Torontonian terrain, prowling for the next serendipitous scene or compelling face to shoot.

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MAYK BA BY JACLYN TRUSS

@m_bautista330 / @weekly_feature

AUTISTA Everything Mayk does, he does in spades. We were lucky enough to have him host the Pr0ject_Uno New York event, and, as the “Big Apple” is his element, we enjoyed a behind the scenes tour like no other. From dining at delicious restaurants, to drinking at memorable dingy dive bars, to a sub rosa walk-through of the construction of new One World Trade Center, there is nothing @m_ bautista33 does halfway. His photography - highly focused on New York cityscapes, landmarks and bridges - reflects his “all-in” attitude. As for his humble beginnings? “I fell in love with photography in my early teens about a year before high school while assisting with my school yearbook. In high school, I continued pursuing the art. I was told many times that I had a good eye but it wasn’t until mobile photography and interacting with so many people from all over the world that I learned to appreciate it.”

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Well Bautista has certainly evolved from his high school yearbook years, his Instagram page sporting stunning scenes, a pageantry of the darkened steel skeletons that make up the city’s silhouette and gritty spray painted subway underbelly, which he then brightly contrasts with peaceful sunsets, brightly lit skyscrapers and night skies rocketing to life in an explosion of fireworks. While he displays a clear affinity for black and whites, Bautista will often desaturate certain colours but leave others, like a contained oil spill of colour, the remaining hues illuminating the images so boldly you fear they will spill off the page. Aside from his own talents, Bautista takes pride in featuring the talents of others. He created a page called @weekly_feature, which boasts an “Artist of the Day” and, in the likeness of Pr0ject_Uno, showcases artists from all of the world. Bautista spoke to InSpades about his project, “I created @weekly_feature to give back, so to speak...Little did I know that by doing so and connecting with others I’d be part of a much greater good. Besides people like @this.kitty who are great inspirations, I’ve also made lifelong connections with visionaries like @carolgong & @shadow.boxer who are responsible for launching so many of your favorite hubs. Together with @521gemini, @creativespades and a very supportive team of about 40 plus others, we will be bringing you the vision of the Pr0ject_Uno brand.”

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As a moderator for Pr0ject_Uno, we know Bautista carries the spirit of the care, generosity and support that is indicative of their community. We can’t help but be excited to see what he will bring to the table for both the Pr0ject_Uno pages and InSpades Magazine, and Bautista shares this excitement, “Photography opened up so many doors for me, including the opportunity to work on this project. I’m hopeful that through the platform of photography, the world can be a better place and through my photos, inspire others to follow their heart and pay all good things forward. It’s my belief that through photography one can express themselves in ways some words cannot. They say a picture is worth a thousand words so just imagine how much you can say with a thousand pictures…”

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AVCIOGLU

BY ANISSA STAMBOULI

Portrait meets psychedelic-dreamscape— that’s one of many ways to describe the collection of Raphael Avcioglu’s photography. If a Tame Impala track were to escape the speakers and sprawl across an old school projector, one could imagine it highly resembling Avcioglu’s “Nem Pole”. Pursuing the study of graphic design and photography at Michigan State University, the influence of digital manipulation is heavy on Avcioglu’s portrait and landscape photography. From cityscapes to starry nights, to women lit up in bathtubs, Avcioglu’s work is a colourful array of industrial meets cosmic. Bringing the “graphic” to his photographic style, Avcioglu often combines long exposure shots with vibrant edits. “Gramitix” lies on a backdrop of stars, while the forefront of the image stands apart on a translucent square of unique triangle designs. Similarly, “Only Time Will Tell” sets digitally manufactured circles against a forested background, each circle a portal to another corner of the scene. Avcioglu reflects the shutter speed’s ability to halt time by including circular windows that overlay the image, capturing the same background in different moments. Tendrils of fog stand still, the details of their movement so expertly captured as to convince the viewer that their immobility is illusory.

@rafael.avcioglu / @yaddidimean

In “Fill My Bath With Colour”, a seductive woman lies in an empty bathtub clad in a string of golden party lights. A fuchsia wash ignites her eyes, matching her lingerie and colouring the tiled washroom with a Viva Las Vegas-meets-Miami Vice atmosphere. Giving “Fill My Bath With Colour” an edgy splash of neon attitude, the woman’s gaze is confrontational yet vulnerable, challenging from an empty tub as if to say, “I’m alone, let’s party—can you handle it?” As an artist Avcioglu describes himself as pressured by “self-doubt mixed with enough adrenaline to run a marathon.” Par tially nocturnal , he is of ten awake “when the best stars are out,” which not only explains the nightlife aesthetic for much of his work, but also enables his experimentation with astro-photography. While in “The Chair Ain’t Big Enough For the Two of Us”, Avcioglu exposes his ability to resist intense editing effects, but still tends

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to prefer noticeable touch-ups, relenting to his need to colour the world around him and leave his mark upon it. “I feel the need to voice myself…vent through my edits.” Take the aforementioned “Nem Pole,” for example. While the shot itself is a crisp capture of a city-sprawl, the psychedelic spillage of displaced buildings—contained within a circle in the sky—keeps the viewer entranced. Sporadic chunks of colour stain the city, a toxic looking yellow seeping from the edge of the horizon. “Nem Pole” is a testament to Avcioglu’s editing ability to transform a standard urban landscape into a colourful twist of ecstasy for the eye. “As an artist I like to experiment with many different things, try new angles, learn new tools, acquire new accessories and have fun,” Avcioglu told InSpades. Though Avcioglu has various interests like playing the drums, painting, and watching documentaries, his main interest lies in photography.

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HERRI

BY JACLYN TRUSS

@nak_bali_

THE INCEPTION OF IMAGINATION

The mindbending images of @nak_bali_ debuted on Instagram on June 9, 2013, leaving an astonishing mark on the Instagram community and quickly flourishing to over 28,400 followers. The page’s owner and artist, Herri Susanto, wields an incredible power to distort reality in such a way that will have you staring in silent wonder, unsure of of your own gravity, and desperate to see more. Much of his work is reminiscent of the movie Inception, with cityscapes and nature scenes contorting supernaturally to his will, Susanto will bear you to the very brink of your wildest imaginings, only to hold you teetering on the edge of reality with permanent threat of instant collapse. S u s a n t o’s p i e c e s a r e m a s t e r f u l , strangely dreamlike, ar ticul ate in their absurdity and divinely imaginative. Twisting the known world into something unknown, he creates exceptional concepts that would make the world’s most talented special effect gurus green with envy (or perhaps some other colour that only currently exists in Susanto’s ima gination). Unlike some artists, Susanto has no interest in tightly defining his artwork, leaving the end result open to the interpretation of the viewer, allowing them to experience whatever the piece may invoke in them.

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“Pouring my imagination in a picture made me feel so different. It is like telling a story without missing any details. No misunderstanding involved. I have created my pictures much like a poet, you can interpret them personally without any concern of being mistaken.” Susanto said of his work. While some may argue his pieces provoke great mystery, tumulting in the psyche of what is, isn’t and can’t be (...but can it?), there is no question that his images will awaken and revolt your belief system of what is possible in this world. That then begs the question, what of Susanto’s beliefs? Is there any limit that he is willing to consider? Does he wake up each morning bent on bending universal physics with such startling imagery? His approach is simpler and more lighthearted than you might imagine. “I do this for fun. I mean, doing what makes you happy won’t disappoint you. Photography, editing and everything else, is an art, a beauty. Making a beautiful thing, knowing that someone will appreciate it, what else could be more enjoyable?” Susanto reveals. We agree few things could be more enjoyable, but there is one thing that could rank pretty high on the list and to which Susanto would agree - family. Susanto has recently taken a sabbatical from the Pr0ject_Uno team to have more time to focus on his family, but is still in contact

with the team and of ten reminisces his time spent with them. “Miss Cee (@Carolgong) and the @Pr0ject_ Uno team allowed me to be a part of their team. It has been a great time, working with great artists and appreciating great artworks. Everyday we would look for new and talented artists or old artists who were continually improving their skills. We could only choose some of the artworks to be featured in our pages...and it wasn’t an easy task. We would have a lot of beautiful pictures and had to choose from only 1-3 of them. But still, it was so fun. It was so sad when I had to say goodbye to my Instagram family back then, but with their support and the support from family and friends, I continue making artworks, sharing my thoughts, and feeling the joy of art.” Susanto shared with InSpades. We are eternally grateful that Susanto will continue with his artistry, as his images are the epitome of creativity and we are honoured that we are here simply to humbly witness them, and the sheer grandeur of his fantasy that opens up the universe to endless possibilities and leaves us breathless with wonder.

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se SPADAV BY JACLYN TRUSS

ergio VECCHIA After 26 years in a small town in Bari, Italy, Sergio D. Spadavecchia returned to his hometown of Toronto in 2011, with 3 months worth of savings, a hope and a prayer. Five years later, he presents to you InSpades Magazine, a magnum opus to 20 years of fervor, devotion, and an eventual belief in self. The Spadavecchia name is synonymous with “creativity”. Born of an artistic family, Spadavecchia’s blood runs red with acrylics and oils, his skin stained of charcoal and salt, clothing splattered in developer and stop bath. He carries a heart that beats with a relentless burning desire to create and a determined mind that bulldozes endlessly forward, unyieldingly toward perfection. The one thing he lacked was belief.

“Working in Italy was almost impossible. You worked days on end for months, hoping someone would eventually pay you...but they very rarely did or only for an insultingly small fraction of the work.” Spadavecchia explained. “I worked for some of the biggest and best companies in the world, but there still was no future there, the basic structure simply did not allow for it. I then had to make a choice, stay with what I’d known all my life, stay with a life that was less than what I wanted, but was ‘safe’, and what everyone else I knew was willing to settle for...or I could leave, and maybe fail, likely fail, but at least try to be more - be the person I knew I really was.” So he made his choice and left. When a minimum wage worker here can make more

than a NASA rocket scientist there, one gets a sense of the kind of demoralization that would undoubtedly wreak havoc on one’s psyche over time. Having given up much of his childhood English language for Italian, the language barrier was another immediate blow to his confidence, coupled with loneliness and entirely new daily milieu, the transition was anything but easy. “I didn’t know how to express myself, I was always concerned about saying the wrong thing. I didn’t know how to meet people and make friends. It was the same thing when I first went to Italy as a child, I was behind all the other kids because I didn’t speak the language. They threatened to hold me back but I refused, I knew if I worked hard enough I could catch up, and I did. Suddenly, I had to do it all over again, only I wasn’t a kid, if I didn’t get up to par, I wasn’t going to get a job, and I was going to run out of money and out of chances.”

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Spadavecchia pounded the pavement, delivering over 600 awk wardly worded resumes by hand. He had only one month wor th of rent lef t, when he received a call for a position as an Art Director for a national magazine. Very quickly he was promoted to Creative Director, and in less than two years, created his own art, design and photography company: Creative Spades. Now he has partnered with the Pr0ject_ Uno family to collaborate on InSpades Magazine, a platform that allow people like him, opportunities he never had. InSpades Magazine is not the first magazine I have created,” Spadavecchia divulges, “In Italy, I created Square Magazine, a hardcover publication that was unique, I had the only magazine that could display a model across a 60cm span, companies like Gat tinoni, Pronovias, Francesca Forni, La Perla, Paré, Guess and Valentino Sposa loved that. I even incorporated an image is Issue 0 of InSpades that was my first cover of Square Magazine, as a symbol of resurrection.”

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Spadavecchia’s journey was long and challenging, but the most important thing he learned was not how to overcome the challenges of the outside world, but the realization that he himself decides them. “The outside world will always be what it is, but I decide my reality, my choices and my perspective—it’s not what the world throws at me that counts, it’s how I choose to respond that makes the difference. I have worked hard all my life...it never made a difference.

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It’s not working hard that creates success, it’s working smart. It was hard for me to accept that concept at first, I always looked at my past experiences to determine the likelihood of my future experiences, but they are not related. Once I started to understand, I couldn’t unlearn it, and it began to snowball.” Once Spadavecchia focused his tried and true determination on that which truly mattered, he found himself quickly in the shoes of the person he always wanted to be. Now he has a successful career as a photographer, creative director and entrepreneur, is happily married with a beautiful daughter, surrounded by inspiring people and supported by devoted friends. Now, instead of simply working hard, he spends his days encouraging others to believe in themselves, so that they too can one day, be their best self, the self they always knew themselves to be.

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BY JACLYN TRUSS

@the_wizard_of_boz

THE WIZARD OF

BOZ

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Piers Bosler just quit his job. A recent transplant to the Los Angeles landscape, Bosler is currently riding out his two week’s notice with the apprehensive anticipation that habitually accompanies major life shifts. “I was working in advertising doing social media coordination and I wasn’t happy. I just don’t think I’m the type of person that can sit at a desk all day long. Leaving my job is definitely a risk, and I’m nervous...but I have to make it work.” Bosler told InSpades. And just what pushed Bosler into taking that final leap toward the unknown? “I need to be doing art.” he declared. Bosler’s art focuses mainly on fashion and fine art photography, and he loves his images to be majestic and emanate an ethereal quality. His images often have a theme of water, and since he prefers to shoot on location, this means lots of waterfalls. “Solid backdrops are boring,” Bosler admits, “if I shoot in a studio it has to

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be a crazy set up. My workflow is Lightroom - Photoshop - Exposure - back to Lightroom - export to SmugMug.” Bosler explained. Part of Bosler’s new journey is his recent alliance with the Pr0ject_Uno community, to which he is thrilled about their future prospects and potential. “I believe in Pr0ject_ Uno, and now that I have more time, I can focus on our artist takeovers. We are using Snapchat, and hopefully soon, we will also be using Instagram stories and YouTube to do artist takeovers. We are giving people the opportunity to see how their favorite artists from around the world shoot, edit and live.” Keep an eye out for Bosler and his upcoming works with Pr0ject_Uno, aligned with new purpose and the freedom to pursue his excitement, it should prove to be a magnificent collaboration!

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DISCOVER THE MYSTERIOUS

MISS E

GAS MASKS & VINTAGE LACE SEAMSTRESS OF THE EXQUISITELY ARCANE AND THE ALLURING ABSURD

COMING UP OCTOBER 1st 2016 ISSUE NUMERO UNO @madame_absinthe

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KYLE MERKLEY

TELEVISION, MOVIES AND VIDEO GAMES MEET THE MAN BEHIND THE MUSIC CREATING THE STORIES YOU WANT TO HEAR

COMING UP OCTOBER 1st 2016 ISSUE NUMERO UNO

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Brainless Bloodless Heartless

Whatâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s your excuse for

staying in the tank

Let CREATIVE SPADES Get Your Head Above Water

crystalfountain.com BY SERGIO D. SPADAVECCHIA