Wander - Issue 3 by Isabela Montalvo

wander tove styrke

issue three

november 2015

table of contents 04 mashrouâ&#x20AC;&#x2122; leila Musicians

08 panmela castro Graffiti artist

16 maria borges Model

20 sahej bakshi Musician

24 anna taratiel Artist

30 tove styrke Musician

38 hassan hajjaj Photographer

46 chloe & parris gordon

Fashion designers

54 hannah herzsprung Actress

58 film review Film Title by Director name

60 street style Copenhagen, Denmark

letter from the editor Welcome to Wander, a publication dedicated to widening your horizons. Iâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;m Isabela and Iâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;m a trilingual American who has lived in three different countries. As a graphic designer, I love being around all kinds of creative people, but I get even more excited when I meet artists from around the world with different cultures and creative tastes. That is how Wander came to be. Through this medium, I want to introduce young American creatives to incredible international talents who have yet to reach the US mainstream. It is my greatest hope that you find inspiration here both artistically and culturally! Wander on,

Isabela

mashrou’ leila

Since they began in 2008, Mashrou’ Leila have been notoriously controversial with lyrics used to articulate the sentiment of the youth in Beirut. They’ve made Arabic Indie Rock the loudest advocate for human rights and specifically gay rights in the Arab world with their lead singer, Hamed Sinno, who is publicly “out.” We spoke to Sinno who exudes pride in his band’s accomplishments.

Talk to us about how you got started in music. Once, as a child at my grandmother’s house in Amman, my parents showed me footage of a Tina Turner concert. My father went on to say “Look at the way she dances; she’s so sexy.” I did not at the time know what the word meant. And that’s how I learned this new word. Music has always been there in my life. It’s how I learned to form and express myself. But I never really “got started,” I’ve just always been a fanatic. I used to sing all the time (which annoyed the rest of my family because I never shut up). I kept at it through a couple of choirs in high school, a few cover bands and a lot of embarrassing karaoke nights. Then Mashrou’ Leila happened in college and we all sort of just gradually became full-time musicians.

How would you describe the emotional dynamics you’re attracted to or like to write about? 4

I very rarely write about positive things. When I do, I tend to find the writing dishonest. I’ve always been somewhat melancholic, and that comes out in the writing. Even when we play upbeat or happy songs, the lyrics tend to tamper with darker subjects. It’s very fluid and I don’t write any particular time since I’m always looking for ideas. I write a lot of one-liners before I write an entire song. Sometimes I’ll feel like writing a text and it’ll be more like poetry, or prose, or a jingle. Other times I’ll be in the room with the band and we’ll start writing the music and I’ll end up writing, connecting the live situation with other writing I’ve been working on.

Tell me about your chemistry with the other band members. We’re all very different people. All the tension we have is productive and respectful. We rarely hang out together, even though the circles we run in are often connected in one way or another. We see each other to play music together and compose. The intensity of sharing a performance with someone outweighs any other social interaction I’ve had, so we share something under the skin. It’s hard to explain these things because we’ve been together for 5 years at this point. Through college, jobs, girlfriends, boyfriends, personal drama, etc… And through all that, the band has been the only constant apart from family. We’ve lived in each other’s lives, so it’s sort of like family. You know when you have a huge fight with a family member, but they’re still family so you’re always aware that the hate is transient? It’s like that. Even when there’s tension, we still have something bigger than us. Otherwise, we get along very well. We make each other laugh, and we make each other think.

What’s your impression of the creative scene in Lebanon? Is there much collaboration going on? Collaborations are inevitable. Musicians are Wander | Mashrou’ Leila

always going to need filmmakers to direct their music videos. Filmmakers need musicians to score their movies. There’s some collaboration within our music scene in Lebanon, but not a lot. It’s definitely not common. It’s rare, since there’s generally some antagonism in Beirut. It’s a dog-eat-dog world and people will screw with each other. Other problems in Lebanon include that we don’t have a lot of institutions dealing with art. We don’t have great higher learning options for musicians, so the infrastructure isn’t really there. You meet people that are incredibly intelligent and have impeccable amounts of raw talent. They sort of just don’t know where to go with it. There’s not much diversity in the available production houses and the equipment and resources are limited. There isn’t a lot of funding in music, and that makes it very difficult to survive, so it constrains who is able to make art.

It’s very rare to come across people who are willing to take us out of context and listen to us as a band, not as an Arab band.

Has your sexuality held back the band professionally? I think that’s inevitable, but I think at the same time that being held back can be empowering. We come from a sexually reductive society...We don’t really accept the idea that there are variations in how people approach their sexuality.

Is it more difficult to be “out” in Lebanon? It’s complicated, but it’s fair to assume that it’s different in the Middle East than the West. I’m out because I need to be, I’m out because it’s just the way I am, because I was out before the band even started and that’s not something you can go back on for marketing reasons.

What types of responses have you gotten on the last album? We get a lot of diverse responses. When people choose to only respond to the lyrics, we start thinking that maybe they see the music as just a backdrop to the texts, which it is not. It’s also very rare to come across people who are willing to take us out of context and listen to 6

us as a band, not as an Arab band. Because of that, we get criticism from some of the Nationalists and Pan-Arabists who are trying to see an ideology through our music instead of listening to the actual music. Like if it’s not a dabka, it’s not Arabic music! You get similar feedback from some Westerners, where they think the music is important because it’s Lebanese or because of your sexuality. There’s a lot of self-defeating pseudo-activism in journalism. They’re just isolating aspects and forcing the music to be about that. It’s all valid, but it’s not easy to learn from. Not much is going to happen until people start pulling at the music and the words. The first time this happened was at Paleo Music Festival in Switzerland. It was amazing ’cause we read this review on their blog and it was about the actual music on a technical level; it was a proper formalist analysis of our work!

panmela castro Panmela “Anarkia” Castro was drawn to graffiti and its power to convey a message. Living in the suburbs of Rio de Janeiro, Panmela became immersed in the city’s dynamic art scene and began to establish her reputation as a graffiti artist. She embraces the transformative power of art, using her work to raise awareness about women’s rights and to draw attention to the pervasiveness of gender-based violence.

Tell me, how did you first get started in graffiti? I started in the graffiti because of the Pichação. I was studying in the fine art school of the Federal University of Rio de Janeiro and then I realized that I could mix the Pichação with my work with art.

In Brazil, Pichação is well known artform but we in Canada aren’t too familiar with its definition. Could you explain to me the differences between Pichação and traditional graffiti? Pichação is a different culture from graffiti. Pichação is like tags but the game is who puts it highest and with more quantity. The graffiti has influence from the arts and from Hip hop, some writers came from pichação like me, but in reality one thing is complete different with different ideas and people one from the other. And the society in general sees graffiti like art and pichação like vandalism.

I want to know more about your name. Obviously, in English, it is translated as “anarchy”, but how did you end up choosing the name Anarkia and what sort of artist disorder are you looking to create? I was a teenager when I started in the pichação world and at that time I had to choose one name and I chose anarchy because of the feeling of liberty that it gave to me. We have lots of models for girls here, lot of machismo and oppression, and at this time to make pichação for me was like to be free.

Everybody has a reason for writing graffiti. Some people want fame. Some do it for the love of art while others do it for the adrenaline rush. You already mentioned wanting to change the political and social 8

status-quo; so what other reasons do you have for writing graffiti? Graffiti for me is a lifestyle, it is a different way to think and live in the world. It is incredible how I feel with the adrenaline rush making with precision a good piece on a train or how I can express to the world my ideas changing it with a production.

How exactly do you use your art to express political and social themes? I ask because in North America NOT many recognizable artists seem to get up for political reasons. I think that the different scene we have in Brazil gives different conceptions about graffiti and what it represents. Here, you have lots of char-

Wander | Panmela Castro

I think graffiti is a kind of art that you can like or not like, but you canâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t close your eyes; it always will be there.

acters, different letters, stencil and everything you want to do without discrimination. This is why people like me can go out and do a graffiti thinking on it with political reasons. I think graffiti is a kind of art that you can like or not like, but you can’t close your eyes; it always will be there. It passes a message if you want to see it or not and this is why it is so powerful. And if there is a person walking along the city, seeing and assimilate my message, I can use it to change the way that person thinks, using the images to make reflections about the world. Last year, I made a project in a ONG called Artefeito that was to stimulate the female writers production and to divulge a new law about domestic violence against women that we have in Brazil. At this time, me and the others girls came to the slums (and others place that the information didn’t reach) and the people are so humble to talk about the woman positions, the law and at the finish we made a big mural with the girls about the law. Here in Brazil is easy to do that because people like graffiti and view it as more of an art than vandalism. In this project we made graffiti all over for the girls see that in that in public places. Now, they will look for persons prepared to defend them. If we use the graffiti to do actions like that one we can make the world can be better.

and a mentality to always take advantage of the next person. This is why we have to change the culture, because in this way we can transform our society and make a world better.

You use graffiti as a tool to express your views on feminism and social issues. What specific social issues and women’s issues influence your work the most?

This question is subjective, but who would be the one female artist- from Brazil or abroad- that your respect and admire the most?

Oppression against woman is what influences me. I want to do something that will contribute to finishing the oppression and the machismo which affects women so negatively. I use my graffiti to do this.

I like I would have to pick Lady Pink because of her importance in the history [of graffiti] and her power.

In your opinion, what are the most important issues the Brasilian government needs to change? Brazil is a rich county, but has a huge divide between rich and poor because of the corruption

Sao Paulo is becoming one of graffiti’s most popular and often imitated cities. How would you say Sao Paulo differs from the scenes in Santiago (Chile) or Buenos Aires (Argentina)? For a long time we didn’t have access to Internet and others way, and the graffiti could take the way it want without so much influence from New York. Here we don’t have so much prejudice about different kinds of styles and you can do every thing you want. We have many people doing all kinds of graffiti and the population like this, because before all the graffiti we just had the pichação , which was considered [by people] something wrong and ugly, it is dirty. When graffiti appeared, people seen lot of colors and thinks that this is good to clean up the pichação. Also because here is a perfect ambience to create in the street, one time that the law is not so strong and the police are not so hard because we have many bigger problems to combat like the traffic. The chaos and the disorder of the city make the ambience perfect to develop the graffiti scene.

Graffiti often seen as a “boys only” art form. However, if one looks deep into the whole culture they will find countless examples of female writers and designers. In North America, the women are contributing but their work doesn’t always get the proper attention. Do you feel female

writers get the recognition they deserve in Brasil? Brazil is a poor county and the arts are not so valued, it is not just for girls, but is different to live by art for the boys, too. Of course we have lots of machismo and we are fighting against it. In reality, we don’t have so many girls doing graffiti and with a good production because the girls don’t have education to be in the street and to do public things as the boys are. If one day we receive the same education, one day we will can equality with the men not just on the graffiti but on all levels.

Of all the murals and pieces you’ve created, which one is your favourite? What makes it so significant? For me the most important are the ones in the train, because here in Rio is difficult to paint trains and principally because life doesn’t have value and people kill for “one Real”. If the cops catch you, they will kill you. And to make something that is predominately “for men”, for me, is a way to say I can do too; I am as good as a man. It’s a kind of feminist protest. Because the people never agree that we girls can do the same things that the boys can do.

You are a two-time Hutuz Award winner, which is a huge honour in Latin America. Could you tell me about the history behind the Hutuz? And what does it mean, to you, to win at the Hutuz? Just one time, the first I was just nominated. Hutuz is the most important Hip Hop awards and festival in Latin America, it is made by Cufa, from MV Bill, the same person who made the movie Falcão – Meninos do trafico . Every year it indicate the best in hip hop and gives the award in a beautiful party, but I don’t like when the underground culture is so institutionalization; capitalism make every thing with no sense. For me, we can’t give an award to a writer because we have many kinds of different styles and we can’t say what (style/artist) 12

is better than another … lots of goods writers are making good and real graffiti and people don’t see it. For me, to win the award is just a way to say that I am in the Street … even I can be good as you even in your dirty world. And I have something funny to say for this is that the one who gives [the Hutu award] to me was a famous actor from the movie “Elite Trope” and he made a freestyle to call the winner, and when him called me he called like “O” anarkia, [“anarkio”?] with a masculine pronoun that we have in Portuguese, and worst when I came to receive it, I was with my boyfriend, and the actor gave the award to him!!! He thought, as many people there, that Anarkia was a boy because it was the first time a girl was nominated and won a boy’s category, because in general the Hutuz has a female category for the most

categories. It was funny. The video is on YouTube.

Where do you see yourself in the future? My life changes all the time, I can’t calculate my future, but what I want is to always make graffiti, even if I will be transformed into a grandma (haha).

Any advice to (graffiti) writers out there? Make what you want, because what is important is to be happy.

Last question, what makes you most proud to be Brasilian? I am especially proud to be Carioca (native of Rio de Janeiro) . It is a happy people, that never give up your dreams. Wander | Panmela Castro 13

Wander | Panmela Castro 15

maria borges Keep your eyes peeled for Maria Borges. The Luanda, Angola-native was noticed after she placed second at a local competition; now, age 20, sheâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s represented by Supreme Management in New York, Women in Paris and Milan, and Premier in London.

You signed with Supreme at the beginning of last year and then you went right into fashion week a month later. I couldn’t believe it. I booked seventeen shows my first season, and it’s not only shows; there’s a lot of castings! But for my second season, I was a Givenchy exclusive. Riccardo Tisci is my godfather. He was the first one who believed in me. I did couture, the first exclusive, then another exclusive as well, and only last season could I walk in other shows.

What is Riccardo like to work with one-on-one? He looks serious, but he’s a very down-to-earth person. He’s always happy and polite, and he treats people kindly. It’s a privilege to watch so much creativity happen because I knew the history of and the luxury surrounding the label. I recently walked in the Givenchy menswear show – it was four other female models and me. It was a great experience because I never thought I would walk in a menswear show! I was confirmed a week beforehand and I wasn’t expecting it at all since I didn’t go to a casting.

Going back to your womenswear season, you also

walked for Marc Jacobs. It was my dream to be in that show. I was nervous because it’s not an easy one to book. You have to go to a few castings before you’re confirmed. For the show, it’s an early call time. For most of the other shows, models can arrive two hours ahead of time, but with Marc Jacobs, you can’t. The show is at 8 p.m., the call time is at 1 p.m., and you have to be there at 1 p.m. The energy is still peaceful, maybe a bit stricter. It’s also so perfect in many ways: how the clothes are tailored to the body and fitting the type of beauty for the collection. Katie Grand is the person who put me in front of Marc, and she also cast me for the shows she does in London and in Milan, but I didn’t do Louis Vuitton in Paris.

Last month, you walked for Dior Haute Couture and it was the first time Raf Simons used models of color during his time at the house. I was just happy to be a part of it. The collection was inspired by four different continents, and it was such a global perspective.

It seems as though, at some point in time, every black model is compared Wander | Maria Borges 17

The modeling scene in Angola is growing, but there’s still prejudice in terms of parents who aren’t well-educated about the business today.

to Naomi Campbell. Is that frustrating for you?

that stands out in your mind?

If you could meet anyone, who would it be?

No, I love it. I’m a big fan of Naomi Campbell. Of course, I want to have my own reputation, but Naomi was the first one to really reach a high level of fame. I want to be as successful as she is.

I recently did one for Carine Roitfeld...

Michelle Obama! And Barack Obama. I was in Angola when he was elected for the first time, and I always loved the USA, so when I saw the country with a black president, the Obamas grew on me quickly.

I know you also want to talk about Tom Ford. You were in his “real” runway show last season. It was thanks to [casting director] James Scully, another one of my godfathers. To be honest, I didn’t know I was in Tom Ford’s runway comeback. One thing I’ve learned in this business is that when I’m walking, I need to be an actress. I need to incorporate the designer’s idea for the woman behind his or her collection. And walking for Tom Ford was especially amazing because I feel that I really became the woman he was asking for.

Tell me about your editorial work. Is there anything

So, what is it like when you go home to Angola? When I go home, I take advantage of working and seeing my family. I walked in Angola Fashion Week in June. It’s three days of shows, with six designers per day--so a total of 18 designers--however, each designer makes two collections: one that’s more high fashion and one that’s commercial. The modeling scene in Angola is growing, but there’s still prejudice in terms of parents who aren’t well-educated about the business today. It’s not every father who will allow his daughter to be a model because of human trafficking. I had to have a conversation with my family to let them know that modeling was something I was choosing as my career. I want to study science, but I’m not sure exactly what I want to do in the field.

Lastly, tell me the back story of your tattoo. It reads, “Step by step.” I did it in New York after I arrived, because when I was leaving home someone told me, “Be patient; take it stepby-step.” Passo a passo.

Wander | Maria Borges 19

sahej bakshi Dualist Inquiry is the brainchild and solo project of Sahej Bakshi, a graduate of the Thornton Music School, USA. Since his return to India in 2010, he has performed at festivals all over the world and has quickly become the most popular electronic music artist in the country.

What is Sahej Bakshi like when not performing? Funny thing is, nowadays, even when I’m not on stage or in the studio, my life is still almost entirely about music and things to do with Dualist Inquiry. There’s always so much to do and I love being completely immersed in it 24/7. When I do get a quiet evening though, I love to spend time by myself at home, cook myself a nice meal, surf the web, watch my favourite TV series, play some GTA V or just sit in silence and write. I also love nothing more than catching up with old friends in a non-party environment where we get to sit down and have conversations over dinner and drinks.

What’s this “word diary” we keep hearing about? It’s just something I’ve been doing for the longest time – it’s actually how I arrived upon the name Dualist Inquiry. I don’t quite know why I’m so fascinated by words that are simple yet deep, and familiar yet exotic. Maybe it’s because my music is instrumental and it’s the only shot I get at actually saying something. Even though my songs don’t have words, they’re still always about something, so it’s important to me to find the right word to express that set of thoughts or emotions.

From rock to punk to electronica, how did that journey go? The journey was from rock to punk to shred to indie to electronica. It was just a natural way of things moving forward, I think I need a major change every couple of years. I went from rock into punk in my teenage years, and got into electronica in my early twenties. I guess it was also a product of the environment I was in. Being in Los Angeles definitely played a huge part in my getting into electronic music around 2006.

Your thoughts on the EDM scene in India? I think that over the last few years, we have seen the EDM and independent music scene in India grow in every conceivable way. From the number of people attending shows to the number of artists and venues coming up across the country, there’s no doubt that what was a little subculture is now turning into a wider lifestyle and culture among people all over the country. I’m really looking forward to seeing what the next few years will bring, I have a feeling it’s going to be great.

Where was your first gig ever? How do you think you have grown as a performer? My first gig ever was at Holi Cow Festival in Wander | Sahej Bakshi 21

Delhi in 2010. I somehow got onto this lineup, and was very lucky for having done so. I think I’m grown in so many ways, it has been 3 years after all. I hope I’m making better music now, but I think I understand audiences better and have gotten more used to being on stage and interacting with an audience.

Your music has no lyrics, so how do you zero in on the name for an album? Sometimes the name just pops into my head the moment I listen to a new song and sometimes I have to close my eyes and listen to the song on loop for 3 hours until I find the perfect name. It’s all about the mood or emotion of the song, and the way it makes you feel when you listen to it.

Tell us about Dualist Inquiry Band. How did the three of you come together? I had wanted to bring a band together for the longest time, but hadn’t met the right people earlier. When I met Sandunes and Jiver, I just knew that they were both going to be perfect to form a band with me, because they’re both incredible musicians and also great people who I love spending time with. I simply called them up one day and asked if they want to come to Delhi to jam, and thankfully they said yes!

What kind of music is the band working on? As of now, the band is just playing live versions of my existing music, both released and unreleased. We haven’t gotten down to writing

new material as a band, because all three of our schedules have been relentless, but hopefully someday we’ll get a chance to do something together from scratch.

You have performed at festivals all over the world. What are you looking forward to at Bacardi NH7 Weekender? Bacardi NH7 Weekender is easily one of my favourite festivals in the world. Because in addition to the great music that you find at a lot of festivals abroad as well, Bacardi NH7 Weekender comes with a whole community of music lovers and people who are the nicest, friendliest and happiest people to share a festival with. I also usually have more friends with me than I can ever hope to have at a festival in another country, so that’s a huge bonus. And not to mention that some of the craziest crowds I’ve ever played to have been at the Bacardi NH7 Weekender. I can’t wait for the Bangalore, Delhi and Kolkata editions, it’s going to be crazy.

Even though my songs don’t have words, they’re still always about something. Wander | Sahej Bakshi 23

anna taratiel Barcelona artist Anna Taratiel aka “Ovni” pushes the limits and creates Stunningly beautiful unreal installations unique street art and illustrations , she uses her life experiences and reshape them into abstract multidimensional worlds full of energy.

What originally made you want to become an artist? As a kid, I loved to spend time drawing and painting and I wanted to spend all of my time doing it and, ideally, draw and paint for a living. I thought that it would be great to have a job that makes you feel that you don’t do it for the money, just because you like it. some time later, I realized that whatever you do professionally, even if you like it and even if you enjoy it… it’s not always going to be fun… work is work… although the 24

profession I chose isn’t always as I imagined it to be in my childhood, I feel super lucky and grateful to do what I do.

Please could you briefly describe your journey so far? I first studied design and then mural painting. at that time, Barcelona started experiencing a great moment in street art and graffiti and I got involved in that scene. It happened that my abstract graffiti works attracted the attention of other art professionals and I began collaborating with

ROJO projects who got me commissions to collaborate with a number of big brands like nike, smart and others. In parallel to doing large scale mural paintings, in 2011 I started working with a young gallery in Barcelona, CIS art, and they promote my work as a gallery artist or support me in some of the projects I’m commissioned to do. I have also collaborated with a few galleries in amsterdam, the city I live in at present, like andenken, minigalerie and recently kallenbach gallery. This year, my gallery in barcelona has started to collaborate with a gallery in shanghai to promote me there.

How would you describe your approach? In general, I use clarity and simplicity for a strong impact. I usually work on creative projects or phases that evolve every 2-3 years. They are always different and changing, but they are always about abstraction, shape and color, organic and geometric. The organic shapes was the focus in my earlier works. Later, a more rational and structured view gradually started to take over the impulsiveness of the beginning and geometric lines slowly replaced the previous irregular forms and impossible shapes. Now, after a lot of research I feel like jumping to a new level mixing both sides; looking for new tex-

tures, destroying and building again, exploring ‘unknown shapes’ – pure elements and a way to combine them without extra ornamentation.

Who or what has been the biggest single influence on your way of thinking? I’m not sure about a single one… probably, if I had to say one, I would go back to the beginning… the moment I got into street art and I met my family crew, los martinez and, in general, many people I met during that exciting moment Wander | Anna Taratiel 25

that we lived in Barcelona in the early 2000s. We still remember it as a ‘golden age’. I knew a bit about graffiti, but what was going on in barcelona at that moment wasn’t the graffiti that we knew before then. It was street art, a free amazing way to share and get inspired… definitely, this influenced me and pushed me to start to paint walls with my abstract ideas, no graffiti letters, no characters or figures, just abstraction, art concepts in public spaces. These days I’m not active in illegal interventions, but i’m still painting and enjoying legal and private mural projects as much I can. But the foundation of that, the idea of sharing in public places and getting close to people… I still believe in this and live it in new ways.

Has anyone or anything recently challenged your views on art? ‘Art is part’ a collective project I worked on with 2 schools and CIS gallery. I created a formula where each kid used same 9 shapes and 5 colors inside a small portion of a huge grid. This collective project change my feeling and the way to understand art and expression. The union of 400 kids ranging from 3 to 18, working together and taking

part in a bigger work but feeling individually challenged… it was amazing and very powerful.

What would you say is your strongest skill and how have you honed that skill over the years? I would say the use of color. it’s a never ending research. I’m increasingly hypnotized by it. I always get surprised by new colors, and color combinations.

What materials do you enjoy working with the most? For a few years now, I have been doing a lot of collage works and therefore I would say paper and tape. I like to keep all cutout pieces from other projects, and reuse them again because the left over shape is beautiful and unexpected. It’s like a huge puzzle that begins by chance with one attractive part that captures my attention and that I invite myself to combine them and the whole work starts from a ‘random’ point.

What materials would you like to explore in the future? As a project, I would like to do pattern series in paper wall and fabric as an excuse to go from huge single object mural

Wander | Anna Taratiel 27

If you don’t believe in ‘you’ nobody else will.

painting to a more limited size and the need to create something that looks appealing in a repetitive mode as well. For more individual projects I’m also interest to learn new techniques and explore materials to use with my large scale or ‘gallery sized’ works, like plexiglas or ceramics for example.

What are your thoughts on specialisation vs generalisation? In the business world it is often said that being specialized is a good thing because people will come looking for you as you are expected to be a master of a certain technique. I guess that this applies to the art world only in a limited way. There is no point in mastering the art of the mural painting technique if your mural painting itself is not attractive or meaningless. I think that most of the artists I admire are specialists at being themselves no matter what artistic discipline they decide to explore and very often they collaborate with other artists or expert pro-

fessionals who can help them with certain technical details and, by doing so, interact on a creative level. Coming from the street art scene, I learned the value of collaborating with other artists as a way to share experiences and expertise to achieve a harmonic result where each voice can be heard and is at the same time amplified by the rest.

How do you think online design resources have influenced the art being produced today? They have had a massive impact for good and bad at the same time, in my opinion. Online resources help to explore new options and feel connected to what others are doing, but it can also help you loose focus.

What are you currently fascinated by and how is it feeding into your work? I’m interested in interactive art works; transformable installations, games and formulas to create collective art projects. For one of my last commissions for RUA (reflexo

on urban art) I was asked to paint the facades of several buildings all on one street (26 in total), in order to get the community more involved in what was going to be their homes. I developed an online application to invite anyone to suggest the possible combinations that would end up on the buildings’ walls.

What are you passionate about besides your work? My family.

Do you have any superstitious beliefs or rules that you live by? Several… to say a few…money can’t buy everything. follow your intuition. If you don’t fully believe in something, don’t do it.

What’s the best piece of advice you have heard and repeat to others? If you don’t believe in ‘you’ nobody else will.

What’s your personal motto? Keep on going, keep on going, keep on going. Wander | Anna Taratiel 29

tove styrke Swedish pop sensation Tove Styrke first made waves in the music world with her self-titled debut in 2010. Her music fuses together the ambiance and pulse of electronica with bubbly, feel-good pop melodies, creating

earworms that are impossible to ignore. To be clear, this is by no means cookie-cutter top 40 pop, and once we found ourselves hypnotized by her raucously fun hooks, we knew we had to know more.

Tell us a little about the start of your career. I entered Swedish Idol when I was 16 and I finished third. It was a pretty weird way to get into music because you get all the fame but you still have everything to prove musically. You have to take your first baby steps into music while everyone’s watching. It was a strange experience. Then I put out my debut album in 2010 in Sweden. After that, around three years ago, I decided to take some time away. I moved back to my hometown to just, you know, get some distance between me and the music industry because I had been in it since I was 16 and I felt like I needed to get to know myself as a grown-up. I needed to explore music on my own without any pressures to sell it. And that time away gave me so much. I wrote a lot of lyrics and tried different stuff musically. After a while, I felt like I had a solid foundation to move back to Stockholm to do a second album, which is Kiddo, coming out in June. I’ve been working on that for a little more than two years.

Before Idol, were you always interested in music? Yea, I have always been interested in music. I’ve always been singing and trying stuff with my voice but I never understood that you could do it for a living until that competition thing. It was weird because sometimes they cast people for those kinds of shows, and that’s what they did for me. They called me and asked, “Hey do you want to do this?” and I was too curious not to try it. After working on my first album, that’s 32

when I realized I actually cared about my songs for the first time. I co-wrote almost every song on that album.

What was the first piece of music you ever spent money on or downloaded? I’m a child of the downloading age. I remember when I was 10, a friend who went to the same school as me came to our [school’s] costume party with a really weird hairdo. She had all these little knots in her hair. I asked her who she was and she said she was Björk. I thought this Björk must be a really cool person, so I got on the internet when I got home and found as much as I could on Björk and I fell in love. That was the first music that I really found on my own, that really made me feel something, and that made me understand what music can do to you, in a good way.

Do you still feel like a “new” artist? Because you’ve been making music for a while, but it seems like it’s only now that it’s reaching a bigger audience. A little bit yes. I do in some ways almost consider this new album my debut album. My first album feels like it was a learning experience. Like, some people go to music school for school, but I did Idol while they were educating themselves and learning to play instruments properly. So the first couple of years was a lot about learning for me–learning how to write a song, learning about the music industry, learning how to collaborate with other people. But with this record, it feels like for the first time I sort of have my own foundation to build from. That’s like a huge difference with me. With this album I had a clear vision of what I wanted to do and I had a lot of ideas, themes, and sounds I wanted to explore and try. I’m really happy with the album because it turned out the way I wanted it to.

I wanted to discuss the album title. It’s called Kiddo, which is a direct reference to

Beatrix Kiddo from Kill Bill. Where did that inspiration come from? It’s definitely one of my favorite movies, it has a grittiness to it that I really like. I like her character a lot — she’s empowering and cool. Kill Bill was an influence from some of the songs [on the album], and especially in the beginning of the creative process of this album. I also have a love-hate relationship with the word “kiddo,” it’s something that people say in a demeaning manner. I felt if I took that word and used it almost as a superhero name, then I would take the power away from them and use it as a strength. That’s the interesting part about language, you can use it to tell your own story. I like doing that when I write.

Do you consider yourself a feminist? Yes I do.

How important is that in your music? Well, feminism is something that’s really important to me privately. But everything that I feel strongly about, like things that make me feel angry or frustrated or happy, that’s what I use as fuel when I write so it’s very natural for me when those topics end up in songs. But it’s never been weird for me to call myself a feminist or not because of course I’m a feminist. I believe in the equality of the genders. Sometimes I feel like there’s shame in that word, but there shouldn’t be. Looking back, all my rights—birth control, I don’t have to marry someone that my dad chooses [Laughs]—so much of my freedom as a woman, I have only feminists to thank for that. So for me to not call myself a feminist is out of the question.

When I listen to your music, it has a very empowering vibe to it and the lyrics are female-oriented. Is that something you do intentionally? Writing is a really good way for me to cope with my feelings. So if I’m angry or frustrated about something, that becomes the fuel Wander | Tove Styrke 33

Writing is a really good way for me to cope with my feelings. So if I’m angry or frustrated about something, that becomes the fuel when I write songs. when I write songs. That’s the fun thing about pop music — you can take bigger, more complicated issues and turn it into a song while describing it in an almost naive way. It’s an interesting process.

Is there one song in particular off the album that is the most personal for you? One song, called “Even If I’m Loud It Doesn’t Mean I’m Talking To You,” that kind of overflowed itself. I already had it in my head before I wrote it down on paper. I had one sentence, and then we did the drum beats… and everything just came after. I felt like it came very naturally.

I read somewhere that you’d love to collaborate with Grimes. Who else would you want to work with? I think there’s a lot of people doing really interesting stuff. I’ve been a Grimes fan for a long time. I think she’s really cool, she seems to be an interesting person, and that open letter she wrote really spoke to me. There’s so many talented people right now. I think the last person I met that I thought was making something that’s really interesting was Tei Shi. She played the same venue as me at SXSW. She’s making some cool things. And Lorde. She’s like the most on-point lyricist which is crazy because she’s so young.

Who did you work with on Kiddo? I’ve been working a lot with Johan T. Karlsson. He produced most of the songs on the album and we’ve been working very closely together.

He’s spent so much time with me in the studio. When we recorded “Ego,” we almost did it together [Laughs]. We were really inspired at the time. We were listening to the music from True Romance, like “You’re So Cool,” and it got so emotional! When the drums started, we looked at each other and we both had tears in our eyes. We were like, “This is so amazing!” So after that, everything sort of fell into place and the album kind of made itself. I’ve also been writing a lot with a guy named Janne Kask. I worked with him on my previous record and he’s who I connect with when it comes to songwriting. We have the same humor which I think is important when you’re writing because you have to click, and his melodies work very well with my way of writing lyrics. And also Carl Ask who I did “Even If I’m Loud It Doesn’t Mean I’m Talking To You” with. We’ve done two other tracks on the record together as well. He’s amazing because he’s got this really good combination of making music organic and electronic at the same time. The productions he makes are very alive. I also wrote two songs with a friend of mine, Linnea Henriksson. She’s also an artist and she has a completely different approach to writing music than I have because she has her background in jazz. So I think that contrast is really, really interesting. We did two songs together. So a lot of great Swedish people.

This album will be your debut in the States. Are you more excited or more nervous about its release? I’m not the type of person who worries too

much, especially not in this case. I’m very happy with the album and the way it turned out. I want to give it a chance to reach a lot of people, but if it doesn’t succeed it’s still a great album. I’ll just come back later and try again! But so far, since I’m out touring right now, I’m amazed at how people have received the music. That’s the best thing about performing — I get to meet and talk to people who listen to my music and hear what their relation to the songs are. Just a few days go, there was a girl who came up to me and said “Ego” and “Borderline” helped her get through difficult times. That is the most beautiful thing, where I can make a song that deals with my shit and someone else can get something out of it. It makes [my music] valuable. Even if I do that with just 10 people in the U.S., at least I accomplished something!

It sounds like you have such a strong foundation in Sweden. Was getting your music to an American market always a goal of yours? When we were doing this album, I felt like I really wanted to try and get this out to a bigger audience. I wanted to give this record a chance to reach people in places other than Sweden. So far the reception has been really good and it has a lot of support. I’m really looking forward to going on tour—I’m going on tour in May— wait, of course you know! You’re presenting one of the shows! [Laughs]

What differences, if any, do you see in the music scenes in Sweden and the US? Do you feel that pop is universal? I don’t have much experience of the US music scene, so I can’t really tell… but hit me back in 6 month or so when I’ve spent more time there! In general though, yes I do feel that pop music is universal.

Currently there is a new wave of Swedish artists taking over radio, like Tove Lo, Erik

Hassle, etc. Why do you think Sweden has become such a mecca for pop music? In Sweden, and especially in Stockholm where I live, the music community is very tight. I feel like people collaborate a lot and help each other out. There’s a good vibe that I think helps the music thrive. It’s really inspiring for me as well. People ask me why I don’t move somewhere else, but Stockholm is the best place to be if you want to write and make awesome music. If you go out, in one night you will meet several people who are producers, in bands, or starting out their solo careers.

You mentioned you’re currently on tour here [in America]. Have you had any crazy moments on stage? There was one show where I had a huge problem with my microphone cable. I always swing it around, I don’t just have it in the stand. The cord kept on unplugging throughout the show, and it was a bit risky but it worked out!

When you play live, how does the music change for you? The challenge is to translate the song into something that works on the stage. It’s pop music, but I try to keep it as loose as possible. I don’t think it has to sound exactly the same as it does on the recorded version of the song; there’s room for improvisation. Right now we usually have two guitar solos and one insane drum solo. I think it’s very fun to find interesting contrasts—I don’t have that much guitar on the recorded song, but it’s a really fun element to bring out live, because it’s visual as well and contrasts with the electronics.

Are there any uniquely Swedish delicacies or customs that you miss while on tour? No, none in particular. Maybe the hugs and handshakes, because I don’t understand the polite kissing on the cheek. You never know if it’s two or three and then everything gets weird…

So what are some of the dreams or goals you set for yourself?

composers and producers don’t get credit for their work, which is such a shame.

That’s kind of private, but I really do know what I want with my life. I think that keeps me from making bad decisions and spending time doing stuff I don’t enjoy.

What’s the last concert you attended where you weren’t performing?

What about the haters? I don’t care. I never Google myself. So many talented, brilliant women have to tell people over and over again that they are songwriters. Tove Lo for instance – she wrote and produced almost her whole record, but they assume that she didn’t. It’s a huge problem. So many female

Linnea Henriksson did a great gig in Stockholm a few weeks ago. It was all color and balloons and joy and fight the power in a beautiful mishmash. Love her.

Favorite songs of the moment? My latest jam is the new Erik Hassle song, “No Words.” It’s really really good, and so catchy. I’m also really into “Go Slow” by Tei Shi.

Wander | Tove Styrke 37

hassan hajjaj Hassan Hajjaj blends contemporary overlays with traditional symbolism for an unique aesthetic. Presenting snapshots of a distant but very present world; Hassan’s photography straddles a fine line between the past and present, tradition and capitalism, London and Morocco. Conjuring art from melting boundaries, Hassan’s unique framing brings untold stories to the surface in the wake of globalism.

As a self-taught artist how did you develop your style? I grew up in Morocco until the age of 13, when I moved to London and became involved with clubs, music, video, fashion, food and art. These experiences in travelling and exposure to the diversity of culture attached to it has all informed my style. Since 1984 I’ve just been able to find space to express myself [Hassan was born in 1961 in Larache, Morrocco].

Why did you choose London? My dad moved here in the 60s for work and we joined him in the 70s.

When was your lucky break? I worked very hard doing a lot of different things but my lucky break in art came when I met Rose Issa who curently represents me in London. She believed in my work and introduced it to the art world around 2006. Also being part of the Africa Remix in 2005 at The Hayward Gallery helped.

With such broad artistic interests, does your approach to one discipline influence your approach to another? I’ve done so many different things in the past – from pro-

moting underground clubs, to working as a fashion assistant, to working on music videos and designing my own street label – that I’ve just developed a large portfolio of skills. In the case of both Kesh Angels and My Rock Stars I designed all of the clothing worn by the subjects in the photographs and designed the sets we used as backdrop.

What technique do you use in making your art? I don’t really have any techniques as I didn’t study art, and for this I keep all doors open and I’m truly flexible when it comes to ideas.

What type of response have you had to photo series such as Kesh Angels where you juxtapose contemporary culture with traditional symbols? So far it’s been amazing, especially on the net where photography can be accessed and shared.

Your work is visually striking and very impressive. What message does it convey? Staying positive even when something is negative.

Are you working on any projects at the moment? I’m editing my first documen-

tary film and continuing to work on the My Rock Stars series as I have many more friends that I would like to introduce to the public. I want to document who they are and where they are at a particular moment in their lives.

What motivates you? Everything around me.

What’s happening on the Moroccan art scene and is North African art well represented in London? There’s a great up and coming young generation involved in music, art and design. But they’re not very well represented on the London scene unfortunately.

What is the role of an artist in society? To be true to themselves.

What kind of music do you listen to? This is always hard – like asking someone what your favorite food is! I listen to all music, lots of ‘gnawa’ and ‘capoeira’. At the moment, I’m listening to many types like electric jalaba, reggae, jazz, soul and many others.

What do you enjoy most about art? Seeing my ideas come to life.

There’s a great up and coming young generation involved in music, art and design. Wander | Hassan Hajjaj 39

chloe & parris gordon

Toronto based womenswear and accessories brand Beaufille offers a modern line with historial design references made for the sophisticated tough girl. Founded by sisters Chloe and Parris Gordon, Beaufille symbolizes the contrast between masculine and feminine elements.

Did you guys always get along growing up? Did you think you would ever work together? What inspired you to both go to design school? Yes, we have always gotten along growing up. I guess that is what kind of paved the way for our working relationship. We always knew we wanted to do something creative together, but it wasnâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t until we went to art school that we really figured out what it would be. We have both always loved fashion and art, and were naturally drawn to design school because of

that. We have always been really fascinated by construction and how things are made.

Tell us a bit about your fashion background. Chloé has a background of textile design and fashion construction. Parris has a background in jewelry design and metal smithing. We created the line in 2009 while still attending university. We combine both disciples for a total look, and often incorporate jewelry into the garments through custom created hardware. The line has been selling and showing locally in Toronto since 2010, and it has been shown in New York City as a part of GenArt’s Fresh Faces in a Fashion show, in September 2012. Beaufille has been featured in Style.com, Vogue Spain, Vogue Japan, Rookie Magazine, Teen Vogue, WWD, Elle Magazine, Lucky Magazine, Fashion Magazine, Flare Magazine, Dressed to Kill Magazine, among others.

The name of the brand means “handsome girl”. Who is a Beaufille girl? The Beaufille girl is a fashion connoisseur with an eye for artistry and detail. She is not concerned with trends, a tomboy at heart, and effortlessly chic.

What were the ideas that influenced you while work-

ing on this collection? Our Fall/Winter 2013 collection took inspiration from Rococo style in 18th century France, contrasting it with grunge in the early 1990s. We like to work contrasting two opposite styles, combining them to create a masculine/ feminine, hard/soft, tough/ feminine, detailed/minimal looking body of work. With this collection the Rococo inspiration shines through in the detailing and prints of the pieces. The grunge inspiration is seen in the styling, cuts, and silhouettes.

Which designer do you admire the most? Chloe: Phoebe Philo Parris: Hedi Slimane

Describe your style in 3 words. Chloe: Minimal, black, subtle. Parris: Rock and roll.

How supportive is the Canadian fashion community? Very supportive.

If your collection would be a song, which one it would be? All Apologies by Nirvana.

How would you like to see your line evolve in the near future? We aim to be selling the line across North America, and further Europe and Asia in the near future. We hope to have a global following and dress people of influence that we admire.

Will you remain based in Toronto? Any aspirations to show the collection in NY? For the foreseeable future, yes! Of course, we make regular visits to NY. Wander | Chloe & Parris Gordon 47

hannah herzsprung Hannah Herzsprungâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s brave performance as a deeply troubled young piano prodigy in prison from her debut film Vier Minuten (Four Minutes) quickly launched the young actress into stardom. Her new film, Who Am I: No System is Safe, is a stylistic cyber thriller, playing at KINO! Festival in New York.

You've played a lot of different roles. You've done physically demanding films (FOUR MINUTES, HELL), romantic comedies (TRAUMFRAUEN), period pieces (BELOVED SISTERS, HABERMANN)... Do you have any preference in choosing roles? Honestly, I am just happy to get these great scripts and offers. I count myself lucky getting all different roles after Four Minutes. Getting that range of experience is the best I hope for an actor. And you can pick among all these roles. It's not that I have thousands of offers and I can choose this and that.

Oh I just assumed that would be the case for you. No no, thatâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s not the case at all. (laugh) I have to say every character I played just came at the right place and the right time. Of course I read a lot of great scripts and auditioned for the 54 54

roles but didn’t get them because there were a lot of great actresses out there. But I love acting. It’s definitely my favorite thing in the world. I’m a happy person.

If you could choose a character among you’ve played, which character resembles the real you the most? Oooh. You can’t hardly compare those characters with yourself. Obviously you play with your experience and all the feelings and emotions. You have to cull it from somewhere within you for sure. Of course it’s great if you have a lot of experience where you can pick from. But I wouldn’t say it’s easier or harder if you have memories for characters all by yourself. It’s the first decision you make when you read the script and you have the feelings for the character or not. Then I have to determine ‘oh, do I have a feeling now because I am just happy to have it and to use it. I don’t really bring myself in the character because it’s not necessary really.

How was working with director Dominik Graf in BELOVED SISTERS? It was amazing. You know in Germany Dominik is known as an actor’s director. I don’t know how he does it but he is a master of bringing out the best in you. He has that...

Intuition? That’s right. He has that right feeling about someone and he gets it. He doesn’t rehearse that much. You talk about it a lot, and in this case because of Beloved Sisters is a period piece and all. We talked about language, we talked about the film not getting too theatrical. He was very strict about how we said the lines. But then, when on shooting days, of course we discussed everything- what you do and what’s happening, but he never really rehearsed the scene perfectly before he shot it. Because he doesn’t want to miss those magic moments. And they happen, because he gives

you that opportunity to let go. He creates this base...a room and which he protects you. You know what I mean? You feel so free and you do things as an actor that, for me, sometimes after doing a scene, I was like, “did I really just do this? oh my god.” It just happened because he gives you so much space. It’s really hard to explain how he does it. It’s just...Dominik being Dominik. it’s really just him and communication between him and actors. You know, you can feel him what he wants. He protects you and you feel so brave to do so much. And that’s why those magic moments really happens in his films. That’s why if you watch his films, all the actors are brilliant.

Obviously Baran Bo Odar is a different director. He is also amazing but in a different way. He is different but the same because he picks you and he knows what he wants from you. His scripts are very exact so you feel you know what exactly you have to do. But you can ask him everything. And if you do something

and if it’s not right, he immediately tells you. Then you change it and that’s it. He has such a watchful eye. Our job as an actor is being seeing. But I don’t want to see myself from outside, thinking what I’m doing, never. I just wanna let go and go crazy on my little stage where it says, “actor”.

Thinking about the technological world in Who Am I, how techno savvy are you? Oh no, it scares me. That’s why I loved playing Marie. I learned so much more. Jantje Friese who co-wrote the script with Baran did an amazing job. She was like, “I really want my mother to understand how this all works.” I said, “Not only your mom but me also!” (laughs) I mean the underground cyber-world and envelope exchange and masks - it’s such a great idea. And just visualizing it, Baran really did a great job.

Living post-Edward Snowden era, how worried are you about your personal information being stored in some virtual cloud? Yeah I mean, of course, if you read all the news and you get to hear what’s happening, it really scares me. But I think you just have to be careful. And you just have to hope that you will never be too famous that people will care about you so much that they will try to find out everything about you. (we both laugh)

You just have to hope that you will never be too famous that people will care about you so much that they will try to find out everything about you.

Wander | Hannah Herzsprung 57

film review: policeman

There are moments in “Policeman” when it feels as if the director Nadav Lapid is drawing one very large noose around his characters. That’s especially true early in this hypnotic, slow-building shocker from Israel, before the narrative pieces have slid into place, revealing Mr. Lapid’s intentions.

Certainly, nothing looks out of the ordinary in the opening images of five men bicycling up a steep country road. That is until one, Yaron (Yiftach Klein), breaks away and begins riding so hard and fast toward the camera that he looks as if he might break through the screen. He doesn’t, even if he continues to loom meaningfully large. Along with the other bikers, Yaron works in an antiterrorism unit. It’s a tight, allmale group, consisting of men who are friends, colleagues, brothers. They look similar, with close-cropped hair and taut, powerful bodies. When one checks out another’s woman, there are smiles and laughs all around. When one is ill, the others hang their heads in monkish silence or clap a loving hand on his body. There is beauty in their resemblances, in how they swagger into a room together, collectively turn to admire a young waitress and

finish one another’s sentences, yet there’s also something predatory and packlike. In “Policeman,” Mr. Lapid, making an electrifying feature directing debut, traces the line between the group and the individual in a story that can be read as a commentary on the world as much as on Israel. With a steady camera and cool approach, he devotes the movie’s first part to peeling away Yaron’s life, one layer at a time. Each stratum reveals a new truth about a man who puts up a bland, macho front. His wife, Nili (Meital Berdah), is about to give birth to their first child, a milestone that, with an escalating sense of unease, keeps coming up against another benchmark: charges that, during a raid, Yaron and his team killed some Arab civilians, including a child. Initially, Mr. Lapid’s forceful visual style — characterized by his claustrophobic framing, steady camerawork and strongly graphic yet uncluttered compositions — is so distinctive that the plot can almost seem to be an afterthought. Again and again, he strips the characters down and carefully arranges their forms within the frame, giving you ample time to travel across the crests and planes of Yaron’s muscled torso and the rising moon of Nili’s swollen belly. There can be tenderness in Mr. Lapid’s gaze, and heat, particularly in the scenes in which Yaron massages Nili with oil, kneading her flesh in a near-pantomime of sex. Yet there’s also a diagnostic aspect to Mr. Lapid’s scrutiny, as if he were searching for something in all these arrangements of limbs and faces. This close attention to the physicality of these characters takes on new meaning with the abrupt introduction of three other men and one woman. Much like Yaron and his policemen brethren, these four are first seen in the countryside, walking in pointed isolation. They’re attractive, young, perhaps college age, and seem to be out on a day hike, and when they stop and stand side by side, their image mirrors an earlier one of Yaron and his friends yelling their names across a valley. “This is,” one of the policemen had exclaimed, just before

they began shouting, “the most beautiful country in the world.” The four new travelers don’t say anything as memorable; instead, each pulls out a gun and begins firing. Suddenly, there are two stories where there was one, and a movie that, as it pits one group against another, becomes bracingly dialectical. The shooters are would-be Jewish revolutionaries whose members include a blank-faced blonde, Shira (Yaara Pelzig), and hollow-eyed pretty boy, Nathanael (Michael Aloni). Together with their fellow travelers, Shira and Nathanael are planning a violent action, one with its own revolutionary tract. “It is time for the poor to get rich,” Shira reads from the unfinished tract, “and the rich to start dying.” She fusses over the prose, but when she mentions Theodor Herzl, a founder of modern Zionism, Nathanael tells her to cut the reference. He doesn’t want Herzl to confuse matters even if it’s clear that for Mr. Lapid everything about Israeli identity, body and soul, is at stake.

denmark street style

Wander | Street Style 65

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