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KNACK is dedicated to showcasing the work of new art-
ists of all mediums and to discussing trends and ideas
within art communities. KNACK’s ultimate aim is to con-
nect and inspire emerging artists. We strive to create a
place for artists, writers, designers, thinkers, and innova-
tors to collaborate and produce a unique, informative,
and unprecedented web-based magazine each month.
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WILL SMITH Co-Founder, Photo Editor ANDREA VACA Co-Founder, Art Director, Production Manager ARIANA LOMBARDI Executive Editor JONATHON DUARTE Creative Director, Design REBECCA ALVAREZ Cover Design, First Spread KNACK ARTMAGA ZINE.COM K N ACK M AGA ZINE1@ GM A IL .C OM
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ISSUE FOUR
Artist Biographies . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 8-9 11 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Lorraine Edge-Castillo Tim Kassiotis . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 19 27 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Frank Vasquez Day of the Dead . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 32 37 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Trapstyle Django Unchained . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 40 44 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Submission Info . . .
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LORRAINE EDGE-CASTILLO
Lorraine, originally from Northern Ireland and a graduate of the College of Santa Fe (currently known as SFUAD), works in many mediums such as painting, drawing, sculpture and installation. With a deep connection to her Celtic roots, Edge-Castillo is often drawn to nature for inspiration; and with a background in Graphic Design, she makes her mark with strong lines and saturated colors with deep tonal values. She lives in Santa Fe, NM with her film-maker husband, Erick Castillo, and is currently working on a couple of wax figures that will be cast and blown in glass. Contact: lorraineedgecastillo@gmail.com
TIM KASSIOTIS
Tim Kassiotis is a photographer and professional student from Massachusetts. He has studied a myriad of subjects at six different universities around the country. Currently he is attending Santa Fe University of Art and Design for photography. Contact: tkassioitis@gmail.com
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FRANK VASQUEZ
Frank Vasquez, 23, a storyteller far too fond of bar culture and the struggle to feel alive in the waves of gentrified urban landscape, local music and art culture, and throes of the lonely, broken-hearted discontent that comes with living in New York City. Born and raised there, he spends much of his time between adventures and a forever-various sort of peoples in the hope of being able to tell the stories of selfafflicted madness and an affection for the struggle that is everywhere for everyone. Contact: fvasquez789@gmail.com
KEN KATSUMURA
Ken Katsumura studied Creative Writing at Bard College. He is a journalist and novelist currently residing on the northside of Chicago. Contact: kenkatsumura@gmail.com
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LORRAINE EDGE-CASTILLO STU DIO ART
Visual imagery surpasses any spoken word I might attempt, and it allows me to bring my ideas, feelings and experiences into tangible form. Driven by a deep need to communicate and bond within the relationships I explore, whether that be with my family or the environment around me, I examine the different ways those interactions might happen. Through multiple layers and patterns, I take a microscopic view of my tiny little bit of that existence, and zoom in to see those patterns and layers that lie within myself, and within those relationships. This is all in the hopes of gaining a greater understanding of myself, and of those and that that surround me. With painting I look to nature and the many layers that are offered. I break these down into individual layers and, using a pour painting method of mixed oil paint and Galkyde medium, I allow gravity to move the paint across the canvas, loosely picking up the form rather than desperately trying to recreate it. I feel I am walking the tight rope of having a complete sense of control, and of completely letting go - a tension I enjoy very much! The current sculptural piece I am working on is taking a look at how each of our “energy fields” react to one another, and what that shape or form looks like as we unite, and as we extend through our families and on into nature. The extreme heat and fluidity of glass offers me a deep core connection that allows for an expression of the transparency and light that is part of the world that we cannot see – the feelings, the thoughts, the electricity. I have a huge desire to communicate this to everyone else. Do they feel or see this too? If they didn’t before, do they now? If I connect to even just one person, or inspire just one, then I feel I have done the job I came here to do. This body of work is a selection from a series of 27 oil pencil drawings done on 2 x 3.5” cards, drawn for the simple joy of drawing and the pure love of line and form. ...
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TIM KASSIOTIS P H OT O G R A P H Y
Hey guys I’m Timmy K, I’ve been interested in photography for about 10 years now. Most of my influences come from nature or theories within natural science. The work I produce does not have a definitive message or meaning, it’s simply an image I enjoy looking at. This particular series of images I’ve grown to call “Magnifiers and Miniatures” stems from left over frustrations of a different photo project. In a nutshell, I decided that it was impossible to have a flat looking photograph if there were multiple depths of field. ...
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above: The Camp in Poland
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below: The One Big German
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above: The Curver Plant Bulb
below: The Original Bulb
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above: The One with Cells
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below: The One with the Wicker Chair
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above: The One in the Center
below: The One Off-Center
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above: The One with Two below: The One with 3 Depths
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The One Dre Liked
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FRANK VASQUEZ C R E AT I V E W R I T I N G
Santa Fe dropout and a hairless rodent that’s slipped between the cracks (or maybe the rails) of New York City. Much of my time is spent observing others in their natural & unnatural habitats & habits or else, more often than not, prompting scenarios as though the entire story could be told by way of the most immediate reaction. I prefer brevity & (maybe) clever use of language to say more than needs to be said while using less words, the persons that choose to make themselves comfortable in disagreeable places & uncomfortable ways, & neglecting surroundings because, in sometimes obvious ways, we become our environment. All of these pieces have something to do with not really saying how (you) feel. We don’t all do it, but we all seem to do it, and it’s always something fleeting or painful enough that it’ll be forgotten by necessity so it never really needs much telling to say all of it. I like to think of these as how little moments become the only memories we’ll really have because they are like Polaroid shots that were thumbtacked to a cork board in the back of the house and left behind in the move but still there or else thrown away. Personally, I feel that all memories, as superfluous and obvious as it is to say this, are a bit painful and personal, but they’re mostly what any of us has by way of a story to tell that means as much to us as it would to anyone else. In this series, I tried to capture moments or occasions of hurt and longing until I could craft something completely unlikely that still may have been part of this larger thing (the cork board, maybe.) ...
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ALMOST CHRISTMAS, ALMOST YOU
If every day were Christmas, it’d be patterned with you and the way your hands wrap around a steaming mug of hot cocoa, the place your foot rests underneath your thigh, and the way your hair would fall over my face when you fell asleep on A Charlie Brown Christmas. Every day can’t be Christmas, though, when you aren’t here & your last card told me you were moving somewhere else again. Every day won’t be Christmas when the first time you kissed me wasn’t too unlike eggnog and too much vodka to explain why you took so long in the bathroom. I would wish for you every Christmas day, for you every day, if I knew how you felt about pushing me into the snow, pinning me down to throw cold and wet on my wind-burnt face, and I’d wish for you now if you were warmer to my touch, but I do know how cold I make you and that the books you read to me by the fire were as tattered and worn as every word I’d promised you.
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THINGS It’s the little things that make me miss you and they’re patterned in the way I’ll wring my hands in defeat every time the thought of you falls from my lips- the frost of winter woven into the wet of spring and the vices that conditioned our words, caused our actions, and discarded our fears for phantasms. These became us in spite of words. They were the taste of alcohol on chapped lips & bated breath and the stale of cigarette smoke on our clothes & in our hairs. The mornings found us fumbling to discarding clothing lest we would have to share our appreciation for the warm & the soft comforts we offered one another during moments of clarity. These made us much more and much less than we could have ever been without one another. It’s as if you were always going to be there, but I wasn’t, or else the other way around. I’d like to think that you’d wanted me to stay, but you were relieved that I’d left. It’s easier to tell myself you’re a bitch & a coward, and gives me moments when I don’t have to feel like I wasn’t enough. It’s things that’ve made us where we are now, and I’ll make it a thing that keeps this apart if it’s a thing worth hating you for.
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UNTITLED
it’s a bit like lifting up your skirt and pulling aside your underwear: two hands each make us cumbersome but are necessary to take your hips and pull you into me. If I ever find the time to say your name, it’s usually softly above a whisper or a loud exhale because it just feels like more to say you the way I feel you. It’s like words in sentences can’t matter without the images of you the words evoke. I don’t want to remember us curled up sleeping the way I want to remember you smiling with full lips forming an “o” and teasing your hair until it’s better left held by the roots in the grip of your hands. Your fingers on my legs cling with nails and moans and there’s not a thing not pretty about what you’re doing to me. it’s a bit like all of that: using one another to pretend we’re not using anyone.
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KNACK On November 1st, 2012, KNACK Magazine sponsored a music event, Day of the Dead, at the Logan Square Auditorium in Chicago, Illinois. The show featured trapstyle music with local acts. We asked our contributing writer, featured, Ken Katsumura, to attend and write a creative, responsive piece.
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KEN KATSUMURA C R E AT I V E W R I T I N G
Why do I write? I used to know how to respond to that question. I simply wanted to be a writer, but that’s a vague answer. Honestly, I dont know why. As a photographer chooses their subject and composition to evoke tragedy, humor, and beauty, so does a writer. I like to expand on an idea or concept I find interesting, an idea worth putting into hypotheticals, and I feel content when I express it clearly. ...
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KNACK Featured Editorial
TRAPSTYLE A MOVEMENT EQUIPPED WITH GUNS, DRUGS, and ELECTRO BEATS by KEN K ATSUMUR A
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As I walked past Johnny’s grill on the corner of Logan Boulevard and Kedzie, I saw an attractive girl sitting on a rotating stool, drinking a milkshake at the diner countertop. She wore a neon green trucker cap with “Rage” printed on the front in black bold font. It should be close, I thought to myself. A group of DJ’s came together November 1st, 2012 for a Day of the Dead celebration at Logan Square Auditorium, blasting Trapstyle through their laptops and MIDI drum pads. Trapstyle has been taking the electronic dance music scene by storm, appearing in the repertoire of notable artists such as Diplo, Flosstradamus, and Skrillex. Trapstyle DJ’s have chopped up household rappers like Gucci Mane, Chief Keef, and Wacka Flocka Flame, adapting them into samples, and incorporating them into bass heavy electronic beat loops. Trapstyle dance music seems to take the mean-muggin’ visage of Trap music and gives an air of hedonism to the machine-gun snares and 808 bass. It’s hit the blogosphere with a vengeance and become a separate entity. Trapstyle has appropriated the formula that has made trap music so popular—infiltrating the mainstream rap world, influencing the styles of Kanye West, Big Sean and Juicy J—and bit-crushed it: A simulacrum of gritty ghetto tales. I stopped at what seemed to be an old apartment entrance, stairs leading up a shoddy portal filled with teens of different ethnicities and classes: girls in booty shorts and furry animal hats, white suburban teens in Grateful Dead shirts, and urban hip-hop heads. Then I realized I didn’t really know anything about the show I was about to see. The headliner Indiana-born DJ, Luminox has made a name for himself in the Trapstyle scene, who grew up on
the Southeast side of Chicago. He first started his producing career in hip-hop, but eventually found his niche in the trap electronic dance music circle, becoming a significant figure in the sub-genre. Opening up for Luminox were the Chicago natives, DJ Duo, The Regulators, and Manhattan based DJ, Branchez. The night had a rocky start (malfunctioning laptop), but soon gained momentum as The Regulators took the stage. The thumps of Dubstep wobble bass and the crack of 808 snare hits resounded from the drum pad cracking over the reverberating black speaker boxes. DJ Branchez came on next to warm up the crowd with his collection of soul music loops mixed with trap music derived machine gun snares. The Regulators and Luminox’s beats were driven by Dubstep and electronic dance music loops. Branchez seemed to swing closer to the hip-hop roots that developed trap music. The crowd rose to hysterics during Branchez loop of “Hard in the Paint” originally by Wacka Flocka Flame and produced by the coveted Lex Luger; the beat maker renowned for being one of the leading contributors to bringing trap music to the forefront. The energy of trap music, inspired by the hustlers who idealized the gangbanger’s lifestyle, has been repurposed into Trapstyle dance music. Chicago has always been a proving ground of such fledgling genres, and much like early House music, Juke, and Footwork, it shares many of their addictive qualities: a lulling repetition pounding one into a trance. An enthusiastic crowd came out to the Logan Square Auditorium. It’ll be interesting to see these two styles collide, and we will see this very soon. Trapstyle seems to be the new trend among the younger generation and it doesn’t seem like it’s slowing down. \ 39
KNACK Featured Editorial
SLAVE TIME MISSISSIPPI GETS WHIPPED by
DJANGO UNCHAINED
a review by FREEDOM HOPKINS
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Everyone knows Quentin Tarantino. And if they aren’t familiar with his work, they definitely know of him. His classic film-like aesthetic, tonguein-cheek dialogue, and preoccupation for indulging in violence, set Tarantino apart from the lot. His style is so definitive that the term, Tarantino-esque could even be used to describe choices made by other filmmakers (where applicable). It’s his willingness and ability to challenge a viewer’s comfort level and that feed the buzz which habitually surrounds his newest releases. Tarantino always takes one step over the line and gets away with it. He’s covered stigmas from hit men to Nazis, and now he’s out to take some serious revenge on slave time Mississippi with “Django: Unchained”. Django or Jamie Foxx, plays a slave who is freed by Christopher Waltz’s character, Dr. King Shultz. If you remember Tarantino’s previous film, “Inglorious Bastards”, Waltz portrayed the astonishingly evil villain, Colonel Hans Landa—a man who sent chills down viewers’ spines by asking for a glass of milk. But in “Django”, Waltz and Foxx make a superb ass kicking team who, after a montage of said ass kicking, set out to rescue Django’s wife—Broomhilda, played by Kerry Washington. Broomhilda had been sold to Calvin Candie or (Leonardo Dicarprio) and is living on his plantation…Candyland… oh yeah. Once the pair arrive at the plantation where Django aims to buy back his wife, as one would expect, shit hits the fan. Witty one-liners are thrown back and forth, and Samuel L. Jackson’s character, Stephen, becomes so hatable and enigmatic, that you just want him to die a painful death…in a good way. If you’re a fan of Tarantino films, you know that all his works have secret
clues that only film geeks will know. Here’s a few to watch our for. “Django” was originally an Italian film. It was released in 1966, and at the time was labeled the most violent film of all time. Tarantino makes reference to the original throughout “Django Unchained”. The opening song in Tarantino’s “Django” is the same as the 1966 version. It’s a Tom Jones sounding tune that’ll have you belting “Djangoooooo!” for more than a week, guaranteed. The actor who originally played Django also makes a cameo appearance. When you see the movie (because, come on, you must see this movie) take notice of the man who asks Django (Jamie Foxx) what his name is at the bar. This man orders tequila. He also bears a striking resemblance to “The Most Interesting Man in the World” from those cheeky Dos Equis campaigns. There’s also this...Tarantino can now claim the most violent film credit with the release of Django Unchained. The movie’s got a 30 minute blood-splattering scene from blaxploitation hell. This is not a film for the weak. It’s also not as bad as Saw—so there’s that. Blaxploitation is a genre that came about in the 1970’s when people got sick of watching the same old white guy save the same old white world. The filmmakers who made these movies had little to no backing from major studios, so these blaxploitation movies looked all together grungier and more hand-held. African Americans were usually portrayed as side-kicks or villains (or not at all) in these films. “Django” delivers an outstanding contemporary portrait of why people think black people are cool. I read a story once that when asked why he likes the genre so much, Tarantino said, “Black people are just awesome.” Well said, Mr. Tarantino. When the beat \ 41
KNACK for Rick Ross’s 100 Black Coffins drops, or when Jamie Foxx is about to get his larger-than-average dick cut off, and when Samuel L. Jackson says, “I count six bullets Nigga” you think to yourself, black people are pretty cool. And that’s blaxploitation in a nutshell. As an individual that is African-American, and often rebels against stigmas concerned with “acting black”, even I wanted to put my fist in the air during these scenes. There’s something for everyone in film, right? Asians have the kung-fu movie, black people have blaxploitation, and white people have Die Hard. But, I digress. Tarantino’s “Django Unchained” is a fantastic amalgamation of blaxploitation and the spaghetti-western. It has everything from fast zooms, wide shots that jump to extreme close-ups, and the Ennio Morricone (The Good, The Bad, and The Ugly) western ballad. Now, because the star system does nothing to help potential movie goers and I hate it, I’m going to do this for you fine readers. You’ll love Django Unchained if... 1. You like Tarantino movies. He’s faithful to his style in this film. The same way that “Inglorious Bastards” took revenge on the Holocaust, Django Unchained acts out a long standing vendetta against slavery. 2. You just want a good time. There’s no moral compass here, just plain old sex with an explosive money shot. 3. You want an excuse to say “Nigga”. Lets face it, like the great Lewis C.K. joke, saying “the N-word” only makes other people say Nigga in their head, and after seeing this movie it won’t just 42 /
be in your head, It’ll be all over your face. “Nigga” is said more than 100 times during the movie. You’ll hate Django if: 1. You are susceptible to violence, blood, and fowl language. It’s not torture porn, but it’s pretty violent for those who prefer the Rom-Com over Terminator 2. Speaking of violence, you might not know that the release for “Django: Unchained” was delayed by the Weinstein brothers in respect of the Newtown shooting. When asked if he thought violent movies had anything to do with the shooting Tarantino said “‘I think it’s disrespectful to [the victims] memory to talk about movies...Obviously, the issue is gun control and mental health.” Well said Quentin. 2. You, like Spike Lee, can’t stand the n-word and think it’s truly disrespectful for slavery to be depicted like a western on the silver screen. Spike Lee tweeted “American Slavery Was Not A Sergio Leone Spaghetti Western. It Was A Holocaust. My Ancestors Are Slaves. Stolen From Africa. I Will Honor Them,”…As a huge Spike Lee fan…”Django: Unchained” was more entertaining than “Miracle at St. Anna” There I said it! 3. You get back pain from sitting too long. The movie is close to three hours. So if you decide to go, use the bathroom first.
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“Tarantino’s Django Unchained is a fantastic amalgamation of bla x ploitation and the spaghetti-western.”
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SUBMISSION GUIDELINES for KNACK MAGAZINE PHOTOGRAPHERS, GRAPHIC DESIGNERS & STUDIO ARTISTS
Up to 10 high resolution images of your wor k. All must include pertinent caption infor mation (name, date, medium, year). If there ar e spe cif ic ations or pr efer ence s concer ning the w ay in w hich an image is displ ayed plea s e include them .
WRITERS
KNACK seeks writing of all kinds. We will even consider recipes, reviews, and essays (although we do not prefer any thing that is academic). We seek writers whose work has a distinct voice, is character driven, and is subversive but tasteful. We are not interested in fantasy or genre fiction. You may submit up to 25,000 words and as little as one. We accept simultaneous submissions. No cover let ter nec-
essar y. All submissions must be 12pt, Times New Roman, double-spaced with page number s and include your name, e-mail, phone number, and genre.
ALL SUBMISSIONS:
KNACK encourages all submitters to include an ar tist statement with their submission. We believe that your perspective of your work and process is as lucr ati ve as the wor k it self. This may r ange from your upbr inging and /or education as an ar tist, w hat t y pe of wor k you pro duce, inspir ations, etc. If there are specifications or preferences concerning the way in which an image is displayed please include them. A brief biography including your name, age, current location, and por trait of the ar tist is also encouraged (no more than 700 words). *Please title f iles for submission with the name of the piece. This applies for both writing and visual submissions.
ACCEPTABLE FORMATS
IMAGES: PDF or JPEG WRIT TEN WORKS: .doc, .docx, and RTF EMAIL: knackmagazine1@gmail.com SUBJECT: SUBMISSION (PHOTOGR APHY, STUDIO ART, CRE ATIVE WRITING, GR APHIC DESIGN)
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Missed a submission deadline? Do not fear! K N ACK oper ates on a rolling submission s ystem. This means that we w ill consider wor k from any ar tist at any time. Our “ deadlines� merely ser ve as a cutof f for each issue of the magazine. A ny and all wor k sent to knackmagazine1@ gmail.com w ill be considered for sub mission as long as it follow s submission guidelines. The day wor k is sent merely reflec t s the issue it w ill be considered for. Have questions or suggestions? E-mail us. We w ant to hear your thought s, comment s, and concer ns. Sincerely, A r iana Lombardi, Editor
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SUBMISSION DE ADLINES ISSUE 6 SUNDAY, FEBRUARY 17th, 2013 ISSUE 7 SUNDAY, MARCH 17th, 2013 ISSUE 8 SUNDAY, APRIL 14th, 2013 ISSUE 9 SUNDAY, MAY 12th, 2013
best,
Will Smith, Andrea Vaca, Jonathon Duar te, Ariana Lombardi
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KNACK is requesting material to be reviewed. Reviews extend to any culture-related event that may be happening in the community which you live. Do you know of an exciting show or exhibition opening? Is there an art collective in your city that deserves some press? Are you a musician, have a band, or are a filmmaker? Send us your CD, movie, or titles of upcoming releases which you’d like to see reviewed in KNACK. We believe that reviews are essential to creating a dialogue about the arts. If something thrills you, we want to know about it and share it with the KNACK community—no matter if you live in the New York or Los Angeles, Montreal or Mexico. All review material can be sent to knackmagazine1@gmail. com. Please send a copy of CDs and films to 1720 West Alameda Street Santa Fe, NM 87501. If you would like review material returned to you include return postage and packaging. Entries should contain pertinent details such as name, year, release date, websites and links (if applicable). For community events we ask that information be sent up to two months in advance to allow proper time for assignment and review. We look forward to seeing and hearing your work.
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