Flawless Magazine by RebeccaFahey

FLAWLESS

Issue 1 AIMME OH, TARA STEWART, CILLIAN MORRISON, SIONAN MURTAGH, ROBYN DEANE, EOGHAN BARRA, LOUISE KAVANAGH, DANIEL MUTTON, TALIA BELLIA, NNEKA GIGI, LAUREN CORRY, KEAN KAVANAGH, WHY-AXIS

AIMME OH

TARA STEWART

CILLIAN MORRISON

SIONAN MURTAGH

ROBYN DEANE

EOGHAN BARRA

INDEX A

DANIEL MUTTON

LOUISE KAVANAGH

WHY-AXIS

NNEKA GIGI

LAUREN CORRY

KEAN KAVANAGH

AMIEE OH My name is Amiee O’ and I’m an Irish feminist photographer based in Berlin.

What are your favourite projects so far? My college project “Digital Intimacy” is one of my favourites.The series focused on the new intimacy and sexuality of the digital age. The hypercoloured bodies were to indicate how digital consumption of social media, popular culture , pornography and dating apps has affected our access point to sex and the body. The project was a starting point for me to explore more work from that direction and shaped my photography style to-date. What inspires your work? The main concepts I try to explore throughout my photographs are female representation, counteraction and empowerment. My inspiration ranges from pop culture icons , the riot grrrl feminist movement, 90s music videos,80s showgirls,berlin sexclubs, exotic dancers and femme fatale movie stars. I constantly and actively search for new inspiration online and IRL so I’m not confined by what I’m exposed to by chance.

Do you ever feel you need to sensor your work by other people? Such as people you have worked with? I try to only work with people and companies who share similarvalues and vision so censoring isn’t usually necessary. This is very important to me because I don’t want to ever produce work that isn’t a true representation of my identity as an artist. What are your favourite things to photograph? Girls , girls , girls! My favourite photoshoots always involve just myself and my model in a comfortable environment or on the streets at night with less people around to interrupt. I find having a big team of people or overplanning can restrict the fluidity of a shoot. Also I love to work with non-models and capture character that hasn’t been trained to fit in to the demands of the fashion industry.

Does your photography work connect with you in a personal way? Incredibly so. Photography is my outlet and there are attributes in all my images that stemmed from something occuring in my life or my fascination of the time.

What is the most difficult challenge you’ve faced in your work? A recurring difficulty for me is when my photographs get perceived incorrectly or different to my intent. This shows up on occasion but most evident when a person comments something sexual under a picture of one of my models.

“My work is intended to empower women rather than objectify them but it’s a thin line I’m always conscious of crossing when working on images of women and the body.”

TARA STEWART I’m Tara Bharathi Toireasa Stewart, 27, born in Alice Springs, Australia, half Irish and Malaysian/ Indian, living in Dublin 7 years, currently working as a DJ and Radio Presenter. Following you on Instagram you seem to have a very individual style, what inspires this? Street style would be my biggest inspo, mixing sport wear with glam, 90’s style is my favourite so I take a lot of ideas from there too. What are your musical artists that have influenced yours? Musicial artists that influence me in terms of style right now, I’d say Peggy Gou, Dua Lipa, Rihanna, Cardi B, Kali Uchis

What has been your weirdest gig experience?

What got you into being a DJ?

I was DJing at a festival and a girl pissed up against the speaker!!! It was v awks.

just love playing songs for people and showing them songs that I think they’ll love so decided to make it a career!

Photography by Anouska Proetta Brandon Do you have any pet peeves? don’t have too many because I’m a pretty chill person and like to leave people do what they want to do. But I guess small things like people that aren’t nice to others, people that leave the toilet seat up, people that don’t replace toilet paper when it’s empty, oh and when people knock down a bike on the street and don’t pick it up!

As working for RTE you get to interview different celebrities, do you get nervous by this or does it come naturally to you? Ya I totally get nervous, but mostly because I’m nervous wondering if they’ll be sound! Nothing worse than when they’re not nice and not giving you much to work with. Besides music you also edit and interview for district magazine, whats your favorite thing about working for District? District is the leading magazine for Irish culture and Irish artists so it’s such a pleasure to be involved with them. They’re getting bigger and bigger all the time so it’s great to be able to work with a great team.

You recently DJ’d for music artist Cupcakke in the Button Factory, how was that experience? Oh god it was mental and amazing. One of my top gigs to play because the crowd was amazing and I’m a big fan of CupcakKe as a rapper so I had a ball! do you have any other interests outside of music and writing? I love law and crime, I used to work as a judges associate in a Supreme Court and just love researching and reading about cold cases and trials. I’ve recently gotten into cooking as well! I find it really calming.

CILLIAN MORRISON

I’m A Final Year TSD student @ NCAD. Dublin based creative. Film & digital photographer. What makes you the most happy? Most happy when I find the balance, kind of a harmony. Yes, I deliberately try to keep my stress levels down and all that kind of stuff. I don’t like being too frenzied, but at the same time if I have nothing to struggle against… I think in this kind of society, in terms of mental health, a lot of the problems… From where we try to avoid problems and only exist in this happy state and by doing so we [inaudible] periods of problems. So if I had another goal to work towards or some kind of problem to solve that is meaningful… It’s not that I become depressed, but I become lethargic. I’ll slip in other aspects of my life, so I kind of need that. I need to conquer something to get that motivation to find something else to conquer that.

What makes you unhappy? I suppose when my values aren’t being met and I feel forced to do something that I don’t agree with. I suppose my freedom is the most important thing to me, so if I don’t feel I’m achieving that, that’s probably the fastest way I become unhappy. The fastest way. I usually go with the flow with most things, but if I feel like my values are being taken advantage of or I can’t fulfil them then it’s a big NO from me. Do you have any pet peeves? Things that annoy you? Is there anything that annoys you? No, I mean I’m a very deliberate person, so I need my own space. So if I don’t get that I will get very selfish and snappy, just not a generally nice person to be around. So because I have a limited amount of energy I can spend doing things and interacting, if I feel like that’s being wasted in some kind of way, that annoys me. So people who talk for the sake of talking, generally I’ll shut that down by giving one word answers, or I’ll just go quiet. Stuff like tha I just can’t afford to waste the time on shit. I just don’t talk shit

What do you dream about? I don’t dream. You don’t dream? No.I very, very rarely remember my dreams. Sometimes I’ll wake up and I’ll remember but I won’t write it down so it will be gone in 20 seconds. In terms of comprehensive dreams that I can think of that I’ve had in my life I can only think of three or four that I can draw upon. Only three or four that I’ve actually… I just don’t remember them. I used to have nightmares when I still had PTSD but then so now I don’t have nightmares as well. what Inspires your artwork? Emotion I guess. I’m an extremely… I’m almost entirely feeling motivated. So if I’m not feeling something I can’t do it unless I find a way to tap into that. Just because something makes logical sense to do means absolutely nothing to me. It could be the most sensible thing in the world to do and I still won’t do it unless I believe in it or I feel strongly. I feel strongly about it. A

You seem to like a lot of plant life Does that inspire you? I keep thinking of emotional growth to something.? Yes, thereâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s a number of reasons why I like plants, but I think the main thing is it draws back to this aspect [inaudible] more organic things into quite a closed off, sterile man-made environment is healthy I think. To have a mix of both. Yes, I like it. Even though you stole my grass , but I like it. The fake grass is actually funny, because when youâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;re wearing shoes it actually feels like grass so you get that psychological effect.

DON'T SHAVE A

SIONAN MURTAGH My name is Sionán and I am 24. I’m from Longford in Ireland originally, now living in NYC. I work in fashion here, specifically styling. I am obsessed with colorful things and spend about 19 hours of the day on instagram What inspires your artwork? Lots of things inspire me but I guess a lot of it comes from things like 80s/90s culture and stuff I see in movies. I also really like memes and going down rabbit holes on the internet looking for weird and wonderful pictures. Artists and fashion designers with a sense of humor really inspire me also.

and projects floating into my life! I didn’t study fashion or anything creative, I was stuck doing statistics and accounting. I was so jealous of my art school friends who had a creative mood in their colleges. I couldn’t prioritize fashion work when doing exams and other assignments. To be totally focused on fashion and becoming a better stylist and artist is really exciting for me right now. This is what I’ve always wanted to do.

you want to share but you’ve to cover up a nipple or, you can expect to be reported and/or get hate from people.

What is a favorite project you’ve worked on so far?

Do you ever feel the need to sensor your work for other?

I’ve worked on a lot of fun things over the last few months and it’s probably the variety that I’ve enjoyed most of all. I’ve been styling editorial, music videos and I work in the fashion department of a magazine as well. Every week there are new people

Yes, I do feel the need to censor things I say and post on the internet. As we know, Instagram has all of its weird double standards in terms of sharing nudity, which is very annoying when you have pictures

whereas I think being able to laugh at yourself and at the randomness of life and the world around you is very important. But alas, selfies carry more weight than odd memes. Unfortunately!

I sometimes hold back from posting certain photos and stuff I find on the internet because I think that people will get freaked out by it or report my page if they don’t really get my humor. People in fashion and creative fields in general can often be so serious about themselves

instagram and the Vogue Runway app was a release from the monotony of statistics and marketing jargon. Now I’m painfully addicted to my small screen but I couldn’t see myself surviving long in this Windustry without it.

You use a lot of colour’s in your photography does the colour’s in your work correlate with you on a personal level? Using color makes me really happy! I think iit reflects my personal style and the way I like to be creative. In a nutshell, its fun. I like to challenge myself in how I combine colors or seek them out in my daily life for inspiration.

Has the internet impacted your art in a way? Yes, it has been SO important for me. I depend on the internet for so much - inspiration, information and networking. In university, I gained transferable skills - writing, critical thinking and analysis - I felt stifled creatively. Messing around on

â&#x20AC;&#x153;I absolutely love New York. I feel very lucky to be living here. I have been here for four months now and it has been an adjustment in many ways but I love that I am learning and seeing so much so quickly. This is true for me personally and in my work.â&#x20AC;?

â&#x20AC;&#x153;The thing is, New York just has a bigger population. There are more opportunities and a bigger pool of people to work with, which makes it very exciting. Talent and creativity are not exclusive to major world cities. Some of the most exciting and talented artists I know are from/based in Dublin and I am mates with a lot of them! â&#x20AC;&#x153;

YES, IT HA IMPORTANT DEPEND ON TH FOR SO MUCH I INFORMATION NETWORKING. STUDYING A DEGREE OVER 21

AS BEEN SO FOR ME.I HE INTERNET INSPIRATION, AND . WHEN I WAS A BUSINESS R THE LAST 22

ROBYN DEANE

Im Robyn, im 18 years old and im a model and an artist What inspires your style? I would say what inspires my style the most is 60s I think there the most glamorous women that have ever exist kind of like 60s, 80s kind of style, I use to watch a lot of movies growing up and always watching glamourous women who wore really nice shirts and skirts and were very businesslike. Any Fashion influences that inspires you? Umm, there’s this political dominatrix but also like a sculptor she’s actually a lecturer in Central Saint Martins. One of artists that I’ve really loved, lately her stuff is absolutely amazing and I’ve never been inspired by another woman, there’s another artist named Harriet Scott, she’s a visual artist and she’s amazing, there also like style influences as well.

I wish I was like that I’m a very Insecure person t’s very difficult, but one day I promise you you’ll wake up one day and you’ll realize like life is so short and the patriarchy, and all these beauty standards that makes things so difficult for women but I promise you will one day because you’re so beautiful

With all the positive instagram feedback, do you get any negatives? I literally get so much all the time it’s so funny, like I don’t really care what anyone actually thinks of me anymore because I taught myself not to care, I don’t know I think I gave myself a slight ego but it was like a good way, I wasn’t like trying higher myself up to anyone else I was just like I’m me and that’s it. I don’t know like the negative comments that I’m sexualizing myself too much these come from actual people in my life like family members and stuff like that, I don’t think I have sexualized myself what so ever. And then people just saying that I’m “unhealthy” because “I’m overweight” and all this kind of Jazz, this doesn’t make any sense to me because I’m literally so active like I work all the time, I’m constantly walking everywhere, it doesn’t make any sense like stuff like that is kind of the only negative things, and I get called ugly sometimes but I love that.. Your instagram seems to be very body positive, How did you become so body confident? See I grew up very insecure and I didn’t have any friends till the age of like 15/16 because I was really insecure about what I looked like and I just didn’t feel beautiful at all. But then I got into Instagram and I started actually taking photos of myself and then people were taking photos of me, so listen I don’t think I’m as bad looking as I think I am? Like im cool, like im fine and then I just started finding all these other plus sized models because when I was growing up I was so into fashion, and then I gained so much more confidence,

Club comfort is basically like a political night, not political party that is inspiring safe spaces within queer clubbing and stuff like that. And everyone who is involved is queer in some sort of way and just like a group of Dj’s doing things. I’m a host for it so I like talk to everyone there and I make sure everything is ok and if anyone has a problem they can come to me about it. It’s just like a safe night, and it’s also just kind of you can wear what you want as that is such a huge issue in Dublin especially with clubbing and stuff like that to not be able to wear what you want to wear but in this space where through my very good friends created a complete safe space and everyone who goes is just sound, and like amazing music as well, like hard drum and techno, different kind of things, Its really good. 26

EOGHAN BARRA Eoghan Barra is a polaroid photographer, Born in Ireland but currently based in Berlin. So what got you into photography? Well I was always into art because my parents were a really big influence on me. My dad, he used to shoot some black and white photography with this little Canonette camera that he gave to me when I got into college. Photojournalism was a part of the journalism degree that I studied, so Frank Miller, who’s the images editor of The Irish Times, was our lecturer and he taught us really well in terms of how to use a camera. And so then I did a job for my friend who was a curator in the gallery he worked in, documenting the exhibition and the space. I told him I was moving to New York and he said ‘I should link you in with Christopher Makos’. He was a lover of Andy Warhol and he was part of that whole Factory scene. So I went over and started interning for Makos. I learned a lot when I was archiving, asking him about photos, his process, about retouching, selecting images, things like that. And then got a job in a gallery, which was a sort of a nude art gallery for the most part. There was all sorts of art but there was a lot of nude photography, so that fed into what inspired me.

A big part of my experience in New York was that I got with a girl, and our relationship was reflected by this creative project that we had called Cheap Models. We did a lot of photography together, and a lot of that involved nudity as well I guess. Then we had a little exhibition there and continued working on our pictures back in Europe, and I guess from that point, taking pictures was a big part of my life. But New York was definitely the peak moment when I realised ‘This is something I love, and that I want to continue pursuing.

What is your favourite subject to photograph? The human body, of course. But I love shooting friends. There always has to be people my photos. It’s really hard for me to take a photo without people. Sometimes it happens.But I think in particular, it’s friends that I shoot, and parties as well. And I love carrying a disposable camera because it’s less intrusive, so when you’re at a party, people are really comfortable and they barely notice there’s a camera there, and then the disposable camera makes it feel even less like there’s a camera there. So it makes it really easy to capture people natural and in their element.So, yes, there’s always got to be people, they’ve always got to be comfortable. And even better if they’re comfortable naked. Your work seems to have a lot of nudity, and Instagram Emojis covering that. How do you feel about Instagram censorship of your work?

I put the emojis there because I have to, to put it on Instagram. But I think what I’m trying to do is actually the antithesis of Instagram censorship. Because I want to break down the barrier of people thinking that being nude is weird or something they should feel uncomfortable about. Funnily enough, one of the pictures from the Cheap Models project, and you can find this on Cargocollective. com/cheapmodels , one of the pictures that we exhibited was my ex standing in front of the Statue of Liberty, and she’s got her top off. We were playing with the idea of censorship as well, so she’s got two of the Statue of Liberty emojis over her nipples. So it actually goes right back to that. But I hate censorship. Especially in regards to nudity. I know that it’s important in other aspects but… Or necessary, maybe, but I hope that changes, because I think that a big issue is the fact that there’s a disparity between males and females being allowed to expose their nipples. It’s ridiculous. It’s hard to understand. The Free The Nipples movement had some parties in the gallery that I worked in as well, and I guess I learned a lot from them in terms of approaching that topic and encouraging people to feel free, and providing a platform for people to be able to express themselves and then pushing the boundaries myself by putting it where I could and getting away with it. But obviously it’s impossible on Instagram.

What is your favourite photography work so far? Some of my favourite work is work that nobody’s ever seen because it even pushes the boundaries too far for what I’m comfortable showing. So when I find the time that I can figure out a way to present that well, I will. Maybe. Hopefully. I love artists who work across multiple platforms, like Sophie Calle and Jeff Koons as well, and how they tie their personal lives into their work. I feel like Koons isn’t very popular amongst young artists, but he has a series called ‘Made in Heaven’ that I love. He had a wife who was a porn star called Cicciolina, who was actually a politician in Italy too. And that series was really cool, because he pushed limits with that. He’s basically having sex… Well, he is having sex in the photos, but it looks so pretty and interesting it’s tacky as well, and it’s got a classical element to it, and it’s really personal, and he’s making himself a bit vulnerable by putting himself in front of the lens, like Juergen Teller does too. So I love those photographs and I think I have photographs that aren’t a million miles away from that, but I’m not totally ready to go there yet.

does your photography work speak to a personal level? Yes, I guess on that first project the whole project was, like I said, a reflection of the relationship that I was in. So the art was completely intertwined with our life and we were always telling a story, even if it was an argument or whatever, within the photos that we were taking. Because that was a creative outlet that actually defused the situation completely. And those photos for me, I feel like their aesthetic is a good reflection of the way Brooklyn felt when I lived there. And I think now that I’m living in Berlin, they look a lot more Berlin, more gritty, and they tie in a lot more to the lifestyle that people live over there, in terms of the fact that you can totally be yourself and totally be free. And that’s what I want for myself, and that’s what I want everybody to be, and that’s what I’m there to learn about, and maybe bring that back to Ireland and put on an exhibition or make a book to embody that idea. It’s definitely in Dublin that I want to exhibit the Polaroid project, because here’s where the change would actually happen. People would brush over it in Berlin or New York or London, but in Dublin I think there are a lot of people who are very closed about that idea of nudity, so I want to play with that. But yeah, it ties into my life a lot. And like I said, I even take photos of the uncomfortable parts, and there are photos that I’ve had people take of me crying after something bad that happened or whatever. Because I want to remember that moment,

DANIEL MUTTON Hey, my name is Daniel Mutton, I’m 23 years old and I am a Photographer & Director born and raised in Peterborough, United Kingdom but now currently reside in Los Angeles, California.

What made you start doing photography? And did the interest of directing come after or before your photography work? Well I've always loved photography, especially since I was a young kid. I remember my mum would give me those disposable cameras to play with whenever we would go on holiday somewhere, but actually the interest of directing came way before my photography work. The art of film was introduced to me through a good friend of mine who attended Central Saint Martins at the time. He exposed me to the art of experimental film and I absolutely loved that; the idea of creating something that isn’t exactly linear appealed to me so much. So then I ended up moving to Los Angeles to study film at the Art Institute. From the very beginning of my major, I 37

would set myself specific tasks using other mediums of art forms, other than film itself just to push and shape my creativity & aesthetic. There became a period after the first year of studying, where the courses would become super repetitive and the school wasn’t providing us with tasks to think outside the box (everything was extremely linear), so I ended up resorting to photography during my free time and giving myself more solo tasks to work on, in order to help push myself and grow. This is what started me off with photography, and ever since then I loved the idea of pursuing the two together I kind of think it comes hand in hand really. Tell me about “Flower Boy” and what inspired it?

For this series, I wanted to capture the subject in a specific way that I felt best represented him, along with the impressions and the energy I gathered from meeting with him in person. He was very light and delicate, you could get a sense that he was reaching this new phase within life. I really wanted to document this metamorphosis. The concept was linked to the 70s following on this ‘hippy-living’ type of vibe. I then portrayed him as a flower, as flowers are delicate and fragile; yet continue to grow through the stress nature may throw at it. ‘Radiant’ was a word that I kept associating with him, as it seemed like he was practically glowing through this growth he was experiencing; it reminded me of a sunflower bouncing the sunlight its receiving..

What Influences your work? Recently, various elements from the 70s, 80s, 90s & 00s have been influencing my work, combined within a ‘Americana’ type of setting. I’d say living here in America has pretty much brought that out of me. But for my next major project i'm working on I’d say nature, the metaphysical & my Eastern European background plays a huge role as the main influences in that. Is there anything in particular you love to direct/photograph? For film I love to apply an experimental concept to fashion films, music videos or even a narrative. For photography I love to capture people 39

during a comfortable/vulnerable state I feel like I capture part of their soul within the image itself. What was it like to work on Kali Uchis music video after the storm featuring Tyler The Creator? And how did you get to work on such an exciting project? It was such an amazing experience getting to work with such a solid and incredible team, along with such great talent. Kali and Tyler were both super amazing to work with, and its always a treat to get to work with the director of this music video, Nadia Lee Cohen. I was an assistant set designer on this project; my friend;

Brittany Porter, who I had assisted previously on other projects, had brought me on board to help out as part of the team, lead by Victoria Tam. It was an extensive set, so there was so much that had to go into the whole music video itself. I happened to make the two little chia heads that the music video ends on, which was pretty exciting.

Being a assistant set designer for Katy Perryâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s Goddess Collection, what was it like to take on such an important role on such a big project? This project was pretty fun! I was assisting my friend Brittany on this one too, and this was also one of my first major set design jobs I had been brought onto! There was so much to get as it was an extensive set build, so I helped Brittany with as much as I can within prep.

LOUISE KAVANAGH

My name is Louise Kavanagh,Im 22 yrs old from Dublin Inner city and Im a Fashion DeWgraduate from NCAD. What inspires your work? I am always really inspired by the political climate. I like my work to have a meaningful background and actually stand for something -while also throwing in some humour without avoiding issues. Another thing on the other end of the spectrum which really inspires me is the American Dream,- everything from capitalism, consumerism and even old hollywood 43 cinema.

I feel when I have an important message for a collection to stand on, I look to american old hollywood for styling and costume references which make my clothes look more desirable throwing that glitter on an important issue. What was the influence behind the work “make america fake again”? Make America Fake Again was inspired by the 2016 American Presidential election, and is a pun on Trumps famous slogan. While living in New York in 2016 the presidential elections were taking place, and although it didn’t matter to me who was America’s next president (as an Irish citizen) It mattered to me as a woman. Seeing headlines everyday on news stands of how Clinton was judged more for

her appearance as oppose to the job she was doing frustrated me. This element was what inspired my hand beaded illustrations of the sick exhausted looking women with bags beneath their eyes. The illustrations are a reflection on how we glamorisation worn out women in todays society. We as women are taught to buy into products to alter our looks while trying to keep up with many other expectations in fear we will be criticised for how we look as oppose to the job we are doing. “MAFA” was inspired by the “American Dream” and the beautiful nightmare it has become. Within the collection each outfit is based around an ideal character i.e., The Money Maker, The Beauty Queen, The Consumer, The Housewife Etc. Each outfit is all in response to the culture of consumerism that is why

each outfit has a silhouette of layered up garments i.e., coats on top of coats . MAFA is a response to the world we live in where ‘more is more ‘and its never enough.

pretty much sat at an office desk doing cad after cad and excel sheets while a buyer makes all the “creative” (I use that loosely) non risk worthy design decisions.

checking into your instagram your work seems to have america elements in them such as the american flag,does american culture speak into your work? I don’t think America even has a Culture? I really just love to reference iconic America and these characters I have floating around my head. I always refer back to old hollywood glamour or a groupie pic from 1970s studio 54 for a good outfit reference. Also I love that you mentioned Instagram. I think that instagram is a great platform for artists and for showcasing their work. With instagram its almost like you must present an alter ego for people to buy into your work/feed. So you may as well pick a theme and run with it and Im all about that ‘American Dream.’ An instagram I am trying to learn from is Nadia Lee Cohen. I am following this chick since before she got her following, and I seen her stick to a theme and now with her following she can pretty much make all her ‘American Dream’ a reality! What made you want to get into fashion? I knew I wanted to go to NCAD from when I got to secondary school. However, what made me want to do fashion when I finished core year was I thought it was the only thing after education I could get a well paid job.I was very naive and blind to all the unpaid internships and sacrifices of sleep and a social life I would be giving up when I chose fashion design. Im still deciding if fashion is what I want to do one degree later. Fashion is very creative in college and then you get to the real world where business comes to play and your 44

Each square on the wearable embellished monopoly bored is a play on the steps a woman who is about to have an abortion will take i.e., ‘Turn on the water works,” “Dublin airport” and the “In Jail for up to 16yrs.”This is a serious topic but I wanted it to look very appealing as I was nervous about going to have my piece showcased alongside well established Irish Designers. So I made sure my piece would make people really think about REPEAL.The piece is all about the celebration of choice, and sprinkling glitter on an important issue without leaving it in the dark. Andrea Horan who is organising the event got in touch with me and was already familiar with my work. I was absolutely honoured to be apart of the event because of its Importance. It was political and I wanted my say! I had done my thesis on political clothing and how women use it as a tool so I knew potentially how powerful the designs for this event would be in informing people about REPEAL. I designed an embellished puffa jacket. The piece entitled ‘Stop monopolising women’ and contains a hand embellished life sized monopoly board. It’s a reflection on how women’s bodies are owned by the government and its time they stop playing games with us.

NNEKA GIGI

What inspired your recent photography work â&#x20AC;&#x153;wakanda foreverâ&#x20AC;? The film,The child in me saw that film and cried with joy and I just had to pay homage to it. Growing up, being African was something that made me feel different and not in a good way simply because the jokes can get quite annoying. Although, I had pride for my culture prior to the film, watching the film made me feel good knowing that little girls like me will be able to see reflections of themselves in a different light on a major screen. I had to show my appreciation for the film!

Hello! My name is

Nneka and I am a Nigerian visual artist based in Los Angeles. I am originally from Buffalo,NY. I enjoy painting on anything that paint will stick to so that can range from sneakers, jackets,furniture or people!

What infuenceâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s your artwork? There are so many influences to my work. I would say that my life experiences, good and bad, and the work of other artists, like Basquiat, Spike Lee and Nina Simone have been direct influences.

You seem to have an interest in fashion and creating your own illustrations onto fabrics, what started this? Honestly, sewing was my first creative love but I started painting randomly one day and didnâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t look back. I like paint because it allows you to mess up and have fun. It brings out my inner child, the person who cares very little about judgment and opinions of others.

Does your work affect you personally? Thereâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s a lot of emotion involved in what I do because I try to use the body painting, the hand painted toons and furniture to communicate my thoughts about whatâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s going on in the world, what has happened in the past and what I would like to see in the future.

your work seems to deal with race which is such a huge topic in the states, how do you feel about the racial divide in America? I think that the racial divide in America is strategically placed in between us so that we do exactly what doesnâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t financially benefit big companies and government officials, which is working together.

WHY-AXIS

Photography by Ella Cannon

Yo I’m Why-Axis AKA Seán Ryan I’m a Dublin based music producer,rapper and singer, I also dabble in making some great French Toast.I’m 20 years old and have been making music the past 5 years. How did you get into music? Starting off making music was something that took a long time for me but was something I always felt I had to do . I never ask myself “will I practice it”, the process was more of “I need to practice until I can’t anymore”. I was always a fanatical fan of music ,all I did was listen to as much different music as I could all the time so I always knew that I would make music one day.

What are your musical influences?

Where did you name Why_ axis come from?

My musical influences would begin with Michael Jackson and Prince because my mam and dad would buy me they’re albums as a child so I would play the CD’s at night until I’d fall asleep ,I mean I listened to these guys non stop I wanted to be them. My musical taste shifted at my 7th birthday when my mam and dad bought me “the Eminem show” album ,and if you have ever listened to that album you can quickly realize that it is not child friendly. From then on I was hooked and that’s where my passion for rap came about.As I aged I made it a mission to try to find as many new artists as possible and listen to as much music as possible .My influences change so much from classical to death metal to disco to rap.

The name Why-Axis actually originated from my time in school! I was never good in school and pretty much hated it.

My all time favorite genre of music and where I try to get most influence from is more definitely Soul music. I have it set in my head that soul is the purest form of music,I feel I get that from my parents because they would also play a lot of soul.

There was a particular time in school I can remember when I was fed up with everything and just questioning so much that I was doing and asking myself why this and why that .As all of this was going on I was learning about the different Axis in school as in the X axis and Y axis and from that I found that something can look completely different if you look at it from a different axis,because I had been asking why all the time I started looking at everything with a more open mind than before and from different angles ,so one evening driving home from school it all just came to me and I had decided on the name Why-Axis.

What was the influence behind the song “ A downtown girl?”

What has been your Favourite project so far?

The influence behind “A Downtown Girl” really isn’t the deepest of meanings .

Ooh I’ve made a lot of projects so far and to be completely honest I’ve never had a satisfied feeling with any project I’ve done . If I had to choose a favorite it would more than likely be my latest project “Airplane Mode” just for the quality of the sound itself and time and I had put into the project as I had started the project last year . My favorite part of the project was mainly the people’s feedback and the general response to it .I love when somebody can tell me about the smallest part of a song that sticks out to them ,it means that they can actually listen and fully take in the art.

I used to see a particular girl that wasn’t from around where I live , she was cool and we both had the feels for each other but it was a very small phase . We basically enjoyed each other really quickly and almost were fed up of each other after a while . So Downtown Girl is me basically putting all of that experience into one day, the ups and the downs , a racing heart when you speak to one another and the annoyance of so many little things about each other . The entire thing is like an over emotional fling but I try to play it off and make it slightly humorous in the song. What inspired the visuals for the music video “ Marlboro breath”? The visuals behind Marlboro Breath were something I had in mind for some time. I just love the old school grainy look and the weird colors and everything being slightly dodgy in the video ,I wanted something that had a good contrast with the song itself because the song is very emotionally strong and serious ,the lyrics that I was saying I really meant and felt them when they were said so have something that isn’t as serious brings a bit of light on the song I feel. I love being creative in as many ways as possible also so making the idea’s I had come to life was really fun.

Your new single “Airplane mode” E.P launch is just around the corner, How do you feel about all the support you have had for this launch? The support that I have gotten from everyone lately especially coming up to this EP launch has genuinely been overwhelming. It’s almost come as a slight shock. I’ve worked very hard this year to be where I am but it’s one thing to do that but to have support from people around you is incredible also. If I ever get lost or think shit what if this doesn’t work out it’s great to know that there’s people out there that fully believe in me and don’t want me to quit and that pushes me so much harder ,knowing that I’m doing this for someone else is a great feeling.I remember sitting in my room and finishing up another track when I got a call to say that the EP launch was sold out and that was amazing ,

I can’t put it into words , only last year I thought throwing my own gig was something I couldn’t do but to sell it out was an extraordinary feeling ,I just feel blessed to have any of the support I do. Do you have any future projects? or future plans we should look out for? I have too many projects coming up right now?. I’m taking a small break to focus on the show but after that I can tell you that you will see at least three music videos ,a documentary and you will see clothing . I love fashion so I want to contribute at least a little towards it .Another thing you will see is all of the amazing artists that I have been working with including my guitarist J-lo who will be coming out with his own music and collabs and so many more artists.Apart from that I’ll be trying to have a goodbuzz for the rest of the year thanks for asking me these questions by the way really appreciate the interest.

LAUREN CORRY

So what are your photography influences,do you have any? Influences. First I was taking photos for fun, not taking it seriously, and then when Instagram started getting big there were a few photographers like.Do you know Brandon Woelfel, colourful, like neon signs. Really dreamlike photos. So I started really liking him and following his stuff, and then as I was looking onto his stuff I was finding more people through his profile and then after that I was going: I want to do this now. So I guess when youâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;re looking at other peopleâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s work you get ideas for your own sometimes.So I think it was just luck to be honest. You obviously photograph a lot of people. But what determines those subjects that you pick? Are they friends of yours or are they people you find randomly on the street?

I kind of…Because I ask people myself I know they’re going to be my style. So kind of giving off the colour. I just think they’re more appealing to the eye when you’re looking at them.And if I get people texting me asking if they can model it’s usually they’ll say something like vibey or funky or they’ll use those kind of words, and I kind of like that. I kind of like getting a good impression off a photo and it’s nice to look at. And it’s kind of fun, you know? So many college students tend to fear for the future. They don’t know what I’m graduating in two weeks and that freaks me out. So do you have that fear as well? Are you scared what’s going to happen, in a way? Some of them are friends and then recently I’ve just started finding people myself and if I thought they looked really cool or there was something really interesting about how they looked, and the way they dressed as well. Anything kind of funky, colourful, anything like that. Then I’d just text them and be like: Hey, do you want to meet up? Most of the time people are really happy to meet up. So most times it would be people I don’t know. I think it’s more fun that way. Yes, because then…It’s really interesting. Being a college student, does your personal work tend to clash with all your college work?

Yes, it does. To be honest, I work on my personal stuff more when I should work on my college stuff. We had our final assignments that we had to give up yesterday and I should have been stressed about that but instead I was kind of being like: I haven’t taken photos of someone in like a month. I need to get out. Yes, no, I’ve kind of noticed that I do kind of put my personal stuff before my college work which is probably a bad thing but I prefer it that way. Are there any key ideas that you communicate through your work?

See, I’m one of those people that’s very whatever’s meant for you won’t pass you by. And because I’ve been texting with different people my name’s been getting around a bit more. So not that people know who I am, but more people would be like: Oh… Or they’d see me on Instagram and stuff like that. I don’t know. I feel like it’s who you know, to be honest, at the end of the day. I think you can study and you can get a degree but that doesn’t mean you’re good at it. Have you had any weird photography experiences? That you’ve had someone weird coming up to you or something or done something weird.?

It wouldn’t even be that weird. The only thing that’s really happened is… It’s kind of annoying now. I kind of want something weird to happen. I think the only thing that’s really been like: Okay… Was I was taking photos of this girl on St Stephen’s Green and then two older guys walked by from leaving work and they walked… But they walked by the camera. You know obviously people will stop… They stopped and I put the camera down and I was like: Oh you can walk ahead. And they were just really slowly walked by. Like was looking at what we were doing. And then when we went to take the photos again they kind of just stood there and watched, and it was just a bit awkward. Sometimes you get photographers as well, or people do just look over and… But they stood there, and we didn’t really know what to do. Not yet. Yes, that’s probably the weirdest thing and then other than that you just get… Sometimes you get dodgy people around town that will be asking questions like: Where’d you get your camera? Take a photo of me. I’ve had drunk people asking me to take photos of them thinking that I worked for a newspaper and they’ll be like: Yes, this is my name. Write my name down when you’re putting it on the front page and you’re like, okay… Would you say that your Instagram photos are very body positive. Have you ever had anything taken down from Instagram? No. Never. I put up a photo of a girl and she was in a bath and there was glitter in the bath and I thought that might get taken down because

my page is a business page, so I thought they might think that’s a bit inappropriate. But it was fine. I’ve never actually had a photo taken down. Not yet,I want one of mine to be taken down so I can rant about it. Do you have any interests outside of photography?

I grew up in a musical house. My dad was always in different bands and he works in the music industry now and he does… There’s like five drum kits in the house and he always got me and my brothers and sisters to play. So like music, yes, I would be really interested in music. It was mainly photography and music and dancing as well.

KEAN KAVANAGH

So what got you into music? I was always very into music.My father told me that before I could speak I could sing. I could sing Twinkle, Twinkle, Little Star when I was like… I think he said eight months old or something. I wasn’t really able to speak but I was able to… When I think I was like ten I just decided, I was like: I want to play guitar I really, really, really want to play guitar. I think that was around that time like School of Rock was coming out. So I was just like: Yes, music’s the best. And then just the older I got the more I got into music as art I suppose, like albums and things like that. And just went from there. Yes. What are your musical influences? There’s a band… A lot of my music taste comes from my dad. He used to play his CDs and stuff in the car and around the house. So there’s this English band from the eighties called Prefab Sprout. Their lead singer and songwriter, he’s called Paddy McAloon and they’re just the fucking best. They’re just so, so good. They have this unreal album called Steve McQueen. And I just love the way he writes songs and it’s really, really like honestly emotional stuff. I just love it. So that would be a big influence for me. I also like the likes of D’Angelo. His album Voodoo, I think that changed how I think about music. Because before that I would have listened to… Nearly everything I would have been into was guitar-y stuff and just different guitar-y things, and then I was getting really into hip-hop when I

was in my late teens. I was getting so into hip-hop. And then when I listened to that D’Angelo album it was kind of like all the drums and everything are really hip-hop. All the instruments and everything, it’s so… What’s the word? It’s really ornate and really just so beautiful. So, so beautiful. And just the way he sings and all his vocals on there. That just blew my mind. So I think that put me down a big route of R&B and soul and just made me obsessed with all those kind of things. Sorry, and lastly there’s a fellow I love called Shuggie Otis and he’s like soul. It’s this weird soul stuff from the seventies, and he has an album you should check out called… It’s called like Inspiration Information and it’s just the best. And it’s hard to describe, but the way everything sounds and how warm it is and the textures and all the instruments, I want to make music that sounds as gooey as that. So I think that’s enough of me shite talking.

label. Like a fake… What’s the word? A fake like… basically like a fake vehicle through which to put out our music and have it all looking like it’s legit and it’s like this is someone else putting out our music. Because with a lot of things in music and other things, it’s just like people’s perception on things. When they see something like a label sharing the music and they think: Wow, this must be more legitimate than Frank down the road who’s just putting his music on SoundCloud by himself. And they go and listen to it then because their perception is that it’s legitimate as opposed to something that’s just throwaway. Which is bad, because Frank down the road could be making much better music than me or Kev, but it’s just the way in which it’s presented to people. So basically this was the idea that we had, so I think in Christmas 2015 we just made a Facebook page and called it Softboy Records…

So can you explain how Softboy Records started? So me and Kevin, who I sent to you earlier, we met and we were both really into music and we were both making music. Both of us together. He said to me I like… I’ve brought some hip-hop sounds. And I was like: That’s a bit weird. No-one really does that. And then he performed a few for me and I was like: Oh fuck, that’s so good. And we were just about making music, and we just didn’t really… We wanted to put it out, so the idea came to me that we would create some kind of pseudo

Where did the name come from? Me and Kev were really drunk one night and I started going in… I was going really, really deep into my Portlaoise accent and the deepest, countryist insults I could think of and I was screaming at him: You’re a softboy, you’re a softboy, and all this, and just beating him up in the process. And then like a year later when I messaged Kev to be like This would be cool. I was like: Just think of a funny name. Like Softboy Records or something. And we just never thought of anything else so that’s how it came about.

It’s the song on Kev’s project Eviction Notice. So you’d really have to ask Kev. Kev wrote the whole project himself, so He’d written that song on piano and he recorded the instrumental but he said to me… He was like: I don’t want to sing this myself. I kind of want someone else to sing it. Would you sing it? So I said: Yes, of course. Because we’d always make music together but I’ve never sang on any of his songs or anything like that. So just recorded it. But it’s funny how even the words and stuff came across, because at the time when Kev wrote it, I was working in an office at a law firm and I was really, really hating it…

asked Kev would he support, and he was like Yes. And he was like: Kean, can you come? And I was like: It’s literally in the middle of my final year exams, but I decided fuck it. There was a gap of three or four days in the middle of exams, so I just said… Fuck the exams and went and did it. So that was the only other time we really did anything. But it was really good. We had plenty days in between each thing, so not rushing like heck going from place to place necessarily. It was just really good. It was good to see… Every place we went there was people who were really, really into music and who were just going mad. Like super fans.

Yes, just really… It wasn’t really what I was about. I found it very difficult, and I also had a wonderful boss called Suzy who was very nice and Kev referenced a Susan bringing him coffee… It was just funny, because everyone who heard the song I think, because it seems to relate so much to me, just assumed I’d written it but I can’t take credit for that. Kev wrote that one himself.

You know when you played in the Button Factory literally everyone in my college went to it and wouldn’t stop talking about it the next day.

So you recently went on tour as well. How was that? Did you go on tour before or is that your first… Was that your first tour? Once we… We went on a little tour once before. Maybe two years ago. It was in May and we did once before, me and Kevin. I was in my final year in college and it was coming up to the week of my exams and we would be friends with . We were just friends with them and they asked Kev would he support them. They were doing a little tour, the West coast, so it was Galway, Limerick and Cork. So they

Yes, that was the highlight 100% of the whole thing. There were so many people there and they all knew the words. It was the most fulfilling thing ever, to have them singing back. Because Kev especially put so much work into the thing, it’s so satisfying to see that pay off for him, and just to be getting what he deserves. It was just amazing. It was the most special thing So you went on tour a little bit, but what was your weirdest gig experience? Do you have a weird gig experience?

Kev had finished his set and usually when he’s finished I just start playing these really intense… Because people always have loads of energy at the end and they’re ready to let loose, so I start playing some really mad songs . And so we started in Cork, and the crowd in Cork were mental, I started playing some really, really mad things and they were losing their minds. There was people kept swelling up and pushing over the front and it was getting real dangerous. And then there’s the one song I have that is just guaranteed to send people to epileptic fits basically. So I started playing that and all of a sudden a man comes flying pretty much horizontally through this huge light fixture on the stage. Just more or less looked as if he’d just spear tackled the light and it all came smashing down and we just heard glass shattering and all the lights turned off and we were like Fuck, I think that’s the end of the gig. And we were terrified. We thought this big light thing was broke. But we lifted it back up, the light thing was fine, it just unplugged and all the glass… The pint glasses on stage had smashed. And we went over to the promoters and we were like: We are so sorry. And they were like: That was the best gig ever. Why are you apologising? And I was like: The light. And they were like: = I didn’t see anything. What happened? And we were like: Nothing. Nothing at all. So that was mad.

Horror stories? In Cork, at the end… This was just like… We had to basically end the gig in Cork, because 68