VOID
NUMBER ONE
1
FILL THE VOID.
CONTENT 1 - Of Unsound Mind 2 - Sixties Psychedelia Reborn 3 - Imagination Adrift - Palais de Tokyo
........
Of Unsound Mind
Photography by Sarah Winslett
My head make me I’m not a basic doesn’t matter.
is throbbing. It’s horrible when it’s like this. Days like this want to die but there is always something that keeps me going. sure what it is but I suppose it’s something deep within me, human instinct to survive? I don’t know. What I write in here need to make sense. That’s what I love about it. It doesn’t
Life is strange, I don’t understand it. It feels strange to be alive but very very beautiful. When I think about it though, I’ve always been lonely, always kept things to myself and always lied about my feelings. I don’t know why I’m like this but I want to change.
That time was one of happiness, the last time I believe I was truly happy. My family was perfect, I had no choices to make and I had my whole life ahead of me. So much has changed and is changing and I’m scared of everything going even more wrong than it already has. I suppose you can’t live in the past, out with the old and in with the new. So utterly depressed all of a sudden. I should go to bed.
I’m completely trapped. I have to go. No way out. The most horrible feeling.
I couldn’t take it anymore. I was made to feel useless and like an outsider. I can’t help but feel a little lost and afraid.
I’m just so confused about everything. Even as I write this I’ve got conflicting thoughts going crazy in my head. I’d love to fast forward five years just to see what has become of me. I think it would reassure me in some way. Or scare me. Who knows where I’ll end up.
Maybe if I keep writing every day I’ll become a whole new person. The old me will be released onto these very pages and will no longer be lurking somewhere deep inside.
I’m sick to death of it. All these thoughts just keep on coming. They’re going round and round in my head and they just won’t stop. It feels like I’m going crazy. I know I’m not, I can’t be. How can I be that different to everyone else? But everyone else seems so normal. They can talk to people normally, they can sleep normally, they can eat normally. They can probably even think normally. I could do with some of that, some normality instead of this crazy messed up head of mine. Someone let me out.
Sixties Psychedelia Reborn
W
ith her long dark hair, sultry fringe and thigh skimming shift dresses, 22 year-old Jessica Winter is a vintage dream. This hazy vision of sixties psychedelia is further enhanced with flared sleeves, bohemian fabrics and the occasional ruffle, making her the perfect front woman for The Hall of Mirrors, a five-piece psychedelic dream-pop band based in London. Music filled with darkly romantic lyrics and enough emotion to move even the coldest heart is their speciality, while Jessica adds extra passion and intensity with her haunting but undeniably beautiful vocals. The Hall of Mirrors have developed their own unique take on the notion of sixties psychedelia and, far from being just another band inspired by the Beatles, they are taking their creativity and music to a whole new level. The Hall of Mirrors create fantastical stage shows full of colour and wonder, trademarks of the psychedelic aesthetic. In Jessica Winter they have someone who embraces all aspects of the lifestyle, not out of necessity in order to maintain the band’s image, but because it’s what she truly believes is in her soul. She expresses her inner psychedelia through the music she makes and the clothes she wears, shopping for “ridiculous” garb in Camden and rifling through charity shops to find vintage gems that
haven’t been given too high a price tag. This is where she finds pieces to add to her treasure trove of a wardrobe.
Words by Sarah Winslett
Fashion and music are inextricably linked, with clothes acting as costume and providing musicians with the opportunity to explore another side of what could be described as their innate creativity. Jessica Winter is no different. Having recently had the opportunity to ask her about her style choices, it is clear that sporting such original outfits comes effortlessly to her: “I’ve never been someone to notice what other girls are wearing because what other people are doing has never interested me. I get enjoyment out of creating, whether it’s music, art or clothes. When I put on an outfit it’s part of creating so to copy something takes away the fun”. These are the words of someone who could never be described as a follower and to put her into a category would be near on impossible. Although adamant that dressing to match the music is never her intention, Jessica still manages to create a distinctive look for herself, undoubtedly helped by the dream-like colourful images that her music conjures up. She lists as some of her style icons Brian Jones of The Rolling Stones, Edie Sedgwick and Nico, all of whom epitomised the spirit of the sixties. It is easy to see what Jessica has taken from them in terms of style
inspiration, with Jones’ flamboyancy, Edie’s boyish femininity and Nico’s sexy masculinity all reflected in her approach to fashion. With her modern take on a nostalgic sixties style, she is proving to the world that looking backwards is not always such a bad thing: after all, every great innovation has its roots in something that has gone before. Jessica and her contemporaries may appear to the outside world as a curiously eccentric bunch of young people, but they would say that they are simply doing what feels right. This mind-set is shared by The Hypnotic Eye, a five-piece ‘flowerpunk’ band hailing from South London whose defining characteristics include gritty, yet incredibly soulful vocals from lead singer Grace Lightman as well as irresistibly catchy choruses. They may not be as immersed in psychedelia as their Hall of Mirrors counterparts but the sixties influence cannot be overlooked. With his unconventional dress sense comprising of colourful patterned jackets and floral shirts, 23 year-old Lindsay Murray, guitarist with The Hypnotic Eye, could perhaps be described as the most outwardly kaleidoscopic member of the group and he is insistent that he has always been this way, having from a young age been drawn to the music and bright clothes of the genre. Speaking to Lindsay it becomes apparent that far from having to strive to be different, he possesses a natural flair for creating and realising his own vision of
what pop music should be. Referring
to his band’s catchy but distinctly vintage sounding ensembles, he says: “In my head it’s just pop music, but how we’d want it to be”. Part of this seemingly innate ability to put his own spin on a genre that dates back 50 years could stem from the fact that he has grown up listening to his parents’ varied music collection consisting of underground psychedelic records and more familiar bands such as The Beatles, The Rolling Stones and The Kinks. Combine this eclectic musical education with a mother who has always been involved with fashion, working with the likes of John Galliano, Zandra Rhodes and Hussein Chalayan, and it becomes obvious how Lindsay came to develop his
own unique outlook on music and style. When I asked Lindsay if the music that he himself makes influences his own style and image he came back with a somewhat modest response: “I think it can be quite dangerous to be inspired by your own work in a way such as dress”. Rather, he believes that it is the small community of musicians that congregate in London who inspire him and his band the most, one such band being The Horrors. In 2007 The Horrors, a five-piece London based band originating from Southendon-Sea, burst onto the pages of the NME with their debut album, Strange House. Despite having been bubbling under the surface for a couple of years previously, it was the release of this album that really saw their unusual breed of postpunk neo-psychedelia and underground sound attract a whole new fan base. Despite having matured and developed since their first album, it is clear that many of their original sixties influences remain unchanged. Rhys Webb, bass guitarist with the band, continues to run his own club night, The Cave Club, which provides up and coming artists and fans alike with an opportunity to fully immerse themselves in the hedonistic howls of sixties style garage. Several other alternative club nights are springing up all over London, providing music fans with a refreshing break from the mainstream scene. Every second Sunday of the month The Hall of Mirrors and The Hypnotic Eye join forces and take over music venue and lounge bar The Lexington in Islington, North London. Together they create an evening of blissful psychedelia and provide the perfect escape for those who find themselves increasingly disillusioned with the more conventional and run-of-the-mill music found in the majority of bars and clubs in the Capital. For those who find themselves on the outside looking in and wondering what it is about the psychedelic lifestyle and ethos that these young musicians find so alluring, the answer could be in the element of freedom that it offers to those wishing to explore their music and
interests in greater depth. Jessica Winter believes that the very word psychedelia means “enabling you to expand the music to great heights, opening your mind, ears and soul and taking you on a journey of emotion.” To her it is a genre which should not be restrained: “Its essence is to go somewhere you’ve never been before and create new and interesting sounds”. The freedom of self-expression that Jessica feels so intensely when embodying the style and musical sensibilities of psychedelia show that this is no half-hearted attempt at trying to resurrect something after its colours have long since faded. The psychedelic way of life is a part of who she is and apologising for it is simply not an option: “I have been told that I’m eccentric before and I’m quite happy with that term, people can label me as whatever they want, I don’t mind. No music on the mainstream radio speaks to my soul, nothing brings me to tears or fills me with joy. I just hear machines – we people need to hear music that we can relate to, and it’s my mission to turn the mainstream around!” Whether Jessica succeeds with her
mission before, in her words, “we all become robots” is yet to be seen but one thing is for sure: she, along with the rest of her crop, will refuse to conform to the demands of the industry and will continue to breathe fresh life and soul into this exciting genre. To embrace the unconventional world of these psychedelic crusaders and the passions expressed in their music is to subscribe to a diverse future rich in depth and colour – one that their sixties predecessors would undoubtedly be proud of.
www.hypnoticeye.co.uk www.hallofmirrors.co.uk
ARTS REVIEW - Les Dérives de L’imaginaire
Imagination Adrift @ Palais de Tokyo Paris, France 28.09.12 - 07.01.13
I
maginez L’imaginaire (Imagine the Imaginary) is the name given to the new season of exhibitions at contemporary art gallery, Palais de Tokyo in Paris. Forming part of this new season is Les Dérives de L’imaginaire (Imagination Adrift) which features a collection of work by twenty international artists all exploring the various mental states that one drifts in and out of during the creative process. From laziness and idleness to the sudden flurries of inspiration that anyone remotely creative will be all too familiar with, the exhibition delves deeply into the workings of the mind, taking an abstract but deeply thought provoking approach. The diversity of the works on display results in an exhibition where there is something for almost everyone to appreciate and relate to. A combination of film, sculpture, photography and installation allows the visitor to step inside the artist’s
brain and catch a rare glimpse of the hours of frustration and reverie that lie behind many great artworks.
Words by Sarah Winslett
The works are displayed against an expanse of white and appear to have no logical order, perhaps to reflect the psychological complexities that each piece sets out to represent. This gives visitors a certain freedom to take whichever path they choose and to concentrate on those works which most inspire them without feeling a duty to stand and appreciate every piece. Despite the deep concept behind the exhibition there are plenty of visual obscurities which are a treat for the eyes, so whether you think of yourself as a connoisseur of fine art or as someone who simply wants to embrace their creative side for the day, go with an open mind and take the opportunity to reflect on whether there really is some method to the madness.
ARTS REVIEW - Les Dérives de L’imaginaire
ARTS REVIEW - Les Dérives de L’imaginaire
ARTS REVIEW - Les Dérives de L’imaginaire
FULL VOID.