ATLAS
THE DREAMS ISSUE VOLUME ONE / ISSUE TWO / WINTER 2012
CONTENTS 004. FOREWORD
096. LUCID DREAMS
A NOTE FROM THE EDITOR
PHOTOGRAPHED BY YAI VU
PHOTOGRAPHED BY ELLIN ANDEREGG
104. NOT FOR THE FAINT OF HEART
016. DREAMING LIKE A QUEEN
PHOTOGRAPHED BY MICHELLE ATKINSON
008. THE BUTTERFLY EFFECT
024. DAYDREAMS
106. TEYE GERBRACHT’S DREAMS
PHOTOGRAPHED BY JOSE PABLO ANLEU
PHOTOGRAPHED BY TEYE GERBRACHT
030. INSIDE/OUT
116. DREAMS
PHOTOGRAPHED BY MAXIME CARDOLL
WRITTEN BY ANUPA GHOSH
036. YOU MAKE ME WANNA...
118. MOON
ILLUSTRATIONS BY OLYA CHERNKOVA
WRITTEN BY ASHLEE GUEVARA
040. RUN AWAY WITH ME
120. BLADES OF GRASS
PHOTOGRAPHED BY KASSIDY YANG
WRITTEN BY FATEMA KAGALWALA
046. ENCHANTED
128. THAT MOMENT
PHOTOGRAPHED BY KIARA ROSE
WRITTEN BY ADAM JONES
054. THE IDENTICAL DREAM
130. A FAR AWAY LAND
PHOTOGRAPHED BY JOSEPHINE PENEFF
PHOTOGRAPHED BY CRAIG JONATHAN REEKIE
058. SPREAD YOUR WINGS PHOTOGRAPHED BY SOPHIE KAHLENBERG
064. FRAILTY WRITTEN BY NIKITA AUBE
066. WINTER DREAMS PLAYLIST 070. TRAILS CREATED BY JACOB BAILES
076. A NEW DAWN PHOTOGRAPHED BY JUSTIN BOLIDEAU
082. A SIMPLE FREEDOM PHOTOGRAPHED BY SOPHIA DO
088. ILLUSTRATIONS BY ANNA BLACHUT
090. JUNE CARAVEL INTERVIEW WITH A MUSICIAN
PHOTOGRAPHED BY LYNN ROMIJN
138. A DREAM OF SISTERS
PHOTOGRAPHED BY THOMAS COLE SIMMONDS
148. DAYDREAMS AND NIGHT TERRORS PHOTOGRAPHED BY BRYCE EVANS
158. A LIFE CROSSING WRITTEN BY JESSICA HAY
162. FOLLOWING THE SUN PHOTOGRAPHED BY EVIE PARAZITE
172. SWEET NOSTALGIA PHOTOGRAPHED BY AIMEE STODDART
180. JOHN MCGOUGH INTERVIEW WITH A MUSICIAN
184. SUSANNA COLE KING INTERVIEW WITH AN ARTIST
190. STEPPING INTO THE REALM OF THE SUN PHOTOGRAPHED BY BARBARA LOISCH
198. MAYA KULENOVIC INTERVIEW WITH AN ARTIST
21. PASTEL LACE PHOTOGRAPHED BY JAIME DE LEEUW
214. ESCAPING THE GRAY WRITTEN BY LISA ZIMMERMANN
218. EDEN GREY INTERVIEW WITH A MUSICIAN
222. JORDAN DE RUITER
INTERVIEW WITH A FASHION DESIGNER
230. EDAS JEWELLERY DESIGNER 236. ETHEREAL SUMMER PHOTOGRAPHED BY RAE MARSHALL
STAFF MEGAN BREUKELMAN EDITOR-IN-CHIEF
OLIVIA BOSSERT ORGANIZATION COORDINATOR
KIARA ROSE PHOTOGRAPHY COORDINATOR
ALEXIS CATALDO ARTICLE COORDINATOR
THE COVER photographed by Aisha Tasveer
RONNIELLE KARIFOL ARTS COORDINATOR
ELISA NYASSOM WRITING COORDINATOR
PHOTOGRAPHED BY VALENTINA VERDESCA
THE DREAMS ISSUE a note from the editor
It’s the most wonderful time of the year - time for Atlas Magazine’s Winter issue, that is. The year is coming to a wonderful close, so we thought a fitting theme for this issue would be dreams. Every year begins with them; dreams of what is to come of the new year, resolutions, fresh starts. At the end of the day, aren’t our dreams the only thing we have to hold on to? This issue is filled to the brim with talent in all areas of the arts. Our newest feature to Atlas has been the addition of music features; this issue hosts interviews with talented musicians and as well, we’ve put together our own Winter playlist for you to drift through the season with. The end of a year and the beginning of a new one are often a very busy time, and we hope this issue will take you away from the hustle and bustle of your daily life to add a relaxing dose of beauty to your day. Our staff has worked so hard over the past few months putting this together. We went through redesigns and so many amazing submissions, hoping to present only the best to our readers. Thank you for reading Atlas Magazine, and never stop dreaming.
Megan Breukelman Editor-in-Chief
PHOTOGRAPHED BY VALENTINA VERDESCA
PHOTOGRAPH BY MARIA MARTELLI
DAYDREAMS BY JOSE PABLO ANLEU
PHOTOGRAPHY: MAXIME CARDOL STYLING: MAXIME CARDOL
PHOTOGRAPHED BY LEANNE SURFLEET
BY OLYA CHERNIKOVA
RUN AWAY WITH ME PHOTOGRAPHED BY KASSIDY YANG hair and makeup: Jeslin Koller model: Tam @ Division Models creative director & stylist: Jiva Cory
ENCHANTED PHOTO GR APHED BY KIAR A ROSE FEATURING KRISTINA SRZICH
The identical dream, shared fortnightly in habitual darkness silver ivory leafs parachute over our skulls repeatedly, we twitch awkwardly sharing milliseconds of eye-coms immersed in understanding and wordless touch lids rise to the moans of the 24/6 launderette a thousand firemen washing their socks red, again. I wake up feeling like Gatsby in love a violet glow of zeal exonerates both gates to my rib-cage no caffeine needed in the highway of veins just the lust of a future soft kiss extenuates my moustache hairs and melts my t-t-t-tongue.
WRITTEN BY
Craig Jonathan Reekie
I thought I once, perceived my dream partner in the glumness of reality we both checked our watch in puddle, a month ago despondently, separated, by the population of blank faced commuters I lost their anti-inanimate bones But I knew it was them! I know! I wrap my wounds tightly in gauze and blame the solar I eat the wrong styles of pasta, I cheat at online scrabble with my friends And I steal blu-tack from convenience stores I’m not a good seed But to be full of hope to dream wildly, to desire everything and nothing at once Is to live – in some form of golden-dust. I doze off singularly like Bukowski with a whore. Acutely growing beards of loneliness through shy follicles of mistrust I sleep so well, I can’t be found – a recluse sunk in the mattress I am the metastasis of the copy-and-paste generation my heart is a documentary filmed in slow motion fortnightly Tuesday, the identical dream chatting to my lugubrious partner about ancient mythology with traces of salad in the slots of their teeth a utopia found.
ILLUSTRAION BY FLOR OLIVERA
PHOTOGRAPH BY MARIA MARTELLI
SPREAD YOUR WINGS PHOTOGRAPHED BY SOPHIE KAHLENBERG MAKE UP AND HAIR BY REM MORRIS MODEL IS KACY AT LENIS MODEL MANAGEMENT DRESSES BY ROSIE ROMS, SCARVES BY SIOBHAN CALAGHAN
PHOTOGRAPHED BY AISHA TASVEER
FRAILTY By Nikita Aube
lines flow in tidal waves unknowingly in up and downward facing curves— but they are not mine. thoughts drive in and outward— forcefully each with an appetite of its own independently fulfilled. body succumbs to mind: enshrouded in darkness as the bird, constrained, dies in its cage. i gaze onward, beyond; unaffected, hope for recognition denied: carefully reconfigured. these lines are not mine. i have gone.
PHOTOGRAPHED BY DANIEL ADAMS
winter dreams playlist
001. joshua radin - winter 002. she & him - the christmas waltz 003. sara bareilles & ingrid michaelson - winter song 004. the weepies - all that i want 005. feist - mushaboom 006. kanye west - coldest winter 007. regina spektor - 20 years of snow 008. damien rice - happy xmas (war is over) 009. mumford & sons - winter winds 010. the bird and the bee - carol of the bells 011. michael bublĂŠ - white christmas 012. ray lamontagne - winter birds 013. the pogues - fairytale of new york 014. fleet foxes - white winter hymnal 015. taylor swift - back to december
PHOTOGRAPHED BY ANDREA PEIPE
TRAILS
JACOB BAILES
THE PIECE, TRAILS, IS ABLE TO EVOKE A RESPONSE DENOTING DISCOMFORT AT NAVIGATING TRAILS PARALELL TO THOSE DIFFICULTIES NAVIGATING THE ENDLESS MESSAGING FOUND IN SOCIETIES NEW VIRTUAL REALITY; TOO MUCH INFORMATION IS LEADING EVERYWHERE AND YET LEAVING ONE NOWHERE, ENTANGLING AND STRANGLING WITH THE CONSEQUENCES.
A NEW DAWN PHOTOGRAPHED BY JUSTINA BOLIDEAU
a simple freedom PHOTOGRAPHER: SOPHIA DO MODEL: CATHERINE TRAN SPECIAL THANKS TO: SARA DO
BY ANNA BLACHUT
june caravel
a-cappella soul-pop singer/songwriter
What influences you as an artist? A lot of things! Other artists, sounds, images, conversations, travels, people... When did you first start making music, and what pushed you to pursue further? I started piano when I was 7. Then I stopped after a year because I didn't like to read music. Then I entered the choir of my school as I was 11 for a year and discovered I could sing. Then I didn't do anything musical up until the moment when I was 15 when my mother decided she would sell the piano that remained untouched in the flat. And that triggered my will to start piano again. I couldn't stop, I would play for hours. The piano was never sold. And as I reached 20 years old, I composed my first song. Who are your favorite artists right now? Prince will always be my favorite artist. He embodies everything that I like about music. Witty lyrics, complete mastering of instruments, showmanship and incredible good songs. I don't really listen to a lot of new stuff I must say. I can barely find time to listen to new music. What advice would you give an up and coming musician? Spend hours on your instrument, spend hours composing but don't think it's enough to go on stage. Only go there when you know you have a show. And by that I mean that there's always something happening in your songs. Not just the music. Try to find your own way of being a showman or a showwoman.
What is your dream? Tour all over the world. What is your favorite of your songs? On my first album, it's And maybe a tree will rise out of me... It's the reason why the album has the same name. The lyrics were nothing like I had ever written before and I just loved all the ingredients in it. The incredible horns from Bill Holloman, the crazy choir at the end of the song. On my second album, The A Cappella Sessions, I love Non voglio un Caffè. Because it's the first time I compose something that sounds classical (which I thought I wasn't capable of) and that I write a song in Italian (which I also thought I wasn't capable of - and thanks Marta Laurens for correcting my Italian!). Is there anything else you'd like to add? Go listen to the albums, come to the gigs and support the artists that you like!
PHOTOGRAPH BY MARIA MARTELLI
LUCID DREAMS PHOTOGRAPHY BY VAI YU MODELS: STACEY AND MADDISON AT SPOT6 MAKE UP: KATIE MELANSON STYLIST: NICOLE VARNEY
PHOTOGRAPH BY MARIA MARTELLI
PHOTOGRAPHED BY VALENTINA VARDESCA
NOT FOR THE FAINT OF HEART WRITTEN BY MICHELLE ATKINSON
Wisps and curls and smokey lines Discarded hair and thoughts that don’t bind A night that’s wrong and a villain’s disgrace Running forever, and yet staying in place A series of lines now, finding the plot Something to do with that creature you fought The one who smiled asymmetric teeth Who was always sad because It’d never felt grief It’d gotten a top hat and an offer of fleece From a goose or a gander whom It thought was It’s niece It gave you someone to save and then turned into smoke Then vanished completely as the boy and you spoke The scene changed then, but the boy was still there The one who was prisoner had his hands in your hair Light burst through you, lifted you up on high And when you tasted his fingers, he tasted like sky And then you were running so fast and so true And he gaspingly told you how he’d always loved you He clutched you to him and you felt so safe The world fell away, it was that kind of embrace But trouble came then, in a blackness so foul The earth shook to behold it, and you started to growl The boy clutched you tighter to show you he cared But out of Darkness’ jaws came a sound of despair …And it’s one you’d heard before. The alarm clock shrieks the same old tune As you scramble to remember where your dreams were strewn. There was something, something, that could have been! You could have loved him forever, were he more than a dream. But the lines keep dissolving, and the feeling fades You’ll have forgotten it all by noontime today. For dreaming of love is a heartbreaking art, And remembering it is not for the faint of heart.
TEYE GERBRACHT WWW.TEYEGERBRACHT.DE
BY APRIL WARD
DREAMS
BY ANUPA GHOSH She was just four when she declared Astronaut, that’s the label she would wear Live among the stars and touch the moon with her fingertips Where she belonged; blooming under spring’s lips. Well this little baby idealist, swiftly she grew up close enough to taste thirteen at its cusp And under the influence of books in the summer sun Saving animal innocents became the trigger to her gun. “Times, they’re tough for romantics,” were the warning bells they played “no scope, certainly no future.” And so, her aspirations further frayed Into the reverie of words instead, the verses that inevitably spin Through the autumns of her past, present, now possibly futurethey’d always been within. Soon, the beginnings of winter winds surrounded her art And a parenthesis of a ribcage contained her fear-filled heart cobwebs cradled her mistakes, dangling across breakable bone as she delved into oceans of desires unknown. Darling go ahead, and Rest those exhausted Eyes; As the Man of Sand Eavesdrops - upon your Reckless lies.
PHOTOGRAPHED BY RILEY KATHLEEN MEDCALF
PHOTOGRAPHED BY AISHA TASVEER
moon i see you there, always. up above me, never below. your bright eye follows me my dark moves your eye hooded by clouds the weight of the day you bear give me still love your crater surface, providing sanctuary to my thoughts my dreams my sleeping light always above. ashlee guevara
PHOTOGRAPHED BY VALENTINA VERDESCA
Blades of Grass Fatema Kagalwala
your blade of grass attracts me today whitman, to drink of its meshy green-ness, notice its light veins and caress it light, think of it as me, free, independent, bright. i am charmed by its mysteries, as i look close and deep, through my prism of self, sieving it a-piece, i am struck by its beauty, mysterious as says miller, will be, if looked at closely enough. a darling of nature, it speaks loud, possesses powers, just like me, except it knows. just like donne’s death. i feel the tug of pain, when i see its incredible joy, of being in nothingness, washing envy over me, beauty is joy,
i contemplate breaking that blade into two, not to destroy, but to create something new, but its beauty is immense, as my power right now, a spark flies, and dies, and my god-side takes a bow. i sift through times when i was created thus, it was beautiful, it was painful, individual and truthful, churning and churning in the widening gyre, setting the soul free, after years of toil, and entrapment. journeys without destination. without destiny. without an end. like this blade of grass, born to be green, free, independent, light, free, independent, bright, free, independent, light, free, independent, bright.
PHOTOGRAPHED BY ISHITA SINGH
PHOTOGRAPHED BY ISHITA SINGH
PHOTOGRAPHED BY ISHITA SINGH
“THAT MOMENT” WRITTEN BY ADAM JONES
There’s that perfect moment again. The moment where you don’t know what to do or feel, so you do nothing and feel everything. Like waking up with too little sleep, wanting to keep dreaming and knowing that that the world will wait for you. The earth sighs with you and it brings a smile to your face, but you’re still only half-awake; wishing you could occupy this middle ground of consciousness for the rest of your life... There’s that terrible moment again. The moment where you don’t know what to feel or do, so you do everything and feel nothing. Like waking up with too much sleep, realizing you should have gotten up thirty minutes ago and that the world didn’t wait for you. The earth groans with you and it brings your hands to your face, but you’re still only half-awake; wishing you could occupy this middle ground of consciousness for the rest of your life...
PHOTOGRAPH BY ABBYLL CHRON
BALLET DRESS: ELLE JUELZ SHOES: NEW LOOK
A FAR AWAY LAND PHOTOGRAPHY: LYNN ROMIJN MUA: CHOZANN KELKBOOM STYLING: ELLE JUELZ MODELS: KRISTÝNA AND JOSEFINA@ FOURTEEN MODEL MANAGEMENT
DRESS: BERSCHKA SCARF: NEW LOOK BRACELET: H&M
TOP: MONKI LEATHER SKIRT: MONKI GLOVES: BIJENKORF
TOP: MONKI LEATHER SKIRT: MONKI GLOVES: BIJENKORF
BALLET DRESS: ELLE JUELZ SHOES: NEW LOOK
LEATHER JACKET: ELLE JUELZ BLACK BLOUSE: NEW LOOK TIE: ELLE JUELZ YELLOW SKIRT: H&M
BLOUSE: MONKI LEATHER SKIRT: H&M NECKLACE: ELLE JUELZ
DREAMS OF THE SISTERS PHOTOGRAPHER: THOMAS COLE SIMMONDS MODELS: STEPHANIE LINDA PAUSE & SARA GRABEK MAKE UP & HAIR: ANGELA AMELIA STYLIST: MARIA MARTIN-CARO
WHITE LACE BUSTIER: AMERICAN APPAREL SKIRT: ASOS BOOTS: DOC MARTENS
BUSTIER: AMERICAN APPAREL BLOUSE: AMERICAN APPAREL FLOWER HOT PANTS: AMERICAN APPAREL SHOES: MIISTA
ARMOR: NIKITA KARIZMA DRESS: Z-MODE FLOWER HOT PANTS: AMERICAN APPAREL
ARMOR: NIKITA KARIZMA LACE JUMPSUIT: AMERICAN APPAREL
TIARA: TAMZIN LILLYWHITE BLACK DRESS: MARINA QUIRESHI
BUSTIER: AMERICAN APPAREL BLOUSE: AMERICAN APPAREL FLOWER HOT PANTS: AMERICAN APPAREL SHOES: MIISTA
DAYDREAMS AND NIGHT TERRORS
BRYCE EVANS
a life crossing oceans
jessica hay
my life will always be lived crossing oceans. i was born into a world where all those surrounding me were drawn to the sea. my grandparents owned beach huts residing on cliffs overlooking the ocean and my father grew up on an island spending his days on the sand and beneath the sun. he longed for this lifestyle for his children, for us to live amongst nature. i spent most of my childhood living at the beach hut. my grandparents have owned the hut for 45 years. it is a home to many memories, it is a home to all of us as a family. it has no electricity and resides right on the beach, filled with trinkets and natural collections from over the years. oil paintings by my great grandmother cover the walls aged by salt air, revealing how the hut looked decades before. the beds are draped with mosquito nets and filled with thick covers for the chilly nights. the front verandah pavers handmade by grandad hold the tiny hand and footprints of my mother and her sisters from when they were young. for years i was bathed as an infant on the kitchen table in a blue bucket overlooking the seas. we had formal dress up nights where we scoured second hand shops to find the most humorous ‘formal attires’ and cooked fancy roasts in the gas oven. we would fill our tummies with warmth on the front patio as we watched the sun set and the moon rise. we collected shells and turned them into wind chimes, bracelets and (changed to and from ,) necklaces using fishing line. we would then sell them at the local markets with my dad to save to buy sweets at the local corner store. we collected fire wood, built bonfires and roasted marshmallows. my sister would make the damper, she was better than all of us. we went on small trips to the fresh-water waterhole nearby. we would swim as the sun set. our skin grew goosebumps as the sun disappeared behind the trees. it is beautiful up there where the rainforest meet the bush. there is an abundance of dragonflies who dance through the air, occasionally landing on your bare skin. i remember i would always dance in the kitchen with my brother, or waltz with my lovely grandma, the floorboards would creak with our faint weight prancing upon it. everyone would chant goodnights to each other from their warm beds, laying beneath their nets as the generator was turned off by grandad with his torch. we would fall to sleep to the smell of a settling fire, the repellent on your skin to keep the mosquitos at bay and the faint smell of the salt off the waves crashing along the beach. it was here in this natural environment that i grew as an adventurer, a discoverer. i yearned to explore the world, to see it’s natural beauty. since i left school i have spent most of my days exploring the depths of the world. i left australia first when i was only 19. i have spent my days living on small almost deserted islands in britain, paragliding in switzerland, nannying in scotland, teaching english in france, travelling in a van, always moving. i am now living in crete, greece with my lover aaron, a writer. i am currently writing a short film in the hope to inspire young explorers to travel the world. i am content in living anywhere, finding new cultures and meeting new people. being amongst nature has become my lifestyle, documenting this has become my passion.
you can follow jessica’s journey at www.jesshayflugvel.com
FOLLOWING THE SUN Photographer: Evie Parazite Model: Edgar Koldaras Stylist: Anton Kedavicius
“Once there was a boy, who enjoyed company of the Sun. Others called him heretic and accused him of various calamities, that occasionally used to happen in the town.�
“The boy’s biggest dream was to run away from that devil town and feel the taste of freedom. On one summer evening he got a car and thought it’s a perfect day to escape from the reality. “
“The boy took nothing more than a pack of cigarettes, leather jacket and sunglasses.�
“The sun was high in the sky, wind was playing with his hair, there was only highway and the sun, and everything seemed to be perfect.�
“In that moment he suddenly felt that strange feeling he has never felt before - in that moment he finally realized what it feels like to have your dream come true.�
Sweet Nostalgia
Photographer - Aimee Stoddart Model - Jonathan Ford (Viviens) Stylist - Yazzi Williams
john mc gough musician
WHAT INFLUENCES YOU A AN ARTIST? Everyday life. WHEN DID YOU FIRST START MAKING MUSIC, AND WHAT PUSHED YOU TO PURSUE FURTHER? I started playing Sax nearly 20 years ago after I broke my neck, survived and wrote myselfa life list..it was number one on the list. The years late after a visit to Ibiza to play out Sax alongside some ‘A’ list Dj’s I did a sunset session at the legendary Cafe Del Mar. They approached me straight after and asked me to write for there worldwide compilation album’s. I went home bought a keyboard and and a small studio set up and had my first attempt signed to their label.I now have 12 tracks on their worldwide compilations.
WHO ARE YOUR FAVORITE ARTISTS RIGHT NOW? That’s a hard question for me to answer as I am influenced by so much music and just like certain songs rather than artists themselves and tend to change my listening to my life mood. WHAT ADVICE WOULD YOU GIVE AN UP AND COMING MUSICIAN? Practice , focus and enjoy playing music. It is a true gift to have it in your life and will always carry you through good and bad times. If your set on making it in the industry remember persistence beats resistance!
WHAT IS YOUR DREAM? To hear one of my songs on prime time radio. I have heard my Chillout material played out around the world at bars and in airports and that’s a real buzz. WHAT IS YOUR FAVORITE OF YOUR SONGS? Hold On was a gift... it came to me in seconds and just poured out of my head and fingers. Not my best song but has meaning to me.
IS THERE ANYTHING ELSE YOU’D LIKE TO ADD? I fell in love with music and it has been and still is like a marriage with it’s up’s and downs. I have have sacrificed many things classed as success and wealth in western society but I would not change a single second. It has allowed me to express myself , travel and meet some amazing people and have some amazing experiences. You never know what each day will bring. “Music washes away the dust of everyday life from around our feet”.
SUSANNA-COLE KING AN INTERVIEW
Q: FIRST OF ALL, WE WOULD LIKE TO THANK YOU FOR ALLOWING US TO INTERVIEW YOU. IT’S SUCH AN HONOUR! NOW, LET’S START FROM THE VERY BEGINNING. WHERE WERE YOU BORN? DO YOU BELIEVE THE PLACE YOU GREW UP IN INFLUENCED YOUR ART IN ANY WAY? a: in the deep south of the u.s., jackson, mississippi. i have no memory of it, as we moved soon after my first birthday, i believe. i lived in three other states growing up, and i guess they’ve all had their subtle, unspoken influences on me, such as living in a theological seminary, from ages six to ten, which was an unconventional atmosphere. but i don’t think anything in my childhood was more influential than the fact that i never attended school. Q: WHEN DID IT DAWN ON YOU THAT YOU WANTED TO WRITE, AND WHAT TOOK YOU IN THAT DIRECTION? a: i’m afraid i can’t remember. i don’t think it was anything of a dawning, really. my mother says i taught myself to read at age four or so, and i devoured books by the dozens as a child, thick novels by the age of five. i can never remember not being able to read whatever intrigued me. i suspect the transition from reading stories to writing them was a natural one. i began when i was twelve or so, writing fictitious novels and short stories, but vowed never to write again by the age of fourteen. i kept this vow quite faithfully for five years (and i do wonder sometimes, if i would be a better writer by now, if i hadn’t lost those years), and only began writing again, at almost eighteen, because i had started a blog about my summer in new york.
Q: DO YOU BELIEVE WRITERS ARE BORN OR MADE? WHAT ABOUT YOU? a: a little bit of both, i believe. if i had a formal education, i doubt if i would have ever become a writer. my spirit would have been stifled quite terribly, for one thing. it depends some on the style of writing, there are those that i consider an art, and others which are more technical and learned i think, than inherent and a way of thinking. i feel you can tell if someone is an artist by the way they think. Q: YOU ARE ALSO A TIRELESS EXPLORER! HOW OLD WERE YOU AND WHAT MADE YOU START TRAVELLING THE WORLD? a: i was nineteen when i first began travelling overseas, and well, i’ve told this story many times, but basically i was in a very dark place, some kind of hell masked as a job, verbally abused, stressed to sickness, et cetera, and i would always daydream of just up and walking away and taking a plane to anywhere. then, one day, i did. i’d had enough, so i quit, applied for a passport, purchased a oneway plane ticket, and told no one, because i couldn’t risk anyone talking me out of it. i only had a beginning destination, and wandered from there, going wherever i could afford the transportation and accommodation. Q: WEREN’T YOU AFRAID OF BEING SO FAR FROM HOME ON YOUR OWN? DID YOUR FAMILY APPROVE? a: no, no, never. i’ve always felt very alienated at home. if it’s something i dream of and that makes me feel alive, i can near promise you my family won’t be in agreement. they were horrified, for the record. i don’t think they’ve ever understood what makes me tick. if i’m not making money, then they’re not happy with me. i do go broke every time i travel; i once ran out of money in africa. Q: YOU’VE BEEN ALL OVER ASIA LATELY—WHAT WAS THE MOST IMPORTANT THING YOU LEARNT THERE? a: there is no such thing as a capacity limit for any vehicle. no, i’m kidding, although that’s true too. i’d say, human beings are capable of much more than we can ever imagine.
Q: IF YOU COULD GO BACK TO ANY OF THE PLACES YOU’VE ALREADY BEEN TO, WHERE WOULD YOU GO TO AND WHY? a: i don’t know that i would. perhaps, if i didn’t have to pay for the trip, then well, sure, i would, but not on my own money. the places i’ve visited have mostly been wonderful, but i’m always moving forward. i want a taste of every country in the world, and there’s still so much i’ve yet to see and experience. Q: YOU’VE ALSO DEVELOPED A PASSION FOR FILM PHOTOGRAPHY. WHERE DID THAT COME FROM? a: i noticed that the photographers i admired most all shot film, and i felt very apathetic towards taking pictures with digitals camera, so i gave film a go, and with that, i experienced the — excuse the cliché — magic moment. i was intrigued and excited by film, and yes, i am passionate about it. not good at it, but passionate still. Q: WHAT OR WHO INSPIRES YOU TODAY? a: what doesn’t, may be a better question. atmosphere, minuscule details and quietly observing people, film, landscapes, firsthand experiences. almost anyone or anything can offer inspiration, i think, it just depends on how you look at the world. Q: WHERE DO YOU THINK THE WIND WILL TAKE YOU NEXT? WHAT DO YOU HOPE TO FIND THERE? a: well, if god is in the wind, then i’ll accept the hypothesis of the wind taking me anywhere, but i imagine you meant that as a figure of speech anyway. still, the image suggests being taken around helplessly, instead of taking myself around with intention, which i tend to do. i don’t know where i will be next, but i’m definitely interested in seeking a sustainable lifestyle with the least amount of dependency of money as possible, and still room to travel.
STEPPING INTO THE REALM OF THE SUN PHOTOGRAPHED BY BARBARA LOISCH
Maya Kulenovic ARTIST
ATLAS: What drove you to start painting and why? Was art always part of your life, or was it something you discovered much later in life? MAYA: I started drawing and painting before I can remember. My mother later revealed to me that she had hoped I would be an artist even before I was born; so when I declared to my family that I was going to be an artist, it was received as a matter of course, and neither me nor them have ever questioned it. So, I had been lucky that I had this identity of an ‘artist’ established so early on, and I never had to struggle with decisions about my future. I have been interested in many other fields, especially science and music, but never with any intention of pursuing them professionally. ATLAS: Was anyone in your family an artist? MAYA: No. Both of my parents, as well as almost everyone else in my family are in science. My father had some drawing talent when he was young and an eye of an architect... logical, precise, correct. He was interested in analyzing direction, perspective, composition, anatomy, weight, relation of objects to each other and to empty space. My mother’s approach to art is more intuitive. She has an innate ability to allow herself to be absorbed and awed by beauty as well as emotional meaning behind it without the need to judge it rationally for its subject. She told me that, when she was a child she knew a boy who would not go out and play with the other children but he would sit on his windowsill and draw for hours on end. She thought it must be a great fortune to love an activity so much that it absorbs you so completely, that time, place and people cannot touch you when you are in that world which belongs to you alone. So she wished for her child to have that. I have learned a great deal from both of my parents.
ATLAS: Your paintings seem to speak for themselves, with dark, soft voices. But what aspect of your life do you believe they reflect? MAYA: I never try to connect my personal life with my paintings. I believe that the connection between personality and life of the artist with his work is inevitable, and that it should be left as a subliminal process. My paintings are inspired by what I see, and if something inspires me, this is usually because it contains a larger, universal truth as well as a connection to my own life. So all of my images bear scars of my own experiences as a participant, but also as an observer of both history and the present, who is trying to make sense of it all on rational, emotional and philosophical levels. Every one of my paintings contains different aspects of everything that I know and have experienced, expressed either as a presence in the image, or as an absence. Ultimately, whatever their particular subject may be, my paintings are existential in nature and they usually show the critical points: borderline states between being and non- being, creation and destruction, life and death, trance and wakefulness, sanity and madness.
ATLAS: Do you paint every day, or only when you are feeling inspired? MAYA: I work in the studio every day, but I do not paint every day. There are many other aspects to the work, such as researching ideas and reference material, taking photographs, sketching, doing many variations on a theme until I come up with the right one. Then there are also the other aspects of work such as making stretchers, stretching and treating canvasses, documenting the paintings and then preparing them for shipping to galleries. I used to hire a studio assistant from time to time, but I actually enjoy this kind of work and I am very particular about how I do it, so I usually do it myself. When it comes to inspiration, I usually have plenty of it... however, I usually don’t paint at the times when I have to focus on the business side of my profession. The concerns of business are those of time, space, money; they are precise and often they involve short and long term plans. On the other hand, the concerns of painting are timeless, as it aims at giving a visual form to something ethereal, unnameable, that has roots in our common history as well as in the private one. This is a form of meditation, a very private act that to me doesn’t have anything to do with the administrative, public and detached nature of business.
ATLAS: And last but not least: What would you say to an aspiring artist? MAYA: Educate yourself intellectually, emotionally and intuitively. Try to understand the world on every one of those levels - develop critical thinking, emotional intelligence and feeling. Do not underestimate either one, but when you make art, aim at creating something that will be felt first, then perhaps understood intellectually, not the other way around. The art that lasts is the kind of art that affects the viewer directly and immediately, and not the ones that you have to read about first to understand them. This is the kind of art that transcends its time, person of the artist, its style, its medium and becomes a life in itself. Please do not get distracted by fashions, styles and particular art scenes, all that will pass.
PASTEL LACE PHOTOGRAPHED BY JAMIE DE LEEUW MODEL: DANIQUE VAN HAL MAKE UP : CHANEL HINTERHOLZER HAIR: JAIMY BONTENBAL STYLIST: LOU CRANEN
PHOTOGRAPHED BY VALENTINA VERDESCA
escaping the gray Woven cloth typically breathes, but not cubicle cloth. She sits. She waits. The gray woven walls surround her, close in on her. They don’t breathe – or allow for it – they suffocate. It gets cold as she takes her last breath. Standing on a street corner she used to know, she looks up and inhales. The cold air bites her bones, as harsh, white, winter light strikes her face. She feels alive. She stood here long ago. Now, without a coat, she walks through a memory of her former life. Something accomplished; something lost. She watches as her 22-year-old self runs past the corner and barely misses the number 10 bus. “Cold. Wet. Miserable,” the ghost says. The shadow from the past bounces up and down to beat the icy air. So driven toward her path that the cold can’t kill her spirit, she manages to hail the number 87 bus, climb in, and disappear. “She’s living the dream ... I was living the dream,” she says. Surrounded by co-workers and an EMT, she wakes. “You look like you’ve seen a ghost,” her office admin says. “I have,” she looks up. “You need to go to the hospital,” says another colleague. A glimmer of warmth sparks through her pale-face, igniting a hint of rose from beneath the surface and stirring half of a smile. She stands up, barely breathing, but remembers how her lungs felt filled with fresh cold air. Setting her eyes on the exit, she says, “I need to go back to living my life.”
LISA ZIMMERMANN
PHOTOGRAPH BY MARIA MARTELLI
Eden Grey
Musical Talent
When did you first start making music, and what pushed you to pursue further?
I took classical piano lessons from age 9 to 16 and had six different teachers in three states. I started writing music on the piano when I was 13 years old, mostly dark love songs. When I was around 18 years, I discovered the depth perception of electronic music, and shortly after, I got a keyboard controller so I could play different synthesizer VSTi sounds through the computer. I began using FL Studio 7 to produce drumbeats to play over and sequence my melodies. Then, I learned how to use Ableton Live thoroughly while I was living in England in 2008, and have been using it as my digital audio workstation ever since. I released my first solo album, E = Orange in 2009 with FEMrecords and have released several other projects over the past few years with the independent UK based experimental music label and artist collective, Corpora Aliena. I would always get such a great response from friends and people I met at shows and parties, whenever I had the chance to perform and share my music with others. The experience of sharing my music pushed me to keep creating. I get such an enlightening feeling during the creative process. The music seems to be just channeling through me to embody some kind of other-worldy audible entity. I decided to dedicate my existence to music. Now I am nearly finished earning my Masters’ degree in music technology to fully accelerate my potential as a composer.
PHOTOGRAPH BY MARIA MARTELLI
What influences you as an artist?
A great many forces! I am influenced by nature, ancient and Eastern philosophy, outer space, DADA, poetry, visual art and world culture. . . but love is by far the greatest inspiration of all! The music I am enveloped in is influential as well; living my life as a spiritual being and artist is the source of my creation. I love making all sorts of art, from painting to sculpture to performance; the experience and interaction of my visual art inspires my music. It is a magical process.
Who are your favorite artists right now?
Aphex Twin and Autechre are my favorite artists for life. I also love Monolake and Alva Noto. I saw Amon Tobin’s live performance of ISAM this year and it was absolutely mind blowing.
What is your favorite of your songs?
I think In Out is my favorite song of mine. It will be on my new album, Dichotomy, released via Corpora Aliena.
What advice would you give an up and coming musician?
Keep making the sounds you love, and make them however you want them to sound. Remain dedicated and focused, and spend as much time as you can working on your music to see its evolution occur.
What is your dream?
My dream is to have my own record label and music studio in Berlin, pressing and distributing vinyl records of new music by myself and other artists from around the world.
Is there anything else you’d like to add?
My advice on listening to a piece of music that you like for the full experience: Listen close: there are a lot of subtleties to catch in the music. Listen twice; sometimes it makes more sense the second time you hear it. Turn it up! Music can really move you at the right volume.
JORDAN DE RUITER FASHION DESIGNER Where do you come from? Do you think where you grew up and where you live have influenced your design style? I’m a country girl, I come from a small town in Ontario called Creemore. It definitely had an impact on my design style.
When did you get started making clothing? How did it happen? I first started sewing when I got my first sewing machine at 5 years old, but started playing around with making clothing starting in grade 8. Growing up in a small town made it hard to get clothing that was different from what everyone else was wearing, I was never into wearing clothing with logos plastered all over it. One thing led to another and I got to where I am today!
What inspires you to design? I just want to create clothing that makes people smile! A dress in a fun print, a tulle skirt that makes you feel like dancing.. I strive to create clothing that makes people feel pretty and happy.
Who are your favorite designers? I love Betsey Johnson, the girls at Wildfox...anyone who isn’t afraid of a little whimsy or color!
What advice do you have for aspiring fashion designers? Surround yourself with the people who support you, if there’s only one thing you can see yourself turning into a career do everything you can to make that happen. Nothing in life happens purely because of luck so it takes a LOT of hard work and determination to get to a point where your hobby becomes a career. Prepare for lots of stress, anxiety, hard work and, yes, sometimes tears but I promise it is all worth it to be able to do what you love.
What is your biggest accomplishment? I can’t really pinpoint one thing that would be my biggest accomplishment, in general where I am at with my line feels very unreal to me and I can hardly believe it!
What is your dream? I just want to be able to love what I do for the rest of my life! Whether it’s continuing to do this or if it’s something entirely different I just hope that whatever I do is something I love.
Tell us about your clothing line. I would describe my line as very whimsical and girly, but still wearable. I love the concept of “playing dress up every day” and I try to reflect that in my line. I love short dresses, rompers, full skirts..anything girly! I use a lot of print and color in my line and I think that makes it very happy and fun.
EDAS JEWELLERY DESIGNER
Where are you from in the world? Have you visited africa? How much does the culture influence your work? I am from South New Jersey and born in philadelphia. I have not visited africa yet! I want to one day travel the world, explore! African culture does Keep me influenced when designing. When did you start making jewelry? Do you create other things as well? I started making jewelry for myself years ago, painting on things or re-designing things. But I just started selling for customers a few months ago, June, to be precise. What inspires you? Every day life inspires me, pictures I often bump into inspire me, I have noticed that many of my designs come ironically from images of furniture design. I always liked to look at things like that. I also gain inspiration from my personal things. In your words, describe your work? I would describe my work as imperfectly perfect (elle verner album tittle) I make things that don’t always have the perfect look; I’m all over the place sometimes (in a good way) and my work reflects that. I also re-use 90% of the material I work with. Old band t-shirts, even old jewelry I owned or that was donated to me. Im happy with that.
Are you a big planner/dreamer before you create jewelry or are you more spontaneous? I am more spontaneous! I would sit with all of my supplies in front of me and just think of things to put together, I also sketch things from time to time. Trying to get some better visuals of what I can create next. I love the shit out of making jewelry. What is your favorite part about owning your business? At the moment, I don’t have a favorite part of being my own business. I’m still young and independent; being a student who works and still finds time to design is challenging. But I make it work, My favorite part is making the items, it’s therapeutic. Do you work in small or large teams when creating? I work alone! I need an assistant or intern! sometimes my good friend works along with me; for the most part, I’m a solo working woman! How old are you? I am 20! You are young, and quite successful! What advice do you have for aspiring jewelry designers? Simply do what makes you happy, and never stop dreaming! Be so passionate that you eat sleep and live what you do.
What are your future plans with Edas? I am a fashion major; so I want to continue learning from people who have been before me. I aspire to one day have my own store and brand that sells other freelance designers’ pieces. With a hip hop/ rap scene. Fashion is so influenced by music and vise versa. I see big things in the future, gods willing! What does Edas mean? Edas is simply SADE ( my first name) spelled backwords. I always wanted to use that as my brand name! Since youth.
Have you worked with other designers like yourself? I used to work with a designer in Brooklyn; I loved working with her! She was just like me, in so many ways. Humble! That’s what I loved most, she never lost sight of where she was and how she got there. DLC was the brand and Susan was the head designer. She’s such a great spirit! Describe a typical day in your life as an artist? I am forever evolving as an artist. I work daily and I learn along the process. I educated myself on the craft. I enjoy the simple moments with my family as well. I’m in love. So my day to day life is pretty sweet for now. My loved ones keep me grounded, they see my talent and that’s all I ever wanted or needed- for someone to see my passion. If I can continue presenting that, then I will be happy forever. No matter what happens.
Where can people buy your jewelry? You can find my pieces on the site: edas.bigcartel.com also follow me on Instagram: Sha_sham; or email: edasjewels@ yahoo.com
ETHEREAL SUMMER Photographer: Rae Marshall MUA/Hair: Faizah Jones Models: Kyle Wukasch & Meg Saunders @ COLORS