Special Edition Issue

vhcle

0122009:magazine

december 2009 special edition issue

design fashion film music art photography global notes life

vhcle

founder / editor in chief 0122009:magazine

charlie lee charlie@vhcle.com

founder / vhcle HQ / launch michael hargis

Welcome to the Special Edition of Vhcle Magazine.

Throughout these pages, you will find showcased an eclectic mix of talented writers, photographers, designers, and artists all previously viewed on vhcle.com, but now hand-picked and gathered in an attractively designed downloadable issue. Just a mere step of things to come.

michael@vhcle.com

editor cassie lee cassie@vhcle.com

fashion editor jen wade jen@vhcle.com

Thanks for reading, and be on the lookout for Issue One featuring all new content coming January 2010. We are in great anticipation for this one!

Have a terrific holiday season!

editorial stylist / fashion coordinator

Charlie Lee Editor in Chief

eric garbe

ashley b. holmes ashley@vhcle.com

contributing writers ashley b. holmes marc ingber susan purdy adam saake tim sunderman jamie thunder jen wade contributing photographers/photos modcloth p16 autumn de wilde p30 ashley b. holmes pp35–36, 39 designers charlie lee, alena hand questions or comments: contact@vhcle.com online: www.vhcle.com cover: alyson fox (ghost series) vhcle magazine is published by vhcle. all content copyright 2009 vhcle magazine. all rights reserved. without limiting the rights under copyright reserved above, no part of this publication may be reproduced, stored in or introduced into a retrieval system, or transmitted, in any form or by any means (electronic, mechanical, photocopying, recording, or otherwise), without the prior written permission from both the copyright owner and the above publisher of this magazine. vhcle is not responsible for the return or loss of, or for any damage or injury to, any unsolicited manuscripts or artwork.

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editoral & editor’s note

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david spagnolo . photographs adam saake

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alex ham photography

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postmodernism in the world tim sunderman

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modcloth jen wade

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obesity (UK) jamie thunder

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the f ilms of wes anderson marc ingber

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mute memories and frustrated f ireworks: why elliott smith is my hero forever eric garbe

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mi (the mi concept interview) ashley b. holmes

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i’d rather be f ishing, camping, working susan purdy

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alyson fox

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julia galdo

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mikael colville-andersen

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laetitia hussain

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aaron kraten

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acamonchi art

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contributing writers bios

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David Spagnolo . Photographs

by Adam Saake

“Art saves lives,” he said to me. “I really believe that.”

David Spagnolo sits across from me at a small wooden table we are sharing at Bonn Lair, a Britishstyle pub that is tucked neatly into a row of shops and restaurants on Sacramento’s busy J Street. His head is usually bicked clean but today it’s grown out a bit, which is helping him fit in a little better with the scruffy regulars that are huddled up at the bar.

A pair of smoke colored Giorgio Armani frames hug his face. They compliment his gray shirt and black jacket. He’s an introverted artist type; the kind that doesn’t like to talk about himself and so he’s cautious of the interview that we’ve met for.

“I feel really strange about my voice being recorded,” he says to me with a grin. “You’ll erase it when you’re done with the article, right?”

He’s quiet, but David is at no loss for words when he’s describing his work and the process. His knowledge of art history is laced all throughout our conversation. What’s important to understand about the creation of great artwork is that those who hope to achieve it study those who already have. David Spagnolo understands this. He speaks fluently about the influence that such painters as Giorgio Morandi, Willem de Kooning and Antonio Lopez Garcia have had on his work. In his quaint East Sacramento house where he lives with his wife, Lisa, and his seven-year-old son, Michael, there is a wall in the living room where makeshift bookshelves filled with art books are stacked one on top of the other all the way to the ceiling.

David started to draw correlations between art and pop culture early on, before he had really picked up a camera. Another of his favorite artists, Edward Hopper, had a large influence on not only other painters, but also photographers and cinematographers, and traces of this influence kept popping up in movies that David was watching. One particular cinematographer, Gordon Willis, who worked on the iconic Godfather films was really catching David’s eye.

“That guy drew from Edward Hopper blatantly. He would make his compositions match Edward Hopper’s in real subtle ways,” says Spagnolo.

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david spagnolo . photographs

He first noticed the Hopper-like scenes in the early Woody Allen films, but it was the movie Pennies from Heaven starring Steve Martin that David noticed it the most.

“He just went completely overboard,” recounts Spagnolo. “I mean, it was the director too who he probably collaborated with, but there’s a famous painting called Nighthawks and they staged a recreation of that composition and put it in that movie. I was really young and it just blew my mind.

I was pausing these movies and taking Polaroids of the still frames off the television that matched the Hopper images. That was the first thing, as far as influence, that really got me going.”

Study and practice have become routine for David who is now in his early 40s. His work gets stronger and more focused with each new project that he finishes. Elevations is his newest series and is a culmination of everything learned from past work completed. It’s visually powerful and is a departure from the tranquility of past work like Floodlit or Sound. Instead of quiet corners or peaceful sections of water embankments, we are thrilled by massive trees exploding like fireworks in and out of the compositions; a light show.

David described his work best in a past show titled Shadow Belongs to Light. The definition of each photograph relies heavily on where the light source is provided and how the shadows are then cast. The trees take on new lives that are not defined by nature’s structures but rather by the lines and constructs of architecture. Branches become structural entities, splitting the composition in all directions to allow the spaces in-between to be defined. This series, shot during the late fall and winters of 2006–2009, is calculated.

“Those trees are stripped bare,” says Spagnolo on the time frame of shooting for Elevations. “Then early February they start budding a bit and I don’t want any of that in these pictures. It’s the architecture of the trees that I’m really interested in. And

so, having just a couple leaves, you draw associations from tiny elements like that.”

And associations can be made, such as the tiny satellites that probe the bottom of one photo, sparking, yet not incinerating the often discussed subject of modern man impeding on the natural world. The trees in David’s photographs rival, if not, dwarf the modern structures, though. The roles are reversed and trees become skyscrapers; houses become ornamentals. David’s work highlights the unseen more than anything. He’s conscious of the unconscious and helps us to be so too. The sleepy bottom corner of buildings that are traveled everyday by pedestrians and automobiles are brought front and center in a collected fashion. It’s the grouping that’s important; it’s what tells us to stop what we are doing and look. And furthermore – think.

The subject matter is thought-provoking, but it’s not just the image itself that carries Spagnolo’s work; it’s the processual execution. Every detail of his work is thought out, researched and examined. The amount of patience that’s invested into each facet of his work is exhausting to think about.

Printing and selection aside, David’s 8x10 camera, a large 1950’s Burke and James model, is enough to deal with on its own. It’s hardly point and shoot.

The heavy camera and tri-pod is a challenge to lug around and once the spot is chosen where David will shoot, the work has only just begun.

“Like for the Elevations series, I’d stand in front of the tree and stare at it for a long time and move my body around it, pre-visualizing the camera setup and composition,” David recites. “One inch backwards or forward can make a huge difference.

Then I mark it and go get the camera which is another five minutes of set-up. I continue staring, making sure it’s all in there. Then what takes the longest is focus, especially if I’m shooting at night.

Then exposure is anywhere between 5 and 20 minutes.”

He spends time with his photos. He “lives” with

them, often times just staring at the photos that he puts on his walls, over and over. The sixteen to twenty photographs that makes up a series starts out as hundreds of negatives that David sorts out, searching them until he finds what is that he’s looking for. He calls this distilling.

“I’ll spend months and months staring at proof prints and trimming little bits off the edge, if there’s a little part of a tree that needed to be a little bit thinner – to achieve a certain balance in each of the pieces.

The negative is 8x10 and so they’re contact printed.

As I crop the proofs, I’ll keep my shavings too and if I don’t like my crop, I’ll go back and I’ll tape the piece back on so that I can look at it again. This paper that I’m using is super expensive, it’s rare, it’s hard to get, and they stopped making it this past year. If I make a crop, I don’t go back and print a new one. I

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We are thrilled by massive trees exploding like fireworks in and out of the compositions; a light show.

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save the strip and tape it back on and stare at it some more.

Once the cropped proof is exactly as I want it, I will then actually crop the negative and start final printing an edition.”

David received his Bachelor of Arts in ‘90 and then his Masters in Fine Art in ’94 – both from California State University Sacramento. The following year was spent preparing for his first solo show that opened in ’95 at the J Maddux-Parker Gallery that was located on 23rd and K St. in midtown Sacramento. The show consisted of images from a couple different series that David had started while he was in graduate school and then cleaned them up a bit to display. “It was a huge deal,” says Spagnolo.

After the show, David and his wife, Lisa, packed up and moved to Seattle where Lisa was to attend graduate school for English. The move wasn’t just for her though – David needed a change of scenery. Under the instruction of professors like Roger Vail and Oliver Jackson who galvanized Sacramento State’s art department during the 90s, David was encouraged to get out. Quick. While they lived in Seattle, David shot some of his best work for Sound, Floodlit and Stations, taking advantage of the distinct scenery that makes up the Pacific Northwest. A show at the now defunct Foto Circle in Seattle was his second, and the space itself was beautiful and unique and would help shape David’s view of where and how his work would be shown in the future.

Then, in 2002, David and Lisa’s son Michael was born and two years later they moved back to Sacramento where they live currently. Since he’s been back, three more series have been produced that reflect the world around him.

These aren’t pictures of Puget Sound anymore, but rather busy urban landscapes made serene.

“These are the things that are around me. This is the stuff that is probably overlooked by most people, and for

me it’s paying attention to these miracles you can cross everyday,” he says about his images.

A month prior to this article’s conception, it was the first day of spring, I had been invited over to the Spagnolos for dinner to talk art and drink wine, but more importantly to see some of David’s photographs. As we shared a Nat Sherman, a rare treat for David (‘I never do this anymore,’ he told me once.), He thanked me for coming and for being genuinely in love with his photographs. He also told me something that I will carry with me for the rest of my life. “Art saves lives,” he said to me. “I really believe that.” With David’s photographs in the world, I believe that too.

davidspagnolo-photographs.com 9

Alex Ham Born left-handed under a November moon in ‘71.

As a little boy, spent many hours drawing robots.

Took the more productive route and later majored in graphics. Took photography as an elective course and immediately changed majors. Now shoots for clients such as D Magazine, Neiman Marcus and Discerning Brides.

alex ham photography

www.alexhamphotography.com 11

P O S T M O DE R NI SM I N THE W OR L D

by Tim Sunderman

It is almost a lament of the death of originality.

It is always difficult to see the prevailing style of the present moment without the perspective of historical distance.

However, even without that perspective, it is still broadly acknowledged that we remain firmly in the socialartistic movement called postmodernism. In overly general terms, the postmodern style is directed by a couple of

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aging, wearying, decay of the real world, or the over-industrialization effects exaggerated in the generation of the artwork itself.

Clearly, postmodernism is conceptually more complex than that brief synopsis. But the most common examples of postmodern expression in the world at large are the re-use and rehashing of previous work.

So type becomes an environmental element, almost like the leaves on the trees in a forest. We do not see each leaf individually, yet their collective effect does much to create the atmosphere of the forest.

And so it is with type.

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broad concepts.

Firstly, everything that can be created has already been created and the best that we can hope to do is to recombine those elements in new ways, oftentimes in a humorous manner that both pokes fun at the original art, and at the same time, is self-effacing. Secondly, there is a general embrace of an æsthetic that accentuates the

In the movie industry it seems almost more common to see sequels and the remakes of sequels than the release of new titles. Is it really necessary to make Halloween 2 (2009) — the remake of Halloween 1, as opposed to Halloween II (1981) — the sequel to Halloween 1?

In the music business, the sampling of older songs, the remakes of songs, and

the countless remix variations of the same song all are a direct expression of postmodernism. Of course, it is not likely that the latest hip hop stars are sitting down in the studio discussing how they are going to borrow from the past to make a new sweeping postmodernist statement. The process is not that contrived.

Artistic expression has always been a product

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postmodernism in the world

of the modality of the time and the viewpoints of the culture that created the artist that creates the art. We reflect our surroundings. So, the recording artist that samples others’ music may be completely unaware of the postmodern implications of that style, but may simply be conforming to the expected sounds that define the genré.

Print design, however, does seem to be quite a bit more conscious of the postmodern movement since most designers have attended art school and have invariably been involved in discussions regarding modern design theory. Old classical typefaces have been “frankensteined” together with modern fonts in glaringly disharmonious ways to specifically direct attention to the irony of

the new context. There are other uses of type that allow letters and words to be cut off by the edge of the page in an acknowledgement of the over-propagation of text. Some have even argued that text is not meant to be read.

At first, this sounds absurd, but in an urban environment, it is estimated that we see approximately fifteen thousand printed pieces each day, certainly more than we can ever stop to read. So type becomes an environmental element, almost like the leaves on the trees in a forest. We do not see each leaf individually, yet their collective effect does much to create the atmosphere of the forest.

And so it is with type.

As it is cut off by the edge of our vision in the world around us, so it is on the page.

Additionally, the exaggerations of the peculiarities of our modern technology — overlaying the scratches and pops of an old record onto digital music, running grainy filters on video to emulate old film, or enlarging the pixelization of an image — all becomes a reflection of and a comment on our social media. Our adaptability develops a taste for these details of overindustrialization.

Yet there is also an underlying sense of cynicism or jadedness that seems to accompany the postmodern view. Sarcasm and irony are part and parcel of the movement. Most people would consider a statement like “all that can be created has already been created...” as being cynical.

After all, no boundaries to creativity have ever been discovered. There are only seven colors

in the rainbow, no one is inventing any new ones, and yet infinite paintings arise from new combinations of colors. There are only twelve notes in the musical scale, yet new songs and stylizations of sounds flow without end. However, the postmodern framework contends that all of this new work is derivative and that originality has been precluded by all

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remake of Starsky and Hutch, replete with leisure suits, mustaches, and gold chains, is at once a celebration of the quirkiness of the 70s and a good-natured ridicule of it at the same time. At the other end of the postmodern spectrum are the remakes of older works that are an homage to their greatness, cast in the new light of the third millennium. Rewriting

feeding the bone meal of cattle to cattle until mad cow disease sets in. It is an inbreeding of culture that mirrors the genetic defects that arise from incestuous populations. It can be seen as an empire that is consuming itself.

Certainly all of nature derives itself from its preceding generations, but once certain populations reach a particular threshold in

Artistic expression has always been a product of the modality of the time and the viewpoints of the culture that created the artist that creates the art.

that has gone before.

It is almost a lament of the death of originality.

By the late twentieth century, the cynicism of this lament had evolved into an embrace of the death of originality. A painter friend of mine joked that originality is passĂŠ to which I responded that originality had all been done before. To some extent this is an affirmation that derivative works are OK. The guilty pleasure of the movie

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Shakespeare to modern situations, or performing the works of Bach on electronic instruments are not done as a pastiche, and yet are also not devoid of irony.

There have been many brilliant works that are profoundly postmodern. But there is an inherent limitation built into the theory that runs the risk of being overtly self-conscious.

Feeding on the products of media to create more media is quite like

their evolution, they make a gestalt transformation of expression.

Mushroom spores blow on the wind like little diatoms in the ocean.

When they lodge under a dark wet log, they transform into cottony fibers until all the space under the log is filled.

At this point they have nowhere else to grow and must face the light.

They again make a complete transformation of expression by the familiar mushroom shape

we see in the woods.

We will be no different.

And though timetables for change are so unpredictable, evolution is inevitable. Nothing changes (postmodern indeed).

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ModCloth

by Jen Wade

Susan Gregg-Koger, founder of ModCloth, looks adorable in spring items available from her online store.

modcloth.com

Every summer my family would take the four hour drive down to Lawton, Oklahoma for a week vacation.

My brothers and I would often hide away in a peripheral room and entertain ourselves – throwing pennies at the fan, pretending the floor was boiling hot lava or investigating a closet like a C.S. Lewis after-school special. During the trip, I would take some time to admire the mint condition turquoise 1950s handbag at the top of grandma’s closet.

Unable to reach the purse for some time, I soon developed enough motor skills, intelligence and deviance to obtain the object of my affection.

I would open the silver clasp and peer inside at the gold silk lining and then place the purse back on the shelf, exactly as I found it. Maybe for you it was the red-white-and-blue plaid blazer gathering dust in grandpa’s garage or the metallic disco heels your mom kept up in an old box – something you admired growing up, something old and forgotten that you longed for and imagined was beyond reach. For Susan Gregg-Koger, it was a leopard coat from the 1960s, part of grandma’s collection that she would play dress up with for hours in the basement.

Susan’s continued passion for vintage clothing eventually produced the successful online boutique ModCloth, albeit through humble beginnings. Her boyfriend (now husband) Eric Koger helped her create a basic web site in 2002 to sell the one-of-akind vintage items she accumulated from Southern Florida thrift stores. In the fall of 2002, both Susan and Eric moved to Pittsburg to attend Carnegie Mellon University. While attending college, the

pair managed to shop and run the web site, adding “vintage-inspired” clothing from independent designers and wholesalers in 2005. In 2006, Susan and Eric traveled to Las Vegas for their first trade show, MAGIC. They learned as they went asking vendors lots of questions along the way – how much, how often and where to buy. After graduating in May 2006, the couple married and pursued complementary paths. Eric continued on to earn a Masters in Business Administration while Susan took a leap of faith into pursuing ModCloth full time. It was not long before the business began to exceed their wildest expectations, growing by approximately 600% in 2007 and then again in 2008.

According to the March/April 2009 Benjamin Franklin Technology Partners e-newsletter “December [2008] was the company’s most successful month ever, with more than a million people shopping on the site.” ModCloth’s success is the outcome of the same formula used by the couple when they were just high school sweethearts with a time consuming hobby – the pairing of Eric’s Internet savvy and Susan’s mod style.

ModCloth’s innovative Internet marketing, spearheaded by Eric, continues to play a major role in the company’s growth. He understands the Internet is an increasingly important conduit for the web site’s target demographic – young fashionable women who value unique and retro style. Social networking sites like Facebook have played a role in both advertising and customer interaction. ModLife, the web site’s blog, increasingly provides an opportunity for connecting, as followers can submit photos of their style or enter various contests. The company has been working on redesigning the web site for the past eight months and expects to release the upgraded site within the next month. Following the interactive trend, additions in the near future may include increased input from shoppers on what clothes should be sold on the web site.

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Susan’s own fascination with edgy vintage or retro items is what shoppers identify with, and she has a knack for picking styles that are timeless rather than tacky.

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Mod clothes abound, but don’t pin us down. We have indie and vintage inspired, retro & one of a kind vintage!

MOD CLOTH

DOT

COM

The role of Susan’s personal style however should not be down played in this success story.

Susan’s own fascination with edgy vintage or retro items is what shoppers identify with, and she has a knack for picking styles that are timeless rather than tacky. Her fashion icons include her grandmother, who helped her develop her healthy obsession with thrifting, and Gwen Stefani. She has admired Gwen since she was 12 years old for “making a statement that’s true to her style.” Susan describes her personal style as slightly over the top, with a love for clothing from the 1980s and anything with a high waist. It is obvious from the company’s success that many women identify with Susan’s style. Her handpicked vintage items, sold in the One-of-a-Kind section of the web site, often sell within a few minutes of being posted.

The web site itself is the summation of both Susan and Eric’s continued efforts, along with that of their devoted staff. Most of the staff itself represents their target demographic and many contribute to the ModLife blog. Of course Winston, the pug mascot, and several other dogs roaming the company warehouse boost company morale. Susan’s approach to business is laid back yet honest. She understands a successful business is run by the kind of people you want to know – a guy you could play video games with or a girl you could see as a shopping partner. It is obvious from the company’s success that Susan, Eric and the rest of the ModCloth staff are those kind of people.

Q&A

with Susan Gregg-Koger (ModCloth)

What styles are you excited about for Spring/Summer 2009?

I’m really excited about the re-emergence of the romper & jumper for S/S 09. We have a few cute ones in already and more on the way! They’re so easy and so much fun to wear.

What is your favorite staple piece right now?

I’m totally into our Coffee and Cigarette Ankle Jeans – in fact, I’m wearing them right now! They look good with everything and have the perfect fit. I love wearing them with heels and wedges.

Favorite decade (or year) for fashion and why?

I fall in love with different periods in fashion all the time, my inspiration boards are always growing and changing. The late ‘50s have always had a very special place in my heart though, I’ve inherited some of my grandma’s pieces from that time and they really mean a lot to me. I love all the ladylike dresses, coats, and hats. Why don’t we wear hats anymore?

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O Obesity (UK) by Jamie Thunder

Obesity (UK) America might be the obesity capital of the world, but here in the UK we’re doing our damndest to outflab you. We’re incessantly told that obesity is a time-bomb for our generation. It’s the biggest crisis facing the National Health Service (NHS). It’s as dangerous as smoking. Everyone – politicians, social commentators, health professionals – seems to agree that we have to do something about it or face dire, wobbly consequences. And a lot of accurate ‘your mum’ jokes.

There is, of course, some truth in amongst the hyperbolic burbling; if you can’t see your toes, it’s probably not good, and if your daily bread is accompanied with seven rashers of bacon and an egg or three, then you’re going to live to regret it.

Or not, as the case may be. And with anywhere between two thirds and three quarters of adults in the UK classed as obese depending on whose supersized statistics you swallow, something certainly needs to be done.

But what? The current tactic seems to be to focus on the negative effects of being extremely overweight: increased risk of type 2 diabetes, increased risk of heart disease, increased risk of arthritis etc. Not only this, but near-constant cookery and food programmes, as well as just about every magazine ever, tell us what not to eat if we don’t want to be fat and lonely.

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Until recently, I’d thought that the only impact the relentless anti-obesity drive had on self-esteem was on the people it was directed at: the vast numbers of vast people. But then I was sent a link to a petition on the government web site by a friend.

The petition was to ask the government to balance the information they gave about obesity with information about other eating disorders, such as anorexia and bulimia, something which many believe could help prevent or limit the damage done by such disorders. Susan Ringwood, chief executive of beat, the leading eating disorders charity in the UK (who were not involved with the petition), told me: “There is anecdotal evidence that some public health messages can make people who may have a difficult relationship with eating or exercise worse. Government agencies have got to treat this area sensitively.”

The common conception about such eating disorders is that they’re provoked by low self-esteem and poor body image, which is usually squarely blamed on the media and fashion industry. Rows about size zero models and unrealistic advertising regularly engulf the nation’s opinion pages, with the consensus being that if only they’d include some slightly less skinny people then these problems would go away.

That’s simplistic cause-and-effect reasoning, but there’s almost certainly at least a little truth behind it. The problem is that this is now the accepted ‘cause’ of anorexia and bulimia for many people, so any other possible factors that could have an effect are largely ignored. This is particularly dangerous for young people in the UK, who are most vulnerable. I asked Rachel, a British student who has anorexia, about the effect the anti-obesity culture has had on her condition.

“Encouraging weight loss is the main problem for me,” she said. “You get constantly bombarded with emails, adverts on Facebook, dieting products

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With so much pressure being put on people to be thin, from government campaigns to adverts in glossy magazines to the labelling on supermarket shelves, it seems logical that for some people it would have a negative effect.

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in shops – you can’t get away from ways to help to lose weight.”

“You see the adverts more often than you see the size zero models, and it’s easier to dissociate yourself from the models, whereas you can’t from the adverts. Everyone seems obsessed with losing weight, so you feel you should be too, and if you’re not you feel fat and lazy.”

Christine, who is also a student, agrees that the media can have an effect: “It probably doesn’t play a role in the development of eating disorders, but it can help to maintain them. When I was in treatment and on intensive weight gain, so much of the media I saw was saying the exact opposite of what the doctors were saying to me, and that made it more difficult.”

Rosie, a third student, agrees with Christine: “The images of super skinny models and celebrities definitely didn’t cause my eating disorder, but they did give me something to fixate on once it had developed.”

Ali is another student, and has recovered from severe anorexia. She thinks that although the media does have an obsession with how to lose weight, it’s not the whole story: “The media tend to mix their messages. One magazine will tell you at the start how terribly ill and skinny a ‘stressed out’ celeb is, and a couple of pages on you’ll get advice on how to lose a stone in a week!”

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obesity (UK) Magazines, of course, are able to use the questionable excuse that their demographic is adults who can supposedly make informed decisions about weight loss and eating, but adverts on web sites like Facebook or Hotmail that are regularly used by younger people can’t even hide behind this. They might not be explicitly directed at teenagers, but there’s little doubt that they’re still seen and taken in by the most vulnerable groups. These adverts don’t discriminate in their targets – I regularly get suggestions for dating agencies on Facebook despite my ‘in a relationship’ status – and so anyone, regardless of their weight, health, or mental condition, is offered ways to lose weight.

And it’s not just magazines and adverts; low-fat, healthy ranges in supermarkets and the new information on some restaurant menus in the UK are also contributing to the problem. With the increasingly detailed labels on food it’s now easier than ever to count the calories you consume, and the internet makes it possible to discover the number of calories in just about anything. I’m grudgingly impressed when Rachel lists off the top of her head the number of calories in an array of fruit and veg, but it also makes me realize just what effect the masses of information available can have on someone who already worries about their weight.

Rachel agrees that the current obsession with ‘healthy eating’ makes it easier for her to convince herself that she should be very, very careful about what she eats: “The focus is really on losing weight. No-one caters for people who want to put on weight, or maintain their weight. I know how I think is irrational, but it’s reinforced constantly.”

It’s easy to lay the blame at the door of 10 Downing Street, but Rosie points out that on the NHS web site one of the first links associated with diets is about eating disorders. So could the media still have a part to play?

Rachel thinks so, but blames the regular stories

obesity (UK) and images of morbidly obese people rather than the oft-mentioned size zero models: “You hear so much about so many people being overweight, and the average size for a woman in the UK is now 14.

But even if you’re not close to that, you feel like if you eat ‘bad things’ you’ll become obese because everyone else seems to have so easily. It’s much easier to be in denial as well, because in your head everyone becomes obese and you’re just a normal size, even if you’re actually underweight.”

This is echoed by Christine, who says that when she was anorexic losing weight became almost a source of pride: “Because so many people are overweight, it feels like everyone should lose weight.

It was kind of an achievement to lose more weight than anyone.”

With so much pressure being put on people to be thin, from government campaigns to adverts in glossy magazines to the labelling on supermarket shelves, it seems logical that for some people it would have a negative effect. But as obesity is so close to the surface of our consciousness, other less publicized eating disorders are often ignored, says Christine: “They have addressed one problem and ignored another major one. They need to consider the people who have eating disorders or who are vulnerable. A lot of the issues surrounding over- and under-eating are to do with self-esteem, and there’s more overlap than people think, but they’re addressed separately.”

Dr. David Haslam, Chair of the National Obesity Forum, agrees that there is overlap between the disorders, but rejects the claim that obesity is distracting from other eating disorders: “The root cause of both obesity and anorexia is similar: a disordered eating pattern and lifestyle.”

“The anti-obesity drive may in fact be adding more focus to the debate on other eating disorders.”

That obesity is also linked to self-esteem is

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echoed by Rosie, who says that it is too often treated as a physical rather than psychological issue: “Obese people are never described as having eating disorders, when they clearly do – they are chronic binge eaters.”

“They don’t get to that weight for no reason, in the same way anorexic people get dangerously underweight.”

Either way, it seems anorexia is not being addressed as obviously as obesity, and the help available is not as readily accessible. Ali argues that it’s not taken seriously enough: “It’s sheer neglect that people have to be critically ill, practically on death’s door, before they can qualify for the right to get the nearest inpatient treatment – which can be miles away!” Hardly ideal if you’re a student already struggling with lectures, assignments, and revision, then.

Anorexia doesn’t get enough coverage in the media either, says Rosie. “The only time anorexia or bulimia are made a fuss of is when someone dies. Then there’s an article about how awful it was, then it’s over again for a few months.”

Instead, she says, obesity generates lots of coverage because “the tabloids can focus on how much it’s costing the NHS.” But even when the media does try to publicise anorexia and bulimia, they get it wrong.

“The publicity of eating disorders has become extremely sensationalist,” she argues. “TV shows like Super Skinny Me and Supersize vs Superskinny just point out the obvious and don’t concentrate on why people get eating disorders – they just talk about the after-effects. “They give you tips on how to give yourself an eating disorder.”

So how can the government – and the media and advertisers – get it right between discouraging obesity and not encouraging other eating disorders? For Rachel, it needs a shift in perspective: “The campaign should be to encourage healthy eating, including eating enough, rather than to encourage weight loss, because that’s not right for everyone.”

Ali agrees: “What we need to focus on is how to attain a healthy body weight, and a healthy attitude towards food, rather than how to do the impossible and manipulate your body with food and exercise. It is too much of a dangerous game to play.”

It’s hard to argue with that. It remains to be seen whether this or successive governments will pay attention to this aspect of the anti-obesity drive, but the message is clear: if the campaign remains simply ‘lose weight’, then they risk endangering or worsening the mental and physical health of thousands of people.

Cardiff student Ali Valenzuela has written a book, Weighing It Up, about her experiences with anorexia. It is published by Hodder Children’s Books.

For more information about eating disorders, visit www.beat.co.uk. Thanks to everyone who agreed to talk to me for this article; some names have been changed.

O

O

vhcle Vhcle Magazine January 2010

Issue No.1 The holiday season will quickly come and quickly go. And for those who celebrate in such manner – those shiny new toys will eventually lose their appeal, and the gluttonous amounts of food inhaled will leave you feeling like the undisciplined individual you suspected you were. But do not despair, Vhcle Magazine is here!

Vhcle Magazine digital Issue One coming January 2010! All new content from the writers you’ve come to adore, and featuring artists of various mediums that will satisfy your aesthetic appetite. See you in the new year! www.vhcle.com

27

Universal Themes in Peculiar Worlds///

by Marc Ingber

Generally speaking, I’m not the type of guy who remembers the dates and times of notable events in my life. I tend to use the little memory capacity I have in this area to store a handful of friends’ and family members’ birthdays and my wedding anniversary.

But contrary to this notion, I remember exactly what I was doing on Christmas Day 2001. It was the day I went to see Wes Anderson’s The Royal Tenenbaums at the Uptown Theatre in Minneapolis.

At the time, I had seen Anderson’s previous film, Rushmore once or twice. I was looking forward to Tenenbaums ever since I saw a preview for it that featured Ben Stiller and two curly-haired kids wearing red matching Adidas tracksuits and Luke

Wilson dressed as a washed-up tennis player. Based on the preview, I got the sense that The Royal Tenenbaums would be a bizarre, humorous and random jaunt from the same minds that created Rushmore – Anderson and his co-writer, Owen Wilson.

And I was not let down. The movie was everything I hoped it would be. It somehow seemed funny, bizarre, sad, disturbing, random, witty, dark, serious, silly and smart all at once. To be quite honest, it was a little too much to wrap my head around that day. Between Dalmatian mice, wristbands and missing fingers, I was unsure what particular message I was supposed to glean from the movie, or if it had one at all. I just knew I wanted to see it again.

Perhaps unsurprisingly, my reaction to the movie put me in rare company among my circle of family and friends. Of the 12 or so of us that went to see The Royal Tenenbaums that day, my sister and I were the only ones who didn’t actively hate it. I’m almost sure most of them thought they were going to see a dysfunctional family comedy along the lines of Meet the Parents, which had come out the previous year and also featured Ben Stiller and Owen Wilson.

Anderson’s films are definitely an acquired taste, and it’s safe to say that it’s one that many people never acquire. For one, most of his movies take place in a bizarro universe. No one would accuse Anderson of making science fiction, but it’s difficult to recognize the worlds he creates as present day America.

It’s apparent Rushmore takes place in

modern times, but between its prep school uniforms and 1960s British Invasion soundtrack, the time periods intermingle to create an alternate reality. The film seems to take place in the 1960s or 70s, even though the cars the characters drive suggest otherwise.

Similarly, The Royal Tenenbaums takes place in a fantasy New York City. It features a fictional taxi company (Gypsy Cabs), nonexistent locations (the 375th Street YMCA) and Anderson purposely avoids shots of any well-known landmarks such as the Empire State Building or the Statue of Liberty. The characters all have signature wardrobes, or personality uniforms. Anderson uses clothes from the 1970s to illustrate the characters being stuck in the past.

Anyone who needs movies to have a believable, surface-level realism should avoid Anderson’s work. However, once you get past the goofy costumes, arbitrary background set pieces and deadpan one-liners, Anderson’s films actually have universal and serious themes. Nevertheless, the first time you watch one, it’s difficult to concentrate on anything but its peculiar characteristics.

It’s only upon repeated viewings that the themes begin to emerge.

Anderson’s first film, Bottle Rocket, concerns three twenty-something friends trying to find their identities as they crawl towards adulthood. In Rushmore, the protagonist, Max Fischer, is trying to make it through high school and find his place in the world in the wake of his mother’s death from cancer.

The Royal Tenenbaums is about a family trying to find a way to coexist even though they are long past the point of having

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the films of wes anderson: universal themes in peculiar worlds

“

It seems as though Anderson and Wilson come up with the serious themes for their movies first, and then deliberately try to hide them behind a facade of strangeness.

”

anything in common. It seems as though Anderson and Wilson come up with the serious themes for their movies first, and then deliberately try to hide them behind a facade of strangeness.

For instance, Luke Wilson’s character in Bottle Rocket, Anthony, is the 26-yearold product of an upper middle-class family who has no interest in his privileged, suburban lifestyle. As an alternative to what he sees as a miserable existence, he attempts to turn to a life of petty crime.

Though this escape from suburbia is one of the main themes of Bottle Rocket, it is only briefly alluded to in the movie. When the film begins, Anthony is in a mental institution for “exhaustion”, but Anderson avoids explaining why. At one point, Anthony makes reference to his desire to avoid spending his life sun-tanning and water skiing, but it is only one line in the entire movie. Almost any other film dealing with this theme would make it a primary part of the character’s dialogue.

This leads to another aspect of Anderson’s work that is off-putting to some – his characters, plots and resolutions rarely follow the standard arc of a Hollywood film. His protagonists typically start out unhappy, yearning for some element of their life that was present in their past. They attempt to resolve these issues through a series of events, but tend to fail miserably at doing so.

However, rather than ending with characters in despair, Anderson’s films resolve on a positive note. Though his protagonists don’t succeed at what they originally intended to accomplish, they usually inadvertently find happiness by learning to accept their own failures, grow up and move on.

Mainstream Hollywood tends to produce finales where the hero saves the day and the guy gets the girl. Anderson deals with characters who slowly learn to make peace with the fact that they didn’t.

He doesn’t provide standard happy endings, but rather a more realistic brand of satisfaction. It’s not a bad accomplishment for a guy who earns his keep dealing in Dalmatian mice and red tracksuits.

Mute Memories and Frustrated Fireworks: Why Elliott Smith is My Hero Forever

by Eric Garbe

A few weeks after I started college, one of my new friends (a much, much cooler friend) asked me if I’d ever heard of Elliott Smith. “Uh… yeah…”

I mumbled. It wasn’t completely a lie; I knew ‘Needle in the Hay’ from the soundtrack to The Royal Tenenbaums, but that was the extent of my knowledge. The next day he stopped by my dorm room with a burned copy of XO tucked into a notepaper sleeve.

It was a… difficult experience. I’d been listening to the most disposable sort of punk rock in an attempt to reinvent myself as tough and rebellious, and XO sounded like nothing I’d heard before. But I persevered… and failed. After a week on continuous loop in my CD player I’d progressed to the “this is nice, but...” stage and no further. Still, I wasn’t going down without a fight. I picked up a copy of his eponymous sophomore release in hopes that it would fit in more with my style. And it worked. I spent Thanksgiving break in near isolation, picking

31

“

He was a rare combination- just as much a patient, meticulous craftsman as he was a unique artist.

”

those 12 tracks apart. Then on a lonely winter bus ride, reading Graham Greene’s The End of the Affair and “Needle in the Hay” coming through my headphones, I had a breakthrough. Or… breakdown rather. I managed to get back to my room at least, safely out of sight before the tears just couldn’t stay locked up. I was sold.

In less than five months I’d tracked down everything he’d ever put to record, a personal record I believe still remains unbroken. That was the fall of 2004 – a few months earlier and I’d have been able to brag that I got into him while he was still alive, but then again I guess that’s part of the message I’ve always read in his music: never, ever being cool enough to brag.

He was a rare combination – just as much a patient, meticulous craftsman as he was a unique artist. Going back and reading reviews from the release of XO and Figure 8, his first two releases for Dreamworks and the last of his lifetime, I’ve always been amazed at the sense of shock, sometimes almost outrage, that he’d exchange his lo-fi roots for lushly orchestrated compositions. Maybe I’m just gifted with perfect hindsight, but even the most cursory listens to his first three albums seem to suggest a constant fight against the constraints of his equipment, a sound bogged down not by an excess of vision but by simple necessity. Even among the false starts of his uneven (but frequently heartbreaking) debut Roman Candle, you get the feel of a man thinking out every step. By 1997’s Either/Or that attention to detail had paid off – he’d gone from basement troubadour to full one-man band, clearly the only thing holding him back was money. There’s the question, I guess, of what From a Basement on the Hill would have been had he lived to see it finished, that it was to use the painfully limited vernacular of music writing, to be a much rawer album, and certainly, there’s plenty to suggest that was true. Still though the sound may change but the idea behind remains constant, and what we have of the album is every bit as layered and attentive as what came before it.

33

mute memories and frustrated fireworks: why elliott smith is my hero forever My favorite story about Elliott Smith came from a kid in one of my classes, who described a visit to his sister in New York sometime in 2000. He was 14 years old and neck deep into post-grunge and nu-metal, those two embarrassing footnotes in the musical development of almost any boy his age. But his sister absolutely insisted he had to go see this Smith guy, and he caved.

I wish I remember his exact words because they were funnier than anything I’m capable of, but it was something to the effect of getting home and throwing every CD he owned in the trash. It’s a story I’ve always liked because it sums up perfectly what’s so charming about Elliott Smith’s approach to music: he didn’t have to blaze trails or break the rules, he was perfectly content to wander down the familiar paths of pop music and just show you. And you’d follow.

It’s easy, though, to talk about life-changing experiences and Elliott Smith, almost to the point of parody.

And maybe I’m just being defensive because he’s had such a profound effect on my taste and my life and there’s absolutely no way around that, but I’ve always seen it like this: He wrote about things that are so familiar to so many – loss and frustration and need and not knowing who you are and hating the person you only think you are; and he did it in words that are easy and immediate but whose true power sinks in only with time.

I’d be far more surprised if people had difficulty identifying with his lyrics than at commiseration being commonplace.

At some point I got over the hero-worship phase in my music listening, which I guess is healthy and mature and a thousand other terribly boring things. It’s been four-and-a-half years since I was an awkward college freshman and my taste is more informed and varied and intelligent and impressive, but I don’t know how to just gush anymore. Elliott Smith makes me remember how to gush, how to act like listening to music is the most important thing in the world and that’s something I’ll always be thankful for.

Mi

(the Mi concept)

by Ashley B. Holmes

The Mi Concept is much more than a label or a brand – it’s a project, it’s a movement, it is fashion; and creator/designer Dean Hunt is the first to point that out. With his designs, it’s more about the thought process behind it – the way a piece of clothing can become something different and unique on every person who wears it.

Dean’s shop sits on an unassuming block of a very unassuming street. The Mi Concept is located in San Francisco’s niche recently dubbed the TenderNob, due to its location being the melting spot of both the gritty Tenderloin and the high class Nob Hill. The store is nicely situated between a small art gallery and a sneaker/skate shop. Many people wouldn’t think to walk down Sutter much farther then the Borders on Powell. Mostly it consists of

35

Mi (the mi concept interview)

mi (the mi concept interview) small restaurants, coffee shops and about a handful of Academy of Art University buildings. But with Union Square just a few blocks east, the store gets its fair share of passersby curiously peering in at what is hard to discern as a men’s or women’s clothing boutique.

I remember when I first moved to the TenderNob and walked by Mi; with no sign on the door and just a few sparse racks of minimalistic clothing, it left a lot to the imagination. I instantly fell in love. It was a bit frightening and it took me a while to walk in, but when I finally did, it was worth it. It would seem that such a sparse store with an intimidating color palette would mean snooty, by-appointment-only shop owners, but it’s exactly the opposite.

Dean is warm and energetic about his designs and is eager to make anything you see on the rack to order.

If a woman fell in love with what would technically be a menswear coat, he is delighted to have it made in her measurements…and vice versa. Dean’s designs are very well made, as one can easily tell just by looking at them, and the color palette is right up many San Franciscans alley. The concept that these clothes are simple but beautiful in their design, and could be worn by either sex is something I am instantly drawn to. And so I wondered what the story was with this store. Wondered what the designer was like, what inspired them? Why put such beautiful things on this street? I was pleasantly surprised with what I learned during the interview, and left feeling both inspired and seeing that fashion can be more then what meets the eye.

When I met with Dean, we met at the shop, which is located on Sutter between Jones and Leavenworth. The interview was held in the back room that serves as both his office and design lab. The entire store follows suit with the design - black painted floors and white walls with a few long fluorescent tubes of light leaning here and there. The clothes are on three rolling racks, with one of each design displayed. Sometimes the designs are split by sex and sometimes, to make it interesting,

37

he will mix the designs up so that people cannot judge what is for a man and what is for a woman. The back room is bare concrete with a stark white desk and filing cabinet. It’s all very simple and one can easily see how this creates a great design space…no distractions.

During the interview, shoppers come in and out and Dean pops up to greet them, telling them to feel free to ask questions.

Vhcle: Okay, so first off, how did this project materialize?

Mi: Mi (pronounced like my) started because I was questioning my significance as a designer. I was looking at the bigger picture and it was difficult to see the relevance, how this was relative to the world. I was reading a lot of philosophy books, specifically about attachment theory – how people are attached to brands and labels, and buying into community, and how the label makes the person. With Mi, I wanted to remove all of that; Mi standing for the idea that someone could be asked “that’s a nice shirt, whose shirt is that?”, and the person could respond simply with “it’s my shirt”. You’re not buying into anything, because tomorrow you’ll be looking for something else to create the identity as

it is easy to get bored with the “it” label.

V: So the name works on several levels. Yes you can say the name of the brand, but essentially you are also replying with the philosophy behind the brand. That this shirt belongs to you; it’s yours to put your stamp on rather then telling someone the name of a label and having them judge you and your choices by the identity of the brand you are wearing.

Mi: That became my relevance.

I can be a fashion designer but I can also make people stop and think about who they are, why they purchase things. What’s wrong with our lives that we have to create an identity around a label? I want someone to love it for something other than the name, more just because it’s good design. For the philosophy behind the label or design, you want to support what they believe in. It’s a yoda quality that’s important right now. For me it was my opportunity to have that voice. If it can affect someone – great!

V: Who or what influenced you in the beginning?

Mi: In the late ‘70s/early ‘80s I was at university studying to be an architect, and I was a huge believer in the women’s move-

ment at that time – seeing the injustice to the woman’s place in society and their relevance.

There were no women in any power structures. Women didn’t present themselves in a way equal to a male dominated world, and I thought I could help women in their presentation – enabling them to gain access to those structures, and show a level of equality. It’s all about what you put out of yourself.

I didn’t want to make anyone believe the clothes make you powerful; it was more that it was already there, it was in you, and the clothes just helped to show that. All of the pieces of the puzzle are perfect right now, as they are. If I can help someone make what’s inside a realization on the outside, then great.

V: What are some of your inspirations when designing now?

Mi: There is no one particular person or thing. Although, there have been over time women that acted as muses, with whom I have adored their style. It’s more a universal feeling of what I want to create. I’m just not too fussed (what people think), and I don’t mean that in a bad way, I just do what I do, not follow any one trend, I simply create what I want to create. It comes more from the philosophical thing that I’m reading. If I’m reading about

Buddhists, it may have a more Asian feel. All that really matters is what the design is to you, to the people wearing it.

V: “Do you think that’s why you do minimalistic colors like black, white, grey and navy, so that it can be a canvas for people?”

Mi: Yes, exactly. That’s exactly right.

V: Do you have anyone in mind when you’re designing your collection?

Mi: Not anymore. Maybe once in a while I’ll think of someone that I think it might look great on. I did have a friend who was the coolest lady I’d ever met; she pushed me, and she would come back from Paris with magazines and pictures and tell me what was taking place there. So she was really cool, a big influence at one time.

And I do have clients that will come in and I’ll design something for them, but it has to stay within my design aesthetic. I had two ladies come in and they were fond of one of the coats, but they wanted it done in red, to which I said absolutely not, it just isn’t me; it’s too far from the original concept.

V: How do you edit your collection?

Mi: Ha-ha, not well. It’s hard, it’s something I really need to do more of. I want to get it down to the basics of what I think every wardrobe need – like here’s a great coat, here’s a great blouse, pants, etc.

V: It’s probably because you love everything so much!

Mi: I do, I really do! It’s almost like someone needs to come in and say, STOP! You’ve got a great coat; alright now you need this, stop making great coats, you know?!

39

mi (the mi concept interview)

V: Are you based just in SF? Mi: There is a store here and then in Toronto (Canada), where our studio space is located and where everything is made. And it’s cool because people can come in and see the racks of clothes and buy off that, but then also see us working away in the back.

V: Why did you choose this neighborhood to have the space?

Mi: To me it reflected real life.

It has everything. It has an art gallery and sneaker shop, a nice restaurant across the street, art students; but it also has homeless people and prostitution. And to me if one of my clients from the Presidio or Nob Hill can come here and it opens their eyes a little bit to something other then what their world normally looks like, and they can do something or make a change, then I’ve done my job. Also, from a business perspective, there is something about the hunt and find.

Like when people say, “I was walking about and I found this little place and I went in, and I wasn’t expecting to find something so great off the beaten path.” It’s like when you hear about people in Europe walking down an alley and finding a cool little club or place to eat. I love

that, and I think that’s really special right now. People want something different and unique to spend their money on. Something special. The story now is as important as what you find at the end of it. The three stores – Huf, Mi, and Silverman art gallery – we stand out, which is really nice and it makes us look individual.

V: What is the most rewarding part of what you do?

Mi: Idealistically, if I can affect someone. I was told that if I make choices in my life that truly make me happy, they will make everyone around me happy. Obviously, it’s about people feeling good in the product and feeling good about themselves, because beauty is a feeling, not a look.

V: What’s the most difficult thing about your job?

Mi: Honestly, it’s helping women see that in themselves. It’s unbelievable, and it’s not that I’ve given up, but I’ve realized with women it doesn’t matter what I say, they need to get there in their own time. I could have the most beautiful woman in front of me and she could not see that. And true, good clothes can help, but it’s also socializing women differently – it’s about putting a level of confidence in woman through the clothes and

the feel.

V: Do you feel like you design more for women? You do have pieces for men.

Mi: It’s actually the first time I’ve done a men’s collection.

Its different, I do love it, they are much easier, and it’s mostly things I would want to wear. Recently I displayed the collection without dividing it by gender, because I wanted to blur the lines. I wanted people to basically come in and look at it as a great piece. And if a woman saw a coat and it was a man’s, I could make it for a woman’s figure.

V: Is there anything you could say to other artists or designers working or trying to work right now?

Mi: I think it’s really important to have a clear message, be true to it. Be it, don’t say it. I think in this crazy time, if you’re not really clear about what you’re saying out there, then it gets lost.

themiconcept.com

I’D RATHER BE fishing, camping,

WORKING!

How Economic Downfall Has Encouraged A “Victim” Mentality In Our Youth.

by Susan Purdy

It’s Friday afternoon. I’m driving home in light traffic thanks to the new two-day-a-month furlough. It’s been a long day of dealing with the eager minds of our next generation, their energetic lust for life, their creative means of expression, and, of course, their total spoiled, slacker attitudes. I pull up to a red light and bide my time in line with other workers fortunate enough to still have jobs.

Before me stands the Nameless Homeless guy, holding a sign his predecessor held for a day and left on the corner. It reads: “I’d rather be WORKING” in big, bold, Sharpie-drawn lettering. I take a closer look and realize his shoes aren’t that worn, his beard not that scruffy. The Sharpie is still stuck in his t-shirt. So the man isn’t the Nameless Homeless after all. He’s the lower middle class Everyman. And, according to his sign, which now appears he created himself, the last place he thought he’d be was on the corner, holding this cardboard, looking for more than a handout.

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i’d rather be fishing, camping, working

It’s a harsh reality many of us are facing in California. The state is dealing with the highest unemployment rate in 15 years. Budgets are being cut across the board, from public transit, health care, and my favorite – education. While an older, wiser generation would say they’ve seen this before (though they may not have thought they’d have to forego retirement and return to work as paid annuitants due to difficult times), a younger 20s, 30s and even 40s generation is still scrambling to recover income they once thought secure. But there is an even bigger problem, one I see every day in my (not so secure) position as a permanent substitute: the complete lack of appreciation, self discipline and forethought from the privileged Generation-Y students. I teach at a performing and fine arts school and I know these students and their talents.

I’ve seen their skills firsthand. Their exceptional ability to derive mature concepts from literature, tell deep, meaningful stories through theatre and music, create technically-advanced masterpieces on computer programs I had never even heard of until college. And with such tools at their fingertips, such opportunities to succeed and teach and contribute to society, I still witness, on the whole, the spoiled nature of a placated teen.

Blame the generation before them. Blame “me”, Generation X, for creating a monster when praising the gifted and talented student – telling them they were capable of anything and then never making them work for it, never making them sweat for it.

Blame me for teaching them that gain can come without pain. Or do what we do. Blame it on the generation before us, the Baby-Boomers who lived through the depression and always had to sweat for their daily bread and consequently chose to spoil their children (because no one should have to go through that). Blame anyone else but the individual, because we all know it’s not his or her fault.

“

The problem lies in blaming everyone, and yet not holding anyone responsible.

It’s the classic “victim mentality” and it’s plaguing not only our generation, but now our youth as well.

”

The problem lies in blaming everyone, and yet not holding anyone responsible.

It’s the classic “victim mentality” and it’s plaguing not only our generation, but now our youth as well. Run out of money? Don’t worry about going without or working hard to earn it back – we’ll bail you out. Didn’t do your homework? You have a good excuse – so-and-so didn’t do their part of the project; you can turn it in tomorrow, no penalty involved. Get fired?

You were only exercising your right to speak your mind. You didn’t really love that job or need it anyway. There are thousands of other jobs… uh… hundreds of… wait.

We’re spoiling our children by spoiling ourselves. Youth is terribly clever when mimicking the behavior of others, especially those they consider their leaders. Why would they ever take responsibility for their behavior if they never see the consequences of those who don’t? The unfortunate truth is that they are seeing the consequences – bailouts. It’s become the norm to expect someone else to shoulder the weight of our problems. But how will that ever encourage people, the youth especially, to be wise with their time and energy, to be diligent and push themselves to excel? There seems to be a severe lack of deter-

mination when it comes to setting goals and reaching them. Perhaps it’s a lack of understanding just how much work reaching those goals will actually take. We’ve replaced the mantra, “If at first you don’t succeed, try, try again,” with “It wasn’t meant to be,” and “It’s not worth it anyway.”

My conscience tells me we will one day see the bottom of this self-indulgent thought pattern to which we’ve all fallen victims (see?), and the result can only be apathy. And then where would we end up?

How much more vulnerable would we become? After all, who will be willing to stand up and fight for freedom if the fight becomes too difficult, too much work, or require too much sacrifice?

I see hope in the Sign Man, who, amongst hundreds of thousands, feels the direct consequences of these financially challenging times. For him, there is no blame-game, no name-dropping as to who is responsible for his unemployment. There is not even an expectation of pity, only a simple plea for an honest day’s pay. So what will it take to instill that self governed determination in our “victimized” youth? The Answer: hard work.

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vhcle Vhcle Magazine January 2010

Issue No.1 The holiday season will quickly come and quickly go. And for those who celebrate in such manner – those shiny new toys will eventually lose their appeal, and the gluttonous amounts of food inhaled will leave you feeling like the undisciplined individual you suspected you were. But do not despair, Vhcle Magazine is here!

Vhcle Magazine digital Issue One coming January 2010! All new content from the writers you’ve come to adore, and featuring artists of various mediums that will satisfy your aesthetic appetite. See you in the new year! www.vhcle.com

I MAKE SOMETHING CREATIVE EVERYDAY EVEN IF IT COMPLETELY SUCKS. I’M REALLY GOOD AT JUMP ROPING. I AM TERRIBLE AT SINGING, BUT THAT DOES NOT SEEM TO STOP ME. alysonfox.com 45

art, fashion, photography by Alyson Fox

Q&A with Alyson Fox Artist/Designer, Alyson Fox’s ability to fuse multiple areas of creative channels into stunning outcomes is what makes her stand a little taller than most artists out there today. She has been featured in the likes of Nylon, Domino, and metro.pop magazines, just to name a few. We were already quite fascinated with her work, but to have had the privilege to take a small peek at the person behind the work, made her even more fascinating in our eyes. Her thoughts behind the series Ghost and Certainly Red are nothing less than brilliant. Read for yourself.

Vhcle: Tell us a little bit about yourself.

Alyson Fox: Some quick tidbits are: I’m turning 30 this year. I recently got married to the kindest man I have ever met. I am incredibly blessed with dear friends and family that always go above and beyond their call of duty. I am pretty obsessive-compulsive about a lot of things in my life. I rarely remember my dreams, but when I do they are crazy. I have fallen head over heels for our new puppy “Stache”, which is a big thing to say because I never really wanted a dog.

I make something creative everyday even if it completely sucks. I’m really good at jump roping.

I am terrible at singing, but that does not seem to stop me. I am most comfortable in smaller settings and I am starting to read more.

V: We noticed you originally from your clothing designs, but recently have noticed your fabulous artwork series – can you tell us a little bit about that? Your Certainly Red and Ghost series.

AF: I am definitely more comfortable in my art world (making art than clothing). I have a BFA in Photography and a MFA in Sculpture, and after leaving school, I found myself needing to branch out a little to try and be self supporting while at the same time being creative. I decided to start a small clothing line so I could combine all of my interests into one project – photography, video, drawing. I definitely stayed busy and

learned a lot, but I really wanted to focus more on my fine art. Now I only do design work with my dear friend and talented designer Caitlin Mociun (pronounced motion). We have a line called Fox in Mociun. Focusing a bit more on my art, I wanted to start doing some more photography since I have mostly been drawing. I wanted to do a series that was portrait based but had a common thread throughout the series. Certainly Red is the name of the lipstick that I decided to use in each photograph. I started photographing friends first, then grandmas of friends, sisters, women I approached in the grocery store...etc.

It has really been a really lovely series to work on. Each photograph has given me more insight in the complexities of women; how they take on the red lips and the idea someone photographing them. It’s an ongoing series that I am working on to have a show with and something that I hope to publish one day. Ghost Series is simply a collection of images of how people cover their plants up when the weather is supposed to freeze to keep them from dying. I drive around capturing them on cold mornings.

V: Do you have any artists that have had an influence in any part of your work?

AF: I think being exposed to art and design always has some influence on you and sometimes with or without a direct correlation. Some of my favorite artists are: Doris Salcedo, Rachel Whiteread, Louise Bourgeouis, Miroslav Tichy, William Eggleston, Sophie Calle, Mirand July.

V: What sort of things inspire you?

AF: My mood definitely. The weather. Something I read. Something I overhear. Childrens art.

V: Favorite drink?

AF: Water. Seriously. Sake for alcoholic beverage.

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art, fashion, photography by Alyson Fox

V: Any current projects we can know about?

AF: Fox in Mociun is launching an underwear line with our printed textiles. Then I have a show this March that is half drawings/half sculpture, which is fun for me. They will be up on my site soon.

V: Any departing words?

AF: Thank you so much for wanting to interview me.

I hope something in here knocked your socks off. I’m really pretty low key, but I have a desire to make things that often have a dark side to them. Familiar yet alarming.

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art, fashion, photography by Alyson Fox

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JULIA GALDO I was born and raised in Miami, FL. Picked up the camera when I was 16, but really wanted to be a marine biologist. My mom was president of the Greater Miami Shell Club, so I spent a great deal of time in the water doing weird stuff. I graduated from the San Francisco Art Institute in 2004, and I have been hustling it ever since. I think I’m a really, really lucky girl.

juliagaldo.com

photography by julia galdo

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photography by julia galdo

photography by julia galdo

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photography by julia galdo

photography by julia galdo

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MIK AEL

CO LV I L L E -A N D E R S E N

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photography by Mikael Colville-Andersen

photography by Mikael Colville-Andersen

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photography by Mikael Colville-Andersen

photography by Mikael Colville-Andersen

www.copenhagencyclechic.com

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ART BY

LAETITIA HUSSAIN

www.laeti.org

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art by Laetitia Hussain

Q&A

Laetitia Hussain

Vhcle constantly seeks to feature artists of true unique and raw talent, and such is the case of artist Laetitia Hussain. We were immediately impressed with her work upon first glance, and believe she is making her mark on the New York art scene. Read with us as we take a small look at the delightful person behind the artwork. vhcle: It is great to catch up with you again Laetitia and to see some of your latest artwork. Can you explain the inspiration behind it? laetitia hussain: I get a lot of my inspiration while driving. I live in New York’s Hudson Valley, where there is no shortage of beautiful roads and landscapes. When I get an idea, I pull over and write it down. I also pour over art books of all periods, hunting and waiting for something to jump out at me. These latest pieces took about 6 years to complete – the concept, not the actual painting. I have worked in oil for a long time, and have made much more elaborate portraits. But with these it was more about restraint – simple lines and color. The character is fictional, and usually depicted against a plain background with a simple chair; I try to render her and the chair in the same way. The images are centered around ideas of solitude and the wish to be invisible. v: As an artist, you are very broad in your work. And all of your work displays your natural talent to create artwork that is beautifully original and distinct. Can you say that you have a particular area that you like best? lh: There is no single area or genre that I prefer over others. Every medium and form has potential. Moving from one medium to the next leaves me no room to get bored. Using a new material

or trying a new format forces me to refocus on skills and craft, rather than getting stuck in old habits. I’m stimulated by the basic work of trying to figure out how to make something and execute a concept that I’ve fleshed out in my head. Imagining myself making the work is part of the process. v: Do you have any huge aspirations for the next 5 years? lh: I have huge new aspirations every five minutes, but I’ve learned to be realistic. In an ideal world, I would like to set up artist retreats all around the world for artists to come visit and work. They will have huge handmade flags on top of their building and we’ll be able to see them from planes and Google Earth. v: We love to drink all kinds of different beverages here at Vhcle. Do you have a favorite one that you can share with us? lh: Just one? Alcoholic: The Glenlivet, Jack & ginger, Kettle One cranberry. In summer, gin and tonic with lots of lime. Beer: Pacifico and Hoagarden White. Non-alchoholic: Water with a hint of juice. v: What are you listening to these days? lh: I ask myself the same question all the time!

With iTunes on shuffle play, it becomes difficult to keep track. I have lots of favorite songs whose band names and titles I don’t even know. I like listening to music at top volume in my car while driving along the Hudson river, looking for hawks.

As with my artwork, I’m open to everything, from indie rock to classical (Chopin, Bach, Schubert).

v: What can you tell us about yourself that we didn’t get in your bio? lh: I’ve been very lucky to have great friends who support my endeavors. I just took down a show in Tivoli, New York at Luna61, and am opening another in Hudson, New York on the 6th of March at Deffebach Gallery. I find nothing more exciting than seeing lots of people I care for collected together in one venue. I work with my partner Sam Pratt doing design projects, and I am currently doing silkscreen work for two artists named Cannon Hersey and Samson Mnisi. v: Any parting words? lh: Just thanks for featuring me in your magazine and for the inspiring compliments.

art by laetitia hussain . space cadet

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the artwork of

Aaron Kraten

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the artwork of Aaron Kraten

www.aaronkratenart.com

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Acamonchi Art Gerardo Yepiz launched the first Mexican Mail Art website in 1995. His downloadable stencils revolutionized how a generation of young artists, from Mexico City to Tijuana, used street installation and graffiti as a critical forum. Known as Acamonchi, a slang term for piggyback riding in Northern Mexico, Yepiz adopted the strategies of street art as the starting point for his fine art while also distinguishing himself as a graphic designer working with clients on both sides of the border including The Nortec Collective, MTV, Reebok, Vans, Adidas, Rioja Wines, Pepsi, Warner Records, Osiris shoes, Tribal Gear and Obey Giant. Like his moniker, which, he explains “doesn’t really mean anything, it’s just a dumb, silly sounding word”, he uses humor to create graphic works of art that probe serious political and cultural issues. As he describes it “poster illustrations or stickers are common resources of visual communication; in the hands of Acamonchi, and in combination with graffiti tactics, they become veritable terrorist instruments, and the activity becomes a kind of cultural sabotage.”

Acamonchi began his career in the mid-1980s as part of a cross-cultural underground

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scene in Southern California and Northern Mexico that was heavily influenced by fanzines and the skateboard-punk countercultures. Music developed his political awareness, and the history of Fluxus inspired his passion for Mail Art. His early work focused on images of the Mexican television host Raul Velasco and assassinated presidential candidate Luis Donaldo Colosio. According to Acamonchi, Velasco represents the mindless entertainment provided by the Mexican media.

He describes Colosio – shot on live television in 1994, during a campaign rally in Tijuana – as the Mexican equivalent to John F. Kennedy. Colosio’s face is a poignant reminder of political corruption and Tijuana’s notorious outlaw reputation. Acamonchi makes his point, however, with ridiculous images of Colosio in a cosmonaut helmet, Colosio crossed with Colonel Sanders, and a “Blaxploitation” Colosio just to name a few.

Recently, Acamonchi has focused his attention on painting. His densely layered panels and murals integrate his signature street graphics – posters, stencils, and graffiti – into abstract fileds of color. In this new work, Acamonchi experiments with painterly techniques using aerosol paint, ink pens, and more traditional pigments. Although his explorations are clearly inspired by street art, his distinctive visual statements are something new. “Post-graffiti Art” as this kind of art was called when graffiti artists first began to show in galleries in the 1980s, does not encompass Acamonchi’s strong affiliation with street art radicalism, and articulate his serious painterly intent. Once again, Acamonchi is inspiring his colleagues as he explores new forms of expression.

Rachel Teagle Curator of the Museum of Contemporary Art San Diego

acamonchi-art.com

vhcle

vhcle magazine

—contributing writers

eric garbe is an on-and-off stu-

ashley b. holmes is an edito-

marc ingber is a journalist with

dent living in Atlanta. He graduated from the University of Georgia with a degree in theater and a minor in Russian. He is currently working as a test-prep teacher and a part-time scenic carpenter.

rial and personal stylist out of San Francisco, CA. Her recent inspirations include the history and pulse of her beautiful city, French films circa 1960s, The Velvet Underground, Wes Anderson movies, and Roald Dahl books. Her recommendations for daily blog checking include: The Sartorialist, Garance Doré, FashionToast, Jak and Jil, and StyleState.

Sun Newspapers, based in Minneapolis, MN. He was born and raised in the Twin Cities and attended journalism school at the University of Kansas. His primary interests include rock ‘n’ roll, movies, food and drink, the Minnesota Vikings and the Minnesota Twins – probably in that order.

susan purdy is a freelance opin-

adam saake is a full time arts

tim sunderman is an illustra-

ion writer from Sacramento, California. She is currently working as a permanent substitute teacher at a Performing and Fine Arts School while pursuing her passion for acting, play-writing and modeling.

and culture snob living in the beautiful city of Sacramento, CA. Whether he’s playing drums, writing articles or sharing his artwork he lives by one motto: Don’t talk about it, be about it. His strength comes from the amazing network of people he’s met along the way and he’s dying to meet you.

tor who is also a full time college graphic design instructor in the San Francisco Bay Area. Never content in a single medium, he has experimented broadly with photography, video, writing, and even marble sculpture. But graphic design still pays the bills.

jamie thunder is an English

jen wade is the Fashion Editor

language undergraduate at Cardiff University, Wales. He writes for and sub-edits his student newspaper, gairrhydd. His interests include current affairs and bad puns, and he hopes this will equip him for a career in journalism.

for Vhcle. She also moonlights as an environmental consultant. While writing this article she was listening to a lot of Lykke Li remixes, snacking on Swedish Fish and carrying around a 1950s turquoise handbag.

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