FLAUNT
THE LAST CALL ISSUE
THE LAST CALL ISSUE
FLAUNT
THE LAST CALL ISSUE
FLAUNT
FLAUNT
THE LAST CALL ISSUE
THE LAST CALL ISSUE
Hampton WATTS, Sarah Elizabeth BORST, Becky BUNGARZ, Christian MAGBY, Kenneth MURRAY, N誰kki Kaia LEE, Charlotte WALTERS, Hope AKIN , Spencer MALINSKI, Zach PRENGLER, Taylor CHILDS
FLAUNT
THE LAST CALL ISSUE
CONTENTS
52 HAMPTON WATTS i hope you can see my vulnerability 56 SARAH ELIZABETH BORST when sarah met roberta 66 BECKY BUNGARZ cyanotypes
Clockwise from top:
76 CHRISTIAN MAGBY i’m going to make you learn something
Hampton Watts studio photographed by Grace Ann Leadbeater.
82 KENNETH MURRAY printmaking the balance between bold and
Roberta photographed by Sarah Elizabeth Borst.
sensual
90 NIKKI KAIA LEE a comprehensive sensory experience 98 CHARLOTTE JANE WALTERS lucite accesories
Becky Bungarz cyanotype handbag modeled by Hannah Aylward and photographed by Paula Sprenger. Nikki Kaia Lee’s fiibers piece on gang violence photographed by Shayna Colvin.
CONTENTS
52 HOPE AKIN you can’t play sports in that 56 SPENCER MALINSKI chroma 66 BECKY BUNGARZ cyanotypes 76 ZACH PRENGLER when the actor becomes the
Clockwise from top:
director
Kenneth Murray printmaking by Shayna Colvin.
82 TAYLOR CHILDS A.K.A T Money
Hannah Aylward modeling Hope Akin’s clothing photographed by Paris Mumpower. Charlotte Walter’s handbag photographed by Ariel Chang.
FLAUNT EDITOR IN CHIEF YEJIDE OFFORD
WRITERS Rachel Johnson, Ariel Chang, Jenn Campbell, Yejide Offord, Victoria Strong
CONTENT EDITOR VICTORIA STRONG
PHOTOGRAPHERS Paula Sprenger, Sarah Elizabeth Borst, Shayna Colvin, Mallory Olivia Prevatt, Aidan Toohey, Paris Mumpower, Grace Ann Leadbeater, Ariel Chang, Ethan Sellars
STYLE DIRECTOR AND FASHION EDITOR JENNIFER CAMPBELL
STYLISTS Victoria Strong, Rachel Johnson, Yejide Offord
LAYOUT AND DESIGN DIRECTOR RACHEL JOHNSON
DESIGNERS Spencer Malinski, Becky Bungarz, Hope Akin, Charlotte Jane Walters
ASSOCIATE EDITORS CAITLIN G. DENNIS AMY MARIE SLOCUM
ARTISTS Hampton Watts, Sarah Elizabeth Borst, Christian Magby, Kenneth Murray, N誰kki Kaia Lee, Zachary Prengler, Taylor Childs
CREATIVE DIRECTOR ARIEL CHANG
ASSOCIATE FASHION EDITOR ZAQUAN CHAMP EDITOR AT LARGE JOHN- PAUL PRYOR CONTRIBUTING EDITORS GREGG LAGAMBINA JACK GUINNESS ELISA HYMAN J. WINTERS CONTRIBUTING STYLE EDITORS ROSE FORDE JOSHUA LIEBMAN LAURY SMITH
MODELS Hannah Aylward, Victoria Sceery
PRESIDENT JONATHAN CROCKER Jcrocker@Flaunt.com SPECIAL PROJECTS DIRECTOR JEFFREY JAH Jeffrey@Flaunt.com DIGITAL APPLICATIONS WAYLON PEELE DIGITAL FLAUNT.COM CONTROLLER LUIS A. BARAJAS, SR. HEADQUARTERS LOS ANGELES 1422 NORTH HIGHLAND AVE. LOS ANGELES, CA 90028 +1323 836 1000 NEW YORK 365 WEST 20TH STREET 17-B NEW YORK, NEW YORK 10011 +2126459950 FOLLOW US INSTAGRAM: @FLAUNTMAGAZINE TWITTER.COM/FLAUNTMAGAZINE FACEBOOK.COM/FLAUNTMAGAZINE FLAUNTMAGAZINE.TUMBLR.COM
EDITOR’S LETTER
Dear Readers, Every year we are all invited to special events. These either end a specific chapter or celebrate the beginning of a new one in someone’s life. As the academic year comes to a close, we have taken the time to interview a few of Savannah College of Art & Design’s talented students from a variety of majors. This issue tells the story of several individuals from different walks of life who have gone down their own artistic paths to discover their true calling. We here at Flaunt want every reader to get to know these artists and see the talented work that they have produced through their college careers. This may be the ‘Last Call’ as undergraduates, but this is just the beginning. Only time will tell what’s next to come. So have a seat, grab a glass of wine and get to know these artists and what they have to say. Sincerely, Yejide E. Offord Editor-in-Chief
HAMPTON WATTS I HOPE YOU CAN SEE MY VULNERABILITY
Written by Victoria Strong __ Photographed by Grace Ann Leadbeater __
My initial reaction walking into the studio was – small space, large paintings. Who knew such a room could hold so many emotions, thoughts and ideas that create the work held in that room. Paintings were hung, leaning against the wall, and on the floor. The paint tubes were an organized mess; it was exactly how I pictured a painter’s studio. I had a goal – to learn more about Hampton Watts, the person and the painter.
Here at SCAD he was able to develop his own style in oil painting, which he already had started due to the longevity of his curiosity. Since he was exposed to other artists through classes, it helped him finesse his techniques and style. He works in a 1:1 ratio with oil paint, often using friends as live models. The paintings he creates ranges in size – from 12 x 9 inches to 60 x 48 inches, all telling a different story.
As Grace Ann loaded film into her Mamiya camera, Hampton and I got talking. I needed to ask him about his painting background to get an idea of how it started. Hampton is from Charleston, South Carolina. His fascination with painting started in elementary school. There was a period of time during high school where he thought he was interested in architecture, but by senior year he realized painting was his true passion, which landed him at Savannah College of Art and Design in Savannah, GA.
Being at an art school with a variety of majors, Hampton explained how he looks to people outside of painting to see how they handle things and interact with people. There are commonalities and clichés within each major, and he picks up on these minute details. He is an observer; he looks at human interactions and the relationships made between people. This shows through in his art greatly, as vulnerability is a main theme he carries throughout his body of work.
Uncomfortable, uncertainty and vulnerability are words that can describe his work. The broken relationship Hampton has with his father created the fixation on emotional subjects for his art. He looks into how numbing broken relationships affect other emotions, which leads essentially to numbing those other feelings with something else. I was surprised when he confided in me how he struggled with pornography as a result of his numbing. He is still learning how to not “stiffen up” when it comes to creating relationships, new and old. All this translates in his work in some way. Because of this, he looks for scenes in stories and art that seem interesting and ambiguous. He also creates odd scenes with elements from stories, experience and the imagination. William Faulkner’s short stories are the source of several painting ideas, such as Tenor and Absolution. These paintings pulled scenes from Faulkner’s
stories and what it means to have character in the world. His piece Remnant was a scene he created from his own thoughts and experiences. The idea behind the painting is that the three objects – rock, pliers, and a piece of a mirror – can affect each other and him in some way. The rock and pliers can shatter the mirror, but they wouldn’t fully break it, it would just create a more shattered, broken image of him. This shows how people deal with self-harm; they can either acknowledge it or ignore it. After hearing all Hampton had to say, I left feeling different. I knew so much more about him, which in turn allowed me to understand his art in a new way. Dealing with emotions is something everyone does on a daily basis, but the outcomes vary. I now see how much that room truly holds and the stories behind each brush stroke Hampton Watts puts to the canvas.
SARAH ELIZABETH BORST WHEN SARAH M E T R O B E R TA
Photography by
Written by
Sarah Elizabeth Borst
Yejide Offord
“PART OF THE BEAUTY IS THAT MY SUBJECTS SHARE MY EXCITEMENT FOR WHAT I’M TRYING TO ACCOMPLISH.” -SOPHIE KLAFTER For the past four years, Sarah Borst has called the historical city of Savannah home as she attends Savannah College of Art & Design. This talented individual was once a performing arts major until she found her passion in photography by taking documentary-style pictures. During her time here she has met some interesting individuals, one in particular being Roberta. First things first! Photography…How did you discover your impeccable skills? Honestly, the moment I got sick of everyone telling me that if I lost 5lbs I could be the next Cameron Diaz, so I left the world of performing arts and found refuge in the visual arts. As for my photography skills I’ve always been fond of the photography world and took classes during my high school years. At the time all I knew was that it was something I was kind of good at but it was during my time at SCAD that I fully jumped into it. It was like at the flip of a switch 4 years have passed and now I’m getting a BFA degree in photography. In the end through photography I learned that this is how I process, understand, and explore the world around me. So, now that photography is clearly your chosen path let’s talk about the infamous Roberta. How exactly did you meet her? Well, for the past 4 years I’ve been working part-time at this health food store called Brighter Day Natural Foods. It was during one of my shifts that I met Roberta in her favorite section - the bulk herb section (to her this is the only reason the store exists).
So was it her love for the herb section or something else that intrigued you about Roberta? Roberta is one challenging individual. She challenges everything we as people believe in, from our preconceptions of people to all sorts of life situations. She makes us stop, think, and examine the way we handle stereotyping, especially in the south. As a transgender homeless woman living in Savannah she has done numerous things. Of all the things that make up Roberta, the fact that she is unemployed and has been unemployed all her life has to be on the top of the list. All people hear is the word ‘unemployed,’ but what they don’t know about her is that that she has worked jobs ranging from serving food at raw restaurants to working on construction sites. It’s the fact that she isn’t ‘employed’ in the typical sense. She is an active member of the community, attending weekly philosophy meetings with the “Philo Café”, helping friends who can’t help themselves do things like cook and clean, as well as getting the coffee hour ready every Sunday at the Unitarian Universalist Church.
Is there any specific area of photography that you haven’t tried? Fashion. To this day it still brings me back to the theatre world. When I think of the world of fashion I see everyone running around hungry, tired, and jacked up on coffee. I mean like don’t get me wrong I appreciate the gloriously, chaotic, beautiful, dangerous, intoxicating ride that it is. It’s just that it’s not for me anymore, and coming to terms with this has been the hardest part of it all. But hey, it’s a journey so who knows. After focusing on such an intriguing subject what’s next for you? To graduate! And once that’s complete I get to be part of this amazing opportunity to travel to Hong Kong for the “SCAD International Experience”. Once I return from this amazing trip that SCAD is sponsoring I will go back into the academic field and begin my graduate courses on Experimental and Documentary Studies at Duke University in North Carolina. Outside of those three things I’m going to continue mastering and refining my photography and artistic skills, as well as making an attempt to not miss Savannah too much.
“She makes us stop, think, and examine the way we handle stereotyping…especially in the south.”
BECKY BUNGARZ
CYANOTYPES: Nostalgic Photographic Accessories
Written by Rachel Johnson __ Photographed by Paula Sprenger __
Where are you from originally? Tell me a little bit about your life growing up. I was born in Manhasset, NY. I wouldn’t say my childhood was anything particularly exciting, just very typical. I was involved in a lot of activities, piano lessons, dance, gymnastics, horse back riding, basketball, etc. A lot of the average things to do as a small child. When did you first realize you wanted to pursue your design talents and attend SCAD? Did you start as an accessories major? Growing up I always looked up to my sister. My parents are both artistically talented, even though they don’t necessarily pursue that side, but my sister was always very active in the arts. I think my first real consideration of art came from seeing and watching her enjoy it so much. Then as time progressed I just realized I had a knack for drawing and an eye for color and proportions and such. I decided on accessory because I’ve always loved fashion but am not very much interested in working with fabrics and designing clothing, I am, as many girls are, just naturally drawn to shoes and handbags. So from there decided I would look at schools that offered accessory design and SCAD was a perfect fit. Where do you generally find your inspiration? I find inspiration in a lot of ways, but recently I have been finding most of my inspiration by looking to other artists. Architecture, painting, photography and fibers artists are all very interesting to research. I also love to just play around with different surface applications and material manipulations. I think really strong designs come out of just playing around with materials you like and letting them have their moment and speak for themselves.
In regards to your senior collection, what is required at SCAD? For accessory our senior collection is a 10 piece collection of accessories. We then take those 10 designs and narrow them down to 8 that will actually be produced. Okay now that we are talking about your senior collection, where did your inspiration come from? It is always interesting to hear about the all encompassing process of design. My inspiration came from my family, as cliche as that may come off. I had been looking through family photos from the 40s and 50s with my grandparents over the summer and was really drawn to the idea of creating modern takes on vintage classics. My collection uses the photosensitive process of cyanotype to transfer my favorite family photos onto my leather for each design. In a way it has given me the opportunity to feel more deeply connected to my family by enabling me to share in the memories that have shaped them and therefore shaped me. I’ve used the images as both a focus and as an abstract pattern to comment on the nature of memories, some poignant and some fleeting. In addiction, I have hand embroidered parts of each design and used olive wood to make heels for my shoes, a representation of the more hands-on, hand-crafted nature of the past. How long does each piece take you from start to finish? The amount of time a piece takes can really vary from piece to piece. I’d say for some of my smallest pieces anywhere from 24 to 36 hours and for some of my shoes they can take about a week or so to make because of the prototyping, cyanotype process, woodworking and sewing involved. What has been the biggest struggle during your senior collection? Time management is definitely the biggest struggle and waste. Because of the process of cyanotype, which I had been doing in the sun for most of my pieces, I had to be very careful with watching the weather and my time and when I would be able to get the leather properly printed. I also had to get very good and gauging whether or not the sun would be strong enough, which resulted in a lot of ruined test pieces of leather.
I see that you have done cyanotypes of family photographs, how is it to print on leather? Printing on leather can be pretty complicated. I have the cyanotype process down to a science at this point, but I went through a long trial period of trying to figure out what the best way would be for me to print on my leather. I tried silk-screening and a product called lumi as well, but found cyanotyping achieved what I wanted best. Do you prefer to make footwear or handbags? That's a toss up for me. I would say I definitely love designing footwear more, because of the fluidity and nature of the shape of the foot, but I still really love to make handbags and sketch handbags as well. It's hard to say because a shoe may be a better platform for one process or material, while a handbag can work better for another. Have you interned during your time at SCAD? Where? What was your most valuable takeaway from the experience? I interned over the summer of my junior year at a company called Fleabags in Williamsburg, Brooklyn. The owner, Shira Entis, actually attended SCAD and created the company with her friend Alex Bell as a Made in America brand of handbags. Shira really took me under her wing and showed me the ropes of owning a small brand and doing everything pretty much yourself. I'd say my biggest take away from that experience was just learning that starting your own brand, although difficult, is definitely achievable. Do you have a goal in your career in design? My goal would definitely be to one day open up my own label. What would be your dream company to design for? Ask anybody and they will tell you, I can't stop talking about how much I would love to work for Rachel Comey.
CHRISTIAN MAGBY I’M GOING TO MAKE YOU LEARN SOMETHING
Pursuing a career in performing arts can lead you down many paths. The possibilities are endless and range from dance to music to opera to even film. However, for Christian Magby, his path is leading him to theatre. Christian is a junior performing arts major at the Savannah College of Art and Design, and in about one week he will be playing the lead role of Coalhouse Walker in the musical production Ragtime. Having been immersed in theatre while growing up, Christian has experienced almost every form, job, or role that theatre has to offer. He has performed, directed, composed, stage managed, and even written his own shows. From working with several theatre companies to landing a leading role in SCAD’s spring quarter production, Christian has experienced the ups and downs of what it’s like to pursue a degree in performing arts. With his ever-growing array of knowledge, Christian has let us in on a glimpse of what it’s like to literally put himself into someone else’s shoes. When did you know you first wanted to pursue a career in performing arts? My first inkling that this is something I might consider was when I saw The Lion King for the first time on stage. I saw it in L.A. and it was the Broadway show that was going on tour and it was just different because I was expecting to see people dressed up in the mascots go across the stage. When I saw that you could actually see the person in the animal, I think to me that was like, “Oh, people do this for a living! This could be a thing!” I was eight when I saw this and I had done performing way before I turned eight, but seeing that show was what told me this is what I want to do.
Written by Jenn Campbell __ Photographed by Shayna Colvin __
What performing arts experience did you have before coming to SCAD? Before coming to SCAD I had an agent, I was with J Pervis Talent Agency. Prior coming to SCAD I started with a theater company called the Youth Ensemble of Atlanta and I had started there when I was eleven. When I turned seventeen I became one of their music directors. To this day I’m still one of their music directors, composers, and one of the main people they use for all their music. I did a lot of directing when I was sixteen and seventeen. When I was sixteen I created my very first show that I’ve ever produced, directed, and wrote, it was called Love Does Cost a Thing. We did it three times. It took forever to get it off the ground but by the third time we were able to put it at a theater, and it sold out. It was great! When I was in high school I had directed Annie my junior year and Beauty and the Beast my senior year. That was nice because I was able to work with someone else’s budget and not my own, it was great. What’s the most valuable thing you’ve learned throughout your time at SCAD? Time management has probably been the most important thing. That and it’s not only knowing how to balance your schedule but also being able to make sure that you can eat and sleep during your schedule. Especially when you’re performing, if you don’t have the right amount of food or sleep then you’ll just be messed up before you go on stage, which has happened. I’m one of the few people who actually eats a full meal before hitting the stage. I will eat an entire meal and make sure I’m full before going on stage because my energy burns so quickly that I have to stay full and stay hydrated. Another thing I’ve learned here is just a sense of professionalism, which is something you don’t get at many schools. And just being able to get a good balance between film, theater, and behind the scenes work, because there are not that many schools that do that
either. For example, the set designer for the show we’re working on now, Ragtime, is a senior at SCAD. And the set is amazing, so it’s nice to be able to work with people who are just as dedicated and as passionate as you are. What has been your favorite show to be a part of or role to play while at SCAD? I have to say, until Ragtime, my favorite show that I did at SCAD was probably my first show, which was Urinetown. I did that my freshman year and there were only four freshman in the show. It opened up another door because I’ve been with some theater companies, but here it was nice to work with people who were older than you. I was eighteen and I think others in the cast were around forty, and it was a huge gap. But it was nice being able to work with people because you can see what you can and cannot put up with. You didn’t work with people who came in and bullshitted their lines. No, they went home and did their homework. One thing I’ve always learned is that you’ve always got to be ahead of the game, because there’s always somebody who’s ready to snatch up your part. I also did A Midsummer Night’s Dream here and did not have any lines, but I loved doing the show. For some reason there were people who had multiple lines who were always pages ahead of me, and I was like, “How do you already know your lines when we haven’t even gotten to that scene?” It was because their mindset was different; it wasn’t just “I’ll wait till we get here.” So when it came to Ragtime, I was going to make sure I was ahead of the game. I’ve been studying this part since I found out we were doing the show this time last year. I wanted to make sure that I went about this in the right way and knew everything about the show and about this character. Ever since I got the part I’ve been reading the novels and doing the research, which is a lot of work, because it’s not just a musical, it’s real people and situations that actually took place in the 1900’s. And unfortunately a lot of the stuff that took place then is still taking place now.
How long does it typically take you to memorize your lines? How much prep-time do you have? Well, how a lot of directors here work is you block a scene, you have your script, and then the next day when you run it your script is gone and it just keeps moving forward. You can call for line if you forget it but don’t have the book in your hand; your character can’t really develop until that script is out of your hand. It’s a crutch, so it’s nice when you finally get rid of those scripts. For example, most of us have been off book since the second week of rehearsals. Everything here is super quick and it’s nice because they’re preparing you for the business. We had four official music rehearsals that were about four hours each. This show is really just music and we had to make sure that, for one, you know a little about the show before coming in and that you don’t listen to the soundtrack beforehand. What you don’t want to do is develop an idea of what you think the score
is, because you may think you know what the score is, but what the composer actually wrote and intended for it to be like may be completely different than the soundtrack. Really there isn’t a lot of prep-time and in total we would have rehearsed six weeks before the show goes up; it’s day in and day out of rehearsing. What is your process for when you’re preparing for a role? Well one thing that I definitely tried today was to not really talk to anybody in between the acts. With the events that happen in the first act, it really plays a role in how I feel in the second act. You’ve really got to keep that discomfort and tension during intermission for the second act, so that’s one thing I’ve been trying to do - to just block people off because intermission is a time where you can continue to develop a character. I also don’t drink anything but water because everything impairs your voice. That’s your instrument; it really is all you have.
What’s your favorite part about theater? Theater, for me, is a chance to be able to inspire someone’s life and to be able to get his or her reaction. It’s a chance for me to actually intimately touch you and a chance for us to actually be on the same page and to be connected. There’s just something about a live experience and being able to evoke that emotion out of people. Just being able to do it over and over while finding new ways to keep it fresh and ways to reinvent your energy, because the more you do it, the more you really find out about the character. What are your career aspirations for the future? You know a lot of people have aspirations of going to Broadway or L.A., which I would love to get to, but one thing I’ve always just wanted to do was work. That’s why I make sure I know how to do multiple things besides performing. I love performing, but it’s one of the hardest jobs in the world to get because there are thousands of people who can do that same thing. I also like music directing, composing, orchestrating, directing, and stagemanaging. I love to stage-manage; it’s a hard-ass job but I love it. I just like to be anywhere I can be involved in entertainment in general. It doesn’t have to be a huge paying job. I’d prefer it to be, but as long as I am able to work and I know that my work is affecting someone. I also love to work with kids, it’s something I’ve realized I’m very good at. I believe in telling kids how great they are but you also have to let them know you’re not there yet.
So talking a little bit more about Ragtime, what is it like to play the role of Coalhouse Walker? At first it was very intimidating. The role itself is very intimidating because an older male usually has the role. Most of the roles I’ve played were always comedic. I’ve always done things that were going to make people laugh. I’ve never really had a serious role, so playing Coalhouse has actually given me a more realistic approach in acting. And for shows in the past, I’ve always made you laugh and made you enjoy yourself but for this show I’m really going to make you learn something. I think it’s one of the first times I’ve actually learned something from a character. What’s your preference between the two? Do you like more of the comedic side or the more serious? That’s a tough one. I guess I’ll know after the show goes up because I’ll know people’s responses. I’ve always gotten great responses from doing comedic roles, so I’ve never quite gotten a response from a drama yet. One of the professors here who is in the show said to me today, “You know, when I first heard you got the part I didn’t think you could do it. And then just watching you grow into this role has proved me extremely wrong. You’re doing such an incredible job.” And I was just like, “Ah thanks!” because sometimes I doubted that I could do it. Because we’re in a college environment it’s given us the chance to do these types of things and be able to work with it.
EXPECT THE BEST.
THEIR TIME. OUR TIME. RAGTIME.
What can we expect when we go to see Ragtime? First of all, the show is huge. There are 45 people in our cast, which is by far the biggest cast I’ve been in here. We have a huge orchestra, the set is huge, we have hundreds of costumes - it’s a big show. One of the slogans that was going around during the time of the show was, “Their time. Our time. Ragtime.” It’s really showing how visible their stories were in this time period. Are you going to enjoy yourself ? Yes, but in a different way because every time we do a run or finish an act I feel inspired and I feel empowered. Going into the show you’re going to have… emotion. I think that’s the one thing you’re going to leave with when you see Ragtime. You always want to see what happens next because it’s so real. It’s one of the first pieces I’ve done anywhere that’s a real piece. Of course with any character you go about you want to make sure they’re real. These are real people. It’s definitely inspired by a true story. Expect the best. Their time. Our time. Ragtime.
KENNETH M U R R AY PRINTING THE BALANCE BETWEEN BOLD AND S E N S UA L .
Written by Jenn Campbell __ Photographed by Shayna Colvin __
Printmaking is created at the intersection of fine art and design technology. It merges the historical and contemporary theories in order to create visually compelling works of art. For Kenneth Murray, printmaking grants him the freedom to learn. From engraving, and etching to mono-prints and screen-printing, there’s a vast world of printmaking ready to be explored. These forms allow artists, such as Kenneth, to create extremely detailed representational prints to abstract non-objective prints. Kenneth attends SCAD where he majors in the field of printmaking. After dabbling in disciplines such as Animation and Illustration, Kenneth soon found his love for the freedom printmaking allows. The beauty of printmaking is that you are able to gather inspiration from real world encounters and translate them into unique prints. Not only does this allow for more original work, but it also grants the artist that sense of freedom, which Kenneth was so drawn to. With an eye for detail, Kenneth has allowed us in on a glimpse of what it’s like to translate a vision into an actual print.
Tell me a little bit about yourself... where you’re from? Hobbies? I was born in Littleton, Colorado, but I only lived there for 8 months… I spent the entirety of my childhood and teenage years in the suburbs of Charlotte, North Carolina. I grew up in a neighborhood of kids my age fortunately; the development was fairly new and it seemed like all of the parents who moved in had kids around the same time. Almost every house had a kid or two plus or minus two/three years your age so it was a great way to grow up. I say that because the suburban lifestyle didn’t offer much else to do other than to use your surroundings and your imagination as much as you possibly could, so throughout my childhood I developed a lot of hobbies that have lasted throughout my whole life. I would say skateboarding/ long boarding (if the terrain permits - Savannah isn’t really an ideal place to long board), throwing a Frisbee, playing guitar and riding bikes are some of the hobbies that I love doing the most. When did you first know you wanted to pursue a career in printmaking/illustrating? I came to SCAD wanting to study animation originally; I was always fascinated with the work that went behind the production of an animated film or TV show. I loved the idea of doing concept and background design but I felt really apprehensive about having to go through the intensity of the animation program without really wanting to do “animation” itself. It was a chance encounter in a way where one night I was walking back to the freshman dorms with a buddy of mine from Arnold Hall. While walking down Bull Street my friend pointed out the old Illustration building to me (what is now the Fashion Marketing building -
Morris Hall). I had never even seen it before and I was really captivated by the antiquated architecture of the building and the location. We walked in and ended up talking to a teacher who convinced me to take an illustration class. I changed my major pretty soon after that. Eventually, several things would degrade my interest in illustration as I saw the field dying in the real world as a commercial medium and I felt myself not learning anything but just getting by project after project. All the while I was taking printmaking classes and finding myself more and more intertwined in the printmaking community - as well as feeling more at home in Alexander Hall than I did the new building for illustration, Haymans Hall. So, I changed my major fall quarter of my junior year to Printmaking as I saw opportunities opening up for myself in that field. I also simply felt more connected with the fine art of printmaking and the physicality of the practice. Where do you gather inspiration from? As of recently, I have gathered inspiration from my general education classes and a body of work one of my teachers has created. I have found a lot of interest in 20th century art history as I learned about it last quarter. That exposure to the artwork, ideas, and concepts fueled a lot of my love and respect for abstract/non-objective artwork. That class, along with a certain reverence I’ve developed for my teacher’s work, has led me to the prints that I have created in the past few months. One thing I don’t do is search randomly for inspiration on Google or websites like Pinterest. I prefer to be inspired by things I experience first-hand in life because the work I create from that tends to be more original.
What is your process for creating a new print and how long does it typically take? The process for creating a new print is really dependent on the medium you are talking about. As far as my etchings, the abstract ones, there is a host of different things I choose to do to texture the copper plate in a non-objective design. Copper-plate printing uses the intaglio method of inking, which means the pressing down of ink into the recessed surfaces that have been created from etching the copper and the removal of excess ink from the surface of the copper. I am primarily a mono-printer, meaning each of my prints is a non-repeatable image; only one exists of each print despite the fact that I used the same piece of copper to make it. I achieve this by applying up to around 5 to 7 different colors to the copper and mixing and blending them together in different ways to create a different image each time. The inks we use are oil based so they blend together really well and create beautiful colors in the process of blending. Essentially, my process is choosing where to remove or mix the ink together, and how much ink to leave on the surface. A lot of my abstract prints are about the design I have created. Each print can take up to an hour to create because they are all treated more like individual paintings. What is your favorite thing about printmaking? My favorite thing about printmaking is the freedom it grants me to learn. I love learning new things and taking in as much as I possibly can. Printmaking tends to be fairly complex and finicky depending on what you’re doing, so it really proves as a major challenge for me mentally, which is something that I enjoy a lot. Who are your favorite print makers/illustrators and why? I can’t say that I have a favorite illustrator, but I think someone’s work who really inspires me is a printmaker by the name of Kathryn Polk. She is a lithographer who creates tarot card/folk art-like imagery that I think is very beautiful (along with a unique color palette). She inspires me because of some of the similarities I have seen in my own work in comparison to hers (many of the similarities goes back to work I created as an illustrator). There are elements that we share in common that cause me to feel some faint form of connection between our two styles. I also was very inspired by how she used her style in an extremely
commercial way. I attended a printmaking conference and got to meet her after having been familiar with her work on Instagram. There was a frenzy at her table during an open portfolio event at the conference. People were a few seconds away from fighting over her prints as she was selling them. Much of the work she sells is small and is priced at 15 or 20 dollars - which is rare for someone who is well known in the printmaking community. The fine art of printmaking forces artists to value their work at high prices that remove the everyday person from their list of potential buyers. Fortunately for Kathryn Polk, lithography promotes an ease in printing that can allow a printer to create many prints in a small amount of time - much of the reason why she can reduce the price of her smaller works. Ever since that conference, I have followed her work and methodology very closely. Can you tell me a bit about your work you’ve done here at SCAD? Concept behind them? Your more detailed prints versus your abstract ones? The detailed prints, or “representational” work I’ve done was just stemming from my love for drawing people. One of the greatest challenges about printmaking classes is the fact that you aren’t given topics or subjects to generate ideas from; each project and what you choose to do is entirely up to you. The people or things that I have drawn for the most part were just doodles that I had in sketchbooks or on loose pieces of paper that I saved because I thought it would work as a print. I wouldn’t really say there is any concept behind those works. I created them mostly for their aesthetic value. The abstract work I have created is really about color and design. As I have said, I’ve referenced my teacher in the creation of those prints and I have also used J.W.M Turner as a form of inspiration as well. I think many of the abstract prints I created are reminiscent of his work. There isn’t a “concept” behind my non-objective work, but there is this idea of fire and energy that I was fascinated with for a while. Some of the first abstract prints I created could be interpreted as abstracted landscapes (again, similar to Turner’s work) - but I wouldn’t ever describe my work as that explicitly. Much of it was, again, just about color mixing and design. Currently I am focusing on creating prints centered on color fields and how that ties into emotion. The prints I am making now are a little bit more ambient than the first ones I created.
What is your favorite form of printmaking? My favorite form of printmaking is etching. It is a really beautiful medium that offers just the right amount of freedoms and restrictions to the artist. I think it is the most similar to painting and allows me to explore painterly techniques and imagery without having to buy canvas or oil paints. And even in general, not considering mono prints, etching creates a very unique print that is both bold and sensual at the same time. What are your career aspirations for the future? I think my career aspirations lean towards teaching. I have always loved to teach and show people how to do things and I get a natural satisfaction from doing that. So as of now I think I would love to teach printmaking, drawing, life drawing or whatever is available to me and keep myself as close to the learning environment as I can. I think it would also be a great way to facilitate a fine art career and freelance opportunities without having to worry about income on such a regular basis.
NĂ?KKI KAIA LEE
A COMPREHENSIVE SENSORY EXPERIENCE: fibers, gang violence, sound data Written by Rachel Johnson __ Photographed by Shayna Colvin __
Where are you originally from and what brought you to SCAD? I was born in Switzerland, but my mom and I moved to Savannah when I was young because she got a job teaching architecture at SCAD. Although I originally planned on going to school in New York, SCAD’s incredible facilities and opportunities for inter-disciplinary collaboration kept me here. What is your major and what made you choose that specifically? I am double majoring in Fashion Design and Fibers. When we first moved to the U.S., my mom didn’t have enough money to buy me typical children’s toys, so instead she bought bolts of fabric; some of my earliest memories involve playing with fabric, watching the way it moved and how light would hit it. From that point on, I was hooked, forever fascinated by the tactile and sensory qualities that fabric can invoke. In all honesty, I couldn’t decide which I loved more, fashion or fibers, so to save myself from the decision process I decided to do both. What I find so fascinating about fashion is its sculptural component, and having the ability to design and create my own fabric for my designs is such a fulfilling and enriching process.
What is your major and what made you choose that specifically? I am double majoring in Fashion Design and Fibers. When we first moved to the U.S., my mom didn’t have enough money to buy me typical children’s toys, so instead she bought bolts of fabric; some of my earliest memories involve playing with fabric, watching the way it moved and how light would hit it. From that point on, I was hooked, forever fascinated by the tactile and sensory qualities that fabric can invoke. In all honesty, I couldn’t decide which I loved more, fashion or fibers, so to save myself from the decision process I decided to do both. What I find so fascinating about fashion is its sculptural component, and having the ability to design and create my own fabric for my designs is such a fulfilling and enriching process.
I love your fibers work, what inspired your work this past quarter? Throughout the past year, I investigated abstract themes to design series. For instance, in fall quarter I was fascinated with the notion of gang violence, particularly the cultural symbols and destructive effects it manifests. Using scanned images of broken glass and other detritus, I rebuilt traditional bandana (a typical gang association) patterns using these evocative elements. I also did a series showcasing various criminals of gun violence within the area; I laser engraved images of criminal mug shots into Plexiglas, which were then broken down and abstracted through laser cut patterns drawn from audio recordings of gunshots. This led into further explorations integrating sound and fibers, which I am currently working on with my best friend Luciano Flor Vacondio, a SCAD sound student. In this series, Luciano writes songs using digital music production programs, and then I translate that sound data into textile applications, including weavings and prints.
“I was fascinated with the notion of gang violence, particularly the cultural symbols and destructive effects it manifests.�
What is your favorite fibers process? And can you tell me a little bit about how it is done? I can’t choose which fibers process is my favorite, as they all can be applied to any application. However, I would have to say that weaving is my favorite process, as it is intriguing on both a conceptual and aesthetic basis. Weaving is a process that uses two separate components to form basic textile structure, the warp and weft. Through their interaction, they form a fabric. I saw that you have done some 3D printing with fibers structures, where do you see that going in the future? Did you enjoy the process or do you prefer a hands-on approach? I believe that we have only begun to scratch the surface on the impact that 3D printing could have on the fibers industry. Now that there are flexible and softer alternatives to the typical hard filament, 3D printing will move in a direction that could truly revolutionize the way that we produce textiles and garments. I think there’s a slight misconception about working digitally and the idea of a “hands on approach;” although working in this manner doesn’t directly involved handwork, you still have to think in physical space in order to create these digital structures. It’s so difficult to explain, but when working in 3D modeling, you still feel that you are a part of that physical space, but in a physical space that you can control yourself.
What has changed most about your work over your time here at SCAD, and what is the most valuable skill you’ve learned? My work has gotten much more conceptual and complex as I have progressed at SCAD, due to my exposure in different media, disciplines and ideas. Perhaps most the most notable progression in my work was when I began to work in an interdisciplinary manner. During my time at SCAD, I have collaborated with architects, industrial designers, ceramicists and sound designers. Through these interactions, I have been exposed to new ways of thinking and producing work. Now in generating concepts, I seek to express my ideas through not only sight, but through sound, touch, and so forth. This enriches my ideation process and final product enormously as it gives my work full form and dimension. I know you are also interested in fashion, what would be your dream career path? As I have developed my own particular way of working, my dream career path would definitely involved interdisciplinary interactions. Eventually, I would like to start my own company that focused on collaborating with other designers and artists to enrich my fashion collections. Ideally, I would be responsible for developing fabrics that would then be produced into small collections. I hope to maintain an artistic touch in my design work as I enter the industry, bringing together fine art and design into one seamless product.
“MY EARLIEST MEMORIES INVOLVE PLAYING WITH FABRIC, WATCHING THE WAY IT MOVED AND HOW LIGHT WOULD HIT IT.”
PROJECTED PLEXI CHARLOTTE WALTERS
Photographed by Ariel Chang __
H O P E A K I N you can’t play sports in that Wr i t t e n by Vi c t o r i a S t ro n g ____ Photographed by Paris Mumpower ____
“Moral of the story – travel– pay attention to textiles and look outside of fashion for inspiration if you want to be innovative in your creative life–– .” You take a look at her designs and you wonder if she actually likes color. Don’t worry, she doesn’t see the world in black and white, she just designs in it. Actually, she’s a huge fan of dreamy colors – think cotton candy pink, the sky on a blue day. Hope Akin is a senior Fashion Design student here at Savannah College of Art and Design. You can’t really say where she’s from; she’s from all over. Born and raised on the east coast, she jetted off with her family to Singapore for the last seven years of her grade school life, finding her love for Asian culture and city life. Here’s where the story really starts, since simple Asian design has inspired here all the way back to the states when creating her fashion designs. This influence is very subtle; it’s in the oversized. There is a very sporty vibe when looking at her clothing, but that’s mainly due to the materials she uses. Hope is a tactile person; so she is drawn to textures, especially mesh. In her collections, she explores various types of mesh, suede and other textured fabrics in various silhouettes. It’s funny how you can look at her collections and see the activewear influence, but you can’t actually play any sports in her clothing. When it comes to her go-to place for inspiration, she looks to fine art and textile art. I asked her what designers she looks to, and she said she doesn’t. “Designers are great to look at for trend direction, but the clothing is usually too sellable and it can lead to you subconsciously copying the design. I look to art, especially 20th century artists, because you can draw inspiration for new designs. Once you see a designer’s collection, certain silhouettes and details can become embedded and you may design with those in mind without realizing.” Moral of the story – travel, pay attention to textiles and look outside of fashion for inspiration if you want to be innovative in your creative life.
CHROMA
l ‘ k r ō m əl
noun purity or intensity of color.
Photographed by Mallory Olivia Prevatt __
ZACH PRENGLER When The Actor Becomes the Director
Wr i t t e n by Ye j i d e O f f o r d ____
Photographed by Ethan Sellars ____
We all had that moment when we wanted to be doctors, superheroes, the President, and of course superstars. Well, for Zachary Prengler, it was during his adolescent time when he began exploring the world of cinema entertainment. As a high school sophomore, it was then that Zachary began shifting away from acting and more towards creating the stories. Beginning with writing, he eventually moved towards directing his own pieces. He started working on short films and has since been a part of major motion pictures. It was because of this switch into writing and directing his own films that he made the decision to attend Savannah College of Art & Design to further study the world of film.
When talking about the past three years of his college career, Zachary has worked on The SpongeBob Movie: Sponge Out of Water and Jurassic World, which just happen to be his best experiences. These experiences are what gave him fuel to work in the film industry and inspiration for future projects. So keep your eyes peeled to the credits, you never know you might see Zachary Prengler as the director.
When did you know film is what you were dedicated to? When I was a sophomore in high school, my love for acting soon changed to wanting to write. I got the idea to direct what I wanted to write and realized this is what I want to do forever. I acted on that idea immediately and worked on short films until college. Now in my 3rd year I’ve come to the conclusion that directing and producing will be my ultimate goal and inevitable future. After working on some well-known movies in the past 2-3 years which one was the best experience? The best experience I had was working on Jurassic World. It is quite different than anything I’ve ever worked on and the people were very helpful in teaching me the ways of being a production assistant. During Jurassic World I handled all the walkies; there were 400 of them total and I had to keep count of where each went. The overall experience has influenced my future projects and giving me inspiration to work in the film industry. Would you ever want to eventually produce or direct your own projects in the near future? Definitely. That is my ultimate goal. Right now I am producing a few projects with SCAD students; I have two projects in the works for the next few years aside from school. I think ultimately I will become a director, but right now producing is the path that I want to take on during my student career. It’s inevitable that I will be a part of the film industry in some way. This is my goal and I won’t stop until I achieve what I set out to get.
TAY L O R C H I L D S A.K.A. TMoney
Wr i t t e n by Ariel Chang ____
Photographed by A i d a n To o h e y ____
Greetings! So first off, what inspired you to pursue motion media as a career? Greetings! Originally I came to SCAD for Interior Design. I have a cousin in the field and she got me interested in it, especially since I’ve always enjoyed home decorating ever since I was younger. I was always changing my bed covers, decorating, and constantly rearranging my room. Since the Interior Design program at SCAD is number one in the country I decided to transfer to Savannah from my in-state school, the University of New Hampshire. But when I got to SCAD I realized I wasn’t that passionate about it when I found out they had five hour-long studio classes. I was like, “I don’t want to sit in class everyday and do this for 5 hours!”. So then I tried out a few different majors, I took Advertising classes, Fashion Marketing and Management as well as some Business classes. Nothing was really shouting out to me until I was in one of my Fashion Marketing classes and met Professor Oscar Betancur, who is a Motion Graphics Designer. I was telling him how I was interested in Advertising but I wouldn’t be happy just making stillframes. So he showed me examples of different motion graphics work as well as his own portfolio which got me really excited and totally switched my interests! He inspired me to switch my major to Motion Media and once I started taking some classes I was even more excited because there’s so much variety in the field. You can go into storyboarding, advertising, and even graphic design, but also have the option to put it all in motion by animating or live action videos. Discovering this field of design was game changing for me and took me one step further from just advertising.
You mentioned that you were previously attending the University of New Hampshire before coming to SCAD. What made you want to leave? It’s actually really interesting because while I was there I was leaning towards whether I should stay and study psychology or leave and pursue something else. As I left and came to SCAD, I realized how much art and psychology influences each other. With psychology you study the human mind and how people interact with their surroundings, and with design you need to know how people will react or relate to your work. So I think it’s subliminal coming into art school because I wanted to do something that still involved interacting with people but in a different medium. And in the back of my mind, design was always going to be a part of my life but I just didn’t know how yet. So once I came to SCAD I was able to find a way to combine design and psychology through different platforms like advertising, graphic design, and motion media. Through these platforms I found that there’s a power to influence and interact with people with design and have the ability to relate with them through your work. Rather than studying the human mind and becoming a psychologist helping people with their problems, I’m studying them through a different medium and trying to connect with their emotions through my work.
How would you describe your design aesthetic? My aesthetic really varies per project, but right now as I’m putting my demo reel together I’ve noticed a lot of hand drawn and illustrated pieces, which is what I enjoy doing the most. So as of now I think my aesthetic is really leaning towards that style of design. Recently I’ve also been looking into hand drawn typography and painted animations, which is a hobby I haven’t had time to devote to lately but would love to incorporate into my designs. I really enjoy the tactile aspect of design rather than computer generated animations, which is why I tend to stay away from vector graphics. I feel it’s a lot more personable and interesting when an animation is hand drawn. Vector graphics are so popular nowadays and seen everywhere in design, so I wanted to try something different that would capture people’s attention. It’s also very time consuming and a lot more work than just vector graphics. After completing a frame-by-frame animation, which requires you to draw out every single frame, I get a sense of fulfillment because it takes a lot of time to complete. When I told my class I was going to do my senior project using frame-by-frame animation everyone told me I was crazy. But I said why not and was even more excited about the challenge wanting to prove to everyone that I could do it. Whenever I see a motion graphics animation done in frame-by-frame, I’m always amazed at how much work is put into it and how interesting the end product is. So now that you’ve talked about your aesthetic, explain your design process and how you work from start to finish. Just like my aesthetic, my design process really varies depending on the type of project and what it’s for. But generally I’ll begin by doing some inspiration work and create mood boards, make mind maps, word lists, and free write to brainstorm ideas for a concept. In some cases I’ll do case studies of what other people have done, then I’ll create style frames which are stills of the aesthetic you want, and then finally I’ll start the process of designing and animating the concept.
For example in my Brand Packaging class, one of my projects required creating logo resolves for different television networks. I chose to do Spike TV, the History Channel, and E! Network. The process for this type of project requires looking at the company’s current branding, trying to figure out what is or isn’t working, and how I can make it better. I’m actually really proud of the one I did for Spike TV! I feel like I really captured the essence of the brand in such a short animation. What are you working on currently? Any big projects? Right now I’m working on my senior project, which is going to be a minute long animation starting out as a frame-by-frame and finishing with cell-animation. It’s basically a story about my transition into Savannah from my hometown in New Hampshire, and how unhappy I was and almost depressed being in a bigger, unfamiliar city. It was such a dramatic change coming from such a small town and always being surrounded by nature, to having to adapt to a bigger city. I felt very alone and like a zombie, not attempting to take in the city and my surroundings because I didn’t like being here. But then I slowly grew out of my comfort zone and started accepting the city as my home. So in the animation, there’s a character walking down the street in a gloomy mood with their hood over their head and their head down ignoring the world around them. These scenes will be monochromatic in black and white to evoke a depressing mood and drawn sketch-like. The character will continue walking until they come across a colorful tree graffitied on the side of a building and walk into it kind of like a portal to a fantasy dream. The tree is a nostalgic symbol of my hometown and the portal represents delving into the deepest parts of my imagination where all my fears are starting to fade away. Afterwards, the character comes back out of the drawing and discovers a new part of themself that they didn’t realize was there before, with a colorful soul ready to take on the world and what lays ahead of them. This transition of personalities is supposed to show that no matter what situation you’re in, you can always find the good in things and can’t just give up.
I would like to work at a company that isn’t extremely corporate or serious and don’t want to work for a company that is mainly rooted in branding. I’m not really sure yet though. I mean right now I’m looking for anything I can get, but ideally I’d like to work for a company that creates tactile work like stop motion, frame-by-frame, hand typography, calligraphy, or anything that has to do with storytelling, so we’ll see. I couldn’t tell you where I want to be in five years honestly. That’s a hard question. I want to be on a beach in the Turks and Caicos sippin’ on Piña Coladas! Wouldn’t we all! So are any of your family members in artistic fields that may have influenced you to pursue a career in the arts? Well first of all, I’m the youngest of seven so there’s that, and none of my older siblings are in the arts really. Most of them work in politics and one of my sisters is a dentist who actually originally went to school for painting in New Hampshire. Then she realized she didn’t want to do anything in fine art because she didn’t see a big future in it for herself. She’s really the only one of my siblings that did anything remotely artistic and actually introduced me to painting when I was younger. Otherwise, I’m the only one in my family that’s in an artistic field. A big part of my creativity though has been growing up in such a big family and trying to stand out in order to get any attention. I’ve always needed to stand out since I was younger and being the youngest of seven, with the oldest being 38 years old, there’s a lot to live up to. I grew up with a huge, loud personality spazzing around all the time, and I think growing up in my family has had a big influence on my creativity. It pushed me to be an individual and stand out amongst a crowd and taught me to push my creativity and myself. So yeah, I have to give my family some credit for my creativity. (After the interview…) Is that it? Can we talk about Mustachio my cat? She’s sitting over there being pissed cause she’s not being interviewed... but she’s chill. She likes to lay on my face while I animate. And she gets jealous of my computer because I spend so much time on it. THAT IS ALL. THANKS FOLKS. COME BYACK NEXT YEAR!
FLAUNT The Next Chapter
Our feelings now are confusion, excitement and fear. What do we do now? Where will life take us? After living in Savannah, GA for several years, we’ve gotten used to this way of life. Walking to Forsyth Park on a sunny day. Grabbing coffee with friends at local coffee shops. Driving around the squares and knowing which drivers are local and which are tourists just by how they drive. We know how to live here and what it’s like having our friends in the close proximity, but what will happen next when we go off to a new place? Some people will be moving to the same city, others to different countries. Getting a “real” job is something we now worry about. We’re all moving onto the next chapter of our lives, wrapping up our time at SCAD. This city has been our home, and the next time we visit (if ever), will we recognize it? These are just some thoughts I have with graduation coming nearer. I wonder whom I’ll see again and where their lives will take them. It’ll be strange not going to Back in the Day Bakery each week for coffee with my friends. It’s dawning on me (and my friends) that this is it – we’re getting jobs and hopefully starting a career we love. It’s a weird feeling this is the last time I’m packing my bags and driving home to New York, knowing the next time I come here I’ll be a visitor, not a local. We need to let the excitement overcome the fear, seeing this as the next adventure.