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Worn Magazine is a DC-born publication intended to bring greater awareness of local fashion and art to the District and to the nation. It is our view that lives embellished with art and style are the best lived, and the magazine exists to encourage the flourishing of both in the DC community. We believe that creativity has the power to bring people together, showcasing commonality rather than difference. Through our partnerships with local artists and businesses, we strive to make DC a more art- and style-conscious city that is more accepting of various forms of personal expression.
Photo: Joshua Yospyn
TABLE OF CONTENTS
Worn Magazine is funded in part by the DC Commission on the Arts & Humanities, an agency supported in part by the National Endowment for the Arts.
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Front and back cover photography by Nicole Aguirre
WORN OUT Washingtonians bringing original style
SUPERFAN Patrick McDonough talks sports and post modern art Interview with Kenny George
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PROFILES Artists who take it one step further and defy the meaning of art
REEL JUNKIE Andrew Wodzianski takes on five D.C. film festivals
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THE REAL BACKSTREET BOYS D.C. vintage meets Blagden Alley
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WORN BLOG Our favorite blog post from the past six months
EDITOR’S LETTER The making of issue three
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MADAME BUTTERFLY Call for local designers becomes couture fashion shoot
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masthead
editor’s letter
Editor-in-Chief & Publisher Nicole Aguirre
Staff Photographers Joshua Yospyn Nicole Aguirre Photography by Dakota Fine During a brainstorming session for this issue, the Worn team came up with the idea to style a women’s photo shoot using clothing strictly from local designers. We wanted to do this for two reasons: we assumed the task would be challenging, therefore totally awesome (here at Worn if we’re not stressed, we’re bored), and we wanted to avoid the very serious mistake of assuming that D.C. designers were limited to the few most familiar names. Above all, we were hoping to be surprised, and our expectations were definitely exceeded. After we put out the call, Worn headquarters was quickly overrun by garments. Designers drove out from Annapolis, sent clothes from school design projects, and Mt. Pleasant Temporium artists contributed accessories; we were knee deep in dresses, purses, jumpsuits, jewelry, pins, gloves, and gowns. The most inspiring part about the designs, and their designers, was the highly pronounced diversity. Professionals who have been designing for years mixed with working students to create an outstanding array of classic chic to avant-garde that proved D.C. is a center for fashion talent. The ten pages of pictures in the “Madame Butterfly” story demonstrate that clothing by local designers is polished, creative, and unexpected. These pictures are representative of a cast of designers - whether they are shown in these pages or not - who are on the rise. Most importantly, we are proud to create a forum to showcase the hard work of designers and artists who are living and working in and around the District today. Special thanks to Ramar Robinson, Rachel Platner, Andrew Wodzianski, Mark Silva, Raffaella Giampaolo, The Art Museum of the Americas, The Gibson, Longview Gallery, Kushi Izakaya, Aly Ndiaye, Raymond Goulbourne, Charleston Turnley, Ruddy Harootian, Marina Grushin, Sashar Karimian, Suzan Abebe, Patrick McDonough, Kenny George, AFI Silver Theatre, Avalon Theater, West End Cinema, Katie Laibstain, Vaki Mawema, Liaa Walter, Merin Guthrie and Emma Fisher for their unending support and dedication, and to Adam de Boer who dreams with me. I would also like to thank the following designers and boutiques for their contributions to “Madame Butterfly”: Daisy Bandera-Duplantier (Lanyapi Designs), Cathy Chung (Treasury), Erin Derge & Kristen Swenson (Ginger Roots/Revamp Rewear), Nora Fischer, Aidah Fontenot (Aidah Collection), Patrice Gentile (Aliceanna), Kate Hanlan (MIJA Jewelry), Deidre Jefferies (ESPION), Jennifer Jeremias (Bored of Trade), Lacey Kalivoda (Kalivoda), Laura Lee, Joe Maluso (Brand of the Free), Sarah McLaughlin (Sarah Cecelia), June Monteiro (Everything Enamour), Kari Nye (Tanglewood), Rachel Pfeffer, Natalia Sanz, Jenny Schretter (Kolton.J), Tashia Senn, Krystal Vaquerano, Aviyah Jacobi & Clint Pierre (Rock it Again), Shannan Fales & Megan
-Nicole Aguirre, Editor-in-Chief
Copy Editor Emma Fisher
Style Editor Merin Guthrie
Design Assistant Rachel Platner
Production Assistant Ramar Robinson
Contributors Andrew Wodzianski Mark Silva
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Henri gets a ride home near 20th and P
worn out
Antwaun Sargent outside the Hirshhorn Museum
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Cecily Young near 18th and L
Rodderick Sheppard near 18th and Pennsylvania 8
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profile: katie laibstain balloon artist, reality tv star
photography by joshua yospyn 10
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profile: vaki mawema architect, lead singer, activist
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profile: liaa walter tattoo artist, badass
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MADAME
BUTTERFLY LOCAL DESIGNERS SPREAD THEIR WINGS
The District is bursting with driven and innovative design talent. From gowns to grommets, it’s all here. Who knew? We did. PHOTOGRAPHY BY NICOLE AGUIRRE STYLING BY MERIN GUTHRIE 16
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Dress Krystal Vaquerano Pearl necklace Nora Fischer Designs Suede feather earrings worn as hairpiece Tanglewood Bicycle & honeycomb rings Rachel Pfeffer Designs
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Dress Tashia Senn Brass wire bracelet Jennifer Jeremias for Bored of Trade
Dress ESPION Gloves Treasury Button CRAFTGASM
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On Marina: gown, Tashia Senn. belt, stylist’s own. brass wire bracelet, Jennifer Jeremias (Bored of Trade jewelry artist).
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Lace shell Kalivoda Pants ESPION
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Turquoise dress Natalia Sanz Collection Coral and pearl necklace Kolton. J Painted vintage handbag Elizabeth Graeber Gloves Ginger Roots Beaded handbag Laura Lee Designs
Dress ESPION Ring necklace Sara Cecelia Jewelry Pearl Cocktail Ring MIJA Jewelry Gloves Treasury
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Dress ESPION Pendent necklaces MIJA Jewelry Blouse ESPION Pearl & crystal necklace Kolton. J
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SUPERFAN patrick mcdonough Two artists chat about ping pong, playgrounds, and philosophy
interview by kenny george photography by joshua yospyn
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atrick McDonough and Kenny George work hard, play hard. Literally. Patrick’s varied repertoire involves everything from the consequences of target practice to the transformation of Flashpoint Gallery into a full-scale rec room complete with a combination foosball, ping pong table and a tribute to Coors Light. Amongst a slew of game-play inspired art, Kenny has completed the development of his own Pacman-inspired game, including an arcade table-top setup to boot, and is currently creating a fine art pogo app for the iPhone. So, what’s next? Worn Magazine asked Kenny to grill Patrick on the interplay of sports, music, beer and art - and what that all means for Patrick’s practice.
somewhere along the line, neurons line up, and you have an idea.
Kenny George: Patrick, where did you grow up?
KG: That’s interesting. Art operates in a way without those parameters. Is that what you’re getting at?
Patrick McDonough: I’m from Madison, Wisconsin, which is city a lot like DC - very liberal, hyper-educated populous, activist bent. KG: How do you think your upbringing affects the type of artwork you make? PM: You’re not surrounded by very many people interested in making contemporary art, and it gives you this self awareness that you’re participating in this anomalous behavior. At the same time, you have this Midwestern pragmatism, as in: there is this art thing and it must be useful because it continues to exist, but I’m not really sure what that use is. That is where this usability factor in our works happens. KG: Given that you grew up in a pragmatic culture and a culture that didn’t really put a lot of stock in conceptual art, how do you think you’ve found your way to conceptual art? PM: I don’t know, that’s a mystery. I’m looking at stuff and interacting in the world and existing in the world. My brain is processing all of that and
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KG: It’s tough when it’s a million dollar question, why do we do what we do? PM: That is the ultimate question, right? Why are you a musician? Or why don’t you write books? What I like about art is that it functions outside of descriptive language. What you make has a meaning, but it’s not really functioning at the language level that we normally talk and think and write in.
PM: I don’t know if it’s about parameters, but I gravitated toward it because I have this affinity for how an art object functions in a world much differently than anything else you do in the world. KG: To help people understand your work a little better, let’s address your practice. You’re more of a project based artist and your work varies greatly from one project to the next. Are there themes or concerns that unify your overarching practice? PM: I think it’s this existential thing. Art is really interesting to me because it’s so contested. People say, ‘Art is this one thing, art should have this social use-value. It should try and function outside of capitalism, it should be aesthetically pleasing objects to be sold to make money for the maker, it cannot be...’ It’s this crazy context that gets grouped under this one word. I like to look at my own compulsions and affinities and start to look at the way other people are behaving to try and figure out, for both of us, what might be happening and why this exists. So, I think, deep down my work is about these
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(Point and shoot.)
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really big themes, and because they’re so big and unwieldy, the project thing happens. I think, I’m going to try this set of things and see how that works out, see how people react. My work is super-silly postmodern, viewer completes the artwork stuff, but I can’t really start to understand it until I get feedback. KG: You mentioned that you’re responding to your viewers and making things that they can digest. Who is that audience? Or who do you aim to make work for? PM: I hope I make work that has layers that reach a lot of people. I am participating in contemporary art, so I want that audience, but I also want to problematize that audience, and say, why don’t you like sports? Or if you do, why do you like sports and art? Or say, why do you normally not touch art? What happens when you get to touch the art? I also really like the accessibility for non-art people because I think if you make work about stuff that is atypical art fodder, like Pacman -KG: And foosball -PM: And foosball, or pinball and Dan Marino and Shaquille O’Neal and beer. I like these in-betweens, and so I almost like to place the work right on an in-between for a couple of audiences. With the Flashpoint show, I had this work with sports posters, foosball, and beer, rugs and scented candles - that sits right on the line between. Art people are into non-skilled made stuff, but they don’t really like this - this is a super generalization - they don’t love normal person art, about normal, middle class upbringing stuff that’s easily identifiable. Then maybe your typical non-art viewer doesn’t love non-skill based art, but they identify with the sports and the foosball. That is a really hard line to walk, so I ultimately want it to be super accessible, but really intellectualized, simultaneously. KG: Why do you make very direct references to contemporary artists in your work that addresses a very small percentage of your viewers? PM: It’s fan behavior. I read art blogs and Artnet and ARTINFO. Some people know baseball and some people know auction results, and I’m more the latter than the former. I try and do the contemporary art reference thing in an in-between, liminal way. Take the rugs at the Flashpoint show, Aaron Curry is a defensive end for the Seattle Seahawks, but he [visual artist Aaron Curry] is also this hip LA artist, and so when you as a viewer see the name Aaron Curry, what do you think of? KG: Fan behavior is a collective experience, but it’s also a highly individualized experience. You did a piece for your thesis exhibition where you published a list of everything that was on your iPod. That’s a unique, individual experience because that is your fan experience of music, it’s one of a kind. Do you see the art references playing into that? It’s your collection of everything that you admire about music, art and sports, and it creates a sense of authorship.
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PM: And it’s this anxiety of influence. Here is this burden of 600 years of post-Renaissance art history, looming there. How do you navigate it? How do you make a thing, an object or an art thing in the face of that? It’s pretty daunting, right? I try and make something, I finish and look at it, and I think, no, that’s just this other thing that already exists. Fan behavior replaces the actual, at least in the moment. KG: Fan behavior can be less of a bi-product and more of an end result. What role does aesthetics play in all of this? PM: I don’t seem to make things very well as a general impulse, I don’t know if I get fidgety as I’m doing lots of things, or if it’s that I just don’t really like refined objects. I make a lot of stuff myself, by hand, and I’m not prone to over-engineering and over-planning as I go. If I’m going to make something, I just start it, and then deal with it as it goes on. I don’t want my art to participate in the world in this refined way because there are so many machined, consumer goods in the world. It’s important how it was made and what it is made of - that imparts meaning. That in combination with what your eyes are experiencing. I think those three parts are almost equal: how it is made, what it is made of and what the thing actually looks like. KG: When I first met you four years ago, you were doing, I don’t know if you could call them paintings, but they were constructed of as many handmade techniques as one could fit on one canvas. It was very much about custom making and crafting, which plays largely in this culture of fan or hobby. You’re validating what a lot of people do for their leisure as a form of important cultural commentary. It seems to me, a lot of what you’re doing is giving credence to all forms of culture, not just setting the parameters at visual, musical or sports, but saying it all meets at this common ground, and using the visual arts culture as a forum for conversation to happen and inviting all to participate in that. Would you talk about your upcoming show? PM: My next show is at Civilian Art Projects. It’s this music fan show. I did the iPod book, but this is a more distilled music fan show. There are going to be four pieces in the show. I’m color matching #665667 at Home Depot and then painting that on the wall. That refers to the Soundgarden songs 665 and 667, where they were poking fun at and utilizing backmasking. There have always been people saying that if you play a Beatles record backward it says, ‘We love the devil,’ or if you play Slayer records backward, they are inculcating youth with demonic sentiments. Soundgarden just messed with everybody and put, ‘We love Santa,’ on these songs. There is also a backmasked sound piece where I reversed the audio of a Bob Ross episode that is going to be available on custom record. Then, there is a bird house sculpture based on the Smart Studios building in Madison. It’s this innocuous brick building where Butch Vig mixed Sparklehorse and Nirvana and all of these seminal early 90’s records, so it’s like a music studio for birds. Then, I’m doing a tattoo piece where I’m having lyrics tattooed on my back. It will be represented in the gallery space by my will that will gift the skin to someone as yet undetermined. When I die, someone will get that skin.
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ANDREW WODZIANSKI is a
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a little question and answer, hold panel discussions. Offer the audience a
use voice-over in your work, my friends. God help you. That’s flaccid, sloppy
of not just the film’s content, but also its process.
of a character.” Because the Rosebud Festival champions the introspective,
ride that may include escapism, activism, enlightenment, and understanding
And with 68 opportunities to view cinematic collections in one area,
what is an artist with deep interest and limited budget to do?
Be selective! Consider my disparate tastes: brevity, introspection,
stewardship, investigation, and, undoubtedly the macabre. Fortunately, there is a festival for each of my fancies as well as a leader to match. And just for you, dear reader, I tracked down these arbiters of cinema, asked them for the skinny, and slathered on some fat for fun.
My adventure begins at the Gibson Guitar Room, a hidden spot in
Chinatown that is a stone’s throw from the lesser known eatery McDonald’s. It’s a Tuesday evening, and I’m taking part in a salon hosted by the DC Film
Alliance. The walls are adorned with the axes of rhythm and blues, and the
seats are filled with aspiring film talents. They are there to network. They are there to listen to DC film guru Jon Gann.
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painterly skills or as a leading agent provocateur of the DC arts/fashion scene, but, unless you’ve spent hours trolling DC’s independent film hub, E Street Cinema, you haven’t experienced Andrew’s daytime disguise - film
aficionado. When the team at Worn Magazine discovered that Washington, DC is home to 68 film festivals, we enlisted Andrew to narrow our options to five of his favorites.
I’m a painter, and I adore the medium. I love the vibrancy of lead
white, the velvet of Mars Black, and their buttery consistencies. Even at the risk of poisoning myself, I frequently consider spreading them on a piece of toast. What’s for breakfast? A piping hot cup and a slice of pumpernickel, garnished with a smear of Paynes Gray.
But paint alone does not make this painter’s affair complete. I have
an attraction to supports as well. A blank surface seduces me: stretched canvas, panel, paper, or a screen - a movie screen. While I may not paint
directly on the cinematic cornerstones, the art of film is vital to my practice. Underneath my palette, just below that polished sheet of copper, lie two
essential reference books: Painting with Light by cinematographer John Alton and Huston, We Have a Problem by cinematographer Oswald Morris.
As much as my daily studio work stands on the shoulders of
painting giants, film remains my primary influence. Alton and Morris are directors of photography who defined mid-20 century movie making. I th
watch their films repeatedly because I’m absorbed by their crafted aesthetics – low key lighting, rich blacks, stark whites, and forced perspectives.
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influences, and my love of the District. This film noir is anything but standard genre fair (no spoilers here!). Scenes of Washington by day offer
monumental exteriors and bright interiors, while the criminal underworld
provides a stark contrast - dark, cramped, angular, and dirty. T-Men presents a Gotham of unique contradictions. It shows a seat of world power and the
home of an epidemic. Old mirrors new, vibrant faces stale, the educated war against the untrained, trust fund beneficiaries spite the nouveau riche, and the list of opposites goes on. This black and white breakdown of our
city does not define the District exclusively, to be sure – a palette of grays
is a closer nod to truth. However, perception often trumps reality, and DC seems to be a polarizing place. Many may find such dichotomies oppressive,
uncaring, or maddening. This painter finds them energizing and dynamic. Now, I’ve cleaned my brushes. It’s time to leave the studio once more for expanding inspiration.
Washington, D.C. may not appear to be a hub of cinematic
happenings. It has neither the glam of LA, nor the grit of NYC, and, as we
know, movie moguls, production companies, and starlets have a tendency to bookend our nation at either locale. However, Washingtonians such as we do know a thing or two about the moving image. We know how to host a
film festival or two. Sixty-eight film festivals to be precise. A film festival is
a magical thing, it presents a bottomless reservoir of brainstorming for this
paint slinger. The festival formula may look effortless, but the execution proves difficult. Bring like-minded cinema under a common roof, and better
if the roof is historic or unique. If possible, have a license inside that will serve me beer. Add programming with articulate filmmakers, offer lectures,
overs (remember Forrest Gump?). “It’s too often used as a cheap way out or
because the writer doesn’t have faith in the audience’s intelligence. Sure, I
can think of many examples where it works well, like Goodfellas, but I can equally think of really good films that were diminished by its use, like Blade Runner – which was of course corrected in the director’s cut.”
Blade Runner? A girl close to my heart. I go in for the kill,
“Who would win in a fight between Toshiro Mifune (Yojimbo), Clint Eastwood (Fistful of Dollars), and Bruce Willis (Last Man Standing)?” She’s cautious. “I’m going to have to give it to Toshiro Mifune with Clint a close second.” I don’t have the heart to tell her - she’s wrong. Clint Eastwood would smoke Willis and Mifune. With one bullet. I state this
with certainty because I once painted this exact showdown, and it looked
very realistic. So realistic, Mr. Eastwood asked if I could develop an accompanying screenplay (currently and permanently under development).
My fantasy life is so rich that I frequently require a dose of reality.
The need for biting truth helps keep me earth-bound, it encourages me to be
storytelling. Without a clear and compelling plot, you have nothing but
next step is to seek out the leader of the largest film festival in the DC-area,
some nice images and maybe a few cool special effects. Film schools are Take, for example, T-Men, a film that weds my attraction to craft,
I’m curious about Jackie’s take on autobiographical films that rely on voice-
say sensei – for this evening’s cinema salon. Jon begins to outline the
golden ticket to film festival fame, “Craft a story. Filmmaking is visual
ou may know Andrew Wodzianski for his outstanding, exacting
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Jon Gann is, most naturally, a featured panelist – and some would
writing. Any idiot can write a voice-over narration to explain the thoughts
cranking out graduates who can use a camera or an editing package, but can’t relate their ideas to an audience. Learn to write. Learn to tell a tale. Be original. Trust your talent.”
Jon is president of the DC Film Alliance and also heads up the DC
Shorts Film Festival, whose motto I admire, “Keep it short, keep it reel.”
an informed citizen, and it makes me socially pleasant at cocktail parties. My Sky Sitney. She keeps the trains on time at Silverdocs. Silverdocs has been called “Non-Fiction Nirvana” by Variety, the “Preeminent documentary
Festival in the US” by Screen International, and the “Premiere showcase for documentary film” by Hollywood Reporter. 25,000 attendees suited up last year - calling it a big deal is an understatement.
Before I grill Sky with content related queries, it’s imperative
I’m a sucker for puns and despite the verbosity displayed in this article –
that we build context – environment is key to the cinematic experience.
driven by duration. And the only thing better than concision is constraint.
very well be the coolest movie theater ever known. It’s a state of the art
I like concision. The majority of festivals are themed, but DC Shorts is “The ability to tell a succinct and compelling story in only a few minutes shows the true genius of a filmmaker,” says Gann. Like a curator for a
group exhibit, he has a huge programming hurdle to consider. “The way we program shorts in two hour blocks with a variety of films - I call it the
tapas platter approach - allows audiences to experience a range of emotions. And the best part is that if you don’t like what’s on screen now, wait a few
minutes for something completely different.” My ever-decreasing attention span is indebted to the gifts Jon provides each year.
Accompanying Jon on the salon panel is my next victim, Jackie
Steven, leader of The Rosebud Film and Video Festival. True to my affinity
for introspection, Rosebud honors the innovative, experimental, and deeply personal. Part of what makes Rosebud a standout festival is its devotion to
geography. Only filmmakers in the District, Maryland, and Virginia may apply. During a salon break, Jackie and I discuss specifics over a Stella
And Silverdocs is held at the Silver Theater in Silver Spring, which may (house) renovation of the original 1938 theater, includes two stadium
houses, and myriad nooks and crannies. Sky shares that filmmakers
rarely fail to tell her that they have never seen their film look more pristine or beautiful than on AFI screens. I’m also a proud alum of the
AFI Screen Educators program. The unique credential allows me to stomp through the Silver on occasion like the phantom of the opera
as well as teach students the finer points of Hitchcock’s The Birds.
Silverdocs shares my love of film education. In addition to forceful
and engaging films, the festival offers a concurrent conference, which offers
panels, master classes, workshops, pitch sessions, and more. And Sky tells me
about the emerging artist fellowship program, a chance for regional colleges
and universities to bring select students, and some alumni and faculty, to attend and participate in Silverdocs in a way that benefits their future careers.
(okay, two Stellas). And by specifics, I mean I drill her on a personal favorite
the Spike Jonze film Adaptation. In the movie, a screenwriter implores his
In the Realms of the Unreal, and Rivers and Tides. I want to know what
film moment, the script writing strategy immortalized by actor Brian Cox in seminar participants to never use voice-overs, “...and God help you if you
Silverdocs also champions a genre that is close to my own heart
– the artist biopic. I return again and again to my top three: Man on Wire, documentary has influenced Sky the most. “This is a tough one. Albert &
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Andrew Wodzianski enjoying West End Cinema
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“I watch horror films like a dingo watches a baby.” David Maysles’ Grey Gardens taught me at a young age that truth is indeed
a screening at the festival? “Since we partner with so many organizations,
more engaging way than those contrived in narrative. Frederick Wiseman’s
films about the environment. We hear all the time about people becoming
stranger than fiction, and also that documentary could present characters in a films taught me about the poignancy of direct and patient observation. Errol Morris’ The Thin Blue Line taught me about the power of documentary to
actually effect change and have impact. Laura Poitras’ work takes me places I could never have imagined going,” says Sky. Poitras rocked my world with
her film, Flag Wars. A cinema verite documentary, it chronicles the conflicts
of gay white professionals moving into a black, working class neighborhood. The film was shot in Columbus, Ohio, but I can’t help but make the connection
to the District’s own divided communities. Regarding Grey Gardens, this author contends that it works as both documentary and gothic horror. The observation brings me to my next frighteningly personal confession.
I’m a severely premeditated individual. My mantra is, “Plan your work,
work your plan.” I keep a planner, and I’m terribly reliant on it. The planner
we get our films in front of so many audiences that are not used to seeing
engaged in issues they knew nothing about before attending our Festival.” Second, have any of the films motivated you to alter your behavior? “Yes! I came into this organization through my love of film, but my interest
and appreciation of the environment has skyrocketed to an unbelievable level. How can it not after seeing hundreds of wonderful, beautiful and passionate films?” Okay. Last, take it home. Do you use public transport, or do you drive an electric car? “I don’t have a car, but the recent emphasis
on and increase in electric cars is great. Walking is my thing, but I
certainly encourage the use of public transport as much as possible.” I’m embarrassed to tell Chris my notion of stewardship as karmic safeguarding,
but I feel as though he’d say, “That’s a good enough place to start as any.”
For every good step forward, my patterns always lead me
has a very important role in my life. It contains a list of people whom I would
two steps back. I return to my planner and jot down another gruesome
service I’m left without the trusted aggregator of film reviews, Metacritic.
like to have meet their demise. I’ll never act on this plan - too much evidence. Cough. Back to my story. My next interview is with a programming
director whose work betters my moral fiber, a necessary end given my
penchant for the darker side of life and its counterpart. Christopher Head is one of the leads at the Environmental Film Festival, whose platform fosters environmental awareness and action, so I can exorcise my bad
method of destruction, this time for my internet provider. With failed com I start to shake. I must see a film, but I don’t know what to see
I resort to my constant, a genre that defies all criticism, the horror film.
AFI Silver Theater, Alamo Drafthouse Cinema in Winchester, and, Curtis Prather is director of a film festival close to my dark, dark
mojo when I start to do good. My priorities for this year’s Festival are two
heart, the Spooky Movie International Film Festival. He is responsible for
from Christopher. A central topic is the lynchpin for the Environmental
a baby. Viewing selections from the genre is my very own dopamine release,
fold: watch Burning the Future: Coal in America and get some answers
Film Festival, and 2011’s theme is on the relationship between energy and
the environment. “Choosing the theme for the Festival is always a topic of much discussion and is always very carefully considered, but what’s so great about the Festival is the variety of topics covered. Even though there is a theme, only 30 or so of the films in the 2011 Festival directly related to
energy. The films we screen cover topics as diverse as water issues, the built
environment, culture and the arts,” says Christopher. The Environmental
Film Festival has more venues than any other DC film festival: The Atlas, Warner, Avalon, and Museum of Natural History to name a few. You can tour
the entire District with this one festival leading the way. The Festival screens
in 60 venues total – from the Embassy of Ecuador to the National Gallery of Art and the World Bank. “It’s a testament to the amazing community here in DC that so many organizations are interested in screening films and, in particular, films with a focus on the environment,” says Christopher.
Straddling a fear of cosmic retribution along with a sense of
individual conservancy, I decide to ask Chris three questions related to activism. First, are any organizations citing an increase in awareness after
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Andrew finally acts on his planner aggression.
without Peter Traver’s, Roger Ebert’s, or Michael O’Sullivan’s advice!
making me a poor man every fall; I watch horror films like a dingo watches though the sweet high is often mixed with the sour low of lousy filmmaking. For every good werewolf film (American Werewolf in London), there are
a dozen atrocities (Red Riding Hood). Horror films have countless sub-
genres that fade in and out of popularity. “Clearly people haven’t exhausted
The Blair Witch Project or Paranormal Activity trend of ‘found footage’ filmmaking. I think there is a conceit that these films are easy to do, but the good ones are ones that manage to have skilled people behind the camera, and convincing acting in front of it, like any great film, genre or not,” says
Curtis. To stress his point, I will admit my own loss of bodily control during a
viewing of The Blair Witch Project. Lost campers hearing phantom children laugh in the middle of the night is an effective substitute for laxatives.
Curtis continues, “Outside of that, the ‘maniac in the woods’
has become popular again, sometimes combined with found footage,
but also sometimes combined with humor or an edge, like our opening
night film last year, Tucker and Dale vs. Evil.” I’ll stress another point.
I have a cousin named Evil, though he has neither humor nor edge. Spooky Movie has screened in the top venues in the area, including the
Spooky’s headquarters, Cinema Arts Theatres in Fairfax. “They all have
given audiences the best in sight and sound, and have all been extremely
generous with the festival over the years. My first job out of college was at the AFI National Film Theatre in the Kennedy Center, so I have
tremendous fondness for the repertory cinema house. This year, however, we are doing something brand new - instead of breaking the festival up
between different venues, we have one home for the full fest - the brand new, 240-seat Artisphere Dome Theatre in Arlington. We are the only horror
film festival in the world less than one mile from the ‘Exorcist Steps.’”
Now, it’s necessary for us both that I digress. To be honest, I feel
The Exorcist has lost of lot of shine ever since Friedkin tampered with it and
released The Version You’ve Never Seen. Linda Blair is scary enough, I don’t
need to see a shoehorned clip of her spider walking into the foyer. Though, admittedly, the ‘Exorcist Steps’ (the stone steps at the end of M street in
Georgetown) are frightening. I once ran up the entire flight in a twisted parallel of Rocky at the Philadelphia Museum of Art. At the top, I contributed my own
Find out more about Andrew’s favorite film festivals at the websites listed below, and more about the artist himself at www.wodzianski.com. DC Shorts Film Festival www.dcshorts.com
Rosebud Film and Video Festival www.rosebudfestival.org Silverdocs
www.silverdocs.com The Environmental Film Festival in the Nation’s Capital www.dcenvironmentalfilmfest.org
Spooky Movie International Horror Film Festival www.spookyfilms.com
pile of split pea soup to the nearby storm drain. I guess a more appropriate
tribute would be throwing myself down the stairs. Or pushing a priest.
And the horrific steps lead to my final thoughts as well. Remember my
fondness for the confluence of craft, influence, and city in film? Final
answer for my fellow Washingtonians: T-Men, St. Elmo’s Fire, and The Exorcist. The film discussions with great regional practitioners have newly inspired me, and I’m heading back to the studio.
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the (real) backstreet boys spring/summer 2011
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Jacket Junction Shirt Hugh & Crye Vest Rock It Again
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Tuxedo jacket Junction Bow tie Treasury Shirt Hugh & Crye
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Left: Vest Rock It Again Pants & Bow tie Treasury Shirt Hugh & Crye. Right: Shirt Junction Bow tie Treasury Blazer Rock It Again
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Jacket & vest Rock It Again Pants & bow tie Treasury Pocket square Treasury Shirt Hugh & Crye Tie Junction
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Center: Coat Junction Pants & Bow tie Treasury Shirt Hugh & Crye. Right: Pea coat Rock It Again
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mayor vince gray’s inaugural ball posted by joshua yospyn on January 3, 2011
wornmagazine.com/blog
Governing for nearly 600,000 residents is a heavy responsibility, but for one night the pressure is off, the “Godfather of Go-Go” Chuck Brown plays and 7,500 people peruse dessert tables stretching for a quarter mile. The Washington Convention Center turns into a formidable cruise ship to party with newly sworn-in Mayor Vincent Gray. The men coast in wearing patent leather dress shoes with black ties and scarves. Dresses shimmer and furs growl, and the weight of wool and pelts causes coat racks to collapse. Too timely for our print publication, Mayor Gray’s Inaugural Ball is on our blog in true “big photo” format. In many ways we feel photography is treated like a second-class citizen on the Internet, hidden behind 30-second advertisements, robbed of its use, heavily cropped or shrunk beyond recognition. For us, images may sometimes be more important than words. The visual matters. Mayor Gray’s Inaugural Ball is one of more than 160 photo stories we’ve posted since our website first launched on March 17, 2010. Our blog profiles local artists, designers, and creative happenings all over the DC metro area.
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the end
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