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Monthly Archives : August 2010

SHE IS FRANK

Photography

She is Frank creates photos that are opulent, unique and sexy:with an eye for detail and colour. Inspired by art, “women, food, sex, magazines, nature, music “ and the models used, She is Frank’s work isn’t shy about anything.

With Terry Richardson cited as one of Frank’s main inspirations, this isn’t surprising. Currently based in Melbourne, Australia, the photographer talks to us about their love for fashion, photography and why creating a trademark within ones work is important.

The reason She is Frank stood out to me is because, quite simply, I loved the photos. They spoke to me in a way that reminded me why I love fashion, why I love photography and everything that goes with it. The first photos of Frank’s I ever saw was a photo of a beautiful blonde girl, just her face, blowing a pink bubble that emphasized her bleached blonde eyebrows and highlighted her pink cheeks. Along with this she was wearing the most incredible patterned fur. I was in love. I saw this photo on a blog, and quickly scrolled down to find out who it was by; credited as ‘She is Frank’ at the bottom of the post, I opened a new tab and typed it into Google. I was then taken to the She is Frank site (which is amazing by the way). A few months later, I decided it was time to interview the mysterious She is Frank…

Name: Frank
Occupation: Fashion Photographer
Sex: Irrelevant
Location: Currently, Melbourne Australia

First of all, tell us a little about yourself..
My name is Frank but I’m known as ‘She is Frank’. I have lived half of my life in Denmark and half of my life in Australia. I currently live in Melbourne, Australia but I still travel a lot. I’m dangerously passionate about my work and photography. It’s all I ever talk about, think about and do. I can’t seem to stop, it’s all I know. It’s pretty much the only talent and interest I possess.

What camera do you use?
For my professional photo shoots I use a Canon 1DS Mark II. For personal projects I love shooting with 35mm film cameras. My favorite is the Leica Z2X.

As a photographer, why did you choose fashion as your main subject?
I have loved fashion for longer than I have loved photography. At a very early age I was always very fascinated and impressed by fashion magazines. It wasn’t so much the actual photography that impressed me, it was what was in the photo; the models, the makeup and the styling. It wasn’t until I discovered my love for David LaChapelle and became obsessed with his images which led me to my interest in photography.

Who are your models- do you ever use friends?
When I first started taking photos, I would photograph my family, my dog and friends. They got replaced by amateur models that I contacted via the website modelmayhem.com but now they have been replaced by agency models. As my work has evolved so has the quality of my models.

What are your main inspirations for your photography?
I’m inspired by women, food, sex, magazines, nature, music and whichever model I’m photographing at the time. I’m also very inspired by my own emotions and I often convey exactly how I feel at the given time of the photo shoot in my photos. My photos always tend to have a distinctive mood and it’s almost like a diary of how I’m feeling and what I’m going through at the time.

Are there any other creative things, such as painting, that interest you?
I love contemporary art, my favorite gallery in the world is Mori Art Gallery in Tokyo. They always feature very inspiring contemporary artwork and installations. Also, I love music videos and the art of creating visuals to match a song. I’d love to do a music video some day.

What first attracted you to photography?

I really liked the idea of being a photographer and the challenges that come with it. I could never see my self working a repetitive ‘nine to five’ job. I enjoy working with different people every day and in different environments. I also like the beauty that’s involved in the industry, I’m very addicted to and fascinated by beautiful women and photography is my access to them.

Your photos have an amazing quality, and all the colours are amazing- do you edit your photos? And would you say that bright colours in photography are a trademark of yours? I love color. Color can emphasize the story you’re trying to convey and it can carry an important metaphoric meaning too. Creating a trademark in my images is very important to me and it’s something I’m still working on. When you see a Annie Liebowitz photo, it’s obvious that it’s a Annie photo, the same goes for Jurgen Teller, Terry Richardson and Miles Aldridge. You can recognize their work because their style is so iconic. I think creating that stamp in ones work is very important.

Would you say that your photography reflects who you are?
Yes, very much so. If you read in to my photos you can actually get to know me very well. My photos are an exact representation of what goes on inside my mind and how I view women and the world.

Do you do the art direction and/or styling for your shoots?
I control everything on the shoot, from the concept to the theme and location. It’s all me. However I do give a lot of freedom to the makeup artist and the stylist. I trust their individual expertise. But I’m very bossy with my models, I give them a lot of direction on shoots. I have a very clear idea of how I want them to act and pose.

Who are your main inspirations?
I love photographers Guy Bourdin, Miles Aldridge, Helmut Newton, Juergen Teller, Martin Parr, David Lachapelle, Steven Klein and Terry Richardson. I’m always in awe of what they do. I’m also inspired by other amazing artists such as Kanye West who’s constantly pushing boundaries in his music in his videos in society and most of all himself and fashion designer Martin Maison Margiela who’s collections are very simple yet also very complicated.

Where do you see yourself five years down the line?
My optimistic view is a little different from my realistic view, but I’ll give you my optimistic view. I see myself traveling the world, photographing top models for magazines such as Self Service, i-D, Purple, Love, Interview and Italian Vogue.

CHECK OUT sheisfrank.com

Interview & Text by Emma Hoareau

Villa Cola

Music

Villa Cola

Summer. Fun. Friends. Music… these are the important and easy things in life. But in today’s reality, summer often means a lot of rain or too much heat. Fun seems to happen between the free minutes you get at work. You only have time to speak to your friends via Skype, because they all seem to move away to study or to work somehwere else… So there just seems to be one thing to hold onto – Music.
You hear it in your head, on the way to work, when your hanging out, when you’re shopping, chilling with your friends, but the best bit is when you can dance to it. It seems like the solution to a better life and even if finding good music isn’t obvious nowadays, we’ve finally found someone we can have fun with: Villa Cola- a new band from England. Fresh and young; with a sound to move to in your secret life!

Can you tell us a little bit about yourselves? Where do you come from and who are you?
P.B: I am Paul. I live in London. I play bass and record & produce the music.
R.D: I’m Ranya, the lead singer in the band. I come from Quebec.
A.W: I’m Alex. I play drums, but I am not a Machine! I come from Essex.

How did you come together? It can be very difficult to find others with the same tastes and goals?
P.B: I saw an ad on Gumtree, that Ranya had posted asking for a producer. I replied, although i’d never done that sort of music before, and it seems to have worked… Ranya knew Alex from a previous band and when we decided we wanted a drummer, he was the first choice.
R.D: Paul just took my songs and made them better than what I heard in my head, so I figured, I should keep hanging out with him! Then he started writing awesome songs, that I added some vocals too and it was a match made in heaven!

Villa Cola – this is an interesting name for a band? What’s behind it?
P.B: It’s an anagram of ‘Lilac Oval’, which is a pub near where I used to live in Epsom, Surrey that we used to go to a lot.

For somebody, who doesn’t know your music and never has heard it – how would you describe your style and sound?
A.W: It’s music you can dance too.
R.D: Elements of the past and elements of the future combined to make something not quite as good as either!

Where do you produce and record your music? Do you own a studio?
P.B: We produce it at each other’s houses. I have a Macbook Pro and we make everything on that. We use a Focusrite interface to get the sound that we are recording into the computer (vocals and bass) at the best quality we can. The drums up until this point have been programmed, because that is how we started doing stuff, but we are slowly beginning to integrate the drum kit on the new EP.

Villa Cola

Who or what inspires you the most?
P.B: David Bowie, The Stones, Brian Jonestown Massacre, The Beatles. Joy Division/New Order, a lot of unknown New-Wave/Cold Wave from the late 70s and early 80s. The sun and good food also play a big part in my creative workflow.
R.D: The past, being in love, the 60′s, 70′s and 80′s. Nostalgia. New York in the late 60′s and “Happenings”. John Hughes, Molly RIngwald but most of all – Jeff Spicoli.
A.W: My brother. The Future. Tommy Lee, Mitch Mitchell, Jamie Oliver, Punk & Hardcore.

London is one of the classical music markets – there are many bands. How difficult is it to get noticed or signed by a record label today?
P.B: I think, its very hard to get noticed, if you are only gigging all over town, but aren’t doing anything else, ie. have no demo for people to hear. We’ve had to put our fingers in a lot of pies to get some sort of recognition and not go down the traditional root of gigging every night of the week. A lot of places have you play alongside bands, that don’t go together, just to get the numbers up so you are never going to be playing to people who actually want to hear your style of music.
R.D: Yeah, we got booed really badly when we opened for this Kiss Tribute act. That was our last gig…
P.B: That’s why we’ve started our own night to get like-minded people together and make sound waves, moods and bodies move as one!

What’s your biggest success to date?
A.W: Our biggest achievement is shooting two videos on super 8. Lots of bands are making videos using old footage, but Paul bought his girlfriend a Leica 8mm camera and we’ve been going through the whole process like they did back in the day!

Where do you see yourselves in 5 years- in your personal life and professionally?
P.B: I live in the present.
R.D: Yeah, I can’t even think about next week.
A.W: Let’s not talk about the future. I turned my back on it!

What’s the next step this year? What’s coming up for you guys?
P.B: As mentioned earlier, we have this night that we’re putting on (www.nakedroyale.com) which will be a monthly event. It has its focus on live visuals as much as on the music. We’ve got VJs all night mixing video to the music.
R.D: Yeah, we met this other band called the Rive Amps (www.myspace.com/riveamps) who have the same outlook on music as we do and it’s just really inspiring to be surrounded by a group of people, who push us and want to work with us.
A.W: We are also going to have a video out on the 30th August for our song “Modern Lovers” which was filmed, directed and edited on an old Super 8 handheld camera by Paul’s girlfriend (www.emmyland.com) who is also VJing at our night.
R.D: Once this first event is out of the way, we will be focusing on our second EP, which has been recorded and is just sitting waiting to be mixed and finalised. The night has taken up so much of our time, that there hasn’t really been room to work on that lately. The release date for that is the 4th October.

Last question – what would happen if somebody took away your instruments and you had to find a new passion? What would you do?
P.B: I would dive head first into typography and invent a new font to take over from Helvetica and conquer the world.
R.D: I’d be a mathematician or a botanist. I would just grow plants.
A.W: I’d be a wig maker.

Sounds funny – thanks for your time!

Website: www.villacola.com

Photos by Emmyland
Interview by Emanuel Sprosec

Don Ramon

Music

It’s the second EP of Don Ramon on Fantastic Friends label and this time he brings pure summer rhythms.

Fashion Academy Berlin

Events

In August and October 2010 the Berlin plattform Fashion Patrons is organising for a second time a Fashion & Design Academy for young creative start-ups.

Fashion design as a career is particularly in demand especially by young people and the worldwide school possibilities are vast. But the myth of the fashion industry and the career profile given to the public have often little to do with the reality.

Today the fashion industry consists of more than only beautiful dresses and creative talent for lasting success. The challenge the designers face lies in viewing the business in its entirety and the difficult balance between design and commerce. Nowadays, brands pre-define themselves through lifestyle and world experience. To be successful in the fashion market it requires founded knowledge over strategic marketing, sales strategies, PR and production. Since 2009 the Berlin platform Fashion Patrons, has organised a Fashion & Design Academy with the goal of offering further training and a well-balanced and versatile programme in order to pave the difficult way of starting a company.

Covering themes such as business and market-relevant processes, the present conditions of the fashion industry, future development as well as new communication concepts and strategies. The different workshops and lectures will be given from a successful line-up of advisors including:
Christina Kässhöfer, Head of Marketing Diesel Germany // Ulrike Möslinger, Head of Marketing & Management Galeries Lafayette Berlin // Rike Döpp, CO-Owner & Creative Director Agentur V // Mario Lombardo, Creative Director – office Mario Lombardo // Katharina Kemmler, Brand Consultant // Kerstin Geffert, CO-Owner Silk Relations Agency // Adalbert Kurkowski, product management Berliner Bank // Alexander Bretz, cultural lawyer // Sylvia Hansen, Project Manager Startup Bootcamp Copenhagen // Ilya Morgan, CEO Deluxe Distribution // and Karin Leiberg, Fashion Journalist, Markets & Trends consultant.

For more infos:
www.fashionpatrons.com

The impossible project

CulturePhotography

Perhaps some of you can’t remember it anymore – or never have seen it – but in the good, old days (this means a loooong  time ago) there was something before digital-cameras and photo-smartphones. Something, that also gave you instantly a picture… a little bit slower than cameras today, but even faster than the first digital-cameras for home-users. It was called “Polaroid”. A small piece like a tiny sheet of paper dropped out of a simple plastic-camera and with a magical and mysterious process a photo appears a few seconds later. And… Polaroids are still out there – and celebrate now their new reborn. Sounds impossible? Let’s ask Florian Kaps – one of the heads of “The impossible Project”!

A project, to bring polaroids back to the photography-market? This sounds daring! What is the main-idea behind this intention?
Not a project to bring Polaroid back, but to save analog instant photography from extinction, to keep tangibility, analog, sensuality, variety and choices alive in our digitalized and supersaturated world and to save 300 millions perfectly functioning Polaroid cameras from becoming obsolete.

Who’s behind the unusual project? A person, a team, a company,…?

It started off with me, Florian Kaps, and my business partner and former Polaroid production manager Andre Bosman. We selected a small team of 10 former Polaroid employees to re-invent new instant film materials and are financed by 10 private investors.

You’ve founded the company in October 2008 and settle down in Enschede, Netherlands. Is there a specific reason for this country – or did this just “happen”?
In Enschede was the last Polariod film production plant, that was about to be closed and demolished in 2008. We prevented the plant from demolishment, leased a building from the new owner, bought all the necessary production machinery from Polaroid – and started invention and production of our new film materials on these sacred grounds. (More information about the factory: http://www.the-impossible-project.com/projects/about)

The new generation of digi-cameras has changed the world really radical. Everybody can photograph everything and everytime… without big or no costs. Also many photographer-shops closed in the last 5 years their doors and only a few photographers still develop their images in their darkrooms – and still less use polaroids. So – who is your target audience?
Our target audience is on the one hand people, who have grown up with Polaroid cameras and miss it, and on the other side there are so many young, creative people, who discover and love this unique photographic tool for themselves.

It is a technical question, but can you explain a little bit the producing and construction of a polaroid? I think the new generation, that now grew up with iPhones and similiar has no idea anymore, how real polaroid-films are working!
One single instant picture is like a small chemistry laboratory. The chemical paste, that is kept in the bottom of the white frame, is being distributed between the negative and the positive, when the image gets ejected from and pressed through the camera. That’s as simple as it is – which was still an enormous task for us: as we did not only have to mix a new chemical paste, but also find replacements for unavailable components. We could not simply rebuild Polaroid film, but had to invent our own – Impossible analog instant film!

Is there only one kind of polaroid or are there different “versions” for – let’s say – specific shootings/needs?
By Polaroid you mean films? Well sure, there are several types of films for several types of cameras, there is integral film, peel apart film etc. What we are producing is a new integral film, in monochrome as well as color, for the most popular Polaroid cameras: all 600, SX 70 and Image camera models.

How long is the durability of a “modern” polaroid?
Polaroid pictures tend to be stable for ever. Impossible instant films do yet have to be improved regarding stability issues.

For outsiders – how big is your yearly production?  And are the most of the actual “buyers” old school photographers, who love the classical feeling – or is there also a movement of young photographers of the new generation noticeable?
As explained before, it’s so many young people, artists, photographers and analogue rebells that love analog instant photography. This year we plan to sell 1 million films.

The impossible project

Polaroids have the reputation to be expensive, show often strange colors or sometimes also don’t work. On the other hand, they have their own vibe… what’s your argument, to still buy and use polaroids?
In fact digital has taken over the photograhy world. But this doesn’t mean, that there is no more place for different things!? Has Vinyl gone yet? Are there no more video stores? Exactly! The digital revolution completely changed the perspectives and possibilities, but also the character of photography. And analog instant film suddenly acquired a complete new “Taste”: After some years of playing and experimenting with their new digital cameras, people began to miss some aspects of analog instant photography, which they had not been aware of before – or had even complained about. They started longing for real pictures, which they could touch, feel and smell. Looking at all the “perfect” and clean digital pictures, they remembered more and more the good days, when every single picture was an experiment, an unpredictable adventure, slowly developing in the palm of their hands. They even had to accept the fact, that they started missing the high purchase price of analog Instant film as they found out, that it really helps them to take good pictures when carefully pushing the trigger, aware of every “click” costing them real money. It makes you not only appreciate things again, but also teaches you again to take a new and more careful look at the world.



Plates, films… now digital-chips, sensors and digitalized megapixels. Where do you see the technical future of photography in – let’s say – 5-10 years?

Who knows! We aim to build an interesting market for analog instant photography for at least 15 more years.

The last question – what kind of photography do you use personally? Film or Digital?
Digital, when it has to be quick and easy, analog when it has to be special and beautiful.

Florian, thanks for your time!

Website: www.the-impossible-project.com

Interview by Emanuel Sprosec

Jena Cumbo

Photography

Jena Cumbo

Sometimes you leaf through a high-gloss magazine, full with fashion, cosmetics and similiar – luxury glamour. Fantastic! But very often it also feels a little bit heavy, too dusty, there is a nuance of  conservative look in the images, models with serious faces,… – the classical, usual way. But – before you’ll get the same countenance – take a look at the photographs of Jena Cumbo – and you’ll find something, that we call the ‘missing playful freshness’. Let’s take a closer look!

First of all – tell us a little bit about you – who ist Jena Cumbo, where do you live and what’s your daily job?
I’m originally from Rochester, NY – Home of Kodak – so I think photography is was basically in the water… I studied painting and photography at Hartford Art School in CT and went on to grad school at SUNY Buffalo. I spent several years making fine art portraits and was always facinated by fashion photography but didnt really get into shooting fashion until moving to New York City, upon which I started assisting on commercial shoots and gradually learned more about the industry, which is ever changing. After a brief year in Los Angeles, I came running back to NYC, I am currently living and working as a freelance photographer in Brooklyn, New York. Which for me means my job changes depending on the day of the week.

How would you describe your photography – and what does it mean for you?
I shoot a wide array of photography genres and subject matter, but the common thread in my work is narrative. With photography, I always set out to tell a story. Through my photos I try to convey a feeling of place or a sense of experience.

Jena Cumbo

Your’re shooting this serie on the street – what was the idea behind it?
I wanted to do a summer theme fashion shoot. With my fashion tests, I am focusing on developing a body of work shooting young, urban, teen-ish looking stories. I like what happens when you give a model something to do, thats how the sport theme came up. Interesting things happen in the inbetween moments when you give a model a basketball or a pair of skates and going out onto the street and the court just seemed like a natural way to tell the story while giving it a sense of place.

Shooting on the street means also, that people are often want to know, what’s going on, starring at you and the model. Do you like that or is it sometimes annoying?
Well, I think it’s a bit annoying to the model…You always get an on looker or two, I’m kind of indifferent about it. For the most part New Yorkers don’t really look twice at people shooting on the street, that kind of thing happens all the time. In fact there were so many kids around in the last shot we did for that sporty series, that I had to time it, so that there wasn’t a little kid running through the background…I guess, that’s what we get for trying to take over the sprinkler in the park on a hot summer day!

Jena Cumbo

What kind of equipment your’re using?
The first Canon 5D, I’m about ready for an update, I need to get something with a faster driver. When I work outside I like shooting with the canon 580ex2 speed lite off camera too to add a little flash to the day light, it’s super small and easy to move around with. I started shooting with film-hasselblad- but I have really come to love 35mm digital.

Did you plan the pictures before the shooting or is it a dynamic process during the shooting?
I always have a loose plan and do some initial scouting, knowing that I want to do a shot here or there and why… but my plans are never set in stone. Like with this shoot, it was suppose to be two models, but one couldn’t come last minute, so we had to change things a bit for a solo shoot.

Jena Cumbo

Where do you find your inspirations?
My Friends, on the streets of NYC, that basketball court is right next to my apartment, theres a lot of young people around here with their own styles. I also draw or formed alot of my own kitchy style sense from growing up with 80′s and 90′s movies and TV. I like eclectic looks with lots of color and have a bit of a peterpan complex myself, so I guess that’s why I am drawn to shooting fashion with a younger vibe.

Perhaps a classical question – but what makes in your opinion the perfect picture for you?
I guess for fashion pictures, since we’re talking about a fashion story, it’s that moment, that in between moment, when something is controlled in terms of the lighting, the styling, but you get that look or action that feels real and natural and believable. There’s beauty in that.

Jena Cumbo

Is there a photo-idea, you’ve never realized, but dream of it? Something, that is e.g. impossible in the “real world”?
There’s lots of things I’d shoot, if I had an unlimited amount of time and money. Doing shoots with more ‘production value’ would change things a lot for me. For example I’d love to do an underwater shoot, but that require a lot, a proper pool, a camera housing, a huge budget for clothing in case things got ruined…the list of needs could go on and on… it’s fun to dream, but I’ve been one to work with what I got.

What do you think about the main-stream “photography”. Everybody can buy today a digi-cam, everybody can shoot thousands of photos, everybody loads his images to Flickr and similiar… is it great, because more and more people are creative or is it “too much”?
I sort of love and hate it at the same time. the accessibility of digital has changed photography so much. I love that all different types of people have access to cameras and are taking pictures from their point of view. But the bad side of it is that now that ‘everyone is a photographer’ there are that many more dogs going after the same bone. I was young and just starting out when things were still mostly film and but I think it was a different ball game. I feel like it’s harder to stand out in the crowd now. But in a lot of ways that just pushes me harder to do my own thing and be creative in my work.

Jena Cumbo – where are you in 10 years … what’s your dream?
Hopefully doing better financially! For me it’s always about finding my balance, ideally I’d like being able to do my own creative work more frequently. I hope to get a rep agent, hopefully I will do that sooner than 10 years! Some of my dream clients would be to shoot for Teen Vogue, Anthropology, GAP…have an ad job or two… thats a nice 10 year wish list for me!

Sounds great – thanks for your time!

Credits “She’s Got Game”
Photography: Jena Cumbo
Stylist: Rachel Loeher
Makeup: Kim Caudle
Hair: Rubi Jones
Model: Kelly D of APM nyc

Website: www.jenacumbo.com

Interview by Emanuel Sprosec

New Impulses Bratislava

Events



New York, London, Paris and Berlin are still one of the most mentioned cities when talking about “the place to be” for young artists and creative people. But there is new places emerging that are just as worth to be mentioned- places like Bratislava. Zuzana Kollerová is one of the people giving new impulses to the art scene over there…

Zuzana, many thanks for your time. I know that you are very busy at the moment because you are quite at the beginning with your project Hopkirk, so there is a lot to be done. Tell us: What exactely is Hopkirk?
We have felt for quite some time that a platform for young artists is something that is missing in the city. In April we got the opportunity to rent a hall in a beautiful, old building, that is under monumental protection by UNESCO. Immediately we had the idea to develop this kind of project where young, new & talented artists are able to present themselves and can be ecnouraged within an independent area.

Who are the people behind this project? And what is it that you are doing?
We are a team full of people who themselves have been working within the creative field. Me and two of my friends then founded a cultural organisation, with the aim of organizing cultural events at the Hopkirk. I am the chairman of this organisation and project coordinator.

What do you want to achieve with Hopkirk?
We want young people to have a place where they feel comfortable and can discuss about art. It is a sort of cultural education for young people and we are planning on doing cooperations with other clubs, altenative theaters, filmclubs, etc…

You have already told me a little bit about this special tattoo event that took place recently. It is about encouraging people to be more tolerant towards people with tattoos. So for example, just because someone has a tattoo, doesn´t mean that he can not be a reliable banker. ( even though at the moment banks actually have quite a dubious image  themselves:) Tell us a bit more about this event…
Kamil Aujesky approached us with the idea of this project. He is a young guy and has had some bad experiences himself already due to his tattoos. He was in a waiting room to see a doctor, when another guy told him he doesn´t want to sit next to him because of his tattoos. This is really bad and therefore we want people to show more tolerance, because it is not about the way someone looks, but about how we are as a person, – what we are underneath our clothes and appearances. Therefore the name of the exhibiton is called: Underneath the skin.

We had photographs of life-size people with a sign in their hands saying their name and their profession. This is to show that all kinds of people wear tattoos and the message is: Tolerance.

During the vernissage there was a workshop where people were able to make tattoos on a material that is similar to the skin. We had this competition that the person that created the most beautiful tattoo got a 200 Euro voucher for a really good tattoo studio. Four famous and good tattoo studios were also attending this event.

Was it well-attended?
It was really well-attented. We had 560 people signed in on Facebook, and at the opening there were about 350 people.

Did you have sponsors?
Yes, we also had sponsors. I am quite suprised of how many positive reactions we got from sponsors.

How difficult is it to organize such an event? What are the things that need to be considered?
We took a couple of weeks to arrange things, and the last two weeks have been very intense. We were looking for sponsors and advertising the event. Valer, my boyfriend and business partner has his own graphic design studio and was editing the photographs and printing some of them in life-size. We also had to organize catering, and lastly of course prepare the exhibition and so on…

Your brother has a club called Randal in the same building where also Hopkirk is placed. The name “Randall and Hopkirk” is based on a british dedective series. Why did you chose this name?
Yes, Randal is the opposite to Hopkirk… Randal means „noise“ and was a project created by my brother about 4 years ago. It is a club with mainly rock, punk, hardrock and metal music. At that time the name didn´t have anything to do with this british series „ Randall and Hopkirk“. Only when we were looking for a name for our new project we had the idea  to make the name related to this series. In the initial episode Hopkirk was murdered in the line of duty, but returned as a ghost. Only Randall was able to see or hear to help his former partner fight crime beyond the grave. Randal the club downstairs, ( we write it only with one “l”, as this is the way this word is written in Slovakian)  the wild place to party, with lots of noise, rock, punk and underground – and upstairs the “ghost part” Hopkirk, a place to chill out and relax.

Professionally you have done a lot of things already. You worked as an Au-pair, worked at the movies and attended a fashion college and you had an art exhibitions with your own paintings, etc. etc… Have you always had the wish to create something on your own or did Hopkirk just happen?
Well it was not something that I really had planned beforehand. My experiences within the creative field and the opportunity that came up motivated me quite spontaneously to do this. My boyfriend has just created his own graphic design studio in the same building, and then this other room was available there and we just came up with the idea of Hopkirk and went for it.

You spend a lot of years in Vienna. What made you go back to Bratislava?
I lived in Vienna for 7 years and it was a great and interesting time, where I was able to develop my personality. But I didn´t have a working permit and was not allowed to work there. Therefore I decided to go back to Bratislava and I think that was a good desicion, because I am also close to my family now.

Where do you see Randal and Hopkirk in about 5 years time?
The whole YMCA building where we are placed  is being renovated and only in the last few years some clubs have emerged there, such as Randal, MMC ( Majestic Music Club) Hopkirk, etc.. I am really happy about that, because in Bratislava a lot of old, cutural buildings are being destroyed from property developers. Randal has been there for quite some time and has its regular audience already. With Hopkirk we are only at the beginning, but I am really pleased and surprised that people already come to us and tell us that they feel really comfortable at that place and that they are really happy we exist. Many people come with new ideas and we try to consider as much as we can from those. We try to realise as much as we can from what we have planned, but sometimes the conditions within the cultural area in Bratislava don´t make it very easy for us. But we are not going to give up and we believe that within 5 years Hokirk will be well established.

At last some typical C-Heads questions: 5 thing you cannot live without?
The special thing is that I can live without those 5 things :)

If you could turn back time, what would you do differently?
I wouldn´t do anything differently, because everything that I have done has lead me to where I am now.

What is your biggest life-dream?
At the moment I have to say I just want to find piece of mind. Professionally I have achieved a lot, but this is not everything…

The most important thing in life is…?
Love

www.hopkirk.sk

Interview by Sigrun Guggenberger

And the Winner is…

Photography

The wait is over! Our “Smut Pillow Best Summer Photo Contest” has ended. After receiving summer photos  from all over the world we are pleased to announce the winner of the sexy SMUT pillow.

Tataaaa and the the winner is : …… Simone Tripodi from Manchester! :) We love his photo; it´s full with sun, fun and cool tattoos :) Congratulations to the winner and we hope that those who didn’t make it had some fun anyway. We would like to thank all participants who sent us their great summer images.

Thanks also again to www.smutclothing.co.uk

Marielle van Uitert

Photography

Fashion, Lifestyle, Glamour, Partys. We all love this kind of photography – the colors, the emotions, the girls, the luxury – and also many of us dream secretly of a career as fashion photographer in Paris, Milan or New York too. Working with top-models for the biggest magazines in the world, shooting the next cover-photo on the beach, in a huge loft around the corner… and so on. But then – one day – you meet somebody like Marielle van Uitert, who takes the camera and travels directly to the most dangerous places in the world. Not to shoot models or staged lifestyle… she only wants to capture the life of – often forgotten – people, their emotions and their daily, personal fight for a better future. And suddenly you’ll understand, that a simple image of a child between tanks can be harder than any high gloss cover-production…

First of all – the classical question – who are you and what’s your general job?
I’m Marielle van Uitert, born 1973 and I come from the Netherlands – and I am a war and socially engaged photographer with focus on human interest. Besides I do a lot of commercial assignments as well in order to pay for my “war-jobs”.

How do you get into photography – was this a dream for you like ” When I’m big enough I want to be a photographer” or something, that just happens and developed?
I graduated from Highschool and lived in France for a while. I discovered new ways of life and new people and wanted to explore the planet. I took my backpack and travelled around the world for tasting and smelling all kinds of cultures and to broaden my horizon. When I came to Vietnam the image of Kim Phuc, the girl who was shockingly mutilated by the American napalm-bomb, shocked me completely. Of course I already knew this strong image, but to actually read about the way this picture made the whole world tremble and even had quite a lot of political impact, it just opened a new view of life for me. At that moment, I knew that the truth has got to be told and that it could even change perspectives in a good way. By telling stories in a country at war… you can help in changing the public opinion and show people a glimpse of the lives out there.

You are not one of the usual photographers – some fashion there, lifestyle here, weddings on weekend, whatever… – I’ve seen in your biography countries like Afghanistan, Africa, West Bank, Iraq… this are not the easiest countries to make photos. So – the simple question: What are you doing there and what kind of images you’re shooting?
That’s right – even though I also do commercial assignments, because it is just too hard to be constantly in a war zone. What I am doing there is talking to these people who live in constant danger. I want to hear and visiualize what kind of world they are living in and am especially interested in the lives of the women, because I am a woman myself and want to cover both the fear, agony and strength of these women who lose their sons, daughters and relatives in these wars. I want to reduce the number of deaths, which you are reading in the newspapers to a story people can actually relate to or can understand the impact through these personal stories. My images are socially engaged portraits of – for example – the widows of Baghdad, all kinds of mothers who lost relatives during the war in Iraq but also the environment they are living in.

2009 – “embed in American 82nd Airborne – Iraq, Baghdad. How close are you in these countries to the real war, because most people think, that a somebody like you running from one wall to the other wall, hide from bullets – but how does the daily life of your work really look like? And do you have a familiy waiting for you at home?
First I am not hiding behind any walls because I have to tell the story. I even went dressed in burqa to Jalalabad (Afghanistan) and went undercover in order to tell my story. Taliban found out I was there making pictures of women who were beaten by their husbands and had already placed many bombs around the clinic. I nearly escaped and after 3 days I finally got help from the UN and caught a plane from Jalalabad back to Kabul. Also in the West Bank I encountered real gunfire but nevertheless made a realtime story which was published. I do NOT have a death wish at all but I am just so passionate about telling these stories that there is no time and place for fear. My family is proud but also scared at the same time. Normally I never call home so no news is good news but during the almost-attack in Jalalabad I called my friend because I just had to share what was going on. They know my ideals and my love for people so with positive energy they just pray and hope for the best.

In your actual project “The Heritage” you went to Afghanistan, which opens two main questions for me –  what was the reason for it to go there and how do you “work” there? Alone, in a team, can you speak the language,…? Is it difficult to get into the country as photographer?
The reason – for my documentary, which is also published as a book (you can get it here). “The Heritage” I wanted to go embedded, because I wanted to show how the Dutch coalition forces are leaving the country. Sunday the last Dutch soldier is leaving Afghanistan, so this was my opportunity to make the last images. I just asked the Dutch military if I could join them and they were very pleased. During my embed I go on foot patrols with the marines and just try to cover the story as it is. There is always an interpreter who both speaks English and Pashtun  - or another Afghan language. When I go without the army, I have to arrange everything by myself and sometimes have to sleep in the houses of the locals in order to capture the story. Sometimes I get an assignment from an NGO and then everything is already arranged for me (also security). I had some difficult entries and difficult returns when I got to Israel. I bought a press card in order to go to Gaza but the Government Press Office in Jerusalem denied my entry into the Palestinian zone so I decided to travel to the West Bank where I was shot at by the Israeli police. When I got back to the airport I was totally checked, even my notebook was opened with screwdrivers and they questioned me for hours. That’s when I decided to get a second passport to get fewer problems to enter a country. The stamps of Afghan and Pakistan stamps are sometimes not appreciated.

What kind of camera and equipment do you use and how much baggage do you have during a trip? Do you also wear a vest for protection – or what do you “make” to be safe?
I use the Canon EOS 1D mark III and the Canon 5D. Besides I usually take my notebook also with me and all kinds of batteries and lenses. I normally travel as light as possible but sometimes just need my body armor and helmet. To be safe is just to feel safe, follow your instinct and talk to people you can trust.

How long do you prepare yourself, before travelling to countries like Afghanistan – or just take the camera and let’s go? Can you even plan these trips and projects?
I normally prepare for a couple of weeks, but sometimes I cannot prepare and just take a plane. It is hard to plan a trip and even harder to plan a project because in a war nothing is sure until it is sure. I have to be creative and patient in order to get what I want.

Is it difficult to make images in countries like Afghanistan – or are the people open for it? Are there any restriction in  areas or situations to photograph?
It is easier to make a snapshot in the Amsterdam scene than in countries like Afghanistan. Especially women and young girls are very hard to capture so you have to be honest and be straightforward with them. If I get a ‘no’ I respect that. The women of Afghanistan are just so lovely and there is a lot of love from my sight to these strong mothers who try to survive in harsh conditions. You should read about their culture and know which can and cannot be done. There are restrictions, but when you respect that and gain their trust, a lot is possible. I even captured the birth of an Afghan child.

Are the people ask you, what you’re are doing with the images, did they want to see them too?
Yes, most of the time they want to see themselves at the back of the camera and especially the Afghan men love to be photographed. Sometimes I cannot use my pictures because it is dangerous to publish them. I was for example at a ramp ceremony in Uruzgan where the Afghan interpreters carried the coffin of a collegue who got killed by a roadbomb. These pictures I do not publish because it is too dangerous for the interpreters to be captured on film. I also had to promise not to publish in Eastern countries.

Do you also make photos and don’t use them later in e.g. exhibitions, because they are, for example, too shocking? How much pictures you make during a trip?
I have a lot of exhibitions and I always look at the country where the exhibition takes place  if the pictures are not too shocking or can become dangerous for the persons in the image. I normally take no pictures of death bodies because I want to draw attention by esthetically nice pictures to look at, but telling the anger or fear through a second level. People are scared off sometimes by cruel pictures and then you lose your audience who should hear what is going on there. Sometimes it is better to tell a cruel story by nice images. I make a couple of thousand pictures during a trip.

In your work you see also  situations like wounded people, weapons, poorness, illness – how do  you deal with that? Many photographers are shocked, when they see and make  photographs of – let’s say – a car-accident. In your travels, i guess, you will see much more of “unforgettable” impressions…
It helps a lot to see all these cruel situations through a lens. At the time of the shoot I think about composition but I also FEEL what these people are feeling  - or at least I try to – and this combination makes, that I am at work and try to catch the emotion in a nice frame. When I get “home” and look back at the images, I have to take some time for myself to deal with everything and mostly wait a couple of weeks before looking at my images. After the almost attack in Jalalabad I had some bad nightmares, but that’s part of the job and I deal with it quite good. The unforgettable impressions help me understand, that we are all people and are all capable of choosing the “right” or “wrong” side, depending on the circumstances. I learn a lot about making choices and about how much a human being can bear just because they want to live and make the best of the situation.

What is one of the most magnificent experience for you in the last years?
That was in Iraq, where it was terror every day. I visited some refugees who first escaped the terror of Saddam Hussein and then escaped the terror of the local insurgents. They bought a house on a trash belt made of board and old metal and wood. Even though their sheep were dying on the trash and the children did not dare to go to school and they were as poor as no one can imagine, they offered me tea and got to their neighbours to get some sugar and cookies for me. This is unheard of in most European countries. The hospitality is something we can learn from.

Can you imagine to make a other kind of photography, let’s say staged beauty-shootings?
No – because I do not like unreal photography. Photography is the mirror of live for me, harsh, hopeful, loving and real. I am not at ease in a studio, because that stage is just not me.

If somebody took away your camera – what would you do? Is there a second dreamjob, a complete different Marielle?
Yes, than I would love to get my own old fashioned chocolate & bread or Italian food restaurant. You know… a cosy environment with beautiful war pictures (black and white) on the wall and some bloody good literature on the table.

Marielle  - thanks for your time and all the best for the next adventure!

Website: www.paralleluniversum.nl

Interview by Emanuel Sprosec