THE IRONY OF REALITY SOUTH AFRICA’S POP CULTURE MAGAZINE EST. 2005
ONE SMALL SEED MAGAZINE / ISSUE 26 / DIGITAL 01
SAM NORVAL CAPTURING CELEBRITIES’ REALITY CLICKBAIT TRICKED BY JAW-DROPPING HEADLINES HYPERREAL PORTRAITS BY URBAN ARTIST SOAP OLIVER BARNETT’S ORGANIC SURREALISM MARJOLEIN A. BANIS VISUALISES ‘BECOMING WHO YOU (THINK) YOU ARE’ JEE YOUNG LEE SHOWS US FANTASY WITHOUT PHOTOSHOP
IN PARTNERSHIP WITH
IN PARTNERSHIP WITH
editor's letter Dear readers, dear friends, dear seeders.... welcome back! Some of you might have noticed, we no longer do a printed version of one small seed magazine. Our last issue was ‘the bigger picture' published in July 2012 – so hold on to the collectible back issues. As much as we love(d) print, we re-evaluated what one small seed has to offer and decided to launch an online magazine to make it more accessible to you. We had a successful but harrowing seven years of publishing, and we never wanted to jeopardize the quality of the magazine to save costs. It would just not have been the same. So we stopped printing. This being said, we plan to print a yearly one small seed book – but I’ll tell you more about that next time. Today, people like to have quick access to content and, if possible, for free. So here we are, with our first bi-monthly digital edition (ID: Issue 26, Dig 01), for you to enjoy on your personal computer, tablet or smartphone. You probably noticed that we have the PUMA Logo on the cover and will continue this strong collaboration for the next six issues. PUMA has always believed in one small seed since Issue 01 in 2005, and we’re proud to still have them onboard. We’re also very happy to have the opportunity to showcase some of their most amazing products. Concerning the content balance, I decided to focus more on images and only have two or three articles that are richer in copy. So there will be something interesting to read, but it will not be too heavy to browse through, because I know how quickly people are distracted nowadays. Brb Back! Sorry… where were we? Ah, yes distracted. Ironic, isn't it? Well, in today's world most things are. Especially our reality. Hence our theme: The Irony of Reality. I will leave the honour to explain the theme to our editor: Ladies and Gentlemen… Christine Hogg. Giuseppe Russo / founder / editor-in-chief
FOUNDER / EDITOR-IN-CHIEF
COVER
GIUSEPPE RUSSO
'Salvador Dali' by SOAP
EDITOR
CHRISTINE HOGG
EDITORIAL ADDRESS:
CO-EDITOR
Unti 501, Salt Circle, 19 Kent street, Salt River, Cape
SARAH CLAIRE PICTON
LAUREN DE SOUSA
Town, 7925, South Africa tel: +27 (0) 21 4477 096 / fax: +27 (0) 86 545 0371 web: www.onesmallseed.com email: contact@onesmallseed.com
ADVERTISING & SALES
ADVERTISING SALES
MICHAEL LITTLEFIELD
mike@onesmallseed.com
GRAPHIC DESIGNER
editor's letter Why reality? And how is it ironic? I always thought when I get an article published in print, then I’ve made it. Now, with the launch of one small seed as a digital magazine, that still hasn’t happened but I realise it doesn’t matter. The medium has changed but the feeling of achievement remains the same. A digital screen – might not be as ‘tangible’ as a book that you can touch, smell and cut your fingers with if you don’t handle the pages properly – but each article still has a real effect on the reader. Negative, positive, unfazed – there’ll be a reaction. Reality is ultimately rooted in what you experience, not in what you touch. It’s perceived subjectively, and has many interpretations. Urban Artist SOAP (p.58) believes that ‘science demonstrates that visual proof is the weakest proof. What we see, feel and touch is not real at all.’ And when photographer Sam Norval thinks of ‘something truly real and honest,’ he suggests that ‘we almost don’t believe it to be true or honest. We tend to look for the deception and untruths more than just accepting the reality presented in front of us.’ Jee Young Lee (p.32) captures an otherworldly dreamscape with props that you can touch, Oliver Barnett (p.64) photographs the organic to achieve an abstract image, and Rebecca Handler (p.48) challenges popular history and myth by contrasting it with our modern-day reality. What’s more, make-believe is getting easier with the rise of ever-advancing technology, and we’re becoming increasingly obsessed with constructing a reality that suits us. Facebook, Twitter and Instagram help us to polish and frame the portrait of our lives to perfection. It’s a fabricated reality, that’s often accepted as authentic. Media with ‘an easily accessible truth’ (as opposed to abstract art), such as photography, film and photo-realistic paintings, can help us build this reality – and often they’re more deceiving than we think. Art, photography, science… Paper, canvas, computer screens… Realism, surrealism, hyperrealism. They’re all symbols for something real, and it’s your call to use them to make sense of the world. No matter what you choose, we’ll agree on one thing: subjectivity is and always will be real. Christine Hogg / editor
FROM LEFT TO RIGHT : CHRISTINE HOGG, LAUREN DE SOUSA, SARAH-CLAIRE PICTON, GIUSEPPE RUSSO
contents
8/
/8
/ 24
/ 32
/ 16
/ 28
/ 38
SAM NORVAL: (RE)-ADJUSTING REALITY
24 /
We speak to photographer Sam Norval about capturing celebrities’ reality, fabricating our lives online and re-adjusting our collective sense of what’s true. 16 /
BWGH FOR PUMA Fashion designers David Obadia and Nelson Hassan are Brooklyn We Go Hard – an innovative street wear brand interested in ‘what’s elsewhere’.
MIGUEL VALLINAS: SECOND SKINS
32/
JEE YOUNG LEE: AN UNREALISTIC REALITY
The Madrid-based photographer introduces us to the beast in man. Or is it the other way around?
28 /
CLICKBAIT: WHO HASN’T BEEN TRICKED BY A JAW-DROPPING HEADLINE LATELY?
The Korean artist transforms reality into fantasy with otherworldly images she creates without Photoshop. No RSVP is needed to join this wonderland rendezvous. 39 /
IT’S MAKING SENSE NOW… SCIENTIFICALLY SPEAKING Understanding ‘the why’ to ‘the what’ of our everyday behaviour.
42 /
MARJOLEIN AUDREY BANIS: TRANSFORMING
/ 42
/ 54
/ 64
/ 48
/ 58
/ 70
54 /
The Dutch photographer visualises ‘becoming who you (think) you are’ in her fashion shoot Transforming. Become part of the process and connect the inner you with your outside identity. 48 /
REBECCA HANDLER: THE COUPLES Adam and Eve question existence; Bonnie and Clyde are rebels no more; Cleopatra and Caesar step down from the throne… See the very probable situations history’s most notorious couples would face today.
PUMA SELECT COMES TO JOBURG
64/
The visual results of an artist’s attempt to unite the realms of science and spirituality.
After the success in Cape Town, the brand opens another exclusive PUMA Select store in Johannesburg.
58 /
URBAN ARTIST SOAP ON SURREALISM, HYPERREALISM AND BRINGING HIS ART TO ANOTHER LEVEL
OLIVER BARNETT’S ORGANIC SURREALISM
70 /
LEO FUCHS: SPECIAL PHOTOGRAPHER FROM THE GOLDEN AGE OF HOLLYWOOD
South African-born photographer Sam Norval has taken pictures of names as b When they’re gazing at his lens, he shoots incredibly quickly to capture, not his, bu down. This sort of honesty in photographs is special because – although often b to deceive and create a reality that suits the photographer, subject or publisher closeness to the actual that makes it so cunning. An image of a real person in a although it could be enhanced, filtered and, most importantly, framed. Selected t the you that you’d like to be seen as. Via email from New York, Sam Norval point selfish society, people have the need to show off their imagined lives.’
SAM NORVAL: (RE)-ADJUSTING
REALITY
THROUGH PHOTOGRAPHY
big as Clint Eastwood, B.B. King and Ludacris. ut their reality – the moment they let their guard believed to the contrary – they have the power r. Ironically, it’s the medium’s ‘truth claim’ and real environment is instantly accepted as true, to only display the better you, the popular you, ts out that ‘with the change from a selfless to a Tomi Ungerer
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ot many portraits of celebrities – Clint Eastwood, Flea, es, Ludacris, Tony Bennett, B.B. King, Tommy Ramone… y to capture the subject’s reality or the reality you
y I attempt to capture with the celebrities I shoot is are willing to show me that day. The best way to do t justice is by allowing them to be unaffected by my n of reality and simplify the process by just putting et and pressing the button. Once they trust me, a real arts to present itself between the ‘poses’ most people vert to when in front of a camera. I shoot incredibly achieve this reality that I believe to be honest and That’s what excites me, when someone lets their wn and I can represent my understanding of the truth ey are.
‘mass-sharing’ of photographs through social media g the style of photography?
growth of technology we have some push back, some nts and a learning period about what is important isn’t. How did we react when a Polaroid camera easily available? When we no longer made actual photos and just had them on our computers? With w platforms, I see that content is needed in a much olume. This dilutes the work, as you have to feed the east constantly. But again, if your work is worthy it will top and you will stand out. I don’t feel the need to add unnecessary photos to my Instagram, unless they e to me and show my life or personality more clearly. g simply to upload is for those same people that talk movies and feel the need to shout on their phones in st because your volume is higher than others, doesn’t r message more relevant.
platforms allegedly serve to represent our lives – to private lifestyles to the world. Are we obsessed with ng a suitable reality? Can photography help us do
hange from a selfless to a selfish society, people have to show off their imagined lives. We’re not uploading our Monday nights when we’re sitting at home boring TV shows, but only glimpses of the reality we ers to perceive as being our constant reality. The only ow us to do this is photography. You can crop, edit and to make the mundane look breathtakingly exciting, all know that a pig wearing lipstick is still a pig.
‘YOU CAN CROP, EDIT
& ADD FILTERS TO MAKE THE MUNDANE
LOOK BREATHTAKINGLY EXCITING, WHEN WE ALL KNOW THAT A PIG WEARING LIPSTICK
IS STILL A PIG.’
‘NO WHAT M
CR IS TH
THA SURFA
Tony Bennett
MATTER MEDIUM,
REATIVITY THE ONLY REALITY
AT WILL FACE.’
When photography became popular it was accused of being fake and lazy – the same critique Instagram is receiving today. Do you think that photographers should embrace such photo-sharing websites more? Will it be a more accepted form of art or photography one day? If you don’t evolve you are left behind. If you ignore what is relevant then you become irrelevant. We have an untamed desire to keep moving forward as a society and it’s still a truth that true talent will always be recognised. I think the establishment of any era are the lazy and fake parts of the equation. The new fresh ideas and concepts take the most amount of energy to come to fruition, and challenge the status quo of what has come before. With the growth of technology, I do believe that there will come a time that the images you’re able to capture on your phone will be similar to what you can capture with a ‘real’ camera. This will not distract from the same basic truth that real artists will still be real artists and no matter what medium, creativity is the only reality that will surface.
Why is photography so popular? Is it maybe easier for us to connect to photography – seemingly a small step away from our own reality – than to abstract art for example? One doesn’t need to be an art major to understand a moving photograph. There’s a truth we see reflected in the gratification of photographs. We see the vision of the artist and adopt our own reality and add our own voice to the artwork. This is something everyone can do, and it gives us a far more powerful emotion towards the medium of photography. It’s also because of the accessibility of photography and the ability to create photographs that we feel an affinity to it. How dangerous is photography when it comes to the representation of what’s real? Why do we care so much about what’s real? Almost every aspect of pop culture is unreal. There are giant industries that think the concept of reality is not worth shit and we have to strive to attain an unrealistic reality. We‘re obsessed with fighting reality and fighting any attempt of being presented with reality. Your eyelashes, cleavage, height, stomach, eye colour, hair colour, tan, nails, nutrition, lifestyle and surroundings are all altered to such stretches of non-reality that we start to accept that as the basis of what’s real. Photographs play the biggest role in re-adjusting our collective sense of what’s reality and what’s the new truth. www.samnorval.com
Photography: Sam Norval Interview: Christine Hogg
Philip Winchester
DAVID OBADIA AND NELSON HASSAN COME FROM A PLACE OF RICH CULTURE, STYLE AND PEOPLE: PARIS. BUT ALTHOUGH THEY LOVE HOME, THEY’RE ALSO INTERESTED IN WHAT’S ELSEWHERE. What place does France hold in the DNA of the brand? Our most identifiable sweatshirt, with the logo 'Brooklyn Parle Français' (Brooklyn Speaks French) links Paris to the United States. All of our graphics integrate wording using aspects from both French and American culture, and our suede bomber jacket is made in Paris. We certainly don’t forget this legacy, because it is really the French touch that gives us added value to American, Japanese and Chinese consumers. But more than just being about France, the idea is to invite the wearer on a trip. We try and integrate all the great things about our French culture, all the while adding in our passion for African-American culture.
What was the link with PUMA? The first time that PUMA contacted us we went crazy because they are one of the giants of the sportswear industry. We were delighted. We had always wanted BWGH to be something very colourful and powerful. I feel that in the first brief we had with PUMA, the leitmotif was joy and good humour. Joy related to Africa, of course, because as soon as we thought PUMA, we thought Usain Bolt, of the African tie-dye team jerseys, a colourful aesthetic that transpires real joy. We tried to combine PUMA’s aesthetic with ours to make our two worlds coexist. We had already done a couple of collabs; with Colette, Kitsuné, Ronnie Fieg, Opening Ceremony, but a giant like PUMA... We think our work makes sense because it can appeal to a majority but still is for people in a certain niche. In this collaboration, we wanted to stick with PUMA’s colour codes, I love colour, and I thought we had to go with a theme that would communicate joy when you see the clothes. The association between cherry red and blue for example, two worlds colliding to become very colourful. When I saw the collection I was very happy, I think it has great energy. PUMA is a brand with lots of positive energy, so in this current climate in the fashion world of very dark colours, we are conveying bold colours and true energy. Your inspiration for the brand? In essence we are inspired by things that we see, both in contemporary art, high fashion as well as urban culture. We have a pretty multicultural and multidisciplinary approach. The result? I am immensely proud of it. I thought that working with PUMA was risky because if we messed up this collaboration we might be frowned upon. The basis for a designer is to be proud of their products, if I’m proud then I know that everything has meaning and that I can defend every choice I make. Especially this collection was made with a vision — the use of colour, the choice of material, the models, and colourful, welldefined and complementary silhouettes. I couldn’t be more proud, I am really very happy. A French dish? Why not a dessert, a 'mille-feuille', because it is composed of several layers, which could be considered a line of horizon. The horizon, parallel to Rothko’s work, is exactly the theme of this collection.
Yes, but do you like them? I love them! A French song? Wow that’s a hard one! (Thinks) If our brand was a song, I would say Naitre Adulte (Born Adult) by Oxmo Puccino, because I want to give the brand meaning and give each creative process an explanation. This song corresponds to the brand because we started it at a very early age and very quickly we wanted to be considered as adults and create a real brand, while at the beginning we perhaps did not have the capacity to do so. A football team? PSG without hesitation. We are two Parisian fans of PSG. A French car? I’m not a huge fan of cars, I’m more a bicycle man.
MIGUEL VALLINAS S e c o n d Skins
SECOND SKINS SUCCEED IN PERSONIFYING BOTH
beast and man
Reminiscent of characters in Beatrix Potter books or Wind in the Willows, the animals in Miguel Vallinas' Second Skins succeed in personifying both beast and man. We recognise the man in the jeans and smart casual jacket, and the woman in the wooly jumper – they're characters from the society we live in. Is this the portrait of a human being likened to the dignity of a wild animal? Or is the animal portrayed as a dignified human being?
SECOND SKINS
is presented as a possible continuation of a previous collection titled Skins. The two series have several aspects in common. While both aim to investigate the internal aspects of the human being, they focus on different elements to try and understand the inner reality of a person. In Skins the intention is to reflect on the choice of the individual to be a certain character, but Second Skins shows a range of personalities that are, or are not in our power – often they're adopted under the circumstances. According to Miguel Vallinas, these images are based on ‘the individual self’ because they attempt to isolate the character through ignoring its references.
www.miguelvallinas.com Photography: Miguel Vallinas Stylists: The Sisters Suni, Leticia Rodriguez and Shoji Ortega.
CLICKBAIT WHO HASN’T BEEN TRICKD BY A
JAW-DROPPING HEADLINE LATELY? If you haven’t, well done. But let’s be honest, ‘JAW-DROPPING’ has taken over the Internet and our minds. It’s clogging up our social media feeds so much that Oxford Dictionaries should choose it as Word of the Year 2014. Most of us agree that we don’t fall for the mindless decoy many websites are using to get us to waste time, but sometimes we just want to investigate you know? Make sure that our jaw really won’t drop 2:39 minutes into the video. Or marvel at the tactics they’re using, to tell our friends how ridiculous they are. Be that as it may, the reality is we click.
These ‘tactics’ to get us to look at videos and slideshows of cats saving children, sheep being rescued from the ocean or ’32 Women Showing Us Their Favourite Position’, are defined as ‘clickbait’. Like getting a fish to bite your rod hook, news and entertainment websites such as Upworthy and Buzzfeed but even ‘esteemed’ news outlets like The Huffington Post, CNN and Time are summoning you to their sites with titles that manipulate your curiosity. In an endless fight for impressions, many online publications are sending out exaggerated, misleading and sometimes even completely wrong information. Sensationalism is at a high, it would seem. Luckily, there are ‘preservationists’ who want to save credible journalism from being dumbed down to fast food status. Launched earlier in 2014, Downworthy – created by female hacker, author and ‘open sorcerer’ Snipe – is an app that replaces hyped-up headlines from viral websites with a slightly more realistic version. Phrases such as ‘You Won’t Believe’ become ‘In All Likelihood, You’ll Believe’, ‘Will Blow Your Mind’ is replaced with ‘Might Perhaps Mildly Entertain You for a Moment’ or ‘Go Viral’ is translated to ‘Be Overused So Much That You’ll Silently Pray for the Sweet Release of Death to Make it Stop’. While this is a browser extension that offers a solution, there are also websites that use the clickbait boom for their benefit.
WILL BLOW YOUR MIND
In June 2014, infamous news satire publication The Onion introduced ClickHole – a parody website dedicated solely to titles that’ll make your ‘jaw drop’, ‘listicles’ (lists such as ’10 Things You Should
Never Say To a Pregnant Woman’) and slideshows. With the tagline ‘because all content deserves to go viral’ and categories such as ‘must share’, editors Jermaine Affonso and Ben Berkley aim ‘to make the world a better place for our content’. Essentially, it’s a mirror to society and Internet behaviour – a parody of a concept that’s already ridiculous in many eyes. Just like The Onion’s, some of ClickHole’s content might not immediately be recognized as a joke, but a video titled
‘WHAT THIS ADORABLE GIRL SAYS WILL MELT YOUR is pretty spot on.
HEART’
Once clicked, a cute-looking eightyear old girl explains that the only purpose of the video is to distract people from what they’re actually supposed to do, and that websites will post it with no shame to get advertising. ‘Why would anyone spend time writing up an 800-word article when they could just put up a video of a cute looking girl?’ she asks viewers. ClickHole is fun, but – since we’re all suckers for clickbait – it doesn’t help you deal with the disappointment felt after realising that what you just watched didn’t make your jaw drop or stop us from falling for it again. Fortunately, Twitter handles such as @ SavedYouAClick and @UpworthySpoiler are there to help us out. @SavedYouAClick’s tagline is ‘Don't click on that. I already did. Saving you from clickbait and adding context since 2014’ and that’s exactly what they do. Before you click on a headline like
IS NOT DEAD @MILEYCYRUS
‘Despite rumours, however, she is still missing,’ they give you the answer to appease your curiosity. In this case it was: ‘She hasn’t tweeted in two days’. The reason this has exploded in the last couple of years is because news outlets are no longer competing on newsstands but in newsfeeds, and just about anybody with a computer can publish. It’s harder to attract attention to articles, content is copied and sadly a catchy headline is more important than a subscription. It’s the only way readers will engage with your version of the massshared topic – which you have to post to please your advertisers. Not all clickbait is the same though, there are different degrees of offenses. Some interest-arousing headings actually lead a greater amount of people to information they might normally not be enticed by, yet others blatantly dupe you into wasting your time with complete nonsense. Nonetheless… FACT is… good content is good content but whether you click on it depends on – as Steve Hind says – ‘the branding’: Here’s an extract from an interview with Steve Hind on NPR: HIND: I actually got pointed to a video that was on YouTube via Upworthy, that was originally just called ‘Zach Wahls Talks About His Family.’ Zach Wahls is a bloke from the States raised by two gay moms. And the video, which was quite a passionate testimony from him, got a million views. It was rebranded to be called
‘TWO LESBIANS RAISED A BABY, And This Is What They Got.’ And with that headline, it got 17 million views.
Clickbait is nothing new, newspapers in the 1800s are guilty as well. You’ll have heard of Joseph Pulitzer. He’s the gentleman the Pulitzer Prizes were named after and – somewhat ironically (or is it?) – he’s partly responsible for the spread of the much frowned-upon yellow journalism. The name derives from a cartoon character called The Yellow Kid drawn by Richard Felton Outcault. Featured in Pulitzer’s newspaper The New York World, this snaggle-toothed boy in a yellow overall was responsible for a massive increase in sales. And just like in today’s battle for impressions, someone wanted to top that at all costs. Randolph Hearst of The New York Journal head-hunted Outcault and a nasty fight ensued over the cartoonist which Hearst won – but the battle for market share went on. In 1898, both Pulitzer’s and Hearst’s newspapers published rumours of plots to sink The Maine, which sunk in Havanna’s harbour because of an explosion on board – critics say the sensationalising of the event influenced the United States and Spain to go to war in Cuba and the Philippines (read more about this here). Of course, greater factors played a role as well but it shines an interesting light on the manipulative power of clickbait. Can it instigate serious incidents? The risk is of course always there. Just like an incorrectly spelt telegram caused the Jameson Raid in 1896, any mildly misleading information could potentially lead to a drastic action. However, if clickbait is here to stay, more immediate repercussions are – apart from distracting people at work – that the attention span on the Internet will decrease even more and engagement with 'important' news (which is a debate in itself) will become rare. Early in 2014, CNN was under fire for clickbaiting serious news. Their tweet leading to a piece of investigative journalism read: ‘14-year-old girl stabbed her little sister 40 times, police say.
THE REASON WHY WILL SHOCK
YOU!'
Will this tweet encourage more readers to engage with reputable world news? Or will it not be seen as valid anymore? As mentioned earlier, not all clickbait is the same. It can help keep news outlets that distribute important information alive, it can lead you to information that you might normally not have engaged with, but very often it simply draws your attention to complete
BULLSHIT.
So how do we know it will? When we go grocery shopping we want to know what ingredients are in our food, so we look out for the words ‘locally produced’. When we buy clothes, we look out for labels to make sure they’re not made in Bangladesh. We have license plates to certify that our cars are roadworthy. Why don’t we make sure links are clickworthy? An independent organisation – maybe similar to the Twitter Spoilers – could focus on evaluating content. Not only would we be warned about what we’re clicking, but websites would think twice about fooling their readers with ridiculous titles. What do you think? Let us know @onesmallseedSA. Yellow Journalism: Yellow journalism, or the yellow press, is a type of journalism that presents little or no legitimate wellresearched news and instead uses eye-catching headlines to sell more newspapers. - Wikipedia
Words: Christine Hogg
The FAIRYTALE-LIKE scenes of Korean artist Jee Young Lee break through the seams of reality, the textures and colours provoking your senses and inviting you to come and play in her dreamscape. Lee explores her role in society as ‘an adult [who] cannot be categorized as an adult in entirety’. She transforms her 3 x 6 m studio to produce vibrant, colourful – but above all – rather otherworldly-looking self-portraits inspired by Korean fables and Lee’s dreams and life experiences.
AJEE YOU
nUnreal
‘Reality is too unrele come true. Nothing hard
listic Reality
UNG LEE
enting to let all the dreams g is guaranteed and it is d to win what you want.’ -Jee Young Lee
'Resurrection'
'Black Birds'
'Monsoon Season' Photography: Jee Young Lee www.opiomgallery.com
Without any alteration in post-production an ‘unrealistic reality’ that introduces the viewer to an alternative understanding of faithful replication is constructed. While photography’s truth claim is often accused of being manipulative, Lee’s series turns this idea around through demonstrating that physical – as opposed to digital – fabrication is perhaps an honest approach to creating tangible fantasy imagery.
IT’S MAKING SENSE NOW…
...SCIENTIFICALLY
SPEAKING
If you're not a biology or physics major then words like 'neuro' and 'science' might seem irrelevant, or perhaps even intimidating. But neuroscience, which in short is defined as 'the study of the nervous system', is a field that's been attracting more than just lab rats for quite some time. Thanks to modern technology, especially the MRI (magnetic resonance imaging) scanner that gives you detailed images of brain activity, the universal question of 'Why Do We...?' is now being answered. Ninety-five percent of the decisions we make are said to be already decided on a subconscious level – so by understanding the 'Why' of what
we do could potentially change the reality of what we’re doing before we even do it! With this remarkable new ability of foresight, 'planting the seed' has never been easier for those with access to the resources. A quote from Anthony Burgess' infamous cult classic Clockwork Orange states: ‘When a man cannot choose, he ceases to be a man.’ Something to think about... Here are a few mind-bending segments that reveal how science can help make sense of why we do things – which, up until recently, we simply haven't been able to provide concrete answers to.
MINDFUL AESTHETICS:
SCIENCE AND ART The self-proclaimed 'grandmother of performance art', Serbian-born Marina Abramović is one of the many that are wiring up to find out what exactly the brain can teach us about art. A name you might know already from the award-winning documentary The Artist is Present, her work explores the relationship between performer and audience, the limits of the body, and the possibilities of the mind. Abramović goes face-to-face with the renowned radio host Brian Lehrer as they both get their brain wavelengths measured. Click here to hear the full interview about how art and science influence each other, and find out more about Abramović’s famous experiment ‘Measuring the Magic of the Mutual Gaze’ here.
SPACE FOR THOUGHT...
TAKE A LOOK AROUND YOU... WHAT SPACE ARE YOU IN? Whether it's on Facebook, Twitter, Instagram or Tumblr – all social media platforms are an open outlet for selfexpression. Truth of content aside, the fact that many of us are so compelled to share even the most arbitrary information is a reality that heralds no dispute. The question is why? A team of Harvard researchers – led by Diana Tamir and her co-author Jason P. – put science to the test on this one and delivered some interesting results. Turns out that the process of disclosing personal information triggers the sensation of pleasure in the brain – the same type related to eating, money and sex! So, next time you find yourself heading into 'Share-Overload Mode', take a break and go eat some chocolate. Click here to find out more detailed info about the results from these Harvard researchers.
Einstein's famous dictum tells us that no problem can be solved from the same level of consciousness that created it. But metaphysics aside, what effect does our external space have on us? Modern researchers – led by the Academy of Neuroscience for Architecture – have shown that certain types of spaces can indeed promote the growth of new neurons. No matter how old you are, you can increase your ability to learn, which in turn will affect your everyday reality. Architects potentially have a whole new blueprint to work with: one that can influence all of our realities.
STATUS UPDATE!
WHY ARE WE ADDICTED TO SHARING?
“The question isn't, 'What do we want to know about people?', It's, 'What do people want to tell about themselves?” - Mark Zuckerberg
THE STATS ON
STUPID
The Google Effect – identified in 2011 by researchers Betsy Sparrow, Jenny Liu and Daniel Wegner – is basically an extension of Wegner's 1980s concept that he called 'Transactive Memory'. In essence this concept shows that the human brain likes to take 'cognitive shortcuts' whenever possible, and if there’s no real need to remember something then our brains simply won't bother making the extra effort. With Google offering us information that’s simply 'a click away', our brains subconsciously drop a few gears and sit comfortably in power-saving mode. Now add Facebook, Twitter, Instagram and so forth into the mix (and the ever-increasing information that comes with them) – it's only a matter of time before we go into lockdown. So, is there such a thing as TMI? Stupid or not – Tweet us your opinion @onesmallseedSA!
NEUROMARKETING: A Prime Example of Tweaking Reality
Perhaps the biggest to score out of the development of neuroscience are those up in the advertising world, the big guys so to speak. It all comes down to one little word: Priming. By understanding how the brain works, and why we make decisions, the marketing world now has priceless insight that – if understood correctly – can be used as a tool for manipulation. Priming an individual means you feed bits of information to them on a subconscious level, and by doing so affect the decision they haven't even made yet. Giving Coke cans human names is a recent example, amongst many, that trigger the emotive part of your brain, making you feel special and – in a way – hand-selected.
I’ll end this with an introduction to someone, who probably doesn’t need one. I’ve never been a fan of assumption, so: Sir Arthur C. Clarke – a man most famous for being cowriter to one of history's most influential science fiction films, 2001: A Space Odyssey, directed by the iconic Stanley Kubrick (The Shining, Clockwork Orange). Both were pioneers and geniuses, who embraced their reality with grit and unwavering vision – we continue to learn from their work today! Something that really resonated is a quote from Clarke in 2003: ‘The Information Age’ offers much to mankind, and I would like to think that we will rise to the challenges it presents. But it is vital to remember that information — in the sense of raw data — is not knowledge, that knowledge is not wisdom, and that wisdom is not foresight. But information is the first essential step to all of these.’ (‘Humanity Will Survive Information Deluge’, Sir Arthur C. Clarke, 2003) Information and the freedom to access it, is still available to many of us. This is a tool for positive future change. And for the many that do not have this access, try make it your goal to keep learning and then start spreading. Start a conversation. Cultivate a dialogue offline. Walk away with a smile you’re not aware of having. Make eye contact once in a while. And then share this as your status update. Something real. Stop being afraid, and others will follow suit. The late Alexander McQueen once said: ‘Give me time and I’ll give you a Revolution.’ Well, there’s no better time than the Now. You might not be a science-buff, an academic, an artist, or even someone who has any interest in social media. ‘It is what it is,’ some would say, while others might feel that ‘It is what you make it.’ And now recent research shows it isn’t necessarily up to us at all. But there is something that stands true: it’s no longer just about ‘What We Do’, it’s about ‘Why We Do’. Yes, new information can be the key to unlocking a new reality – just make sure you’re ready to open that door...
Words: Sarah Claire Picton
Marjolein TRANSFORMING
Audrey Banis
'Be careful what you pretend because you are what you p - Kurt Vonnegut
s
G
d to be pretend to be.'
Dress: Wendy Rombouts Armpieces: ASOS Panty: Oroblu
Wanting to visualise becoming the person who you think you are, Marjolein Audrey Banis and her team pu a fashion shoot that instantly bedazzles. Sometimes model Sarah de Jager’s face is in full focus while her pierces through the camera and directly engages with the viewer. Yet at other times half of her lush e blurred or completely camouflaged by her hair. It’s this unveiling process, combining the inner you with y identity that injects an artful purpose into fashion. The decision to disguise, pretend or reveal can ultima who you (think) you are. www.dashdot.nl
ut together sharp gaze expression is your outside ately hint at
Black shirt: Asos Shoulder piece: Leonie Smelt Skirt: Leonie Smelt Boots: Stylist's own Photography: Marjolein Audrey Banis @dashdot.nl Stylist: Gerline Hornsveld Model: Sarah de Jager Make-up: Anika Roelink Hairstylist: Yvonne Vloedbeld Agency: De Boekers
Feather bra: Anbasja Blanken Dress: American Apparel Shoulder piece: Leonie Smelt
REBECCA HANDLER
THE COUPLES Adam and Eve, when faced with the idea of evolution, must question their existence. Photography: Rebecca Handler www.rebeccahandler.com
Photographer Rebecca Handler’s latest series, The Couples, portrays historic ‘duos’ set in contemporary times. Each of them is depicted in a cinematic scene, contrasting the lifestyle they are famed for having. The curtain has been dropped as Handler reveals the very probable situations these couples would face today. According to her, ‘It’s a fun juxtaposition of what is and what appears to be.’ Watch behind-the-scenes videos for this series here.
Bonnie and Clyde, rebels to the core, are finally caught.Â
Cleopatra and Caesar, known for their overindulgent, luxurious lifestyle, are depicted working in the service industry.
The artist Frida is caught red-handed by her on-off partner, Diego, during one of her love affairs with a woman.
PUMA SELECT COMES TO
JOBURG
On 6 March 2014 PUMA opened its first ever PUMA SELECT shop at 137 Bree Street, Cape Town. Igniting a creative spark for World Design Capital 2014, the space was designed by 3D industrial designer Ben Wilson (Wilson Brothers) in collaboration with Adam Brinkworth of interior and architectural design agency Brinkworth. And soon – in August 2014 – a second PUMA SELECT store will open in Braamfontein, Johannesburg. Both shops will only be open for a year and feature PUMA’s premium products before they’re available elsewhere as well as exclusive collaborations with influential streetwear labels, fashion houses and creatives from around the globe. Collections include McQ by PUMA, MMQ (Macht's Mit Qualität) and a collab with Parisian design duo BWGH (Brooklyn We Go Hard). The stores will also work with New York illustrator Sophia Chang, London interior design team House of Hackney, and Tokyo’s quirky king of avant-garde sneakers Mihara Yashuhiro. On top of that, a programme called CREAM will define the most exclusive PUMA collaborations, such as PUMA x Ronnie Fieg, and re-issues of OG silhouettes, such as the Trinomic XS850. ‘The store concept addresses premium right now. It’s about honesty to materials and the craft, and letting the product speak for itself.’ - Adam Brinkworth
SPORTMEETS FASHION
The aim is to draw on PUMA’s rich heritage and honour sports’ influence on fashion. Practical wear has inspired catwalks for decades and vice versa. As early as the 19th century, women started wearing split-skirts for biking, and later on in the disco era dancewear turned into streetwear. The 2012 Olympics influenced iconic fashion designer Vivienne Westwood’s sweatshirts and tees printed with medals, laurels and ancient Greek athletes. In the same year and in a ‘similar fashion’, Pam Hogg – whose famous designs have been worn by Rihanna and Kelly Rowland – created a sport-influenced catsuit Jessie J. donned. Functionality combined with good looks is the effective way forward – and hopefully it’s here to stay. PUMA’s philosophy of creating a premium product for the willing consumer ties in to this concept: active is attractive! For updates find PUMA on Facebook, visit www.pumaselect.co.za or follow @PUMASouthAfrica on Twitter and hashtag #PUMASelectZA, #PUMASelectJozi and #PUMASelectCT to join the conversation. Click here to watch an interview with Ben Wilson and Adam Brinkworth.
'Rizzle Kicks'
URBAN ARTIST
SOAP
ON SURREALISM, HYPERREALISM & BRINGING HIS ART TO ANOTHER LEVEL Adam Klodzinski aka SOAP is an urban artist who’s given life to trains and grey walls, had shots fired over his head and believes the only art that's not accessible is that which doesn't make it to the 'canvas'. From hyperreal celebrity portraits to surrealist paintings, his scope of work and use of tools and mediums takes you on a wild journey through the underground, along streets and into galleries. While he stands as Dali's biggest fan, he's quickly becoming one of ours!
You reference Salvador Dali as one of your influencers; he’s an artist associated with the movement of surrealism. Is what’s ‘real’ always open to interpretation? I love Dali and his paintings. My own surrealism comes with lots of my paintings such as the London Tube Train. I also paint myself into most of my paintings as a character I call 'Little Adam'. I position him in places he could never exist in real life, so he’s my little piece of surrealism too. Also, when I look at my paintings on the Internet, they seem much larger than what they really are – more like murals but instead they’re on canvas. I believe we all see things differently. When I look at a chair I might not see the same chair that you do. We all have different perspectives don't we? My upbringing and what happened in Poland gives me a different outlook to someone else who has had a different background. I also believe that most people are caught up in their thoughts most of the time and as a result miss the beauty. This is what I try to put into my paintings too – my vision of the beauty that’s all around us!
'London Tube'
‘SURREALISM IS
DESTRUCTIVE, BUT IT DESTROYS
ONLY WHAT IT CONSIDERS TO BE SHACKLES LIMITING OUR VISION.’ SALVADOR DALI
'Salvador Dali'
The celebrity profiles you’ve been commissioned to do have a distinct sense of hyperrealism to them. There’s that larger-than-life feeling you get; do you think this is a candid portrayal of them in the role they play as celebrities? This is a good question and yes, I do believe it to be quite a candid portrayal in regard to the role they play. Of course those paintings are of people that exist in a ‘celebrity world’ – there’s something surreal about that. I look at them as normal people who happen to be in the limelight. When I paint, something happens to me inside. I feel this energy running through me, which – I like to think – is visible in my art. And I like the shock value that comes with painting hyperreal portraits of people. They appear as photographs but I've actually created them with an airbrush. We had one of the Dizzee Rascal portraits in the kitchen and my friend's father-in-law came in and said 'My God that's a big photo!' My friend and me started laughing and when we explained what the painting was actually done with, he was blown away. I like it when that happens. Your project Supermodels explores themes of identity; the perception of what’s real; and the question of what actually is real... Do you relate to these themes on a personal level? Supermodels seem to have this lavish life style and eat at the finest restaurants with big business people, film stars or members of well-known groups. But does anyone look at this make-believe world and not see it for what it is? I had no food to eat sometimes while growing up, so watching TV and seeing this lifestyle that was sold to us made me question lots of things... When you really get down to it money doesn’t make us happy. Yes it helps, but happiness cannot be found in people, places or things, it has to come from inside of us. And yes, I have had to find my own identity and I have had to search inside myself for this.
'1st Element'
'Florence' (of Flore
You go by the name SOAP. Considering the function of soap in comparison to a graffiti artist, this name seems to hold a certain irony to it. Soap also speaks true to the concept that ‘out of destruction comes creation'. I could be completely off target though. Maybe you just like to keep things clean…?
'Meeting of Styles'
ence and the Machine)
For years, me and my friends from the B2 crew would go about bombing trains and spraying walls. One time I was running away from the police and because I was running so fast, they couldn't catch me and started firing shots above my head. I could hear the bullets clearly and it made me sit back and think once I was home. I didn’t want to get shot for my art and when I found the word soap in an English dictionary, it was so surreal because it was like a message. I wanted to clean my act up and try something different. I wanted to bring my art to another level, which is what I’m doing right now. My B2 friends are happy for me and even came to my London exhibition. They’re like brothers to me and we may even spray some legal walls together soon so watch this space. Yes, SOAP stands for clean and it has a deeper meaning – and you’re very clever to spot it! With the digital solutions that are available, and information overload just a click away – do you think that ‘high art’ and ‘low art’ even exists anymore? What isn’t accessible? I love the Internet and digital solutions. Years ago, with the likes of say Picasso, only the very rich would have been able to seen his art. Today anyone can surf the net and look at art they like and I like the fact that they can do that. The only art that’s not accessible in my opinion is the art that’s in the artist’s head and not on canvas. But I believe it’s a great thing that we can share things with each other so quickly now.
Interview: Sarah Claire Picton Artwork: Adam Klodzinski aka SOAP www.urbanartistsoap.com
Oliver B
ORGANIC S ASK CHRSITINE PROPER CREDITS STYLE AND INFO
Barnett’s
SURREALISM ‘Gradually I am learning that if we look at a plant, tree or rock closely enough, peel back its physical layers, study it without intellectualising, we begin to connect to its essence, we enter a collective level of awareness. It’s a ritualistic process that sits at the core of these works.’ - Oliver Barnett
Cape Town-based photographicartist Oliver Barnett’s aim is to ‘unite scientific and spiritual realms to invoke balance in the way humans interact with nature'. In photographs, he appropriates sights in our environment that attracted his sensory curiosity and, with the help of symmetry, he creates a completely new image. When looking at the abstract result, it’s often hard to fathom that the artwork’s essence is in fact rooted in the tangible 'real’. The connection to its organic source is there, but it’s disguised in an obscure, semi-fabricated and artfully balanced façade. What’s more, while the images' shapes, colour and lines differ in detail, one could argue that there’s a recurring theme, a golden ratio if you will… a categorical concept that weaves through the series. This need to classify calls forth an often-discussed philosophical question about aesthetics: Is there a general theory we can apply to beauty inherent to the workings of this world? Watch a behind-the-scenes video here. 'Quillandra'
'Synesthesia'
'Kalika'
Photography: Oliver Barnett www.oliverbarnett.co.za
'Scintilla'
'Avian'
SPECIAL PHOTOGRAPHER FROM THE GOLDEN AGE OF HOLLYWOOD Marlon Brando walking during the filming of The Ugly American. © Leo Fuchs - www.leofuchs.com
Shirley MacLaine and daughter Sachi on the set of Irma la Douce. Š Leo Fuchs - www.leofuchs.com
LEO FUCHS
Simply out of courtesy, photographer was known to show his subjects the image after taking it. This, along with his skill to capture beautiful situations, gained him a lot of trust by actors, directors and other industry regulars. Thus becoming one of the exceptional outsiders who were allowed on set, he developed a very intimate relationship with the stars and secured his status as a ‘special photographer’. The shots he took during Hollywood’s most defining time are collected in Leo Fuchs: Special Photographer from the Golden Age of Hollywood. In them celebrities of post-war fame, such as Marlon Brando, Sean Connery and Audrey Hepburn, show us a like-you-and-me side to themselves that, before Fuchs’ photographs, was rarely exhibited. For more info go to www.leofuchs.com. Leo Fuchs: Special Photographer from the Golden Age of Hollywood is available at www.amazon.com.
Audrey Hepburn reads under the umbrella in The Nun's Story. Š Leo Fuchs - www.leofuchs.com
Doris Day and Cary Grant relax at the pool during the filming of That Touch of Mink. Paul Newman engages with the camera during the filming of Exodus.
Š Leo Fuchs - www.leofuchs.com
Sean Connery looking majestic on the set of Woman of Straw. Š Leo Fuchs - www.leofuchs.com
Alfred Hitchcock in the corner during the filming of Marnie. Š Leo Fuchs - www.leofuchs.com
IN PARTNERSHIP WITH