Reclaiming the digital world to showcase both the art and the artist; a platform to create, a platform to inspire, and a platform to reconnect.
Creative direction & styling: Cristian Tremishi
Photography & mixed media: Harry
Sung Starring: Colwyn Hue with Wild Management
Hair & makeup: Andy Le
Digital tech: Zayden Phan
Lighting assistant: Pamath Yakandawela
Retouching: Katrina
Styling assists: Sophie Wadden & Ava Peebles
It started with an idea, a ‘what if’, a phone call from across the world, and no shortage of ideas. The formation of a new space for artists seemed both within reach and something that we would inevitably create together. And so, months later, here we are - a beginning with no end in sight.
For our first issue, we wanted to explore the digital world and focus on turning the intangible on its head. A journey of self expression, storytelling, and the role of technology in modern art. The artists featured in this issue show no hesitation, no bound to the algorithm. We sought out those who create, simply for the sake of creating.
We hope the featured work inspires you, as readers, as much as it inspired us in the creation of this issue. Each and every artist took our vision beyond what we could have imagined, and for that, we are eternally grateful.
Although this is our first issue, we can’t wait to take this journey to new heights.
Salma Abu Hijleh & Ashley Hilbers
Creative direction & styling: Cristian Tremishi
Photography & mixed media: Harry Sung
Starring: Colwyn Hue with Wild Management
Hair & makeup: Andy Le
Digital tech: Zayden Phan
Lighting assistant: Pamath Yakandawela
Retouching: Katrina
Styling assists: Sophie Wadden & Ava Peebles
“I discovered my passion for styling through pop music and theatre. I have a background as a professional contemporary dancer; movement and art had a huge impact on me as a child, and still inspire me as an adult. The crucial moment for me was when I discovered Korean pop music and through the music videos and live performances I was able to expand my creative inspiration.
At first, I was more focused on just delivering a fierce concept, hence the result would be more commercial. Initially I just created different moodboards for my photo shoots and took inspiration from various visuals. My creative process has evolved and I’ve found a way that works for me perfectly and stimulates my brain and heart; I like to get inspired by a music track, listening to it over and over again and create a story from scratch. I imagine a whole new different world and like to give my models a part as an actor/ actress. From there I can finalize the official concept of my project and try my best to select photographers and team members that fit the theme properly.
As previously mentioned, music has a huge impact on my work. From ballet, to contemporary, to pop music or alternative. I’ve found myself being inspired by brutalism (a style of architecture) a lot, its shapes and colors really speak to me and I try to translate that into my styling/creative direction projects. I’m trying to evolve and showcase a vulnerable side of me into my work and showcase my deepest and dark emotions.
I tend to immerse myself completely into my projects and sometimes I need the help of a friend or two to get me out of my creative process as I tend to get too lost in it. I try to pull interesting pieces from local designers as well as bigger brands that fit my aesthetic and the concept of the photoshoot. I’m still learning and improving, styling requires not only attention and passion but talent and I’m working towards perfecting my skills. The use of choreography is essential in my work and the overall collaboration between me, the talent and the team is crucial to the final product.
Creative direction & styling: Cristian Tremishi
Photography & lighting: Jenn Xu
Starring: Erik Lin
Hair & makeup: Grace Shore
Set design: Jude Hujaji
Stylist assists: Sophie Wadden & Ava
Peebles
Photography assists: Kimberly Ho & Lisa
Fevral
Social media has been a dear friend of my work, it helps showcase my content on a bigger scale and I was able to connect with so many talented people in & outside of the industry. It’s definitely a good thing to be able to share my stories on platforms like Instagram, although sometimes I like to take a step back and not let the content on the app influence my inspiration too much. With the amount of talented people sharing their work there, it definitely can get you feeling insecure. I’ve learned to just keep going and looking in my own direction without letting it influence me, both as a person and as an artist.”
Photography: Deanna Flinn
Starring: Daisy Dehart with Lizbell Agency
Wardrobe stylist: Cam Delisle
Hair & makeup: Robby Demesa
Assistant hair & makeup: Rayya Akbar
Nail artist: Kalen Douglas
Assistant nail artist: Miz Wang
“I chose to submit the first shoot that I fully creative directed and styled independently. ‘Picture Day’ particularly holds significance to me as it was also one of my first creative projects from my program at Blanche Macdonald. With this shoot, I wanted to incorporate my vision and aesthetic as much as possible as we were only able to create one look. I feel as if this shoot represents my favorite aspects of my styling, these being my 90s/2000s aesthetic, alongside my reference pulls from pop music trailblazers. The end result: a twist on classic yearbook photos, with a fashion-forward edit.
I draw a lot of influence from pop culture and music, but for this shoot I was specifically inspired by early 2000s Britney Spears, Janet Jackson, and girl groups, such as Destiny’s Child. The shoot concept had been with me for quite a while, before I even started styling. I was initially a bit deterred from doing it as I was sure it had been done before, but as I scoured for inspiration, I didn’t feel like anyone had done a shoot like it in the way that I was envisioning. As far as storytelling goes, it was a bit of augmenting reality and creating this world where something like a yearbook photo was this fashion event that everyone turned it out for. In a sense it was also fulfilling something within myself, as I grew up in a rural, conservative town that didn’t necessarily nurture creativity, and one of the few days you could dress up for school without turning heads was on picture day.”
photographer
@rottingdagger
Syd’s journey into photography began in a casual manner, experimenting with an authentic digital camera borrowed from their father. Despite the simplicity of shooting in auto mode, it sparked a passion for capturing moments. Eventually the camera broke, straying them away from photography for a while. The artist then came across the work of a fellow photographer on Instagram, whose raw and emotive film captures of Vancouver’s scenery left a lasting impression. Though their own style differed, the emotional impact of the images ignited a desire to create equally compelling photographs.
Upon their return to the art form, they decided to explore the world of film photography. The transition to film required a more careful approach to composition and subject matter, a stark contrast to their previous casual style. Their approach to photography is characterized by spontaneity and collaboration. Often, shoots begin with a vague concept, developed further in collaboration with their subjects. With a preference for shooting on location, ideas are refined the moment of, resulting in dynamic and organic photo sessions. His subjects, often individuals inspired by the creative concept of the shoot, are willing to put their ideas forward - creating a collaborative space. Embracing the chaos of the creative process, shoots sometimes take unexpected turns, such as their recent impromptu session on a rainy highway.
With each of my art pieces comes a strong desire to be remembered.
While social media serves as a platform for sharing their work, they prioritize the impact of their images over follower counts. Support from friends fuels their passion, outweighing the allure of widespread recognition. Though he acknowledges the potential benefits of leveraging platforms like TikTok or Instagram his focus remains on the act of creation rather than self-promotion. In essence, their photographic journey is a testament to the power of experimentation, collaboration, and remaining true to one’s creative vision.
“I would describe myself as a lover of the arts: each shot is an attempt to capture the raw human experience. Part of why I love film photography is because it is so practical. All the effort that goes into a shot makes the result so much more beautiful to me, despite how tedious the process can be. In all honesty, all of my photos are soaked with reckless abandon. I started getting into film during the coldest days of winter; many of my shoots consisted of wrapping a scarf around the only camera I owned, an umbrella handle shoved down my shirt to hold it in place. Somehow, this was all I needed. A camera, a vision, and pure desire.
My most loved work are the double exposuresthere’s one of my best friend and her boyfriend kissing and another of two girls with a mirror. These shots were taken when I had rewinded the film to switch them out for a different shoot, and I hadn’t winded it up all the way when shooting the rest of the roll again. I find beauty in the fact that every subject within those photos has hit my camera’s lens at that precise point in time to form the photo.
It’s funny, my oldest brother is a photographer: but he shoots weddings and portraits - a completely different tone compared to my own. Getting a bit personal here, but I was never really close to him since we grew up in different households. Because we share photography as a common ground, I found myself trying super hard to capture something beautiful in the hopes that he would understand me - that my rawness and desire is strong enough to reach him in a way I was never able to reach before. I hope he doesn’t read this, I hate being vulnerable. But, there’s also no escaping it - my photos are vulnerable in itself.”
photographer @aurorry
Photography: Aurora Anondodhara
Starring: Kiran Bassi & Linda Liu
Styling: Salma Abu Hijleh & Ashley Hilbers
“ I’ve been creating for as long as I can remember. My parents’ house is overloaded with crafts my mom refuses to throw out. For most of my life I was more into drawing and painting, but since I started university I just haven’t had as much time as I would like to properly indulge in those. I liked photography too, but until I was about 19, the extent of that was carefully edited iPhone photos. I got my first camera from Facebook Marketplace because I’d gotten a photographer position in a club. I think that position really boosted my interest in creative photography. I started calling on friends and strangers to model for me, I bought some mid-range equipment to create something of a studio in my room, and I started posting my work as well. My account is still private because
1. I am scared of the internet and 2. I don’t want to fall into the pressures of algorithms and counting engagement.
In terms of inspiration, I think movies and music are how I generate most of my ideas. Less in a technical sense, and more because of the way I feel after watching/listening. You know when you walk out of a theater and the sun has set and you feel like something inside you has changed? I would like people to see my work and maybe feel that way too, like they want to go out and make something themselves. I am so grateful for the people I’ve met and the experiences I’ve had through photography.
You know when you walk out of a theater and the sun has set and you feel like something inside you has changed? I would like people to see my work and maybe feel that way too, like they want to go out and make something themselves.
Even if the results aren’t what I want them to be, everything has a story behind it, and my photos will always be a reminder of those stories.”
Performer: Lake Paredis
Music: Artemis Gallegos
Camera: Lula-Belle Jedynak
Performer - creature: Eden Côté-Foster
Projections & general assistance: Rylee Cronin & Ava Jane Stanley
‘Medical Friends (how to do a t-shot)’
“My name is Lake Paredis, I am Métis, I am trans. I made all kinds of art but mostly media/video based work. For me, making the things I make often feels like the only method I have of communicating to the world and people around me, from my own feelings about myself to my larger world views and philosophies and whatnot. I’m not the best with words, and somehow building these situations and characters that exist outside of the real, tangible world makes things feel less overwhelming to grasp. These things now exist as little tangible worlds of their own, and I can convey exactly what I want to convey in those little worlds so much more clearly than I ever can in the real world.
The piece I’m featuring here is a recent performance/film called ‘Medical Friends (how to do a t-shot)’. Probably the most central part of this work is the mask, which I made using every syringe I used during my past (first) year on testosterone. (Lovingly) dubbed: my biohazard mask. This is a really personal piece, focusing on my own journey of medically transitioning. I have never felt right about how medical it is, when it is, in reality, such an emotional, and spiritual process. I try here to show this strange dichotomy I feel between being told, instructionally how to inject yourself with hormones, and the reality of doing that every single week for the rest of your life, and all the other realities that come with being a trans person. There are no instructions for the emotional reality of these things, both positive and negative.”
“My illustrations are an insight into how I view myself. They are my guide through womanhood, dealing with how to grow up, how I am perceived and how being mentally ill distorts my view. I like to embrace asymmetry and disproportion in my work, moving with my hand and allowing surrealistic characters to come forward. I can’t take them too seriously this way, which allows a sense of humour to permeate through my pieces.”
