DRØME Volume V

volume v

HARRIET DAVEY / CHI OSSE/ JAE KIM / EHIOROBO / NIK BENTEL / SCARLETT KAPELLA / JORDAN GONZALEZ / SORRY FERN

L O V M U

-L V E M xx x

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VOLUME

V REFLECTION

DEAR READER

Photos by Ernesto Román

DECEMBER 2023

Dear Reader, We’re back! After a four year hiatus, we are stoked to present DRØME Volume V. The theme of this issue is Reflection.

What does reflection mean to you?

The artists in Volume V both emphasize the importance of reflecting and the importance of playing. To play is to reflect. When we play, who we really are reveals itself through the essence of our craft. When we play, we are able to reflect on the deepest parts of our inner selves. When we play, we can see one another. We reflect within, so we can reflect outward to you.

The artists selected in this issue show the necessity and power of contradiction: How can we hold two truths in the same hands? How do we reveal who we are in our work so we can communicate the very fiber of our inner selves, through our art?

These artists are bold, unafraid to hold space for contradiction. Their individuality is salient in their work, and they are relentless in their pursuit of creating daring, honest art.

By being unapologetically badass, these artists make us want to face the complexities within ourselves. Through the extraordinary minds of each artist present in the magazine you are now holding, we come to know the inner workings of their respective worlds. Ultimately, each artist reminds us that in order to reflect our inner worlds to you, work is done best when approached as play.

Thanks for playing. So, what is your reflection?

xxx Lea h Wa silewski

Caroline D’Arcy 9

WELCOME TO VOLUME V

CONTENTS

Editor in Chief / Creative Director Caroline D’Arcy Managing Editor / Creative Director Leah Wasilewski

Layout Design by Caroline D’Arcy Layout Creative Direction by Leah Wasilewski

PRINTED BY PARK COMMUNICATIONS LIMITED IN LONDON HIT US UP: CAROLINE@DROME.MEDIA LEAH@DROME.MEDIA special thanks to Watson & Co for design inspiration.

Reproduction without written permission from the publisher is strictly prohibited. All copyright belongs to DRØME, LLC. DRØME is published once a year.

when you see yourself, what do you see?

when i see you, what do you want me to see?

THE MOONSTONED www.themoonstoned.com @themoonstoned

WANT YOU IN MY BED.

Bitch!

You Strippin’

Scarlett Kapella GIRL ON FILM

Article & Interview by Leah Wasilewski Photography by Scarlett Kapella Leather panties, black fishnets, and eight inch heels. In front of me is a lit up stage flooded by contortionists, flashing lights, and hypnotic smiles— a whole lot of them. This is where I first met Scarlett Kapella in 2022 at Jumbo’s Clown Room, the notorious bikini bar in Los Angeles. Before that night, I had never been to Jumbo’s before, and I was stunned by the range of performances I saw. Jumbo’s is not like other cabaret or strip clubs, and I came to realize consequently the dancers are not like other ones I had seen, either. Each performance fully enraptured the audience members, luring them into a world that didn’t exist beyond the walls of the club.

The dancers were in charge, with Scarlett at the helm — she was a magician, and she was in control. Amidst the music blaring through the speakers and the rush of audience members, it seemed apparent that night after night each dancer mastered not only the art of performance, but also the art of connection. Scarlett did not fall short of this allure— I was immediately enticed.

During the evening’s performance, Scarlett took her place onstage, holding a 35mm camera alongside fellow dancers. As she eagerly snapped photos, Duran

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“If my work inadvertently helps break down the stigma surrounding the profession, that’s a nice side effect.”

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Duran’s 80’s classic “Girls on Film” played from the speakers. The performance was not only an act of artistry and complex choreography, but one that showed the unity and support between Scarlett and the other dancers.

Each member of the audience was bewitched; performers and viewers alike were suspended under the same spell of energy, in this special moment in time. As other women, like myself, sat in the front row that wrapped around the stage, we held cash in our hands and chimed in simpatico claps and supportive chants. This routine is one of Scarlett’s favorite performances at Jumbo’s, which aligns with her skill and pursuit as a photographer outside the club.

“I love to find playful ways to include the audience within the no contact rule. It is a femme wildlife photography session resulting in fun and sexy candids of my most cherished co-workers.” With support that extends beyond her co-workers, Scarlett frequently collaborates with her family. Scarlett’s mother often designs her costumes, and her brother never fails to fulfill any stage prop needs, proving Scarlett to be a woman of community and collaboration.

Scarlett’s support and inspiration stretches even further beyond friends, family, and co-workers. Like any artist, she looks to a variety of artistic mediums for creative insight, ranging from classic Hollywood films to vintage Smut magazines. While Jumbo’s is Scarlett’s place of work, it is also a creative outlet that is not purely transactional; Scarlett threads a variety of

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“It is an honest glimpse into a world that will always be considered taboo, but that is what makes it so fun.”

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“Life experiences provide stories to share and an authentic connection with the audience.” artistic mediums into her work. “My live performances are inspired by a variety of sources. Sometimes, it all begins with the outfit, while other times, the song itself ignites a spark. Life experiences provide stories to share and an authentic connection with the audience.”

Despite Scarlett’s former years of dance training in various styles including ballet, her talent expands beyond movement and photography. Scarlett works as a model and producer of live events, too. And, her brand, BITCH! You Strippin’ is a collection of her photography, apparel, and other forms of merchandise she plans to grow in the future. Scarlett’s creativity as a multi-faceted artist only continues to evolve. Her future goals include making a series of photo books, and exploring working in home decor and party accessories.

Scarlett never realized the importance of her role as a photographer of sex workers until she had already started. Although Scarlett knows shining light on sex work is integral, her support was never conscious. “If my work inadvertently helps break down the stigma surrounding the profession, that’s a nice side effect.”

When I met Scarlett, her earnest and sensitive outlook on her work was apparent. Her photography is undeniably honest, and what makes it exciting and real is her intimate participation in the industry. Her personal experience as a dancer fuels the integrity of her work and makes her photography anything but exploitative. “It is an honest glimpse into a world that will always be considered taboo, but that is what makes it so fun.”

Jumbo’s Clown Room is the spot to go to for those who favor, as Scarlett says, “unconventional performances.” Her future plans do not shy far from the playful and original qualities of her present work. “Some dream collaborations include shooting Dolly Parton’s next album cover and tasteful nudes of Keanu Reeves.” No matter what field Scarlett explores in the future, and which artistic mediums she threads together, it will, without a doubt, be done with individuality and integrity to who she is and the community she supports. And, it will always be done with the intention to create something unmistakably her own. ø

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SORRY

Fern Article & Interview by Caroline D’Arcy Photography by Joe Calixto

Lightning in a Bottle

She screamed in the bathtub; he recorded on a toilet. It’s not your typical love story, but then again, Fernanda Andrade and Josh James are not your typical married couple. During the first (and only) nineteen seconds of the leading track off SORRY FERN’s debut EP, DEMO, I’m hooked. As Josh screams “SORRY FERN!” and Fernanda yells back “IT’S OK!” even though the song is over in a flash, the earnestness and charisma of SORRY FERN comes through loud and clear.

Two abundantly talented creative forces —Josh plays sold out shows worldwide in his hardcore band Stick to Your Guns, and Fernanda acts in TV and Film (Moon Night, Let the Right One In, Narcos) — Josh and Fern’s SORRY FERN was born out of a joke during COVID lockdown. The project unexpectedly turned into a legitimate —albeit still playful— band.

SORRY FERN has recorded one EP to date, which is distributed exclusively on Bandcamp, both digitally and via a limited edition run of cassettes. They sold out of cassettes almost instantly, donating all of the proceeds to community fridges nearby in Los Angeles.

It is clear that SORRY FERN is the ultimate passion project, exempt from all pressures likely foisted upon both Fernanda and Josh in their fast moving individual careers. Perhaps the energy that both artists are able to harness through the free-flowing nature of SORRY FERN is crucial to their development in their respective crafts. Fernanda’s brutally clever and honest lyrics combined with the chilling texture of her screaming voice stir something deep within, urging the listener to resuscitate a deeply suppressed rage.

SORRY FERN fully embodies the fury that so many were feeling during lockdown— even listening to the music is cathartic. Fernanda’s screams are a rallying call: “No change in the DNC! Same shit from the GOP! Don’t listen to the CDC / Throw you in the ICU / Let you choke on a fucking tube / Don’t worry you’ll be fine / We’re the best at having people die!”

The album does not overstay its welcome; the only song on DEMO that breaks one minute in length is “GET YOURS,” which clocks in at one minute and five seconds long, and, in doing so, the EP leaves us ravenous for more.

Despite the hardcore nature of the music, there is a palpable tenderness between the two that is evident even through the Zoom screen, as Fern and Josh smile and laugh their way through the interview. As our conversation comes to a close, one burning question still remains: When will SORRY FERN’s next album be released? While the answer is unclear, one thing is for certain: SORRY FERN holds the magic of lightning in a bottle.

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“It is critical for me, as a female, and for women in general to be free and open to that energy of rage, which is what hardcore looks and feels like.” - Fernanda Andrade

Caroline D’Arcy Your experience quarantining during COVID inspired SORRY FERN. Did you always want to go into the hardcore scene or did it happen organically?

Fernanda Andrade Absolutely not, it was totally unexpected. It came out of our own frustration at the time. We were in a tiny apartment, we had no AC and the city was shut down…

Josh James I had an inside joke with a friend so I wrote a three second riff and asked Fern to yell on it. She was like, “I can’t do that!” But then she did, and it actually sounded really cool. From that point, I started writing more music with the intention to have her sing.

Fernanda One day Josh yelled from the bathroom, “Yo Fern, can you come in the here?” And I was like— “Is it an emergency...?!” [Laughs] When I went into the bathroom, Josh was sitting on a closed toilet with a laptop on the sink. He asked me to step in the bathtub and yell some lyrics. I said, “hell no,” but eventually I put on headphones and got in the bathtub and yelled. I had no clue what I was doing, I was so fucking confused. I took the headphones off and said, “I can’t hear myself!” and Josh said, “Yeah well I can hear you fine!, and I said, “Well how the fuck am I supposed to scream and not hear the music, not hear myself and not know what I’m doing all at the same time?!”

Josh Listen lady, we’re not in some professional recording studio— you’re in a bathroom in a 500 square foot apartment.

Fernanda It was a bit of blind faith. But it ended up being really fun.

Josh The first couple of songs were definitely tongue in cheek and then Fern showed me some of the stuff she had been writing on her own, which ended up being songs like “Sabotage.”

Fern Well, I came back from my walk and you were like, “Can I use this?”

Josh When she goes on walks I go through all of her stuff. She had gone on some walk and her notebook was laying there and I saw some lyrics and I thought they were great and should be used.

That was when we realized Sorry Fern didn’t have to just be a joke.

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S o r r y Fern!

This life is a mirage Sabotage sabotage

Hell is above the ground Sabotage sabotage Feet don’t fail me now Sabotage sabotage

Please just let me plow my own hole in the ground.

This pain is a mirage so give me a hit I don’t wanna feel it

Fuck

Don’t listen to the CDC You’ll be fine, file for EDD Throw you in the ICU Let you choke on a fucking tube Don’t worry you’ll be fine We’re the best at having people die Maybe try the PUA More shit from the U S A Fuck em No change in the DNC

Caroline So how did the whole recording process go?

Josh Totally amateur. I’m not a recording engineer by any means and honestly had no clue what I was doing.

I’d track the guitars on my laptop and then build out these super shitty drums and have Fern tracks her vocals to that. Then I sent the tracks to my friend, George, who recorded real drums at his house and another friend mixed it for us. It was actually a lot easier than I expected. I’m such a dinosaur when it comes to that stuff. In my brain I still think that in order to write songs you gotta sit in the same room with the entire band and yell at each other for four hours until one song kinda comes out okay. But that’s just not true anymore.

Caroline I think it’s really special to come across music that is really good but also has a sense of humor and levity to it.

Josh Yeah. Especially for that time, that was really important. Right after we started SORRY FERN, all the George Floyd protests happened, and shit rightfully got super heavy so when we came back to the music it was nice to have something that felt a little bit lighter than reality.

Caroline Josh, you are obviously in your own band, Stick to Your Guns. What’s going on with that right now?

Josh 2022 was our first year back on tour, and it was pretty weird. We toured most of the world and it was interesting to see that some places had adjusted to post-pandemic life, and some had not. 2023 has been great. We have a lot more planned for this year. It’s starting to feel like it did pre-pandemic which is very, very welcomed.

Caroline You are both very accomplished in your respective artistic careers. How do you think your respective skills influence each other?

Josh I have recently gotten into screenwriting so now I’m always asking, “Hey, will you look at this?” Ever since we put out the EP, Fern is always saying, “Hey, we should do some more songs,” so it’s almost as if we’re trying to switch worlds, but we depend on each other for that switch. I think we inspire each other which is really cool.

Caroline Do you feel that SORRY FERN is a fun project that pops up now and again or are you like, we’re going to really do this?

Fernanda We don’t know! It’s wide open. We think about it and talk about writing more songs all the time. There are ideas about completing an album with what we have, or starting from scratch. I think we will know when it’s time. Every once in a while, Josh will be like, “Let’s do some shows!” But it hasn’t happened yet— Josh And then instead we go to the movies…

Caroline Nice.

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Josh It was really fun when we released the album! We did a limited run of cassette tapes and T-shirts, and all the money went to stocking LA community fridges. We were talking about doing something again this year, but theres no plan to tour or consistently release music. Also, I kind of like that it’s just one release that exists. Growing up, all the bands that I really loved that only had one record were more of a mystery. But, I do want to play a show just so I can see what Fern would do on stage. I think it’s going to happen, I think we’re gonna put out a couple more songs and do a show, and then we will break up.

Fernanda [Laughs] Josh We will stay married! Not that kind of break up.

Caroline Fernanda, how do you think you would deal with the challenge of performing in this very different capacity: A) On stage, B) Screaming and C) Not in a scripted role? Do you think it would be scary or exciting or both?

Fernanda Very intensely both. I’ve been acting for a long time, so it’s a familiar environment to me. Playing a show is something I’ve never done before in my life, so maybe I’ll spontaneously combust.

Caroline In terms of performing itself, Josh, what is your experience with performance and how did you teach Fern?

Josh I told Fern before tracking to relax, push from her stomach not from her throat, open her diaphragm and all that shit.

So she gets in the bathtub, super embarrassed, saying, “Don’t look at me!”— Fernanda It was so hot.

Josh It was like 100 degrees. But she recorded the song, and it was good! The next day, Fern said, “Wow, my arm hurts.” I was like, “Your arm?! How does your throat feel?” Fern said, “My throat feels fine. My arm really hurts.” It didn’t make any sense, so I thought she must have slept on her arm wrong. A couple days went by and we had a couple more songs and I was like, “Alright, get in the bathtub. It’s your time, champ.” So, Fern got in the bathtub and I peeked over. I saw Fern, hunched over, holding the microphone in one hand, and bracing her back with the other hand, putting so much force on her arm! I said, “That’s why your fucking arm hurts! You’re about to break it o of your own body!” I had never heard of anyone’s arm hurting from screaming, so that was a first for me.

Caroline That’s hysterical.

Josh It was 2020. It was a wild time.

Fern I didn’t realize I was doing it at all.

Caroline How was it working together?

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Fern We had never done anything creative together like that before, and it was just really rad how easy and fun it was.

Josh Sometimes when you work on something creative with someone you already know, it doesn’t work. All of a sudden you realize, woah wait a minute, we’re friends in every other department except for this. It was really cool that SORRY FERN wasn’t like that at all. I think it meant a lot to both of us. We had been married for a few years, but we realized at that point that it was the longest we had ever actually been together physically because our schedule had always been so hectic.

Fern doesn’t label herself, so she would never be like, “I’m a punk,” but I really realized through this that she’s a fucking punk! I could feel that she wasn’t putting on a performance. She really meant it. It felt like she wanted to get something out of her and there was no other way she wanted to express it. It magically worked well together. It was just such a cool moment for us in our relationship.

Fern It’s always been so impressive to me that Josh can just sit down and write a song. would tell me he wants to write something and then go into another room and literally come back with a song. So it was cool to work with just one person and figure it out together like that.

10/10, would do it again.

Caroline Is it frustrating for you to have to rely on so many different people with acting, and do you feel more confident now to bring the mentality you’ve developed through SORRY FERN to your craft?

Fern I think being able to so tangibly get in touch with a real part of you is good to bring into every single thing in your life, even though it is transient. I don’t feel the emotions in the songs every day obviously, but to acknowledge them in a real way, and to be in touch with what that feels like is really important. To catch a moment, to catch lightning in a bottle, is the dream of what you do with film. That is what makes anything alive. A long time ago, I had to readjust that perspective because it is really easy to feel helpless as an actor. It really had to become about the fact that I love doing this and I love what is alive about this moment, and what is in THIS moment is what matters and that’s it.

Bringing that into my work is the only way I can do it. Being around music has informed me in a really positive way, and it reminds me of those things on a more regular basis.

Caroline What is one thing that you both are respectively excited about in your individual creative journeys?

Josh I just want to continue to write and release music and go on tour to be honest. But I’d be really excited to see Fern to do a rap album.

Fern No, no.

Josh Shortly after we did SORRY FERN, Fern did this audition where she had to rap.

She didn’t want to do it. I selfishly talked her into it just because I wanted to see the audition. And she did it, and it was really fucking good! So now I have been trying to secretly have my friend build beats—

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Fern I am just finding out about this. Oh my god.

Josh What is really cool about all these forms of art is that we are unaware of the confidence that it gives us to do other things. That doesn’t mean that it gets rid of the fear, but I think that each time we take a step further outside of our box, we start to have the growth and understanding of being able to feel capable and think, I do know myself. I just gotta push past this level of embarrassment or imposter syndrome that I’m having, and connect to it. And as long as you are able to connect to something, whether that is playing guitar or singing or acting or painting, then you are going to make something real. Whether what you make means something to a few people or everybody or nobody, that doesn’t matter. If it connects to you and you get something out of it in that moment, that’s all that matters. I am grateful that I finally have that understanding of it. Hopefully I can continue to apply that mindset.

Fern I agree. SORRY FERN is a reminder to myself to not be a coward. It takes bravery to be an artist, but it also takes bravery to be alive. Life is fucking insane. The moment that you give yourself permission to feel like you are free falling and you fall flat on your face, is the moment when you have a glimpse of how expansive you can be. That’s certainly what it felt like to record the music. I didn’t know what I was doing, and obviously Josh had been playing music for many years. It felt very much like I was free falling and it reminded me that my own work should also feel like that, even though I have been doing it for 20 years. No matter how long I have been acting, every new role that I have, every new character, every new audition that I do, I have never done before. To really see it in that way and to be able to jump and free fall is the thing that has kept me growing the most. I hope I keep attempting it. ø

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JAE KIM

Conversation Through Photo

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Article & Interview by Leah Wasilewski Photography by Jae Kim

first came to know of Jae Kim in 2020 when I saw his work on a shelf in Molasses, my favorite local bookstore in Brooklyn. Immediately compelled by the devotion and earthly quality with which he photographs his subjects, I did not hesitate to purchase his self-published zine, Lost In Seattle. I only had to skim through the pages to be absolutely enthralled. The work’s magnitude was completely unexpected, and I was roped in.

Jae does not operate as an outsider capturing the experience of others through his photographs; he lives the experience alongside the people and places he documents. The zine came to be after a spontaneous decision to fly out to Seattle and crash on a friend’s couch. Jae explored Seattle through the eyes of those around him, completely immersing himself in the city and its dwellers. His devotion to avoid creating art as an observer, but rather to build trust with those around allows him to, “Get in these spaces and have a deep connection with the subjects that I am shooting.” This ethos applies to all of his work, whether that be a portrait series, the documentation of a cross country motorcycle trip, or landscape and ancestral shots in his place of birth, Jeju, South Korea. As Jae’s craft is built on a foundation of trust, all of his subjects appear to be speaking to him personally through the lens of the camera. It is as if Jae himself is the lens, operating as a medium of transparency through which the subjects can communicate something. It is impossible to dismiss the trust that is so evident in his work. Lost In Seattle was my first insight into Jae as an artist, and months later, I came to realize it was only the introduction.

In 2021, I moved to Bedstuy and found myself howling through the roof when I discovered that Jae and I were living in the same two story building, his apartment directly above mine. I took particular interest in Jae, not only as an artist but as a person. I soon learned of his devotion to riding motorcycles, a devotion beyond capturing them through photographs, and looked forward to the comforting sounds of his bike engine as he would speed off in the night. The smoke from Jae’s beloved Parliaments would drift through my open bedside window, and moments seemed to suspend the smoke in air, everything coming to a stop. The smoke would circle and dance in the humid compacted apartment, as if it was Jae there himself, communicating for someone, something, through the mere essence of who he is. I discovered that themes from Jae’s personal life deeply reflect and inspire his photography: Motorcycle riders, locals in Chinatown, places traveled. Despite his portrait series of friends and strangers exuding stillness and composure, there is spontaneity and freedom in Jae’s work, always manifesting in a form of communication between him and his subject that we outsiders are so lucky to see unfold before our eyes.

As Jae approached me outside his studio in Greenpoint, he repped his brand, Bogus Luck, with a hoodie, and wore an Open Bar Funeral Service hat. After stomping out a Parliament, we entered his roomy and unpretentious photography studio where I had the privilege of picking Jae Kim’s brain.

Leah Wasilewski A lot of your photographs seem like they are intimate glimpses into people’s lives, whether they are portraits or candids you capture on the streets. Is photography your way of getting to know the world around you?

Jae Kim I capture what I am living and doing, and I like to be a participant. When I’m walking, I like to be present in the moment. I love New York. I was raised here so I love to be able to capture glimpses of this city. I like to really involve myself with whatever I am shooting, and showcase the beauty in it.

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Leah

You are really into your motorcycle; motorcycles and motorcycle culture find their way into your work in a big way. Do you find yourself capturing a lot of things you identify with?

Jae Sometimes I get into spaces that I am unfamiliar with, but that allows me to educate myself and educate the people around me. With motorcycle culture, I consider all of those people my friends and family, so when I capture them, it is very organic. And with the nightlife stuff, I capture a lot of raves and depict that scene, but I am also heavily involved with the production. I like to really be in it and capture everything that is going on around me.

Leah Do you feel like your awareness and interest in nightlife comes from living in Brooklyn and knowing other young people who go out and about?

Jae There is a level of trust with the people that I am shooting, which allows me to really get these intimate shots. Sometimes people go to raves to be anonymous and let loose and just party and not have to worry about anything else. I do the same when I’m at a rave, so when I photograph those spaces, there is a level of trust because I belong in the space also, I am not just an observer. That level of trust lets me get in these spaces and allows me to have a deep connection with the subjects that I shoot. I try to approach things that way, so whatever project I decide to work on, I have to really do a lot of my time in it before shooting it, so I feel like I’m actually putting in the work to be in these spaces. For motorcycles, I am working on building this bike, and then I’ll take it across the country. I actually put in the miles and put in the time to do so. And same thing with the rave culture. I put in the work. I’m there moving the speakers, setting up the day before, and breaking down after the rave.

Leah What do you hope to expand on in your photography whether that is a vision, idea, value or concept you have going on now?

Jae I want to approach my work with patience and openness to any story or culture. That’s why New York is so beautiful.

It is so diverse and full of so many different scenes and cultures. I want to expand different stories and narratives and not focus on just nightlife or motorcycles. I am working on this motorcycle book and once I finish with that, I want to be able to tap into a different culture, and really be involved in it. It would be nice to work on exhibitions and publish a book to go with it and expand it that way. Eventually I want to get into filmmaking to explore a different medium, where it’s a documentary format or something visual to push the work further.

Leah I feel like you would be so good at documentaries.

Jae [Laughs] Leah As you know, I learned about you before I even met you. I got Lost in Seattle at Mollasses and I thought it was so fucking cool. And then when I realized we lived in the same building, I was like, Oh my god. For your zine, you went to Seattle and met a bunch of random people and had all these unexpected experiences. Do you travel to find that spontaneity, or did you go to Seattle with this idea already in your mind?

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“I put in the work. I’m there moving the speakers, setting up the day before, and breaking down after the rave.”

Jae I decided to get a one way ticket out to Seattle because my friend was like, Hey I got a couch for you if you wanna crash. Things were getting heavy for me in New York and I needed a change of environment.

When I got out there, I really took it easy, and walked around. I happened to have a camera with me.

I met some really good people and documented them. I was really spontaneous about where I went and what I did.

Leah That’s what it seemed like. There are some wild shots. I was like, Damn! I need to meet this person. So, back to bikes. Last time I saw you, you mentioned that you were planning a year-long cross country run. How does biking and feeling that freedom expand your love and understanding of photography?

Jae Being on the road gives me a place to meditate, be in my own space, and take a day at a time. It allows me to be really present in the moment. And when I am present in the moment and I have my camera with me, it works really well because it allows me not to overthink it. Riding motorcycles and taking photos is just what I do. It’s a part of me. Through my travels, I have met so many people along the way that I still see every year and I still consider my friends and family. I love meeting new people on the road and getting into some weird shit. I’m always open to any opportunity. And having the camera with me allows me to document it all.

Leah There is this recurring theme in your work of spontaneity, even in the portraiture that you do.

Jae I really trust in my gut. I am open to any experience that life has to offer and I take that approach with everything that I do. Even when I shoot in a studio, the way I shoot is not rigid. The portrait work is very intimate, one on one, and I want it to be a very trusting and open space, where you are allowed to be who you are and I am just here to document that. I tell people during these portrait sessions, wear whatever you want, look however you want, come as you are. It’s my job to document this moment and show the beauty in everyone.

Leah Are there any streets or areas of New York that you go back to or gravitate towards to take photos of people?

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Jae Chinatown. I lived in Chinatown before coming back to Brooklyn. I am an immigrant — I was born in Korea but raised in Flushing, Queens, which is primarily a big Korean and Chinese neighborhood.

Chinatown really reminds me of growing up. When I take candid shots, I don’t want to approach it in an exploitative way. I just want to show the beauty that Chinatown has to offer and the people there.

Leah You were born in Jeju, South Korea. Do you draw inspiration from your culture and experiences there? If it has inspired you, is that intentional in any way? Do you look for that influence, or is that something that happens on a subconscious level?

Jae The way I was raised is a huge inspiration. I plan on going back to Korea and shooting the island where I was born, and showing the beauty of the island. Being raised in New York, the diversity that I grew up with and the different communities that I have seen around me play a big factor. I like being able to showcase that diversity and the different types of people that we live with. I want to go back and work on this project and show everyone the place I was born and the beautiful community that it has there.

Leah What are your plans moving forward, both long term and short term goals, with your brand Bogus Luck and as a photographer?

Jae Bogus Luck is just something fun to do to keep me occupied. So I’ll just keep having fun with it, not really taking it too seriously and putting merch out whenever I want to. Right now I am working on a trucker hat and a nice little tank top and shorts. Photo wise, I want to just keep doing what I’m doing.

I want to keep shooting these stories, and keep documenting my life. I want to be able to publish books and do shows and exhibitions and keep moving from there. I want my photo work to take me to places that I would never be, and get myself in situations that I have never been in or would have never experienced without the work that I do. This is it, there’s nothing else. This is what I do, this is who I am. This is it till I die.

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Leah Are there specific upcoming projects —you mentioned the trucker hat— that you can share?

Jae Currently, I’m working on building my motorcycle and doing another cross country trip. I think either August or September is going to be a big trip. And I will be putting a book together around that. I just went on tour with Kid Cudi, so I’m working on a behind the scenes book for that. I was on the road for 40 days, following him. He did big arena shows, so I shot a bunch of photos of that. And then, I’ll keep going with the portrait series and the nightlife series that I’m working on. I really love the rave scene and the motorcycle stuff so I’ll keep working on that. For Bogus Luck, it’s getting hot out so I wanna put out some new stuff.

Leah I’m gonna cop some. I stole them last time.

Jae I gotchu. ø

“there is a level of trust because I belong in the space also, I am not just an observer.

That level of trust lets me get in these spaces and allows me to have a deep connection with the subjects that I shoot.”

EHIOROBO Bliss Station

Article & Interview by Leah Wasilewski Photography by Gabriella Bavaro

D

uring high school, many of my friends were local musicians, so sooner or later, Ehiorobo and I crossed paths. As we spent our teenage years together in Monmouth County, New Jersey, I witnessed Ehi’s career evolve from playing his first shows with mutual friends, to having his most recent album come out. The expansion of Ehi’s career has not changed his respect for his original collaborators and hometown roots, as artistic growth may often alter. Ehi is not a musician who focuses on his own mainstream popularity or recognition in order to be considered successful. He strives only to make music that speaks to him, both individually and in collaboration with other artists. For Ehi, what is most important is that the music is compelling to himself before anyone else. This mindset is what makes him so exceptional and rare, especially in this day and age where the hysteria of internet stardom and validation often clouds the meaning behind true work ethic and creativity. This ethos is an integral part of Ehiorobo’s artistry; it is what drew me to his music about six years ago, and evidently still part of his artistic identity today.

Leah Wasilewski Often when an artist gets recognition and validation for their work, they are swayed to listen to people telling them to alter their art to cater to a larger audience. What are your thoughts on that?

Ehiorobo I always want to be prolific and have a body of work I really stand behind. I always want to look back on my discography and say, “Hell yeah! This is what I am proud of.” The only way that I am able to actively walk that path is if I am simply making the music that I want to hear. I am not gonna say that I haven’t tried to make a song that I have had special aspirations for, or in a certain style that I thought might do well at the time. But as I age, I come back to the idea of simply trying to make things that I think are cool, above everything else. You are your own first audience, so make something compelling to yourself, first. In terms of the quality of connection, you don’t need to spend all that advertisement budget to reach the real ones who already know you from that one song that touched their heart years

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“You are your own first audience, so make something compelling to yourself, first.”

ago. The song will lock inside of their foundation of memory in a different kind of way. Obviously nobody in business would like to rely on that— that’s not data. It’s a very fickle thing, but it is a very real thing.

Leah Are you able to remain authentic to your production process and lyric writing? It seems like from what you just explained that authenticity is really important to you.

Ehiorobo Absolutely. I started working on the first album that I put out, Limeade, when I was 16. It came out when I was almost 21, which is wild. I put out a bunch of tracks after that and did a lot of collaborations, which allowed me to work on my ability to songwrite and collaborate with other artists. When it came time to put out another record, I tried to work with other producers and see if I can make something more commercially viable, but after a while it just was not going well. I wasn’t connecting with that stuff. I knew that if I was gonna have a discography that I really liked, it was gonna come from me making it like how I made my first one. So, I buckled down and wrote and produced and took in new inspirations. I had different reference materials, I knew the way I wanted to elevate my songwriting and my voice, and I brought in different musicians for different instrumentation that I knew I couldn’t achieve. I like working with musicians who play different instruments or just write differently than I do. Especially as a songwriter and a vocalist, it helps me make things that are more in tune with what I can’t pull off on my own, but want to. Everyone has their own musical limit. For example, when I play the keyboard, I always play the same chord progressions and put my hands in similar chord shapes, because I am so used to doing it and I know it sounds good. But, if I get someone else to play piano next to me and I like what they do, I will have different vocal melodies come to mind. If that person is already a friend and we can trust each other during the session, we might have ideas that are entirely different from what I would do alone.

Leah Working with other artists seems to really fuel your work. I am absolutely obsessed with your song “Drowning” with WRLD. It’s so good. Who is your dream collaboration with?

Ehiorobo I am really proud of certain sections of that song. That was one of the first collaborations I did after Limeade came out. I was able to tap into a certain kind of emotion with my writing that felt a bit more mature over someone else’s production than mine. I felt a positive sense of pressure working with a producer who I respect. I wanted to rise to their skill level and create something that I think they would like too. That is what I get from collaboration. I need to make something that we both like, not just that I like, so if I can honestly enjoy what I did and have you honestly enjoy it, that’s better than me just enjoying it because that means there are already two fans rather than one.

Leah Right. And both of you are keeping integrity to your own vision for the work. Who would your dream collaboration be with?

Ehiorobo I feel so lucky to have collaborated with as many people as I have. When I make music with some of my friends, they are artists who I am already incredibly grateful to collaborate with.

Otherwise, I want to make something with Janelle Monáe so bad. I think she is super incred-

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ible and has this theatrical approach to R&B that’s fantastical and super whimsical as well, but not childish. She comes from such an eclectic background; she is a musical theater person, and usually Broadway and Top 40 R&B-Pop are different worlds. I like watching interviews with Janelle Monáe as well. I really try to grasp at what her foundation of thought was behind each project. The way she expresses herself is so eloquent. It seems like every thought behind what she does artistically is so intentional. I find that to be so inspirational.

Leah Who are other artists who inspire your specific style now? Of course that is subject to change and evolve depending on who you collaborate with and the time that goes on, but what style is most inspiring to you right now?

Ehiorobo I have been taking a lot of inspiration from singer-songwriters who have very focused and succinct writing. I love Stevie Wonder’s melodies. Rufus Wainwright and Cody Chestnut are my two biggest inspirations right now.

Leah I know it is easy to get really fixated on one artist or style, but it seems like you have a bunch. You briefly mentioned your future plans and I would like to know a little bit more. You said you had an album coming out?

Ehiorobo I have an album coming out May 26th with Flamingosis. We have a group named Bliss Station. It’s also the name of the album. We made 12 songs where Flamingosis produced all of the material, which is really interesting because I am usually the producer for all my projects. We mixed and mastered the record ourselves. I recorded all my vocals and engineered this project like I did with my other projects, so it’s almost like we co-produced it, although he is definitely the producer because he did all the instrumentation. There was a lot of joint effort and we made the album as diligently as possible while taking our time. We started working on it in 2016. It’s been a while.

Leah Oh my god, really?

Ehiorobo Straight up, yeah.

Leah Wow. I can’t wait to hear it. ø

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Through the past few years, I’ve become increasingly interested in showcasing and remixing elements of my African/Caribbean heritage through my personal fashion and interactions with technology. Releasing music on the internet under my Nigerian first name for the past 8 years somehow feels inextricably related to that. Gabriella Bavaro and I planned this photoshoot in pursuit of capturing all of the aforementioned.

In one image, I’m seen holding a digital camcorder while its LCD monitor shows my eyes staring at the viewfinder. These digital camcorders were made commercially available in the early to mid 2000’s, and that time happens to be especially nostalgic for me in addition to the videogames and intellectual properties that were released around that time as well.

In another image, I’m seen taking a photo of an unseen subject using a film-camera while wearing pieces from Obioma (a Nigerian-owned clothing company that designs and manufactures its pieces in Nigeria).

The last image is a portrait of myself and my pet green-cheeked conure, Oia. I got her when she was only a few months old in November of 2018.

Oia is named after Oya, the Nigerian Orisha of winds, lightning, violent storms, death, and rebirth. In all honesty, I originally thought that she looked like a miniature version of the bird digimon that Greymon fights in the beginning of The Digimon Movie. That creature had some sort of lighting power that it used to fight, and so I always imagined that Oia secretly had similar capabilities (hence, her namesake)!

-Ehiorobo

Like what you see? follow us on instagram @wearedrome

nik (All Purpose)

The Beauty of Function and the Function of Beauty

Article & Interview by Caroline D’Arcy Photography by Patrick Driscoll

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“A

ll Purpose Nik” was one of my first introductions into local NYC superstar artist Nik Bentel. In the video series, Nik, as the title would suggest, submits himself to a vast array of purposes— He goes as far as to patent himself as actual furniture with the US Patent office; he poses, in the nude, as a table and chair, and becomes a human chainsaw, cutting wood with his teeth.

The question Nik aims to explore is, “Is it possible to survive without our everyday objects? Can we reinsert the human back into the human experience?”

Last time I saw Nik, we ate pasta from a local Harlem spot. His love of pasta is evident in his work — Nik’s Barilla Pasta Bags have sold for upwards of $10,000 on resale (he charges $199). He has made waves across social media and digital platforms; both art aficionados and NYC fashion kids alike have become smitten with his quirky, unique, and playful artistry. It is clear that despite Nik’s lighthearted sensibility, a copious amount of hard work goes into the making of these beautifully crafted objects. When I saw the Barilla Pasta Bag in person during a visit to Nik’s Long Island City studio, I was surprised by the beautiful quality of the material.

I don’t know what I was expecting — it’s a handbag, not a cardboard box, despite its appearance— nevertheless I was tak-

en aback by the softness of the (vegan) leather and the richness of the navy blue pigment.

Nik has seemingly struck the perfect balance of creating intelligent work that is beautifully crafted, all the while not taking himself or his art too seriously. He sees beauty, humor, and utility in everyday objects, and is never afraid to literally objectify himself — for the sake of art — along the way.

I walked out of the studio with a gift from Nik — My very own Electric Cord Bag. The bag is entirely constructed from a 25 foot red electric cord. When I first opened it, I wasn’t quite sure what to make of it.

But with one swift move, I attached the cord to the plug and, voila! I had a very chic and sturdy handbag. Nik Bentel’s “All Purpose” extends to a broader theme in his work; with abundant wit, he shows us that what is beautiful can have function, and what is functional can have beauty.

Nik Bentel Studio 4:12 PM LONG ISLAND CITY, NYC

Caroline D’Arcy You completed the infamous Brown / RISD dual degree. Legend has it nobody sleeps when they do that. How important do you think the time you spent at school was to what you are doing now?

Nik Bentel I studied Modern Culture and Media at Brown and Industrial Design at RISD. School was super important in that the marriage between Modern Culture and Media and Industrial Design is a space in which a lot of my projects live. I think about how to create a product that is a storytelling object and push that object into a unique media space. I see objects as ways to tell a story.

Caroline You grew up close to here, in Long Island City, and you have moved around a little bit over the past few years, from Harlem to SoHo, and now back to Queens. How does being in NYC influence the work? Do you find that your location is a very integral part of your creative process?

Nik New York City for me is mostly about the people that I surround myself with, because the majority of the RISD people I studied with, migrated down here, including Camillo, who is the studio’s Industrial Designer. Without the people, New York City would be very sad. We have studio visits all the time, and we are very communicative with similar studios and artists practicing in a similar space, which is super, super important.

Caroline It seems like now you have a really great structure set up. You do one project a month with a limited edition of 100 pieces. You sell out almost immediately sometimes. How did you arrive at this system? Was it trial and error?

Nik Definitely trial and error. I first did licensing, which entails showing a larger company a product and then hoping and praying that they will put it in their product line for a royalty fee. There are a couple projects we did, like the Chalk and the Doodle Crayons, which are super awesome toys that are licensed. Licensing was the first step in figuring out how the studio could exist. Then, I realized that I really love the individual interaction between myself and the customer, so 100 is a small enough amount that we can do a very quick turn around, and not be burdened by huge manufacturing fees.

Caroline And after the product sells out, do you ever want to replicate the same piece and do it again?

Nik I try not to do the same thing again, specifically because it reduces the excitement of the object. There is a big resell market for a lot of these products. The Pasta Bag is one example where I feel like I am guaranteed to sell out no matter which Pasta Bag I make.

But, I don’t want to do another one because I think it causes the object to become a little bit gimmicky. The Barilla bag was great. It was not with Barilla. We got two Cease and Desists from Barilla, actually, so I am not allowed to show it anywhere.

Caroline Oh sh*t!

“ideas are cheap, but execution is the hard part.”

“No one would ever bring an electric cord to a fancy dinner, but if you glue it in a weird way, they will.”

Nik Bentel It’s part of the excitement — I think someone sold one for… I think it was ten thousand dollars on eBay. Caroline D’Arcy For ten thousand dollars?

Nik Bentel Yeah. That’s the fun of the reseller market. People do see value in this stuff. I think, to your question, doing another iteration of The Barilla Bag would reduce the value of the first one. My goal is to have people see these things as art objects, not as gimmick style projects. A lot of time and energy has been put into the bags and the storytelling of them all. We want to try to craft that story as best as possible to make it a gallery piece.

Caroline D’Arcy You have these amazing ideas but I can imagine that there are so many technical and logistical factors that go into carrying them out. Do you ever have an idea that you are super excited about, but then you run into logistical roadblocks that you are not able to overcome?

Nik Bentel Half of the ideas get thrown out because of a weird manufacturing thing, or because it is just going to cost too much. At the beginning of the design phase, the main thing is really thinking about whether we can use materials that we have used in the past that we know we can hit our target unit amount and production and not bankrupt the studio. One exciting thing that comes from that is figuring out how to use materials in a unique way, like the Electric Cord Bag. The question is, can we take a mundane object and just by gluing it, can we make it something entirely new? No one would ever bring an electric cord to a fancy dinner, but if you glue it in a weird way, they will.

Caroline D’Arcy I’m really curious in general about routines. Can you tell me a little bit about your routines in the studio?

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Nik I come here every day from nine to five. I set out at least one hour at the start of the day where I goof off or sketch and explore different ideas. We also have this thing in the studio called “The Project Gauntlet.” There are four different gauntlets.

Anyone can write a shitty idea in the first gauntlet, and if it is mildly not shitty, it goes to the second one. By the fourth round of this Project Gauntlet, if it passes the manufacturing and aesthetic and unit amount, then we might be able to produce it.

Caroline Because all this work is so integral to who you are, do you find that it gets hard to take breaks sometimes? Do you ever feel overwhelmed by ideas and things to do?

Nik I feel constantly overwhelmed. It is definitely hard to separate the work and everyday existence, because the projects are really fun. Also, they are everyday objects, so I am never not thinking about the objects. And, when it comes to selling to customers and making sure that we dot our I’s cross our T’s with everything, we definitely have to be on point. Sometimes I answer emails at 11PM just to make sure that people are being responded to if the package gets missing or something.

Caroline To me, what makes your work so special is its playfulness. Do you remember one of your first ever creative projects when you were a kid?

Nik There are two that come to mind. One is, I used to draw sketchbooks and sketchbooks of ceilings. I don’t know why.

Caroline Ceilings? [Laughs] Nik Yeah, ceilings. Anytime we were in an auditorium or anytime my parents were like, “Please, we are in a meeting, you have to go do something,” I would just look up and draw the ceiling. Or, when we were at a concert or a movie theater, I would draw the ceilings. I have like ten sketchbooks filled with just weird ceiling drawings.

Caroline You gotta do something with that at some point.

Nik Super weird. Really cute, weirdly drawn. That was the art practice I had as a little kid for like one or two years, which is really funny and I still have the sketch books, which are really cute. I also was obsessed with gears and bikes, so I always took apart my bike and put it back together again.

Caroline And you have a Vespa now. Is that how you get around everywhere?

Nik Yes. It’s awesome. I just took it out of storage the other day, but it’s still a little too cold to drive it.

Caroline Do you find that moving through the city on a Vespa gives you some space to have a creative and meditative moment?

Nik Definitely. It is a lot less chaotic than taking the subway. You can drown everything out, and there is a refreshing breeze continuously. Riding the Vespa has definitely given me an entirely different perspective on the city. By going over the bridges and seeing everything, I realized that the city is actually smaller than it seems, because I get to places faster on the Vespa than I would by taking the subway. It is so fun.

Caroline Do you ever feel stuck?

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Nik My attitude is that ideas are cheap, but execution is the hard part. So it really doesn’t matter what the idea is as long as the execution is done correctly, with the caveat that we exist in a space now where ideas have probably been thought about already. So, executing them uniquely or originally is more important in the process for my work, sometimes.

Caroline Is there an example of an idea that you have had that someone else has done but differently?

Nik A lot of the projects are based around taking a generic or mundane object that you would find on a desk or in a grocery store, and by changing it with one move, turning it into something entirely unique. There are a lot of people who have done this in different capacities and in different time periods, so I’m interested in finding a way that we can do it now that tells a story in a very unique way. There is always room for more.

Caroline Super cool. What are your thoughts about AI? Nik The reaction to AI was very similar to the reaction with Photoshop. When Photoshop was released, everyone went bananas, like, “This is the end of visual sincerity! This is the end of a photo being able to be accurate and tell the real truth!” I use Photoshop and the other tools that came out at the same time very actively — they are very helpful to the practice. I think we need to adjust as a global society so that when we see an image, we understand it might not be accurate. My attitude is to be conscious of it and obviously not use it for any malicious activity. It is going to happen. You and I are such tiny individuals that we can’t prevent [AI] from taking off. I don’t think it is an entirely necessary tool, but I think it’s an exciting tool to use.

Caroline That is kind of the way I feel about auto tune and the digital advance of music. Sure, you can use it to make things seem too perfect or artificial but you can also use it in really interesting, artful ways.

Nik Yes. I totally get the people who are negative towards [AI]. I understand that completely. But, you or I won’t be able to stop it from coming, so we might as well be up on our game to use it in the best way that we can.

Caroline What’s next? Are you going to do more video work like “All Purpose Nik”?

Nik I really want to. I have been brainstorming a series where the studio will have three or four different “Nik” personas and each of the Nik’s can launch a different product. That universe of different personas is something that will be really fun down the line. Also, the studio is going to get into more sincere objects, so less handbags and more design objects that really tell story past the handbag. The handbag is an exciting thing that I have become known for, but there is more to this whole practice than handbags.

Caroline Such a cool place to kind of start though. You have kind of blown up.

Nik Thank you, thank you. Very goofy. It’s fun. I hope they elicit some excitement from the people who buy them or the people who see them online. That’s the exciting part of these things. At the end of the day, these things are just fun.

Caroline Last question. What do you do to unwind after a long day?

Nik Make dinner. That’s a good one.

Caroline Pasta?

Nik [Laughs] Pasta. Yes. yes. ø

Article & Interview by Caroline D’Arcy Photography by The Emma Experience

Unintentional Superhero

JORDAN Gonzalez 82

Jordan Gonzlaez, Pretty Little Liars’ new heartthrob, has rocked the television world with his performance as Ash Romero on the show’s new spinoff, “Summer School”. Despite his success in the industry, Jordan did not always want to be an actor. “If you would have asked me three years ago if this is what I would be doing, I would have laughed (and I did).” Having grown up in rural Georgia, Jordan took a leap of faith by moving to Los Angeles.

“Going to Catholic school and playing women’s sports, I didn’t feel seen or understood. I looked around at my peers, and random folks through the town, and there wasn’t anyone as far as I noticed who, at the time, was struggling with what I was in my spirit. So, I picked up and left, without a plan, and moved to a place where I thought I might be accepted: Los Angeles.”

The journey to acting was not straightforward or easy, and demanded im-

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mense courage from Jordan to find his own path. After working odd jobs, living out of his car and crashing on people’s couches, Jordan found a job working at a Public Relations agency; during that time he came out as trans. Unwittingly, working in Public Relations enabled him to decide to plunge headfirst into acting. “While staring at rosters of very renowned and accomplished Actors, I asked myself why it was so hard to find anyone in the media who was like me?

I decided to make another leap of faith and landed exactly where I know I am supposed to be.”

Jordan’s drive, grace, and confidence speak to the magic that results from living a true, authentic life, much like his character, Ash, on Pretty Little Liars: Original Sin (and now, in the show’s second season, Pretty Little Liars: Summer School). “Ash is empathetic, caring, and unapologetically himself in a small town that does not respect his existence. He walks through the world knowing this, but doesn’t ever let it get him down. Instead, he saunters through life with his head held high. There is so

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“I think it is important to play Transmasculine characters so that the kid in the middle of America can see themselves and not feel alone. But, I also think there is a power in allowing us to play the same roles that Cisgender folks do.”

much of myself I see in Ash, and so much I learn from him constantly.”

At first reluctant to become an actor, Jordan now approaches the opportunity to become the representation he always longed for with zeal. “I think it is important to play Transmasculine characters so that the kid in the middle of America can see themselves and not feel alone. But, I also think there is a power in allowing us to play the same roles that Cisgender folks do. Creating art, working on my craft and telling these very important and necessary stories is the most beautiful gift I never saw coming.” As for Jordan’s dream role? “A superhero, of course.” But just by being himself, Jordan already embodies his dream role to kids across the globe who yearn for the Transmasculine representation that we so desperately need. ø 91

untitled

Photo by Sophie Hur

It’s the way you realize how tired you are once you finally sit down for the day How you go to sleep tired, wake up tired, imagining someday your

bones will suck in the harsh exhaus-

tion and solve it You look out into your restless years, and see yourself bumping into windows, trying to find a place to retreat

A way of being is ending Through this door is another way -Lora Mathis

noitcefler

reflection

harriet davey’s wild, wonderful world Article by Leah Wasilewski Interview by Caroline D’Arcy and Leah Wasilewski Digital Art by Harriet Davey

I

first met Harriet Davey (she/they) at a cafe in Prenzlauer Berg, Berlin. They delicately picked at a meringue cake as I had the opportunity to pick their mind, all the while trying my best to reflect back the same effortlessly cool swagger they exuded. Between their bites and my enthusiastic cross-examination about Berghain, Harriet began to reveal the inner workings of their mind. Growing up in the countryside of England, Harriet’s childhood full of nature —which in many ways, the majority of people consider the “real world”— led me to wonder where their natural gravitation to the digital world came from. As a kid, Harriet spent their nights alone, deep diving into gaming and fantasy books, perhaps in subconscious preparation for the nature of their work today. Harriet challenges whether the “real world” can exist in one’s own individual mind. Through their profound creativity, Harriet proves that imagination is in fact real, and that not only can its tangible nature be executed and conceived, but if done well, it can become something comprehensible for all.

Although Harriet’s upbringing in the countryside ostensibly contradicts the fantastical world that they so naturally create, their ephemeral and mystical —albeit pragmatic art— only adds onto the admiration of the artist behind it all. Harriet’s own avatar, Whowle, named from one of their old video game usernames, was signed to a modeling agency during COVID. Regardless of any opposition, the compatibility between real life and digital is so easy to detect. Harriet’s work prompts a deep curiosity and a question arises: How do contradiction and duality have the ability to enrich and enhance the humanity of art?

Harriet’s authentic approach to their work is evident in the way their eyes light up when asked about their artistic process. As someone who considers themselves absorbed in an entirely other world (by their own will), it is clear that Harriet is someone who finds solace in the world of endless possibilities— their imagination. There is a potent difference between artists who work hard to create from imagination, rather than artists who effortlessly access this part of themselves. Harriet has the ability to create a portal that reaches from the unexplainable— the world that exists only in Harriet—to everything beyond. They possess the grace and ability to connect their inner world to the outer world we all share, and in doing so, we outsiders do not feel on the outside anymore. We are able to access Harriet’s world through the characters they create, and so their imagination becomes the real world. A central question remains in the ethos of Harriet’s work that many often dispute— can imagination and art thrive in the hands of technology? Time after time Harriet proves that yes, yes they can.

Harriet melds their knowledge and skill in Digital Art with their seamless ability to take personal visions and create tangible, mesmerizing images. A character like Whowle prompts meditation on technology’s inclusion in modern day art. Although the digital world is becoming more prominent in artistic endeavors and careers, particularly with the rise of AI, artists like Harriet are able to maintain the humanity in it. It is no surprise that the world has taken notice of Harriet’s gift; they have collaborated with major brands like Margiela and Kérastese. Yet despite the unintentional, yet understandable, attention they receive, the most authentic and enjoyable collaborations, Harriet says, are with family and friends. Harriet’s sister, a musician, is a frequent collaborator of theirs, and they enjoy the free-flowing nature of these more low stakes projects.

Harriet’s ability to touch upon humanity through a fictional 3D world so skillfully, allows us to see ourselves blatantly existing within these digital landscapes. They are able to stimulate a child-like eagerness in others, and encourage us to not be afraid to tap into the elements in ourselves that we often suppress with age. Harriet’s work serves as a catalyst to access the pure, exquisite truth that lies in all of our individual imaginations. What would you do if you found out your inner world, your imagination, was the real world?

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Caroline D’Arcy What was your first foray into the Digital Art? Harriet Davey When I was a kid I was never allowed to play video games. At Uni, I built a PC for playing video games so I could play all of the games I was never able to play. I started to learn 3D design at the same time that I discovered video games. I always loved the character creation side of video games. I spent hours and hours in Skyrim making characters. That was around six years ago, and then I just got really obsessed with it. I kept creating and I didn’t really think about why. I just felt like I had to do it.

Caroline You said you weren’t allowed to play video games. What was the first video game you played that opened the door?

Harriet I think Skyrim was the first one. I would go to my friend’s house and we would play video games like World of Warcraft, which obviously my Mum would never have let me play. I sometimes played games in secret on my laptop late at night.

Caroline What is your relationship to masculinity / femininity and gender expression through your work?

Harriet In the beginning, I tried to seek out other people doing the same type of work. Every artist I found was a man. The industry is so full of them that Instagram didn’t want to show me anything else. And then a friend of mine joined a [3D Design collective] called DIGI-GAL and sent it to me. It was quite early in DIGI-GAL and there were maybe 20 or 30 people who were all women, trans or non-binary people doing 3D. I was able to find people like me who were not sexualizing women in their art. Now there are 300 people in the group and about 100 of us in Berlin alone. DIGI-GAL has really made me feel safer. Everyone speaks really openly about money, and helps with software. A lot of hiring happens through this group. DIGI-GAL is the first community I have seen that has actually worked and managed to enable members to support each other.

Caroline Do you meet up in person as well?

Harriet In Berlin we meet up quite often. Way before COVID, we did an exhibition that helped raise popularity for the group. We also did a residency with Jäegermeister, which was crazy. Jaegermeister gave six groups of people money to do two weeks each of back to back programming for club events at parties, panel talks, exhibitions, and workshops. It was very intense and a big learning curve for a lot of people. A lot of us have managed to get other residencies through it. And I just did some more work with Jägermeister as well.

Leah Wasilewski You have done collaborations with a lot of different types of artists. Can you talk about that?

Harriet I looked back on the projects I enjoyed the most and actually had freedom with, and I realized it was all of the fashion projects I have done. The Margiela job was the first job I ever did where there was no feedback. At that point I was still pretty fresh, maybe a year working in the industry, and I was prepared for them to have so many notes. I sent my work to them halfway through, expecting them to come back and want to change it, but they were like, “It’s great! John Galliano loves it!” I was like, “Oh my god what is going on!”

The Margiela project is still a really special project to me because they just let me do what I wanted. I also work with my sister who does music, and my friend in Australia who does fashion. They have no feedback ever— they just send a mood board of textures and that’s it. It’s a lot of fun. I’m trying to push for more jobs like that.

Caroline

Do you find that it is difficult to do more commercial work because of their inclination to want to change your work to fit their concept?

Harriet

I limit doing pieces where [the client] has a lot of input. My commercial work is so similar to my personal work, so often they have changes and I don’t agree. I don’t want to have to change my work like that anymore.

Leah What was it like moving to Berlin and how is it different from where you grew up?

Harriet I grew up in the countryside literally in the middle of nowhere surrounded by sheep and fields and hills. It was quite barren. If you see any of the landscapes in my work, it kind of looks like where I grew up— a lot of purples and reds and these strange flower hills. I really can’t live in a city that’s busy because I miss nature and quietness. I went to Uni near London, and I found that every time I was in London I hated the amount of people and the lack of space. When I came to Berlin I also expected it to be a bit like that, but I have found that it is completely different. There is so much space here to live.

Leah What are some of your favorite places to work or hang out?

Harriet I wish I could move and work, but at home I have my huge computer so it’s a bit difficult to move that around. In terms of hanging out, I have a friend who runs a drawing event so I really enjoy going to that, because I can draw and not care how it looks, which feels really freeing. I also do a lot of cycling— there are a couple of really nice groups of mostly women who cycle. We do long hundred kilometer rides in the forest near Berlin.

Caroline Can you talk a little bit about your relationship with fantasy?

Harriet [Laughs] Ever since I was young, I was obsessed with other worlds and creatures that don’t exist— well, unless you believe that they do. Until the age of twelve, I completely thought dragons were real. I drew dragons every day, which is how I got really good at drawing. I made up my own dragon language with my best friend; I don’t think we really understood what we were saying, but we spoke dragon. Dragonese. I read so many books, basically every fantasy book I could get my hands on. I didn’t watch many fantasy films, because there are not many good fantasy films apart from Lord of the Rings and some other obvious ones, which I have always thought was a shame.

Leah Would you be interested in making a fantasy film?

Harriet I don’t know. I can really easily imagine characters and worlds and how they function, but I am not drawn to storytelling so much. If someone else wants to write the film, I would be really into it.

Caroline Can you talk about Whowle? When did you make that character and how much of it is based off of you?

Harriet All of my characters are sort of a reflection of me, even if it’s not obvious. “Whowle” was my online gamer name since I was thirteen, so it seemed fitting that it would become my alter personality. I make other characters that are all little bits of me. I don’t think I ever think about them being actually alive because they’re just existing. I don’t think they need to eat.

I was making all these fragmented bits then I thought, I should just do one that is truly me that I feel completely connected to, and that’s where Whowle came from. I really love it. I would, at some point, love to do a proper film with that character that involves me becoming the character fully. I have a motion capture suit, but I haven’t managed to get it properly set up.

Caroline

F A N T A S Y

Caroline So Whowle has their own agency for modeling? How did that come to be?

Harriet I don’t think the agency is that active anymore, but it came to be during COVID when all this stuff was kind of taking off. I had been doing virtual design for a while, and I had been trying to tell everyone, “It’s happening!” but people weren’t really following along. And then COVID hit and everything that I was kind of imagining to get pushed in the next five years was suddenly here. People started hiring a bunch of virtual models, so this modeling agency reached out to me. They said they wanted to sign one of my models, and I said, well it has to be the one of me [laughs]. Whowle.

Caroline AI is obviously scary to a lot of people right now. In the music industry it’s taking off in a mainstream way. Amazing creative things that can come from AI, but also challenges can arise. What are your thoughts on AI in relation to the work that you do?

Harriet There are still so many technical sides to 3D that I wish could be automated. There are things that they were promising to happen and I’m like, why has this not been solved yet? What we have been seeing is AI being used for the creative side, which is not a side that anyone was asking to be replaced. AI in some ways is already integrated into what I do. For example, when you render an image, it’s really noisy and now they have AI that gets rid of the noise. Things like that are incredible. It really speeds everything up in terms of image and video creation.

I’m not really sure how far it is going to go because I wonder if there will be regulations put in place before they get any better at what they’re doing.

Caroline Is it difficult sometimes to transition from being in the fantasy world to, like, stepping outside and getting a coffee?

Harriet On some level I am always in a fantasy world in my own head. There is always something in the back of my mind that’s not fully attached to reality. I’m delusional, is the answer.

Caroline Do you get inspiration from people you know to create certain characters or is it all from your mind?

Harriet I’m quite facially blind. It’s really weird, I have to meet people three times sometimes to be able to remember their faces and if they change their hair, I do not recognize them. But it’s so funny because I make faces in my work. I am really interested in textures of skin and how it looks when the light is on it— that is what I’m most paying attention to when I see a face.

Caroline How do you differentiate each character’s personality from each other, and do you ever have a story in your mind that you’re creating? How do these characters interact with each other or are they totally separate?

Harriet I think there is a shared universe for sure and I think they have some similarities. I think they are all the same family or species or something, like how all birds look somewhat the same. But, I think a lot of them probably don’t tend to interact. In the work sometimes they interact, but generally I see them more as very peacefully living alone. I am very happy when I am alone and in my own space, so that probably carries across to them as well.

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Caroline Would you be interested in creating a video where they do interact?

Harriet Yeah I would really love to. That has been something that has been on my mind. I want to make a playable experience and be able to dive into a whole world I made, like ones that you can speak to and interact with. It’s always in the back of my mind. I’m waiting to see if I can manage to get some funding for something like that. If I had six months to not have to worry about money and to sit and do that, that would be really good.

Leah How do you develop your characters? How do you achieve the different textures outside of video game format?

Harriet There’s a lot of lighting that goes onto it. So you have sliders for materials and you can say, okay I want it to be more specular, which is how much it reflects light. But, if the specular goes up and there’s no light, then there’s no reflection. You always have to have objects or light to reflect it, and then if you don’t have any details in the texture then it’s going to be like glass– too smooth. I’m really obsessed with this slippery wet glossiness, and I’m not sure how well it comes across in video games because it’s not the correct way to make skin. There’s a lot of things I do wrong, but I do it on purpose. So I wondered how it would look to rebuild the textures and materials— could be different, could also be fun.

Caroline I play one video game sometimes, it’s Bubble Trouble. It’s very basic, so I don’t know a lot. My brother used to play a lot of video games. I know World of Warcraft and Runescape. I don’t play them, but as far as I know the characters seem more basic and crude.

Harriet You have to sacrifice a lot of detail to make something run well. Obviously the hardware gets better and the software gets better. I’m just waiting until the technology is good enough. If you look at the games that are gonna come out in the next 3 years they all have incredible details and realism and lighting. It’s getting pretty insane.

Leah I used to play Sims and Call of Duty.

Harriet I used to go into my sister’s Sims and switch the families around.

Leah Classic.

Caroline Whenever I would try and play those games, I was never good at all. It seems hard to do and then I kind of give up.

Harriet A lot of Game Makers in the last few years have been thinking about accessibility in terms of someone who doesn’t play video games, like you— how do you come into a game and be able to play it? A lot of single player games are even too difficult even for someone who has never played video games. So, if you’ve never played it, what do you play to start being able to play these other ones? A lot of recent changes that are coming through. I think it’s getting better.

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Caroline Why do you think there’s so much violence in video games?

Harriet That is such a loaded question. In America especially, there is the question, are violent gun video games increasing peoples violent tendencies? I don’t think the games cause violence at the end of the day. I think there is a difference between having an outlet that is clearly fantasy and not realistic, like Assassin’s Creed, where nobody is going around jumping off buildings, and games like Call of Duty and Battlefield, which are really hyperrealistic war games. I don’t really understand the enjoyment of the hyperrealism ones.

Caroline How was your exhibition in Paris with Kérastase?

Harriet That was really funny. So Kérastase, the hair company which is part of L’Oreal, reached out and said they are doing a women’s event. I was like, okay whatever I’ll be a woman for your event. They wanted to get an artist to do a little exhibition. It was a very strange thing because there were all these influencers there and some people who have written books, and then there was just like my work on the walls. All of the work was of Whowle, of me, with hair assimilations. It was a lot of fun.

Caroline Do you have anything you’re working on that you’re really excited about?

Harriet I’m trying to do something with my friends. We really wanted to do something for fashion week together, that is a collaboration of a fashion show, but also an exhibition or an installation. There are four of us, two are fashion designers and then me and the other one are 3D artists. It’s a bit tough to do that right now, and it’s really early in the works. Possibly for Berlin fashion week, but I can’t say anything more than that because there’s nothing more than that right now. Other than that, just playing a lot of Dungeons and Dragons and making artwork for that instead of doing anything useful. That is also useful, but you know what I mean. ø

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photo and text by

Maria Clara Macrì

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it started in Paris.

an energy, an essence, a complexity, a small universe.

just me and them - no borders or barriers.

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we flow into each other.

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mapping the places of the cities where the binary is not the majority, where we feel welcomed and respected.

that is where we find each other.

no filter, no shame, no falsehood or lie.

the photographs are the testimony of this dance.

Pauli The PSM

the magic of

Article & Interview by Caroline D'Arcy Photography by Elena Kantaria

AND THE MAD DUALITY OF SCIENCE & ART

T

here is something magical about Pauli The PSM. Even through the lens of the Zoom call, it is clear that he is entirely, completely, absolutely alive. Infused with his energy is a delicate softness; he speaks with both exuberant childlike curiosity and gentle wisdom.

To label Pauli The PSM as anything, let alone one thing, would be a grave disservice to both the work and the person behind it. Pauli embraces the duality in both his identity and craft— he is equal parts self-confident and humble, soft-spoken and energetic. His lust for life is abounding, and fully inclusive. A drummer, musical director, and founder of Badman Space Program, Pauli The PSM is born from the convergence of dialectical oppositions: Art and Science, Astrology and Astronomy, Rap and Opera. But perhaps, as Pauli The PSM teaches, these opposites do not contradict one another as much as we are taught to think.

After speaking with Pauli, I felt both entirely soothed, and eager to create, explore and above all, play. It is rare to find a person, let alone an artist, who is not bogged down by ideas of which lane they are supposed to choose. Pauli’s refusal to label himself is anything but antagonistic: “When they say “you can’t,” I say, “I can and you can as well!” I think that is magical, consistently showing people that everything is possible.” With his gentle assurance and deep sagacity, Pauli The PSM teaches us that the things inside of us that are inherently contradictory and opposing are what make us distinguished, complex and so entirely, beautifully human.

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Caroline D’Arcy I want to start by talking about your relationship with space and the origin of Badman Space Program. Can you tell me how that all started?

Pauli The PSM I was on tour with The XX in 2017. It was a North America tour and we ended up in Houston.

Touring can be quite mundane at times, and it got to that part of the tour where people were losing their will. So they started organizing fun excursions. One week, the excursion was going to NASA Johnson Space Center. I thought it sounded fun and signed myself up for the excursion. Little did I know we were all gonna end up at mission control speaking to astronauts who were in space!

Caroline What?!

Pauli Right so, rewind. I come from a world where I believed more in the conspiracies of the moon landing than the moon landing itself. I had no idea that there even were astronauts in space and I didn’t know that the International Space Station was actually a real thing. I didn’t grow up with The Space Race like our parents did. When we got to the Space Center and we were at mission control they did this whole video call with astronauts floating around in space. The astronauts were like, “Hey guys, how’s it going on earth? We’ve just seen the sun rise and set about six times already!” So that blew my mind, and I couldn’t even show it there because everyone else knew about it. So I thought, how come everyone else knows about astronauts in space and I don’t?

When I went back to the UK after the tour, I was working a lot in schools doing musical workshops, in quite underprivileged, deprived areas. I talked to the kids I was teaching and asked them if they knew about astronauts. At that moment I realized there was a whole world of kids who had no idea about astronauts. So I created this program called Badman Space Program. The program goes into schools and we talk about the possibilities of jobs in science and more specifically in space, which was for disenfranchised kids to see themselves with a future in space. My approach to it was quite unique in that it involved marrying the arts (and music specifically), with regard to space. So there is the scientific idea that if you do really well at physics you could get to be an astronaut, but Badman Space Program introduces the idea that you could also be the person who composes the music for every one of those new space shuttles that are going off, or you could even be the designer who creates what the jet propulsion lab will be working on for their next combustion. As opposed to this one, singular monolithic way of approaching science, my approach has always been outside the box, with music as well. Badman Space Program was born because I did not know there were real astronauts floating around in space. I had to share what I had seen — which was literally out of this world — with kids from where I grew up in North London.

Caroline So it was you and The XX? You were all just FaceTiming with astronauts? [Laughs] Pauli Literally. I was with an artist called Sampha and The XX — Romy, Jamie and Oliver— and they were like, “We’re gonna Skype space!” I thought, I can’t even Skype my Mum without there being a dropout in the call, and you’re gonna Skype space?! Yeah right. And then all of a sudden the astronauts are just floating about in space on the call. And the crazy thing was, everyone was so chill about it. It was novel for me. It was honestly the wildest magic trick. It was like Houdini in real life. [Laughs]

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"When they say 'you can't', I say, 'I can and you can as well!'

I think that is magical, consistently showing people that everything is possible. Everything."

Caroline That is the coolest story I have ever heard. You are such a special artist because you don’t have one lane. You do so many different things. How do you keep yourself on track with the projects you are working on while also allowing your mind to wander into new areas without it becoming overwhelming?

Pauli I very much like to treat work as play; I love looking at everything through a childlike lens. I think it is really important not to be confined by any box that an industry or even a practice can put you in. When kids play, it is all about discovery and being overwhelmed with excitement more than overwhelmed by limitations. That is what space did for me as well. It created this inner space for me to explore who I really am. And in doing that I am truly open to everything.

So it allows for endless possibilities with my creativity and zest for life; everything is exciting to me — this call to me is like the most exciting thing ever. Life is endlessly exciting. There are no limitations on what can come from any of these experiences. That is what keeps me going, and what allows me to see things in a fresh and exciting way. It allows me to never be overwhelmed by any sort of perceived constraint.

Caroline Do you find that hard in the music industry? What do you do when you come up against those roadblocks when people tell you no? How do you not get down about that and keep doing you?

Pauli Maya Angelou put it really well: “If you don’t pick it up then you don’t have to put it down.”

That’s my vibe; a lot of people who say “you can’t,” they’re not talking about you, they’re talking about themselves. It’s more like “I can’t.” I just wish them all the best and I prove them wrong by showing them that it is possible, not in a way to shun their limitations of belief but more in a way to encourage them. So when they say “you can’t,” I say, “I can and you can as well!” I think that is magical, consistently showing people that everything is possible. Everything.

Caroline That is exactly what I’ve tried to espouse with DRØME. It is so inspiring to see you out there doing everything and doing everything really well, and not appearing to be overwhelmed by it.

You are so excited about it which is just so cool. When you are on these giant tours how do you preserve your energy and give but also make sure that you’re giving to yourself too?

Pauli Separation at times is really important. It is really important to have time to yourself and be quite strict and disciplined with meditation and practicing alone time. There’s this quote which is, “Through desire a man, having separated himself, seeketh And intermeddleth with all wisdom.” Separation is my way of creating solace to really tap into who I really am. That is what gives me energy to be whole and to replenish my exhausted cells. Of course you are going to get tired, of course you are going to get run down, but through that separation, through that moment of self care, it really can induce healing. So, I take myself away from everything that’s going on as much as possible. At the same time no man is an island, so it’s just balance. The whole game is balance.

Caroline I imagine when you are doing these big tours where you are the Musical Director, it is exhausting. And, I have seen photos of you performing, you are giving everything. So it is so beautiful that you say that and that you know that about yourself, that you need that space as well. What was the first thing that you remember doing creatively where you felt that it was going to be a big part of your life?

Pauli I grew up in a place called Edmonton in North London. It’s not famous for anything nice. It is one of the birthplaces of a genre of music called Grime. When I was at school everyone wanted to be a Grime artist. One of the earliest moments when I remember thinking that music felt very important to me, was when people used to come to my house after school to record songs.

A bunch of different rappers would come through. There was a guy called Black the Ripper who went on to become quite a big artist. At the time I was like 14 or 15. It was the wildest thing because guys from my school, or other schools in the area, would come around and make music.

We were releasing mixtapes from my house. I was like, Oh, I guess I’m a record label. [Laughs] Earlier than that, my mum took me to the theater every Christmas. I remember going to see The Nutcracker and thinking it was so wild, these beautiful ballerinas spinning around. I wanted to pirouette! And then also, the first time I looked underneath the stage, I was like, Oh my gosh there is a whole band there. And then every time we went to the theater, I would ask if we could sit closer and closer to the pit. I would always look over and see the different instruments in the orchestra. That was probably the first time I felt that I wanted to be a musician. So, my upbringing was the convergence of those two very different worlds, the marriage of theater and orchestra with Grime music. I guess that was the mad duality in my whole upbringing.

Caroline Do you think growing up with that duality contributed to the multifaceted nature of your work?

Pauli This is like therapy! I have never thought about this! There is definitely magic in that duality, in the non-binary nature of life. Growing up, there was this monolithic approach to life and the idea of who I was supposed to be. I never thought anything of it; I always just broke through those barriers and became who I am. I am still exploring what that is. I’m grateful that my Mum would take me to the theater to see the ballet. I would go and see operas in the summer, cause they had free operas in Hyde Park. It was all in Italian— I didn’t know anything that was going on but it was beautiful to be exposed to that from a very young age. I do think it had a real influence over who I am. You can only be what you can see, in so many ways, and I don’t know anyone else from Edmonton who was going to see the opera. It is so important for kids

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Caroline How spontaneous is your process? Do you stop and say, Hmm, I really want to go in an ambient direction, or do you just start making something and go, Okay, I’ll go with this.

Pauli It is totally dependent on the situation. The ambient record was born out of a trip to israel. I met Nate Auerbach who runs OFFAIR: The Power of your Subconscious Mind Vol. 1: SPACE, and we went on this trip together — we spent an evening in a crater in the desert in Negev. We were looking up at the stars at night and there were these beautiful shooting stars overhead, and he was talking about how it would be amazing to soundtrack these stars. Fast forward three years, he had this label that just produced ambient records, and he asked me if I would be interested in soundtracking the stars at night. I said, how about if we not only do that but tell the story of the zodiac that we saw that night. I have always been into mysticism; I think there’s more in conspiracy than the reality that we are told. I went on this mad research project to find out that the twelve astrological signs of the zodiac that we’ve been taught aren’t real. There’s a thirteenth sign that the Babylonians tried to hide from everyone because they decided that thirteen was an unlucky number. I created this whole soundtrack for the thirteen signs of the zodiac and wanted to tell the story, the true story of the zodiac, through my eyes as an artist, but also the controversial part is, I wanted to tell the story of astrology through the lens of an astronomer. Astrologists and astronomers never see eye to eye. One is science, one is art. And I went a step further and got several astronauts to narrate on the album. It is literally the convergence of art and science. I wanted to tap into worlds that have not really been married before and do it in an honest way and a very respectful way as well, because what astronauts go through to get to space is no joke, and their experience is beautiful to hear about. It’s so poetic, it is art. I had to have them on the record speaking in the way that they do, and I hope that my astrological homies would hear it and realize that they are more alike than dissimilar. There is so much art in science, and even math. There is so much art in these different things that we think are so dissimilar to art.

Pauli The PSM’s latest single ‘Milkyway’ is streaming everywhere now. Catch him on tour in the US this fall and in the UK/Europe this April.

Tickets at paulithepsm.com

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“I very much like to treat work as play; I love looking at everything through a childlike lens..”

to know that there are endless possibilities for who you can be in life.

Going to the threater showed me that I didn’t have to be a Grime artist, I could also be a composer. Furthermore, I could create your own path and marry those two worlds and become Pauli The PSM who is just a rip off on Sun Ra, in many ways. He is my biggest influence of all time.

Photo by

Sophie Hur

MAYBE I’LL TURN OUT HOW I’M SUPPOSED TO IF I BREAK ALL THE BONES I HAVE TO GOD -Brian Alarcon

Arms Plaza I got scammed!

I was sitting in the plaza where The stones the Incas laid to rest Have seen feet from pole to pole And I knew I liked my music more Than any German around me when Bam! A portfolio opened on my knees I didn’t want any paintings no not Tonight not to help your family not To help you pay for Fine Arts school And if your friend doesn’t stop shining My sneakers! But then they asked if I needed something for my head I say Like what they say like drugs I say no But they insist I do I do my head needs I do! Fine! You know when you are calm After smoking a cigarette and the gap Between the stones don’t numb Your feet anymore so you follow two Guys over to an alley where the Incas Watch the conquistadors watch the Little suns hand into hand into hand For a folded paper that only smells Like ink but their Quechua makes you Too uncomfortable to notice -Brian Alarcon

Eden

Excerpt of long format poem: I’m sorry about your father That he treats you like shit Do you want some ketamine?

Or not let it bother you again…

Ha ha A bump will do Ah, choo! It’s like fire Straight into the cheek, isn’t it Isn’t it like fruit If fruit was spicy a little too…

Maybe I’ll turn out how I’m supposed to if I break all bonds I have to God But He just makes such good poetry I see him in the clouds

Waging war against our fiery July

But if all are as happy as we

Could this God overall be tyranny?

I’ll load my key, and push my army forward.

Morgan! Morgan!

Right here, oh Man I Missed you, Let’s go ram some Lines in the trenches 7.

I can’t rest

I’d lose my mind instead Of rest

Be-

cause

I look so good

When I’m cracked out And your conductor in this symphony of inhalations needs No Rest If he’s got music…

Hce Hce hce hce Chords moving to the center of the flesh Hce

Hce hce

Hce No fruit is forbidden Hce hce hce hce You’re all such troopers it turns me on Wasn’t it just today That by some wonderful design

My world had yours and yours had mine?

Oh Paris!

Oh Leah!

Next line Maybe I’ll kiss You

Or my body galvanized

If I haven’t lost it back to life to Suffer tremendous

Pain, Yet every time one of you speaks I breathe

please

Ha, choo!

Ask me for a poem

Before I forget it:

Mercy could be no more If there was nobody poor And pity no more could be If all were as happy as we

I’m gonna erupt -Brian Alarcon

Grido I wanna take it Easy and fall In love, That simple.

I’ll walk into Grido For an ice cream That a man who Won’t take me Back home will pay for.

He’s too collegiate for that, Forcing me to talk.

I’ll be young As long as I don’t have him, Holding hands On Corrientes Y Gascón.

I’m made of age, But even that Has an easy cure.

I learn his exact number Of teeth, how to Argentina, the Violin. I eat One of his ribs, Sitting on a bus-stop bench.

Una vieja asks For a piece of my Colágeno; But I’m in love I tell her, And we have nowhere else to eat.

-Brian Alarcon

To Space, the Idiot I fucked a guy who wanted me to write a poem about him: You don’t just say I love you when I’m inside you because it’s big. It’s huge And simply not the answer. You don’t remind me That the moment is perfect because it’s never The same twice unless you’re asking for a rhyme Scheme. A metaphor. A break: You don’t ask someone to break you without a line in mind Or a hand on your jaw that could have it snap off.

You hate me I said, you hate me! And he knew He got his poem.

-Brian Alarcon

Fleur en Buisson photo by Genevieve Andrews

I MISSED MY WAX AND THE FLORIST WAS CLOSED.

Passionate

The Moonstoned:

by Elizabeth Kranz Potts Article & Interview by Leah Wasilewski Photo by Ernesto Román

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hile puttering around Hudson, New York this past July, I was lucky enough to have met Elizabeth Kranz Potts, the young and Queer artist-boss-mother-friend you always thought was too good to be true. Elizabeth is the owner of The Moonstoned, a shop that rests on Warren Street in the heart of Hudson, and boasts a collection of fine jewelry ranging from antique and vintage pieces to Elizabeth’s own contemporary line. The Moonstoned is not just any other jewelry company. Apart from its success as a prolific business, The Moonstoned nurtures an extraordinarily loyal community, and a work environment that feels more like a supportive safe space than a business.

With a following that varies from long term clientele to fresh faces eagerly crossing states solely to meet the woman behind it all, Elizabeth transcends conventional and commercialized business endeavors. Eizabeth’s technical prowess, stemming from years of having worked as a jeweler in New Mexico, combined with her authenticity, creates the ideal combination for success. This is exactly what makes The Moonstoned stand apart, and its success has only just begun.

Elizabeth believes in the ethical sourcing of materials, such as the antique and vintage diamonds and stones she utilizes in her contemporary pieces. Her new line of Men’s Engagement rings exemplifies Elizabeth’s ability to see The Moonstoned as a business beyond stereotypes, and something she can infuse her passion and advocacy in. The Moonstoned’s Men’s Engagement ring line is sure to create a long-lasting impact on the LGBTQ+ community, jewelry industry, and beyond. Elizabeth’s desire to reach every person through jewelry is evident, as is her supreme dedication to community and ethics before conventional business modalities. The Moonstoned’s commitment to fostering opportunities for communication and connection will only continue to thrive. When I first heard of the Men’s Engagement line, the first thing that came to mind was, “Why has nobody done this before?”

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Leah Wasilewski Why do you think that no other jewelry companies have launched a line of male engagement rings before? Why do larger corporate mainstream brands stick to conventional and traditional roots when it comes to engagement/marriage, even if the brand promotes itself as supportive of the LGBTQ+ community?

Elizabeth Kranz Potts It’s the same fight that we are fighting every day, the one to not just be accepted but SEEN in our love, when it is at its most brilliant. Corporate brands are run by Corporate brains and will always chase the “sure dollar,” the one that comes with classic hetero-romantic scenes of a trending icy rock on a smiling, white, “beautiful” face because they know it works.

They know it sells. It’s hard to put yourself out there and demand something new, especially in the LGBTQ+ community where Engagement rings are not only unrepresented, it’s intentionally kept into the dark. It’s one thing to say you’re supportive because you want Gay Money, but it’s another entirely to put that money where your mouth is and stand up for the ones who are spending it with you.

Leah What are your thoughts on the importance of the “engagement ring”?

How do you feel that rings symbolize commitment and trust between two people?

Elizabeth I think there is a little romance in all of us. The little one who wants to know we have been chosen and choose someone else; to feel special and loved and cherished. A ring symbolizes that commitment and desire to grow together, however I want to open a door to explore all the different ways commitment and love/partnership can exist. For example, the Open Ring is designed with one or more diamonds across from one another with a space in between. This is intended for two lovers who are powerfully independent of one another but still come together in a shared vision.

Maybe they are non-monogamous and hold each other in the highest of places within their innermost intimate selves. Maybe they have to spend long times apart for work but know it’s all for the cause of a long life together. Maybe they are wholly committed in body and heart but engage in the practice of constantly becoming bigger, better versions of themselves, together. The 5ct diamond band was designed as kind of a middle finger to the narrative that hetero men only buy hetero women giant rocks. I love when men buy other men extravagant jewelry. I love it when women

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buy themselves extravagant jewelry. The LGBTQ+ community is often looked over in luxury spaces and I just find that absolutely ridiculous.

All of my gay male friends have more money than I do and that’s just the facts. Why shouldn’t they be wearing big rocks if they want to?

Leah Why is the launch of this line so important now? How does the importance of this idea expand beyond the LGBTQ+ community, and speak to a larger issue of companies failing to evolve from their traditional framework both in jewelry design and in marketing?

Elizabeth When I first started talking about the gap in the engagement market that I felt for the Community, I received a lot of pushback on anything being “expensive”. There is much to remember in this; LGBTQ+ people are marginalized in every way and have fewer access to healthcare, jobs, support and there is much to be done to right this wrong. In creating a line of high-end jewelry tailored for the LGBTQ+ community, especially around love and commitment, I wanted to show up and let everyone know that we are HERE and proud of the way we love. Jewelry is my greatest form of expression and connection; it’s a tool to use as a signal for others in the community as well. Just as engagement rings are aspirational for Cis-Het couples getting married for the first time, I wanted to light a fire for the rest of us, too. Larger companies are just kind of hoping that Queer folks will come spend our hard earned money with them. They want us to stay quiet and they keep still because they are afraid of losing their bread and butter by rocking the boat. But, I want to create a space that IS for Queer folks, and leads with that. The time is right now, as we continue to fight for equality and against erasure. Designing rings for Gay men is my first match strike in this fire and I can’t wait to see how it evolves for the rest of our community.

Leah You are open on Instagram about your experience as a Queer woman, and you have amassed a following of very loyal supporters of your work. How did your personal experiences and upbringing influence the genesis of The Moonstoned?

Elizabeth It took me a long time to come out. I grew up in a small town in a Catholic family and experienced rejection very young for questioning my sexuality.

I was in the closet all of my teenage years and well into adulthood, chasing intimacy with women in nightclubs and dark bars, always in the shadows.

I had married exactly how I was supposed to as the people pleasing girl society had told me to be. When I gave birth to my daughter, something inside of me lit up. How could I raise this perfect being to be her whole, true self if I spent my entire life hiding who I was? This culminated with the world shutting down in COVID and through it, I stopped listening to the noise and found myself. When I left my marriage and came out, I received quite a bit of backlash online and in my real life. I lost friends, I lost my home, I lost followers and buyers. But you know what? It also created this incredible rebirth...a shedding and rising of who I really am and what my work stands for. The people who have been with me from the beginning are a core part of that. They cheered me on. They let me be vulnerable. They had patience and love for me in moments when I didn’t have any compassion for myself. The Moonstoned is a place all its own where my inner child gets to play with the woman I am constantly becoming. I always hope that the people who come here to rest and create and dream for a while feel that for themselves, too.

Leah What are ethical and progressive ways of jewelry designing and marketing to you?

Elizabeth Ethical design is very important to me. I use all reclaimed, post consumer stones and never new-mined. I will use lab grown if a client insists for a project but I’m very honest in my feelings about it. (For the record, they are NOT a more ethical choice don’t listen to The Man) I am actually terrible at marketing. I imagine myself living in this space under a rock with all of my shiny things, putting them together and sending them out into the world hoping that someone will love them. But then I remember that I have so much to say, there are so many people that I want to feel special and celebrated and fabulous and worthy and decked out in heirlooms that make them feel powerful and THAT I cannot do alone. So, I suppose my answer is that I am learning what marketing means to me and how to stay true while also reaching more people.

Leah How did The Moonstoned start, and where do you see your art and brand going in the future? Is the Men’s Engagement Rings line just the start for the rebranding of The Moonstoned?

Elizabeth I started as a Silver & Gold smith in my home state of New Mexico. I’ve always loved working with my hands and was a huge history nerd; the way people have connected to jewelry and adornment since the beginning of time is very fascinating to me and a core value in my work. As I evolve, I see more people not just wanting to buy something because it’s visually pretty, but because they feel something. They recognize something within themselves when they slide a ring on, clasp a necklace, secure an earring. I want to consistently find more ways to create more affordable jewelry while maintaining ethics and simultaneously creating jewelry with insanely valuable stones for those of us who want to splurge on something and say, “Fuck yeah. I deserve this.” The Men’s Engagement Line I see as a branch to our tree as opposed to a rebrand. Engagement Rings and celebrating Love, people, curiosity and living to the fullest has always been a part of us. The seed has been planted, now it’s time to watch this one grow and nurture it.

Leah How do you manage to stay so centered as you navigate having a business, a contemporary line, traveling for Antique and Vintage pieces, and raising your kid?

Elizabeth You know, I am aware that people think I have it together. But the truth is, I am more often a woman on the verge than not [Laughs]. My life is so.

Much. And I feel in a constant state of falling short of what I want to do, which is to excel at everything in business, love, motherhood, partnership, money, life. My saving grace is that I am forever pausing to say, “Wow. I love

A “ ring symbolizes that commitment and desire to grow together, however I want to open a door to explore all the different ways commitment and love/partnership can exist.”

this.” “This” being, time spent with my daughter alone, without my phone and focusing on our relationship. Or it’s when I read an email or message from someone who has felt touched/understood by something I’ve shared.

It’s when I make the time to have dinner with a friend or offer to come over and sit on the couch with wine. It’s when I know I can call my friends and lay bare my heart, my fury, my sadness and receive theirs with open arms in turn. For me, it’s not about staying centered. I know it can be done and power to the people who can manage that state of grace consistently. No, for me it is about returning to the place of center. Sometimes for a brief second and sometimes for a longer pause. I often need a reminder to find center and when I do, I feel recharged, loved and cherished.

Leah If you can encapsulate The Men’s Engagement Ring line in one word, what would it be?

Passionate. ø

Elizabeth

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chi ossé PARTY TO POLITICS

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Article by Caroline D’Arcy / Ineterview by Caroline D’Arcy and Leah Wasilewski Art by Melody Methakul / Photo by Jordan Macy

he last time I saw Council Member Chi Ossé was on the rooftop of Public Hotels in NYC, while co-hosting a DRØME party. “I always say I switched from the party-party to Democratic party,” Chi says with a laugh. Chi Ossé’s background as a party promoter is just one of the plethora of attributes that make him stand out far beyond his contemporaries. To start, he is the youngest ever Council Member. And, before running, he had no history or experience in politics. While the world of party promoting and politics ostensibly could not be more different, there are some significant areas of overlap. “When you are able to work with drunk and obnoxious people, you are well experienced to work with anyone, especially stuffy politicians.”

Chi’s love for party promotion has crossed over to his love for being a politician.“My joy has always been to curate spaces with various different people and hope that they have a good time. And while it’s wildly different now, I am doing that in the District. I am trying to improve the neighborhood, to make people’s livelihoods better.”

We sit outside the steps of Chi’s Fulton Street office as he eats a Trader Joe’s cauliflower crust pizza, and between bites talks to us about the genesis of his iconic path from party to politics. Before we even get into the actual interview, Chi is already shaking hands, greeting residents of District 36 — representing Bedford-Stuyvesant and North Crown Heights— with an easy, “Hey, how are you doing, man?” Chi’s genuine care for the wellbeing of others comes across with total clarity. I can tell by the glint in his eye that I am speaking to somebody who is following their natural path.

Aside from being successful in the political work that he does, Chi is just cool. He sports a silver hoop earring in his left ear, several tattoos on his arms, and somehow, he makes a sweater vest look incredibly chic. Chi’s sense of style remains important to him, even in a job that most people think is relatively devoid of fashion and flair. “When I was running for Office, I said that I would always be myself and never wear a suit or a button down. Obviously my style has changed from being an activist to being an elected official. Recently, I have started wearing some button downs and ties and sweater vests, and I have been enjoying that a little bit. But, I still hold the same radical politics and values that I held while I was protesting.”

Chi Ossé rose to prominence during the Black Lives Matter protests, beginning at the end of May in 2020. I witnessed him rapidly ascend to a position of leadership, wasting no time to take initiative with a megaphone and what soon became his

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signature beret —evocative of the Black Panther aesthetic— leading at first a handful of people, and then entire crowds through the protests.

Chi was one of the founding members of the activist collective Warriors in the Garden, which formed during the early stages of the June 2020 protests. The genesis of Warriors in the Garden began at the protests themselves, when Chi began to recognize the same faces and voices day after day. Soon, a group of thirteen young New Yorkers assembled to form the collective. Together, they led some of the biggest protests in 2020.

“We were attempting to change the narrative in terms of what the protests looked like in New York City at the time. Most of the narrative was coming from large media companies about how violent these protests were, when we were actually saying things that were substantive and hopeful in terms of the future of our country.”

Chi has since left the organization to pursue his own path towards activism in the political sphere.

Growing up in Park Slope and Crown Heights, Chi attended both public and private school. His experience at private school, Friends Seminary, in Manhattan, greatly influenced Chi’s approach to policy making and his advocacy for his own neighborhood. “I could see the stark differences between how my community was treated by the government versus other communities. The lack of equity in funding and investments within communities of color, like the one that I grew up in, gave me even more of a fire for my platform.”

The second child of two brothers and one sister, Chi is, “basically the middle child.”

His pivot into politics was an anomaly in his family and relatively sudden, but the foundation in his family has fueled his love for New York City and paved the way for his success from the start. His Mother, Akim Vann, owns the Brooklyn bakery, The Bakery on Bergen, and his Father, Reggie Ossé, also known as Combat Jack, was a legendary hip hop music attorney, executive, podcaster, journalist, and editor.

“I come from a family of very proud people who have not only taught me to be proud of who I am, especially as a Black person, but taught us all how to go our own way and beat our own drum.” Family roots have indeed sparked the inception of Chi’s shift away from party promotion and into politics. The decision itself to enter into politics arrived in the spur of the moment after a conversation with his Aunt, Chinyere Vann, who suggested that he run for office in order to become responsible for making the decisions. “Something snapped and I said, Why the fuck not? It felt insane, but was powered by love and passion for change.”

After winning the primary and then the general election, Chi conquered against all odds. “I was very honest about my lack of experience in politics and in government but people still entrusted their faith in me.” The path has not always been smooth sailing. “I remember those months leading up to entering the office, I was like, Oh my God, what am I doing?! I said I wanted to do all these things, and spent a year building a platform and building up excitement, and now I actually had to do it, in a position that I have never been in before.” To no surprise, within the first month in office, Chi found his stride. “Of course it was hard, but [the job] came naturally, and obviously I knew that I had to do something with the power that I was given. I really surprised myself in terms of how doable it was.”

A unique part of Chi’s platform is his team, which is composed of people who are

“I stil cal po whil

ll hold the same radiolitics and values I held le I was protesting.”

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not necessarily from the political realm. The vast majority of his campaign team, Chi met during the Black Lives Matter protests. “Most of the people on my campaign team never worked in politics or government before, they are musicians and artists and creatives, and a lot of our campaign took a very artistic route in order to engage young people in a way that they have never been engaged in local government before.

They felt like a natural fit. My team is comprised of people who not only believe in helping the city, but believe in me and in the vision that we all share. They believe in not only a better Bed Stuy and Crown Heights, but also for New York City as a whole.”

Chi has always been outspoken, and as the youngest Council Member in New York City, his voice is one of the more progressive and current voices among his fellow politicians. However, in his position as an elected official, he doesn’t have quite as much liberty of tongue as he did before as a political activist. “I can’t tell if my watching what I say or watching how much I do or show on the internet is necessarily being now an elected official, or just me maturing a little bit.” Chi says with a laugh. “I am growing up at the same time that I am working a more serious job. There is a healthy balance that I have learned to find in terms of not sacrificing who I am, and growing into the person I am supposed to be.” The work is clearly grueling, and Chi contends with being a young person in New York City who likes to have fun, and maintaining his image even after the work day is done. The work-life balance for Chi is perhaps a little more nuanced than in other professions. As a politician, he has to keep his public and personal lives perhaps slightly more divided than people his age in other professions. “I still like to have fun, I’m still in my 20’s, and I live in the best city in the world. So, I always want to keep a balance between my professional and my personal life in order to be the best me in both of those pockets.”

What motivates Chi is something deeper than politics; his dedication to justice and efforts to serve his community are salient in his work. On Thursday September 14, 2022, Chi Ossé passed the “Narcan Behind Every Bar” program. Narcan is a nasal spray that, when administered to somebody overdosing, can reverse the overdose and prevent fatal tragedy. Under Chi’s program, Narcan is provided for free to bars, clubs and other nightlife spaces across NYC. The bill ensures that the program will be protected by law and given a budget by the city in order to remain permanent. The Narcan bill was the first bill that Chi pushed, and with good reason. The bill came from a personal place, after Chi lost a friend to a fentanyl overdose. “I think that policy should always be personal. I still get DMs and texts and messages often that people’s lives have been saved from this bill. A lot of legislators can’t say the same about their own legislation. It is a point of pride and it makes me feel that what I am doing is worthwhile.”

It is clear that Chi Ossé is just getting started; his zeal and care for his community is potent. “Working for the city and community that raised me and that I have always loved, and learning new things about it every single day, is so fucking cool. I love what I do because of that. It’s so personal, the job and the work that I do. It makes me feel alive.” Before I even end the interview recording, another middle aged man passes by and Chi greets him, clasping his hand with fervor, saying, “How you doing?” ø

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I think that policy should always be personal.

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Collage by Siorne John

1908 LISBOA

HOTEL feel the originality

192 www.1908lisboahotel.com

HAST DU

FEUER? Article & Interview by Caroline D’Arcy Photography by Caroline D’Arcy and Leah Wasilewski

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“Do you have fire?”

“Hast du Feuer?” was one of the most common expressions I heard when I lived in Berlin. In German, it means, “Do you have fire?” commonly regarded as, “Do you have a lighter?” When I first met Madeleine Johnsson in Berlin, we shared a deep love of underground dance music. I would never suspect that Washington, DC would become underground dance music’s new place to be; but, stepping into a restaurant in DC’s Chinatown in the late hours of one Friday in May, I soon came to realize that my suspicions were wildly incorrect. The underground dance party Hast du Feuer, commonly shortened to HdF, was started by Madeleine Johnsson and Kabir Khanna after spending years fueling their respective DJ skills and love of electronic music. Both Johnsson and Khanna sought to bring their experiences from New York, Berlin and beyond, to the DMV area. Their goal was to build out a community in one of the cities lesser known for its underground scene: Washington, DC. When we first arrived at the Hast du Feuer party it was not clear that it was the right location; set on top of a Chinese restaurant, it was not an easy find. But, just like all of the best parties, HdF was hidden from anyone stumbling upon late night Chinese food and reserved only for those in the know about what must be DC’s coolest new party. And, for a reason: The party aims to protect the Queer community. Party-goers dressed head to toe in exquisite looks filed in through the secret entrance into a world of magical Queer power and mesmerizing underground dance music.

Inside the space, the hallways were illuminated with red light; vinyl records lined the walls and smells of incense lingered as party-goers shifted from floor to floor. It was a two story, two dance floor party, with an outdoor space featuring local Virginia-based store Thrift Lorde$, selling some of the coolest vintage T-shirts I have ever seen. Upstairs, Flotussin spun epic four-on-the-floor, groovy tunes that slowly transitioned into slamming drum and bass bangers at 150 BPM as the night wore on and Jacq Jill took over on the decks. Downstairs, the floor filled well past midnight as CCL and Objekt brought their signature eclectic brilliance to the dance floor. Madeleine Johnsson and Kabir Khana, the party’s leaders, are swiftly building a community of love, respect, and electronic music across genres. It is clear that the two will continue to curate some of DC’s most vibrant electronic parties, and their plans to continue building out the underground scene in DC promise more exciting endeavors to come. As I set out to go back to my hotel around 3am, I noticed something inscribed on the wall: LIFE IS SHORT, BITE HARD. Exactly.

Caroline D’Arcy

Obviously the name “Hast du Feuer” is derived from a common German saying. Madeleine, how did your time in Berlin influence this chapter?

Madeleine Johnsson

Kabir and I were spit-balling some single-word names in other languages when I said, “Feuer, like Hast du Feuer”, at which point Kabir stopped me and said, “Hey, can you repeat that?” I then went on to explain the expression and how I met so many folks from such a simple expression. We both felt like it encapsulated the ethos of what we were trying to build at the time, since, “Do you have a fire?” is another way to ask about the fire or passion that drives you. As far as how Berlin had broad-stroke effects on me, I would have to say it’s a bit of a mixed bag as are all things! I got my introduction at Katerholzig and Berghain when I was in high school, soaking in both the incredible quality of the tracks being spun out as well as the sheer grandeur present in the spaces’ intentional interior design. Most of the music I listened to at the time was only available on records, so I started collecting. Djing felt like a natural next step in my own evolution at that point to showcase and fund my collection, so the rest is history. There was, at times though, a feeling that Berlin’s dance scene could be a bit monochromatic and homogeneous. There was a very serious vibe that, given the city’s storied history and intense reputation, became a bit of a self-fulfilling prophecy. In DC, both Kabir and I have noticed that there is something for everyone here that doesn’t hinge on the same exclusivity pervasive

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F D H

F

“It means do you have fire, both a lighter and an attitude.”

in the Berlin scene. While we don’t have thirty-party series for any particular subgenre or subculture, you can be assured that there is at least one series for whatever it is you are looking for.

Caroline How do you feel that DC underground dance music is different from Berlin? If it is?

Madeleine Johnsson & Kabir Khanna

Hast du Feuer is largely genre agnostic within underground electronic music. While we do absolutely love techno, and feel like there is an immense and impressive host of techno acts and party series in the DMV area (ex of party series: Noxeema Jackson; Sequence), we have a deep appreciation for the heterogeneous sound of the underground dance scene at large. Be it jungle, breaks, footwork, club (Baltimore and Jersey), house, gabber, or hard dance, so long as there is enough interest in the music that’s played to bring out a crowd of energetic dancers from the DMV who are genuinely passionate about the music first, we want to hear it in our spaces.

Kabir Khanna

DC Techno holds a very special place in my heart because I learned about techno here in the DMV first and foremost. Parties like Sequence, built out by the formidable team of Ron Jackson, Adam (Associate), and Juana, provided a space for me to explore this sound that, at the time, had very few homes in the DC area, let alone in my neck of the woods in Northern Vir-

ginia. In particular, the duo Rush Plus, composed of Jackson Ryland and Justin Nohura, have been heroes of mine since the release of RPDC001 in 2016. I was in my very early 20s, and I remember seeing them playing out and about in the DC area, and thinking, “Holy shit, these two are something else entirely.” Now, Jackson’s solo tracks under JR2K or simply Jackson Ryland have allowed me to see how effectively a producer can progress and leap bounds across the world of music production, casting away the rules that a lot of producers/DJs abide by. I’m beyond grateful to be able to not only work so closely with Jackson, but to be able to call him a friend, swap cat pictures, and pick his brain regarding anything music related. I feel the exact same way about James Bangura, who I’ve also been following for quite some time, and has also been just a wellspring of advice both as a creative as well as a seasoned professional in the music industry. I’d say that’s what sets DC apart from Berlin at least for me - the community is 100% smaller here, but as a result, I’ve found it to be tight-knit.

Caroline

Can you speak more to the techno scene in DC? Why DC?

Kabir

You could make an argument for the birth of second-wave punk in DC (from Bad Brains all the way to Fugazi/Minor Threat with tons of bands in between), and it is practically undisputed that this city gave way to Go-go (music genre). Drum and bass and trance music was huge in DC during the early-to-mid 2000s. I still remember taking a picture of my older brother’s friends’ bedroom wall that had dozens of pieces of memorabilia dedicated to trance shows that happened in DC. In the large DMV area, you have Baltimore, where its own variant of club music is criminally underrated both as a genre that’s heavily influenced electronic music at large as well as a vibrant culture that still exists today.

Broadly speaking, electronic music in DC seems to have adopted many elements of its musical antecedents in that the techno here is absolutely tinged with punk, the house music that’s built here has an undeniable Go-go element, and the myriad other genres find themselves taking notes from their relevant predecessors. Especially in the sort-of “post-pandemic” convalescence of the club scene, DC artists were among the first to launch headfirst into playing out daring and wildly energetic tracks concocted while we were all stuck at home. Most folks don’t think of the frenetic creative energy present in DC when

“

... a world of magical Queer power and mesmerizing underground dance music.

“

back to the days of Buzz, Tracks, and Nation in the late 90s/early 2000s, you’d find that people can’t get enough of the adventurous selections our locals have to offer. I’m obviously biased because I grew up in Northern Virginia, and going out to shows in DC was a huge part of what developed my sound, but I think Madeleine can attest to the city’s stellar nature without the bias that I have given that she’s spent time in so many cities, yet chose to make DC her home.

Madeleine

Most of the friend’s I’ve made in DC have been through attending underground electronic raves. In fact, this is how we met every single person in our HdF crew: Alyssa, Ari, Blankphosphenes, Indigo, lady lavender, Nocturnal Wax, OK Carty, Pouty’s Rage, side II side, Syd, and Tonus. As promoters, Kabir and I both want DC to be the next city on the map. When artists tour, we want DC to be up there with NY & LA rather than a city they skip over. In general, DC is frothing at the bit with creative energy. There’s a lot going on here right now, from music to the arts, and I’m just trying to meet as many creatives as I can!

Caroline

I imagine you meet a lot of cool people and see the same people coming time and time again. What are some of the positive personal experiences or stories you can share?

Madeleine & Kabir

Each time we throw a party, it is almost guaranteed that there is going to be a new face. According to our ticketing statistics, over 70% of the folks who attend HdF shows have attended at least one other HdF show in the past, so that leaves 30% of folks who have never stepped foot into our spaces. We focus on making sure our environment is incredibly safe, fun, and accepting of anyone who comes into our shows so long as they are willing to maintain the decorum that’s expected of them at HdF shows (no racism, bigotry, homophobia of any kind, and a deep respect for consent). As a result, almost invariably, we’ll have folks show up solo to our events, perhaps a bit nervous (understandable!), but when they leave, it’s a whole different story. We’ve seen folks leave with new groups of friends, having made new connections. It’s heartwarming to know that our space fostered that!

Madeleine

One of my passions is connecting people, and I’m fortunate enough to have the space to do that as a host at HdF parties. I often check-in with attendees, get to know them, and see where the conversation goes. Sometimes, it leads me to connect two people over similar interests. For example, I’ll introduce two friends that both work in climate but one’s at the World Bank while the other’s at an indigenous non-profit. Other times, I’ll meet another creative that’s up to collab. This is

exactly what happened with Tobore Edeki, the owner of the vintage store Thrift Lorde$, who set up shop at our HdF party on May 26 and brought the best vibes to 618’s rooftop.

Caroline

How has starting this party influenced your own love of music?

Madeleine

When I first started listening to electronic music, I was more of a passenger along for the ride. I became a participant insofar as I was a DJ playing gigs out and about. Now, having run HdF for just shy of a year alongside Kabir, I have developed a more holistic love of and appreciation for music. I see every stage — as an organizer, curator (lineups, sound system, set/interior design, and marketing), and, of course, as a performer. Recently, I’ve been sprinkling in experimental, ambient, and rap acts onto our predominantly underground dance music lineups. One of my favorite parties was in April at Owl Room, the first show where we incorporated live acts (three of them, too!).

Thanks to Owl Room’s help, we successfully had live performances from experimental rap duo Model Home, ambient artist Imka, and techno synth wizard Legowelt. Some folks didn’t know what to make of the music at times, but they were still enchanted! It was a night for the heads, and I loved every bit of it.

Kabir

Being around so many creatives, both locals and touring artists from other cities, I feel like my sound has evolved so dramatically over the past year or so, and I’m so thankful for that. I think this party series has allowed me to truly take in so many different sources of influence sonically and meld them into the tracks I make and the selection I choose as a DJ. It’s just a joy, and I feel like my love of music has only grown and will hopefully continue to grow.

Madeleine & Kabir

If we had a magic wand, we would will into existence a venue that serves as a true home for the DC underground dance scene and all of its excellent collectives. One wherein the genre-agnostic vision of Hast du Feuer is able to culminate into a space that allows folks who play music that’s vastly different from one another to be able to come together and dance. ø

WORK WITH us WWW.DROME.MEDIA CAROLINE@DROME.MEDIA LEAH@DROME.MEDIA @wearedrome

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Photos by Ernesto Román

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O RIO FLUI “O Rio Flui” is the debut shoot of Brazilian brand OPUS in collaboration with New York based photographer Brett Banducci on his visit to Rio de Janeiro. The clothes are the starting point of a collection about theater and performance, finding the curve as its essential form of expression. The pieces are worn and performed by the visual artist Joelington Rios; they reverberate with the architecture of Oscar Niemeyer, the biggest exponent of Brazilian modernism, most famous for his clean concrete curves.

The pictures were shot in two of the main buildings of the Caminho Niemeyer: The Oscar Niemeyer Popular Theatre and The Oscar Niemeyer Foundation. The full look is composed of three pieces: The voluminous Op.1 No.1 pants, that were developed in 2021 and have only now reached their final form, the Op.1 No.2 top, made from deadstock pure silk, and the prototype of a opulent-yellow pleated bag with exaggerated proportions, also made of leftover fabric from the fashion industry.

Reverberations echo in performance. The bass sounds of a cello’s vibrations, the constant sounds of the ocean waves, the echo of a vast empty room No motion(s) ever go unnoticed.

All floats. Constantly resonating till it finds a careful listener;. A body to embrace, or even a river to flow out of...

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48 HOURS

WITH

William Gray

Article by Leah Wasilewski

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Upon arrival, two New Yorkers need their fix for coffee and curiosity, of course. William Gray did not disappoint with either request. With its refreshing coffee bar connected to the store Le Cartel, and the bustling Maggie Oaks restaurant sprawled in the back of the hotel, William Gray has enough to keep its guests plenty occupied - not to mention the divine spa - without keeping them from enjoying the city itself. For two New Yorkers this was exactly what we needed, and more.

After sitting in the lobby our first hour there, we couldn’t help but notice how the hotel seamlessly attracts a myriad of young folks, whether that be strictly tourists like us, or other Canadians making their way through Montreal. The hotel lobby was a perfect location to debrief and chat with other locals and travelers, bestowing on us a new sense of inspiration and drive.

As the early evening approached, we came to a consensus that it was time to abandon the laptops and coffee cups, and make our way to Le Perche, the hotel rooftop restaurant for dinner and drinks. Dinner at Le Perche provided an extraordinary view complete with a ferris wheel, and an intimate look into downtown Old Montreal.

The restaurant has somewhat of a speakeasy vibe as customers enter through a hallway which leads to an elevator, and in turn to a hallway, finally delivering guests into the midst of the vibrant restaurant.

As the hotel is located in such an exquisite area, we were able to walk the cobblestone streets the next morning, ending up at the Old Port of Montreal by the St. Lawrence River for a relaxing lay in the grass.

On the day of our departure, we couldn’t resist trying out the steam rooms and saunas located on the second floor of the hotel. As we sat in the sauna with eyes closed, we planned with bubbling excitement for our next trip back to William Gray. We left the hotel boasting how it was by far the best spa experience we have had to date. During this stay we were able to realign our goals and visions, and we are happy to say that William Gray helped us achieve the magazine you have in your hands right now. With its quintessential Montreal charm mixed with a cutting edge modern flair, William Gray is the place to stay in Montreal.

Thank you for your support WG!! <3 XOXO

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WILLIAM GRAY

With the launch of DRØME Volume V creeping right around the corner, we knew we needed a break. Months of hard work and endless preparation for this issue needed to be assessed from a new angle, with a breath of fresh air. When William Gray offered us a two night stay at their charming hotel in the heart of Old Montreal, we jumped at the opportunity to unwind, detox, and continue our work in a new and exciting environment. Driving up to Canada in a car filled with two suitcases and a trunk full of magazines, we stopped at local bookstores and record shops with boxes of previous issues to distribute along the way.

Awakening a new clarity and rejuvenation in us, our stay in Montreal became only the beginning of our relentless pursuit and commitment to seeing our dream vision for Volume V come to life. We owe tremendous gratitude and appreciation to William Gray for helping us be able to refuel in a calm place, resting in the most magical part of Montreal.

Jewelry inspired by our bodies.* * what is @elppin spelled backwards?

Enjoy Reykjavík like you live there

15% off with code: EXDRØME

www.exeterhotel.is

THANK YOU TO ALL OF THE ARTISTS WHO

CONTINUE TO MAKE DRØME POSSIBLE xxx

thx 4 playing!