Two Cents

Get fed. Ditch the spoon.

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Spanish Abortion Acts Criminalise Autonomy

  "I do not wish women to have power over men; but over themselves."

Mary Wollstonecraft.

The right to govern their bodies and make a conscious decision to take on the incredible, but largely overlooked, full time job of being a mother is now in the hands of Mariano Rajoy and the conservativePartido Popular (PP). The proposed law states that a woman - who is possibly financially unequipped, unprepared, or who simply does not want to have children - will be lawfully forbidden to have an abortion.

Instead of a woman's right, abortion will be a crime. Unless the woman has been raped or there is a grave threat to her physical or mental health, no abortions will be given to Spanish women or women living here regardless of where they're from. The only decisions taken will be by the two medical professionals who will still need to be consulted for approval in the two cases above. Only those who are financially able will have the option to fly abroad and gain back their autonomy.

Furthermore, the scrutiny that will go into the rape cases, which I'm sure are painful enough without yet another unwanted invasion of the body, may result in many women not having the courage to subject their bodies and their families to such exposure. At every turn a woman's body is starting to become anything but her own.

This is not a Spanish issue, it is not strictly a woman's issue. It is an issue of humanity. Male figures, high on power are oh so chivalrously taking on the responsibility of women's bodies as well as their own. These bodies are ours and I don't see any men giving up the right to pursue a career, to be financially independent or see their feet for the good part of 6 months. The last thing the world needs are more unwanted children and half the population lawfully denied the right to decide for themselves.

Please sign this petition and campaign for the right for women to remain autonomous beings.

  "I am no bird; and no net ensnares me: I am a free human being with an independent will."

Charlotte Brontë

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Libertad

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Sophie Van der Perre Interview

  Purity, nostalgia and freedom are not normally the words we might associate with the heavily made-up world of fashion photography. Sophie Van Der Perre takes us back to a time when running naked in a field wasn't a way to liberate ourselves from pernickety perfection, it was simply what all the kids were doing. And it was fun. Escapism...possibly, but no one can deny that Sophie's images capture something real – an emotion, a memory, a relationship. 

Everything is going really well! I've done some shoots for Ilovefake, ELLE magazine, worked with some brands and shot a beautiful series of one of my muses Milo in France.

  As well as having a significant number of exhibitions in Europe, and more commonly in Amsterdam, how did you make the move to NY? How did these exhibitions differ from those much closer to home?

I lived in New York for 3 months and met lots of people there, but I think the main reason is the internet. Flickr and also being published on the website of tinyvices helped a lot. The exhibitions were very special because it is such a hard place to get one and it was with photographers who I truly admire. But the most important one for me was last year in Paris.

You predominantly use female subjects who appear natural, never heavily made-up, and often topless or even fully naked - why the women and why the nudity?

Its funny because a lot of people when they think about my photography they think about nudity. But I don't really see it that way. It just feels really natural to shoot this way. Same thing with make-up; I think it is because I love the pureness and freedom vibe and to shoot people as they really are.

  What can you say about the photo-shopped world we live in?

It's boring. Too perfect that it scares me.

  It feels as though you are photographing your (very beautiful) best friends – how do you chose your subjects, are they in fact good friends of yours?

They have become my best friends, my muses. Sarah, Milou and Bamboo are very dear to me, we understand each other so perfectly and we just connect when shooting. It always gives me a feeling of ecstasy when we're working together because I know it will be good.

'Land of a Thousand Dances' especially conveys something very poignant – whether it be the apparent closeness of the girls, their playfulness, or their surroundings – one can't help but feel slightly nostalgic for a time free of restraint, for childhood. Do your images have such a conceptual message?

Maybe without noticing it they have. What I love about being young is that it is so carefree. I like expressing that in my photos.

  Clearly a fan of the film The Virgin Suicides by Sophia Coppola, what is it about this film and the girls which inspired you to base a project around it?

I love the tragedy. The sadness, the beauty of the girls. I don't think there is something I don't love about the movie, it inspires me in every way.

Have you thought about moving into film?

I've thought about it a lot of times, got to get started with that!!

  What are your other inspirations? People, places,...past regrets?

Things that happen in my life and my emotions but I especially get inspired by people and nature.

  What does it mean to be a part of House of Orange agency? How does the work you do through them digress from your personal projects or is it just an extension of what you already do?

They connect me with brands and magazines. It's kind of different because it is very commercial. My personal projects are what I love the most but I also love working in the fashion world. In some way they are connected to each other. Same vibe and atmosphere, different photos.

  What's on the horizon for Sophie Van Der Perre?

I have another ELLE shoot coming up this month, going to Paris Photo and at the end of the month to Dubai. I also have some very interesting projects I'm working on right now which I can't tell about yet.

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The Pharcyde Interview

As I shuffled eagerly to the front it became apparent that my pixels were redundant, as there I was at the top of the list, alongside the likes of Mucho Muchacho.

Through sheer energy, passion, and a distinct 90s flair we were transported back to where The Pharcyde began, and we "did it all" Barcelona! J-Swift was having "el tiempo de su vida" and so were we...even if they were missing Fatlip, Imani and Bootie Brown. 

Post-concert, I was greeted by Slimkid3, otherwise known as Tre Hardson, telling me to 'give them 2 secs' before we headed down to their very cosy dressing room. I was shown to my slim portion of the black faux leather sofa, neatly tucked between J-Swift and K-Natural with L.A Jay and Cee Brown in my line of vision – along with Brown's iPhone, which recorded my every word. No pressure.

Practically sitting on top of each other, we got stuck in.

    What do you make of Barcelona? How was it out there tonight?

J-Swift: It was amazing. I was having the time of my life – el tiempo de mi vida! Slimkid3: We wanna come here again because we haven't been seen anything. We leave too early tomorrow and I wanna see the city.

  You started off the year touring around Canada, France, and of course, The US. What else has been going on this year with The Pharcyde?

J-Swift: We got some new stuff coming out in 2014 and that's for real. The one thing about this tour is it's given us this energy – we're so creative and we're so concerned with giving you something good that sometimes it interferes. But then you just gotta go out there and perform. I was told by a genius (our manager Reggie Andrews), that if you do it right, it's timeless. The people obviously still love it! We just go with the feeling; it's always different in every city but this was really special cos I was born six hours from here. Ahh man I'm gonna start crying!

Slimkid3: Paris was great, we just did Marseille yesterday but you guys did it all – there was so much energy!

    How did you all meet?

J-Swift: Ok, the short version: my dad was a musician, he trained me and my siblings to play classical piano and read music. I was already producing at 16, and I met Tre (Slimkid3), L.A Jay and Fatlip, and of course, Reggie Andrews, who became our manager. We were writing songs, and since we always hung out we just decided, 'why don't we just be a group?' - and the rest is history.

  Tonight you tried to bring back the old school breakdance sessions which I understand were a big part of your life before The Pharcyde. How did you make the move from B-Boying to actually producing your own music, and a gold album no less?

J-Swift: Well I was a musician and a songwriter...and a baby singer and baby rapper. Tre was dancing and rapping for a long time before he came to us, and I knew it when I heard him. Slimkid3: I never really intended to be a rapper. To be honest, I was on my way to the military. J-Swift: Yeah, and his rhymes were military. He came to us with a medallion – it was cardboard (he laughs and points a finger at Slimkid3 as he recalls the symbol)...but it was cool. He would make me laugh all the time, so we just started incorporating funny stuff into our music. But we just live it. It's life.

    What was it like when you're first album went gold?

J-Swift: I think I tried to do a backflip and didn't make it. Slimkid3: It actually took a really long time for the album to go gold. We were working really hard before that, but we really appreciated it. Actually I think we probably went way past gold. In any case, it's so great that it's still around now.

  Who and what were your influences growing up?

Slimkid3: Shit, well when I was growing up I was a latchkey kid, but my mum had a lot of records. I'd either be watching Little Rascals, Benny Hill or playing records. So there was Earth, Wind and Fire, Taste of Honey, New Birth (which was my super favourite), Rick James (he was amazing), Tina Marie, and stuff like that. Then Price came out and he was out of this world! There are also jazz influences.

  Rap music. Has it gone downhill since the 90s?

K-Natural: There is a 90s road and there are many extensions which branch off from this. The 90s road never stopped, it just slowed down. But now it's gonna have more and more traffic. It's got people like Joey Badass, and mad underground dudes whose sound is reminiscent of the 90s. You have to accept hip-hop and it's evolution. But yeah, the 90s road was the golden road.

Slimkid3: In the 90s there was this east coast/west coast situation, but what's important is the signature you're making. You get the fingerprints of every community and it's like we're secretly listening to messages from different villages. That's what's important about the hip-hop of today and the hip-hop of yesterday. And I think we spoke a different language within or own little thing.

    You're driving around. What are you listening to?

Slimkid3: Ooh, everything. We could start off with Kendrick Lamar, ASAP Rocky, I do love Kanye West because he's super passionate right now. Like if you think about Tupac – he didn't really grab me until the Makaveli album, because he got so passionate. So I think Kanye's really trying to say something right now.

K-Natural: Yeah, he's taking some chances.

  So, 'chances' – do people want to be 'safe' with what they're producing musically?

Slimkid3: Well there's reason to be safe. No one wants to die. Music affects people. The powers that be let you do what you think you're doing, but there's a thin line. We've always been watched, but being brave in this thing is deep. There are certain things which need to happen and which need to change, but not everyone can say it.

  Do you think that the Hollywood music industry restricts you from doing certain things?

Slimkid3: There are people all over the world who are working on the causes that may be happening, but I don't have to make a public announcement about it because there are folks working on it already. It's gonna get done, and that's the positive thing. It's about how we think about things. Now in my life I'm erasing all of the influences that there were – be it commercials, be it books I've read, TV, etc. – because all of these things they're just distracting you from who you really are. Energetically. And we're being kind of led – I call it 'sheeple'. We buy into the dream and then we're hooked; they're kinda bleeding us.

  It's like you're on the conveyor belt and you're not going anywhere.

Slimkid3: Exactly! And it's a huge distraction. They always say people need to wake up, but I think people will wake up as they need to.

[Things were becoming more and more interesting as Tre's passion for what he was saying spilled out into the room, only to be interrupted by backstage crew telling us to wrap it up].

    Ok, so, what can you tell us about the underground raves you used to do back in the 90s.

Slimkid3: Ecstasy and water...and lights. Some of them were pretty dirty, but they were fun to me because they were creative. It brought people together like a community. No issues, no ego, no jealousy. Everybody unplugged.

  What's next?

L.A. Jay: We go to Stuttgart. Slimkid3: But further than us finishing the tour, we're basically just making music. Fans can connect with us at Bizarreridelive, on Twitter and on Instagram @slimkid3 and @djceebrown. I have a solo project that I'm doing with DJ Nu-Mark from Jurassic 5 amongst others and all this is gonna be incorporated with what we're doing as Bizarreride. A lot of good music, and a lot fun.

  Thank you all so much! Good luck with the rest of the tour! 

  @ Images by Roberta Phillips and Dani Gomez Torres

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Hydraulic Fracturing: Fighting Off Our Fracked Future but is Anyone Listening?

Could this be the pivotal point of change that we need in Britain? When sleepers eyes are opened to the injustice, the rogues in charge dealing out and the dwindling democracy that lies before us?

'Government by the people' is really what democracy comes down to – a say, a vote, a position in our sorry state of affairs – which is exactly what we, the people, who are whole-heartedly against fracking, are trying to do. Democracy is defined by the participation of the people, therefore if we do not have a say or our view is not recognised, then democracy is non-existent. Britain is said to be based on democratic rule. However, concerns have been raised that our voice is nothing more than an irritating scratch on the blackboard, interfering with their plans for 'progress'.

It is not surprising that Cuadrilla's governmental backers are so intent on going ahead with the fracking program as of course many have a vested interest. Lord John Browne is one to look out for with his 30% stake in Cuadrilla and highly influential position in the cabinet. Having appointed a large number of people to principal government positions he has no doubt created a network of frackists who, through indebtedness, could be predisposed to arranging appointments, pushing forward proposals, and increasing the backing of a sordid venture that reeks of a hierarchy in pursuit of a cash cow...and the toxic methane it emits.

Though cries of 'big bucks' and 'bill reductions' have entered into the 'information pack' on hydraulic fracturing, what it is most definitely lacking are some truthful facts and figures based on the recent alarming history of fracking which includes the contamination of air, water, and soil, and a number of severe health risks. In fact the details of their plans have never been made common knowledge but things which have to be dug up, extracted over a long period of time, through many different sources, and often in an 'under the table' manoeuvre – it actually sounds a lot like the fracking process.

You cannot read the label before use, the "side effects" are deadly, and thanks to the 'Halliburton loophole', which exempts oil and gas companies from the Safe Drinking Water Act regulations, you may never be told exactly what they are slipping us whilst they assume we lie dormant. So don't. Now really is the time to speak up or you could become one of Caudrilla's silenced and sacrificed like those living in the places that have preceded us in the fracking regime. Bought off and prohibited from speaking a word about the damage done to them by fracking, a number of families (including their young children) have had their voices taken away from them after energy companies dished out 'compensation' in the form of bribes. Also issued to doctors, these gag orders are a bid to hush those in the know, and more importantly, those on the receiving end of the horrific side effects. They ensure that if and when a case is brought against these stinking rich energy companies, there will be virtually no testimonies from first hand victims and therefore no record of contamination. In fact all we hear of now are the arrests of protestors and not the poisonous perpetrators.

This is more than just a watering down of the facts, there is some downright corruption going on here and we cannot let them continue to get away with it. A glimpse into the fracked future sees bottled water as our only option, bought from reprehensible companies such as Nestlé as "Fresh water is going to be a high priced commodity" (Ian R Crane). This is not hyperbole, literally everywhere that fracking happens contamination occurs. Spain has already put a ban on fracking in the northern region of Cantabria where Repsol had planned to begin drilling this July due to concerns over the contamination of drinking water. France also opposed it due to the high risk of earthquakes, and Lancashire has already had two seismic events back in the drilling of 2011.

Politics is Greek for 'to do with the people.'" So let us in. David Cameron, listen to the people who put you in power. The decision to plough on with the fracking plans affect our homes, our water, our children, our children's children, it affects our entire way of being. So forgive us for exercising our democratic rights. Listen to us when we speak up, I mean really listen to us and actually represent what you stand for: Democracy.

For more information on fracking and it's dangers watch the Gaslands documentaries, Fracking Hell, and follow the developments here.

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Gemma Silvestre: With the Mermaids [lamono magazine]

Can also be read on lamono.com in spanish.

After seeing your latest exhibition ‘Sirens’ at La Casa Elizalde I was completely captivated by your photographs, tell us a little about this exhibition in particular and the concept behind it. For me the concept is to enter into the world of dreams, where you can swim, play, and laugh with the most beautiful creatures, females and feelings in the world. All is possible under the sea. This sensation of freedom and beauty moves me to create.

How do you manage to capture the light so beautifully, especially in this set of photos? I simply searched for a beautiful spot under the sea of which I could imagine was a mermaid’s home and waited for the sun to fall and enter diagonally. To create these effects and backlight, I am guided by my instincts at all times when I have a camera.

Another set similar to ‘Sirens’ is ‘Freedom’ as it is also shot in the water. What is it about the water that makes you feel free? I haven’t thought about it much, I just feel like this. I suppose that it has to do with the summer, you can wear little clothing, get wet without worries, and above all, you can jump and play like when you were a kid. I think it transports me to my childhood, when I spent the summers playing with the waves. My mother had to deceive me so that I would want to get out of the water, she told me that they were starting to leave fish scales on me… so I went out running.

Is there something else about shooting underwater that attracts you? The sensation of being a voyeur I suppose: we are in the house of the fish. And the weightlessness and slowness of movements of course.

How do you do it, do you use any special equipment? I use a simple hat which allows me to always take it in my beach bag and not worry about my professional camera or if the sun touches it or someone steals it, etc.

Tell us how you came to this point in your life. Well, gathering a mixture of jobs: I spent time as an actress and after in the technical side of shooting. The communication world of feelings is where I have always moved in. I can move with a simple touch… and I love it!

You studied at A Creative Light Workshop in New York, what did you learn from this experience? At that moment I hadn’t studied photography, I’d only learnt by my self. I thought that I needed to dominate the flashes in order to be a good professional so this is why I chose that course. I learnt a lot and in another language. I always had my eyes wide open, taking in any possible piece of knowledge.

I understand that you have 13 years of experience working freelance in film, have you produced any films yourself and would you return to this area? I haven’t explored all of this world but from time to time I work in this field, specifically in the camera team. But I have almost always been in television advertisements, some movies but much less.

Were you living in New York, if so, how was it? How is the art scene different over there? For me it was a brutal experience! I went out in the street to photograph, to photograph ever instant, every corner, every person!! It was a little stressful and I had to relax. Everything looked like a movie that I had seen in my life. Then my imagination took off…oh how much I miss it. I have left a part of my heart there and when I close my eye I can take a walk down the streets where I recorded and see the people. It’s so different from here.

Tell us something about you that we can’t find on the internet. Still many more things that I have not dared to share!! Sometimes I see good jobs and then I give them no value at all. I still have confidence to win.

What is the next project? This summer I will continue with the mermaids, including a guy… and I will improvise, like always!

Tags: female body, Gemma Silvestre, la casa elizalde, photography, sirens

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Let's Get Factual

Lazying on a Sunday afternoon...well not quite. There is no denying that last weekend was an endurance test for many, an endurance test of the best kind! So here's how it went, for me at least.

It may sound completely ridiculous but by the time we were on the last leg of this hedonistic pursuit the delirious dreamlike state that had become so familiar had taken over almost entirely. Up at Zona Universitària we may as well have been in the mountains...or the desert for that matter, as we searched for the long awaited pool party finale, greeted with mirages of blue waters dressed up as kids play parks and garden sprinklers. When a faint musical murmur found it's way to us through the trees I wasn't sure if my senses could be trusted any longer but thankfully this was no trick of the mind, we had reached the finish line. And what a way to end the weekend. Needless to say there was no hesitation in submerging ourselves in the waters which surrounded an elevated dj box and dance area. The music was already in full flow with the destructive duo that is Blondish only to be taken to the next level by British dj Heidi. And I will tell you something, the girls were on form this evening! However tempting the pool was, it was no competition for the packed floor of party people from all over the globe. German, American, Dutch, they had 'em all. Well done FACT, another one to add to your impressive list of fiestas.

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Ellen Rogers and her Mesmeric Muses [lamono magazine]

I absolutely love you photographs, your female beauties, and the atmosphere they transmit. I won’t ask you to reveal your treasured technique but could you tell us where you get your inspiration from and the preparation process?  Thank you. My ideas come from the people I meet, the films I watch, the books I read, even the conversations I have. They are a collective manifestation of my moods and desires to recreate emotions that I share with loved ones. I prepare these ideas spending time with other creatives to make it as close to reality and the original mood as possible.

There is no doubt that your photographs convey an appreciation for the female body. For you, what is the concept behind them, if there is one?  It was my first muse Hana who suggested I worked with her nude. I hadn’t worked with anyone else this way before so I wanted to make sure that when I did photograph her this way it was on her terms and that she appeared as confident, elegant, and comfortable as she was with me in real life. This was as much about her expression of freedom as it was about me and my work. I found working with someone as open minded and comfortable as Hana also made me change my perspective on nudity and how people perceive women who show a lot of skin. I have always been a girl who wears a lot of makeup, high heels, and short skirts, and I never appreciated people calling me a ‘tart’ etc. so working with women who feel liberated by being nude was a revelation to me. I feel that this process is about celebrating the women I know.

What does “feminism” mean to you?  Feminism is, to me, the collective term for the battles fought by anyone for equality and rights of women, whether those women are cis, trans, queer or otherwise. It’s an ongoing battle and one that is fought every day.

Can you explain your thoughts behind your mesmeric muses? What draws you to these women specifically?  Specifically: their personalities attracted me. Each one is a very different character (Hana, Maxine, and a recent lady called Rosemarie). What draws me to them is the magnetism between us. We get on exceptionally well and more often than not I’m interested in finding out why.

‘Digital photography doesn’t sit well with [you]‘ – could you explain this a little more. What is it about analog that makes it irreplaceable in your photographic process?   Oh no no I like a lot of digital art, I just don’t think it suits me. I like the grain, tone, and grade of film. I think digital photography has its aesthetic advantages too but not for the ambiance I am looking for. If digital photography is played up to its advantages I think it can be incredibly beautiful.

How do your personal projects differ from your freelance fashion photography?  My commercial work is usually a collaboration with a brand or a stylist for the sake of shooting clothes/products and showing them off. My personal work, however, is not concerned with clothing or advertising anything and this gives me a lot more creative freedom.

Both your photography and your house/studio have a gothic feel to them, would you agree?   Yeah I suppose so, I’m not really interested in adhering to niche terms like gothic etc. but I can see why you say that of course. There is an element of gothic literature to the way my home looks or the way my work or, indeed, the way I look. I am inspired by somethings that are considered ‘gothic’ but I look outside of that genre too.

When you lecture at universities what is the one thing that you never fail to pass on to others? Have you ever mentored?   I must say when I lecture it’s usually about my own work, but I do stress that commercial work isn’t for everyone. I am not sure it’s for me or if I have the correct temperament for it at least. I think people look to me for an answer of how to be a viable success whist still maintaining an analogue method. The simple answer is that it’s not easy and you have to be entrepreneurial to make it work. This is not something I have mastered either.

You do a fair bit of writing on numerous blogs, is writing a second passion of yours?  Oh gosh, I am an awful writer but yeah I really enjoy it. I think it could be a passion if all the passion I had wasn’t spent on making images.

What excites you most in life?  Working with a team I really like, collating my ideas with them and making something happen out of nothing. I genuinely love that feeling. I think I might finally be working on something that changes everything (for me). I have found a set of people I never want to lose and I just wish we were all closer together geographically.

And finally, what can we look forward to seeing from you in the near future?  This project I speak of, it’s a mixed media endeavour, I can’t say more about it now but it may challenge the way my work is viewed.

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OH DREW. 

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☯

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SHOTER

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Sacha Burrows, 2013

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Ryan Tatar: On The Road [lamono magazine]

Scanning through his pictures, one can imagine being ‘on the road’ with the likes of Jack Kerouac and the Lords of Dogtown Z-Boys. His photographs possess an aura of the fifties and seventies with their nomadic nature and Californian setting. Appearing as a type of mirage – hazy and psychedelic – they call you from the page and allure you to go to such a place where the sky is bright purple, green or orange, the sun is bright, and the surf is most definitely up. T: Roberta Phillips (To read the complete interview at lamono’s March/April print issue: BIG, click here)