IZASKUN GONZALEZ

Izaskun Gonzalez's photography work has a dreamy feel, with a twist which has a hypnotic effect, the moment you discover her creations. The images are beautifully coloured and manipulated with different filers and Photoshop.
    

 Photography by Izaskun Gonzalez

1. When did get take your first camera, and how long have you been a photographer for?

 I purchased my first camera in my late teens and have been taking photographs for 20 years.

2.Did you study photography, if yes where? Or are you self taught?

At Middlesex University I studied graphic design; where I spend most of the time in the dark room and developed my passion for photography.

3.How would you describe your style and method?My style is like my method:  “Experimental Passion”

4. How do you feel after a photo shoot? Could you describe feelings & thoughts that go over you while you taking pictures?
It feels like an inside cloud to me like a very excited, urge..

5. Were you at the beginning of your photography career drawn into a certain subject matter? I have always been  fascinated by derelict buildings and sexy women.

Photography by Izaskun Gonzalez

6. How do you feel when people interpret your work differently?

I do respect any interpretation; when I publish an image it is then up to the audience to judge and analyze. 

7. Do you find London more inspiring than other places?
Inspiration is in my head. I love being in new places but they don't really inspire more but feelings are.

8. Where do you go in London, and what do you do in London to get inspired?

Luckily, I work at Resistance gallery. I have never seen a place with so much diversity in every sense. It is a highly visual place with lots of images that fill my head. From Mexican wrestling, performances, exhibitions, vampire nights, Japanese bondage...

9. Who is the biggest influence on your work, and why?

There are several artists whose works I adore like Witkin, Godart, Bergman, Saudek.  I love collecting images and have big passion for old time photography
and cinema.

10.You live and work in  East London, which is the habitat for many artists, tell me about the scene of East  London, why  East , what is the attraction/ how does is it contribute to your work?I am very busy with my art and don’t have much time to explore the rest of East London.
As I mention I work in the Resistance Gallery where many amazing events are happening. It is a very visual place: with wrestlers, beautiful fire dancers and Kimbaku which is an art itself. Many artists with great works exhibit here; it is the place where a creative mind wants to live.

 Photography by Izaskun Gonzalez

11. What is for you the best thing about being a photographer?-I don't really consider myself a photographer. It is one of the mediums I use to express myself. I do paint; make objects like masks and dolls. I use photography to create another world.

12. What is for you the worst thing about being a photographer?There is no going back for me so there is  nothing wrong with it.

13. Which one of your images is your favourite one, and why? I could choose  each image as all of them have their moments of importance to me.

14. Who is your favourite photographer right now? I couldn’t think of anyone right now.

15.Where have you displayed your past works? I have displayed and have permanent work at La Maison, Espacio espora, Vallery, Charada, Puppa Tattoo these are in Spain. Galerie l'art de rien , France. Sexy Art Gallery, The Netherlands. Resistance Gallery, London. Montreal Fetish week. Rubber ball, London.

Photography by Izaskun Gonzalez

16.How do you manifest your business? This is far from being a business. I don’t have a business plan.

17 . Would you be rather be rich and create by order? Or would you rather express your individuality and style and not earning much money? I would rather live as I do, it’s not too bad.

18. Where do you see yourself in 10 years? I have never seen myself in the future.

19.What is happiness for you? There is not such a thing. I'm content with having as much time as possible on earth..

20.Would you like to use this opportunity to carry a message to other artists, photographers or in general? Not at all. I was never good at giving advise.

Photography by Izaskun Gonzalez

http://compulsivebehaviour.net/

BRIGTHON RIOT 1964

M O R A L   P A N I C

Brigthon Riot 1964

The contrast between Rockers and Mods is very distinctive. Rockers are wearing leather jackets and ride heavy motorcycles, they listen to 1950’s Rock and Roll like Elvis and Eddie Cochran, Gene Vincent. Rockers considered Mods as snobs, effeminate and weak. Mods in the contrary are wearing sharp suits and driving scooters; they love Ska, R&B and northern soul music. Mods saw Rockers as uncultured and slightly dirty.

Mods

Rockers

On the Easter weekend in 1964, around midday Mods and Rockers gathered in Brighton at the Palace Pier chanting and jeering at each other and threw stones. The teenagers staged a mass sit-down on the promenade when police were using horses and dogs trying to disperse them.
The situation escalated that over a thousand Mods and Rockers were fighting at Brighton beach and the promenade. They bullied tourists, locals and frightened elderly residents; they threw deckchairs at each other, broke them up and set them alight. Council flat windows were smashed, a hardware shop and a pub were destroyed.

Brigthon Riot 1964

A moral panic is the intensity of feeling expressed in a population about an issue that appears to threaten the social order. According to Stanley Cohen, author of Folk Devils and Moral Panics (1972) and credited creator of the term, a moral panic occurs when " condition, episode, person or group of persons emerges to become defined as a threat to societal values and interests." Those who start the panic when they fear a threat to prevailing social or cultural values are known by researchers as "moral entrepreneurs", while people who supposedly threaten the social order have been described as "folk devils."

Moral panics are in essence controversies that involve arguments and social tension and in which disagreement is difficult because the matter at its center is taboo. The media have long operated as agents of moral indignation, even when they are not self-consciously engaged in crusading or muckraking. Simply reporting the facts can be enough to generate concern, anxiety or panic.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Moral_panic

Brigthon Riot 1964

                                                                                                                         

                                                                                                                Annette Heart

BRIXTON RIOT 1985

C I V I L  C H A O S

In 1981, the whole United Kingdom was affected Britain by a recession.                              Brixton is a deprived area with a high number of unemployment, social problems and a predominantly black community. This part of London suffered two riots in 1981 dubbed " Bloody Saturday " by Time Magazine and the 1984 shooting of Mrs Groce. Both riots were related to incidents where the police and black civilians collided. 

Brixton Riot 1985

On the 28th of September in 1985, the Brixton Riot started in Lambeth, South London.

This was the second major riot which the area had suffered in the space of four years.

It was sparked by the shooting of Dorothy 'Cherry' Groce. The police were looking for her son Michael Groce in relation to a suspected firearms offence- and assumed Michael Groce was hiding in his mother's home. It is stated that the police did not give any required warning (which left residents thinking that a raid is about to happen). Mrs. Groce was in bed, when the police began their search. Michael Groce wasn’t found there at the time of the shooting, and Mrs. Groce was paralysed below the waist by the police bullet.

Brixton Riot 1985

Mrs Groce had migrated from Jamaica to the UK as a young woman. Instantly, most locals regarded this incident as further evidence of institutional racism by the Metropolitan Police. Rumours were spreading very fast through the community that Mrs Groce was shot dead. Large crowds gathered in front of the local police station and started chanting anti – police slogans and demanding immediate justice to all police officers involved. Very fast, aggression grew between the primarily white Metropolitan Police and the primarily black protesters which spiralled into street fights.  In the next 2 days, the police lost control over the ongoing growing numbers of protesters and the situation escalated into pure violence and crime, many shops were looted, cars set on fire and destruction caused where ever possible. The photo-journalist David Hodge died of head injuries a few days later; he was photographing a gang of thieves ransacking shops, many arrests were made.

Brixton Riot 1985

                                                                                                                       

                                                                                                                             Annette Heart

 



ENGLAND RIOTS 2011

D I S O R D E R

London Riots 6-8th Aug 2011

Numerous London boroughs and districts of cities and towns across England suffered widespread rioting, raiding and arson, between the 6th  and the 10th   of August 2011.
London witnessed shocking scenes of violence increasing the emergency services beyond limit on the third night of rioting in the capital.
Buildings were burned down, shops plundered, and officers assaulted with improvised missiles and petrol bombs as gangs of hooded and masked youths laid junk to streets right across the city.
The violence exploded in daylight in Hackney, east London, where police confronted rioters throwing missiles and setting fire to bins and cars. One officer could be seen lying on the ground after being hit on his shield by a missile.
Various buildings were set alight in Croydon, south London, one enormous fire demolishing the 100-year-old Reeves furniture store. The fires were so brutal that approach roads into Croydon were thick with smoke leaving some residents battling to see or breathe.

London Riots 6-8th Aug 2011

The violence exploded in daylight in Hackney, east London, where police confronted rioters throwing missiles and setting fire to bins and cars. One officer could be seen lying on the ground after being hit on his shield by a missile.
Various buildings were set alight in Croydon, south London, one enormous fire demolishing the 100-year-old Reeves furniture store. The fires were so brutal that approach roads into Croydon were thick with smoke leaving some residents battling to see or breathe.

         London Riots 6-8th Aug 2011

Psychology of riots:
Riots are a form of civil chaos characterized by anarchic groups striking out in an impulsive and extreme rash of violence, destruction or other crime. While individuals may try to lead or control a riot, riots are typically disorganised and demonstrate pack behaviour.
Riots often happen in reaction to a perceived frustration or out of conflict. Historically, riots have occurred due to deprived working or living conditions, authority repression, taxation or conscription, disagreement between races or religions, or even the result of a sporting event. Some claim that rioters are motivated by rejection or oppression with legal channels through which to air their distress.

         

                                                                                                                Annette Heart

FANTASY - Themes

FANTASY

Escapism into Reality?

People use fiction to escape from their daily lives. But how do we know that we don’t escape into reality, or another reality which we haven’t experienced yet? Before we know, all the science fiction and fantasy movies are actually preparing us for our future.  Our minds are conditioned from an early age and it is uncomfortable for any human to start thinking against the stream. We are built with a very short memory to make us moving ahead.

"I LIVE IN A WORLD OF FANTASIE,  SO KEEP YOUR REALITY AWAY FROM ME, ISEE WHAT I WANT, I WANT WHAT I SEE SO THATS ALL OK BY ME

                                                                                                             
by Itzah C. Kret

Photography by Miles Aldrige

http://www.milesaldridge.com/

I AM DREAMING IN THIS DREAM WORLD, AM I DREAMING IT ALONE ?
                                                                                                      by Annette Heart

Photography by Solve Sundsbo, Model  Alla Kostromicheva

Photography by Solve Sundsbo, Model  Alla Kostromicheva





Photography by Solve Sundsbo, Model  Alla Kostromicheva

IS THERE ANYBODY OUT THERE?

                                     by Annette Heart

 



Model Jessica Stam- Photography by Solve Sundsbo

http://solvesundsbo.info/

Solve Sundsboe focuses on volume, lines and graphics and alters his images with superimpositions, use of filters and transparency, creating truly remarkable pictures. His style is recognized by all of the big names in the industry, marked especially by his expertise behind the lens and his unequivocal ability to constantly reinvent his own technique.
by Annette Heart

I DREAM WITHIN A DREAM



Take this kiss upon the brow!
And, in parting from you now,
Thus much let me avow-
You are not wrong, who deem
That my days have been a dream;
Yet if hope has flown away
In a night, or in a day,
In a vision, or in none,
Is it therefore the less gone?
All that we see or seem
Is but a dream within a dream.

I stand amid the roar
Of a surf-tormented shore,
And I hold within my hand
Grains of the golden sand-
How few! yet how they creep
Through my fingers to the deep,
While I weep- while I weep!
O God! can I not grasp
Them with a tighter clasp?
O God! can I not save
One from the pitiless wave?
Is all that we see or seem
But a dream within a dream?
                                    by Edgar  Allen Poe

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Edgar_Allan_Poe
                

ALL MY LIFE I HAVE HAD THE SAME DREAM
                                               by Annette Heart

Photography by Chris Anthony

Photography by Chris Anthony

Photography by Chris Anthony

       

  http://www.chris-anthony.com/

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fantasy

                

ALTERIMAGE - Interview

 Photography by Guy Heart

1. How did you guys get involved in electronic music? How did you discover your love for it?Ian: My friends invited me to a club here in NYC called Twilo when I was 18 to check out some guy Paul van Dyk. I happily went along to try something new and never looked back. I missed PVD only 2 times during his residency at Twilo over the next two years and was a regular at the Sasha and Digweed parties as well. It was a really special time in music history and amazing to have been a part of!
Adam:  That’s a great question and I could be embarrassed a bit to answer, haha. When I was 15-16, I came across some “New York Underground” CDs and trance. Shortly after,  I started getting my way into NYC  iconic clubs like Tunnel and Limelight. Age didn’t matter. It was a totally different world back then, crowds, trends, scene, the whole nine yards. From there I shifted gears by going to the all famous Twilo and buying GU019, Digweed! He actually just played a few of those classics recently in NYC as a tribute. From there, I was hooked. The experience was overwhelming.
2. Were you guys DJs on your own before starting AlterImage or have you always DJed together? And how did you meet initially?Ian: I met Adam on the Twilo message board! I was a DJ a few years before him and did many events during my college years. Adam became my roommate junior year when he transferred and he got the bug and started DJing as well. We formed AlterImage after leaving college when we moved back to NYC.
Adam: Ian said it. Just a side note – Once I got in the zone on the decks I really ended up teaching him how to do it proper, haha . Just kidding, we always joked about that. During college, us and another roommate went to the record stores in town or in Boston at every free moment, bought new tunes and then went back and played records for hours to see who bought better records.  What a great time.  We fought for Tijuana Groove when it came out on Bedrock and I still have all my vinyl. The ones we didn’t like were thrown out on the roof of our townhouse on campus. By time we left, our roof was covered. Everybody could see as they walked by, haha.

 Photography by Guy Heart

3. What does the core of your current studio consist of and what are some of your favourite software programs to use? Do you guys have a separate studio space to work out of or is it based in Ian or Adam's residence? or both?Ian: I use have my iMac and run Ableton and Cubase. For sounds I love NI Komplete and Autoria synths as well. Also a huge fan of playing with samples and using Sound Toys, Camel and Waves fx on them. We do have a separate studio space at each of our apartments and trade stems back and forth when working on tracks. While working together in front of a cpu is fun, its not always an option and can even limit the creative process when working late into the night.
Adam: Yup, separate spots. I have a PC from Sonica and love it.  I use Cubase 5 as a primary sequencer, and then I dabble with Ableton (love the sampler and some to plugs). Favorite plugins? Well that’s top secret, jk . I love all NI components,  Rob Papen plugs,  Sugarbytes and Spectrasonics.  I have a load more but focus on a few core items because I learned them and know them as go to pieces for certain sounds. For processing I use Wave’s and PSP tools in every track.
4. Does your  production style come out a lot in your DJing and do you tend to play a lot of your own productions?Ian: We try to drop our own music and music on AIR as much as possible. Our production style totally reflects DJing and vice versa but only a part of it. We DJ more of a variety of sounds than we produce, simply because we don’t have enough time to produce all the music we want. 
Adam: I agree, we try to play our stuff to test it out in the club and see the response, but if it doesn’t make sense in the set for what’s going on with the crowd then we don’t get to it. We are big believers in the art of opening and programming. So it depends. We don’t like to force it. I think our production style is still getting defined as our skills grow so it’s getting there; however I think it has come a long way.
5. You guys have thrown quite a few events in the past, the massive label launch with Nick Warren, Dave Seaman, Derek Howell and Randall Jones comes to mind; and also events with Chloe Harris and Lank as well.  Talk a bit about the importance of doing events like this for developing the label brand and do you have any events in the future we should know about?Ian: As a label we try to cater to two customers: DJs and the average club goer/music enthusiast. These events bring our artists and music to the forefront of the general audience and allow us to push ourselves and artists to that next level from releases alone. Parties and good times is what music on the label is all about and the events we do allow us to show that! We have had many obligations with the label and production front but look to pick our events up later in the summer. They are a lot of work; time that can sometimes be better spent making a track at the moment.
Adam: What he said.

Photography by Guy Heart

6. If you had to pick some of your favourite AlterImage  productions what would they be and why?Ian: Like with many artists we feel our productions get better each time so its typically the latest that is my favourite! But I love our remixes of Daniel Mehes “Ethnoreality”.  That one got some serious plays from Hernan Cattaneo, i think we have 4 videos of him playing from all over the globe! Very excited about the Mowree remix we did that will be out in July.... EVIL!
Adam: Like Ian said, as we evolve, we always love our latest track. It’s hard to pick a favorite, but I love Timechange, Ethnoreality remix, Muddy Waters, Relax Your Soul (not out yet) and The Bee (not out yet).  I like them because they project the feel I love and work well in the club.
7. What do you draw inspiration from when working? on a new track or remix? Are you influenced by the sounds of other producers when you are in the studioIan: I am always influenced by other music I hear. Music has always been about sharing and inspiring. If I ever need inspiration going out and hearing John Digweed or Lee Burridge makes me want to run home to the studio! My love for this music started in a club setting and to this day impress and make me fall in love all over.
Adam: I’m inspired by artists of all genres. I’ll definitely go out or listen to others for inspiration but never want to mimic them. I look to capture a “feeling”. I want people to close their eyes and dance to the music. That’s why I love compilations like Involver 2. Other producers I like currently are Maetrik, Louis Jr, Guy J, Cid Inc, Quivver..etc.  The list goes on. Other artists in different genres I dig are people like Bob Dylan, Tom Petty, Adele, Pearl Jam, Pink Floyd, The Beatles.
8.  When you guys finish an original production is there anything that determines what your plans are for the track in terms of a home for it? Do you write stuff to specifically suite your own label sometimes?Ian: It’s a combo of many factors that determine where our music ends up. It could be doing trades with other artists, what remixers we think would be good and the vibe of the track overall. We do have goals of labels to work with and have been doing more targeted tracks.
Adam:  Agreed.
9. You've had some amazing producers on AlterImage. Cid Inc, Quivver, Derek Howell, Silinder, Nick Stoynoff and Chloe Harris all come to mind. Who would you love to have on the label in the future and why?Ian: Thanks for that! We love all our artists and look to work with many of them again. But we do have a wishlist of artists we hope to reach out too;  Barry Jamieson, D Nox & Beckers, Pig & Dan are all monster artists we have on our short list and the reasons behind wanting to work with them is the same as any artists, we love what they do and their music fits the direction of AIR.

Photography by Guy Heart

10. Your productions and label have been receiving consistent support from a wide assortment of top DJs like Hernan Cattaneo and Anthony Pappa in recent months. What does it mean to you to have such a legendary figure pushing your work?Ian: Support means everything whether it’s from a top 10 DJ to the bedroom superstar. But the guys you mention are the top of the top and get tons of music sent to them all the time. To have them support what you do is defiantly a sort of validation and gives a sense of pride for the hard work.
Adam: It’s always an honor when people we look up to show support. It’s also an honor in general for anyone to support and appreciate what we’re trying to do.  It’s the circle of love.
11. What is the nightlife like in NYC now compared to 10 years ago when clubs like the legendary Twilo were running?Ian: Ahhh, Twilo. Well its much different to say the least from a scene and a personal perspective. Back then it was all so new and fresh on both those fronts. The club was amazing and there will never be anything quite like it again. However,  the club promoted openness, family, music, good times still live on. We just saw John Digweed at D36 here in NYC and despite the change in scenery (and sound system) from 10 years back, we were with many of the same friends and Diggers blew the roof off of the place, so in that sense things are as good as they have always been. Today NYC music events and club nights are driven by promoters NOT the clubs themselves. So this leads to promoters getting gigs, not artists.
Adam: I share the same view. Let’s face it; Ian and I come from the Twilo Era. Twilo was a special time. Opening sets by Jimmy Van M and Sean Cusick with John Digweed and Sasha headlining. I’d stand in line at 1030pm and meet people from Japan, Europe and other places around the world who travelled to NYC just to go to Twilo and see Jimmy Van M with Sasha & Digweed. That’s a serious warm up with serious headlining. Programming in opening sets today is barely existent. The passion in the crowds has changed a bit too. In my mind, the game has changed in that sense and the driving force behind shows has changed, that’s business and it’s all fair. I don’t’ know if the new generation sees the opening set as part of the experience of the night. All in all, there are a lot of great parties still but the dynamics have changed just as all things do sooner or later. You got to learn how to evolve with it.
One thing I love about the music community is that the friends I made 10 years ago from going out, I still see and hang out with them when I go out now.
12. What have been your most memorable nights out? both as clubbers and DJs?Ian: Not to be harping on Digweed but the guys kills it. His last show at D36 and before that at Pacha have been incredible. Twilo nights like GU19 release, Twilo 5 year anniversary, DT vs Carl Cox, any PVD night were all major points in American dance music culture. As DJ, one of most memorable gigs was with Jimmy Van M at Cielo here in NYC. Sasha and Sean Cusick were both in attendance and in the booth so to be there, with those guys and spinning was like a dream. Sasha coming up to me on line in the bathroom saying our set was “fuckin’ wicked” will forever be a highlight. Our AIR launch party at Pacha with Seaman/Warren/Randall Jones/Derek Howell was a very proud moment as well.
Adam: As a DJ, we have had some great nights and opportunities to play alongside some icons we really look up to. We had a great night with Jimmy Van M like Ian mentions above but also our night with Dave Seaman & Nick Warren was a blast. We have also played some nights with the trance crowds along side of Axwell and Markus Schulz, really amazing time. The crowds are jumping up and down at 11pm. As a clubber, some nights I’ll never forget are Danny Howells monthly 10 hour sets at Arc. Always got there from the start to finish and he played amazing music. The other standout is the Twilo fire drill at 4am during the 4 year anniversary. We stood outside for an hour in the cold and everybody started singing together. When we came back in, the lights dropped and Digweed tore it up. Every time I went out, I met 20 new people (Power Bar meet up anyone?)
13. What do you guys like to do for fun outside of the music?  Ian: I am big into sports like soccer and biking and being outside in general. I love good food and have been bit by the travel bug lately having just done a great trip to London and Barcelona. My friends and family are everything to me and I love spending time with them.
Adam: Spending time with my wife LuLu and going out for good food, wine, beer,  hanging at beaches and playing sports (not watching).  

Photography by Guy Heart

14. This is one we generally ask everyone and I know it's a tough question but please list your top 5 all time favourite tracks? Also what are your 5 favourite labels at the moment?Ian: So much good music over the years but Ill say:
1. Joshua Ryan – Pistol Whip (James Holden Remix)
2. Timo Maas – Ubik the Dance
3. John Cream & Stephan K – I Wish you Were Here
4. Litex – The Storm
5. Jayn Hanna – Lost Without You
1. Bedrock
2. Vapour
3. Mirabilis
4. Flow Vinyl
5. microCastle
Adam:
1. Planet Funk – The switch (thanks Danny Howells for rocking this during your 10 hours sets)
2. Shmuel flash – Saturn (not on Beatport for some reason but you can hear on Youtube. What a mental tune, wait until 5:30 mark  the guitar riffs will blow you away )
3. Philip Charles featuring Randall Jones & Sean Cusick – Don’t Com Up to Me (Dirty!)
4. Alex Kid – nightshade (Rodriquez Jr mix)
5. Erphun – Paradise Cursed feat. Slighter & manik (Dubfunk Digitized 3 Edit)

I know you said 5 but that’s just impossible, lol. I had to do at least 6.

1. Bedrock
2. Vapour
3. Stock5
4. Iboga
5. Open Records
6.  microCastle
Lot’s of good labels out there these days, some have been so consistent for so long.  I kept my list at 6 but would throw Get Physical out there because they have made some great strides and really contribute to the community in many ways along with solid tunes. Kudos.
15. If you guys were trapped on an island for the rest of your lives what is the one album you would take with you?Ian: Sasha & Digweed “Communicate”
Adam: I’ll take Involver 2. It’s a tough choice with some much good music out there but that’ one hits the spot with the feel and stands out in my head the most. To be honest I don’t listen to many sets, not as much as I would like. I never owned an iPod either, haha. So much time in the studio, I just take breaks from music when I’m out and about.
16. What can we expect to see for the rest of 2011 from AlterIamge and also AlterImage Recordings? Ian: Artist wise we have music coming up on Stripped, Ready Mix, Whose Haus and AIR we are all very excited about. For AIR we have our releases set through 2011, look for stuff from Lank, Silinder, Jim River, Kriece, Fiord and many more.
Adam:  We have some exciting stuff going on. One big item is the new website we have currently being developed. This should be ready to go live at the end of July and will offer a much better user experience for everyone. We’re very excited about it. Keep your eyes peeled and please share feedback on anything so we can help continue to get you what you’re looking for the way you need it. We are artists doing the DJ/production thing and running a label to share the love. We know what the grind is all about and it’s not easy so we have great respect for all the artists out there and want to offer them something great when they join our team.
17. Finally, what advice would you have to all the aspiring producers and DJs out there?Ian: Have a plan, set goals and targets for yourself. Its easy to get lost in the big picture so set small goals that get you in the right direction. In today’s world talent only goes so far, partnering with the right people, building a brand, staying on top of trends and marketing are all equally, if not more, important in getting yourself noticed.
Adam: Tough question, the music industry is changing so much you really need to stay on top of what that change is and how to navigate it to your advantage. It’s definitely easy to get lost in the shuffle when just focusing on producing or DJing. You shouldn’t just do one or the other; you should be versatile and cover the full spectrum of being an artist or business person.  It will help increase your success rate because you become more valuable. You need diversity.  You can’t predict the future, so short term goals, motivation and having something to offer are key. 

                                                                                                                          Interview by Annette Heart

MELISSA ALABAMA GRAVES - Interview

Photography by Guy Heart

1. When and where did you get your first tattoo, and what was it?
I got my first tattoo in a little town called New Hope Pennsylvania.
A little artsy gay biker town, right by the Delaware Rive, near my home town in New Jersey. It's a 1/4 sleeve on my upper right arm, a 3 headed crow with 6 legs, with the ship from AFI's "Black Sails in the Sunset" sailing away below it into the waves, and Mount Fujian in my armpit (if I grow my armpit hair out, Mt. Fuji erupts haha)

2. Who was the tattoo artist? How did you know about him/her?
His name is Brian Ulrich. I saw Brian's tattoos on a lot of my friends and they were really bright and dramatic. His work is really detailed, intricate and colorful, he is incredibly talented. A total genius and hidden gem in that little town.

3. Is he/she your favourite tatoo artist?
I dont have a favorite honestly. In terms of length of relationship, Brian and I have the longest relationship. I've known / been getting tattooed by him for around 8 years now.

Photography by Guy Heart

4. Are your tattoos personal? do they carry any messages?They all carry more of a story than messages. Everything is a narrative. s
Some of them are more direct some of them are more alagorical. The tatoo on my throat (de profundis clamavi) has multiple layers, relating to a psalm in the bible (130) which is the most profound cry to God for pity/love, to a Baudelaire poem about sadness in winter, to a song lyric with a lot of personal meaning, for one small example.

5. What are your believes spiritual/religious, are they connected to your body art?I consider myself a "pan-theist." I dabble in all forms of spirituality, everyone is welcome... I am most connected to the NYC chapter of Dharhma Punx. Their practice is fundamental Buddhism, the path to freedom and happiness.
There is also this evangelical preacher, a real radical freethinker, his name is Rob Bell, who wrote a book recently called "Love Wins: Heaven, Hell and the Fate of Every Person Who Ever Lived." he basically says god loves everyone, there is no hell, unless of course we chose it in the here and now. I dig his message not only because of that but he is also an artist, a graphic designer, he has a whole video series out called Nooma, pure genius. I saw him speak for his book release, real genuine loving guy. So I mix and match. Whatever speaks to my experience of life.

Photography by Guy Heart

 

Photography by Guy Heart

6. Do you feel it can be addictive, having tattoos?Yes, at least when I start one I want to finish it *now*. But I don't rush into getting one for the sake of getting one. I want to get another tattoo on my right leg, thats in the planning phase. My left leg is tradional asian and my right leg is gonna be Hollywood glam, kind of Marilyn Monroe meets Vaudeville burlesque sexy hollywood sideshow....

7. What are you doing for a living?I am an artist, that is my life long career since I was born. I was born an artist. I am an artist above all, and I am also a part of my art. I show and sell my art, and I work in art store to pay the bills. Secondly I am alternative model, the whole tattooed model circuit. I've been doing work recently with Dan Witz, he is a really famous street artist here in Brooklyn, he is doing a new series "What The F@#K??" and a related series called "Early Sunday Morning". We did 3 shoots and he is doing several prints and painting or two of me for his next show. The prints are popping up on the street now. After the show opens (June 30th, Jonathan Levine Gallery) we are gonna shoot again for Suicide Girls. I am still trying to become a Suicide Girl, I have been putting myself up now for 4 years now. last time i reached nearly a 1000 votes. Still don't know why they didn't pick that set up, but I'm not giving up.

Photography by Guy Heart

9. How long have you creating art for, when did you finish school?Alll my life, since i was 3, I found in my parent's attic my first painting, which was red tempera paint on newsprint. It was our house on fire, one of my brothers wanted to be a fireman...i guess i wanted him to come to put it out....ha ha ha. I drew a line to me and my dog running away from the fire. I got sent to the counselors office of course. Ms. Pickle. Ive always had to explain my art ha ha. I would draw all the time at school, I spent all the time i wasn't in ISS (in school suspension) for smoking in the bathroom in highschool in the art room. It was my sanctuary. I went to portofolio day, where you whore yourself to the art schools in the college application process, and SVA in NYC accepted right on the spot. my work was so controversial... I was written about in the local paper... I was always an outsider artist.

- What was the piece?

I took a wooden cross and covered it in money, I put nails, blood and hand prints on it, and i put a picture of George Bush in the middle on it shaking an saudi arabian prince's hand and there were 2 hands behind him holding money bills in the middle. and there all pictures of Hitler going up and down the sides. It was a mixed media piece. It was for for the end of the year art show. I got banned from the art show and it went to the local courts and I just got away with it by a lupehole. I was a notorious 17 year old in Junior High school, when that happened.

My biggest art show as an adult i was 25 and a solo one at Ripleys Believe It Or Not! Museum in Time Square for 3 months. I was the freakshow artist.

- Are you working towards a new show?I want to get in at the Fountain Art Fair next year. I sent in a request for that.

- Who is your favourite artist?Diane Arbus, Joel Peter-Witkin (he shares my theory about the human abstract), Weegee, Matthew Barney, Alexander McQueen, Liz Houston, Liz McGrath, oh God, Dan Witz, my homie, so many, John John Jesse... I can go on.

Photography by Guy Heart

As i noticed you have mixed different looks together and created a uniquie one for yourself?

I am A LOT in a very small container haha I am a collection of A LOT of VERY diverse, eclectic inspirations, visions and styles. I am a living canvas, which is my overall belief as a tattooed woman. So my fashion, my hair and clothes, it's all yet a further extension of my artistic expression. A lot of what you find influence my art and my tattoos and my internal life is expressed through my fashion. From my horse tooth rosary necklace from Obscura Antiques - I've even made a necklace out of a muskrat skull I bought there years ago that Time Out New York featured in a style spread about me - to my vintage 80s metal T-shirts (Nikki Sixx and Axl Rose were my first loves). I work at a vintage clothing store too so I have a lot of unique things.. I DIY a lot of clothing. My hair stylist - Terra at Mudhoney Salon on Sullivan Street - is also a sculptor, which is why I've stuck with her. She sees hair in the round, like a piece of art. So she's done things with my hair NO ONE else could ever do. She tops off my fabulousness with some amazing hair-do's. I get mistaken for both Lady Gaga and Haley Williams. I take them both as compliments (smile)

What are you into when you are not working /creating your art? Sleeping! Actually I wish I was sleeping ha I like to see my friends when I have free time. My friends are my family. When I'm not working, making art, modeling, collaborating, meeting clients, etc, I like to hit the gallery district to check out new art, go to museums... I'm a TOTAL gym rat. I love the gym. Running is meditation for me. It's one hour of peace, just me and the machine. The whole world falls away beneath my feet. My number one drug is also TV. I'm hooked on bad reality TV like Rock of Love, Celebrity Apprentice, LA Ink, and I love love LOVE House,, Californication, Dexter and True Blood. My friends and I have Dexter parties when the show airs and we cook Red foods and watch it together.

11. do you believe in aliens?Yes, absolutely! I've been to the deep south and the Midwest. They're here earth. And they're fat.

12. where do you see yourself in 10 years time?Hopefully comfortably successful, living in a cozy manhattan Loft, living off my art work, showing, creating, collaborating, traveling, fully tattooed, with a hot boyfriend... Or two :)
13. would you like to use this oppurtunity to carry a message?I'm here. I'm relevant. I'm not sleeping. I'm a threat. Watch out, there's so much more to come.

Photography by Guy Heart

                                                                                                       Interview by Annette Heart