EM:  Occupation and Position.
Photographer

EM:  What neighborhood do you closely identify with?  What makes your community so unique?
I currently live in Williamsburg, Brooklyn, but I think the things that I love about it the most are the parts that remind me of Austin, Texas, and the neighborhood around South Austin specifically where I lived for 3 years after college. I hope to have the chance to live there again someday, but for now it’s nice to be surrounded by people that really inspire me creatively and are doing work I find really interesting — not just in photography, but also in music, writing, fashion, anything really. Austin is a great place, but straight chillin is a top priority on everyone’s to-do list there and I worried if I didn’t get out I just might freeze!!

EM:  What’s the greatest item that you found at your local garage/estate sale?
I found this great old American flag in Austin at a car repair shop turned junk store that has hung over my bed for the past few years. I think it gives me strange dreams which make sleeping a bit more exciting.

EM:  If you could interview one unsung hero, who would it be? Why?
It would probably be Magnum photographer Eli Reed who is currently a faculty member at the University of Texas where I studied for a few years. He was somewhat of a mentor to me while I was there and is a photographer who truly cares about the individuals he photographs on a level much deeper than to simply tell their stories or for his own recognition. He would approach photographing Tupac or Russell Crowe with the same attention and enthusiasm as he would a person he met on the street. He really teaches that work should be inspired out of a compassion for the human struggle and not by ones own ego, something that is lost on many artists and journalists especially those working at his level.

EM:  What’s your favorite youtube video.
It is easily this Dee Brown no-look dunk clip from the 1991 Slam Dunk Contest:

I just watched it 5 times in a row answering this question!  It’s soooo goood!
Nothing like that clip to pick you up when you’re down.

EM:  Where are your favorite local spots to eat?

There is this great dumpling joint in Chinatown called Shanghai Café that I try to get to a few times a month. I’m also a big fan of Caracas, this Venezuelan restaurant in Williamsburg and also in the East Village. I really like Taim in the West Village when I feel like being healthy. This Mediterranean restaurant called Tanoreen in Bay Ridge is also delightful, but a bit of a trek. And….just about anywhere with cheese fries on the menu.  

EM: What songs are at the top of your playlist at this very moment?
There’s a couple people that I saw last week during CMJ on there: Patrick Watson, who is pretty great, The xx and Heavy Trash which is Jon Spencer’s more recent band. A few Pulp greatest hits are on there as well as an Atlas Sound album a friend just sent me. Johnny Cash, Elvis, Dolly Parton, The Byrds, GNR, Les Paul et al. are never too far from the top of any playlist as well. I also listen to a lot of podcasts  — I’ve recently gotten hooked on The Sound of Young America. It’s put out by this guy who is pretty awesome at what he does, Jesse Thorn, a friend of one of my good buddies from Austin. Check it out! He actually owns the url: maximumfun.org

EM:   What is your current bedside read?
I often read my computer in bed — and occasionally fall asleep on it so I guess that’s my bedside read.  Does that count? Some pop non-fiction books, too? Any magazine I can get my hands on – usually ones stolen from work.

EM:  What is your favorite city to visit when you travel abroad? And why?
I like most cities I’ve visited, but I’d prefer not to go to the same place twice if I could go somewhere new instead.  India is where I’d like to go next — I am trying to collaborate with some of my writer friends on a project out there and make one of them go with me.
Of past travels, I went to the Arctic Circle on a grant five years ago which was pretty rad and wouldn’t mind going back there again.  It was light 24 hours a day!

EM:  What new projects you are building on right now?
I just started working on a project about the end of the world — or what I imagine that world to look like if I woke up one morning and everyone was gone.  It’s more conceptual than work I’ve done in the past and I think somewhat inspired by living in two major metropolises in the past year (New York and Hong Kong) where it is hard to see nature amid all the man-made structures and hard to find space where you are truly alone.  I really love walking home by myself late at night because you almost get that post-apocalyptic feeling.  I’ve also always been really obsessed with death and dying — I think in part because when I was growing up, both of my parents were afflicted with serious health problems and I was always afraid I’d lose one of them.  I think this obsession is something that’s made me really drawn to photograph, because I think I believed that if I could document life happening then maybe it wouldn’t slip away so fast and I could have some sort of control over everyone’s mortality.

I’d like to get back to that town in the Arctic as well — Nunavut — if it hasn’t melted away in the next 5-10 years.  If I can get money for it again, I’d love to do more serious work on the effects of global warming up there.  I went there a week after getting my first digital camera in 2005, and needless to say, the digital learning curve is steep, so it’s pretty painful to look back at those images and see what could have been.  I’d like to continue my Disney work at all the parks towards a book  — Tokyo, Paris, Florida, and the new Shanghai resort that’s slated to open in 2014 are all on the list. Space Mountain here I come!

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www.rebeccadavisphotography.com

www.rdphotographs.blogspot.com

EM:  Occupation and Position.
DJ (Rezound) and Band Member (Men & Women)

EM:  What neighborhood do you closely identify with?  What makes your community so unique?
I don’t really closely identify with any one neighborhood in NYC in particular.  I’m originally from an island near Seattle, so I would say I identify with the natural surroundings of the Pacific Northwest on a major vibes level. I think NYC is a pretty rad place for motivated creative people in general though. It demands a certain level of hard work and determination in order to succeed and it weeds out the floaters. It also kind of sucks you in though. I know it’s not a super original sentiment but I’ve been thinking of moving recently and I can’t really think of anywhere I could go and still be able to do all the things I want to do. Oh, except for Boston (HA!)

EM:  What’s the greatest item that you found at your local garage/estate sale?
Dang, I haven’t found may gems the past couple years. I did find a super rad Yamaha electronic drum kit at this house I was living in in Olympia in college that I still use. I’ll go with that…

EM:  If you could interview one unsung hero, who would it be?
My old buddy Brad Johnson who is pretty much the funniest, most genuinely creative person I have ever met in my entire life. In high school he ran a gypsy cab service around our island and was generally just fully off the wall at all times. He just opened a moped repair shop and “amusement park” in Seattle that will also double as a DIY show space if I can ever get him to return my emails.

EM: What’s your favorite youtube video.
Oh man, I watched this you tube video probably 183 times in college, for real.You Tube classic material right here.

EM:  Where are your favorite local spots to eat?
Well, considering that I never cook (I will return to that at a different stage in my life) I should have a pretty good list. Greenpoint: Five Leaves and  Papacitos; Williamsburg: Dumont Burger, Fette Sau, Driggs Pizza, Carmine’s Pizza;  SoHo: Tomoe and Blue Ribbon and Super Taste Noodle in Chinatown. BAM! R.I.P. Mighty Diamond

EM: What songs are at the top of your playlist at this very moment?
Kurt Vile – Freeway
Twin Lion – Creeps In The Sun
Crystal Stilts – Love is a Wave
Intelligence – The Beetles
Ariel Pink’s Haunted Graffiti – Alisa
Abe Vigoda – House
Woods – Gypsy Hands
Nite Jewel – Let’s Go (The Two of us Together)
The Lee Harvey Oswald Band – Lightning Strikes
Mayfair Set – Already Warm
Argy & Martinez Brothers – Debbie Downer
Gary War – Anhedonic Man
And the first Strokes album!

EM:  What is your current bedside read?
Some New Yorkers that I find around our house and I was reading the Best American Essays of 2006 and the last David Sedaris book.

EM:  What is your favorite city to visit when you travel abroad? And why?
Barcelona is an awesome city that I’ve always found super fun to explore, except for that one time I got food poisoning and projectile vomited in my hotel room all night. I haven’t been abroad since 2004 though, I’ve been getting that itch recently.

EM:  What new projects you are building on right now?
Aside from the Summer Of Love 2009, which is about to hit full swing in a couple of weeks here, I just completed a promotional mixtape of new disco, house and some electro that should be around with some wild artowrk from my friend Benny P (http://numberoneblogdog.blogspot.com/) out in Portland. For the upcoming year, I’m currently working on a mixtape of lo-fi and weirder rock stuff with Cousin Cole (myspace.com/cousincole). Cole and I also do a monthly House and Disco party called Working The Knobs, that has been going on for about a year now – we just got a brand new space and it has been jam city the last couple months – looking forward to the summer! I also do my weekly radio show on East Village Radio called War Time. Men and Women are editing and recording material for a split 7″ with the band Twin Lion, and a new EP, as well as scoring a short film that is just entering production. I’m also putting out the Twin Lion full length on my label, War & Moon, which I am super stoked about! TWOO THOUSAAAND NIIIIIINE! PEACE OVER.

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http://www.myspace.com/menandwomen
http://www.myspace.com/rezoundandworkweek

EM:  Occupation and Position (company)
JF AND SON: Designers for JF & SON and Project 1281

EM:  What neighborhood do you closely identify with?  What makes your community so unique?
Noida Sector 6. It’s the Bushwick of Delhi.

EM:  What’s the greatest item that you found at your local garage/estate sale?
Steel claw

EM:  If you could interview one unsung hero, who would it be? Why?
Koos Van Der Acker.  Because he makes pretty clothing.

EM:  What’s your favorite youtube video.
JF and Son: Forget youtube, but vimeo: check it out…

EM:  Where are your favorite local spots to eat?
Dakshin

EM: What songs are at the top of your playlist at this very moment?
Leona Lewis “Bleeding Heart”.

EM:   What is your current bedside read?
KATIE: Wuthering Heights
JESSE: Brideshead Revisited

EM:  What is your favorite city to visit when you travel abroad? And why?
Chandigar, because it’s all done by Le Corbu.

EM:  What new projects you are building on right now?
We’re starting a school.

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To view the entire collection visit: http://www.jfandson.com/

To get first dibs on select pieces from their Fall 2009 Collection visit: http://www.refinery29shops.com/store.php?storeid=395

VAN DER HAM:  The collection consist of ten dresses, and each dress is made from different elements of 1920’s, 50’s, 60’s and 70’s couture references I collected and remade in new fabrications. Originally I just made paper photo collages of this idea but later I toiled them all in 3d, the tricky part was to balance all the different weights of fabrics. I really wanted to come up with some sort of new party-dress that was really over-the-top and interesting to look at but the same time still really wearable and elegant. The styling for the show included custom made brocade shoes and foiled tights I printed myself.

EM:  With such high praise around your Collection, what was the award you received?

I shared, together with Oden Wilson, the L’Oreal Award. L’Oreal sponsors the Central Saint Martins MA show every year and since 2008 on top of that they also give out an award for their favorite collection. We didn’t know who was going to win until right before the start of the show.

EM:  Any particular song that brings you back to life in studio?

‘Feel Up’ by Grace Jones

EM:  What’s your favorite item in your wardrobe right now?

A vintage raglan sleeve t-shirt that I’ve had for ages.

EM:  Where are you currently situated and what do you enjoy most about it?

I really love living in London now, I guess my favorite neighborhood is Little Venice.

View his collection below:

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To view the complete collection, please visit:
http://www.michaelvanderham.com

Ideeen is the creative force of Junko Hirata and Atsuko Yanase.  Recently having shown at GenArts, they already have a number of collections under their belt along with opportunity of gracing the front page of Women’s Wear Daily.  Their design aesthetic is that of a conceptual and modern Dutch influence with Japanese sensibility.  Their sources of inspiration are rooted in art, film, music, sculpture, architecture and everything else in-between.  With an incredibly intelligent and poetic design sense, their Spring 2009 Collection is based on different stages of a dream shown through groups of sheer plaids, ethereal floral and smudged ink prints with silhouettes of beautifully draped jersey dresses and sculptural knitwear.

Part of the idea behind this label is the desire to create clothes that reflect a lifestyle and not about following trends, but little do they know that they are creating trends themselves while paving the way for a resurgence of intelligent and highly desirable clothes.

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Ideeen is currently available at Oak.
Visit their website at http://www.ideeen-newyork.com/

The ever inventive and fast paced British powerhouse Topshop continues to impress and inspire fashionistas around the globe with the arrival of their 2008 Christmas Lookbook.

Projecting from each shot is dark punk inspired glamour. Models are styled with lips painted in shades of black orchids to crushed rose petals with cut off leather gloves against a backdrop of dusky purple and mahogany interiors. With looks divided into groups of Punk Couture to Pagan, the Lookbook’s overall aesthetic is entrenched with influences ranging from Victoriana, 70’s luxe, 80’s glamour, and 20’s Flapper Girl topped with an immortal rock n’ roll attitude.

Each look is incredible with their rich usage of shape and texture through the novelty of patterned sequins, plumes of feathers, playful polka dots, bold mettallics, come-hither point d’espirit and tailored suiting through a moody palette highlighted with wise pops of color. It is rare to have a line at these price points offering a complete head to toe look including my favorites of lacey stockings paired with ruby red Dorothy platforms and a sequined frock. It is no wonder that Topshop has successfully executed these key Gothic and Punk trends that have dominated catwalks in recent seasons, as London has become the new fashion capital of all that is hip and cool with the likes of Agness Deyn, Gareth Pugh, Alexander McQueen and international fashion icon Kate Moss calling it home.

As a girl’s dream come true, these looks have the ability to transform any wardrobe to that of a coveted downtown “it” girl status. What makes this collection wholly saleable and consumer friendly is its ability to be broken down into separates catering to a customer that wants something a little special to pair with more of an “everyday” look, and for the bold, the ultimate “it” statement of the season.

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To shop online at Topshop: CLICK HERE