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AURA
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PHOTOGRAPHY Carole Peyrot
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PHOTOGRAPHY Dave Masotti
PHOTOGRAPHY Jennifer Massaux
CONTENTS
ARTICLES
GET TO KNOW GABRIEL ISAK
THE ALLURE OF THE AURORA BOREALIS
THE 5 SENSE EXPERIENCEÂ
WHAT DOES OUR CLOTHING SAY ABOUT US?
By Olivia Bossert Page 28-33
By Maia Wilson Page 50-51
By Emma Lavelle Page 58-59
THE AURA OF FASHION SHOWS
By Elly Buck Page 102-105
By Aminah Khan Page 76-77
PAULINE
AQUA
LIKE A MERMAID
THE ARCHITECT
CLASSIC DARKNESS
THE LIBRARY
THE ACCENTRIC
SCANDINAVIA
WHERE WOLFS RUN WILD
By Dave Masotti Page 12-19 By Carole Peyrot Page 20-27 By Christopher Fenner Page 34-41 YOU & ME
By Jennifer Massaux Page 42-49
By Hai Ngo Page 52-57 By Lisa Loftus Page 60-67
By Cathrine Wessel Page 68-75 NATURALISTIC WOMEN
By Napat Gunkham Page 78-87 NEW ROMANTIC
By Milos Mlynarik Page 88-93
EDITORIALS
By Guoman Liao Page 94-101 By Atcha Kim Page 106-111
By Johanna Link Page 112-121 ALICE
By Marta McAdams Page 122-127
PHOTOGRAPHY Jennifer Massaux
CONTRIBUTORS
EDITOR IN CHIEF
GRAPHIC DESIGNER
ONLINE EDITOR
Olivia Bossert
Jessica Bailey
Jasmin Rauha
Italy / France / Sweden / Norway / Thailand / Australia / Canada / Germany / UK
CONTRIBUTORS
Dave Masotti Carole Peyrot Gabriel Isak Christopher Fenner Jennifer Massaux Maia Wilson
Hai Ngo Emma Lavelle Lisa Loftus Cathrine Wessel Napat Gunkham Milos Mlynarik Guoman Liao
Aminah Khan` Atcha Kim Johanna Link Marta McAdams Scott Mason Elly Buck
EDITORS LETTER
D
ear Readers,
We’ve been creating magazines with Atlas for 4 and a half years. When we say it out loud, that feels like an immense amount of time, but it really doesn’t feel like it. We’ve learnt so much, we’ve grown so much, we’ve changed so much, and we’ve met so many of you. But most of all we’ve had so much fun! As Atlas has grown, we’ve all grown with it, and along the way we’ve made changes wherever we felt they were necessary. And now, we have come to another turning point. A year ago, we relaunched Atlas’ website and began to release daily content. The website took us months to get right, and we’re still incredibly proud of it. We loved it, and it turned out that all of you did too. Our website gets so much love from you, and we couldn’t be more thankful. As we’re always aiming to grow, we’re always having to reevaluate what’s best for Atlas, and this time, the answer has been clear to us: our website. So in light of that, this will be the last digital magazine produced for Atlas. We’re not going anywhere, we’re just changing. We’re moving with the times, and embracing the changes that digital technology has brought to the world. We’re excited, and we hope that you will be too! This definitely isn’t the end. It’s absolutely, 100% only the beginning. Love, Olivia
PHOTOGRAPHY Christopher Fenner
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ARTICLE
GET TO KNOW GABRIEL ISAK FROM Sweden
Gabriel Isak is a Swedish photographer, who’s work we’re sure you’ll have floating around on the internet. Blending the surreal with reality, we definitely felt that his work had a particular Aura about it, and wanted to get to know the man behind the images just a little bit better. So here’s your chance to get to know Gabriel Isak.
For our readers who may have never come across your work before, tell us about yourself! My name is Gabriel Isak and grew up in Sweden. For the past few years I’ve been living in San Francisco where I’m currently pursuing my career as a photographer.
PHOTO Two Moons
Have you always been a creative person? I’ve always been drawn to living a creative life, but haven’t always been a creative person. Now, I’m continuously producing work.
INTERVIEW Olivia Bossert
When did photography first become of interest to you?
...a place and a story that was lead by me, not one that I was lead by.
I began exploring photography about 8 years ago; around the same time as depression became a part of my life for the first time in my life. Photography allowed me to escape to a different world, the one which I was creating, a place and a story that was lead by me, not one that I was lead by. However, after a few months of taking images and learning the fundamentals of photography, I reached a point where I fell into the arms of melancholy and quit taking images. It wasn’t until I had battled melancholia and come out on the other side that I could continue doing what I was deeply passionate about – photography. What kind of photography do you love the most?
PHOTO Illumination in the Dark
At the moment I’m drawn to fine art and fashion photography. To me it is important that photography, or any art tells a story, creates a mood, and engage the viewer to interact with the artwork, which is my own personal goal with the photography I create.
How would you describe your work? Photography that is simple in form, but rich in ideas and emotions. Melancholic, surreal, graphic and minimal are other key words I would use you describe my own work. We definitely think that your work has a certain aura about it! What does the word Aura mean to you? How does it inspire you? An atmosphere that makes the individual feel a certain way. To me, I try to create an aura in most of the work I produce. For instance, a melancholic and surreal atmosphere that engages the viewer to feel a certain mood that is personal to myself. What is your biggest inspiration as a creative? I find a lot of inspiration from my day to day life ; the serene Scandinavian landscapes of my youth, dreams I have, as well as the psychological world, cinema and paintings. Who is your favourite photographer? I’ve never had one particular favourite photographer, but try to be influenced by new artists continuously in order to push my work to a new level. However, Magritte has been a big influence in all of my work, and right now I am very drawn to the photographer Julia Hetta. How do you continue to improve your work as a photographer? What do you do to educate yourself? I’m currently completing my BFA in Photography in San Francisco and will graduate this December 2016. School has definitely helped me to evolve as a photographer and pushed me to create a signature style as well as exploring fashion and motion photography. Besides this I do a yearly overview of my work, so that I know which direction I should go next. What do you shoot with? I use a Canon 5DIII, a 50mm 1.4 lens, a tripod and a self-timer.
ARTICLE Gabriel Isak
PHOTO Havet
...tells a story, creates a mood, and engage the viewer to interact with the artwork...
PHOTO Let Go
...an image that stands for letting go of the past, in order to move forward.
ARTICLE Gabriel Isak
Does your photography involve a lot of post processing? It depends on the content. Some of them involves putting different pieces together, where I create a composite. Other images are more focused on colouring selected parts of the image in order to achieve a certain mood. How does social media and the internet impact your career? What is your favourite form of social media? I would say it has been a big impact on my career, so far. I started sharing my work on social media about two years ago, which have given me numerous projects that I’ve gotten the opportunity to work on, exhibition opportunities as well as a chance to share my work with my audience and have them interact with it. My favourite form of social media is Instagram. Where do you see your career going and where do you hope to be in 10 years time? I have no clue. I never knew where I would be today, a year, or two years ago. I’ve learnt that you can’t plan out life. However I do want to continue to work on collaborative projects, exhibit my work around the world, and continuously push my work into new directions in order to grow as an artist.
What is your favourite photograph that you’ve taken to date? Probably the image “Let Go”, since it was created right when I started to share my work online and is an image that stands for letting go of the past, in order to move forward. It’s also an image that got me interested into exploring minimalism and graphics in my work. Where can our readers keep up to date with you and your work? www.gabrielisak.com www.facebook.com/gabrielisakphotography www.Instagram.com/gabriel_isak/ www.behance.net/gabrielisak
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WRITTEN Maia Wilson
ARTICLE
THE 5 SENSE EXPERIENCE
There are certain stores that we, as customer have a specific association with; for Anthropologie, it’s their memorable window displays, for Lush and Hollister it’s the strong pleasant smell, and for Express it’s their loud club music. Because of the major establishment of online commerce, it seems as though brick-and-mortar stores are trying to keep their stay by utilizing their recognized senses advantage over online stores.
An important aspect of this so-called experience is that stores are comprised of their own character, or brand image, as marketers like to say. Stores and brands alike want the consumer to remember them not just for their clothes, but also for the positive atmosphere starting from when they first arrive in the store to leaving. And they hope that after, the consumer will be share experience through word of mouth and social media to reach even
PHOTOGRAPHY Carole Peyrot
more consumers. This theory interested me so much that I decided to take a closer look at how companies are intentionally manipulating the customer’s in-store experience to sell more, by perusing through different stores and observing their particular tactics. I first started with smell because it can be the first interaction with a store before a customer even enters. The aroma of a store subconsciously tells the customer what type and style the clothes or products are sold in. When a person first encounters Anthropologie they are greeted with an sweet airy home-scented candle smell, which lets the person know there are home goods, cooking accessories, and other gifting goods. It’s that simple first scent that lends a happy memory to the store, which makes the customer want to come back and explore that aroma once again. Then there’s the noise! Whether it’s the top 20 hits or a playlist of unfamiliar indie songs, the music selection store says a lot about what type of customer a store is targeting. For Express, it’s that twenty to thirty year old who wants to be able to dance and have fun while they shop for the best party outfit. Whereas when shopping at Banana Republic their selection of music is softer and not as recognizable, so that customers hear the music, but are more focused on the clothes and connecting with the employees. Music can be a personal touchpoint for a customer, which is way sound engineers put a lot of thought into their store’s music playlist. Now taste is a tricky one for most stores unless they are selling food there is not really a taste element, but the ones that are utilizing all of the five senses include taste in their experience. Store the comes to mind are the luxury retailers, like Louis Vuitton, Chanel, Neiman Marcus, etc. I remember one episode from Sex and the City when Carrie Bradshaw is shopping with her new
boyfriend Jack Berger and they go to Prada. The employee offers them water, tea, coffee, and champagne, which makes Berger actually excited to shop. This is the reaction retailers want their customers to have, especially those that tag along with the primary customer and aren’t too fond of their lengthy shopping excursion. For the touch aspect, besides just feeling the merchandise, a multitude of stores have integrated technology into their store atmosphere. Incorporating mobile into the store experience has allowed for customers to see how products are styled and worn on different models. Some companies are using virtual mannequins, which is essentially a hanger hooked to a video system, in which customers can pick out clothes they like hanging from a rack and then see images of the product worn on the screen above. Burberry also uses radio frequency identification technology that plays videos of the season’s runway show when a customer takes a product into the fitting room. Sight is the most obvious one of them all, but there is a lot of work done behind the scenes to make the store seem as though the customer has escaped to a place to only shop. Neiman Marcus and Bergdorf Goodman have an extraordinary Winter window display that takes months to construct to make people walking down the street stop and peek in the store. There is thought on the theme, the message, which clothing items to use and how they will ultimately be displayed in the wondo in an interesting way. It is amazing how companies analyze every part of a consumer’s behavior to learn how to better sell to their target customers. Through the five senses, stores stay relevant in this world of digital everything and take advantage of their in-person quality experience. Because without the aid of touch, smell, taste, sight, and sound in stores, why would we even go shopping?
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ARTICLE
WRITTEN Emma Lavelle
THE ALLURE OF THE AURORA BOREALIS
FROM UK
PHOTOGRAPHY Claudia Regina - flickr.com/claudiaregina_cc
The allure of the Northern Lights ascends time and culture. All across the far northern hemisphere, people head out into the wilderness to gaze up at the skies and wait in anticipation for the elusive green lights to begin their ethereal dance overhead. From September to March, when the nights in the north are long and dark, the Aurora Borealis ebbs and flows, unpredictable and wild. What is it about this phenomenon that compels us to travel so far in hope that we may catch a glimpse if it decides to show itself?
There are plenty of places online where you can discover more about the science behind the Northern Lights and how charged particles react with the Earth’s magnetic field. If anything, the reasoning behind the spectacle dampens it slightly, pulling away from the mythical and otherworldly and shrugging the lights off as a natural occurrence. When you see the Aurora for the first time however, it’s easy to forget its origin and to get swept away in the unearthliness of the lights. Whether you’re tucked up in bed beneath a glass ceiling in a luxury igloo, floating in a natural hot spring or simply sat in a field, huddled under a pile of blankets, when the lights make their appearance in the night sky, nothing else matters. Conversations grind to a halt, your companions are momentarily forgotten, and even your camera is an afterthought, as you gaze at the spectacle before remembering and attempting to capture it. In the past, before we knew the origin of the Aurora, ancient civilisations devised their own stories about the lights. All across the globe there are myths and folk tales that reference the mystical lights, even from countries that they very, very rarely are spotted in such as China, Italy and France. Some of these tales tell of the lights seen as a good omen, others saw them as a warning of disease or war. Most civilisations fabricated far-flung tales that merged with their mythology to best describe what they saw in the skies. The Estonians thought the Aurora to be gigantic horse-drawn carriages, filled with otherworldly guests on their way to a celestial wedding. The Finnish interpretation of the lights was that they were caused by a fox who ran across the snow so fast that his tail caused sparks to fly into the sky. North American tribes saw the lights as the spirits of deceased friends, as giant fires where warriors boiled their enemies alive, or as spirit guides holding torches to allow souls to pass over to the next world. The Japanese thought that any baby conceived beneath the Northern Lights would be blessed with good lucks and good fortune. In Sweden, the Aurora was seen as a good omen, particularly for fishermen with some folk considering the lights to be the reflection of large shoals of herring. Norse mythology saw the Aurora as a glowing arch leading fallen warriors to Valhalla. Meanwhile, Icelandic mothers-to-be prayed that their child would be born beneath the lights, as they were said to relieve the pain of childbirth. In the modern world, the Northern Lights are no longer a mystery, yet they remain mysterious. When we can access so many things on demand from the comfort of our own homes, the appeal of an elusive natural phenomenon that can only be seen from the most remote areas of the north is obvious. The Aurora is unpredictable; even if you travel to the Arctic Circle in the height of winter, it may not make an appearance. The lights are an occurrence of nature that we cannot control and can only attempt to predict. In a world filled with technology and knowledge, it is reassuring to glimpse something so natural, raw and wild.
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WHAT DOES OUR CLOTHING SAY ABOUT US?
FROM UK
What does clothing say about us? Does our choice of clothing actually have any significance? You might not think it does, tumbling out of bed in the morning and rummaging through your wardrobe. But when someone compliments you on your clothing choice it makes you feel good and adds a bit of a stride to your step. We’ve all experienced how looking good on the outside can make us feel good on the inside. However the satisfaction received from a well curated outfit doesn’t purely derive from external sources; we often associate particular emotions with certain items. The meaning behind our clothing choices hasn’t always been definitive, but through years of fashion evolution patterns have been noted. Earlier civilisations used clothing to keep warm, now the practical aspect has disappeared only to be replaced with a social aspect. A person’s dress sense can embody specific traits, such as wealth. The Hemline Index refers to the economy of a country; if a country enters a recession people adopt more stringent spending habits, so women tend to wear longer dresses, whereas in a time of prosperity hemlines get shorter. When you’re walking down the street, the people you pass make instant judgements. They may judge your profession, spending habits and emotions by the clothes you are wearing. Dr Jennifer Baumgartner, a clinical psychologist and author of You Are What You Wear: What Your Clothes Reveal About You said: “Shopping and spending behaviours often come from internal motivations such as emotions, experiences and culture. I look at the deeper meaning of choices, just like I would in therapy.” Business Insider reviewed various studies that explore first impressions, a few of which discussed the concept that the cut and quality of clothes can communicate and project a level of status. For example, those wearing luxury branded items were regarded as having a higher status as opposed to those wearing conventional brands. As blunt as that may sound, the concept actually explores how we look at ourselves as opposed to how other people look at us. If you had a designer handbag, chances are you will probably feel pretty good about yourself. A study, in the journal of Social Psychological & Personality Science, stated that those who wear formal clothing are increasingly likely to think abstractly. It can also make you feel more powerful, hence the coined term ‘the power suit.’
Northwestern University carried out research in which participants were given lab coats; some were told it was a doctor’s coat and others were told it was a painter’s smock. The results highlighted that that those who believed that they were wearing a doctor’s coat, performed the assigned task with more attentiveness. But not everyone seems to agree, Harvard psychologists suggest that sometimes wearing a t-shirt and jeans is appropriate and can even communicate wealth and celebrity in some situations. However it’s not just the items but the colour, we all naturally gravitate to a specific palette, whether that be deep tones or bright shades. Colour consultant and author of The Colour of Success, Mary Ellen Lapp, notes that different colours project different meanings. The colour you select can reflect what you’re feeling on any given day. Take the colour blue, for example, it connotes peace and Lapp said: “Blue induces tranquility and relaxation,” and is conducive to a heightened creative mood. The effects are subtle but are very much in play, yet not many people take advantage of this colour psychology when it can prove to be an asset. We all have a psychological reaction to different colours, therefore they can be used to create a desired persona or image. For example, if you want to appear friendly then you should opt for warm earth tones, as they exude a non-threatening and approachable aura. On the other hand if you want to look authoritative, dark colours are the way to go because they create an aura of seniority and status. Fashion is an evolving concept that changes as the views of society change. What we perceive to be an important issue is sometimes communicated through our clothing choice. If you assign a level of importance to wealth, this will be conveyed through the way you dress yourself. However you may this whole concept lacks significance when it comes to your dress sense, but if you were to record your clothing choices for a week you will see a patterns emerge.
PHOTOGRAPHY Jennifer Massaux
Naturalistic Women
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THE AURA OF FASHION SHOWS
The fashion weeks are the most important dates on the calendar in the fashion world. They’re anticipated for months in advance. But the shows are so much more than simply a way of displaying the latest collection from a designer. They can be an autonomous space in which a brand can create a new world, detached from reality and shaped into anything that the designer desires. They are an intimate place which can be a momentary escape from reality or force you to examine it more closely. Some designers use the opportunity to make a statement or to be a powerful, emotional or psychological study. No longer do models simply walk up and down on a catwalk, they are involved in a performance, and the audience is also invited to be engaged in the theatrics. The intention is to create an aura around the brand, to feel overwhelmed or leave with a thought provoking message. Here we take a look at some of the most unprecedented and iconic shows to date and delve into their deeper messages. Karl Lagerfeld’s ‘Supermarket’ show from 2014 is exemplary of this attempt to turn a space into somewhere new. He recreated a shop exactly, from the aisles to the stacked shelves and discount offers. Models walked around this alternate reality collecting their Chanel branded shopping, including leather clothing vacuum packed like meat. He created the ideal supermarket, upgrading a usually boring and normal experience into something special and extra-ordinary. For his ‘Airport’ show this year, Lagerfeld developed the idea even further. He wanted to make the ‘perfect airport’ (interview on Vogue.com), a utopian version of what an airport experience should be like in a dream world; glamorous and without any queues. The airport is usually somewhere where practical and comfortable clothing takes precedent. Usually the glamour begins on the other side when you arrive at your holiday destination where you unpack your suitcase full of Chanel clothes (in an ideal world!) But here the ordinariness of an airport collides with the glamorous world of fashion in a way they haven’t ever before. This clever juxtaposition runs through the whole collection. The ordinary airplane motif is shaped into a repeat pattern in
ILLUSTRATION Mcqueen Asylum - Scott Mason
blue, red and white; a nod to France, and a very contemporary ensemble. Traditional tweed is re-worked into brighter colours and the classic Chanel suit into reflective fabrics. Everything culminates in this feeling of luxury experience and exclusivity which is at the heart of the brand. The idea that Chanel gives you a better, more luxurious version, and an intimate first class experience when you purchase something in their stores. The same year as Lagerfeld’s ‘Supermarket’ show, Iris Van Herpen showed her ‘Biopiracy’ performance at Paris Fashion Week. This time, it wasn’t clothing that was vacuum packed, it was models. The models were suspended in giant plastic vacuum packs with an air pipe attached. She used this deeply unsettling idea to create strangely beautiful visuals, with a fascinating comment on the idea of ownership. ‘Biopiracy’ is defined as: The practice of commercially exploiting naturally occurring biochemical or genetic material, especially by obtaining patents that restrict its future use, while failing to pay fair compensation to the community from which it originates (oxforddictionaries.com). The idea of ownership is powerfully at play here, with the models owning their bodies and yet re-packaged in artificial materials, referencing the idea of commercialisation and commodification of humans. Do we own ourselves a little bit less the more we package ourselves in brands?! The very idea of putting humans on display in this way could be a critique in itself of the nature of fashion shows. The idea of observing something alive in this voyeuristic but helpless way, much like visiting animals in a zoo, puts the audience in an uncomfortable position. They were forced to watch the models seemingly suffer as the air was sucked out of the packet before their very eyes. Dazed Digital called it ‘at once ethereal and disturbing’; this is a very apt description as the whole show is full of unnerving juxtapositions. The contrast of the sterile plastic with the organic shapes and textures of the fabrics which look almost reptilian draws your attention to the life inside and makes the show feel very visceral. The plastic is unnatural and yet it produced beautiful shapes and colours as the lights reflected onto it.
ARTICLE Fashion Shows
Alexander McQueen reigns champion of making an audience feel uncomfortable during a show. ‘Asylum’ in 2001 could be described better as a psychological fashion performance piece than a catwalk show. It demonstrated exactly how fashion can be used as a powerful means of expression. It was located in a mirrored cube inside an actual mental asylum. Whilst waiting for the show to begin, the box was mirrored outwardly so that the audience were forced to look at their own reflections and question the idea of spectatorship. When the show started the mirror turned see-through to reveal the models inside, who then couldn’t see out during their performance. Models are not trained actors but are often required to perform under loose direction. In this case why were given very ‘vague guidance’, Erin O’Connor recalls, and the freedom to interpret their performance however they thought best. This spontaneous, uninhibited performance created an emotionally charged and moving show, culminating in O’Connor ripping off her dress entirely made of razor clam shells. Nick Knight has called it ‘the best piece of contemporary fashion theatre’ he has ever witnessed, and this moment in particular ‘one of the single most important moments in fashion’ (ShowStudio.com Knight’s interview with O’Connor). Fendi’s 90th Anniversary show this year could not be further away from this style of drama. Located at Rome’s Trevi Fountain which Fendi had restored, it was called ‘Legends and Fairytales’ and was a true lesson in opulence and glamour. It was a patriotic nod to the historical and geographical roots of the brand. The models walked on a glass runway surrounded by water with the fountain as the backdrop. This stunning scenery was perfect for the couture gowns on display; ethereal and elegant, a truly magical show. The fragility of the glass referenced Cinderella and also the delicate fabrics and craftsmanship in all the tiny details. It was an atmospheric display of dresses which gave a sense of unattainability to a wardrobe that only exists in dreams! Finally, how could the Victoria’s Secrets shows not be mentioned?! Year on year they seem to become more and more extravagant. There is so much hype about which models will walk and in particular who will wear the coveted fantasy bra! The models are required to perform in a big way and live music performances are integrated into the show giving them a real party atmosphere. It is always very of the moment, inviting the models and musicians who are popular and at the top of their game at the time. These are probably some of the most theatrical and highly embellished shows!
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