JAANA-KRISTIINA ALAKOSKI
Artist

Having moved from Sweden to London two years ago, Jaana-Kristiina Alakoski, now 24, has been unleashing her talent at Central Saint Martins, where she is studying for a BA in fine arts. She uses a rare kind of imagination and modern digital techniques to find a way to distort reality as we know it, offering new perspectives of the world to be found within and around us.

What are you drawn to and what do you seek to explore through your art?

“I’ve mainly been trying to understand and contextualise Instagram art. This is my way of investigating identity and socialisation processes – by placing and portraying myself in the midst of such things. It also means I can investigate social-media usage and stuff like that. Both in video and performance in the context of Instagram, but also more and more outside of Instagram.”

Have you got a dream project you are currently fantasising about?

“I want to write a book, do a really thorough study about social-media usage linked to class, gender and race issues. Intersectional analysis, basically.”

Where will we find you this summer? When you’re in your creative zone, what is your state of mind?

“I pretty much hang out in east London, but I’m currently collecting places with lawns all over the city, so I can just go and hang out spontaneously, wherever I happen to be. They might be small ones, big parks or medium ones. As for my state of mind – tunnel vision.”

Your art often features nudity, body and skin. How and why is it important to you?

“It started with an interest in feminism and the realisation of how much oppression against women is expressed through something sexual. This includes sexual actions against women, the sexual limitation of women and sexualisation of bodies that look like they are women. Nudity can be an easy way of communicating that you want to talk about sexuality. It is definitely a signifier of sex. But I have also gone in another direction, where nudity is just body. I think it’s dangerous to think that a naked body is always linked to a sexual situation. Nowadays, most of my art doesn’t feature nudity and whenever I investigate body issues, it’s in relation to either digitality, consciousness or the body’s relationship with a person’s internal processes.”

LAO RA
Musician

As you tune in to Lao Ra’s music, you feel a certain kind of texture. The 24-year-old has a way of layering things up, she creates her own mix of things, and it comes all the way from her Colombian roots to whatever moves her heart at this very moment. We are already falling hard for her sense of outspokenness and rebelliousness.

You were raised in Colombia’s capital, Bogota, a Catholic city, during the war on drugs. One can feel its influence on your transatlantic music, as it radiates a sense of inner freedom. How did music find its way into your life?

“Bogota wasn’t the safest city, so we used to spend a lot of time indoors and I would spend hours watching MTV. It was so different from our culture, but at the same time it was easy to understand and relate. Just like a Disney movie, it was a fantasy world that I wanted to be part of. Music has the biggest role in my life – it’s my mission.”

You once said, “We all are wild at heart and we can’t help our behaviour because we were made this way.” What did you mean by this?

“For me, being wild means being free and fearless. It is then that creativity can flourish. You can only access that place of deep creativity if you’re not restrained by expectations, fears or rules, etc. I think the idea of being wild means I am free to create, free to say, free to express.”

What have been the highlights of your time in London?

“My highlights so far have been playing KOKO [in Camden, north London] – supporting Rejjie Snow – and XOYO [in east London] – supporting MØ. And now that I have a record deal, what excites me is that I’m making a life out of music and that is just an absolute dream.”

How does the city inspire you? What is your personal “style mantra”?

“This city is such melting pot of styles, cultures, colours, foods, everything. It inspires me to mix things up. It has taught me that things don’t need to match to work together. My personal style mantra would be less is more, but more is also more.”

Future visions – what are you looking forward to? Any new ideas you are longing to explore?

“I’m looking forward to writing my new song, whatever that might be. I haven’t even started yet, but it excites me to know that I’m going to create something from scratch.”

FELICIA SWARTLING
Jewellery designer

Thanks to her startling talent and an avant-garde aesthetic, Felicia Swartling, 26, has carved out a strong niche for her jewellery line, FESWA. The trajectory her life has been following has taken her from Central Saint Martins, London, to holding showrooms at Paris Fashion Week for SS16 and AW16 and, this year, being one of the eight designers selected by Swedish Fashion Talents for AW16. For her latest collection she used the renowned model and artist Ingmari Lamy as one of her muses, capturing the look and feel in a way that only mystical creatures can. Feel the vortex into the world of FESWA open, where all ruling forces are truly visceral.

When an artist starts exploring their craft properly for the first time, it can often all click into place at once. How did it begin for you?

“It sounds a bit like a love story, but I suppose that’s what it was, still is and always will be. About seven years ago I picked up a torch for the first time and started to melt and play around with some scrap silver and simply fell in love.
It’s hard to describe, but I remember feeling like I had finally found my material. I was studying a foundation course out in the countryside of Sweden, we were introduced to a lot of different art expressions, such as sculpture, woodwork, painting, textile and ceramics, but when I started working in the metal workshop I was hooked.”

“Since then, my obsession, love and hunger for jewellery have grown beyond anything I’ve ever felt before, to the point where jewellery has become more than something you just wear. It has become a part of me, a language through which I can express myself.”

How would you describe the feel of your design process? How do you tap into your creative flow?

“Apart from seeing the finished object in front of you, I find the research stage one of the most rewarding stages. To find new designers, artists or spheres to draw inspiration from is just so satisfying, you know, when you see something and get that tingly feeling in your stomach. Haha, I sound like I’m crazy, but this is how I feel sometimes, when I find something that sort of depicts it all. So I get addicted.”

“Sketches and paint-ups have never really been my thing. I always start testing out new designs or ideas using either wax or air-drying clay, or directly in silver, to get a full visualisation of how the piece will sit and function on the body. Yet, equally as important is how the three-dimensional views relate with and juxtapose each other to emphasise and enhance each piece’s dual quality. Also, using a plinth gives my jewellery a feature to inhabit a space where the pieces can be admired purely as sculpture.”

What is it about London that enchants you? You are originally from Sweden – is there anything special you miss?

“When it comes to London, it’s the energy, pulse and mentality. There are no restrictions to what you can or can’t do and there’s no pressure to try to fit in, which is vital – feeling suppressed by the limitations of rules and how things are supposed to be perceived is a trap and I’m not going for it. But there is hope for Sweden – Ulrika Nilsson, who is behind the store and agency JUS. She has an eye for the importance of individuality and uniqueness, which is reflected through the brands she represents and the store itself. To have received support and belief from her means more than words.”

Tell us about your latest creations and what they symbolise to you?

“It’s about generating alluring and eternal objects, in which timeless and conventional elements are combined with futurism to emphasise, provoke and deconstruct classic jewellery for an ageless clientele. I want to open up, question and provoke conventional preconceptions about what jewellery stands for, to show that jewellery can be and is so much more than just body adornment.”

“There’s a need for a Rei Kawakubo in the world of jewellery. Everything is too safe – it’s either pavé settings, hearts, skulls or butterflies. It’s so regimented. What I see is a space that is lacking something more ground-breaking, thought- provoking and avant-gardist and I’m determined to fill it with a jewellery aesthetic that makes you feel something beyond the mainstream.”

NASSIA MATSA
Sales executive/writer/publisher/drummer

This is the kind of person you want to hang out with anytime, any day and anywhere. Nassia Matsa, 26, has got a certain kind of energy and enthusiasm, which, combined with a clever mind and talent, transforms into charisma. She shows us how to get things done and how the pursuit of happiness – exploring our passions – is nurturing in countless ways.

You are truly an all-star. You work in the commercial department of the science, culture and business title Wired, you have your own publishing company, called THIS_IS_HARDCORE, you are a freelance writer and you’re a drummer in the punk band Ex-Presidents. What is the unifying passion behind it all?

“I’m just naturally really curious, so I satisfy the thirst to educate myself by being involved in different undertakings. I’m a lover of magazines, independent publishing, music and my friends, so what I do is a modus operandi to synthesise all my ‘lovers’ into my daily routine.”

In 2012 you came up with the idea of FAQ FOOD. What was it born out of?

“It started as my final project when I was completing my master’s at London College of Fashion. I enjoy cooking and I don’t really take it seriously. I feel that other magazine titles glorify food, but at the same time they are creating the image that cooking + good food is only for the middle classes, whereas for me, cooking is a life skill. If you know how to cook, you’ll never starve and you’ll always be healthy. I took this and I released my aesthetics on a publication. Raw, not beautified. Funny and sexualised, because food is lust. A salute to the aesthetics of the mid-noughties’ post-hardcore bands’ merchandise, if you like.”

You currently live in Hackney, east London, and FAQ FOOD focuses a lot on the area. What makes it special? Any under-the-radar places we should be keeping an eye on?

“I really love east London, but unfortunately bankers love it as well. It combines interesting people, rough places, raw aesthetics and it feels like something new can always be found here. However, gentrification is too violent – it’s happening too quickly in east London. Independent fashion labels had to leave a building around the corner of where I live, as the rent was increased by 400%. I don’t know how, but some places have survived – such as the mighty Dolphin [pub], where intoxicated dreams go to die every Saturday until 5am.”

You once said, “Think it, don’t dream it. It’s much more effective.” What’s your advice for young creatives?

“Don’t listen to anyone’s advice – do what you want to do.”

Credits:

Interviews by Anna Åhrén
Photography by Jesse Laitinen
Styling by Maria Barsoum

Jaana-Kristiina wears, from top, Top by Giorgi Rostiashvili, trousers by BACK; Jacket by Cheap Monday, trousers by BACK, shoes by Dr Martens

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Lao Ra wears, from top, Sweatshirt by Stella McCartney, top by Acne Studios, earrings by Stylist Studio; Sweatshirt and trousers by Stella McCartney, top by Acne Studios, shoes by Reebok; Top by Stella McCartney, accessories by Stylist Studio

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Felicia wears, from top, Top by Craig Green, T-shirt by Acne Studios, shorts by Rick Owens, rings by FESWA; hoodie Felicia’s own, rings by FESWA; hoodie Felicia’s own, dress by Rick Owens, rings by FESWA

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Nassia wears, from top, Jacket Nassia’s own, top by Wood Wood, shirt by BACK; Top by Fila, trousers by Giorgi Rostiashvili, boots by Acne Studios

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Some say beer has gone bananas; sometimes it’s flavoured that way, too. New, mysterious brews, with tropical fruits, gold*, or whatever the brewer has at his disposal, are being presented every day. Still, the kids love it, and people who just enjoy drinking have a splendid reason to do so, while seriously tasting and tweeting about every new brew that appears on the market. Thank God we have the Germans and their Reinheitsgebot, a law limiting the ingredients, to the joy of the conservatives. There, beer is made from old recipes and further refined, thanks to the wonders of the industrialisation of the late 19th century: cooling devices that allow exact temperature and, most importantly, control of the yeast. Almost every central European master brewer will tell you, “Anyone can make a spaced-out IPA in their own bathtub, but let them try making a perfectly balanced pils – over and over again!”

Belgium is, of course, another major beer-producing country. It is also home of Lambic beer: brews that have been fermented spontaneously by being exposed to wild yeasts and bacteria, often in (according to legend and branding) monasteries and remote caves. In Belgium, beer is truly part of the culture, even though the old fields where hops and barley used to grow majestically are long gone. So maybe it’s no coincidence that it’s here that “beer cuisine” – the tradition of preparing food with beer, and needless to say, drinking beer while eating it – is becoming a thing.

For as long as there has been an international gastronomy worth the name, wine has been the main alcoholic liquid in the kitchen for all basic dishes, stocks and sauces. Any chef knows that it is the fat in the butter and alcohol that really bring out the flavours. If the prophet of classic gastronomy, the legendary Auguste Escoffier, had come from a beer-drinking country instead of France, maybe the whole world would have long been using it in cooking, too.

It is, however, a mistake to think that one type of beer will be like white wine and the other like a claret. Beer has its own requirements. You should, for instance, not use the same proportions. When you start to cook it, you get a lot of bitterness, so when it comes to cooking with beer, take it easy. This new field of top-class gastronomy is yet to be fully explored. New restaurants are being opened and cookbooks are being written as you read. In Belgium the godfather of beer cuisine, Stefaan Couttenye, has been working with beer in the kitchen for more than 30 years, and many around the world are following in his footsteps.

In the beer-making countries of Europe, beer that had lost its freshness used to be the natural choice to put in a stew or soup. In Ireland there are countless recipes and in Sweden there’s a classic dish for which beer is vital: sjömansbiff, or “sailors stew”, which was traditionally made with beer, since fresh water was not to be wasted in cooking on board a ship. If prepared correctly, it’s a true delight. According to connoisseurs, dark beer should be used.

So basically, there’s absolutely nothing revolutionary about using beer in cooking. What is new about “beer cuisine” is that it has turned up in haute cuisine.

So much for cooking, but what about combinations where beer is the obvious choice? Well, every gourmet knows that porter, or stout, is the thing with oysters. Porter is also a classic for any kind of chocolate dessert. In Sweden a cold lager is the natural pairing with herring – wine is absolutely forbidden! Moules are mostly enjoyed with ale in Belgium, where moules frites is a national treasure. White asparagus spears and beer is the orthodox choice in countries where asparagus is treasured – the type of beer depends on the way you serve them. Spicy Asian food is another obvious combo, not to mention barbecue or any piece of Bavarian pork. Or to make it easier: do as they do in Belgium – drink beer with everything.

This beer boom is, of course, not a new thing. We know from archaeological evidence and even ancient recipes that beer was being made as far back as 5000 BC in Mesopotamia, today’s Iraq. Some historians even think that the mysterious “manna” that God provided for the Israelites during their travels in the desert, was, in fact, something to do with beer.

In the old days, some kind of ale was the natural drink for all the family, often due to the fact that the water tasted horrible and was unhygienic. In England, beer drinking was also promoted by the government, since binge drinking of gin didn’t quite help to build up worker loyalty and create the work ethic that was desired in the early industrial society. The famous prints Beer Street and Gin Lane (1751) by William Hogarth contrast the sickly, hopeless inhabitants of Gin Lane with the happy people of Beer Street, who sparkle with robust health and great motivation – “Here all is joyous and thriving. Industry and jollity go hand in hand,” wrote Hogarth some years later.

So continue to enjoy beer and food. It’s not exactly just hype.
It might even be – as the old Guinness slogan says – good for you.

* Yes, a small Swedish brewery used gold in tiny amounts as an ingredient recently.

Tasting Notes
Nothing in this world should be too easy. As all beer fans know, there is actually a striking difference between a quality beer that has been poured correctly and one that has not. There are also different ways to pour in order to get a different experience. Here, Pilsner Urquell, usually described as the original pilsner beer, guide us in how to complete the perfect Pilsner meal! It’s the Czech way.

NA DVAKRÁT / crispy
This pour offers the traditional amount of foam, which will help keep the carbonation and make your beer stay fresh longer. This makes it the perfect choice if you want to sit down and enjoy a meal with friends and want your beer to last longer. The carbonation will keep things light and intensify the flavours, so it’s basically the ideal choice any time food is in the picture and your main focus.

HLADÍNKA / smooth
This pour will result in a bit more foam and less carbon dioxide, which gives your beer a smooth and creamy taste. This is exactly what you need when you are in the bar and ready to drink, or perhaps together with a lighter meal, such as starters or seafood.

MLÍKO / milky
This pour will be served in a tall glass, and almost looks like it’s a glass of creamy white milk. No need to worry – it’s not just foam, the beer is in there! The great thing about this style of pouring is the smooth mouthfeel you get, without the bubbles, which gives it an even sweeter taste that is balanced with a bitterness towards the end. Yes, it’s the ideal pour to combine with desserts.

Credits:

Words by Tor Bergman
Tasting Notes by Anna Åhrén

Special thanks to Pilsner Urquell & there Food & Beer on youtube

Eat Beer illustration: Edoardo de Falchi

Main photograph: Beer Street (1751) by William Hogarth. All other photos courtesy of Pilsner Urquell.

Giles Price’s work is compelling not only because of its beauty or the fascination it creates – it has the power to shake people out of their narrow-mindedness and make us see things from a wider and higher perspective. He is well known for producing photo stories and portrait series all around the world, including for clients such as The New York Times and The Telegraph magazines. One could describe his work as conceptual documentary photography.

“It’s about telling stories about the world and time I live in that I feel need to be told,” Price says as we discuss what it is about his work that brings him joy. “If you’ve captured something with an authentic and honest approach, it will hold up.” This is exactly what we need today – people with the motivation and skills to create things that make us question what is all too often taken for granted about the world around us. Yes, many photographers try to photograph the world in new and different ways, but for Price, it’s about what “simply holds true.”

The aerial perspective offers a whole new form of social documentary. How were you initially drawn to this?

“I was drawn to aerial landscapes because I wanted to make a project documenting the construction of the London 2012 Olympics. The IOC and LOCOG [the UK-based company that organised the games] had put in place some very draconian laws restricting people from being able to photograph the construction. They built a 12km blue fence around the site and regularly stopped people who were trying to take pictures. In 2009, I realised the airspace over the building site was free to fly over. I found a local company who needed some aerial imagery of a new factory and that paid for me to fly over the site and start documenting it, which I then did every six months.”

“I liked the vertical satellite/Google Earth view, as this gave it a surveillance feel, as well as some visually interesting abstract imagery. The reportage aspect of this abstracted view became very interesting to explore. This was before drones and, unless you had military government satellites, you couldn’t look at one place in real time – Google can’t do it – yet. After a few flights I realised I needed to add the human aspect and document the workforce who were hidden away in this other world that I could see from the air. LOCOG and the main arts boards were not interested in what I was doing, so I approached the construction firms and asked them if I could take portraits of their workers. Luckily, they all agreed and I got access to shoot. Visually, I wanted to capture the workers in the locations that I had shot from the air – this made for some interesting diptychs of the two views.”

“The final image I made was of the midway construction point of the opening ceremony in the Olympic stadium. This was on the last day, before a no-fly zone was put in place six weeks before the Games. It was a guerrilla-style piece of work from start to finish, which made it all the more enjoyable. The finished project, E20 12 Under Construction, is a social document of the largest urban regeneration in London for 150 years and part of the cultural legacy of the 2012 Olympics.”

You have been documenting the development of the Maracanã Stadium in Rio de Janeiro and the 2016 Summer Olympics since 2014. The Games are an event with the potential to encourage growth in the country, but in reality it also includes challenges, such as social tensions and environmental problems. How do you think the Games have affected and will continue to affect the city and the people?

“The Maracanã was shot for The New York Times Magazine for their World Cup issue. While I was there, I started to document the transformation of the city during the build-up to their Olympics. The difference I’ve found with this project, compared with the London 2012 Olympics, has been the socioeconomic aspect – the visual difference of society is far more pronounced than in London.”

“When I went back in 2015, there was antipathy towards the Games from most people I met in Rio. I think that’s partly because these are the first Olympics to ever be held in South America. The Brazilians have a few Olympians, but it’s really a football nation, so they didn’t seem to have much affinity with the Games themselves. I think some of the infrastructure being put in place will help local people, but vast amounts of money will be spent on things that will not benefit many.”

“Now you have political problems, zika virus and corruption allegations extending into some of the construction projects. The Olympics are a case-by-case thing – sometimes they work on all levels and sometimes they don’t, and it’s the legacy of what is built and how it’s used that signifies whether it’s been a long-term success.”

You visited Rio three times during a 39-month. Looking back, how has it influenced you, personally and professionally? Any moment you will never forget?

“The first time I went to Rio I wanted to fly over Rocinha favela, which is one of the largest in South America. It has a big gang problem – the gangs are heavily armed with military-grade assault rifles and rocket launchers. They have also successfully shot down police helicopters, so when I asked if I could get a picture over it, I was told there was no way. In the end I found a former police pilot who would fly me. It made for an unnerving flight, which bought home those aspects of Rio’s social problems both visually and physically.”

“The Rio project has only been released from the air. This has been for many reasons, but what has resulted is a social documentary with a modern feel. This has presented a very interesting process for telling more in-depth and nuanced stories in a visually different way.”

If we widen our perspective we can all play a part in shaping our world. Price inspires us to seek new perspectives, no matter how tricky the process involved, and his work has become a reminder that the things we do and the choices we make will, eventually, leave a trace.

Credits:

Words by Anna Åhrén

Photography by GILES PRICE

Martina attended Parsons School of Design in Paris and New York before moving to London in the mid-1990s where she established herself in the fashion world, working with magazines such as Dazed & Confused and AnOther. She also created album and book covers during this time and photographed for various major fashion houses. It was in the beginning of the new millennium Martina returned to Stockholm to focus on her own projects. You might remember first seeing her work in the exhibition Fashination at Moderna Museet in Stockholm in 2004.

Today Martina Hoogland Ivanow is based in Stockholm, a city quite often described as an emotionally cold place with long winters. Although Martina holds another perspective on this northern capital; the fact that it is an exotic place compared to many other cities in the world. A sophisticated and cultural place with history, surrounded by forest and water. It offers her a certain stillness which will not demand attention and allow you to simply be. This view of her hometown touch upon an important aspect of our fast paced society, which is the luxury of being able to focus on things and as an artist, the creative process.

Martina’s work speaks of both control and the lack of it, something we all may experience in our daily lives. It is an artistic statement describing the beauty which can be found when allowing things to unfold, and perhaps even be out of our hands to control, as we choose to open the doors for chance. When you first encounter Martina’s photography you might get the sensation of having your eyes blindfolded, as the way you “see” her work will appear to come from a different place within.

An artist’s technique is both complex and personal, but it is safe to say that Martina holds a supreme understanding of light and shadows. She often uses a dark aesthetic, using a soft grey scale, and her work captures the moment and subject in a way which creates a mood that one can experience that subject in. It is an invitation to your own inner dialogue. Her work will encourage you to reveal perceptions, emotions and to build confidence in your own creative spirit. Martina asks us to look beyond the immediate impediments, a reminder that sometimes the less we see the more we feel.

In many ways Martina Hoogland Ivanow focuses on questions, rather than answers; reminding us not to take everything for granted. To look in-between different truths and accepted statements. Much of her work explore the periphery, and she does this in both a geographical and human/cultural sense. In Martina’s recent work Circular Wait (2010–2014), she focuses on the relationship between man and nature.

Circular Wait: “The title instills a sense of peace and reflects harmony, which I associate with something positive. But together the two words instead become a claustrophobic state in which one is incapable of changing one’s situation, one cannot get out of it. This is what intrigued me – this was a good example of the ambivalent nature of humans: we know what can be done but are incapable of doing it.” – Martina Hoogland Ivanow

The Circular Wait explores our, often artificial and contradictory, relationship with nature. Her images are drawing parallels to the society we live in today and these documentary elements are mixed with color and light abstractions using artificial colors creating a dream-like dimension. It is very much about the balance between humankind, culture, sustainability and nature. The fact that we are living in a time when much change will be expected from us, and at the same time the difficulty to live up to this. It is about our growing desire to live closer to nature, which often turns out to be both complex and contradictory. Martina’s photographic work explore this dualistic nature and how the self relates to the world.

Credits:

Words by Anna Åhren

November 12 – January 16, 2016, Martina is showing Circular Wait, The Satellite and her new book at Nextlevel Gallery in Paris.

NextLevel Galerie

8 rue Charlot 75003 Paris

Stockholm December 12, book signing of Satellite + Circular wait + Second nature at Konstig.