OPENISSUE 1

KATY CARR & THE AVIATORS

PADDY HARTLEY

WWW.AWKWARDSMILES.CO.UK

JONO NAMARA

CONTRIBUTORS

JACK BOOTH (EDITOR) / JONO NAMARA / KATY CARR AND THE AVIATORS / LARA JADE

OPEN

Founder / Editor in Cheif JACK BOOTHinfo@jack-booth.co.uk

WWW.JACK-BOOTH.CO.UK

EMAIL ME FORsubmissions and general enquiries

FIND US ON FACEBOOK

JONO NAMARA

MODEL WORDS: JACK BOOTH

How did you first get into the modeling industry?

It was by pure luck, right place, right time. I was DJ’ing. I say DJ’ing, but it was more drinking free booze and flailing my arms around wildly in the air at Koko, an indie club in Camden, North London. I suddenly needed to pop down to the loo. Haphazardly running down the stairs to the bathroom, I got pulled to one side by a young guy. Young guy starts talking as white hot flashes constantly pop in my direction emitted from a slightly older looking man with a camera attached to his face. ‘Who are you with?’ screams young guy over the clubs pumping music. Well, I was flattered by the offer but wanted to let the young guy hitting on me down gently, I realise the free booze has really begun to take it’s hold and ever the drunken master orator I begin picking words out of the air to compile decent answer. ‘oh mate. look, i really need the loo and oh, how can i put this? i’m sorry, but i’m actually straight, i’m with a girl upstairs’.Young guy shakes his head disapprovingly. ‘no, look, i’m not hitting on you’ With those words my then vacuous yound ego takes a slight bruising.‘I’m asking you, which model agency are you with?’

I informed him I wasn’t, he gave me his card. I ran to the toilet, bladder now aching. That night, I continued to drink more free booze and flail arms around wildly thinking nothing of said former exchange. I woke up the next morning on a friends floor with head and back hurting and a vague memory of someone handing me something, a business card, that was it. I dipped my hand into my back drainpipepocket and found a thick white card with the words ‘DIOR HOMME’ embossed in black bold font on the front and scribbled on the back a mobile number and written in capitals, as if screaming themselves still over loud music ‘CALL ME’. I didn’t believe it at first, some sort of joke, but I phoned the scribbled number and we arranged to meet at another Camden music venue the next day. I didn’t recognise the young guy or the older man with the camera as a face at first, but they immediately knew who I was and both seemed quietly amused, the young guy speaks first ‘Hi I’m Chris, and this is Hedi. Hedi’s the creative director at Dior Homme, we want to take you to Paris to model in our show, we want to fly you over tomorrow, you up for it?’ ...

What has been your most memorable modeling moment?

I could sit here for a good few hours and I would still not >>

be able to define come to my number one definite modeling moment. It’s the whole package in itself. I’ve been fortunate to have the highs, the lows, the falling into love, the falling into fights,the falling on to catwalk floors, riding the big dipperlifestyle of my late teens and early twenties.

How would you describe your style?

It’s either a Leather Jacket or Suit Blazer day, depending on my mood and the f a m o u s unpredictability of English weather.

What have you got planned for the rest of the year?

I’m currently going through the process of developing and producing a TV series. I’ve been working on it for well over a year and a half now and it’s hopefully all coming to fruition. I’m also writing my first book.

Do you prefer runway modelling or more editorial?

Runway. I enjoy the chaos and tomfoolery of being backstage and the instant thrill and gratification that comes when you step off of the catwalk, that never gets old.

10

Katy Carr and the

Aviators

“I had achieved a RAF flying scholarship where I learnt to fly RAF military airplanes.

However discovering a love for music composing and song-

writing I turned my aspirations to a more creative

and civilian lifestyle.”

We took the opportunity to interview the wonderful, Katy Carr, London based performer and songwriter who sings, plays wurlitzer

electronic piano, ukulele and banjolele with her group ‘The Aviators.’ She has self released three albums on her label Deluce Recordings. ‘Screwing Lies,’ 2001 and ‘Passion Play’ 2003

and ‘Coquette’ 2009.

Okay, firstly, tell us a bit about you and the band, what you’re about, your inspirations...My name is Katy Carr, I am a singer, performer and song-writer. I play the ukulele and piano amongst a selection of keyboards. My group is called ‘Katy Carr and the Aviators.’ We are currently a trio but have had up to 16 members. Having re-leased three albums on my own label called Deluce Recordings since 2001, my recent album ‘Coquette’ 2009 procured no less than 4 out of 5 star reviews in the mainstream music press here in the UK.

How and when did you know you wanted to sing and when was the band formed?‘Katy Carr and the Aviators,’ was formed in 2009 for the International Memphis Folk Alliance music conference. We had been awarded a PRSF Performance Rights Society Foundation grant to play our music for the first time in the USA

and we needed to create a group to do so. Previous to that I was a solo artist performing gigs with session mu-sicians. I knew that I wanted to be a singer when Iwas 6 years old having won sev-eral singing competitions in my then local area, Leicestershire and Nottinghamshire in the East Mid-lands.

What are your inspirations?I am hugely inspired by history especially events of World War 2 and the 1930s and 1940s. In fact on my last album I wrote a song called ‘Kommander’s Car’ about Polish boy Scout Kazimierz ‘Kazik’ Piechowski’s daring escape from Auschwitz concentration camp in June 1942. This year I was awarded an Arts Council England grant and was able to not only to bring Kazik to Britain for the first time but also tour my music with my group the Aviators in‘The Escapologist Tour. ’ Through the creation of a 23minute documentary entitled >>>

15

‘Kazik and the Kommander’s Car’ dir by Hannah Lovell – where I present Kazik with my song, ‘Kommander’s Car ’ we were able to share his story with the British Public.

Where do you hope to be in 5 years time?I firstly trust that I am strong and healthy and still making music! In addition I would like to have lived somewhere other than the UK and have always had a dream of living in America. I love Chicago due to it being the second larg-est city with regards residents of Polish decendence and also the southern states such as Geor-gia. So I hope that after the next subsequent albums that I want to make here in the UK in the next 3 to 4 years I trust I have had the opportunity to live in the United States for a while.

What would you be doing if you weren’t making music?I would probably have entered the Royal Air Force as a pilot. It was only after going to art school and doing a music degree at university did I decide to opt out of a military life. Prior to university I had achieved a RAF flying scholarship where I learnt to fly RAF military airplanes. However discovering a love for music composing and songwriting I turned my

aspirations to a more creative and civilian lifestyle.

Who are your musical influences?I have varied musical inspirations. However my main passions lie with listening to British and Polish folk music as well as listening to Classical music in particular that of Mozart.

Other than music, is there any other artistic/creative way you express yourself?I like to dance all night long to drum and bass music as well as to my favourite DJs including DJ Nick Luscombe who plays left field electronica and DJ Chris Tofu who is hugely inspired by gypsy and electro swing. I also love to tap dance and lindy-hop.

What is one thing that would surprise people about you? Most people assume that I have come from Irish decent – which is probably true due to my name – Carr however I am half Polish and very proud to be connected with Poland or Polska which is such a beautiful and artistically diverse country.

What three words would you use to describe yourself?Creative, musical and determined.

Do you have any gigs/festivals lined up for this year?Yes, having just finished my ‘Escapologist tour’ funded by the

Arts Council England but I am also supporting the Great British Barbershop Boys on their UK tour. I am also playing at

various other summer festivals and events. For more info check out www.katycarr.com. JACK BOOTH

Interview with Paddy Hartley and his collaboration with Nick KnightJack Booth’s interview with Paddy Hartley

regarding his collaboration with Nick Knight

Paddy Hartley and his collaboration with Nick KnightI emailed Paddy Hartley with some questions about his collaboration with Nick Knight and Nicks photoshoot with Lady Gaga wearing Paddy’s Face Corsets. Here’s what he had to say.

How did your collaboration with Nick Knight come about? Who approached who?

I got a call from SHOWstudio and spoke with Nick directly who asked if the Face Corset work was available for a forthcoming photoshoot he was producing for AnOther Magazine and a fashion film to be produced from images generated from the shoot. I was more than happy to loan the work and see how he and his styling team would interpret the pieces and incorporate them into the shoot. Nick was already familiar with my work through a project I took part in with his long time collaborator, stylist Simon Foxton. This was to be the first of a number projects in which Nick shot or interpreted my work.

On the day of the photo/video shoot with Knight and Gaga, did you have any creative input? Were you able to put forward suggestions?

I was brought in specifically for the shoot to design and make facial garments on the day to fit Gaga. In this situation, the creative director of the shoot already has a very clear vision as to the outcome of the shoot, although there is usually scope for improvisation and creative breadth. In this case, the shoot was very prescribed, so I made the pieces, took a step back and watched the action unfold.

What did you feel when you knew you were going to be collaborating with Nick Knight?

Obviously it’s very exciting and flattering to have your work interpreted and shot by an artist as established and creative as Nick Knight. He has been at the top of his profession for such a long time that it’s easy to trust someone of his stature to do something really special with my Face Corsets.

How long was the whole process? Did the video / Photo shoot take a few hours, or was it a whole day?

It can vary depending on the scale of the project. In the case of the Gaga shoot, it took place over a weekend but I only came in for the full Sunday session.

After the collaboration, how did you react to the final images?

In terms of the AnOther Magazine shoot, the images were really surprising and not what I expected at all, having been abstracted in post-production to give a very surreal and in some cases fluid/liquid aesthetic. It was great too to see my pieces worn by model Carmen Kass with Alexander McQueen’s creations.

After the collaboration with Knight, have you been approached by any other artists / do you feel your work has been recognised more?

I’ve been a practicing artist for 20 years now so my work has a degree of recognition, but in terms of my fashion design work, this has been a fairly recent creative path along which I’ve ventured. Id say having my work shot by Nick Knight has certainly raised the profile of my facial garment design. Since these and other high profile shoots for V Magazine and Vogue China, I am regularly approached with proposals of collaboration by photographers and stylists. I refer to be very selective as to who I work with and where my work is published so subsequently only have work published maybe 3 or 4 times a year. I prefer quality over quantity.

With thanks to Paddy HartleyLady Gaga image taken from

SHOWstudio.com

LARA JADE

Lara Jade is an internationally acclaimed fashion, portrait and commercial photographer. Lara’s most compelling quality is the ability to colour her images with strong elements of romanticism, fantasy and a hint of darkness.

Lara gained an interest in photography and picked up her first camera at the age of fifteen. She expanded her knowledge by experimenting with self portraiture, and taking on small clients.

Now, Lara’s momentum contin-ues to build, with industry lead-ing brands, and well known fashion and photography magazines worldwide.

Lara is working worlwide, and is currently represented by leading agencies in London, Milan and America.

Lara was winner of the Public Choice Award at the 2009 AOP Open Awards. As well as working on her extensive clientele & personal work, Lara also tutors successful workshops worldwide, teach-ing fashion and beauty c l a s s e s .

she has an admirable client list including Penguin, Harper Collins, Sony Music, BBC, Schwarzkopf, Elle, Lush and Aesthetica magazine.

CALLING ALL CREATIVES!SUBMIT YOUR WORK AND HAVE THE CHANCE TO BE FEATURED IN

OPEN ISSUE 2!

IF YOUR AN ILLUSTRATOR, GRAPHIC DESIGNER, PHOTOGRAPHER, FILM MAKER, FASHION DESIGNER, WRITER,

SIGER, SONGWRITER, MUSICIAN, ANYTHING AT ALL THAT CAN BE LABELLED CREATIVE!

PLEASE SUBMIT YOUR WORK, INCLUDING IMAGES (300DPI), WITH DETAILS, TO

INFO@JACK-BOOTH.CO.UK

WWW.AWKWARDSMILES.CO.UKOPEN