International artist profile
for Eloquence magazine, October 2009

Innocence lost

In the late 1990’s Woland made a big decision – he dropped the girl who got him into photography, but lucky for us he kept his camera.

Woland’s sublime and sometimes unsettling images of fashion grace the glossy pages of international magazines. Yet, his entrance into the world of fashion photography started simply – with snapshots.

“I became interested in photography at the end of 1997, because of a woman I used to like. She was an artist and she liked the snapshots I used to take of her. But she didn’t like me, so in the end I dropped the girl and kept the camera,” Woland recounts.

Woland’s snapshots soon turned into something a bit more substantial. His style evolved into something that is inspired by a sense of incommunicability and conveys a feeling of discomfort and alienation. Far from the young snapshot-taker he started out as, Woland now tells a story with his photos.

Instead of following the orthodox route to becoming a photographer, like enrolling in a photography course, Woland studied basic photography manuals, exhibits and photographic books by great photographers.

“My Saturday afternoons were mostly spent browsing and absorbing style from those pages. Over the years, I realised I spent more money on photographic books than equipment.”

At first, Woland was interested in portrait photography. For a while, he studied under one of Italy’s leading portrait photographers, Fredi Marcarini. “He took me under his wing and I started working as his assistant for a while.”

Woland’s first shoot was for the Italian men’s luxury magazine, Monsieur in 2004. “This marked my entrance to the world of professional photographers.”

But soon Woland realised his natural inclination wasn’t to shoot portraits.

“My sensitivity was driving me to shoot fashion because in my approach to the subject, the importance of the atmosphere and the mood I was creating was overwhelming the importance of the personality in front of my lens.”

He stayed in Rome a while longer, shooting for the fashion pages of leading Italian and British magazines. But by the end of 2006 he again realised it was time for a change.

“I realised Rome was a ‘fashion corpse’ and I moved to Tallinn, Estonia, one of the new up-and-coming, most dynamic little capitals in northern Europe, where I found a sizzling and ambitious pre-crisis atmosphere.”

This atmosphere is what Woland wanted. He describes Talinn as a photographers dream as it is welcoming and facilitating to photographers. This is probably why Woland is now based in Tallinn.

Tallinn might provide a comfortable working environment for a photographer, but Woland still deals with the challenges facing artists – to always be inspired and suggest something new to his audience, while keeping a unique style. Although Woland prefers not to compare himself to other photographers, he knows what makes his work stand out.

The inspiration for his uncomforting images can come from anything, he says: “Photobooks, magazines, a fountain, a song on the radio, a sunset painting a tree in gold, a novel, a movie”. The list goes on. But ultimately these inspirations culminate in one concept for Woland – whether it’s visualising a fashion story for an editorial shoot, or trying to tie together the core values of a product in a single shot – his visuals are based around a sense of alienation.

“My models are like little girls in a red dress who got lost in a dark forest covered in snow: they are scared and confused by the hostile white environment, but at the same they are attracted by the unknown and the freedom this gives, and they walk in the forest being aware to be the prettiest creatures of the forest, but also the most visible, innocent prey.”

District 9

for Eloquence magazine, October 2009

District 9: Aliens in trouble

The aliens really buggered up this time. Unlike the aliens before them, they have stumbled into a dark, hostile part of Earth. They went where no alien has gone before... the slums of Johannesburg, South Africa.

Of all the places the aliens could get stranded, they probably never imagined it would be in one of South Africa’s most dangerous areas.

And like the alien’s strange predicament, District 9 is first alien movie of its kind. And it has enjoyed international box office success since its release earlier the year.

“The movie fluctuates between something that feels like a film and something that feels bizarrely real,” says Neill Blommkamp, director and co-writer of District 9. Blommkamp teamed up with Peter Jackson, director of Lord of the Rings and King Kong, who produced the movie.

Stranded in South Africa for 20 years now, the aliens have been treated with suspicion by the local human population. They are segregated from the human’s in camps and their treatment echoes of South Africa’s apartheid past.

While the world’s nations argue over what to do with the alien ‘problem’, a South African company, Multi-National United (MNU), try find a way to make the alien’s weaponry work. In the meantime they start evicting the aliens from District 9. Wikus van der Merwe (Sharlto Copley) is a MNU field agent working on the evictions.

“He’s an ordinary guy who likes to wield power in a bureaucratic way,” says Copley. But when Wikus contracts a virus that starts to turn him into an alien, the MNU’s game plan drastically changes. He becomes their new target as his alien DNA holds the key to making the weaponry work.

Now, District 9 is the only place Wikus can hide.

District 9 opens at cinemas in South Korea on October 17th.

www.eloquence.co.kr

The Subculture Jetsetter
for Eloquence Magazine, September 2009

Lukas Zpira is called a “subculture jetsetter” who’s been pushing the boundaries of evolution through his artwork. By performing body mutations, like tongue splitting for a reptilian look, he becomes a part of evolution. And this jetsetter is equally comfortable with a scalpel in the one hand and a camera in the other.

"Pretty is easy and pointless..."

Lukas Zpira started his career in his native country of France. He has been part of a surreal world of body hackers and counter culturalists for more than a decade now. He ignores the standard of beauty put forward by Hollywood.

“Pretty is easy and pointless in my point of view,” Zpira says. He prefers to give people the freedom to create their own look. Something made possible in the surreal world of body hacktivism.

According to the body hacktivism manifesto, written by Zpira, the term body hacktivism “was born from the necessity to define a movement of artists, researchers and thinkers working around mutations and using body modifications as a medium”.

Zpira feels that body hacking gives people the freedom to evolve as they choose. He says there’s a copyright on biotechnology and as a backlash to this him and his peers choose to use the term ‘body hacking’ for what they do. From piercings, to tattoos and body mutations give people the ability to “use the body as a way to change ourselves.

"Art is empty if it doesn't take you on a journey inside your emotions."

“For the first time humans have the power to choose what they want to become,” Zpira says.
What Zpira is involved in then is more than simply art. For him, it seems to have become a way of thinking – a subculture of its own.

“Art is empty if it doesn't take you on a journey inside your emotions. My art isn’t for me to describe, it is for the spectator to describe,” says Zpira.

Trying his hand at various art forms, from photography to body art and even performances with his wife Satomi, makes Zpira a versatile artist who isn’t afraid to try new things.

“For me there is no barrier between the different forms of art. I use the one that helps me to express what I have to express - body art, photos, performances, and text.”

But it’s not only the world of art that flows as one. The private and professional also melt together as Zpira’s art is part of the subculture he inhabits.

Zpira and his wife Satomi, a body performance artist, have known each other for six years, and have been married for four of those. She isn’t only an inspiration to his photography, but takes an active part in Zpira’s lifestyle and interests. As a couple they host daring performances together in big clubs or, their favourite, small art galleries.

The performances revolve around such little explored areas as Japanese bondage, body suspensions, fetishisms, death, and sex. These themes are clearly present in his photography work too, as can be seen in the recently released photographic book Tokyo Love Doll.

The book was inspired by love letters that Satomi wrote to Zpira who was in Avignon, France while she was in Osaka, Japan.

“Satomi used to write me a lot as we were living so far away from each other. She used to take on different characters and create various fantasies but one character that came out a lot was TokyoLoveDoll. It was only natural for us to take these characters and build images around them. Some of these are dominant, some childish, others passive. It covers a vast field of fetishes".

Ultimately Zpira stresses that although his work covers themes like fetishes, death and sex, he wants to keep the images tasteful. It’s not meant to shock, “we just try to push some limits and try to bring people into an interesting emotional adventure.

“If people react to our work, we make our point. And our point is to bring about mixed emotions and self questioning.”

www.eloquence.co.kr

www.news24.com

Commentary article, The gig's up.

The gig's up

These days I keep the windows in my apartment in northern Seoul open. Even while typing this I keep turning my head checking the skyline outside for signs of flying missiles, a mushroom cloud, or maybe a blimp with Kim Jong-Il pictured next to the words: “Heavenly leader approaching. Internet service will be discontinued soon.”

Local and foreign news agencies have been reporting on the North’s recent shenanigans with a troubling zealousness. But even the most comprehensive reports on the recent nuclear test, short-range missile launches and quotes of impending Armageddon do not answer the thought on almost every foreigner in Korea’s mind: Should we be worried? Because the Korean’s clearly aren’t.

A shoulder shrug and “Why would they hurt us? They need Seoul,” has been the standard reaction from South Korean’s on the North’s threatening acts since I came here more than a year ago.

According to Korean’s I talked to, we should be more worried about the Israeli’s and their nukes.
For many South Korean’s the threats from the North are just that – empty threats. They are trying to establish a place for themselves in world affairs. They want to show the world that they are not just a nation blindly following ‘lunatic’ politicians, as so often described in international media. And they’re doing this by showing off probably the only thing they have – military power.

A handy distraction
I asked one of my South Korean colleagues whether she’s worried about what the North might do. “Not at all,” she said. “North Korea is a country that has the right to build up its defensive power.”

She also said many Koreans believe the mass media is blowing the situation with North Korea out of proportion to distract public opinion from domestic problems.

It might be that locally this news (and also reports on the spread of swine flu infections in South Korea) could distract people’s attention from South Korean president Roh Moon-Hyun’s suicide over the weekend. It was expected that news of his death would lead to candlelit vigils that in turn might lead to protest marches and rallies in Seoul. Something the current government would like to avoid, especially after such marches last year against American beef imports turned into violent anti-government protests.

Last night about 30 South Korean soldiers armed with rifles patrolled the streets in my part of town while civilian Koreans casually went about their business of walking, talking and shopping.

I anxiously asked a Korean friend whether this military presence should worry me. Is it because they expect North Korea to strike? “Oh no, it has nothing to do with North Korea.” It’s to make sure no one causes trouble after Roh’s suicide.

Nukes are a cover
The South’s rumoured use of the media, begs the question: Is the North doing the same?

The last time Kim Jong-Il was seen by the outside world, he looked thin and ill despite government reports of his good health. It might be that the “we will make war if you don’t listen” strategy is a ruse to keep everyone looking the other way, while one of Kim Jong-Il’s sons steps up to lead the country. We probably won’t know until it’s done.

Bark or bite?
But how long and hard should North Korea kick and scream and throw its toys out of the cot before anyone will listen? They have threatened to pull out of international nuclear disarmament talks. And then they did.

North Korea said that they have the same right to self-protection as any other country. And there they went and test-fired a nuclear weapon and a couple of missiles.

Then they threatened to re-start the production of weapons-grade plutonium. According to reports the main nuclear facility in North Korea might be up and running again.

And for a long time now, they’ve told South Korea that membership in the Proliferation Security Initiative (PSI), a campaign to prevent the trafficking of weapons of mass destruction will be tantamount to a declaration of war.

Today (May 27) the South Korean government announced they will definitely be joining the PSI. Shortly after, North Korea reportedly threatened with military action and announced that it has abandoned the truce struck with the South after the Korean War in 1950.

These acts only make the question, “Should we be worried?” so much more relevant. Unfortunately, the North is, as my Korean colleague said, “like a rugby ball. You don’t know where it will jump next”.

Has the North’s bark finally gone over to bite? Who knows, but I do think it’s time to start practicing the old ‘duck and cover’ move.

Read original at http://www.news24.com/Content/MyNews24/YourStory/1162/c0ba554110f84f099c8fa8cfe9a84e45/28-05-2009%2012-05/The_gigs_up

10 Magazine, South Korea

Restaurant review: Dos Tacos Mexican Restaurant

Ola, Seoul!

Words by Michelle Viljoen

Summer is fast approaching. It’s time for sandals and sombrero’s. Turn your back on the concrete and steel buildings that line the narrow Seoul streets. Close your ears to the constant hum of speeding taxi’s and the screech of halting buses. Step into Dos Tacos Mexican restaurant – it’s one of the closest things to Mexican you’ll find in Seoul.

Seoul might not have the sandy beaches of Cancun, but it does have a place where you can at least taste the zesty Mexican flavour. From burrito’s to Negra Modelo beer, Dos Tacos will please your appetite for something that’s hotter than a sunny day in May.

Dos Tacos calls itself a “casual grill”. That’s like calling a cellphone a handiphone, or a spade well, a spade. Casual is exactly what this restaurant is. Loosen your tie and trade your heels in for slip-slops. Inside Dos Tacos the atmosphere let’s you relax.

Take a seat on a red, orange, or green plastic chair. The chairs’ mix of colors match the walls, which in turn is decorated with prints of Mexican artwork and photographs. Look up and you’ll see some elaborate and brightly colored tinsel decorations hanging from the ceiling. Now, all you need to feel the fiesta fun is some Mexican music. Unfortunately, when I visited Dos Tacos they were playing some hip hop numbers – at least it was catchy.

Browsing through Dos Tacos’ brightly colored, plastic covered menu took some time. Trying to decide between ordering a chimichanga, refried bean and meat burrito, cheese and salsa nachos, flauta, tostada, ensalada, tacos, french fries, a negra modelo or margharita is a daunting task. You want everything. And most of the meals fall within the same price range, which doesn’t make it easier to decide on one item.

Many foreigners describe Dos Tacos’ food as “pretty decent Mexican”. I expected a long wait to get the food. I expected a lot of mustard or mayonnaise (it’s been done to pizza, it might’ve been done to Mexican). And I expected a lot of cheap processed cheese.

I didn’t get anything I expected. Deciding on what I wanted to order took longer than the time it took Dos Tacos to prepare my meal. I finally ordered a meat and avocado burrito, I paid 8,500 Won, I sat down, opened my book and read three paragraphs, and... “Excuse me,” said the smiling waitress as she placed my larger-than-expected burrito on my table.

This was fast food disguised as properly prepared slow food. I put a knife, spoon, and about 12 napkins at the ready on my table. Burrito’s have the knack of bursting open at the bottom (or top, for that matter) and spilling lettuce, ground beef and avocado slices onto the plate, the table, and me. But this burrito was neatly wrapped around it’s filling of ground beef, lettuce, olives, avocado slices, onion, jalapeno, olives, pico de galle and cilantro.

The lettuce could easily have been used to fill the burrito while skimming on the other ingredients. But there was a good serving of ground beef, fresh avocado, onion, olives, but sadly not much cheese. The burrito had a “mild” salsa. The burrito’s level of hotness was spicy and zesty – it tingled, rather than scorched my mouth.

If you enjoy tacos, but you can’t ever decide which ones you want: hard shell, soft shell, or al pastor? Meat or vegetarian? Dos Tacos has the solution in the form of a taco set. For 10,500W you can choose 3 tacos (usually one taco costs 3,300 – 3,600W).

The restaurant is small and intimate which creates a fun atmosphere on a busy night. For some people it might be a little too busy. Each table is relatively small and can seat about four people comfortably. Be prepared to wait for a seat on a busy night – or go early.

Dos Tacos has a good range of meals. Most items with meat come with a choice between beef, pork and chicken. The price range is reasonable with items starting at about 3,900W for a single cheese quesadilla and going up to 6,000W for a cheese and salsa quesaddila, or 9,800 Won for a meat and asparagus burrito. A single cheese quesadilla costs 3,900W. Expect to pay about 6,000 Won for a margarita or Negro Modelo (local beers are cheaper). Sodas are re-fillable and cost 2,000 Won.

If it’s a busy night and you’d rather have Mexican at home, then you can use Dos Tacos take-out menu. Whether you go in, or take out you can expect food that’s fresh, fast, and spicy. Dos Tacos is a great place to start an evening’s socializing in Seoul.

Ratings:
Atmosphere ***/4

Service***/4

Cuisine ***/4

Cost $$

Tips

Public transport: Hongdae: Hongik university station, exit 5. Gangnam: Gangnam station exit 6. Apgujeong: Apgujeong station, exit 6. Complete directions are available in English on the website.

Vegetarians: Vegetarian options abound!

Phone: (02)322-3677 (Hongdae), (02)542-3446 (Apgujeong), (02)593-5904 (Gangnam)

Website: www.dostacos.co.kr

Home Magazine, South Africa.

Issue: July 2007.
Articles: Stoke it up! (Décor); Plant your own sweet potatoes (Gardening); Pet food for thought (Pets); Keep it cosy (Consumer pages).

Home Magazine, South Africa.

Issue: January 2008.
Articles: What a fanfare (Consumer Pages)