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2
Interview / Jazz
Hediye
Güven
Soon to be a labeled jazz star, Hediye Güven continues her carrier where she started; the internet.
You can listen her songs on Myspace or download her songs via her blog. She already has a massive
amount of fans following her news and her concerts in festivals, bars and clubs. Singing since 1999,
she performed with many different bands. One of these, maybe her longest affair, was the band Playground. They have won the Roxy Best Group in Turkey Award in 2002 with their song ‘Armies on Hold’.
Born to a family of musicians and growing up in Australia, she has the colors and the shapes of a
bilingual and bicultural repertoire; you can trace the folklore of her origins and the modern tendencies
of the “Down Under” in her lyrics and rhythms.
While studying English language in the university, she had the chance to attend to the classes of Yıldız
Ibrahimova and tried to use every other opportunity to “tame” her voice and she still does. An English
teacher by day and a jazz singer by night, Hediye Güven sings her dreams to us and we try to “feel” in
her dreams.
Futuristika: Which was the very first song did
you boomingly sing for months, ?
Hediye Güven: The first song I was stuck for
a very long time was George Michael’s “A
Different Corner”. I guess I was in primary
school. I still couldn’t recover the elegance that
man brought to singing.
Among the creepy weeds
and the ceaseless seeds...
When did you write your first song and why?
What inspires you to write songs?
I wrote my first song in Australia with my
guitarist John: “The Last evening”. We had
a mini repertoire of John’s and some other
standard jazz songs and I wanted one of my
own. I was too shy to reveal my own lyrics
so I translated the song “Dönülmez Aksamın
Ufkundayım”* to English and composed. John
joined in with the necessary chords and it was
beautiful.
Did you ever write a song for someone?
Yes, of course. They know themselves. : )
How do you feed yourself to make music?
Ok, it sounds cliché but life is so substantial. My
life and the stories I hear around, LOVE, music
I listen, movies I watch, books I read and even
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the books published by TUBITAK (The Scientific
and Technological Research Council of Turkey),
my dreams and fantasies, traveling and at the
places I end up, talking with people, with cats,
with weeds and with bugs and with… So I have
to be all eyes and breathe in my surrounding to
the bits, and for this I have to achieve to stay at
the right moment, to focus on life and living it.
And then I have to do the opposite; take myself
out of the moment and hold on to a moment in
the past, capture an image and loose myself in.
The latter is not usually a conscious move but a
state of obsession and creativity that the person
finds him/herself in without awareness. That
state, however, serves to embody whatever you
focused on. And later when you come back to
the present moment, “coming to your senses”,
you take a look at it with your ears and heart;
there is a smile on your face. For me it is like
that. If I force it, it doesn’t happen, I can not
force myself to like it.
What is necessary for you to be satisfied with
a song?
If that song is making me sing it as if it is
someone else’s song, brings itself to my mind
often, then it is ok. It is already there and it
wants to come out. In that case, it is the best to
be the vessel, there is no point in working on it
unnecessarily.
Who would you choose if you could be an
“another musician” and use all his or her
resources for a day?
There are many names flashing in my mind but
the first one is Imogen Heap. How beautifully
she thinks and presents! Let’s say, she uses my
resources too. I mean, what she would do with
this country, these people, this language, my
childhood and my memories?
Which character from a book would you like
to be? And which song would you sing all day
long being that character?
There is an invisible “Moon” producing stories
for earth in Salman Rushdie’s “Haroun and The
Sea of Stories”. I would like to be that character
and sing songs of the movie “The Sound of
Music”. If only one song though, that would be
“My Favorite Things”.
Which book would you like to make music for?
Not only one, many! Firstly, Jeanette Winterson’s
“Stone Gods” and all her novels. Then Eduardo
Galeano’s “Voices of Time” which would have
an essence of documentary music. Next, Isabel
Allende’s “Eva Luna” and I would lay down
musical patterns to her pencil’s every single
move, to magical women of Rani Manika’s
novels, to Marquez’s “ One Hundred Years of
Solitude” , to Amy Tan’s ying&yang sight and to
Bünyamin** of “Puslu Kıtalar Atlası” by Ihsan
Oktay Anar. And also… Ah never ending…
To which song do you fly your butterflies
these days?
That song is My Brightest Diamond’s “The Ice
and The Storm”. My heart beats “out-of-theway” when I hear that song. And also Sara
Tavares’ “Novidadi” God, what a beauty!
Hediye Güven: http://www.myspace.com/
hedikedi/ - http://twilightstrip.blogspot.com/
* A favourable Turkish song which is considered to be at the peek of
Turkish Art Music.
**The main character in the book mentioned afore. Published in 1995 by
the brilliant author Ihsan Oktay Anar, the book created a celebrated fuss
in the Turkish literary scene. We can shortly say that the book is about
people who have only their dreams to offer one another.
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6
Interview / Photography
a
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h
s
Jo fine
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Futuristika: Before starting, can you tell us
a little about your interests in Fine Art and
Photography, which one are you keener on?
Joshua Hoffine: My interest in Photography goes
deeper than my interests in other mediums. I
never refer to myself as a Horror Artist, but
always as a Horror Photographer.
It seems as if you prepare your photo sets to
make us feel as if we are in a Horror movie. You
seem to prepare the masks, make-up, sets,
lights, etc. like a director or a writer about
to tell a story. What is your actual process in
taking these shots?
Your description is very accurate. I do approach
my photo shoots like they are small movies. The
first step is to establish the concept for the
image. I rarely make any kind of sketches.
What I prefer to do instead is write a short
treatment, or description of the photograph. I
include notes on camera placement, equipment
and prop needs, and a list of friends I might
want as models for the photograph. Years
can pass before a concept actually goes into
production. It usually takes me weeks or even
months to get prepared.
Sometimes, if the concept will allow for it,
I will seek out a location to use. Other times,
I have no choice but to build a set in my photo
studio. I style the sets, selecting colors of paint,
patterns of wallpaper, and what furniture and
props to use. I often sneak totems from my
own childhood into the background. I cast my
models and explain to them what they will need
to do for the picture. I use Halloween masks and
props I find online, taxidermy, mannequins, and
more recently, masks and prosthetic appliances
that me and my friend Jason Coale have made
ourselves.
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I have talented photography friends and family
members that I sometimes draft as assistants
for the actual day of the shoot. While my
images are not Photoshop collages, I do prefer
to shoot everything digitally. The work I’ve
done this year was shot on a digital Hasselblad
camera with a PhaseOne back, loaned to me by
my friends and sponsors at Digital Labrador,
a photography lab and rental house here in
Kansas City. Finally, I make sure that the image
is as perfect as possible while preparing it in
Photoshop for printing.
I remember my first experience when I met
with the “horror” element. It was an original
Carpenter movie “The Fog”, and to quote from
my dearest writer Edgar Allan Poe: “All that see
or seem/is but a dream within a dream”. How
was yours? Do you remember when you first
became interested in horror?
My mom took me and my sisters to go see
Poltergeist when I was a little kid. That movie
became our obsession. Sometimes, we would
act out scenes from the movie. My youngest
sister Sarah always got sucked into the closet.
My mom took me
and my sisters to go
see Poltergeist when
I was a little kid. That
movie became our
obsession.”
According to you, “Horror tells us that our
belief in security is delusional, and that the
monsters are all around us.” Besides the literal
meaning of this verse, I also see it as a political
view. If our belief in security is delusional, who
are these real-life monsters according to your
point of view?
In the Horror genre, the Monster operates as a
metaphor. The Monster represents the forces
of chaos in the world that threaten the stability
and security of your life. This force of chaos
can wear countless masks. Real-life examples
would include death, illness, irrational violence,
plague, terrorism, social collapse, and even
wicked people.
Primal and pre-adult phobias in children
are the focus of your work. Do you think that
childhood nightmares are more real when we
see them in your photographs? Is fear more
real in a child’s nightmare?
There is a lot to be said for the power of a
photograph. Photography is more real than
painting. While we can all relate to the idea of a
monster hiding under the bed, or in the closet,
we’ve never seen a photograph of it before. The
effect can be potent.
Childhood fears are very primal. Fear of the
dark, fear of hands grabbing you, fear of mouths
eating you. Very young children are more likely
than older children and adolescents to fear
things that are not real, in the sense that their
occurrence in the real world is impossible,
such as monsters. The line between reality
and fantasy is still fuzzy. Fear for a child, if you
remember, can be very intense.
I believe that the different cultures of the
world have different approaches to fear, based
on each culture’s unique heritage of history,
folklore, and myth. And looking at your
photographs, despite their universal nature,
I also see a touch of American Horror movie
taste. Does that wide cinematic genre effect
your work in general? What do you think about,
say, eastern folk/horror tales, such as stories
about jinns, dragons, giants, etc.?
I was raised on American Horror movies. Being
an American, my work cannot help but reflect
the Horror iconography of American culture and
psychology. So they play a smaller role in my
work.
Do you have any art idols or basic inspirations
(cinema, literature, music, etc.) for creating
such marvelous atmosphere?
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I am inspired by Horror films. The Mask Of Satan,
Poltergeist, Evil Dead 2 and The Shining are all
amazing works of art. I like looking at illustrations
of fairy tales. I love vintage cartoons. Disney
is my favorite, but I own everything that Chuck
Jones and Tex Avery ever made. I watch them
with my kids. These interests coalesce in my
work.
Being more specific, your photographs are so
literate and I know that you studied English
Literature. Who are your favorite writers?
Kurt Vonnegut, William Blake, Alan Moore, Henry
Miller, Edgar Allan Poe, Albert Camus, Stephen
King, and the poet W.S. Merwin.
On the technical side, how do you use Photoshop
in your work? What is the place of software in
this scary fairy tale?
As much as possible, I try to shoot everything live
in front of the camera. I use Photoshop to finesse
details and to adjust color and contrast for
printing. If there is gore or nudity involved, as was
the case with my recent photograph “Face”, then
I will shoot my daughter on set separately and
use Photoshop to graft her onto the final image.
I have heard that you have been working on your
first short Horror film, Black Lullaby. How is it
going? When will we have a chance to see it?
It has all been photographed. Every six months
or so, I work on the edit a little bit more. It will be
about five minutes long. I’m hoping to finish it by
next summer.
Could you tell us about your books? I am sure
some people here dare to turn those pages to
enter the otherworld!
I actually haven’t published any books yet. I am
still working on my series about childhood fears,
“After Dark, My Sweet”. When that is complete I
intend to publish it as a book.
I know that The Little Girl is played by your
daughters. The Little Girl in your work
represents innocence, maybe? Did you think
about using a boy instead? Also, not to offend,
but I’m curious, is there a different subtext or
metaphor in using a blond blue eyed little girl?
By using a little blond girl, I am hoping to
reference other classic fairy tale figures, like
Goldilocks or Alice in Wonderland. The Little
Girl is an archetype for Innocence, as well as
Vulnerability. There is also a deliberate subtext
to the work about child predation. Using a little
girl, as opposed to a little boy, helps make
this subtext more readily perceived. In images
like Wolf and Closet, there is the idea of the
boogeyman as a child molester. As a father of
four daughters, this is my own deepest fear.
Those images touch a deep nerve in some
people. I’ve received hate letters, and have even
seen a couple of people start to cry.
Have you ever photographed a music
band’s artwork? Who would you want to
photograph? If you ask me, you would be well
suited for Black Sabbath.
I do shoot conceptual artwork and portraits for
bands and musicians. That is my main source of
income.
My Dad owned the original Black Sabbath
album. I grew up listening to it play on the
record player. I remember being completely
fascinated by the cover artwork for that album.
It was a green witch with black eyes standing
in front of her creepy house, surrounded by
black winter trees, at the end of a red sunset.
I honestly believe it’s had a lasting effect
on my work. I fantasize about remaking that
photograph. It would be my contribution to the
Horror-Remake trend.
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Poetry
Alice Liddell: Acrostic
A boat beneath a sunny sky,
Lingering onward dreamily
In an evening of July-Children three that nestle near,
Eager eye and willing ear,
Pleased a simple tale to hear-Long has paled that sunny sky:
Echoes fade and memories die.
Autumn frosts have slain July.
Still she haunts me, phantom wise,
Alice moving under skies
N ever seen by waking eyes.
Children yet, the tale to hear,
Eager eye and willing ear,
Lovingly shall nestle near.
In a Wonderland they lie,
Dreaming as the days go by,
Dreaming as the summers die:
Ever drifting down the stream-Lingering in the golden gleam-Life, what is it but a dream?
As a commercial photographer, I am more
interested in how a band or musician looks, than
what they sound like. Marilyn Manson or Michael
Jackson would be dream jobs.
Any bedside books or magazines?
Joseph Campbell and books about physics and
cosmology. And I like my Turkish magazines.
Futuristika all the way, baby.
As far as I know, you started your career with
wedding photography. Do you still have time for
wedding photos?
Every so often I get pulled out of retirement. I still
enjoy shooting weddings, but I have no time for
meetings or album orders anymore.
Joshua Hoffine: http://joshuahoffine.com/
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15
Interview / Cinema
Kurt Kuenne and Andrew Bagby
were very close friends since
childhood until the ex-girlfriend of
Bagby, Shirley Turner, killed him.
And the rest of the story goes like
this:
Kurtt Kuenne:
Kurt
K
Ku
ue
enne:
Meet the filmmaker,
take
ta
ak
ke
e a bow...
bo
ow
w....
“When my close friend Dr. Andrew
Bagby (1973-2001) was murdered
by his ex-girlfriend, Dr. Shirley
Turner, I decided to make a film
to memorialize him for family
and friends. When I learned that
Shirley Turner was pregnant with
Andrew’s son, whom she later
named Zachary, my project took
on a whole new meaning. My mission became to make this
film for Zachary, as a letter from all of Andrew’s loved ones
to him, which he could one day view and get to know his
father. When Shirley Turner killed again one year later in an
unspeakable murder-suicide, my focus changed yet again. A
second murder did not have to happen. From 2001 to 2003,
Shirley Turner was an accused probable pre-meditated
first degree murderer who had fled her home to avoid
prosecution, and despite a pile of evidence that she was very
likely a manipulative cold-blooded killer, the government of
Canada allowed her to walk free on bail for a full year and
a half, all the while having custody of a child. I found this
situation beyond appalling –that an accused pre-meditated
murderer could flee the United States, find refuge in Canada
and hang out partying while my friend lay in ashes inside an
urn. Mostly, I found it appalling that, knowing how potentially
dangerous she was, she was given the opportunity to kill
again.”
Here is a small interview with this brilliant filmmaker who
also composes music and has witty and intelligent short
movies which are avaliable on internet.
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festivals where it won many awards, and
around Hollywood.
Futuristika:
You made a film
about the murder of your best
friend “Dear Zachary: A letter to a son
about his father” and so far you are also urging
people to write to Canadian Government about
this subject. Have you seen any progrees about
this subject?
Kurt Kuenne: Since the movie began screening
-and particularly since it began showing on
television- viewers have written hundreds, if
not thousands, of letters to both the Attorney
General of Canada and members of Canada’s
Parliament in support of a law denying bail to
people accused of murder while awaiting trial.
I’m setting up a screening for all the members
of Canada’s Parliament during the next couple
of months, where I look forward to speaking
directly to them about this. At this time,
however, no legal change has yet happened, but
I’m still working on it.
In your movies you use segments of your other
movies. For example, you used a scene of
“Validation” in “Rent-a-Person” but there’s a
three year gap between them. And also in your
latest movie “Slow” (2008) you used a photo
shooting scene. Is it something you decide
spontaneously or you have all of them in mind
already but takes time to use them that way?
“Rent-A-Person” was made first, and it was not
conceived as being a series; it was simply a
fun project that I wanted to do with my friend
James (Haven, who stars in the film) to fill time
between bigger projects. I had just finished
making a documentary at the time and wanted
to stay in practice with actors. “Rent-A-Person”
proved to be tremendously popular, both at film
Since that was such a good experience, I
decided it would be fun to make another one,
and this time I wanted to work with my old
friend TJ Thyne. TJ had played a small part in
“Rent-A-Person”, and I thought it would be fun
if he were the same character in the new film,
and if the two films could cross paths with each
other. So I wrote “Validation” for TJ, and while
we were getting ready to shoot, I came up with
the idea for what is now the fourth installment in
the series, “The Phone Book” (currently playing
in festivals), which features characters from all
the films, so I shot “Validation” and “The Phone
Book” simultaneously.
“Slow” was an afterthought which hit me while I
was finishing post-production on “Validation” &
“The Phone Book”, which I originally just wrote
as a poem about one of the characters from the
films, played by Dave Kuhr. When I discovered
a way to do it quickly & cheaply, I decided to
sneak it in there as part 3 of the series. So it’s
been this constantly evolving series, and I’ve
devised a few more stories I’d like to do which
also cross paths with the four now in existence.
Who knows where it will end up. :)
I happened to watch “Slow”, “Rent-a-Person”
and “Validation”. You use mostly the same
people but i guess the most well-known figure
is James Haven. How come you work together?
I actually think that at this point in time the
most well-known person in all of the films is
TJ Thyne, who stars in “Validation”, who has
become quite famous off his starring role on
the hit Fox show, “Bones”. (I’m not sure what
its distribution is in Turkey, but here it is very
successful). But James Haven is great, he was
a classmate of mine at USC Film School, where
he was studying filmmaking. I actually had no
idea that he was even interested in acting at the
time. He and I were hanging out a lot during the
period in which I conceived “Rent-A-Person”,
and I wrote it specifically for him (just as I wrote
“Validation” for TJ and “Slow” for Dave Kuhr),
as a fun project that we could do together. At
the time, he was getting cast as villains a lot,
but because I knew him personally very well, I
knew that he was tremendously funny, with a
real Buster Keaton stone face. So I thought he’d
make a good singing men’s room attendant.
In your movies there’s love but in a quirky way.
There’s always happy ending, do you believe in
happy endings?
If one is creating a story from scratch (as
opposed to telling a true story, as in a
documentary), at this point in my life I see no
point in doing so unless what I am creating is a
celebration, that hopefully exhilarates people
in some way, leaving them inspired about life’s
possibilities. Life is sad enough (as I learned
when the events depicted in “Dear Zachary”
unfolded in my life), so I don’t need to invent
things out of thin air to make people feel worse.
I believe life is what you make of it; you can
focus on the good or you can focus on the bad.
Even if horrendous tragedies unfold in your life,
what counts is how you respond to them. You
can make something good out of something
bad, but you have to choose to do so.
have been invaluable in making things come off
without a hitch during production.
And you are also a composer. You made the
music for Cyrano de Bergerac (1925) because
the original one was lost and it was premiered
by the San Diego Symphony. How did this
process work? Did you apply to do the music or
were you chosen?
One of my professors while I was a film student
at USC was David H. Shepard, a world renowned
film preservationist. Right after I graduated USC,
my friend Sebastian Twardosz -who was renting
a room from David at the time- happened to
play David recordings of some of the pieces
I’d written in school, performed by the USC
Symphony Orchestra. David happened to be
in a position at that time where he needed a
new score for “Cyrano de Bergerac” which he
was restoring, but didn’t have much money to
pay a composer on that particular project, so
I think that he liked my music, but also knew
that I would be really inexpensive, as I was just
out of school and needed work. So he called
me, we met and I began to work the next week.
I finished the score a few months later, but it
sat on a shelf for 3 years until the San Diego
Symphony suddenly expressed interest in
premiering the work, after which it was recorded
and released on DVD. It still gets performed live
in various places around the world from time to
time, which is great.
Dear Zachary: http://www.dearzachary.com/
Do you work with other directors?
I have a lot of friends who are filmmakers, and
they have sometimes hired me to write their
film’s musical scores. And we bounce ideas off
of each other all the time. But I’ve never cowritten or co-directed a project with anyone, no,
though I’ve often had wonderful producers who
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18
Radio Show
“Rockin’ all over
the world!”
19
Interview / Photography
Terra Incognita:
Rock from
the unknown
lands...
Terra Incognita, hosted by Cenk Akyol, presents
Rock music from far points of the world; Balkan,
Scandinavian , Far East , Middle East , Oceania... Rock
without frontiers...
Every Sunday at 16:00 (GMT +2) at Açık Radyo,
listen online: http://www.yayinonline.com/asx/
radyoplayer.asp?rd=acikradyo.
Besides his extra-ordinary playlists, Cenk Akyol also
invites mainly Turkish musicians to his program and
gives invaluable details about the music bands he
presents. With his unique gestures (imagination
rulaz!) and sounds, he might speak “mostly” in
Turkish but music has its own universal language,
doesn’t it?
Visit his bilingual (Turkish & English) blog for
precious information and comments on unknown
music bands, playlist archive and downloads:
http://www.terraborboletta.blogspot.com
You can also keep track of his broadcast via
Futuristika! website:
http://www.futuristika.org/author/cenkakyol/
Join Terra Incognita Facebook group:
http://www.facebook.com/group.php?gid=39047366924
Manifesto of Açık Radyo
“Açık Radyo, 94.9 Fm, is a free and independent radio
station, the fruit of a collective effort by about one hundred
individuals. It is democratic as to its structure, working
methods and programs in general. Açık Radyo promotes
the protection of fundamental human rights and freedoms
universally; Açık Radyo acts as an “information center” for
all NGOs. Açık Radyo lays great emphasis on cultural matters
and broadcasts widely on multi-cultural, cross-cultural, multiethnic issues. Açık Radyo aims to capture the image behind
the image, to capture life as it is. It is a unique combination
of music, news and personality. It is open to all the sounds,
colors and vibrations of the universe.” (June 1995)
http://www.acikradyo.com.tr/
Laurent
Orseau
You have flowers from the
man who shot your cousin
20
Lately
everybody is a photographer; Laurent Orseau is just one of them. So what brings him here? For
me it is his portfolio. He may not have glamorous photographs of splendid beauty, neither there
are glittering colors dancing through his shots but there is something so human and there is music! Yes, music!
You might have browsed through many concert photographer portfolios, taking glances at on beautiful shots but this
time it is pretty much different. Orseau, photographing a wide variety of bands –Mogwai to Perry Blake, Heather Nova
(my personal favorite) to Smoke City- addresses our ears as well as our eyes. For people having a taste for music like
us (!), his photographs are a visual feast.
Futuristika: You are an exile in Germany, does it
have any affect on choosing your subjects?
Laurent Orseau: Yes, a bit as I don’t know so
many people in Frankfurt. And as there are really
few concerts in Frankfurt comparing to Paris.
But it’s always good to take images in another
place, to discover other “backgrounds” for the
images, other atmospheres. I like the feeling of
being in a place I don’t know, my eyes and my
brains are usually more excited.
You’ve also photographed people but I guess
your main subject is musicians. You’ve been
to La Route du Rock two times, why not for the
third or the fourth time?
To be honest, my main subject in photography
is not musicians. It’s just a part of my big
passion for portraits and if there are so many
concert pictures in my website it’s because I
like going to concerts, I’m a huge fan of music.
For La Route du Rock, -it’s so far for me- it’s just
because at this period I was in touch with some
people who ran the website of Bernard Lenoir
and I had the
opportunity to go there with them to take
concert pictures. But I’m not such a fan of
festivals, I really prefer listening to music and to
taking pictures in very small venues. In festivals,
you usually have to take pictures just during the
three first songs and you always have those bigarm-guys close to you. It’s really not something
for me; too stressful and not the most interesting
way to appreciate the music.
How did it start? I mean you went to the concerts
and festivals and then made a collection or you
always had gone to the concerts considering
each as a photo subject?
I started taking concert pictures thanks to these
friends who ran Lenoir’s website. They asked me
to take pictures during the Black Sessions. Yann
Tiersen’s Black Session was my first experience
in a concert with a camera. After that I went to
lots of small concerts with a camera. And now
it’s hard for me to be in a concert and just listen
to music; my eyes always search for possible
photography to take.
You’ve taken photos of many bands during the
Black Session and concerts or they’ve posed for
you. Do you know all of them or do you persuade
them?
I know really few of the artists who are on my
website in the concert sections. But I also have
some good friends in the list like people from The
Transmissionary Six, Flowers From The Man Who
Shot Your Cousin, Melmac... And I’m in touch
with some other ones (Jessica Bailiff, Rivulets,
Tara Jane O’Neil, Norfolk & Western...). In the
artist portrait section, it’s different as it’s usually
the artists or the label who asked me to take
photos. And usually I keep in touch with them.
Do you have any funny or weird memory that
took place during the concerts or the Black
Session shootings?
A few years ago I was in London to visit a friend
of mine and the American folk band Norfolk
& Western played there. I was excited to see
them and before the show I went to say hello.
I already knew them, they came to my flat to
play a hinah session and they introduced me to
Mark Linkous who was there to play a few songs
with them (Norfolk & Western was on tour with
Sparklehorse).
Yes, really exciting! But the show was really
strange... The sound of the small venue was
really crap, too loud, and in the scarce audience
there were three very drunk English people,
two men and a woman. During the set one of
the guys shouted all the time “Come on!” and
the woman came closer and closer to the band
and she took the banjo of Zak Riles who plays
now with Grails. After that the guy who shouted
came close to me and began to try and take my
camera... After the set I talked to the band and
they told me that it was the worst set they ever
did and they played faster and more rock than
usual because of this “Come on!” guy.
Do you make any music?
Oh no, I’m too bad for that! But I run a microlabel called hinah. At the beginning we released
21
cd-r albums of unknown artists. We released the
very first album from Devendra Banhart, crazy!)
Now we organize sometimes hinah sessions at
home and we put the recordings on the website.
What’s your favorite photo subject?
I really like taking portraits and I like when
there is more than the relationship between the
photographer and the subject, when it’s more
of a team, when the subjects give me ideas and
when it’s more a game between the two persons.
When it’s possible, the result is really better.
*What was your first and last camera?
I had never touched a camera before buying my
first one, it was an EOS 500 and I was 25... As
for the last one, it’s a digital one, an EOS 40D.
I wanted to have a digital reflex even though
I prefer taking pictures with film cameras,
especially with 6x6 cameras.
You are using many sites and uploading your
work on internet. Have you ever found your work
stolen and displayed in another site?
Yes, it happens sometimes. This year I
discovered that very small images of Eels had
been used in a booklet. Bu it’s often on blogs
run by music fans or I often see small images on
music websites like Last.fm uploaded by fans.
When it’s not for commercial work, it’s really not
a problem for me. I put the images on websites to
share them and I hope that people will like them.
I know that if I want to be sure to protect them I
have to keep everything for me... It’s definitely
not my way of thinking about photography.
Laurent Orseau:
http://lorseau.hinah.com/
http://www.flickr.com/photos/lorseau/
22
23
“It’s hard for me to be in a
concert and just listen to music;
my eyes always search for
possible photography to take.”
24
25
“I like the feeling
of being in a place
I don’t know.”
“There they are, there they are.”
26
Tolkien murmuring while nodding approvingly, looking at Pauline’s poster work featuring Frodo and Bilbo Baggins.
27
Illustration
Pauline Baynes, the artist and
illustrator who died on 1st of August
2008 at the age of 85, is well known for
her great favor for all of us; introducing
us with her prodigious drawings to
the magnificent worlds of CS Lewis’s
Narnia and JRR Tolkien’s Middle Earth.
The story of how she got Tolkien’s
attention is an example that
coincidences in life are sometimes
more than by luck:
Pauline Baynes
JRR Tolkien’s
beloved illustrator
It was 1948. Tolkien was paying a
visit to his publishers George Allen
& Unwin. He was going to discuss
some artwork that they had commissioned for his novella “Farmer
Giles of Ham”. The artworks were
highly disappointing. It was that
day that he spotted a pretty reinterpretation of a medieval marginalia made for Luttrell Psalter;
an illuminated manuscript written
and illustrated circa 1325-1335 by
anonymous scribes and artist. The
witty illustrations by the young
Pauline Baynes appealed to him
and he demanded that the artist
of the drawings be the one to illustrate his novella. He was overly
satisfied with the results and
asked for further collaborations.
Their lifelong friendship started
and developed ever since.
Rumors say Pauline Baynes has
told her close friends that she suspects if Tolkien’s wife ever read
his master piece supporting her
idea with a small anecdote;
During a visit to Tolkien with her
recently completed map of the
Middle Earth, Pauline would lay on
the table the illustration and talk
about how she illustrated the map
and presented the characters. At
the top were Frodo, Sam, Aragorn,
Gandalf, Boromir, Legolas, Gimli,
Merry and Pippin. At the bottom
were the 9 Nazgul, orcs and Gollum. On the right was the Shelob.
Tolkien loved the map very much,
only a minor spelling mistake he
mentioned. He called for his wife
Edith and said “Look what Pauline
has done!”. Edith looked at the
map examining it carefully and
said “Dear Lord, look at that spider!.
With more than 100 books she had
illustrated Pauline Baynes also
shared her imagination and talent
in magazines, advertisements and
greeting cards. A richly decorated
version of Koran was one of her
latest works and she was halfway through illustrating Aesop’s
Fables when she passed away, let
her soul rest in peace.
28 Sculpture
Interview / Post Punk & Indie
One of the most successful performers of post-punk/indie music in their home country, the Turkish
band The Revolters is fresh and energetic. The Istanbul-based band committed what some thought
would be delirious; they streamed an EP of 5 songs written and produced by the band online for free. If
it is a pleasure to make music, they surely know that it is a greater pleasure to share these days. Good
rhythms combined with good lyrics… The rest? A rapid succession; a huge audience of avid fans, a
song sent for a compilation which is going to be published in Great Britain and Ireland, concert deals
for international festivals, etc. We really love The Revolters; they are young, they are fun!
“Yet rarely do religious institutions
speak against the violations
committed in the name of God.”
Al Farrow
The Revolters
Sacred Guns
“I am not a gun person. My
fascination with guns is with
their function and use. It is the
ubiquitous presence, seeming
necessity and actual accessibility
of guns in our culture that
inspires my investigation. I
am interested in their impact
on society and cultures: Past,
Present and Future.
I do not personally use guns
(Except as a medium for making
art), so I was amazed at the
availability of gun related
paraphernalia when I started to
accumulate supplies for this body
of work.
I am also perpetually surprised
by the historical and continuing
partnership of war and religion.
The atrocities committed in acts
of war absolutely violate every
tenet of religion, yet rarely do
religious institutions speak
against the violations committed
in the name of God. Historically,
Popes have even offered eternal
salvation to those who fought on
their behalf (The crusades, etc.).
In my constructed reliquaries, I
am playfully employing symbols
of war, religion and death in a
facade of architectural beauty
and harmony. I have allowed my
interests in art history, archeology
and anthropology to influence the
work. The sculptures are an ironic
play on the medieval cult of the
relic, tomb art, and the seductive
nature of objects commissioned
and historically employed by
those seeking position of power.”
No excuse, yes music!
Born in Brooklyn, NY, Al Farrow
is an accomplished sculptor
in a wide variety of media
from bronze to clay. In his
unusual works, Farrow uses
the language of historical
periods, recontextualizing
weaponry, materials like glass
and human bone to make cogent
observations about the present
time. His most controversial
work “Reliquaries” concentrates
on militarism embedded in the
histories of the three major
religions using munitions -guns,
grenades, bombs, bones, bullets,
etc.- to make 3D sculptures of
Christian reliquaries, Islamic
mosques and Jewish menorah.
http://www.alfarrow.com/
29
30
Futuristika: Greetings to the topline postpunk band of Istanbul! We know that
the band was formed in 2006. Could you
tell us a bit of the band’s history?
Serhat: The band was formed in 2006 when I,
Berkan and Ibrahim got to know each other and
decided to make music together. After too many
changes of the drummer, Murat joined us. Since
that day we continue with these members.
Berkan: Not too much of an effort
except the drummer so to speak.
What are the disadvantages of making
music with an “English soul” in this
awkwardly beautiful city located
in between Europe and Asia?
Serhat: We prefer to say “English style”. The
soul thing changes according to the dynamics
of the music which could depend on love, hate,
desire –including the greed for money-, the city
you live in, your fears, etc. There is a reason or
karma of factors in the creation of our music
much like their home town did for Joy Division,
hate for Sex Pistols, fears for The Clash and
money for all the crap music of nowadays.
Berkan: The disadvantage is to play for
a newly formed -if not at all formed yetcrowd of people. All in all, there are many
superfluous bands out there supposedly Brit.
Serhat: There were many groups that the
audience was made to believe they are Brit
bands just because they made brit style covers
for years. The good thing is that they are not
around these days. Besides, compared to the
last few years, the audience is much more
conscious and there is more respect to artists
making their own music. I don’t think that they
will be interested in such groups anymore.
Murat: Or there are bands calling their music
brit, indie, etc. just to get the attention of
that audience. Ridiculous of course!
Serhat: There are also “copycats” which is
ludicrous. In the beginning there were some
“clever sports” copying our cover list, all of
a piece, adding here and there a few songs
from Duman, Mor ve Ötesi, etc.* looking for
a chance to take to the stage
in bars and festivals. Now they
are all at other professions.
You can’t make it happen if it
doesn’t happen of course!
Ibrahim: And recently there are
some musicians approaching in
a manner that is; “These guys,
with this style, saying that, broke
through… This must be the newest
trend so let’s do the same!”...
Frankly it surprises us to see our
interview dialogues after a month
repeated in an interview with
another band in the same magazine.
Berkan: There is a “These guys
oozed to the veins so let’s say
the same and gather the bounty”
touch, we watch in awe.
Murat: This compilation is due
to the end of October. It is yet
another exciting fact that it is
going to be published as an
LP as well as the CD format.
Serhat: We are a band taking steps
inclined towards the western market
after all. Working with such names
is something to be proud of since
we are so at the beginning of these
steps. We always had the idea that
everything would be earlier and
faster if we were in England. But in
any case, if you make good music,
it pays you back. At least we see
that complaints like “why we are in
this country, if we were in England
we have already made it…” are all
excuses. You can do it anywhere.
By the beginning of August, your
song “Step By Step” was chosen
for a compilation which is going
to be published in Great Britain
and Ireland. The project includes
Allan Robinson who worked with
musicians like Velvet Underground
and Lou Reed and maybe more
weighty, Madchester’s legendary
man Andy Macpherson. We think
that’s superb! Congratulations.
How about some details?
Ibrahim: A representative of The
White Records getting in contact
with us via our website told us
that they would like to include
our song “Step By Step” to a
compilation. Later on they faxed
the details such as the agreement,
etc. And so we did what we were
supposed to do sending them
the raw records of the song.
How do you benefit from the way
you use the internet as a band?
What are the good uses of the
internet for The Revolters?
Murat: There is a vital importance
of the internet for us in terms of
sharing our music, having our music
listened. Not only for us surely, for
all the independent musicians. What
we do is not so different than the
others. We didn’t attempt to make
a record, an exclusive promotion
and so on. We just put our music out
there. Our music promoted itself.
Where do you see The Revolters in
the future? Plans, goals, wishes…?
Berkan: Since the band was formed,
there always were the plans and
the goals. What we have achieved
in short periods triggered what we
are gonna make happen in longer
31
periods. Right now we are
in the process of preparations
for an album. During this year
we are planning on concerts
abroad. We have already come
to an agreement for a festival
in England by next summer.
Murat: We have also started
preparations for a video clip. We
will have a couple of meetings
about this in a few days.
Ibrahim: Our plans are always on
being a great band. We are aware
that we have managed a lot of
things in a short time when we look
back to 2 years of our past, in spite
of the circumstances in Turkey.
Serhat: The Revolters is a band
placing the future on stronger
grounds with all the things it
is doing. Though it is always
the best to wait and see.
The Revolters:
Serhat Erman (vokal, gitar)
Berkan Tomay (synth, gitar)
Ibrahim Kent (bas)
Murat Sahin (Davul)
http://www.myspace.
com/therevolters/ http://
www.therevolters.com/
*Both are pretty acknowledged as
the best rock bands in Turkey.
32
33
Interview / Literature
William S. Burroughs
You have to be alive to survive!
The year 1968 marked many changes. It marked new beginnings and signaled
many ends or vice versa, still many lives changed. For a glimpse back to those
years, here is the Rat interview with William S. Burroughs. We are all ears!
Rat: The movement is developing a different
definition of news, a different description of
what is important. If we controlled a television
station, our news would be substantially
different than Walter Cronkite.
Burroughs: If we controlled television,
then we control America.
What would it mean if we had one station? We
could, like the German SDS, make a demand for
TV time. And then escalate our demand to a whole
channel. What would happen if we got a channel?
We got to get them all. As soon as we get them
all, we control this whole stupid middle class.
We’ve got America.
You think the war is going to be fought out among
the middle class and not among the poor?
Yes. Of course there is a way of eliminating the
whole stupid middle class.
Yah, you know, you saw Daley’s program. They
talked about how there were plans to even
put LSD in the water supply. Of course that’s
unworkable because LSD is an acid and a base
neutralizes it, so it never could go through the
water system. But let’s say something like LSD
could be put into a water supply of a city, what
do you think it would do?
Well, I’m all for eliminating the whole stupid
bourgeois middle class. I think the whole strata
should be eliminated.
Do you think as human beings they are even alive?
They’re not alive. They’re talking tape recorders.
It’s not a question of eliminating human beings;
it’s a question of eliminating walking tape
recorders.
Their children are realizing that too. That’s one
reason long hair scares them. So, their own
children are throwing it up, saying, “Your lives are
nothing. Your lives are dead plastic existences.”
Yeah. It’s not a question of eliminating human
beings; it is a question of turning off tape
recorders.
Do you think the poor are less tape recorders?
Much less. They’ve been up against something.
They have to be alive to survive.
And the middle class person has to be dead to
survive. Because if he’s alive, he gets kicked out.
He gets squashed in the system, like a bug among
the gears. If the guy in the office shows any streak
of originality, of individuality, then he’s crushed.
Because his boss can’t stand that. If he questions
why should I push these papers around, BAMM,
he’s crushed.
Those alive in this system are the people on the
bottom.
“It’s not a
question of
eliminating
human beings;
it’s a question
of eliminating
walking tape
recorders.”
futuristikamag.com