Music culture and New York skyline

Not only is she the founder of HOW WE ARE holding photos, interviews and films, celebrating hardcore, punk, hip hop, and independent music culture. She is also a very talented photographer from NYC (US). 

Take a look through Angela Datres camera lens with a few shots here on the blog and go to her own website for more…and more. 

Skyline

Sun setting

All materials are copyrighted by Angela Datres

Where is your HEARTLAND?

For all of you Down Under. There is contemporary Art from South Australia in Adelaide. 

HEARTLAND is an exhibition of contemporary art from South Australia that hopes to generate new ways of thinking about who and where we are. It is running until the 8th of September. 

Heartland

Go to their website to explore more and see a small video. If you really want to involve you can upload your own heartland.

STELLAQ&A met the artist Mia Christopher, about donuts, love and her next show.

With her poetic and whimsical universes, the Californian artist Mia Christopher creates her beautiful prints and art work. The young artist graduated from California and has already had several exhibitions in Beijing, Portland and San Fransisco. The next exhibition she´s making is at the `Little Big Space`, in Albany - California. 

-What's on your mind today?

Mostly donuts.

-What are you working on at the moment?

Mini zines of collected iphone images, latex sculptures, and preparing for my upcoming show at Little Big Space in Albany, California in October.

-What inspires you and why?

Happy surprises, tiny special things that are often overlooked, nonsensical fragments of speech.

-What did you want to become when you grew up?

A vet or a pastry chef.

-Are you in Love?

With all of the flowers.

-What time of the day is your favorite?

The morning. I am most productive in the morning and the air and light is usually best then. 

- Who do you admire the most in the world? 

Anyone who makes days better for anyone else.

     

-What is your best summer memories from your childhood?

Walking the hills behind the house I lived in in Northern California, making up stories with my friends and picking sourgrass.

-What is your favorite dessert and why?

All of the desserts! Because I love them.

-Where do you get your energy from?

coffeecoffeecoffeecoffeecoffee

-What do you dream about?

I have a lot of nightmares actually, it can be kind of a bummer. 

-What makes you laugh?

Arrested Development. And my cat, Bruno. He's a funny little alien cat and he likes to make funny noises and hold his paw up to greet me.

Thank You Mia 

                                 

                                                                           -Line Jarde-

STELLAQ&A met the talented Julie Broegger, who is Head Designer of Preen By Thornton Bregazzi

Preparations for the London Fashion Week has started  and for the British brand Preen by Thornton Bregazzi, witch is known for their beautiful prints, simplicity, and slouchy-futuristic elegance, is it not an exception.

I caught the Head Designer for Preen, Julie Broegger last week, in the middle of her preparations for the Preen fashion show, which they will exhibit on the 15th of September, during London Fashion Week.
  The Danish beauty and hardworking designer moved to London after she finished her degree from The Royal danish academy of fine arts. 

Hey Julie, 

What’s on your mind to day?

that there is less than a month to Preen LFW show. Where did the summer go?

What are you working on at the moment?

SS14 show collection. I'm really exited about, think we're onto something very special

What inspires you and why?

Mostly people, great friends. But also a few favourite museums like TATE Modern, V & A Museum, Louisiana Kunst Museum, Statens Museum for Kunst, are all some I return to for inspiration.

What did you want to be when you grew up?

Someone that spends her days with horses. My life was all about horses gowing up, and some of my best friends are still from that time.

Are you in Love?

Very much so. :) 

What time of the day is your favorite?

 Definitely mornings. I love mornings, I wake up very early so I have lots of time for a good breakfast and a long walk with our dog Preben, and a fresh coffee from my local Italian. Then it can only be a good day

What is your best summer memories from your childhood?

Going to Hven, a small island in Øresund. It is one of my favorite places. I was just there a weeks ago when I was home on holiday. I hadn't been there for 5 year so it was a nostalgic trip back to childhood. Biking around the island with my dad, stopping for pick and mix sweets and then dinner on my parents boat watching the sunset over Nordsjaelland. To me me that is summer perfection.

What is your favourite dessert and why?

uhh... I'm a kid's sweets person. Don't care about cakes and ice creams. But scandinavian sweets makes me feel truly happy, well at least till the sugar buzz is over... I guess it must be linked to childhood memories as well, spending my pocket money on candy on a Saturday

    

 Where do you get your energy from?

Judging from above, sweets... But apart from that creativity and inspiration is what gives me energy. If I get into an idea I'll work on it non stop. I truly think creativity is a powerful drug. I think this is why I love what I do so much. It gives me a high every day

What do you dream about?

 Right now there is no time for the big beautiful dreams, so it is mostly about that hour after the show where everything went well (knock on wood) and the whole team is relieved and happy and go for a nice meal.

What makes you laugh?

My dog's slight overbite, my boyfriend dancing hip hop, and every single one of my friends. Danish satire Lex og Klatten still make me cramp up too.... (my sense of humour hasn’t evolved since the 90s apparently)

What is your favorite place in Copenhagen?

because I live in London my favorite place is where ever my friends are. When I'm in Copehagen they and my family are the most important thing and where doesn’t matter. 

Preen by Thornton Bregazzi
RTW Fall 2013

Thank you, Julie :) 

                                                                  - Line Jarde -

White pages

Today sharing book og photoart from Cara Barar Photography in the US. Their portfolio is worth a look and a sigh.
We love them white pages.

White pages

ALL RIGHTS RESERVED HOUSTON WEB DESIGN

Shadows that rock your world

Oldfashioned shadows (sold)

Come into the shadows and meet the beautiful art of Isabella Ampoule. She is an autodact artist with a background in social science and fashion.

Her work focuses on the interplay between human beings and society, shedding light on how the shadows of our surroundings define us. So they do! We love her illustrations and hope you will too.

Who said they can't have shadows? (sold)

Se more of Isabellas art here or buy her art here.

STELLAQ&A - Whipped cream & moroccan mandarin trees - Karen Segall - We met her for a small chat..

She did an art shop installation for the Berlin based shop - KONK, cover art for the danish band - The Floor Is Made Of Lava and many illustration prints for designers.
We had a chat with the very talented danish artist -  Karen Segall

                                                      Karen Segall                  Photo by: Julia Klug

What’s on your mind to day?-I got three deadlines, secret stuff, secret stuff and a an epic exhibition. How it will be possible to eat lovely cakes everyday, and that i really need to have a little helper to clean my apartment.   

What are you working on at the moment?-I'm working on an exhibition for I do art lab - 06.09.2013. Besides that ,I create pictures for upcomming Kurato.dk exhibitions, a new art-to-wear collection is on the paper, and something i can't say anything about yet. 

What inspires you and why?-Mostly emotions, feelings, random pictures, characteristic human beings, the dark side, sounds, culture, the world   

Karen Segall - Work in progres for the exhibition

What did you want to be when you grew up?

-It's always been rather designer or artist. I think it was being an artist before I knew what a designer was.

Are you in Love
-In the idea of being it. I'm in love all the time, i have so many emotions, and is really super sensitive so it happens all the time in the smallest things, human beings and material stuff 



What time of the day is your favorite? -When I can see the sun sets in the horizont

Karen Segall - Work in progres for the exhibition

What is your best summer memories from your childhood?-Standing in the low water outside of Sønderho, Fanø looking for amber feeling the bottom of the ocean.

What is your favorite dessert and why?
-Everything with whipped cream. It 's a fix.

Where do you get your energy from?- The fantasy, the world, real food, leaving this city as often as possible, doing what I want, sleeping until noon on a wednesday if needed, a creative storage space in my mind that grows like my moroccan mandarin tree.

Karen Segall - Work in progres for the exhibition

What do you dream about?

-Doing more, doing it larger.
What makes you laugh?

-Honesty, because it's so real. Everything that doesn't try to be something it aren't. 

What is your favorite place in Copenhagen?
-I can't say, having a thing about always trying to escape. Maybe my kitchentable.

Thank you, Karen :) 

Interview by: Line Juul Jarde

Office music chill

Usually we don't post music on the Stella blog but today a new album PARACOSM by Washed Out is on the street and we have been listening to it all day. With this lovely cover too, we simply have to share.

Flowers all the way.

PARACOSM by Washed Out

STELLAQ&A // LOUISE ALENIUS - Meet the talented composer of the Elephant man - Summer ballet 2013

She´s 100% driven by her passion and seeks intensity everywhere in life. Music has always been part of her life and now she has created the most beautiful music for the summer ballet Elephant Man which will premiere at the Bellevue Theatre tomorrow, Saturday. I had the great pleasure to have a little chat with the talented composer, Louise Alenius, about love, energy and music.

How are you today ?
 -I´m great, thank you..

What´s on your mind these days?
 -Wuuii, I have a lot these days… Just got back from Paris, where my second home is.
And then there's premiere of the summer ballet - Elephant Man on Saturday at the Theatre Bellevue, I am the composer, so Im incredibly excited of course !

What do you dream about?
-I dream of being able to be in two places at once. And being able to read other peoples mind.

Where do you get your energy from?
-I am 100% driven by my passion for what I do, and seeks intensity everywhere in life. this applies to my work with music, human relations, my family and the way I choose to live. I think that passion is my primary source of energy, I feel the energy quickly disappear out of me when I'm not passionate.

What is your favorite place in Copenhagen?
-I love my neighborhood Gammelholm behind Kongens Nytorv. There live some wonderful people! Luckily there is still a little desolate down in Harbour Street, where it is mostly the locals who hang out, but I fear a little, that it ends up being just as crowded as Bryggen. To be completely honest, I do not much want to share that part of town with all other :) I love to be in a quiet neighborhood in the middle of the city.

What makes you laugh?
-Some of my friends really make me laugh. And absurd situations like building on together! I laugh unfortunately also incredibly often at the wrong times-when someone falls or say something wrong, or when something is extremely embarrassing!
When I have a hangover and still have a party-feeling in my body, I'm pretty interested in bad humor too.

Are you in love?
-Yes!!  I am very much in love.. Nelson, my little son at 2, is my biggest crush at the moment – his father is really hot tooJ

How would you describe your musical universe?
-The ‘Elephant Man’ is both modern and classic. In a way it has a cinematic touch because it is very melodic and melancholic, dramatic and it has a strong epic narrative. It's great emotion and grand gestures, but it can also be very understated and expressive.
Three words describe it very well:
Seductive, expressive and engaging.
Incredibly reluctant - The listener should enter and search it them self.
People often tell me that the more they listen to my music, the more they like it – That is the greatest compliment in my world!

ALBUM - NOW IN ITUNES

 What are you listening at the moment?
-I work a lot, so I listen to my own music a big part of the day. Often when I am done, I need some silence. But otherwise I really like the Korean duo (Su: M). I love Nino rota, Patrick Watson, Bach and some modern Japanese composers that I just started listening to.

Have you been to a place where you musical was inspired?
-Last year we went to Bali for two month 10 people together. there was the wild folkloristic music scene, and the Balinese music has a very special sound (everything is organised but it can sound totally random if you don’t know better), that inspired me in a project I made when I came back to Denmark.


Where does this passion for music comes from and have you always wanted to be a composer?
-It was not a choice I made, music has just always been there.
I have always had melodies in my head. Then I started to sing the melodies, and after that I began to compose the music around my melodies, so they sounded exactly as I heard them in my head. I hope that I will never stop making music – I think I would be very unhappy.


Do you have a secret place or a place where you can be creative charged?
-Yes it's Paris, our second home. That’s my creative booster.
It is the most inspiring place for me.
It's not only about the architecture and the beautiful people, and the rich cultural life. it's a lot about the mentality and the way you meet people. I feel very free in Paris, and I have a daily feeling that everything can happen – I need that in my life, when it gets too controlled I get bored.


The Music from the summer ballet - Elephant man by louise Alenius is now in  Itunes. 

                                                        By: Line Jarde

STELLAQ&A - VITAMIN PILLS AND DRAWINGS - AMANDA LILHOLT

She loves to try new drawing techniques, she´s fascinated by Bauhus and finds inspiration in the everday life and life's little quirks. 

Keep a good eye on the talented Amanda Lilholt,  she goes to The Royal Danish Academy of Fine Arts. 

StellaQ&A met her in Copenhagen for at small chat...

Hello Amanda, how are you to day?

 Im feeling great, I enjoy my holidays so much.

 What´s on your mind to day?

 I really enjoy my holidays, and then I look forward to begin in school again, we are going to have a lot of exciting projects next year. I also look forward to exhibit at the FindersKeepers event in September and besides that I have some other exiting project that i´m working on.

What are you working on at the moment?

 I just become a member of a gallery called 42Gallery, which I might do an exhibition with. But it´s still in progress. 

 Besides that, am I working on two different print collections, one called "faceless" and the other will be called "Vpill prints" which stands for vitamin pill. I did some experiments and painted with vitamin pills, which was incredibly fun.  

I like to try new methods, new techniques.

How would you describe your style?

Unconventional.

I think I see qualities in things that others might not see anything in. I always start my process analog and turn it to digital.

 Do you have a favorite room or a secret place?

We have a rooftop at art school, where you can see Copenhagen Opera on your left hand and the entire Copenhagen on the right. It's fantastic and very inspiring place to draw.

What is the most beautiful thing you can think of?

Love between two people. Love is really important to keep in mind. I think it's important to follow your heart and your gut feeling.

 What inspires you and why?

People around me inspires me. My friends, family and the city I live in - Copenhagen. Otherwise just my everyday life, sometimes inspiration comes without me thinking about it again.

But yes people and personalities inspire me a lot. I am fascinated by people who are good at what they do.

What is your favourite time of the day?

I'm never awake quite early in the morning, but the times I have, I think it's absolutely fantastic. There is so quiet and peaceful and I get quiet to think my thoughts finished without any interrupts one. Elles is my favorite time of the afternoon. I love to take a coffee break at 3-4 time and chill a little before school or work continues

What did you want to be when you grew up?

haha.. I wanted to play football, I'm very much a tomboy. I have a twin brother and an older brother that I have stumbled around and would contribute to what they were doing.

What is your favorite dessert and why?

I am not a dessert girl, and I do not like sweets. It's probably a little weird.

But if I had to choose a dessert, would I prefer a chocolate raw cake.  I'm kind of health freak,  which comes from my parents.

  

Female features

Christian Ward is a talented freelance illustrator (UK). He uses digital art software, e.g. Photoshop to create beautiful illustrative portraits of both men and women.

Water baby

We especially like his portraits of women with what appears to be only a few strokes. Within every illustration you sense the love and uniqueness of the woman pictured. Take a stroll in the CW universe. 

Whisp

Illustrations © Christian Ward

StellaQ&A - We met the new fashion talent Mathilde Maalouf

She finds her inspiration from art, architecture. Good craftsmanship and high level of ambition, are the key words behind the new talented designer, Mathilde Maalouf. During the Copenhagen Fashion Week  next week, Mathilde Maalouf will participate at the Designer´s NEST


Mathilde Malouf participate in the gone further in Muuse x Vogue talent contest and just got further in it.
Please give here your vote here.


Stella had a chat with her...

What are you working on at the moment?
At the moment I’m focus on to end my MA-project. I have been exhibiting at koldinghus, had a show at Børsen  and been chosen to participate in designers nest during Copenhagen fashion week.

Besides that there is so mush that needs to be done: homepage, portfolio. Future carrier planning and so on.

How would you describe your design?

My design reflects an appreciation of details, god craftsmanship and clean, minimalistic silhouettes. 

What inspires you?

My mane inspiration is mostly other artist: Photographers, painters, architects ect. Who have an aesthetic that speak directly to me.

Materials in general inspires me a lot. I find it interesting and rewarding in a design process to experiment with and be challenged by the material, as these experiments often bring the detail or quality that makes the design unique, exciting and forward-thinking. 

What did you want to be when you grew up?

Working with baby animals in a residential or zoo.

I have a soft spot for baby animals, I don’t think I would be really good at the job, so it’s perfect for the animals that I chose to study and work with fashion instead.

Who are your heroes and why?

Rebekka Bay has been my hero for a while now. She was the former Creative director at COS in London, where I did my internship at in 2011 and where I meet her the first time. Then for a short period she was Creative director at Bruuns Bazaar and now she is at GAP in New York.

She is really good at what she do, and its really learnful and rewarding to be around her. 

What are your future projects?

For now my future project is to get a job as a designer. Learn how to work with fashion in ”the real world”. The ultimate goal for the future is to start my own brand ”Mathilde Maalouf”

What is the most beautiful thing you can think of?

My son Frej,  and when I sleep peacefully in his bed next to him.  

What is your best summer memories from your childhood? 

African dance and music festival called “Utamaduni” on Djursland together with my mom and my siblings. 

What is your favorite moment of the day and why? 

My favorite moment of the day is when I put Frej to bed, and I can lean back, sit with my computer and just surf around and do nothing specific.