Felt Zine is back yet again with Issue 51! Peep the interactive issue here:
Experience “Psylence Them,” a collaborative project helmed by photographer Nina Hawkins and digital artist Lenore Melo in partnership with the Los Angeles-based creative direction firm, Psylence. This series of visuals, brought to fruition through the modeling talents of Aida, takes a decidedly cyberpunk approach to showcasing Psylence’s techno-gothic garments.
Lenoremelo & Nina Hawkins are Los Angeles-based photographers & visual 3D artists exploring beauty through photography, filmmaking, virtual staging, styling, art direction, as well as 3D art + motion graphics.
What are the main ideas of this work?
Nina Hawkins: “I think one of the main ideas of my work [in general] is that Beauty comes from within and is translated via personality. The fashion industry has always dictated conventional beauty standards, but these days we are finally slowly breaking the boundaries of gender/race/shape/age stereotypes. I think it’s important to be able to see the beauty in anyone and bring out what makes them unique, via art of looking and capturing that edge.”
What particular methods and challenges are you faced with in your work?
Lenore Melo: I have a lot of inspiration and I like to work in different mediums so sometimes it’s really hard to tune into which direction to pursue. I’m still currently in the process of finding my own voice and my own style. I don’t want to be an artist that does the same thing over and over. I love being able to explore my capabilities and see wherever my inspirations take me. Usually if I have an idea, I’m like fuck it, let’s do it. I try not to let myself be intimidated and to just put out pieces that really feels good to me. If I feel like I’m not able to fully achieve a concept because I’m not technically skilled in another area, working with other people, such as Nina, really helps complete the vision.
Nina Hawkins: Camera definitely helped me to become more social. I was pretty introverted in school and had to learn how to get out of my shell. But I’d still choose working on my laptop over human communication. =) My work helps me define and discover my personality, and I think my creative voice is only growing stronger as I get older.
Where are you located? How has it effected your work?
Nina Hawkins: Currently located in LA since October 2017, but prior to moving here lived in Russia, Ukraine, China, Bali, Vietnam, Austin TX. I’m very grateful to live in LA and be exposed to so many different cultures and opportunities, I feel so lucky to work and collaborate with the industry professionals and learn from them. The city has definitely opened a lot of doors for me. I can see a lot of improvement in the quality and speed of work and been building up my commercial portfolio since I moved over here.
Does the web impact your work as a source of inspiration or merely as a presentation of the work?
NH: Means of presenting the work. I do find references via pinterest but I try to find inspiration in music and things/beings surrounding me. I have been feeling a bit upset of how much influence social media has right now, creating addiction and ruining ability to communicate.
Catch more Lenore Melo on:
Instagram
Twitter
Lenore Melo
Catch more Nina Hawkins on:
Instagram
Facebook
Nina Hawkins
Photographer: Nina Hawkins @ninanhawkins
Animations: Lenore Melo @lenoremelo
Designer/Stylist: Tyce – http://www.psylencethem.com @intyceyou
Hair & Makeup: Elena Bracks @elenakhlo
Model: Aida @arayabuaa
Music: Taylor Dexter @tay_dex
Written By: Dev Moore & Ned Daniel
Felt Zine Issue #51 is now available online here: Issue #51