When you hear band Pet Ghost Project’s newest album, Winter Variations, you will understand the buzz on Brooklyn’s newest musical treasure.  The band, originally a west coast creation, has a sound so rich in layers upon layers of sound that you can’t help but be quite taken with it. Justin Stivers (original member and creator of PGP) creates these musical compositions with an intense amount of thought. What a concept right?  An artist who creates his art with the utmost determination, consideration, and imagination.  Whiskey Dregs had the opportunity to hear more about the band with the melodic architect himself…

Ellen Donbeck: What’s the history behind Pet Ghost Project? Was the band originally a solo project?

Justin Stivers: Well, it started as a recording project right after high school.  I began experimenting with sounds, song structure, musical ideas, and things of that nature. I was always in other bands, so Pet Ghost was really something on the side at first. Over time, it slowly morphed into something I wanted to invest more and more time into, running with different ideas and concepts seemed endless.

EB: When did the other members become involved?

JS: Justin Gonzales and Jacob More joined the fray about 3 albums in, over 2 years ago.  Chris Patin moved from Austin, Texas earlier this year and has been with us for about 6 months or so.  Things have changed quite a bit over the last couple of years and definitely for the best.  In the studio and on stage, these guys are tops.  They push the songs in so many different directions, and our live show is a totally different beast. I got really lucky meeting these fellows…but that’s why I moved to Brooklyn, to meet folk like this.

EB: Your sound, undoubtedly developed with each move — from Seattle to Portland to now Brooklyn, does your music feel experimental in its composition or do you feel like Pet Ghost Project calls home to a particular sound?

JS: Yeah, Pet Ghost Project certainly changes things up on the listener an awful lot. But that’s something I really want in my “ideal band”, not to feel tied to anything. As I’ve moved to different cities, I’ve absorbed new influences and new sounds. I’m in a constant state of change (as we all are), and I guess the music reflects that side of me.  Again, it’s just really nice to not be pinned down to a particular sound or style.  It gives us more to work with and a lot more places to go musically. Sometimes not having a particular direction in mind is a good thing; it opens up many possibilities.

As a producer and recording engineer, I’m finding my sound a lot more, getting the science and math of the whole thing down pretty good. That’s always the struggle, capturing the sounds how you want them, though we’re also getting better on that front too.  I wear many different masks in this band, as you can tell; I guess we all do.

EB: In your Bio you call Brooklyn the ‘promise land’, how was living in Brooklyn influenced your sound?

Brooklyn has been pretty kind to me. Lots of opportunity here, something I was not really accustomed to.  Over the last couple of years, to be surrounded by the sheer amount of stimuli swirling around, it’s hard not to be inspired. Pretty awesome.

EB: The album is hard yet sentimental and very beautiful, you shift from such a diverse group of sounds over and over within a track, where does that inspiration come from?

JS: Hard to say exactly where.  We are influenced by so many things, whether it’s all the madness shakin’ down in our lives, or just the bands and music we love. Combination of the two, I suppose.
EB: Your vocals are really good and used sparingly, do you feel too many vocals takes away from the music which is already so full and rich in its composition?

Thanks.  This particular album was done in one session. We had to execute around 40 minutes of music as best we could, and having the least amount of vocals made sense to us. This started as a “live in the studio” session for BreakThru Radio and accidentally turned into an album.  I took the tracks home, messed with them, and it morphed into what you hear before you.

EB: What’s your favorite track on the new album?

JS: I’m pretty happy with how “drunk and smiling at heaven” turned out. We took a 2 minute song I recorded way back and turned it into a 7 minute extravaganza.

EB: What has been your experience playing the album live?

JS: The tracks on winter variations are pretty much entirely live.  The songs grew from the rehearsal room to the stage, and they happened to find a home on this album.  It’s been fun seeing these songs progress and morph into something completely different, and I’m glad we captured some of that energy on these recordings.  Believe it or not, this is more or less how we sound live.

EB: What’s next for the band?

JS: We have a lot on our plate, including our big record release show at Cameo Gallery Sept. 10th, with our good friends Quiet Loudly, MiniBoone, and Gunfight!  We’re really looking forward to that. Shortly thereafter will be our little east coast tour (dates to be announced on our site very soon) occurring mid-September. We also have another tour plotted for mid-October.  It looks like we will be pretty busy this fall. And we’d have it no other way.

Andrzej Szczygiel

Andrzej Szczygiel is a D.C. based artist who sketches, paints, and draws a multitude of both intoxicating and frightening imagery using various tools and instruments. Originally from Poland, his parents were skilled painters and sketch artists. Sadly under communism, the life of an artist was not a path they could choose.  With unending support, they instead encouraged their son to embrace his talents and possibilities.

As an individual, Andrzej is as captivating as his work.  He’s loud and passionate, charming and thoughtful.  His energy is infectious and when speaking with him, I realized by the end of the conversation I was screaming too, with a giant grin on my face, much like him.  His work takes you for the same ride.

I told the artist his sketches looked like a beautiful gorgeous dream and a horrid nightmare were sitting down for a romantic candlelit dinner.  He had this to say, “Ha ha, It’s pretty accurate. The funny part is that the nightmare element is not “nightmarish” for me. I’ve heard opinions that my drawings are scary or that they suggest some kind of dark thoughts but I do not find those feelings in me when I draw. At least that is what I think.

“I was always interested in paintings from late medieval ages and early Renaissance (Bosch, the Brueghels, Grunewald), when everything was a little bit gloomy and dark in other people’s eyes but I actually find those paintings…very uplifting. The only thing that I can say is that I do not “force” my works to have any definite mood. All I care about is trying to get close to whatever image I have in my thoughts.”

click for a better look

click for a better look

Much like his emotional impulsiveness, Andrzje works intermittently with whatever instrument seems to be available to him in the moment. “Some ideas stay in me long enough to be painted, some need to be sketched on a piece of paper or on the computer.”  A good amount of Andrzej’s work is done on the computer using an analog, a tablet with a pen that moves as though one is drawing on a piece of paper. He finds his work that is composed on the computer to be some of the best because it’s in its most immediate emotional form. However, he prefers pencils, charcoal, ink, acrylics, and watercolor.

The subject matter is subjective.  Andrzej’s work revolves around his environment indubitably, but he says his prime focus is his own interactions and how these interactions are interpreted. “They create images that pop out in front of me.”  Having been engrossed in two entirely different cultures during his life, Andrzej finds the imagery gives his life explanation.  “It calms me down, allows me to think about things that affect me in everyday life and organizes my thoughts.” The artist continues, “I don’t really know how to describe my work, that’s probably why I draw. It’s more or less direct transition of something that shows in my head and needs to go out.  The closest thing I can relate it to is having a dream that you do not forget in the morning, plus the dream forces you to put it on paper or screen in some way.”

Photograph by Kathryn Anders

By Ellen Donbeck

You have heard me tell this story
Many times before you sleep
This time listen carefully
And I will tell you once again
But this time understand that what I’m telling you
Every single word is true.

- The Protomen “Unrest in the House of Light”

The Protomen are best explained as a rock band inspired by the famous video game series Mega Man. Though their cult following and loyal fan base statewide may correlate the two entities as one in the same, I beg to differ. These talented musicians who dress in full costume (and use code names on and off stage) have developed their fan base on their performances alone.

I first saw Protomen in the creators home turf of Nashville, TN in 2006. Seeing them this time in New York City’s Santos Part House, the crowd packed, singing along with everyday single word, I wasn’t surprised. This band is badass.

Photograph by Kathryn Anders

There is really nobody else like them.  Going to their show is not only musically unique in it’s delivery but a truly theatrical experience. In traditional rock- opera style, Protomen grabs the microphone with his right hand, left arm pointed high towards the crowd in avenges and truth.  He tells you a story, a story of struggle and survival, which is to be heard by you, his protege. Band members sing along and play their instruments in such a way that you can only turn to your neighbor and say something along the lines of “damn…” or “holy shit.” These guys…and lovely ladies, can rock.  The Protomen experience is backed by a group of ridiculously talented vocalist and instrumentalist.  The lyrics are strong, the music hard and catchy, and the performance passionate and wildly entertaining. When you leave their show you think…that was kind of a play, or a rally, or a some kind of cult movement, or I’m not really sure what that was, but you can be sure to see a fucking amazing rock show.

 Band members agree that the Protomen experience is tailored to the venue and the fans. Bigger cities sell tickets and feed the energy that is the band. It is their live performances that win over their fans but the records that truly resonated with their cult following, a true community of fans.

Hans Bellmer has nothing to do with his post. We just like his pretty structures.

Some of us are providential enough to have a person, place, maybe even a thing that pushes us to be something extraordinary. When I was at University, I arrived at my first class of the semester, script writing, expecting to receive a rigorous syllabus of my expectations of the coming months. Instead, my professor — Dr. Hutchins — said there would be no syllabus for the semester and we all could spend the semester writing “whatever we want.” Easy A, I thought, this professor was lazy. However, the effect was bizarre, I found myself taking hours of work from my other courses to devote time to writing whatever I wanted. I realized how hungry for this freedom of unlimited self-expression I really was.

I learned more about myself as a writer and as a person in those 3 months with Dr. Hutchins. Over the years, my professional writing career has been something less…freeing. Deadlines, schedules, and expectations have transpired to something frankly…that pays, especially working in the theatre.

My first artist profile — Jeremy Earhart, the plexi-glass installation artist, was a proud moment for me. I realized I was somewhere beautiful, a place where I can encourage, promote, and learn about artist who color outside the lines and write about them! Since my interview with Jeremy, I have had the opportunity to meet with artist, bands, and performers who are truly unique and inspiring in their quest for creating something that mirrors the creative individual they are.

When I met the amazing Carlos Detres somewhere between a beer and a cigarette, I was fortunate enough to have that opportunity I once upon a time received. Through the dregs, I again have been able to release my voice and throw the rules out the window.

All hail the Whiskey Dregs, happy birthday you sexy bitch.

Like most worthwhile things in New York City, I first happened upon the People’s Improv Theatre by word of mouth. I heard they had free improv shows on Wednesday nights, so I took my boyfriend and sister to check it out.

After passing the place a couple times, under scaffolding we finally found a bright read door that lead to a staircase filed with photos and flyers about anything and everything theatrical. As we entered the lobby, the house staff gave us each a card to save a seat for the next show, which started in twenty minutes. We took the card, grabbed a beer from the bar and had a seat in the lobby where couches and chairs were filled with people hanging out and laughing.

Immediately we all noticed that it felt like we were in a living room, a family living room and everybody was related, except us. It wasn’t unfriendly, everyone was smiling and welcoming, but it seemed as though a bar full of regulars. We must have looked like newbie’s, because a gentleman came up to us, who I later learned was founder and owner Ali Farahnakian, smiled and asked us if we wanted to sneak into the current show going on while we waited. He led us through the side door and we fell straight into a small stage room, on the stage two actors were standing on chairs screaming and the audience was laughing in hysterics. Not too long after we settled into our seats, we were laughing with them. These guys are funny! The show was raw, wild, and smart. Everyone on stage was so comfortable with each other and they looked like they were having a blast. As the show ended, the actors bowed, the audience clapped and cheered, and I realized we have found some place really special. Since my first show at the PIT, I’ve been back several times, and brought friends who have also become regulars to their Wednesday night shows.

I really wanted to learn more about the inner workings of the PIT, so I emailed the address given on the website, expecting to probably hear nothing back only to find only a few minutes later a message from the owner himself saying I could come by anytime and he’d love to help me out. This was my first insight as to what makes the PIT so special, Ali Farahnakian is a truly kind hearted individual that loves to help others.

I met up with him at the PIT early on a Wednesday evening before their apparently popular free evening of improv began. First I noticed that girls were having some sort of bake sale in the lobby this time, selling chocolates and cookies they had made. “A lot of great people work here,” he tells me. Farahnakian, who has been a teacher for almost twenty years, first became involved in improv in college. He watched every episode of Saturday Night Live, which inspired him to do sketches with his fraternity. He went on to become a founding member of the Upright Citizens Brigade, studied at Improv Olympic, became a Second City actor, a writer for SNL, a writer for Law and Order, and a long list of television and film credits. So what inspired this man to open a tiny theatre like the PIT?

He simply wanted to do something different. “I didn’t want to be just another cog in something that was already moving.” Farahnakian describes himself as a teacher who is a small business owner. The PIT, now seven years old, is not only a performance space but also an improv and writing workshop where Farahnakian and other teachers hold a variety of classes he has hired along the way, some of them once his own students. Teaching is his passion and favorite thing about the PIT. “If you’re a teacher, you have that piece inside of you. Above all I want to leave places and people better than I found them.” He admits he loves teaching others how to play make believe and how when we are young that ability comes so naturally to us, along the way we lose it. “The PIT is full of people that simply like to play make believe.” I mention the oblivious family feeling when you enter the theatre. Farahnakian agrees and explains, “People usually have three places in their life,” he holds up three fingers and continues, “ Where they live, where they work, and that third place. To a lot of people, the PIT is that third place.”

Along with the classes, Farahnakian goes to business’s both corporate and private to work with staff, using improv as an ice breaking and team building tool. “I would love to bring improve to the world. Improv cuts through all the bullshit. It builds leadership and a better understanding of self; nobody is trying to be cool. I encourage people to do it, watch it, and study it. It will benefit your life.” This mentality is one of the reasons he makes a point to make sure the PIT has free shows and opportunities for individuals who can’t finically afford to take improv classes. “Do what you want to do! You want to own a business, start a magazine, start a theatre, do it! Money is not the only tool. And what it is – it is just that, a tool. Like thousands of others as well.” Leaving people better than he has found them, Farahnakian makes it a point to allow the PIT to change and become different, better, or mold to those who devote so much time to it. He doesn’t like to micromanage. Farahnakian says he thinks it’s important to say yes more than you say no, or say yes until you have to say no. Mentioning the girls outside with the cookies, “I said sure girls, sell your sweeties. Why not? Have you tasted them, they are really good!”

Inspired by “the man in blue who sweeps the streets” Farahnakian says he thinks it’s important to work hard with the hand you are dealt and again help whoever you can along the way. Farahnakian’s newest project, SIMPLE STUDIOS, located down the street from the PIT is a new rehearsal space that will collaborate both with and separately from the PIT. Excited to see what this rehearsal space grows into, Farahnakian is thankful for everything but also stops to mention that you can spend a lifetime building something and it can fall in one day so he keeps working to make it great and enjoy every laughing moment. As the interview concludes, he walks me out, buys me a cookie and asks if I would like a tour of the new rehearsal space. He shows me a few paint strips and asks me which color I think he should paint the wall. I point to one, he nods, smiles, and says, “and I like to surround myself with creative people.” I laughed and thought again about how special the PIT was and how lucky the people who call it “that third place” are to have Farahnakian, who will always work hard to make it better and better every day.

You can catch a show any evening at 154 W. 29^th street. Check out http://www.thepit-nyc.com/index.html for information about classes and performances

Anima Anonima @ Public Assembly

As I entered the home and studio of Brooklyn based band Anima Anonima, I was greeted with welcoming smiles, a beer, and homemade chips and salsa – and when I say homemade I mean chipotle peppers grown in their very own backyard. Hell yeah.

As we began to chat, I couldn’t stop thinking about the lack of pretension in the room. Humble and so damn likeable, Anima Anonima not only made this incredible album Mechanic Organic but they are three of the most genuinely sincere people I have ever met.

This ambient electronic trio is made up of singer songwriter Heidi Sabertooth, Dj fungus, and jazz influenced percussionist Tim Bulkley. All members’ play a multitude of instruments to create their unique sound including drums, electronic beats, turntables, guitar, trumpet, keys, bass, and melodica. If that wasn’t enough, the band would like to learn and use as many instruments as possible; constantly evolving their improvisational creations. The band’s studio – also home to two of anima members – is also house to their musical conceptions. Members admit, they feel inspired and are constantly thinking of new ideas and sounds for the group. However, the band, whose name appropriately means “anonymous spirit”, truly creates their sound in the studio by simply feeling each other’s energy – which really what makes this band so special.

fungus + Heidi Sabertooth

Living in Brooklyn has made huge contributions to that. “We have lived in Williamsburg for about 10 years now. It’s a place of faded industry, chain-link fences, now covered with vines – new art and music bubbling over the concrete. The Domino Sugar factory and the bridge – these mechanical sounds overlap and, at times, it can transform into a forest or an ocean. It just seeps into you – this landscape. The band’s latest effort, Mechanic Organic is a reflection of this intersection of old and new, the natural and the man-made, the digital and the analog, the mechanic and the organic,” Heidi explains. Their concept musically revolves around this idea of being truthful and going with their first instinct. Even when the band mastered the album, they resisted the urge to tweak and fix, they left it alone and didn’t attempt to make it something different. Compromising their original intent and this sound they created together was the last thing they wanted to do. Heidi continues by saying that, “It stems from an idea that when thought, art and action are done in the spirit of anonymity. The result is the most true, most pure expression of life. It can be exciting, it can be scary, but usually it is true to our inner animal.”

Surprisingly, the album is neither chaotic nor invasive. It’s pleasant, thought provoking, and hip. The melodies are strong and the multitude of instrumentation is mesmerizing in its amalgamation. It’s no wonder Anima Anonima has been collecting a following of fans eager to see them live. I asked the band if playing live, recreating this improvisational energy based on its creation, was difficult to replicate. The members agreed that it’s different but when the three of them get together it comes out and becomes its own thing. As well as enjoying seeing how others are reacting to this sound they have created in the privacy of their studio. I think in listening to this really remarkable album you’ll agree Anima Anonima has not only created this sweet treat for our ears but a pretty cool concept that you take something that is truly beautiful and simple, leave it alone, don’t try to perfect it, love it for what it is, and share it with everyone.

You can catch Anima Anonima Saturday, July 18, 8pm at ‘Matchless’ (557 Manhattan Ave. Greenpoint Bklyn – www.barmatchless.com)

Raved by the New York Times, as a film that “heralds a splendid new filmmaker with one eye on genre mechanics, one eye on avant-garde conceits and a third eye in transcendental weirdness”, I Can See You takes the audience through the extraordinary vision of a young filmmaker who reinterprets the genre of intelligent horror films.

I’ll begin by mentioning that Reznick did not only direct I Can See You, but he also wrote, co-produced, designed the sound, edited, and created many of the startling visual effects, as well co-scoring the film with talented composer, Jeff Grace. With the guidance of indie filmmaking luminary, Larry Fessenden, the producer of I Can See You (and also appears in the film), as well as a litany of support from childhood friend and director, Ti West (film, House of the Devil, debuted at the Tribeca Film Festival this past spring), to the cast and crew of Waverly Films, Graham Reznick completed this tour de force in a reasonable three years.

Like most horror films, Reznick keeps the plot thick and thin all at once, emotional and mysterious.  Reznick explains his creation began”… I was starting to learn about Buddhism and meditation around the time I started writing [I Can See You] and the idea of introspection and breaking things down to the core; looking through all of the fuzz and the noise to what was deep in there. It was a huge part of the movie for me but not necessarily in an overt way. A lot of the imagery has to do with this obsession I have with esoteric imagery and occult imagery. When you see occult or Masonic imagery it has a strange, strange power. When you see an eye on top of a pyramid, you’re like, “What the fuck is that?”

The film is a significant chapter of abstract realism in the realm of film. Reznick, an NYU graduate, calls his work a “psychedelic campfire” but also quick to point out “psychedelic” as its root Latin meaning of “mind manifest”, saying, “I feel that’s what happens at the end of the film. The mind of one of the characters [Ben] was made mind manifest on screen.” He describes his film “…about 3 guys of an upstart ad agency who go into the woods to brand a product that has questionable ethical practices.”

Reznick’s film is a different kind of art that has moved into a new phase of relatively unfamiliar territory.  The film is collaborative in its creativity from the paintings used in the background, gorgeous shots, and eerie soundtrack. The filmmaker connects the scenes with shots of buildings, bugs, and trees branches blowing in the wind, stationary objects against vast landscapes; each scene tied together with beautifully detailed shots, giving the illusion of flipping through a series of photographs, the lighting impeccable, each picture more breathtaking and beautiful than the last. But make no mistake, these shots are not beautiful distractions, including the finely directed sex scene, which was so hot in its climax but also isn’t gratuitous. In fact, it’s a tender and elegant touch of  directing and lighting that complement a fight sequence that occurs later on, drawing together both scenes as bookends for dramatic changes in the story and emphasizing the poetic nature of this filmmaker’s vision.

The cinematography and direction is emotional, connecting with the characters’ evocations as they develop in this abstract realist horror film. You neither love nor hate any of the characters; you understand their actions because he puts you in their insecurities and emotional investments, as well as supplying a well-paced tone, increasing intensity when most appropriate. There’s a scene, in the film, in which the lead character takes off his glasses and attempts a conversation with a girl he has affection for. His lack of actual focus leads to an awkward conversation. Due to camera trickery, you see the girl as an unfocused blob through the eyes of the main character (Ben), and you can’t help but feel empathy toward his character.  I wanted to jump through the screen and give him back his glasses to save him from embarrassment.  In this film particularly you’re along for that ride and simultaneously, you can’t stop thinking and questioning if things are as they really appear to be.

The last fifteen minutes are a climactic, psychologically and viscerally horrific amalgamation of sequences that will keep your last bubble of breath lodged in your trachea.

We will keep you posted on all of Graham Reznick’s future screenings and projects. Updates for the release of I Can See You can be found on its official website.

 

 

Jeremy Earhart

Simply said, Jeremy Earhart is a flat sculpture artist. He’s an
artist with no horizon. It’s hard to distinguish Earhart’s daily life
from his art where they collide in his Brooklyn studio apartment. When
I first walked into Earhart’s home I was blown away by the space.
Creatively, it’s an artist dream with the amount of room and storage.
Equally, it’s also a child’s dream to play hide and seek inside.  Two
levels, the apartment has maybe 8 rooms and little crevices, filled
with materials, tools, and 4×8 size sculptures. In this creative
wonderland it is very apparent how involved he is in his art. Earhart
truly sleeps, works, and eats around his creations.

A graduate from Memphis College of Art as a painter, his original work
consists mostly of printmaking and painting. “I’m still a decorative
painter, but it’s crept into thinking about other ways to manipulate
space.” Now 7 years of working with Plexiglas, it is the foundation of
what makes this artist so unique. Earhart’s interest in art began in
his hometown of St. James, Missouri by having an art teacher in high
school that simply knew what she was talking about. Earhart credits
his teacher Barbara Bryan with the utmost respect. “I didn’t struggle
in art school and I saw a lot of people who did, she made all the
resources available to us.” His understanding of materials and
creative work ethic in school allowed him the freedom and time to
develop his current medium.

These sculpture installations began as he was painting atmospheric
paintings and applying drifts of color using Plexiglas, putting ink in
the cracks and creating lines. Experimenting with materials
constantly, his work is not only incredibly involved but extremely
labor intensive. Initially, Earhart’s pieces are a process he admits
is very deliberate and thought out. Before the physical labor aspect,
a lot of time is spent researching his subject matter and theme. He
reads a lot. Once he has his overall concept he makes thumbnail
sketches on Mylar plastic, which he sees as a smaller version of his
work. Using several hand power tools, he traces the image onto the
Plexiglas, cutting and buffing to create the final shape. “It’s not a
very forgiving material,” the artist explains. It’s seems from
beginning to end he’s emotionally and physically invested in every
aspect of not only the final product but also the entire creative
process. “I like materials so much, I can’t choose just one.”

As an observer, Earhart’s flat sculptures are extremely entertaining.
The size, colors, and shapes are wild and intoxicating. But there’s
truth and meaning to it all too. His last gallery theme ‘patriotism’
included cannons, wings, stars, stripes, and other shapes and lines
familiar to images used on the dollar bill. When I asked the artist
about the giant “angel wings”, he reminded me that’s what I saw,
others may see a bird and he likes that his work is open to your own
interpretations. “It is flashy, but there’s meaning. It can’t be all
show. There has to be a layer of concept for me to want to make it. I
don’t want to spell everything out; I want it to be open-ended. It’s
interesting to see someone else’s take.”

Earhart admits seeing people’s reactions to the sculptures and
controlling an environment is fun to do. With the amount of work he
puts into each piece, he describes the work very personally. However,
ultimately he sees his work out and open in the public eye. “It’s so
dramatic, your in your world, than you place it out in public,” says
the artist who’s newest work is said to be a little heavier in
painting and hopefully adding more materials to his Plexiglas
foundation. “You make something and it kind of sticks. The Plexiglas
just stuck and now it’s more about form and shapes of the glass.” His
work is displayed in a bar on Washington st. in Tribeca called
“Entwine” and the Brooklyn based band “Free Time” has used his pieces
in their live shows. We will keep you posted on the artist upcoming
galleries and shows.

You can see more of Jeremy Earhart’s work at
http://goffrosenthal.squarespace.com/artists.

Andy Alexander

“The rapid pace of technology and pop culture is the source of
inspiration for me as an artist trained in anthropology. My
fascination with people drive me to make art that reveals the effect
of memory and dreaming. Emotions and associations are my ‘paint’ and
‘canvas’ in the photographic process. By layering environments and
likeness, I allow the work to decide how the story will be told again
each time.”

You can find more of Andy Alexander’s work at
http://andy5alexander.wordpress.com/ and
http://www.flickriver.com/photos/andy_alexander/sets/