QUAKE PRESENTS :
12 YOUNG ARTISTS EXHIBITING THEIR 2021 OUTLOOK
Last year was a hard one, to say the least, leaving us with uncertainty for what 2021 will bring. But uncertainty breeds emotions and thoughts, and this is what we asked these young artists to tap into. Whether it was positive, negative, undetermined or indifferent, literal or conceptual, they got creative with it. Enjoy.
LOCKDOWN THOUGHTS
BY JOE KELLAND @JKELLANDPHOTO
A somewhat sporadic train of thoughts caused by lockdown events. These thoughts are both reflective of the past as well as looking forward to the future as lockdown restrictions fall over the passing of the new year.
BY EMILY DYER @emilyjdyer
Although this year promises the return of normality, currently my outlook on this year has been very mixed. This piece was designed when I felt negative towards lockdown, however also feeling excited for the long repetitive days to come to an end. The idea of soon going back to normal is my idea of "paradise."
THE SUN IS COMING UP AND WE ARE READY TO LIVE AGAIN!
BY CONOR CARTIN @cartinofmilk
FORGOTTEN CITY
BY ARI POLITI AKA THE DESPERATE ARTIST @thedesperateartist
This creation came to me when I was sitting in my room on a snowy day here in London during lockdown and was looking outside, just to see how abandoned (and forgotten..) the city looks, a city as alive as London.
INCOGNITO
BY HAMIDA MUSSA @_hmvisuals_
A series of portraits portraying the false consciousness we face within beauty standards, the stamped labelled on our identities, and extreme pressure forced by society.
Being disconnected from society for so long allowed all of us to reflect on our characteristics and express our identity. I hope in 2021 we become confident and acceptive of our unique identities!
Stylist & Designer: Haida Hamidi (@irregullarr )
Assisting photographer: Hannan Olewa (@olewah)
Model: Soumaia Edbali (@sso.umy )
CARRY ME THROUGH
BY SAM CLEMENTS @CLEMOSPAINTINGS
Back down there again
Hunched over and staring in
To the pits of nowhere
Simply dealing with the discomfort
Taking it as it comes
And taming it with the love
That carries me through
Some of the more difficult moments
HOLY HELL
BY SAM REES @samreesfilm
Holy Hell was started in the summer of 2019 as a solo project, I wanted to explore indie rock but I didn’t have time for it until the initial lockdown. Feeling frustrated by my failure to put effort into my work, I wrote the track Get The Lead Out as a promise to myself to work harder for the things I care about. That's really the outlook I’m trying to take into 2021, the only way to do a thing is to do it.
I recorded at home on my four-track tape setup, later it was mixed and mastered by the talented Ben Parry. I also started working with Violet Mellin, a frequent script collaborator, to edit the footage I’d shot on an old VHS-C. I wanted to create a sense of faux nostalgia, “I want it to look like the inside of a broken VCR” I told her, she took that and ran with it. I feel that with almost every element of the video being analogue it really hits home that Hiraeth feeling, the sound of Holy Hell complements that visual style too. I feel like all we’ve had for the past year is memories of better times, memory, nostalgia, and everything that's in between is something I really wanted to play with.
I want to put more tracks out in 2021, I’m trying to get better, still recovering from the collective trauma of the past year, but that won’t mean I’m taking it easy. I wanna get out there and play some shows, I mainly just want to see my mates again, but artistically it’s time to put the work in, don’t look back.
Written, Recorded by Holy Hell @holy.hell.scape
Shot & Directed by Sam Rees @samreesfilm
Mixed & Mastered by Ben Parry @gareth.liddiard @wearefuzzlightyear
Edited by Violet Mellin @deadviolet666
SOCIETY STANDARDS
BY HAMIDA MUSSA @_hmvisuals_
A series of self-portraits to reflect the pressure of standards that we face from society, especially for those who come from the minority ethnicity and race. Sometimes we lose ourselves and become the person society tells us to be as it’s the only way to feel approved and accepted. I hope we find the courage to remove the white mask and be what we want to be.
In the final moments of 2021
BY WIVI TAALAS @VV.A.S.T.
2020 was a hard year. We should hope that 2021 will be kinder, but not rule out the possibility that 2021 will in some ways be similar to the year that came before it. This poem explores the idea of the new year from the perspective of alien lifeforms.
GASLIGHT 101 X Smoke and Mirrors: B2.Phantasmagoria (by Nkisi)
BY TITILAYO Adebayo @layyooo3
‘How I cope with anxiety - I have a classic time capsule method for processing and creating. The outlook is to be present in the moment with the here and now. Using minimal resources (packing light) as I propel my life’s reality into the future
To encourage people at home to stay creative and present, although things are quite overwhelming at the moment
THE NEWS WITH THAT ABDUL GUY
BY ABDUL MOHAMMED @THATABDULGUY
Seemingly nothing more than an annoying 1970’s styled advert with poor audio to reflect the difficulties of technology of the era. This piece aims to break the fourth wall and talk about the predicament that has made life harder for all of us, the predicament is the global pandemic we are still facing as of writing this.
Although technology has replaced many of the things in life we once engaged with in person. Life has not stopped but continued regardless of the difficulties we are faced with, and this is the main message I seek to address specifically to creatives.
Difficulties will always exist but that shouldn’t be an issue in creating and perfecting your craft, sure you may have to turn to new methods to make things work but giving up and not trying due to limitations is not the way forward and so you should work to show the world and other creatives you are not a quitter but fighter.
As for the year 2021, it’s looked at from an optimistic perspective within this video. Life will get better and dwelling upon the past year of 2020 should not be done from a negative lens but a positive one.
BY VALERIE T @valerie_the_creator
Lockdown has been a time of reflection and pushing limits for me . In the midst of this lockdown, people have been able to thrive in business, hobbies and passions. Even though we are physically restricted, it has not restricted our minds to explore our talents and express our creativity.