NIGHTED Introduces:: Tom Archer
Who are you?
Tom Archer, mainly just go by Archer, and I suppose I call myself a photographer. Originally from Sheffield and now in Leeds, UK.
What do you look for when taking photos?
Anyone or anything that looks out of the ordinary/off it/pointless/funny/fucked up. I look for that kind of stuff when I’m generally out with my camera just wandering about. Any anomaly within a dead boring, normal situation also catches my eye, I enjoy that.
When was the last time you witnessed something that changed your life?
When my Grandfather ran a 10K last year at the age of 89 and after heart bypass surgery, that was pretty life changing. He keeps on going against the wishes of doctors, and his wife, and is proving everyone wrong. A great example of if you put your mind to something, you can do anything – pretty lame analogy but it’s true to me. It changed my outlook on the future. I also saw a man driving a Lamborghini in Reno eating a cabbage like an apple, never seen that before, definite life changer.
Where is the most memorable place you’ve ever been?
I went to Ibiza two years ago to shoot a music video with one of my best pals. That was pretty memorable, it seemed as though you couldn’t cram in any more of the worst English morons into one place if your tried, but it was still insanely fun, a great pointless/stupid holiday. Staying in the desert in Joshua Tree was incredible, and swimming in the rivers of Grass Valley are definitely up there in my list of memorable places too.
Why do you live the way you do?
I’ve always wanted to make the most out of my photography as I possibly could. I doubt I’ll ever make a living off it, I just want to keep on creating work, release more books and collaborate and meet new artists along the way. I’m lucky to have a bunch of amazing friends and an incredible girlfriend who supports my work, and me… I definitely need to give a shout out to the guy who smashed into, and wrote off, her car, that insurance money paid for two of my trips to NY last year! Also being able to tour with my mates Eagulls has given me the opportunity to see most of the US and shoot some of my strongest work to date, so I owe those guys loads.
Archer will be featured in our next issue of NIGHTED Life, check out more of his photos here: scratchcardyouth.tumblr.com
NIGHTED Presents: Evan Hunter McKnight
Who are you?
Evan McKnight
What do you work hard at?
Lately, my main focus has been these two photo projects that I’ve been trying to bring to fruition. Outside of that, just the work I do for income and my every day street shooting.
What would you hate to lose?
A few years back, I would say my record, t-shirt or book collection, but these days I try not to get attached to things. I actually look forward to losing shit.
What is the best thing about your life right now?
My partner, and my nondual practices.
What do you wish you had more time for these days?
Personal work. My job is incredibly inspiring–I shoot art and furniture for a private collector whose taste inspires a lot of the media you see coming out of this city. I am privileged to spend every day with original work produced by the most respected artists from the mid-century modern era. At the end of the day though, it can drain a lot of my creative energy, however, I’m working on not making that an excuse.
Describe a dream you can remember.
I was in a stairway of a brownstone somewhere in a city. It led to a room made completely out of unfinished wood. The bark and sticks moved every time I looked away from them, so the room was constantly changing as I looked around but I never saw the motion. I used to write my dreams down so I could remember better. They tend to fade away before I get out of bed.
How would you describe the place where you live?
I live in an apartment near Avenue D in the Lower East Side of Manhattan, or Alphabet City depending on who you ask. I have a few pieces of art hanging from friends and one or two that just inspire me, but I have little to no connections to those artists. There are a lot of books, records, cassettes, a dog and an altar.
Since ‘09, when I moved to New York, I’ve lived on the same block. I’ve moved around the block but never anywhere else in the city. There’s a magic to the neighborhood, and even as all the cheap bars get pushed out by cupcake shops and mixology bullshit, something about it still feels like home to me.
If you had a day to do whatever you wanted, what would you do?
I’d travel anywhere new, exploring and shooting. Mushrooms.
What are you looking forward to?
I’m going to Colorado in a month or so, with plans to finish up a nature project I’ve really been enjoying working on. I grew up out there so it’s always nice to go back.
http://www.evanhuntermcknight.com/
http://evanhuntermcknight.tumblr.com/
https://www.flickr.com/photos/thebadfaith/
And the last few copies of Evan’s zine “They Don’t Know” are available here: NIGHTED.Storenvy.com
NIGHTED Life Introduces: Mario Zoots
Who are you?
My name is Mario Zoots. I make collage and take photographs daily mostly snapping on my Yashica T4 and Nikon F3. I’m a graffiti punk since 1996, I rep dirty thirty and side walk surfers. All cops are bastards forever. I’m from west Denver but I travel far and wide writing on things and taking pictures of our filthy america. I like rap music and red meat.
What do you look for, if anything, when taking photos?
I look for the unusual and out of place in mostly urban environments. I am intrigued by finding and documenting youth culture, drug culture and crime in general. I look for the adventure, I like to get to get lost in cities, taking a wrong turn down an opposite street can be rewarding - finding some crazy ass people or weird shit just poppin off on the streets. I’ve ended up in some sticky situations more than once with this formula.
When was the last time you witnessed something unexplainable?
Fucking around in train yards like the Pepsi yard in Denver can be wild. Chatting with dudes shootin up heroin behind warehouses or huffin spray paint under the 6th avenue bridge. Those dudes that huff paint under the bridge are crazy, they’ll be hallucinating trying to steal your paint and throwing glass bottles at the trains.
Where is your favorite place to be?
In the moment. 100% immersed in the situation at hand. No dwelling in the past or future, right here, right now, always.
Why do you live the way you do?
Life’s too short.
NIGHTED Life Introduces: Moe Alvarez
Who are you?
Hey whats up, I’m Moe. Bay Area born and raised. I moved to Oakland 5 years ago from a suburban town 25 miles east called San Ramon after graduating beauty school/high school.
What do you look for, if anything, when taking photos?
I heard Neil deGgrasse Tyson say something really cool on Cosmos the other day. He said photographs are really just ghosts preserved by light. I think that’s the coolest thing I’ve ever heard regarding photography. That’s what I look for the most, light. Great lighting and moments I wouldn’t mind haunting my future.
When was the last time you witnessed something unexplainable?
Okay, so I have definitely had some fucked up paranormal shit happen to me. I get really bad sleep paralysis a couple times a year. I’ve seen friends walk into my room and talk to me while I couldn’t move or talk and I can’t tell the difference between reality and dreams, I had a friend knock on my window (I’m 3 stories up) and I remember waking up completely out of breath and opening my window, taking the screen off and looking down believing it was real. The girl that knocked on my window wasn’t in the states but it’s hard for me to believe she wasn’t there. I was awake. But I wasn’t? How do I explain that, its different than a nightmare. It’s really demonic and horrifying.
Where is your favorite place to be?
Well my favorite place is Oakland. Thats why I live here. Theres a lot to be inspired about living in a city like this. I always say I wanna move to LA. Obviously I’m biased but I love California. All the opportunities I could ever want I could find in the the Golden State. But hey, If you want to get specific the taco truck on 1st and International. I can eat those tacos on the daily.
Why do you live the way you do?
Well, I work two jobs as a Hairstylist and barback which help me support all my expensive and overly ambitious projects and hobbies. When I have a day off I usually force myself to go do something fun and take advantage of the lighting I usually have to work through or go to parties/catch up with friends I’m normally too busy to make plans with. I’m the kind of person that has to pencil my friends in my schedule which is hard to keep people in my life that way but I totally believe in working hard now while I’m young so that I can relax later on.
When was the last time you witnessed something unexplainable?
Where is your favorite place to be?
Why do you live the way you do?
NIGHTED Life Presents: Madison East
What’s your life like?
My life is my work. I make work to influence my life, the activities that I do, the people that I surround myself with. You can see the spectrum of silence to clamor my world can be. I am always stressed out because I put too much on my plate, but I channel this energy into my collages, photos, and books.
Why film? How do you feel about editing?
Honestly, I don’t know why I still shoot film. I do enjoy the process of shooting, Costco dumping, and scanning 5 photos at a time! But, man, it can be a hassle when you just want to see those moments you sacrificed a real experience for. I’m terrible at editing photos. Editing/cleaning: I like. Editing/weeding out the ‘bad’ ones: I want someone else to do that for me.
Looks like you’re very down with Olympus point n shoots.. Any particular reason?
My favorite camera and the best photos I have taken came from my Olympus XA. I was assisting a commercial photographer years ago and one of the editors of the magazine we were shooting for was side-shooting with an XA. I asked him about his compact camera and he told me it was an Olympus XA. I went home and found one online. It’s the most efficient camera. All metal. I have been shooting with a Contax T2 ever since the focus blacked out on my XA. It’s a great camera, but nothing compares to the XA.
Where do the ideas come from for your posed photos?
My ideas come from the landscape I want to shoot in, on, and around. It’s kind of like a collage; I have this pre-existing plane in my head and I just need the right components to layer on top.
I like shooting outdoors because I like using flash. I like how the sun is not forgiving. I live in Los Angeles and all anyone ever thinks about is the sun. I’m scared to live anywhere else.
What are you thinking about 2014?
2014 has been kind to me. I’ve done many things in the first month of this new year that I did thought the entirety of last year: put my second book out, helped curate a one-night show, hosted my first house show with friends’ bands. I am very excited to meet my new fellow NIGHTED friends in Seattle.
What can the good people of Seattle expect from you at our Feb. 22 NIGHTED Show?
The good people of Seattle can expect a fresh collage zine from me as well as some nice prints. I have never been to Seattle so I am looking forward to seeing my work in a brand new environment.
24yr old Torrance native Dean and his crew creep the sinful streets of not only LA but across the US and beyond to document the crude life that is the underground party scene. Their unique uncensored style of photography exposes the art of the wasted youth, graff, drugs and everything in between. TOAN got the pleasure to meet one of the men behind the lens and get to know a little more about the Nightedlife project.
feature on cultist zine