Ian Kenneth Bird Photographs Iconic T-shirt Designs from Mid-1980s to Now / November 3, 2015 by Alex Young

T-shirts are at the core of every streetwear label, they execute the ethos of the brand and a reflection of society with subtleties and bold graphics all the while remaining understated thanks to the garment's casual style.

Ian Kenneth Bird, a skateboarder and photographer from London, along with British lifestyle shop The Goodhood Store are engrossed with influential T-shirt designs from the era before the internet: mid-1980s to 1999. They presented an in-store exhibition, now complete, called, "TSHIRTTHEN," which illustrated how graphic tees captured different trends and cultures. A book also chronicled the development of graphic tees then and now. Co-founder of GoodHood, Kyle Stewart says, "The T-shirt's ease of production has made it a vehicle for many different subcultural movements and I became fascinated with the period just before the internet-- it's like a forgotten land where art, bands and fashion don't exist unless they've been transferred to the digital age."

Bird photographed original T-shirts from labels like FUCT and Supreme for their ability to grasp icons of the era and mold them into unique messages representative of each brand. Shirts older than the models wearing them prove how timeless elements of streetwear are. Enjoy the visuals by Ian Kenneth Bird for "TSHIRTTHEN".

Source: It's Nice That

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Brandon Tauszik Shows Barbershops' Integral Role Through Gifs / October 20, 2015 by Alex Young

In the African American community most men get their haircut at a barbershop. The shops and the people that run them remain as one of the most important institutions to black communities because they foster comfortable and open environments where people can talk, form friendships and be themselves.

Brandon Tauszik, a photographer from Northern England, took to his Oakland, California residence and explored the independently owned barbershops in the city's black communities. To learn about the crucial role the shops play, Tauszik offers a glimpse at the daily routines and interactions shop owners have in his latest series, Tapered Throne.

An introductory essay by Dr. Quincy T. Mills, a professor of Africana Studies at Vassar College, accompanies Tauszik's exhibition and explains the loyalty one has to his barber. Mills writes:

“Haircuts are not commodities for African Americans. You cannot get one anywhere, from anyone, at any price. One’s barber knows how he likes his hair cut, how long to keep the sideburns, how to shape the taper. Outside of the particulars of one’s cut, a barber will come to learn much about their clients. Information is divulged about family, work, recreation, and sometimes their greatest fears and joys.”

— http://taperedthrone.com/

Barbers form a Rolodex of names, events and places relevant in the community, their shops become the pulse of everything current in the neighborhoods. In cities where crime is abundant barbershops add positive influence and support. A man named ATL said of Fruitvale Barbers in 2014, "We sometimes have to deal with a lot of negativity in Oakland; poverty, crime, violence. But I don't believe my shop has to be part of all that."

The series of images Tauszik presents are made more intriguing by his use of gifs. Gifs offer the spotlight aspect of a photo, but, "At the heart of a gif is the loop... you're able to spend time within the moment as the same sliver of time passes on infinite repeat," Tauszik says. The footage is reminiscent of a barber's pole forever turning outside his shop, as viewers see the clippers move back and forth, around and about a myriad of black heads and chins.

Tapered Throne illustrates how barbershops create valuable relationships and sync communities, see for yourself at brandontauszik.com and be sure to read the paired essay.

Photographer Sage Sohier Captures Same-sex Couples in the 1980s / September 28, 2015 by Alex Young

Thanks to the United States Supreme Court's ruling on June 26, same-sex couples have the Constitutional right to marry. This victory for the gay rights movement shines light on the importance of individual equality, acceptance and understanding the world is concerned with today; the victory shows stark contrasts of how far society has come since the Stonewall riots in 1969 and the AIDS epidemic in the 1980s.

In her book, At Home with Themselves: Same-sex Couples in 1980s America, Photographer Sage Sohier examines 1986 when mass media and the public blamed AIDS' outbreak on same-sex promiscuity. She says of her project, "The advent of the disease led me to think about the prevalence, variety and longevity of gay and lesbian relationships... My ambition was to make pictures that challenged and moved people." In the '80s it was common to keep same-sex relationships discreet and away from ridicule due to the persecution and discrimination of the time.

Personally Sohier was impacted upon discovering in the late '70s her Father was gay. Her photographs are sparked by curiosity about homosexual life, set in and around cities in Massachusetts, like Provincetown and Boston, as well as others across the country. Honest, personal images appear depicting natural interactions between couples themselves and other people in their lives, such as parents and children.

Read more on Sage Sohier's book here and explore her other work at www.sagesohier.com.