Dazed Club Spotlight is our monthly series showcasing up-and-coming talent from the Dazed creative community. If you’d like to be featured, join the Club here.

RACHEAL DANIEL

This collection of photos is from my afrofuturism series where I explored the significance of traditional Black hairstyles, such as braids and locs, to black women, and ultimately how hair is a form of expression.

I elevated the hairstyles in my scenes through shape and accessories, and used styling and editing to enhance the futuristic element, which was very heavily inspired by Y2K artists TLC, Blaque, and Britney Spears. I was also really inspired by Amaarae’s music (a Ghanaian American music artist); I used the Afrofuturistic themes in her music as a source of inspiration for creating the prevailing mood within my photography.

At the moment I am inspired by Gabriel Moses – his photography has a powerful ability of telling a whole story without the need for words.

HANNAH COBB

I create AI-powered, digital 3D creations that explore notions of the weird and the eerie. Working primarily with digital media such as 3D software Blender and using AI interfaces such as Deforum Diffusion and Runway, I produce visuals which aim to activate a haunted effect. Influenced heavily by Mark Fisher's writings on The Weird and The Eerie, my work depicts abandoned places and non-functional objects, suggesting the absence of the human.

I am interested in AI as a mode of producing artwork because of its future potential to act without human input, thus adding to the eerie-ness; the absence of that which should be present.

Currently, I’m inspired by Holly Herndon, Shygirl, ARCA, make-up artist Aoife Cullen and writers Shumon Basar and Ursula K. Le Guin. I listen to a lot of podcasts too, including 'New Models', 'Interdependence' and 'The Polyester Podcast' that further serve as inspiration.

KYLE VALDEZ

My goal is to create something out of objects that either collect dust or otherwise would be discarded. Every piece tells a story from my past, and present – each scrap carries memories of cherished occasions, or even remnants of inherited treasures.
 
These carefully curated collections, once thought of as clutter, are now seen as treasure troves of creative potential. The hoarded materials are carefully sorted, unravelled, and reimagined. The pieces here feature plastic jackets with football card inserts, a school uniform set made out of tube maps, and a bullet belt reimagined using old vapes.
 
Each piece serves as a testament to the power of reinvention and the potential hidden within the everyday. As the world embraces the value of repurposing, these transformed garments remind us that creativity knows no bounds and that even the simplest yet obscure materials can become the foundations of something extraordinary. I am currently inspired by FINAL HOME – a jacket series by Japanese designer Kosuke Tsumura that launched in 1994, which constitutes one the main points of reference for my garments.

JESS FINE

Here is some work that I believe best captures who I am as a young, creative woman. Immersing myself within my local community and surrounding environments has a major impact on the photos I create. I consider my photography to be a celebration of the influence that subculture has on our society. These images highlight the value of freedom of expression, as well as the role that fashion and music has played in shaping contemporary youth culture of today.

The individuals I spend my everyday time with are the biggest source of my inspiration. I adore working on projects, and collaborating with people whose energy aligns with my own and whom I admire. My favourite type of photography is documentary. I think It's amazing how I can capture people’s hobbies and passions in life through a little click of my camera lens.

RÉAYO

I’ve been making music for three years now. My older brother bought a home recording kit during lockdown and I learned to record myself by watching YouTube tutorials.

Usually, I start making music with a producer from a melody I have already created and recorded on my voice memo app. Then we work on the drum pattern and chords together to fit the melody I made. With ‘Only The Start’, it was the complete opposite. After perusing the Internet for hours, I was awoken by the electrifying beat. I played it a couple of times and then grabbed my mic and the song flowed out of me like a faucet. The whole melodic structure and lyrics were completed in an hour.
 
Despite what the song sounds like, the inspiration wasn’t a love interest. It was about me, for the first time in my life, being in a place where I felt like I could actually give and receive romantic love – which was something I had always felt wasn’t a part of my ‘story’. The song is about me proclaiming my love to whoever might or could be my life partner.

At the moment, I'm really inspired by the creative underground scene in West London. The innovation, versatility and sheer talent that I’m surrounded by here is inspiring and motivates me to continue to push past each obstacle I encounter through my creative journey.
 
Listen to Only The Start here.

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