In July, Dazed Club spotlights all pointed towards a collective theme of queer belonging and celebrating non-conformity in its multitude of forms; whether it was a digital fashion collection, intimate street photography, or warped fashion editorials.
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.
House of Autonomy, by Joseph Boys-Smith. Concept/3D art in collaboration with Tamaris Ellins.House of Autonomy, by Joseph Boys-Smith.House of Autonomy, by Joseph Boys-Smith.
House of Autonomy is a non-conforming virtual brand that I started in 2022, exploring queer visibility within digital spaces. Through celebrating queer liberation, I consider House of Autonomy an established extension for all identities.
Since childhood, I have always leaned towards digital escapism as a medium for authentic expression, especially during times when I lived in areas with no queer communities. In some ways, House of Autonomy is a label I created to connect with my inner child, showing them that being queer can be empowering, liberating and freeing.
My label is built on the foundations of non-conformity – the work itself highlights and promotes the eradication of social binaries by embracing more fluid forms of identity through dress. When rejecting social binaries comes power and, when radiating power, comes confidence in yourself.
My digital process consists of various technical pipelines. This mainly involves working in Daz Studio, CLO-3D and Blender.
When it comes to inspirations, I constantly draw back to the British punk movement with strong provocative leaders like the Sex Pistols and Vivienne Westwood. However, more recently, the aesthetics of Diablo IV have been instantly influential when designing new content.
In this selection, you can see a mix of people, including my best friends, my aunt, individuals from the streets, my mother, and Diamanda – a drag queen I met in Paris. Each image tells a novel story, reflecting the beauty and diversity I like to capture in my work.
I work independently, whether I'm on the bustling streets or in a carefully chosen location. This approach allows me to establish a genuine connection with my subjects and creates a comfortable atmosphere that fosters creativity.
In terms of capturing these shots, my go-to lens is 35 mm. It allows me to get up close and establish an intimate connection with my subjects. I enjoy experimenting with colour saturation in post-production to make the images more vibrant and emotionally engaging. I like switching between film and digital cameras, as I find that each offers a distinctive charm. The film camera brings a classic and grainy vibe, while the digital one allows me to be more flexible and adaptive to different shooting conditions.
I draw inspiration from remarkable photographers like Alex Prager, Elliott Erwitt, Cindy Sherman, Nan Goldin, and many others. Their unique styles, use of colours, and (for some of them) their documentary work have a significant influence on my photography.
Simeon AsenovSimeon Asenov, Lauren CremerSimeon Asenov, Anthony Markov
I always try to escape my comfort zone and reach new milestones with each editorial. I use a mixture of motion, ‘time stretch’ and black and white photography techniques in my editorials, and love to experiment with the models’ choice of movement as well as their surroundings. To me, the best images come naturally this way.
I want my work to empower younger generations who may find themselves trapped in a loop of insecurities due to identity. Through my work, I hope to show them that being your most authentic self is the highest form of self-acceptance that you could ever feel – so, in that sense, queerness and its relation to mental health remain very much intrinsic to my practice.
In post-production, I use a handful of techniques such as warping, liquifying, retouching and colour grading. I harness patterns and textures from the clothing and backgrounds to place in my edits, making the images more coherent. Importantly, I work with fellow artist collaborators like Lauren Cremer and Anthony Markov, who worked on the editing and post-production for some of these images.
Recently, I have just finished a project to present the life (my life) of a current gay man in the north of England. I think affection is something really hard to come to terms with or to even feel comfortable with as someone part of the LGBTQIA+ community. I’m unsure if this is something personal or something relatable beyond my own life but it is something I wanted to capture through these images.
Only now, in my early 20s, have I found a relationship with affection which is why I wanted to bring this project to life – as a celebration. The images act as a narrative that presents different areas and people in my life who relate to this theme; from my friends in the underground community to parents.
My main inspirations right now are the Manchester canal pusher myth, page 3 and my parent’s motivational words!