Dazed Club Spotlight is our monthly series showcasing up-and-coming talent from the Dazed creative community. If you’d like to be featured, download the app HERE and join our community. You just have to post your best project(s) and the Dazed team will take a look – we select one person from the community to spotlight per week, which then end up in our monthly spotlight roundup.

YAS AVDJI

“I use image-making to tell stories and help build the emerging visual culture of young creatives in London, which is becoming a more inclusive, diverse and representative space. As a Cypriot and queer creative, my background is important to my practice, and I hope to empower other young people with the strong identities I represent with my photos, collaborating with as many people I connect with as possible, from those I meet at raves to queer idols on reality TV.

“I’ve submitted a series of photos from my most recent collaboration with All-inclusive Resort (AIR), a T-shirt brand run by Milly Porter, for a shoot of a car wash scene with queer public figures, Amy Spalding and Jacques. While Porter and Fashion Communicator Katie Poppy developed the creative direction of the shoot, arranging props and our models, I focused on the art direction on set, making this a truly collaborative project.

“While taking these photos, I wanted to make Amy and Jacques feel like their hottest, baddest selves, communicating to their audiences that they too should feel proud to be queer/non-binary rock stars in whatever space they are in. I used an array of different lighting setups, aiming to create dynamic photos with a lot of movement. I also edit and retouch all my photos, meaning I work on the colour grading, curves and dodging and burning. This is an essential step in making my photos look the way I want them to. I love movies, so a big inspiration for my photos has come from the art direction and world-building of my favourite directors like Gregg Araki and David Lynch who use colour as a major story-telling device, something I’d like to do more of.”

CHELSEA FARQUHAR

“I’m a South Australian artist working on Kaurna Land. As a designer, I love historic sewing patterns combined with modern sewing techniques and concepts. I'm really inspired by the idea of collaboration, and most of all by my own friends – for me, it's all about play, learning new skills and creating fantasies in a shared experience with others. That’s really the core of my design journey.

“Presented here is a combination of knit pieces from a recent photoshoot, along with backstage photography from my latest show. My works playfully exaggerate and manipulate the body. To create my knit pieces, I sourced second-hand single-ply yarns and used a vintage knitting machine to construct the garments. The technique I use a lot is an alternation of tensions between rows, which creates a 3D wobble effect, and allows each piece to have buoyancy when the wearer moves. To create my Elizabethan ruff skirt, which forms a key part of this collection, I scaled up a pattern from Janet Arnold’s Patterns of Fashion 4 c.1540-1660. I used calico, interfacing, and machine-stitched the hems and then hand-stitched all of the individual joins.

“Currently, I have artworks showing across two exhibitions in Naarm/Melbourne. One is currently on at Gertrude Contemporary, and the other is at TCB gallery. In October, I will be in two runway shows (but can’t yet disclose the names).”

ELLIOT DENNISON

“I’m a photographer, filmmaker, and creative director located in London. My work predominantly focuses on merging spirituality and horror. I’m fascinated by the intersection of reality and fantasy, believing we encounter this crossover momentarily within our daily experiences, which I strive to recapture. Drawing from my Buddhist upbringing, I weave in spiritual concepts of liberation, redemption, and purity and juxtapose them against horror visuals of vacant liminal areas, blood, and ghosts.

“Euphoric Pain is a project about reaching hedonistic enlightenment. The subject (musician Sofy Bilaya) is overexposed leaving just her silhouette, the obstruction of her form reflects how the hunt for euphoria can obscure and even erase one’s identity.

“My main inspiration comes from horror movies. For me, the provocative visuals can be similar to successful fashion photography – both require something striking and attention-grabbing. My relationship with horror films has always been turbulent. I vividly recall being traumatised at a young age while watching Ju On: The Grudge (2002). This initial trauma evolved into a morbid fascination that now significantly influences my creative approach.”

CAM DELISLE

“I’m a stylist, writer, and digital media creative based in Vancouver, Canada. I’ve been focused on styling and creative directing editorial photoshoots for the past year, constantly expanding my network with immensely talented Vancouver creatives, as well as constantly developing the work I want to showcase.

“I approach my work typically with either a word, an object, a song, or an image being the initial source of inspiration. For this particular shoot, the word ‘automatic’ was the catalyst. It started with the word, and followed with the development of a mood board. The initial mood board in my process typically doesn’t contain any fashion or setting inspiration, but instead is a visual accompaniment to my chosen source of inspiration. For this project, the initial ‘automatic’ mood board was full of gasoline puddles, helmets, cars, and juxtaposing imagery, such as heels on a race track. 

“Then came the mood board for the shoot itself. I knew I wanted to use a parking garage, but ended up scouting six different parking garages, as I didn‘t want the setting to seem like an afterthought. With my projects, every decision is intentional. Styling decisions stemmed from an attempt to create two juxtaposing looks, capturing the tension between toughness and elegance.”