Enjoy our selection for July and take a look at previous month’s top images, here!

Week 04

‘Street Portrait 5′ by Yaseen Ameer

‘Cult Collective’ by Lynsey Anne Hughes

‘The Perfect Storm’ by Lindsay Purdon

‘Coy Woman’ (2011) by Viccy Wanliss

Week 03

untitled by Wiehahn Diederichs

‘Bright’ by Tyler McGown

‘Raja in Black and White’ by Natalia Anna Ferrara

‘Gothic’ by Graham Mitchell

Week 02

untitled by Bongani Ndlovu

‘The Lost Boy’ by Tyler McGown

‘Card 6′ by Paolo Maneli

‘Brain Off’ by SIN International

Week 01

untitled by Logan Lopata

‘Demure’ by Samantha Hanlon

untitled by Chantal de Jager

‘Street Portrait 4′ by Yaseen Ameer

Tell us how and when you started photography?
I started photographing after doing a hand developing photography course at Photofusion in Brixton, London about 13 years ago.

Are mannequins easy models to work with?
Mannequins are great models, very adaptable and never have bad hair days.

Do they eat?
Mannequins only eat at night, when humans are sleeping. Should they be fed during the day, they may bite.

Please tell us how?
After hours, I shoot within the depths of my studio flat in Green Point – also known as the Squirrel’s Nest. The Mannequins now call this nest their home too – The Mannequin Masquerade Headquarters. On our travels this week we tracked down a supplier of traffic beacons for a future photo-shoot and spent the day masquerading at West Coast National Park in celebration of Women’s Day. The mannequins caused quite a stir in the serenity & tranquillity of the park. I recorded comments overheard by curious by-passers when they spot the mannequins:
“I wonder who did this?!”
“Is this for real?”
“How many of these do you have?”
“Is dit ‘n dame? Dit lyk soos a forken mermaid!”
“Is this some sort of experiment or competition or something? Would you like to bring them for a drink at my place – I stay in a house not far from here.”

How did your phone drown?
My phone drowned a very sorrowful death due to being accidentally dropped in a pot of water, whilst speaking to my Fox (my boyfriend).

Some of the work can be seen as rather trippy… How do you feel about hallucinogenics and the creative doors it can open?
Many people have said this to me – ironically no hallucinogenics or even a single drop of alcohol have been involved during the past two months of photographing these mannequins – I decided to pursue a period of alcohol-free existence for two months and BAM! this happened! This is thus proof that creativity can explode via many channels, including the understated and underrated doors of sobriety.

What inspired you behind your album Mannequin Masquerades?
There was no specific inspiration behind the Masquerades – one Monday I woke up wanting a mannequin then the search began – I was quoted between R800 – R3000 for various mannequins. Madame Manique Win (the female) belonged to me when I did a year of Fashion Design at Natal Technikon in 1996, so my mother kindly sent her down from Durban to me. Madame Manique Win then begged me to find her a playmate, so we found Monsieur Tranny Quin shortly after her arrival in the Mothership at Milnerton Market – the rest has been total improvisation and organic spontaneity.

I have an assortment of fabrics, clothing & accessories that we play with. It starts with the prop of a hat or a wig & the rest unfolds. There is no law & order where these punks are concerned, that’s for the humans.

What can the kaleidoscopic escape be seen to represent in your story.
Kaleidoscopic escape refers to the visual escape I hope that viewers get when they see these photos & in particular the kaleidoscope-like collages that I have created from the photographs.

‘Fantasy is the new reality ‘ – can you tell me a little more about this.
The mannequins get themselves into such astounding outfits & lighting situations, that they may appear to be in & from another dimension. Some people have mistaken the mannequins in some photographs for humans. This fantastical illusion is reality to the mannequins.

You went to AfrikaBurn this year right… ? What was your most bizarre memory you came back with?
Yes, this year was my first burn – what an incredible experience. Highlighting the most bizarre memory is quite a tricky one because there were so many! First thing that comes to mind was a surprise meeting and improvised story-telling session by MAfrica – the intriguing green forest fairy with the voice and expressions of a 6-year old child. She appeared one morning at our camp, with an intricate head piece of trees & dangling butterflies, treated us to a few tales and then moved magically forth into the mirage!

title: Cyborg2

Title: TechnoPunkManiqueWin3

Title: PsyRenaissanceTranny2

Title: TechnicolourManique1

Title: LEDRibbon4

Title: LEDCandles3

Title: FuturisticHippieManique1

Title: FineFeatheredTranny3

Interview by: David Plenderleith

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View more of her work on her Facebook page here

At the end of each week, we add two more images from onesmallseed.net to the relevant month’s gallery collection on onesmallseed.com. All images are the featured works of members of one small seed network, our creative online community. To have your work featured here, simply sign up as a member and start uploading!

We hope you enjoy our collection for the month of May 2012.

Week 04

Untitled by Caroline Mackintosh

Untitled by Amber Rathbone

Week 03

Little.Harlequin

Splash3 by Stefanie Payendee

Week 02

DEVINE by Zeno Petersen

THERE'S A LIGHT by SJ van Zyl

Week 01

'This Castle Stands Alone' by Bernard Brand

'Rainbow' by Zenography

© Gossip, Columbia Records

A Joyful Noise by Gossip Music

Ever-evolving and perpetually defying convention, Gossip is back with their fifth studio album, A Joyful Noise, set to be released on May 22.  A Joyful Noise was produced by pop genius Brian Higgins (Kylie Minogue, Pet Shop Boys)  The album’s first single, ‘Perfect World’, will be released as digital on 13th March.

© Gossip, Columbia Records

A blend of soul, gospel, rock, funk, disco, punk, passion and rebellion, Gossip is comprised of vocalist Beth Ditto, guitarist Nathan Howdeshell, and drummer Hannah Blilie.  Originally formed in Olympia, Washington in 1999, Gossip first garnered attention in the UK with the release of their 2006 breakthrough album Standing In the Way of Control, and they have been in the spotlight ever since. Their most recent album, 2009’s Music For Men, sold over 1 million copies globally and was raved about on both sides of the Atlantic, with Clash declaring it “the most euphoric thing you’ll hear this year.” Gossip’s front woman, the irresistibly bold and challenging Beth Ditto, whose new makeup collaboration with MAC Cosmetics will launch this winter  for their summer collection, makes it impossible to not fall for the band.  Best captured by Billboard, Ditto “employs all of her hard-edged sexiness and manages to charm with an appealingly intimidating allure,” instantly reeling you in.

© Gossip, Columbia Records

Recorded in both Xenomania, Higgins’ studio in England, and KBC Studios in Portland, Oregon, A Joyful Noise stays true to Gossip’s trademark brash and unapologetic nature – that is, as true as possible for a band that is constantly reinventing itself and pushing boundaries.  Working with Higgins, Gossip sought to create their own brand of pop.

Ditto proclaimed, I spent the whole year listening to ABBA and not listening to the radio, accounting for the pulsing energy of A Joyful Noise. 

The album’s infectious tracks will certainly be welcomed by fans who are already entranced by Gossip’s insanely danceable beats, and will no doubt lure in many more.

© Gossip, Columbia Records

Since their previous studio effort, Gossip have toured extensively,covering the major music festival circuits, making appearances at Coachella in the US, Rock am Ring in Germany, and Glastonbury in the UK. Their live shows are touted as one of the best around, with NME dubbing them

The greatest punk rock’n’roll disco soul band on the planet” and insisting “Everyone needs to hear this band and dance like there’s no tomorrow.(NME)

Words: Courtesy of Columbia Records

Sources: perfectworld.gossipyouth.com columbiarecords.com

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