Missing Attachment Missing Attachment Missing Attachment Missing Attachment Photos by Airspace Workshop and Honozooloo

In the early days of statehood, despite their commercial paychecks, a few influential Honolulu designers fought a war against ugliness. Famed local architect Vladimir Ossipoff and other modernists knew that much of the city’s future was still unoccupied, and at risk to onerous tenants. As Honolulu grew, commercial tourism, relaxed building standards, and an eager building boom spelled aesthetic ruin. In the slow bleed that precedes the death of empire, the Ugliness won. Now 50 years after Hawaii became a state with Honolulu its cultural and political center, a new generation of designers and artists move beyond the commercial and into the occupied void, post-war.

Designers, like the Wizard of Oz behind the curtain, shape both what we see in a city and the way we see it. Unlike Oz, designers are ordinarily removed from their creation by the fundamental quantity of time, leaving behind their visuals and skylines as markers of generation and community. From their second story space in Kaimuki — as the space warms and the street rumbles from an afternoon bus below — Hawaiians Chris Kalima and Josh Lake of the design firm Airspace Workshop try to imagine the future. “I hate the word ‘visionary’” Lake explains, using the Chris Farley air-quotes to mock the term. “Man, think of something else.” The yang to Lake’s yin, Kalima clarifies while tensing his fingers, “we DON’T want to throw a party, just another excuse for everybody to drink and say ‘wassup.’ That is NOT what this is about.” Expounding in another controlled blast, “we’re here to talk about… getting to the big ideas.”

It’s those big ideas that make 2059 something more than an art collective. The editors call the project a “Future Retrospective,” a looking back from a place we have yet to arrive. They are doing this with a website as a platform, hoping artists will use the opportunity to get involved in the discussion. In trying to answer the questions needed to save the beauty of a growing city, they are renewing a spirit of resistance and path to change paved by optimistic modernists of the past. Unlike their aesthetic forebears however, the present futurists’ concepts are restrained by the reality of 50 years of statehood and over 100 years of American consumer and military culture.

The format of the project includes work from contributors on five “critical issues,” which will be discussed on the website. The editors will create a publication as an extension of the site, most likely at the conclusion of the project in a year or so. The topics are: transportation, agriculture, culture, development and industry. The organizers are unsure if there will be a full gallery presentation at the completion of the project. Either way, the completed works are guaranteed to inspire dialogue with the contributors who are already on board. The editors are looking for more voices, and interested artists with something to say are still welcome to join.

It’s a city with a population of over eight million people. It’s home to Broadway, to the Museum of Modern Art, to Carnegie Hall. It’s given birth to hip-hop, to abstract expressionism, to the beat generation. It’s the home of Jim Jarmusch, of Thomas Pynchon, of Jay-Z. Its landmarks, like the Statue of Liberty, are emblematic of its endless opportunities. It’s a city with an alluring slogan (“If you can make it here, you can make it anywhere”). It’s a city that never sleeps and dreams big. It is, undoubtedly, the cultural capitol of the world: New York City.

It comes as no surprise, then, that thousands move to this glittering metropolis, year after year, to make their mark in the city that exercises a cultural hegemony over the rest of the world. Hawaii denizens, too, are involved in this migration, and these portraits offer a glimpse into the lives of Hawaii’s creative transplants who now call NYC their home.

Name: Leah Renee Evans

Occupation: Costume Design Assistant to Christian Joy & Buyer at Beacon’s Closet

Originally From:
Kaneohe

Now Residing In:
Greenpoint, Brooklyn

Reason For Moving:
For adventure, opportunity, and a change of scenery.

The Best Thing About NYC: There are amazing museums, free concerts, it’s bike friendly, and sometimes you see dogs wearing snow boots. You can find Kombucha in almost every bodega. Also, nobody stares at you if you dress up just to go to the pharmacy.

The Worst Thing About NYC: It’s no stargazer’s paradise.

Is NYC Your Home Now, Or Do You Plan To Return to Hawaii?
To tell you the truth, I am not sure. I love both places immensely. Without question, Hawaii is my home in my heart, and I often can’t shut up about it!

Name:
Francis Nishida

Occupation: Server/DJ – www.theglobalelite.com

Originally From: Honolulu

Now Residing In: Williamsburg, Brooklyn

Reason For Moving: Why Not?

The Best Thing About NYC: There’s always so much going on.

The Worst Thing About NYC: There’s always so much going on.

Is NYC Your Home Now, Or Do You Plan To Return to Hawaii? Haven’t thought about it much, I definitely miss Hawaii but am planning on staying out here for a while.

Name:
Stella Yi

Occupation: Student/Server

Originally From: I was born in Honolulu and grew up in Red Hill. My family and I later moved to Kapolei during my high school years.

Now Residing In: I currently live in Williamsburg Brooklyn for convenience and the old school italians. There is a definite charm in my neighborhood with the old mafia type dudes. I love it.

Reason For Moving: Living in New York has been on my to do list since I was 14. I moved when I finally had the chance to do so. I’m currently a student at Parsons The New School For Design.

The Best Thing About NYC: Best part is that the city is full of things and places to discover! You can never know the city well enough, it always surprises you. I also love that it is a pedestrian city and the best way to explore the city itself is through walking.

The Worst Thing About NYC:
Worst part of living in New york has got to be money. Everyone in New York rents. It’s a renters’ land and unless you are extremely wealthy, you don’t own shit. I don’t mind renting but a big part of me wants to have my own land. I also love the romantic big tree forest type of land and New York is a wimp in that category.

Is NYC Your Home Now, Or Do You Plan To Return to Hawaii? I definitely won’t move back to Hawaii. I don’t know if New York is the place I’ll end up for good, although I always thought that would be the case. I might end up living somewhere really green like Washington or Oregon. I’m a hippie at heart.

Name:
Kalani Fujimori

Occupation:
Designer – www.kalanifujimori.com

Originally From: Honolulu

Now Residing In: Williamsburg, Brooklyn

Reason For Moving: It’s a place that has always intrigued me culturally and inspired me creatively.

The Best Thing About NYC: The food and how every restaurant has delivery.

The Worst Thing About NYC:
Riding the train when the kids get out of school

Is NYC Your Home Now, Or Do You Plan To Return to Hawaii?
Learning as much as I can and eventually bringing it back to Hawaii has always been the goal for me.

Photo by Tommy Shih

Misa Hamamoto has taken her Hawai’i roots to Los Angeles and has created a niche reputation with her unique artistic qualities. “I definitely consider my jewelry pieces as ‘wearable art.’ In fact, I also call them sculptural jewelry. I think that’s why I’ve developed such a following because my clients feel like they’re collecting pieces of art when purchasing my jewelry,” says Hamamoto.

The process she uses to create her pieces is called the “lost wax” technique, and is quite rare nowadays with modern inventions and technology. “I start off by carving out my designs from wax. This entails an open flame from a jewelry lamp, which I use to melt the wax drop by drop to form the piece I’m designing,” explains Hamamoto.

She then uses dentist tools to clean, file and further mold the wax to the design she desires. “This process is very tedious, as I’m creating a piece entirely from melted wax droplets and small tools for the detailing,” says Hamamoto. The wax sculpture then goes through a casting process, in which the design is solidified. Thus the process gets its name because the mold loses its wax material as it drips off the solid metal.

“Most jewelers now do not use this ancient method because, well, it’s ancient. I would say almost all jewelers now use computer programs to create their designs. I have nothing against this method, but I prefer the organic, imperfect look that develops from lost wax casting,” says Hamamoto.

This method of jewelry casting might be what makes Misa Jewelry so distinguishable, or it might be the inspiration of Hawaii that Hamamoto has when designing. “My pieces are influenced by different elements of nature from coral to the tree root systems to the night sky. Growing up in Hawaii definitely has an influence on my designs. I’ve always been a huge nature lover especially growing up on a beautiful island,” she explains.

Misa Jewelry’s imperfect, fluid and organic designs are true examples of craftsmanship. No matter what your style is — from Bohemian to street, Misa’s jewelry can be paired to create the perfect outfit. Some designers create a collection in which there is one must-have piece, but Misa’s jewelry has enough diversity in each of the pieces to where the entire collection is a must have.

For more information, or to see her complete collection, visit www.misajewelry.com

The film screen at Waikiki shell Jared Yamanuha

“By the People: The Election of Barack Obama” Documentary Screens at the Shell

“Sorry,” a security guard said, “no professional cameras allowed.” He pointed at my semi-professional-if-only-in-looks camera looped around my neck. He was an unusually large man, built, as the saying goes, like a brick house.

“Oh,” I said, confused. “But I’m with the media.”

“Check with the other entrance,” he said, hoisting an index finger the size of my arm towards the far end of the lot. I glanced in the direction to which he pointed, and it was so far down the sidewalk it seemed peopled by ants.

My friend and I trudged toward this other entrance only to discover another entryway, midway, flanked by a man and a woman, both uniformed. This time I pretended to know the protocol: I was on assignment for Flux Hawaii, and my name was on The List.

“No, we don’t have any lists,” said the woman, apathetically unimpressed by my pompous ruse. “Check down at the other entrance.” She, too, pointed towards this mythical media entrance, still a substantial distance away. We weren’t getting into this event any time soon.

This, I thought, must’ve been what Barack Obama felt like during his long and arduous path towards the presidency: constantly being told no, no, no, and yet pushing forward, saying yes we can, yes we will. (Yes, I know that comparing my minor inconvenience to Obama’s odyssey to the Oval Office is insanely ridiculous, but it made for a great segue, no?) Obama’s journey from relative obscurity to political superstardom was, quite fittingly, the subject of HBO’s newest documentary, presented last Thursday by HBO, Oceanic Time Warner Cable and the City & County of Honolulu at the Waikiki Shell. (Yes, we finally got into this free event).

Before I go on, I have to admit that I’m a film buff with a particular penchant for documentaries, and since HBO produced Spike Lee’s “When the Levees Broke: A Requiem in Four Acts,” one of my favorite docs of all time, I had high–perhaps too high–hopes for this movie.

“By the People: The Election of Barack Obama” is a steadied, chronological account of Obama’s campaign for the White House, one which pairs behind-the-scenes footage of Obama and his team with news media clips from the early days up until his ascendance to the Presidency. Peppered throughout are interviews with the public, ranging from hopefully optimistic to blatantly racist (“I do not want a black man running my country,” says one interviewee). There’s nothing here that we haven’t seen before, and it is perhaps for this reason that the documentary feels less revelatory than run-of-the-mill.

There are seeds, though, of a great documentary here. Jon Favreau, Obama’s speechwriter, is a fascinating character. He’s unbelievably young–at 28, he’s the Director of Speechwriting for President Obama–and his short time on screen is at once funny and insightful. (I would love to see a documentary on the speechwriting process, from Obama’s initial thoughts on the structure of a speech, to Favreau’s rough drafts, to bouncing ideas off of the other speechwriters to the final oration).

Interesting, too, are the moments when Malia Ann and Natasha, the Obama daughters, speak about their father, and their wish to spend more time with him. Michelle Obama’s moments in the film, including her thoughts on her husband and family life, not to mention seeing her chatting, laughing, pondering, are equally intriguing.

By far the biggest surprise is the section of the film devoted to the Iowa caucuses, the mechanics of which I had no idea until this film. It’s the exact opposite of primary elections in that people gather in a church, a school, a cafeteria, and basically stand next to the candidate’s name for whom they will vote. The undecided are strongly encouraged by their peers to join them and their candidate. There are no secret ballots like in primaries; debates ensue, so does a bit of proselytizing. It is, to paraphrase Robert Gibbs, democracy in action.

Although problematic at points, “By the People” demonstrates the effectiveness of Obama’s grassroots campaign for change, and how Obama and his team catalyzed a nation so totally disillusioned by the shenanigans and devastating policies promulgated by the Bush Administration. As President Obama approaches his one-year mark, the big question is this: “Is he following through on the promises he made during his campaign?” Judging by Obama’s central domestic policy, Health Care Reform, he’s doing a bang-up job, with both houses of Congress introducing their versions of this crucial piece of legislation. So far, so good.

Still from 'Layover' Photo courtesy of Chris Yogi

Filmmaker Christopher Yogi tackles his toughest subject matter to date: Hawaii.

To make a movie about Hawaii — one that’s entertaining and realistic to both locals and the rest of the world — is a difficult, if not impossible, task. Hawaii is so complex, so diverse a place that it’s unthinkable that any film, really, could capture its essence.

“This is something I’ve been wrestling with for the entirety of my film school education,” admits Christopher Yogi, a Hawaii-born filmmaker who’s currently residing in Los Angeles. His latest film, Layover, on the Shore, which makes its world premiere at this year’s Hawaii International Film Festival, is both his MFA thesis film for the University of Southern California’s School of Cinematic Arts and a movie that attempts to dissect what makes Hawaii Hawaii.

“The idea of Hawaii is so overwhelming that any serious film about Hawaii will have to deal with this immense abstraction,” Yogi says.

Before matriculating at the same film school attended by the likes of Hollywood giants George Lucas and Judd Apatow, Yogi was here, in Hawaii, honing both his writing and filmmaking skills.

“I had a small Sony miniDV camera that [I] would carry around with me to film ideas that were floating around in my head,” he says. These formal experiments were coupled with committing his ideas and thoughts to paper. “I spent most of my time writing,” he says. “I thought, that’s what filmmakers did, they wrote.”

Yogi’s penchant for writing seemed natural, though, since he was an English Major at the University of Hawaii at Manoa. There, he managed to assemble his first narrative film, Every Night Spent Alone, a movie that was truncated into a short film from a feature-length screenplay. It marked his first attempt at a linear narrative, and was, in his words, “very much a first film.”

Although he didn’t consider his first film a total success, The University of Southern California’s School of Cinematic Arts certainly saw talent in Yogi, a talent that could be developed, nurtured. Yogi, too, found collaborators there with whom he could identify: “I was very fortunate to find a small band of inspired filmmakers whose tastes aligned with mine.”

It was out of this collective interest in a movie about Hawaii, shared by Yogi and his colleagues, that the idea for Layover, on the Shore was born. “I was very lucky in that everyone who I wanted to work with came on board and lent their talent and voice to the project,” he says. Collaboration is the key element that separates filmmaking from other artistic mediums, and in that vein, Yogi remarks, “‘Layover, on the Shore’ is the most successful film I’ve ever been involved in.”

It’s fitting, perhaps, that Yogi’s thesis film, conceived in California, is about Hawaii. Layover, on the Shore, filmed both in LA and Honolulu, on dreamy film stock and ueber-realistic HD video, is, essentially, a love letter to Hawaii. It’s also Yogi’s attempt to reconcile two different, yet equally relevant Hawaiis: the real, actual Hawaii, where we live, and the imagined paradise with which the rest of the world is acquainted.

It’s precisely for this reason that Layover, on the Shore signals a new type of film, one that engages in the complexities of Hawaii. His film doesn’t seem to fit snugly into either of two categories to which most films about Hawaii belong: it’s not a film that uses Hawaii as a stunt double, so to speak, for other, more exotic locales (think: Jurassic Park and Tropic Thunder), and it certainly doesn’t reduce its characters to caricatures, or make broad generalizations about Hawaii and its people. Yogi seems to be making movies in heretofore uncharted territory, realistic films about us, here and now.

If there’s one thing that Yogi understands about Hawaii and the films it presents to the world, it’s this: “I think most important is realizing that our audience is not limited to the Hawaii community — a community that is wonderful and supportive, for sure,” he says, “but I think we all recognize that the culture and history of Hawaii is so international that its cinema can aim to reach far beyond its borders.”

It’s unclear whether or not Yogi’s film will be a bellwether in a New Hawaiian Cinema, but even those outside of Hawaii think there’s potential for our tiny, isolated island chain to develop a film movement. “My professors and classmates have expressed some definite excitement around Hawaii-centric filmmaking,” he says, “and so I feel there must be a demand out there. So there’s hope.”

Layover, on the Shore is screening at this year’s Honolulu International Film Festival, Sunday, October 18th, as part of “Shorts Program #4″ at 6:45pm at Dole Cannery.

Yoza Photo by Brent Keane

Rule one about R&B island girl Yoza: Don’t call her Crystal. Of course, I immediately make this mistake. “Crystal?” I ask when I first meet her. “Crystal Yoza?”

Her face flushes with hues of red as she explains that it’s just Yoza now. “I don’t even like my first name,” she says. “I stopped using it three years ago.”

Ironically, crystal would be a plausible description of her appearance, because, by observing her noticeable tattoos, it is crystal-clear that this chick lives for music. The giant treble clef that cuts down her chest. The homage to Billie Holiday on her right forearm. The guitar that stretches down her spine. Yoza’s melodic addiction is painted all over her body, and she is quick to admit it, “Every tattoo I have on me is music, “she says. “It’s the thing I’m most passionate about.”

Yoza’s passion for the lyrical world began at age five, when she taught herself how to play her brother’s ukulele. Within a few years, she was a member of famed ukulele artist Roy Sakuma’s Super Keiki, a group of children uke players. At 12, Yoza conquered the saxophone (which later helped her achieve a full scholarship to Hawaii Pacific University). At 18, she took on the guitar, and by 23, she was playing with Ho’okahileo, a traditional Hawaiian group. But soon after, her desire to change tunes began to grow. “I love traditional Hawaiian music,” she explains. “I respect it. But that’s not what I want to do. And it’s not in my heart. Acoustic R&B and soul. That’s just what moves me.”

At first, Yoza wondered if her new sound would be accepted on the island. “With the tourism industry, everyone wants hear traditional Hawaiian music,” she says. “And I was sold on the idea that you have to play traditional Hawaiian music to pay the bills.”

So she did what most performers would do — she compromised. “I would just stick a little R&B in [the Hawaiian music.],” she explains. “And people started thinking it was cool.”

Today, Yoza is a full-force acoustic soul artist who is most commonly found on stage at Waikiki venues such as Jimmy Buffets at the Beachcomber and The Shack. Her rich, sultry vocals layered over her smooth, acoustic guitar strums serve listeners a goose-bump worthy batch of straight-up soul, and her sexy rasp recalls the sounds of Lauryn Hill and Erykah Badu.

Yoza mixes up her sets with original pieces and R&B-twisted covers (ranging anywhere from Outkast to John Mayer) and her love of music radiates off of her whenever she’s on stage. “Music’s the best catharsis ever,” she says. “It can immediately put you in any emotional state. It can make you incredibly sad, or it can make you so super happy. It is something that does something to you that nothing else can.”

Soon, Yoza plans on bringing her love into the recording studio to make a full album of original songs. But what she will be doing after that, she is unsure.

“There is some sort of plan that God has,” she explains. “I just don’t know what it is yet. Until then, I’m just going to do the best I can.”

One thing is for sure — Yoza is going to be a musician until the day she dies. Because, according to her, she doesn’t have a choice. “[Music]’s all I can do. Seriously.” she says with a raspy laugh. “I’m a crappy waitress. I’m clumsy. I can’t do anything. Just music. I’m very limited.”

As long as she keeps on doing what she’s doing, music might be enough.

Missing Attachment Missing Attachment Missing Attachment Photos by Garrett Kline

Like so many creative souls before him, Luis Antonio, founder and head designer for GRN Apple Tree, wanted to be a rock star. The former bassist of VooDoo Dolls even played with Sugar Ray (back when they were the Shrinky Dinks), Cadillac Tramps, and the soon-to-be drummer for iconic Cali band Sublime before pursuing what would prove to be his true calling: fashion and design.

The hands-on owner is remarkably unassuming. He sits with me in his Los Angeles showroom, sandwiched between a design studio, distribution office and warehouse, which collectively serve as company headquarters. Every spare space is filled with artifacts meant to inspire, from snowboard gear and boxy leather lounge chairs designed by Luis, to arcade-style video games and an impressive 300 piece toy collection — think ICEE polar bears and blue Smurfs. Walking through the place, with its orange walls, acrylic paintings, sewing station, constant stream of eclectic tunes emanating from the iPod in the corner and caches of cool graphic tees the brand has become known for, makes me want to abandon the interview immediately, roll up my sleeves and create something.

When I meet Jennifer Yoko Thorbjornsen, the day is quiet and the room is still, save for her dog Kuma who, dressed in a green dinosaur costume for no apparent reason, stirs about the room chasing his tail. She catches me staring aghast at a rubber boob plopped in the middle of her room — “I am a normal person,” she insists. “I like to hike and hang out with my dog,” but Jennifer is not your typical 25-year old.

Already, the consummate purveyor of outsider art has received numerous recognitions. Her work is being displayed at Cedar Street Gallery and is soon to be featured in an episode of the hit television show “Lost. Even while her art boasts an extremely unique mind that translates to canvas in a way that speaks to many generations, she remains reserved and modest.

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After 12 hours in a dilapidated bus, cramped by suitcases and boardbags and 25 others, there is only one thing preventing us from our destination: a young soldier thumbing through our passports, the trigger of his gun close enough for me to touch. He eyes us carefully and motions to another soldier to search our luggage. We nervously hold our breaths as they begin to pull out our carefully constructed wall of suitcases from the back of the bus. This could take hours. At some point though, the soldiers decide no additional searching is necessary and send us on our way.

Our bus ride began in Colombo, Sri Lanka’s capital city. I am slightly on edge, especially since Colombo is often the site of terrorist bombings. I keep an eye out for Tamil Tigers, guerilla soldiers listed by the EU and the US as a terrorist organization, but I am told that if I see one, I won’t live to tell about it.

We make our way to Arugam Bay, a surfer town on the eastern coast of the country. Our bus driver, I begin to suspect is blind in his right eye, which is clouded over by a milky haze. Nevertheless, he seamlessly weaves his bus past tuk tuks and crowded street-side markets, flying around blind turns, dodging pedestrians, bicycles, dogs and cows alike, and gets us to our destination in Arugam Bay without incident.

Plagued by civil unrest and still, in part, reeling from the effects of the 2002 Indian Ocean tsunami, the spirit in Arugam Bay is a heavy one. Hotels, convenience stores, roadside roti makers, tuk tuk drivers, mom-and-pop restaurants, as well as fancier beachside eateries seem to be struggling to survive. Unlike the bustle of Colombo, the town is silent and feels empty and sad, and I wonder if it’s too late to get on the next flight out of here. Needless to say, I will spend 22 more days in this desolate town.

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