The Intimacy Issue: Ashton Sanders

May 22, 2020

This is probably the strangest time we've all collectively lived through since... well, there's no real comparison, is there? Our relationships with one another, and with ourselves, have never been so digitally connected yet so physically distant.

Here's how it's gone for all of us, we're assuming: you started out the quarantine living on Zoom and FaceTime. You were insatiably horny, because you were deprived. If you were quarantined with a significant other, you two shared a movie-like feeling of "hunkering down."

Since then, though, video chatting has lost its spark. Netflix catalogues have run out. Couples have broken up. You're not even horny anymore because you're just depressed. So, you've been forced to move inward and confront yourself.

Photos by Byron Spencer
Production & Text by Ivan Guzman
Music by John Carroll Kirby

This sort of vulnerability with the self is exactly what inspired our May digital cover—the Intimacy issue. In thinking about what being intimate—both with others and with yourself—means during such strange times, we of course wanted to explore dildos, orgasms, and Chaturbate culture. It is office, after all.

But we also wanted to move beyond that. What do our current conditions mean in terms of being intimate in all facets of the word—being intimate with your thoughts? With abstraction? With objects or ideas? Do you cringe at your overgrown hair when looking in the mirror and the Snapchat camera? How has isolation played a part in your want or need to be intimate? Have you developed any new intimate relationships while in quarantine?

We asked 13 subjects to explore these ideas in a series of remotely-shot portraits and videos. We also asked each subject to write a diary entry with this vulnerability in mind.

First up is 24-year-old actor Ashton Sanders.

Ashton is an enthralling representation of modern Black boyhood. He is stoic yet emotive. Handsome yet humble. Shy but highly articulate and self-aware. When he speaks, you get the sense that he really cares about what he's saying. He carries himself with a sophistication and confidence that feels well beyond his years.

Sanders got his big break when he played adolescent Chiron in the 2016 Academy Award-winning film Moonlight. His performance in that filmed garnered him tremendous critical acclaim for the way he portrayed a young black boy struggling with his sexuality, and the bullies that fueled that inner turmoil, in the projects of Liberty City, Miami. It's a tear-jerking performance, mostly for the way Sanders was able to embody the themes of masculinity and resilience that are so pertinent for young black gay boys.

What we love about Ashton is just how this intimacy and vulnerability is almost embedded in him naturally. To be able to pinpoint such specific character archetypes as he does in his work takes a level of maturity and awareness with the self that we've all had to face during this isolation period. We knew that Ashton's cover would be the perfect one to kick off this project, and we hope you love him as well.

Watch this video, as well as all the other Intimacy videos, on .show, the new interactive video camera and shoppable video marketplace.

Culture

So Far So Good

April 26, 2024

Nolan Zangas’ first solo book So Far So Good explores “the confusion of being a young adult, the pain that comes from beauty, and the fine line between success and failure all through the limitlessness of movement.”

“In the spirit of La Haine as Vinz describes the man who falls from a skyscraper reassuring himself: ‘So far, so good...so far, so good’ on the way down,” the book serves as a tangible reminder to us that in life ‘It’s not how you fall that matters. It’s how you land.’”

So Far So Good features 160 pages of unreleased personal work from the past five years living in New York City. Nolan, who started taking pictures of his friends and surroundings while running around the city’s streets as a kid wanted to put out a body of work that could feel like a photographic diary of his life, shining a light on people and moments that can often be overlooked.

Ahead of the launch at 255 Canal Street (Floor 3) tomorrow, we caught up with Nolan over email to talk about his selection process, gatekeeping photographs (not posting them on Instagram) and the importance of immortalizing ‘good’ moments authentically.

Interview by Sahir Ahmed
Photography by Nolan Zangas

How did you select what made it into the book?
My process is very physical. I hand print my images in a darkroom. I start by making a contact sheet. If I like the images on the contact sheet, I often cut them out and glue them into a notebook. Then I go back and print the images I like. Sometimes im in the darkroom like 30 hours in a week.
How many did you have to sort through?
It’s so hard to say. Easily over 100,000 frames. I made over 1,000 prints and most of them did not make the cut.
A book can act almost like an artifact, in that when you’re picking it up, it exists in that moment — whether that’s the day after it launches or five years from then. Did that come to mind and was there a specific thread you followed to ensure that timelessness?
I think that’s what makes books so important. I collect a lot of books. Images now feel so disposable, and I really like physical things. I think the selection of images are feel timeless, and the layout adds a bit of character to it all.
Not every upbringing is the same and as someone who also grew up in NYC, coming of age here is very different from any other place — at what point in your adolescence did you decide to start documenting your life and the people around you?
I started taking pictures of my friends on disposables around the age of 12. I lost or never picked up any of the negatives and the files are long gone. That really upsets me, and I think that made me want to take a lot more pictures as I got older. Around 18 is when I really started taking pictures of my life and things around me. I wanted to be able to look back at it all one day. I also think I’ve been surrounded with such diverse people. I think everyone deserves to have their picture taken.

How do you know when you’ve found a good picture?
There are a bunch of technical aspects the go into a good picture but I feel like for this project that stuff matters less. If it’s a good moment, and the picture makes me feel like I’m there, it’s a good picture.
The title is self-explanatory in context but I’m curious to know what led you to pick So Far So Good as the book's title.
Pretty early on in the process of making a layout actually. I think one of my friends said “so far so good” in conversation, and I instantly thought about the scene in La Haine where they talk about falling from a building. Then in my head I was like, holy shit thats the name right there”. It’s like, how far can you stretch a rubber band before it snaps. It felt really fitting to that point in my life and the book as a whole. A lot of good and a lot of bad around me.
Creating anything is an act of giving. How do you hope people, and those featured in its pages, receive the book?
I think it’s going to be cool for people who are in it because most of them don’t even know the pictures exist. I haven’t really been sending or showing anyone pictures because then they just end up on Instagram and in my head thats basically the trash can. I think some people won’t get it and others will. I don’t really mind. Everyone grew up doing different things.

Culture

I Only Came For the Parties

Between Rihanna and A$AP Rocky surprise appearance to the open bars, food trucks, and dance floors, the party was wild. As I arrived at the ranch, I was immediately met with a friend of mine running up to me saying, “Pookie and Jett are here. We NEED to party with them.” We began the hunt after stopping by the Passes.com table for some cotton candy. With a wrist full of stacked bands on one arm and a drink in my other, I hurried past Justin and Hailey Bieber before reaching the packed dance floor. It must’ve been close to sunrise when I finally came to and headed for the exit. Walking out, I ran into my friends who told me they just drove in from LA and NYC just for the party. This being my 10th Coachella, I'd probably stay home next year if it weren’t for this party.

Culture

Celebrating Earth Day w/ Nike x office

No Earth Day celebration is complete without action, so here are 10 local NYC-based initiatives you can get involved in to preserve the planet we all share.

Join a community garden: NYC has many community gardens (Brooklyn Botanic Garden, Queens Botanic Garden, The High Line) that offer volunteer opportunities and workshops on sustainable gardening practices.
Volunteer with NYC Parks: The NYC Parks Department offers various volunteer programs, including tree planting, cleanups, and habitat restoration.
Participate in beach cleanups: Organizations like the Surfrider Foundation and the NYC Parks Department organize regular beach cleanups in NYC's coastal areas.
Get involved with local environmental groups: Groups like the Sierra Club, the Nature Conservancy, and the NYC Environmental Justice Alliance offer various volunteer opportunities and campaigns.
Take part in citizen science projects: Organizations like the NYC Audubon Society and the Brooklyn Botanic Garden offer citizen science projects that allow individuals to contribute to environmental research.
Join a local recycling program: NYC's Department of Sanitation offers various recycling programs, including organics collection and textile recycling.
Support local sustainable businesses: Choose to shop at local businesses that prioritize sustainability and environmentally friendly practices. (Here's a great resource for finding them)
Advocate for environmental policy change: Contact local representatives and participate in advocacy campaigns with organizations like the NYC Environmental Justice Alliance.
Participate in park cleanups: Organizations like the Central Park Conservancy and the Prospect Park Alliance offer regular cleanup events.
Join a local environmental activism group: Groups like Extinction Rebellion NYC and the Sunrise Movement NYC offer opportunities for individuals to get involved in environmental activism and advocacy.

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