How Are You Doing in 2021? Pt. 1

The series, which spotlights 13 artists, has been divided into two parts.

Check the first one out below.

Colin LoCascio, Fashion Designer

Tell us a little about yourself and what you do?

I grew up in Queens, NY and a lot of my taste/aesthetic was born there as well. I studied at RISD and upon graduation, I worked for several designers/brands, and in 2020 launched my namesake label.

How would you describe your collection?

The collection is very print/color/texture heavy. I like to define it as outer-borough chic- it's slightly disoriented/misguided glamor. She's the lady in red when everyone else is wearing tan- yes that is a Fran Drescher reference!

Did you stay in NYC during the lockdown?

I stayed in NYC for first few months, and then I moved to Rhode Island, where I currently am.

What would you say was the hardest struggle for you during this pandemic?

So much of my inspiration comes from my friends, or women I see on the street, so obviously during lockdown I wasn't finding inspiration the same way. I think the pandemic has been and will continue to be, incredibly hard. I think for me, I've learned as humans, we have innate qualities to preserve and overcome and that has been inspiring.

What can we expect from you next for the next upcoming season and any plans of doing a show?

I'm working on it now, it's going to be building out a lot of the narrative I built in my AW21 collection. I'm super interested right now in working in the medium of video, I think I'm able to tell the story of the season more than a presentation/runway show, and I think I will continue to do so until it's fully safe to stage a runway show.

LustSickPuppy, Musician/Visual Artist

Tell us a little about yourself and what you do?

My name is Tommy, I’m from Brooklyn, and I’m known in these streets as LustSickPuppy. I am a musician on top of other things but that’s the main thing atm. I'm a visual artist and have love for sfx makeup and I do my best to blend that into my music so that I’m creating a whole world with weird little creatures who like to dance until they die.

How has covid affected the way you work? Are you staying creative and how?

I spend most of my time in the dark, cramped up at my computer working on music for hours. That’s kind of how it's always been but before the panny hit, everything I was making was getting spit out with the intention to perform. This, in my opinion, resulted in a lot of half-assed things that could have used more time and love. When we were first put in quarantine there was a double-edged sword of feeling like I had to stay productive but also had a massive amount of free time to let things develop as they may. I actually really enjoy that I don’t have to perform right now because I’ve spent all of last year up until now working on my next project that probably wouldn’t have had so much care and effort put into it otherwise.

Will there be a follow up to your EP this year?

Absolutely. I’m really proud of everything I’ve been working on. It’s the most honest thing I’ve made so far. This project has been my healing for me to deal with all of the bullshit and fuckery of 2020, the loneliness, the heartbreak, the intrusive thoughts, the self love and reaffirmation. It’s me and everything I’ve felt for the past year. It’s not really for anyone else but if people like it, cool.

Did you ever host any of those themed zoom parties?

I did when the pandemonium first started, but that started to feel like a chore, or an episode of Dora. It does not breed the same level of connection and interaction as a live show does where I can see and touch people, physically, emotionally. Live shows are a “performance” but these internet shows are performative, there’s a difference. I’m more honest when I’m on a stage reliving the feelings of whatever I’ve written verses playing it from my bedroom, to then close my computer and be trapped with the same dread that sludges with the days as this pandora lingers. However, I will do it for money, I GUESS.

What would you say was the hardest struggle for you during this pandemic?

Not dying and I mean that in every definition. Not letting the fear and anxiety of a deadly virus consume my every thought and action. Not letting the absolute heartbreak of the death of black people turn me completely nihilistic. Not going insane from being stuck in my room all day every day, without seeing my friends, or hug my mom. Not letting the things I cannot control kill my drive, my energy, my love for myself and others.
I will say tho, I got the opportunity to really sit with myself and with my thoughts and re-analyze a lot of my life and what’s important to me. Relationships I was fucking up, how hard I am on myself, how I could improve my well-being. I’ve definitely grown a lot over the past year that I feel like “normal” life would've distracted me from. I healed myself over and over during the past year and I’m kinda grateful for that.

Where would be your dream gig post Covid?

Probably in Japan so I can experience other cultures that aren’t American. I haven’t really thought about it because I’ve just been focusing on making it to tomorrow. Dreaming of a covid-free life will create a false sense of hope in my brain that will lead me to delusion. This is the reality at the moment and I'm taking it one day at a time. That’s what held me down from 2020 to now.

Claud, Musician

Did you stay in NYC during the lockdown? 

For the first couple months I was in Illinois at my dads house, then drove back to New York mid summer.

How would you describe your music? 

Pop songs to enjoy with a late night snack.

What can we expect to see from you next? 

A live show... soon.

What would you say was the hardest struggle for you during this pandemic? 

Learning how to be alone.  

 Where would be your dream gig after covid and why? 

Lincoln Hall in Chicago because I grew up going there.

Primo, Photographer

Tell us a little about yourself and what you do?

My name is Primo Bolo III and I’m a fashion photographer. I’m 29 years old and I’ve been living in NYC since 2010 but I’m originally from Lānaʻi, Hawai’i.

Would you say covid has deeply impacted you even more than others because you are AAPI?

More recently, we’ve been seeing the effects of 45’s racist rhetoric escalating to violent attacks on the AAPI community across the country. Lānaʻi is almost entirely AAPI and this kind of racism that we’re seeing today didn’t feel present growing up on my island like it is for a lot of AAPI individuals in other states. After this year, I’m now realizing how white supremacy has always existed systemically in Hawai’i since the moment of colonization and how it’s really affected the perception and values of all the POC locals, including myself for a long time. Now that my awareness of racial and social injustice has heightened, it’s been incredibly difficult to process all of this information and ignore it because it really is at the root of the social and financial disparities in Hawai’i.

A lot of locals back home are really living in a world of scarcity and they’re spending every single day just trying to survive. It’s the biggest misconception people in the states have of Hawai'i residents. On set, people always ask me “Why did you leave Hawai'i? It’s so nice there!” and although it is, I always have to stress the reality of what it’s like for us locals. The truth is, there isn’t a lot of money or opportunity in Hawai’i. The hospitality industry that drives our economy is centered on putting their guests first before residents. As a result, investmenting in much needed resources for our local community just doesn’t happen in the way we need it too and this leaves a lot of the residents disengaged when progress doesn’t happen. This really echoes all of the issues that have come to light since covid. I’ve been really doing my best to spread awareness and engage in meaningful conversations with other AAPI locals so that we can figure out the best way for our community back home to get engaged and activated so we can move forward towards empowerment and inact meaningful change like we have in the past.

75 years ago during “The Great Hawai’i Sugar Strike of 1946” it was the first time the multi-ethnic workforce organized and challenged the sugar plantations that controlled Hawai'i. They addressed the social and political problems at the time by crossing cultural lines and coming together to unionize against an industry that enacted racial division amongst its workers to maintain power. To me, this is the same energy we need now: Unity and Activism.

How did this sourdough bread making come about? I know it was a trending hobby in the beginning of the lockdown, but you seem to be one of the very few that's still sticking to it!?

Sourdough has always been something that piqued my interest but I was very intimidated by it at first and just didn’t know where to start. A month before the lockdown, I met another baker on set who was kind enough to share some starter with me. She walked me through each step of the dough making process and shared her recipe. On my first attempt, we made our dough simultaneously and we sent each other photos and videos during each step so that I could visually see how to handle the dough as it changed over time. Her patience really enabled me to get comfortable with the process and doing it together really eliminated all of the doubt. I’m so grateful and from that point on it became an obsession.

Fast forward a year and I’ve really found so much of my joy in sourdough. There’s a lot of beauty in it and the timing aspect really forces me to take things slow which was such a contrast to my life before lockdown--especially in our industry. It’s been very therapeutic for me and for a lot of people watching my bread stories on instagram. This past January, I finally decided to create an instagram account dedicated to my bread and it has been such a fun avenue for creation. It really highlights my scoring abilities and bread designs which are inspired by my experiences growing up in Hawai'i. Home has been such a bountiful and authentic source of inspiration for me and it’s really allowed me to reconnect with my roots though my bread. It’s elevated the beauty and process of my sourdough for me and it feels like it’s become a love letter to Lānaʻi. I’m really proud of it and I really love sharing it with everyone.

What would you say was the hardest struggle for you during this pandemic?

I think my mental headspace has really been challenged throughout the pandemic. Previously, my disposition was very much coming from a glass half full perspective but since last summer I’ve been put in a position where I was forced to confront a lot of feelings and emotions I never noticed before. Like I mentioned before, the pandemic has brought about a new level of awareness and consciousness surrounding systemic racism, social injustice and inequality, and even privilege that I can’t unsee. I spent a lot of time looking inward and I’ve dedicated a lot of energy into understanding my emotions more.

I’m also noticing and protecting my joy and that has really helped me recenter during all of this uncertainty and craziness.

How has working on-set in the fashion industry changed for you?

The racial disparities and the need for accountability within our industry are very much at the forefront of everyone's mind. In the past, I always felt like we never had the space to explore these topics in conversation on such a larger scale but now it’s almost impossible to not discuss what’s going on in an honest way. I’ve had the opportunity to really engage in these conversations with models, stylists and other colleagues on set more recently. I think these conversations lend to unity, growth, and connection. It’s so easy to feel like a machine doing what we do because there's such a push for the bottom line. But I think taking the time to speak on these issues and share how our own experiences really introduces a bit of humanity into our space. For me, it acts as a moral compass for how we choose to treat others while we navigate our careers and boundaries going forward.

Post Covid, where would be your dream place to travel to?

Although it would be amazing to travel anywhere in the world, I have been dreaming a lot about being back in Hawai’i. It’s been such a long time since I’ve been home and I really want to take a moment to reconnect with the mountains, the ocean and all the locals on a personal level again. During the lockdown, all the locals got to experience home in such a special way. For the first time, there were no tourists and everyone felt like the environment had a moment to reset. I really wish I had the opportunity to experience home in that way.

DJ FREEDEM, DJ

Tell us a little about yourself and what you do?

I'm a creative and effective individual. Djing is my specialty, but as a creative, I can do a lot of what is asked of me.

Besides producing music, we see you have a huge passion for plants..how did that come about?

It came from a place of wanting to learn and tackle something new. It also came from a place of hurt; I was in the process of healing from a dark moment, but aren't we always in the process of healing from something?

Would you say you have changed a lot as a person since covid hit?

I have had a lot of time to sit, think, meditate, heal, relax, lower my blood pressure and get better in tune with my goals, dreams and hopes and skills. So yes, I would say that I've changed a lot.

What would you say was the hardest struggle for you during this pandemic?

The hardest struggle for me during this pandemic was trying not to feel like I had to keep up with my peers who were still making a lot of big moves and having major moments. I learned that it's okay to go at your own pace and take the scenic route, which I came to realize I was already doing.

 Whats next on the music agenda?

There was a time where I was putting out mixtapes like crazy, back to back to back like most Djs do when they're first getting started. I want to get back into the habit and rhythm of putting out more mixtapes regularly like (my) old days.
 

Post Covid...What’s a dream place you have always wanted to visit and why?

I would really like to go to London. I've done a few projects and collaborations with brands and entities in London. So it make sense for me to go out there to network and expand further.

Mecca Allah, Model/Movement Artist

Tell us a little about yourself and what you do?

I am an AfroLatino Model, Movement Artist and Creative based in Brooklyn New York.

Are you from NY?

No but it feels like home. I’ve been here for 6 years and would always come in the summers as a kid for dance programs. I’m from Philadelphia so very close.

A lot of people left the city last year, what made you stay?

I initially went to Philly when Covid first started for a couple months but then I came back. I love the City, it keeps me going and It’s the only place I see myself within the U.S.

What was something new that you learned about yourself during this Covid period?

I learned that I definitely was overworking myself prior. I have reintroduced taking time for self, but also expressing gratitude. When Covid first started it was right around when Ramadan started which for those that don’t know Ramdan is a very sacred month- practicing compassion, patience, self improvement, and ofcourse getting closer to a higher power so it all aligned and slowed me down in a good way.

What would you say was the hardest struggle for you during this pandemic?

The hardest struggle for sure is being away from family. Half of my family is in Philly and the other half Senegal and I miss them all!  

How would you describe your dancing/movements?

Playful, curious, experimental and just open to what comes to my body and mind in the moment. 

Would you say your dance moves have changed since Covid happened?

Yes, I’ve definitely explored my body more outside of just structured movements.   

Post-Covid where would you go on a dream holiday destination?

Probably Thailand- They have some beautiful beaches and bodies of water that I would love to swim in and I’d also love to visit the Elephant Sanctuary.

Clothing for subjects provided by: WAH WAH, Nanushka, Social Work, Reike Nen, Chloe, Collina Strada, Wandler, NOTTE Jewelry, YANYAN, Victor Li, Bottega Veneta, Bode, Dries Van Noten, JW PEI

Culture

The Club Is Coming to the Stage

We enter and make our way to what is approximately front left of the DJ booth, where we’re accustomed to dancing at clubs in New York. “So is this a techno club or a dance performance?” yells an uncertain participant in my boyfriend’s ear. He laughs, bouncing along to Ben UFO, and yells back, “It’s both!” The club has long been a hot topic in European contemporary dance but it is only now making its way into New York performance venues, largely through transatlantic tours. R.O.S.E. follows recent examples like Michele Rizzo’s HIGHER xtn. at MoMA PS1 (May 2024), (LA)HORDE’s Room with a View at NYU Skirball (October 2023), and Gisèle Vienne’s Crowd at BAM (October 2022).

Do these performances compromise the club’s spirit — a space idealized for its anonymity, dark lighting, and thundering music? The notion of the club as a utopian escape is admittedly just that — an ideal — because of how its intense conditions can create barriers to entry. Still, the club remains sacred for many, a place to forge connections and embrace an alternative state of being. Looking at how performances transfer this spirit to new settings reveals what aspects of the club are essential and those that aren’t.

Sharon Eyal, R.O.S.E. 2024. Photography by Stephanie Berger, courtesy of Park Avenue Armory.

Eyal’s dancers make their entrance. The lighting shifts from roving blue to yellow spotlights as Ben UFO’s tracks transition to more melodic beats. Clad in deconstructed lace Dior lingerie with dark red tears painted on their faces, the dancers move cautiously in a tightly maintained pack, slicing paths through the horde with hoof-like steps and jerky leg extensions. After around ten minutes of this controlled choreography, the dancers vanish as the lighting shifts back to blue and Ben UFO picks up his dubby beats. The club, as we knew it, resumes. This cycle of tightly executed movements and free-flowing club-goers repeats several times, each time emboldening the dancers to plunge further into the crowd.

Clubbing in a building once built for the U.S. Army National Guard on Manhattan’s Upper East Side turns out to be surprisingly successful — at least for the audience. What starts as an awkward, scattered group searching for their non existent seats gradually gels into an engaged, bouncing crowd that erupts in cheers each time the dancers enter and exit. Performance patrons who might never step foot in a club find themselves swept up in its potential for communion, moving in unison with fellow ticket holders. But it isn’t until the very end of R.O.S.E. that the dancers finally break free from Eyal’s choreography and join the fired-up audience in a brief moment of improvisatory movement with the music. By keeping her dancers at arm’s length, Eyal seems more interested in the club as a backdrop for her signature movement style than wholly as a space with meaningful stories to be told.

Michele Rizzo, HIGHER xtn. 2024. Photography by Cameron Kelly courtesy of MoMA PS1.

Back in May, I attended Wire Festival, a multiday electronic music event at Knockdown Center that had no shortage of organically united dancefloors. It attracted a crowd of seasoned ravers who were eager to celebrate the start of spring as they danced alongside DJs who played well into the daylight. I left Wire in an afternoon daze to see Michele Rizzo’s HIGHER xtn. at MoMA PS1. My sleepless euphoria only deepened as the performance unfolded, starting with a lone dancer who looked plucked out of the festival.

The dancer, dressed in sneakers, baggy jeans, and a tight tank top, shuffled slowly into the gallery, perfectly in sync with the looping bars of an understated electronic melody. Soon, other dancers, clad in the same staple rave uniform, joined him — each having traveled from Europe for the U.S. museum debut of HIGHER xtn., which premiered at the Stedelijk in Amsterdam in 2018 and quickly became a fixture at kunsthalles and festivals across the continent. As the score’s tempo climbed, the choreography locked into a 16-count sequence, which the dancers executed with precise synchrony. They remained intensely focused, never making eye contact with each other, as they sought release in the endless repetition of synthesized beats. Once the dancers reached their limit, they stopped the sequence and exited the gallery, one by one.

HIGHER xtn. used the focused daylight of the gallery to highlight the meditative release found in the repetitive movements that dominate dark dancefloors. The performance’s restraint brought more consistency and intentionality than Eyal’s all-encompassing club construction in R.O.S.E. Yet both performances offer enticing entry points into club culture for those who may not frequent raves. Rizzo’s ecstatic, hypnotic repetitions reveal how the club can mirror other meditative practices, while Eyal’s interpolation of performance and clubbing helped hesitant audience members blossom by the end. Still, both works overlook one of the most underappreciated aspects of clubbing — its potential for individual expression. HIGHER xtn.’s pristine uniformity especially risks promoting the outdated techno trope that there’s a “right” way to dance to electronic music.

Maybe this shortcoming is, in fact, a benefit. For habitual ravers jaded by one too many sunrise sets, it’s a reminder to return to the club with more intention. If you pause and peer through the darkness, you’ll see hundreds of people moving to the same beat, each with their own subtle variations. This collective choreography is a ready-made spectacle that doesn’t need validation in a theater or museum. And when the music shifts slightly, you can watch the ripple effect sweep through the crowd while feeling the new beat in your body. Maybe this small bit of magic is best left on the dance floor.

Culture

Real Slick, Jack: Psyche Organic Arrives in New York

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Culture

Porsche SCOPES Brings Art, Music, and Design to Toronto

The festival was a full immersion into Toronto’s dynamic creative energy. Day one set the tone with DJ collective Living Room, followed by an experimental performance by Claire Rousay that captivated the crowd. Jewelry designer Steff Eleoff unveiled her Porsche Taycan 4S art car installation—a bold fusion of automotive and wearable art inspired by her Sedona ring—while OVO Sound’s Naomi Sharon and DVSN wrapped up the night with powerful, genre-defying performances.

We witnessed SCOPES Toronto bridging underground and mainstream with day two’s lineup. DJ Korea Town Acid’s set paved the way for Angelphroot and Dameer’s debut of BASSMATI, a track blending South Asian influences with bass-driven sounds. Chippy Nonstop’s return to Toronto and Richie Hawtin’s extended set were milestones of the evening, proving that the city’s underground scene has a global resonance.

The final day featured standout performances from local pianist Harrison, Indigenous artist Tia Wood, and hip-hop visionary Sean Leon, who elevated his set with a live choir. Moonshine Collective’s film and musical performance explored themes of African utopia, showcasing art’s power to bridge culture and technology. Rising Toronto star SadBoi, who paused her tour to perform at SCOPES, further underscored the festival’s commitment to nurturing local talent.

Throughout the weekend, we experienced installations from artists like Mitsu Mitsu and culinary creations from Bar Mordecai, capturing the multifaceted creativity Porsche SCOPES brought to Toronto. This milestone 10th edition, open to all, allowed Toronto’s vibrant arts scene to thrive, underscoring SCOPES’ mission to celebrate local talent while connecting it to a global audience.

office had the chance to connect with rising star SadBoi ahead of the event. In our conversation, she shared insights into her creative journey and reflected on what performing and growing up in Toronto means to her and her work.

How are you, and where are you at right now? You told me you were traveling.

Um, I’m good, I’m feeling really good right now. I’m traveling back to Salt Lake City. I had a show yesterday in Seattle. I’m on tour right now with Coco and Claire.

How is touring life treating you? Do you like it?

I love being on the road. To be honest, I feel like I don’t know—like I’ve had good experiences and bad ones—but this time it’s really fun, especially with the people I’m surrounded by. It’s also the longest tour I’ve been on; I have about four more weeks to go. I’m trying not to think about how many days I have left.

Do you feel homesick?

Yes, because when I start thinking about how many days are left, I start to miss my dogs. I’ve just been trying to stay in the moment—I don’t even know what day of the week it is, to be honest with you.

Oh, sweet! What are your dogs’ names?

Jillian and Winston. I know, they’re crazy names.

You’ll be performing at SCOPES in Toronto, which is where you grew up. Do you feel like the crowd is different when you perform in Toronto compared to other cities?

Yes, I mean, Toronto just feels different because it’s home. Every time I come back to perform, something in my career has changed. The last time I performed in Toronto, people just wanted to have a good time, and I’m excited to perform back home again to see everyone’s reactions. I know it’s going to be different from the last time. It’s exciting to see your own growth. Toronto is a tough crowd, though. If we’re with you, we’re really with you.

So, they’re super picky? You have to gain their respect, or what is it?

I think Toronto people are in their own world, but when something really connects with them, they’ll lose themselves in the moment. But it takes something to bring them out of that. Toronto crowds are tough because even if they like you, they won’t show it outright until they’re really vibing with you.

It’s like a vibe check, right?

Exactly. They’ll enjoy your performance, but it’s hard to explain. When people visit Toronto, they often say, “Oh, you guys are so nice,” and I’m like, “I don’t think we’re that nice, we’re just polite.” Like, you can walk down the street, and no one will say anything, but it’s just our mannerisms.

You mentioned Toronto can have a moody energy, especially at night, and that the underground night scene there really inspires you. Can you talk more about what makes Toronto's nightlife so influential for you?

Absolutely, Toronto has this unique energy that comes alive at night. Similar to New York, there are the popular clubs everyone knows, but you need to find your niche—the people who know where the real parties are. I remember going to raves in high school yards, sneaking in because I wasn’t old enough. Events like Baby, Jerk!, and Yes Yes Y’all were pivotal, exposing me to DJs blending dancehall with EDM—something I hadn’t seen before. Toronto nightlife is moody and intense, but when everyone’s out, it’s like the whole city is alive.