2DM Blogazine

Guest interviews opened up: 1st is Cameron Russell!

How did you decide to start your own blog? Can you describe the event?

I started to email stories, opinions, articles, websites, etc. to a long list of people at home after I started modeling and was far away from my friends and family. I also started to write short fiction around the same time; I wanted feed back, but I didn’t want to force people to read the stories (in case they were terrible) by emailing them the stories directly. So those two factors led me to start a blog. (www.funnyandinteresting.com)

For the first year or so, I avoided any mention of modeling, and didn’t put my name on the blog because I didn’t want to attract readers who would read me only because of my status–I wanted the blog to be successful and well-read because the content was good, not because I was a model. Also most of the content (especially back then) had nothing to do with modeling.  Now I talk about my work and use my name because I have a wide audience and modeling is after all part of my life, part of what inspires me, and what I find funny and interesting!

How important are the images you include in your blog relative to the written content?

I always use a picture (or video) above every post because I think writing without pictures looks pretty sad on the Internet.

The blog is called “funny and interesting,” and while there are many interesting things, there are also many un-funny things, especially considering your focus on war themes. How do you choose your items?

The title is meant to be all encompassing.  And clearly it’s not meant to say that everything posted is both funny and interesting. Stories about losing small pets down a radiator shaft are meant purely as humor, and pictures comparing war atrocities are meant to provide interesting debate.

The reason for the emphasis on war themes is simple. The US has been engaged in two big wars that have changed dramatically the international landscape and the role of American hegemony in the years I’ve kept the blog. That is interesting to me because it effects my future and the future of my generation.

What do you think could be the key to close this period of decadence?

Long term, whether we like it or not, global warming and environmental degradation will force us to see the negative side effects of our (Westerners) gluttony. In the short term, recession will force many of us to cut back on our consumption. The key lies in a carbon tax, in public education, in the improvement of public transportation, and in the reduction of “material” consumption, perhaps through more shared goods. We need to understand that in the 21rst century, we cannot think only of ourselves, but must become global citizens. I believe there will be negative consequences for everyone — rich and poor — if we do not.

Sometimes the necessity to spread your voice goes beyond blogging. Are you thinking about any other editorial projects? Or any other projects?

I’ ve got too many projects going! I like the idea of becoming an op-ed writer (is there anyone who doesn’t?) and recently had a piece about the apparent apathy of my
generation published here: http://techpresident.com/blog-entry/your-generation-hypocrisy-begat-my-apathetic-one.

As far as other projects go, I’m starting a non profit/public art project with a group of engineers/designers/photographers etc. We have a temporary site up here: interviewnewyork.com (more about this later)

In the little free time that I have I’ve been working on collecting and editing nonfiction stories from a number of women writing on sex. Hopefully after I collect a couple hundred this will turn into a much needed book. In a culture saturated with ideals of female sexuality that are unrealistic and extreme (religion advocating abstinence, Sex in the City advocating promiscuity, Cosmo advocating…100 tips for better sex?) young women need and want stories of real women having real sexual experiences.

Do you think that art can start a kind of cultural re-birth project?

Hopefully! Since last August I’ve been putting together project called Interview New York . The idea is to have New Yorkers interview themselves using with the same three questions. If we are successful, we hope to expand to other cities. The goal is make people conscious of the larger community, and delight in the many individuals and lives that go on in the same city. I believe the most powerful tool for social change is personal stories. Interview New York will give people the opportunity to speak in a way that is accessible and engaging to the community at large.

Which kind of artist do you prefer and why? (figurative, photo, sculpture, video, performance…)

My favorite artists are those that succeed in reaching and engaging a lot of people. That’s not to say those with a small audience aren’t valuable and don’t make great work. But if you asked me would I rather be J.K. Rowling over J.M. Coetzee I’d have to say Rowling.  While I respect Coetzee much more as a writer, Rowling has had a much larger influence on society.

Tibor Kalman understood this and harnessed the power of advertising to communicate important controversial topics (Benetton ads of people with Aids, for example).

I guess the best way to you express yourself depends on what your goal is.

What do you like most and what is the worst aspect of fashion system?

Fashion is great because it is a universal language. No matter where you are in the world, if you wear a Versace dress for example, you communicate to everyone around you a certain same message. A blue skin tight low cut dress means sex and glamour whether you’re in New York, Moscow, Mexico, or Egypt.

The downside of fashion is that it honors extravagant wealth and exclusivity, and a disposable society.

What’s your ordinary day?

There’s no such thing as an ordinary day! During the school year I bicycle up the West Side highway to Columbia two days a week from 8am to 8pm for lectures, recitations, group meetings, etc. Sometimes these days feel like a break because I’m just focusing on my own education. It can feel very indulgent to spend a couple hours listening to professors and reading books.

Then there are days I model, which — as anyone who works in fashion knows — never fit a formula. Some days are in the studio in New York, some on location, some abroad. Always a rotating group of people. One day you can be on the beach shooting with old friends, the next you’re working with a new client in a New York studio. I feel incredibly lucky to have this job for some many reasons. Obviously financially it’s incredible. But being able to travel and work with so many different people on so many kinds of projects is an honor.

Days I’m working on Interview New York are exciting because they usually involve meeting lots of different people all over the city and giving them the tools and opportunity to express themselves. It’s fascinating to here what people have to say when you take them seriously and invest in them. I hope that is something people take away from the project.

How do you see yourself in 20 years?

Wow that’s a long way away! I’m not sure.  There many things I want to do. I’ll be old enough to run for President, so maybe I’ll be sitting in the oval office figuring out how to strengthen our involvement in multilateral coalitions. Or perhaps I’ll be a novelist who is working on a piece of fiction. I suppose I’ll be old enough to have kids by then, so I could also be walking to pick them up from school.

Where do you live and with who? Can you describe your space?

I live in New York in a loft on Bleecker Street with my boyfriend. There’s one big window on the south wall and two lofts with beds in the back right corner (one for guests that is a little claustrophobic but we tell them it is a “treehouse.” (Only my sister appreciates that metaphor.) We filled the window with flowers and small trees that I’m trying to keep alive (somewhat successfully). My boyfriend is a photographer so there are big prints (his and other people’s) and too many books all around the apartment. We’re renovating in July so a lot of our stuff is still in boxes! E Lusso

images courtesy Andrew Elliott

New opening in Florence!

Angelo activity began more than twenty years ago, when the market of the second hand boasted well few estimators. Reusing clothes already belonged to who knows who in other different experiences of life is the intention.
The co-founder Angelo Caroli and Mario Gulmanelli want to elaborate again, through the new use according to your own style, the value and the charm of unique pieces, in an asbolutely singolar and precious way. In this case style is more than a trend, in fact is made of emotions, memories and sensations. For all these reasons a new Vintage Shop is going to be opened in Florence, on June 15, with a special cocktail inauguration party during Pitti Uomo Show.
You should visiti it. Silvia Bergomi