MEET THE NEWEST ART COLLECTIVE OUT OF KINGSTON, JAMAICA
THE JAMAICAN PHOTOGRAPHY PLATFORM IS CREATING GREAT CONTENT
Whether we're talking, fashion, music, art or sports, it's quite clear that the island of Jamaica's impact on culture as a whole is inescapable. Deep in the heart of Kingston, a Jamaican photography collective is channeling that energy and remixing it with other inspirations to create a movement of their own. The RAAS Collective was conceived from an all star team of creatives who each share a love for photography, art and 70's era culture. While they're still in the early stages, the group's eye for conceptual shoots and visual aesthetics already have us hyped for what's next.As The RAAS Collective showcases Caribbean talent in an entertaining and educational way, we're gonna keep our eye on them and their magazine going forward. We reached out to learn more about them and the Jamaican art scene and they let us know what's what below.
1. CAN YOU TELL US ABOUT HOW THE RAAS COLLECTIVE CAME TOGETHER? WHO ARE THE CREATORS AND WHAT WERE SOME OF THE FOUNDING THEMES THAT YOU GUYS CONNECTED WITH?
The RAAS Collective (TRC) is directed by three Kingston based creatives who are also good friends. TRC came out of the notion to change the conversation about content creation and curation in Jamaica and the Caribbean. We do this while stimulating and inspiring our audience with visual set pieces that aim to push boundaries in digital media. Creative lead Jordan Morris is a cinematographer and photographer who focuses his direction in fashion & style. His work can be seen from music videos such as reggae artist Protoje’s “Same So” to independent shoots like “Invictus” (attached) and “Miami Vice”(attached). Design lead comes from Jodian Gordon, a final year photography student at the Edna Manley College of the Visual & Performing Arts, with great interest in fashion styling, interior and set design. Marketing is led by Howard Coxe, a graduate from the University of The West Indies (Mona) with a focus in fashion consumer psychology and manufacturing design elements. TRC incorporates like-minded creatives around us in the process to bring the visions to life. Our collaborative projects aim for every person involved to gain the most creatively from the experience. To start we were simply inspired by the 70s era as many of us might appreciate. Because of its relevance in modern culture and general popularity, we believed the theme would resonate with our audience. The challenge is to portray the concepts with a new lens that can be appreciated by a global consumer. Our collective love for music and appreciation of the past (not just the 70s) invoked feelings of inspiration and motivation for our audience to see the world from our perspectives i.e. our lens.
"Whether it be in music, photography, or fashion, Kingston and Jamaica at large doesn’t suffer from a lack of artistic aptitude. "
2. WHAT’S THE ART SCENE LIKE IN KINGSTON, JAMAICA? WHAT PARALLELS DO YOU FIND IN JAMAICAN CULTURE WITH OTHER CULTURES/SUBCULTURES AROUND THE WORLD?
It’s amazing to see so much talent around us and have the opportunity to work with these persons. Whether it be in music, photography, or fashion, Kingston and Jamaica at large doesn’t suffer from a lack of artistic aptitude. Kingston hosts a wide range of artistic events that creatives can gather to network and have constructive conversations as well as to enjoy the product of each other’s creativity. These events are the precious grounds on which artistic collaborations are born. The difficulty arises for these artists with marketing their work on a global level. Although we have a local and regional market, it’s not as matured as other international spaces that have built these industries over hundreds of years. As a result local creatives are carving their own paths by making names for themselves and collaborating with each other to uplift the standard of this developing creative industry.
"In changing the conversation on this industry locally, we want to challenge persons to see differently and think differently."
3. WHAT DREW YOU TO THE 70S ERA SPECIFICALLY? LOVE THE INITIAL IMAGES YOU GUYS PUT OUT.
Appreciate the love for the concept! A large driving force was the music of the era. Globally, a music revolution was happening where we saw a rise of funk, disco, jazz, fusion, dancehall, soul, rock & roll, and reggae genres. Interestingly most of these lasted throughout the subsequent decades and is engrained in the compositions of modern pop structures. We experienced the music of artists and bands like, Jimi Hendrix, Bob Marley & the Wailers, Peter Tosh, The Rolling Stones, AC/DC, Michael Jackson, and John Lennon just to name a few. Countless artists and groups have drawn and continue to find inspiration from this era and these artists.
4. IDEALLY, WHERE DO YOU GUYS SEE THE RAAS COLLECTIVE IN THE NEXT 5-7 YEARS?
Our goal is to produce and distribute informative entertainment around fashion & music. You can look for a build out of video series, and photography concepts around these topics going into the future. Looking 5-7 years, we hope to have established a relevant media house with audience appeal to brands ‘with something to say’. In changing the conversation on this industry locally, we want to challenge persons to see differently and think differently. The RAAS Collective not only wishes to entertain but also educate its audience. Shedding light on various cultures and subcultures and hopefully reducing its barriers.w: www.theraascollective.coms: @theraascollectivee: howard@theraascollective.com