AVANTgarden is a digital zine created for, and distributed using, Instagram’s slides feature. Each issue explores FKA twigs’ ideas, experiences and stories, providing a platform for collaboration, innovation, experimentation and creative development throughout the worlds of music, art, photography, fashion and beyond. FKA twigs and AVANTgarden are innovating the idea of what a magazine can be in the age of social media, bringing creative and imaginative gifts to the internet. This innovation will be recognized at the 22nd Annual Webby Awards where FKA twigs will be honored with aWebby Special Achievement Award for her “incredible contributions to digital culture and for constantly using the internet to create and distribute experimental new art.”
AVANTgarden issue 3 - MEATSPACE is the beginning of a story told as a motion graphic novel, depicting a dystopian world where A.I. have slaughtered most of the human race, sparing only the artists – including lead character anomalie – in the pursuit of fully understanding and exploiting humanity. The story sees anomalie’s thresholds pushed to their limits, causing her to transcend into an ‘evolved human’ and allowing her to channel powers through emotions, mysticism and nature. She unlocks powers in those around her and it becomes clear she is the only hope for humankind.
The original MEATSPACE concept came from conversations between FKA twigs and
Oneohtrix Point Never (Daniel Lopatin). He would talk about MEATSPACE and a character named anomalie, explaining that twigs was the only possible real-life anomalie and creating stories about her life in MEATSPACE. FKA twigs worked on further developing the MEATSPACE characters with
Icky H, an illustrator she had discovered previously on Instagram. “I was really touched by his representation of how superheroes could look and feel, I could see myself in the strength of his characters, in a way I hadn’t identified with a protagonist before”. It was especially important for FKA twigs to present a lead character who is a woman of color at a time when there’s still such a shortage of non-male, non-white superheroes.
Download press assets HERE
AVANTgarden was launched in October 2017. Issue one, titled ‘ROOTS. SHOCK. BEAUTY.’, was a visual exploration of braided hair styles, featuring a host of FKA twigs’ friends and long term collaborators. November 2017 saw the release of AVANTgarden issue 2. Titled ‘Dream Warrior’, the issue saw FKA twigs again teaming up with some incredible creative talent including photographer David Ozochukwu, stylist Matthew Josephs and editor Suzannah Pettigrew. ‘Dream Warrior’ featured a portfolio of stunning imagery alongside an original poem from FKA twigs herself that wove throughout this issue.
AVANTgarden issue 3 – MEATSPACE credits:
Director: FKA twigs
Original Concept: FKA twigs & Oneohtrix Point Never
Producer: Suzannah Pettigrew
Script: FKA twigs & Icky H & Rose Cartwright
Artwork & animations: Icky H
Photography: Jamie-James Medina
Styling: Matthew Josephs
Make-up: Daniel Sallstrom
Hair: Rio Sreedharan
Voice over: FKA twigs as anomalie
Music: Cy An & cello Lucinda Chua
Post production & editing: Shinya Sato
Special thanks to Reece Owen
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