IN THE BATH WITH JUAN
Looking for something of value we may have lost…
As a visual medium, you might expect DNA would have explicitly explored ideas around “vision” before now. Collaborating as closely as we do with designers, artists and photographers, we work with visionaries every day, which is a privilege and joy. But “vision” is a word that comes with some baggage. There’s the woo-woo mysticism of a Stevie Nicks “crystal vision”. There’s the peasant children’s religious visions of angels and the Virgin Mary that made Fatima in Portugal a place of pilgrimage. There’s ghosts – but are they visions or apparitions? And then there’s the most dreaded vision of all – the corporate vision, delivered via PowerPoint with a slideshow of inspirational images and a spreadsheet. Urgh!
And while a sentence beginning, “I have a vision…” sounds like it’s going somewhere positive, it could well conclude with, “…to buy a sack of kittens and throw them in the river.”
Some people’s visions make the world a better place. Think Mandela, Geldof, Goodall. Other people’s visions create nightmares – Hitler, Stalin, Pol Pot.
In more recent history, Donald Trump’s vision was to “make America great again”. But vision requires imagination and, unless you also possess the ingenuity to bring your vision to life, you are simply a dreamer or a fantasist. Trump left his country broken, weak and divided. Which is why the other word on our cover this month is “renascence”. It means, “the revival or rediscovery of something that has been dormant”. Europe’s Renaissance, which takes its name from the word, is the best-known example.
So, as we start a new year and a new decade, and as the US enters a new political phase, I hope we are able to rediscover some of the things we have recently lost: our sense of humanity and compassion, empathy and integrity.
The men of vision, imagination and ingenuity in this issue include fashion photographers Angel Cintron and Steve Nava, the duo behind CiNava Photography; Lebanese filmmaker
Zuheir Kredieh whose persecution in his country of birth makes his cinematic visions unique; photographer Ajamu X who has made a career photographing penises and redefining masculinity; and the extraordinary Dave Marshall – wrestler, porn star, activist – a man who has created an utterly contemporary version of what it means to be a man.
This month, the photography of Amer Mohamad and Juan Crisol bring us two beautiful men – truly visions in the most idealised sense.
Elsewhere this month, I love Mike Hitch’s feature on gay penguins (and other animals), and Graeme Aitken’s sneak preview of some of the best LGBTQIA+ books we can look forward to throughout the year. And Luke Arnold is the Straight Mate I didn’t know I needed – what a pleasure to discover this actor and his funtime-gay-friendliness!
As always, stay safe, be kind, and love yourselves.