Written by Suchi

NYC’s hip-hop ecosystem is typically where I exist, feel the most comfortable, and encounter familiar faces– yet, punk shows have always been one of the most intriguing subjects to photograph. Punk is not an isolated practice, and I can’t help but notice the collages and mosaics of sound, gender, art mediums, and genres all around me; it’s what I see as radical self (and sonic) expression. I feel this encounter as a warm, bizarre, mashed potato, everything but the kitchen sink combination of unexpected individuals (including myself) serendipitously interacting. It’s a warm, yet unfamiliar embrace. 

It’s also just plain fun to have half of your photos turn out blurry because you’re too busy serving a beach ball and physically moving your form however feels right. Between sets at an ELUCID show in Brooklyn earlier this year, I found myself wandering through the venue with a pull towards the merch table, and the person sitting at it– Creature, from REBELMATIC. We immediately talked about overlaps, being a hardcore band but performing at an abstract hip hop show, and the pulls (pushes?) and interactions between genres. Ultimately, what’s most intriguing to me is how it usually boils down to alignment– ecosystems of energy, expression, and communal exchange. 

I’m hesitant to use the word “community” because of how corny and generalized it has become, but experiencing interconnectedness through the DIY spirit transcends genre– how do we even define what punk is, what hip hop is, and when the two can and cannot interact? This past Sunday, I was invited to photograph Punk Island– a DIY, free, all-ages music festival on Randall’s Island in NYC—85 bands across seven stages. I mainly was bopping around stages, but caught most of REBELMATIC’s set at the Sista Rosetta Stage– a wonderful web of funk, punk, soul, and countless other genres. Making photographs in these settings feels like breathing– the subjects naturally weave themselves together. Most of these images were taken while walking, jumping, or reaching.

Images and words by Suchi

At Punk Island

Film developed by Pink Folder Film House