Welcome to Issue One of IRIS Magazine.

IRIS began as a conversation. A conversation that came from a desire to dig a little deeper started between a Photographer and Stylist, with a history of working and collaborating together. While the conversations were originally personal in nature and extended out and reached a much further place than ourselves. The wider conversation took a path of its own and found a common, shared ground, with so many.

All roads in this ever winding dialouge, and in shaping the first pilot issue of IRIS Magazine, inevitably and always led us back towards our roots. To the place of our origins, the culture that coloured our vision, and to the landscapes that shaped us, and connected us: Australia.

If we are in the end all but a collection of stories and experiences, we found the most potent of these to stem from the landscape of our youth. A time when we were most free to be ourselves, most absorbent to culture, and to the life unfolding around us. All life, experience, and history, have a way of chiseling our perception, but this time and place - at our own very origination, for all of us, seems to have the firmest hand of all in shaping who we are, and defining our own, very unique, way of seeing.

Digging our roots deep in the landscape that shaped us, we continuously found ourselves referencing: artists, musicians, photographers, philosophers, filmmakers, performers, and those whose stories or contribution to culture, moves and inspires us in a way that imprints itself on us and becomes a part of the definintion of who we are - individually, culturally, and collectively. Through the work artists and individuals invest themselves in and the stories that they openly share through creativity and storytelling, we get to see in, for a moment, through their iris and own perspective on the world.

Shared story through art is deeply human and storytelling in many forms can be traced throughout the entire extent of human history. Storytelling can connects us in a way that helps us to understand ourselves, and the greater world around us, in ways we could never comprehend on our own.

With all of this in mind, we extended our conversation to artists whose stories had coloured our vision and connected us through shared ideas, and inspired the creation of IRIS. What came back was more than we bargained for and gave us so much colour, depth, and greater understanding through the myriad of original perspectives that reflected on the one central conversation: "How do you feel the landscape of your youth shaped you and actively contributes to your creative vision today."

Nick Cave tells how his work - "should be seen through the distorted prism of the Australia of his youth"; Stephen Page highlights the importance of storytelling within contemporary culture; Laith McGregor shows us the bravery of creating with unfiltered spontaneity; Jamie Huckbody talks to Lucy Pinter about the power of the Superfine woman; Anthony Lister discusses his fight for the freedom and visual expression, Daniel Askill shares the how his Grandmother Rose's pool infiltrates all of his filmmaking, and the inimitable Marc Newson takes us back to the days of building billy-carts in the backyard. Plus so many others who share their reflection and celebrate their own origins with us.

We thank each and every person who contributed to the intricate web of conversation that gave life to IRIS Magazine, Issue One \ Origins - this one was personal.

We are very happy to see you.



Amanda and Emily