For many of us, it would be hard to think of earlier years which were as cardiac and yet, so innovative as 2020-21 have been so far.

As rare as these times feel, we might still find it surprising when experts —from contemporary historians to economists— talk about a host of parallels that happened 100 years ago after the Spanish flu and the Recession, which led to the subsequent Roaring Twenties. Art déco, jazz, the prohibition, F.S Fitzgerald and the Harlem Renaissance could be some of the instant notions that pop into our minds when thinking about this time period. But behind the sparkly dresses and extravagant parties, it was the unprecedented economic and cultural prosperity and abysmal social change that actually made this decade truly roar. Technologies that had been developed during previous decades (from convertible cars and spotlights to radios and instant cameras) were finally available for mass consumption. Women dared to adopt some of the practices that, until that date, were considered men-exclusive (from voting and smoking cigarettes to drinking bathtub gin). It was the time when the work of black poets, authors, and musicians was really recognized, reaching out to wider audiences. Or as poet Langston Hughes once wrote: “It was the period when the Negro was in Vogue.” But not everything was as rowdy and booming as it sounds. Prohibition fueled organized crime, societies were still facing contrasting economic divisions, gender inequality was normalized, and discrimination against AfroAmerican communities and immigrants were part of daily life. All this together, makes us inevitably compare, rethink, and question the series of “fortunate” or “unfortunate” events that have been shaping our lives during the last year.

For this issue, we celebrate everyone out there whose roaring minds are breaking boundaries. We celebrate the dazzling display of talent that is emerging and inspiring our society in terms of liberation, change, creativity, and (why not?) extravaganza! Ladies and gentlemen, from the creators of The Roaring Twenties, we bring you The Dazzling Twenties.

Creative direction and styling: Georgina Villa and Macarena Blanco 

Photo and film direction: Alejandro Borjas Duncan

Model: Marta Kowalczyk @citymodels

MUA: Javiera Saavedra

Location: Special thanks to Théâtre le Ranelagh for the facilities granted. 

Inspiration Behind the Cover

In 1925, after opening her dance studio in Dresden, German expressionist dancer and choreographer Gret Palucca (1902-1993) teamed up with Wassily Kandinsky and photographer Charlotte Rudolph for the creation of “Dance Curves”, an essay developed by Kandinsky that studies forms of movement.

The result of this collaboration, which was later on published in the arts journal Das Kunstblatt in 1926, became our main inspiration for the realization of this cover, reinterpreting it as a contemporary art film.