“The function of art in our time is not solely to be looked at, it is to be experienced, intertwined with multiple disciplines, explored as a form of research. ”
ABOUT RAYA
Raya is an art director and concept developer, with a focus on fashion photography, design, editorials and interactive events. Her work as a visual storyteller varies from photography and videography to performance and creative writing, and can be described as ethereal, speculative, metaphorical and full of color.
She graduated with an Honors degree at the Bachelors of Interdisciplinary Arts Maastricht (iArts, a new arts program that combines multiple artistic disciplines, academic research and entrepreneurship). In her final project ‘Pretty Exposed’, she investigated new feminism and nudity through a clothing set, magazine and dance performance, based on field research in Amsterdam and Rio de Janeiro, which launched at international fashion festival ‘FashionClash’.
As a freelancer in Amsterdam she worked on a multitude of commissioned and self-initiated theatre and dance productions as a director, producer and visual artist, such as ‘Fight or Flight’, ‘Wereldmakers’ and ‘In the Picture’, at Bijlmer Parktheatre. As co-director of the fashion/ dance collective ‘Stand Your Ground’, she set up a festival event to demystify the behind-the-scenes of the artworld in an old Amsterdam jail (Bijlmerbajes), funded by the AFK (Amsterdam Art Fund).
She has recently defined her visual craft in design, photography and branding in the MA Design for Art Direction in London (UAL, LCC, Distinction degree), supported by the Young Talent Award of the Prince Bernhard Culture Fund and Van Renswoude Fund. With a passion for identity construction and body art, she presented a cross-disciplinary fashion editorial as her final major project 'Modern Muses', re-visualising ancient myths and Jungian archetypes through the female gaze.
SKILLSET
Creative & Art Direction
Project Management
Technical Skills
Moods &Styling
Fashion Photography
Videography
Set Design
Concept Development
Design Research
Project Pitching
Production for public art installations
Production for studio &
location photography
Interdisciplinary performances
Event production
Online events
Team management
Graphic Design
Editorial Design
Video editing
Photo retouching
Print Production
Photography
Publications / Press
MODERN MUSES VIA MAGCLOUD 2021
Self-published magazine of MA graduation project, online sales via MagCloud.
FIRST MAGAZINE, Dec. 2020
Publication of Modern Muses editorial in LA fashion photography magazine, (page 19-21) .
BIJLMERPARK THEATER MAGAZINE 2019
Personal interview.
‘GO!FIS’ MAGAZINE #6, June 2018
Publication of interview, article ‘Gender Conference’ (page 19-21)
HET PAROOL NEWSPAPER Nov. 11 2017
Saturday column in Amsterdam Opinion, article ‘Gewoon bewonderen, niet betasten’ (page 60-61)
FASHIONCLASH FESTIVAL MAGAZINE edition 9, Jun. 2017
Project publication of ‘Pretty Exposed’ (page 99)
PRETTY EXPOSED 2017
Self-published of BA graduation project, sold at FashionClash, Athenaeum Amsterdam and Traders Pop Maastricht.
Teaching / Workshops
BIJLMERPARK THEATER 2021
TalentLab Masterclasses in Art Direction, for theatre, dance and photography productions
FRANCONIAN INTERNATIONAL SCHOOL 2018
Keynote speaker and workshop leader for the first Gender Conference on contemporary feminism
MAKERVERSITY AMSTERDAM 2018
Workshop in Speculative Design Thinking, masterclass for Interdisciplinary Arts students
UNIVERSITY OF AMSTERDAM 2018
Workshop in Speculative Design with METAcafe collective, for the MakersLab Minor
BIJLMER PARKTHEATER 2017
International dance workshop based on project Pretty Exposed, with Lin Wu Adams
List of showcases
UNIVERSITY OF THE ARTS LISBON May ‘21
Panel speaker at PhD event on Fashion Heritage with project Modern Muses - 'Encontras no Largo das Belas-Artes - Vestido o Patrimonio Cultural'
UCL, INTERACTIVE ARCHITECTURE LAB Feb. ‘21
Art Director and set producer of video 'Meta Sensorium', interactive media project by Abel Enklaar and Amy Johnson, part of the UCL Online Graduate Showcase
UNIVERSITY OF THE ARTS LONDON Jan. ‘21
Production and project exposure of online event 'Live Bingo from the MAD Hotel', part of the LCC Graduate Showcase
DUTCH DESIGN WEEK Oct. ‘18
International design festival Eindhoven, exhibition guider for ‘Aicep Portugal Global design’ stand
IN THE PICTURE FESTIVAL Mar. ‘19
Artistic direction of the opening event and photographer of the campaign image
BLEND/ Public square Oranjeplein, April ‘18
Producer and creative director of Kingsday event ‘Koningskrijt’, interactive public drawing artwork
KRAKELING THEATER Jan. ‘19 + Apr. ‘18
BIJLMER PARKTHEATER Nov. ‘18 + Mar. ‘18
Stage design for performance ‘Het Knippa Meisje’ by Yahmani Blackman
OBA OOST Nov. ‘18
Collaborative photo exhibition of outcome TalentLab Foam
DUTCH SUSTAINABLE FASHION WEEK Oct. ‘18
Performance of ‘Stand Your Ground’ at the Dutch Design Show
OBA THEATER Oct. ‘18
Stage design for performance ‘Konfo Junior’ by Untold
BIJLMER PARKTHEATER Jun. ‘18
Premiere of performance ‘Fight or Flight’ by Lin Wu Adams
WE MAKE THE CITY Jun. ‘18
Collaborative exhibition at the Makerversity Amsterdam with ‘Meta café’
BIJLMER PARKTHEATER Nov. ‘17
Performance of Pretty Exposed at ‘Nieuwe Makers’ program
OSTADE THEATER Sept. ‘17
Performance of Pretty Exposed at ‘Waar Kunst Mode Ontmoet’
FASHIONCLASH #9 Jun. ‘17
Performance, exhibition and magazine sale of Pretty Exposed at the ‘Fashion Makes Sense’ Lab
LADYFEST May ‘17
New feminist festival in Maastricht, exhibition of Project Barbie
THE BIG DRAW MAASTRICHT Oct. ‘16
Production and design of opening festival with public drawing event ‘Het Krijthof’