Interview anthology Finish of Nowhere is concepts gas for creatives
End of Nowhere: An Anthology of Creativity Vol. 1 was inspired, quite literally, by a lack of inspiration – brought on by the pandemic and the many other issues currently dominating the public mood – and is intended as an antidote to readers’ creative troubles.
It has no sponsor, client or commercial element; it is simply a gift from Wongdoody to its fellow creatives. Conducted over two years, End of Nowhere features a wide array of artists, auteurs, activists, musicians, creators and placemakers who reflect on past experiences and things they’ve learned, as well as discussing how their creative work can input into culture, or encourage fans.
Top image: Andrea Stillacci, illustration by Samantha Bond; Above: Pilar Newton-Katz by Stephen Bernier
Robbie Lee, by Tom Benford
Among them are veteran music director and producer Sophia Chang, who has worked with hip hop royalty such as RZA, GZA and A Tribe Called Quest; world-famous illustrator and author Pilar Newton-Katz, who has worked on over 20 children’s books and iconic cartoons such as Courage the Cowardly Dog; and actor and director John Cameron Mitchell, best known for his 2001 film Hedwig and the Angry Inch, as well as his part in Neil Gaiman’s Netflix show Sandman.
Wongdoody spoke to each creative in detail about their experiences and has presented the conversations along with specially commissioned portraits, created by a mix of 4D animators, illustrators and designers from the agency. The agency has also had some fun with the typesetting, creating wonky paragraphs, bendy sentences and overlapping lines that are reminiscent of a print magazine reading experience.
Together, these interviews offer hope and creative stimulation at a time when it can be hard to come by. “It isn’t a solution to the suffering in the world,” says the agency. “It is instead something to look at for an hour and feel stuff – it is the start of making things again. It is the end of nowhere.”
theendofnowhere.com; wongdoody.com