New to the bookshelves of OC is Work Magazine, a fashion/art/music/photography quarterly from Los Angeles. Pieced together by Gloria Noto, the magazine introduces us to a variety of conceptual work expressed via a variety of mediums. Issue three focuses on the role of public space and the choreographers, dancers, photographers, models, musicians and muses who freely inhabit them. Gloria and I met in cyberspace recently to have a chat about Work, the fun kind.

Gillian Tozer: What prompted you to start a magazine?
Gloria Noto: I love the feeling I had when I was a kid, before the internet, when I would discover music, or fashion, or whatever, based on hunting for it. That feeling you get when you think no one else in the whole world knows how cool this is except you. With Work, I wanted to be in control of something that represented what I liked. As a makeup artist, I don't get too much input on the finished product, and as a reader and lover of art, I wanted to see a publication that had cool shit that inspires me in it. Hopefully others would love it too.

GT: What is the independent magazine publishing scene like in LA?
GN: We are still babies in the magazine world. It's been a huge learning process for me. Thank God for my Accounts Manager, Maggie Davis. Without her I’d be lost and confused walking around Sunset Blvd. Although we are international, we are based in Los Angeles. Los Angeles really doesn't have many publications like ours, and I think we are part of this Artist Renaissance that is blooming here.

GT: How did you define/research the look and feel of Work, what inspired you?
GN: Design is very important to me, but I wanted the work to stand out and speak for itself. I didn't want anything too complicated, but rather an almost Danish minimal design method. LA, my Design Director has that thought behind his work, so I basically let him do his thing.

GT: How did you curate your contributors for the issue? Apart from the caliber of their work, what set them apart from other submissions?
GN: I look for artists who not only have or will create work that deals with the issue's concept, but also artists who aren't afraid to make you a little uncomfortable. I love a raw edge and an almost documentary feel to work, but that still has a level of sophistication and maybe a bit of education behind it. But what I really look for are artists who are trying to say something, who have an actual concept in mind. I am so over a pretty face looking tired in beautiful clothing. Think outside the box, please!

GT: Tell me a little about the Auto Erotica story?
GN: Photographer Natasha Bedu documented real lovers having sexy time in their cars. It appealed to me because this current issue is about the use of public space. It's always interesting to see how others are when making love, because that is a side a lot of people will never see to them. LA made the layout in the actual printed Issues in a sort of Centerfold way. The title page forces the viewer to get really close to the center of the magazine, almost like you are hunting for change in the car seat, in a really comfortable sorta way.

GT: How did you come across Su Pang’s images, her folio seems to be of a different genre to the others?
GN: I met Su at a bar once, and she mentioned that she shot abandoned buildings. I know a lot of photographers who do that, so I wasn't too excited at first. I think she showed me a few images on her phone, and they blew me away. There is something really haunting in the way she shoots them. They stood out to me.

GT: What are some of your favorite stories or interviews from the issue?
GN: Well they are all my favorite! But I love Ryan Heffington's interview: he always inspires me to be free every time I see him. Also, I really loved the story we shot with Photographer, Dan Monick, "Work Suit"…what's cooler than creeper status hot girl with a dong in her pants?

GT: What’s on the horizons for future Work?
GN: Currently we are working on events and interesting ways to collaborate with other brands. We're also working on advertisers who we feel have the same interests and mission as us. It's all very exciting; people seem to love what we are serving up. Look forward to our next issue, which deals with Manipulation and Composition. Also, our new Blog will feature works curated by other artists specifically for the blog, and different ways to get involved with Work. We love you!

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