This article appears in the September Issue of VICE
1. OHIO
The Juggalette Beauty PageantJuggalos—followers of the Insane Clown Posse—may be stereotyped as sexist, violent, and macho, but within Juggalo culture a new wave of feminism has emerged. The "Lette's Respect" movement aims to make sure Juggalos provide women with opportunities to express both their talents and their sexuality. The center of the movement is the annual Miss Juggalette Pageant, an unconventional contest that rewards women who break society's conceptions of beauty. In 2013, Lette's Respect took over the pageant and removed sexual elements from it. Many women welcomed the changes, but some Juggalettes have claimed it's taken away their right to perform their own sexuality. We traveled to Thornville, Ohio, to check out the pageant and meet with Miss Cyainide, an overweight pageant contestant, to learn more about the root of the controversy and Juggalette feminism.Watch the documentary in November on Broadly.VICE.com.
2. GLASGOW, SCOTLAND
At Home with Hudson MohawkeRoss Birchard, better known as the producer Hudson Mohawke, was a champion DJ by the age of 15. Now, at 29 years old, he's worked across all corners of the hip-hop world—collaborating with Rick Rubin, Mark Ronson, Drake, and others. But he's perhaps best known for his extensive collaborations with Kanye West, helping the rapper shift his direction into a more bombastic and explosive tone, co-producing "Mercy" and multiple tracks on Yeezus. We recently followed Birchard home to Glasgow during the lead-up to his much-anticipated sophomore album, Lantern. He celebrated his homecoming with an impromptu performance amid old friends, revealing an artist in his most humble form and someone whose passion for success and production inspires his peers.Watch Hudson Mohawke's homecoming, coming soon to Noisey.VICE.com.
3. LIBYA
Embedding with the Libyan Coast GuardAs militias cement their control over large swaths of Libya, they are now turning their attention to the migrants crossing their territories. Carrying out raids on smugglers and capturing migrants as they attempt to reach the country's shores in search of a better life, the militias claim they are bringing much-needed order to their country. Yet the migrants feel that their lives are just bargaining chips to the militias as they attempt to gain legitimacy. Our latest documentary gets exclusive access to a camp outside Tripoli, run by a militia that has seized hundreds of migrants. The militia claims to have the migrants' interests at heart, but a different story emerges. Food is scarce, dehydration, and disease are rife, and control comes in the form of whips and warning shots.
4. TAIWAN
Taiwan's Funeral FeastsIn the West, funeral catering is often limited to soggy fruit plates, lukewarm coffee, and cold-cut sandwiches. Not the case in Taiwan, where classic local delicacies like pork buns, fried chicken, and sashimi are served and the pallbearers get buzzed on rice-wine-heavy chicken soup. Held in honor of the deceased, these funeral feasts are prepared by traditional village chefs who specialize in ban-doh—outdoor banquets for community occasions ranging from births and funerals to elections and festivals. We recently flew to Taiwan to attend a raucous funeral, featuring traditional live bands and a feast for more than 100 people, and traveled to the tiny hamlet where ban-doh cuisine was born, to see how the fading role of the village chef is being passed on between generations.
Radioactive ArtIn honor of the fourth anniversary of the Fukushima Daiichi nuclear disaster, Japanese art collective Chim-Pom created a group exhibition inside three buildings within the Fukushima exclusion zone. "Because of the radioactive contamination in the area, people will not be able to visit the exhibit. It will serve as a monument to the disaster and its ongoing consequences," said Franco Mattes, a collaborator on the project. In our documentary, two Chim-Pom members give us a tour of the radioactive area. "We decided that the artwork should not be represented in photographs, video, or any other visual medium, as a way to draw attention to its inaccessibility," Mattes said. Our doc is an inside look at the region and includes interviews from featured artists such Ai Weiwei and Trevor Paglen
The Juggalette Beauty PageantJuggalos—followers of the Insane Clown Posse—may be stereotyped as sexist, violent, and macho, but within Juggalo culture a new wave of feminism has emerged. The "Lette's Respect" movement aims to make sure Juggalos provide women with opportunities to express both their talents and their sexuality. The center of the movement is the annual Miss Juggalette Pageant, an unconventional contest that rewards women who break society's conceptions of beauty. In 2013, Lette's Respect took over the pageant and removed sexual elements from it. Many women welcomed the changes, but some Juggalettes have claimed it's taken away their right to perform their own sexuality. We traveled to Thornville, Ohio, to check out the pageant and meet with Miss Cyainide, an overweight pageant contestant, to learn more about the root of the controversy and Juggalette feminism.
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At Home with Hudson MohawkeRoss Birchard, better known as the producer Hudson Mohawke, was a champion DJ by the age of 15. Now, at 29 years old, he's worked across all corners of the hip-hop world—collaborating with Rick Rubin, Mark Ronson, Drake, and others. But he's perhaps best known for his extensive collaborations with Kanye West, helping the rapper shift his direction into a more bombastic and explosive tone, co-producing "Mercy" and multiple tracks on Yeezus. We recently followed Birchard home to Glasgow during the lead-up to his much-anticipated sophomore album, Lantern. He celebrated his homecoming with an impromptu performance amid old friends, revealing an artist in his most humble form and someone whose passion for success and production inspires his peers.Watch Hudson Mohawke's homecoming, coming soon to Noisey.VICE.com.
Embedding with the Libyan Coast GuardAs militias cement their control over large swaths of Libya, they are now turning their attention to the migrants crossing their territories. Carrying out raids on smugglers and capturing migrants as they attempt to reach the country's shores in search of a better life, the militias claim they are bringing much-needed order to their country. Yet the migrants feel that their lives are just bargaining chips to the militias as they attempt to gain legitimacy. Our latest documentary gets exclusive access to a camp outside Tripoli, run by a militia that has seized hundreds of migrants. The militia claims to have the migrants' interests at heart, but a different story emerges. Food is scarce, dehydration, and disease are rife, and control comes in the form of whips and warning shots.
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Taiwan's Funeral FeastsIn the West, funeral catering is often limited to soggy fruit plates, lukewarm coffee, and cold-cut sandwiches. Not the case in Taiwan, where classic local delicacies like pork buns, fried chicken, and sashimi are served and the pallbearers get buzzed on rice-wine-heavy chicken soup. Held in honor of the deceased, these funeral feasts are prepared by traditional village chefs who specialize in ban-doh—outdoor banquets for community occasions ranging from births and funerals to elections and festivals. We recently flew to Taiwan to attend a raucous funeral, featuring traditional live bands and a feast for more than 100 people, and traveled to the tiny hamlet where ban-doh cuisine was born, to see how the fading role of the village chef is being passed on between generations.
5. FUKUSHIMA, JAPAN
Radioactive ArtIn honor of the fourth anniversary of the Fukushima Daiichi nuclear disaster, Japanese art collective Chim-Pom created a group exhibition inside three buildings within the Fukushima exclusion zone. "Because of the radioactive contamination in the area, people will not be able to visit the exhibit. It will serve as a monument to the disaster and its ongoing consequences," said Franco Mattes, a collaborator on the project. In our documentary, two Chim-Pom members give us a tour of the radioactive area. "We decided that the artwork should not be represented in photographs, video, or any other visual medium, as a way to draw attention to its inaccessibility," Mattes said. Our doc is an inside look at the region and includes interviews from featured artists such Ai Weiwei and Trevor Paglen