@jpegfantasy
Some of us collect bugs, some of us collect stamps…(Does anyone out there actually collect either of those things?!) and some of us collect unwanted 80s and 90s design books and magazines! Learn more about the collector and connoisseur behind @jpegfantasy!
What's your name?
Sheldon Trewin.
What is Vancouver like? Do you like it there?
I moved to Vancouver in 2014 from Edmonton, Alberta to study Music Production. Vancouver is full of different cultures, ideas, styles and art. It can also feel very crowded, stale and impersonal at times. The competition here is stiff and stakes are high. But I've become close with a handful of genuine, creative people here - they are the ones that keep me going. The weather is beautiful in the summer but it's gloomy and raining all winter and spring. I complain a lot, but as far as cities in Canada go, Vancouver still tops the list! There is tons of opportunity here, and I’m grateful to call this my home.
Do you have a day job? A night job?
I currently work evenings as a server in a busy restaurant. It's a great way to pay off those damn student loans, and gives me time to work on other creative projects... or spend countless hours on Tumblr.
You have a love of interiors and exteriors from the 80's and 90's - why? Where did this fascination start? Where does it end?
The million dollar question. I've been trying to pinpoint it, exactly. I was born in 1989, so my formative years were the late 90s. I was always playing with my parent's old stereo as a kid, which started my passion for music and love for electronics. So, even though I was growing up with "new tech" like computers and cellphones, I was always drawn to bigger, older, sexier equipment - along with the music and culture that accompanied it.
Fast forward to 2016 - I’m now an avid thrift store junkie. I had been hunting down old tapes and records for years, but started to browse the book and magazine sections out of curiosity. Around the same time, I had started using Tumblr and Instagram to find and repost photos of vintage electronics. This inevitably led me to photos of interior design and architecture, which I instantly fell in love with.
The bold, colorful, new-wave inspired statements startled me in the best way. You could say I always had an admiration for postmodern design, it just wasn't fully realized.
Anyways, I quickly became dissatisfied with the recycling of photos and scans circulating the two social media sites, and decided to take matters into my own hands. Vancouver is actually littered with old, unwanted 80s and 90s design books and magazines! I probably have 30 sitting here waiting to be scanned, touched-up and posted. Part of the thrill is the hunt for these wonderful books, part is the admiration of the designs. There was so much creativity with design between the 70s and 90s - something I think we are sorely missing today. I'm not sure my fascination will ever end - but if it does, I’m glad to have chronicled it for the world to see. These images deserve to be preserved and not thrown away or left on a lonely bookshelf.
Describe your dream interior:
My dream interior is an open-concept, high-ceiling, hardwood-floored loft with tons of green vegetation. I realize that it's quite unrealistic to upkeep so many plants, but this is my dream, remember? My furniture would probably be minimalist yet stylishly colorful. I am obsessed with glass tables - there would definitely be one in my dining room and one in the living area. Speaking of glass - glass bricks are another obsession of mine. A glass-brick wall separating the sleeping area from the rest of the loft would be great. I could list these types of additions forever...
Describe your dream exterior:
My dream exterior would definitely include a rooftop terrace with, you guessed it - tons of plants! I'm actually terrible at keeping plants alive - guess I’d need to hire somebody for that. A pool area with soft pastel blue and pink tiles would be a definite asset. I'm pretty open to the physical aspects of the actual building, but definitely fond of wood materials and lots of sharp angles!
Where else do you post the images you find?
You can find high-resolution copies of all my scans on my Tumblr page at jpegfantasy.tumblr.com
Images courtesy of SHELDON TREWIN
interview ASHLEY MUNNS
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