WHEN he was about to turn 8 years old, Niccolo Cosme was asked by his dad what he wanted for his birthday. He always see his dad carrying a camera and taking photos with his SLR , so Niccolo decided that he wanted a camera, too.
“Dad gave me a black Instamatic camera with a red button,” Niccolo recalled. “And it felt great to create [images], it was liberating!”
As he turned professional years later, Niccolo began working with the top people in the fashion, showbiz and advertising industries. But one frequent collaborator stands out: “I’ve had the opportunity to work with Cherie Gil many times for my conceptual works, and she always amazes me. She steps in the shooting area ‘in the zone’ that it literally feels as if she is performing in a theater and that I’m her only audience through the lens of my camera. Very poetic, and very powerful.”
Niccolo is not only one of the country’s most sought-after high-fashion photographers, but he is also the most proactive when it comes to addressing social issues. “My first lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender [LGBT] involvement was for Pride in 2003. I was a young budding photographer and I volunteered to shoot materials for the movement. It was held in Malate,” he said. “It was such a joy seeing my works on the streets as we celebrated LGBT Pride!”
He added, “My advocacy for HIV started in 2008 when my friend Wanggo Gallaga came out to me as HIV positive. Feeling the virus closer to home, I was compelled to do something about it and collaborated with Wanggo to create an HIV campaign via Project Headshot Clinic, a social-media platform that utilizes profile pictures and advocacies. It will be 10 years this December. In 2011 The Red Whistle was born. My friends and I thought it was high time to establish an organization which will further the cause all-year round.”
With the ugly Marawi clash still raging in Mindanao, Niccolo’s activism was again ignited. He is currently collaborating with beauty hub Strokes by Momoi Supe to raise funds for our hapless countrymen displaced by the ongoing conflict.
Strokes by Momoi Supe specializes in 3D eyebrow embroidery, permanent makeup, scalp micropigmentation, laser tattoo removal and yumi lashes. “Strokes by Momoi Supe has started to transform many people with its semipermanent eyebrow tattoo services about two years ago and I’ve seen how it has grown. I’ve also seen how it has moved a lot of people through its transformative beauty. And Momoi and I thought we wanted to do something together for Marawi City, which is a relevant and pressing issue right now. This is how ‘Beauty That Moves’ came to be. We wanted to highlight the beauty of giving and linked it together with actual images that move and transform through an innovative technology that’s augmented reality.”
Each image that Niccolo photographed is embedded with augmented reality, which is accessed through the AR app ismartphoto. For the non-techie, this means that once you have downloaded the app, you can hover your smartphone around the raw portraits to see even more fantastical images. You can buy small prints at P200 each.
Services availed from Strokes by Momoi Supe (Greenbelt 1 Makati) and Strokes Premier by Momoi Supe (Ayala Vertis North) until July 26 will raise money for the Teach Peace Build Peace Movement, whose primary goal is to provide psychosocial peace-building activities for the affected children of war.
“Being in the aesthetic industry, I wanted to highlight that beauty is not just what people see on the outside. Each one of us has that inner beauty for giving and sharing. Each one of us can be a messenger of peace. The situation in Mindanao is something that I cannot simply ignore because my family is from there and I want [to contribute] with what I have and can do,” said Momoi, who hails from Koronadal City.
“The reason behind the incorporation of flowers, waterfalls, nature, birds and clouds in the [augemted photographs] is because these are all peace-evoking images. As a kid, I remember seeing beautiful artworks which my father had cut out of old calendars. These were paintings of Michaelangelo, Botticelli and other masters. Those played a huge role in my formative years,” Niccolo explained.
“I truly believe that images and visual art are more than just decorative. Visual art can move us, it can change our perception, shift our mindsets. I want people who see these artworks to feel peace and calm, and I want them to do something to achieve this peace and loving climate for their homes, community and, hopefully, for our country.”
Image credits: photographed by Niccolo Cosme