INSIDE CULTURE SHOCK WITH JAZEL JOZIC
Culture Shock’s creatress, Jazel Jozic (Image: Jazel Jozic (@jayyyslays)
Donning her branded Culture Shock bucket hat, Jazel Jozic reveals the item of clothing to be a bespoke original design by Rooty Hill designer Vassqo. From the matte black safety chain, to the dangling rings adorned across the brim, Jazel proudly embraces its distinctive suburban style, and one can assume she was born and raised in Western Sydney.
However, as she later clarifies to The Western, Jazel resides in the predominantly ‘white neighbourhood’ of Sydney’s North Shore. ‘I honestly don’t know why [my family] don’t live in Western Sydney.’ She laughs. ‘I don’t know how we ended up in the upper North Shore - we just did.’
Jazel Jozic is no one-trick pony. With a bright eye for contrast and colour on Instagram, Jazel pursues several endeavours into art, design, video, and photography. As her digital media internship and Honours in Design approaches, she also anticipates the advent of Culture Shock - a media platform representing creative people of colour - debuting at Chippendale’s Goodspace - a rent-free gallery space - and Lord Gladstone.
‘The idea has always been in my head,’ Jazel says. Dialling back to roleplaying Disney princesses, her younger peers would pigeonhole her as either Mulan or Pocahontas. Growing up from Filipino-Croatian roots, she laments ‘I just felt like I could never relate to any of the characters’.
As Jazel began her creative pursuits during and after high school, the struggle to find creatives of colour in North Shore warranted even more scrutiny. ‘When I started getting into the art and music culture scene of Sydney, I was just like, “where are all the people of colour?”’.
Jazel frequently collaborates with several Sydney creatives, including content creator Tara Chandra (Image: Jazel Jozic (@jayyyslays)
Then came her newfound discovery - and eventual love - for Western Sydney. After attending 1nce Again at Freda’s, Jazel clicked into big names from the West’s creative scene, such as Ricky Tana, INQ. and Solly. An unforgettable night later led to a documentary covering Western Sydney creatives, where Culture Shock’s brand name was born. Collaborating with videographer Luke Fitzsimmons, Jazel networked with several more creatives, including photographer Zain, rapper Gibrillah, and DJ Yvngcweed.
Culture Shock’s mission is to allow people of colour ‘to be seen and heard in the digital space and real world’, especially for emerging artists who have not yet exhibited in the heart of Western Sydney. From photographers, visual artists, and fashion brands, to DJs, rappers, and singers - the launch, like Jazel’s practice, is deeply interdisciplinary. ‘I want to attract all different types of audiences’, she elaborates. ‘Not just one type who just wants to have fun at a party, but the type that wants to understand the psyche of Western Sydney’.
Regarding the future of Culture Shock after its launch, she tells The Western ‘I’m gonna take 2020 as it comes’. However, she wants to continue interviewing more creatives for online content. ‘As a viewer’, she explains ‘it’s a lot easier to follow a path that’s already been created - because when it hasn’t, there’s so much trial and error. I think it’s just really important to share that information, [to] make that accessible to everyone’.
Culture Shock’s launch party will be celebrated on Saturday, 25 January, from 6.00pm to 10.00pm at Goodspace, and 10.00pm to 3.00am at Lord Gladstone. The original documentary is available to watch on their eponymous YouTube channel, and Jazel’s past projects can also be found on her professional website.
Culture Shock event poster (Image: Culture Shock (@cultureshock.au)
