Advertisement

Photos: Street style in Los Angeles gets a futuristic, psychedelic makeover

Mike Wamungu, cofounder of Ukoo Studios, left, and Aaliyah Ei, a nonbinary Afro-Mexican editorial model.
Mike Wamungu, cofounder of the fashion brand Ukoo Studios, left, and Aaliyah Ei, a nonbinary Afro-Mexican editorial model, appear in a photo essay by photographer and graphic designer Sean Martin.
(Sean Martin / For The Times)
Share via

This story is part of our issue on Remembrance, a time-traveling journey through the L.A. experience — past, present and future. See the full package here.

Have you ever stopped to think about how what we wear and where we go are a form of time travel?

Photographer and graphic designer Sean Martin gave this question some thought as he visited downtown Los Angeles, including Chinatown and the Arts District, to create a series of street-style photographs on the subject.

Martin rebels against the ever-quickening pace of modern life by using film photography to capture his subjects and then adding digital touches. The result is the striking photo essay below — a visual marriage of the past and the future.

Advertisement

Last month, Martin, a Highland Park resident, told The Times: “The colorful, almost psychedelic mood in my work is meant to provoke thought and emotion in the viewer — not only in the concept but also in the creation. With that psychedelic nature, I’m able to represent the energy my subjects give off through their style and personality.”

Take a stroll through the colorful and vibrant backdrops of downtown Los Angeles and meet fellow time travelers.
— Marques Harper

Singer Berel in Los Angeles.
(Sean Martin / For The Times)
An image by Sean Martin.
(Sean Martin / For The Times)

My work is a mixed-media style of art, with both a digital and analog essence.

— Sean Martin, photographer

An image of Aaliyah Ei
Model Aaliyah Ei
(Sean Martin / For The Times)
Advertisement
An image by Sean Martin.
(Sean Martin / For The Times)
A photo of artist Kristofferson San Pablo.
Artist Kristofferson San Pablo, standing.
(Sean Martin / For The Times)
A photo of artist Kristofferson San Pablo seated.
Kristofferson San Pablo, sitting.
(Sean Martin / For The Times)
An image by Sean Martin.
(Sean Martin / For The Times)
An image by Sean Martin.
(Sean Martin / For The Times)

We’re in an era where time moves so fast so I decided to slow down and use film to capture the unfiltered energy and style of my subjects, then digitally highlight and layer in the modern energy of Los Angeles through my artistic process.

— Sean Martin, photographer

Advertisement
A photo of Mike Wamungu, cofounder of Ukoo Studios.
Mike Wamungu, cofounder of Ukoo Studios, sitting.
(Sean Martin / For The Times)
A photo of Mike Wamungu
Mike Wamungu, standing.
(Sean Martin / For The Times)
An image by Sean Martin.
(Sean Martin / For The Times)
An image by Sean Martin.
(Sean Martin / For The Times)
Advertisement