Revision 1083116972 of "Sacha Dean Bïyan" on enwiki

{{short description|American photographer}}
{{Infobox person
| name        = Sacha Dean Bïyan
| image       = Sacha_Dean_Biyan.jpg
| birth_date  = {{Birth date and age|1967|10|01}}
| death_date  =
| death_place =
| nationality = Canadian
| occupation  = [[Photographer]], [[Photojournalist]], [[Filmmaker]], [[Author]], [[Artist]]
| status      = Active
| title       =
| family      =
| spouse      =
| children    =
| relatives   =
| networth    =
| signature   =
| credits     =
| website     = {{url|sachabiyan.com}}
}}
'''Sacha Dean Bïyan''' is a [[photographer]], [[photojournalist]], [[filmmaker]] and  [[author]] best known for his [[photography]], which ranges from [[fashion]] and [[advertising]] to poetic impressions of [[indigenous cultures]] around the world.

== Early life ==
Sacha Dean Bïyan was born on October 1, 1967, and grew up mainly in [[Montreal]], [[Canada]].<ref>[https://www.sachabiyan.com/about Sachabiyan.com]</ref> He spent his later formative years in [[Paris]], [[New York City]] and [[Los Angeles]], during which he cultivated his interest in [[music]],  [[art]] and [[photography]].

Bïyan began his career as a club [[deejay]] in the mid-1980s while he was still in high school.<ref name="ten_celebs">Michael D'Alimonte, "[https://www.mtlblog.com/amp/famous-canadian-celebrities-from-montreal 10 famous celebrities who are also from Montreal]", MTL Blog, 29 March 2016.</ref> He initially spun a mix of [[hip hop]], [[Electro (music)|electro]], [[disco]] and [[funk]], then transitioned to deeper, soulful [[house music|house sounds]], influenced by the likes of [[Larry Levan]] at New York’s [[Paradise Garage]]. His experiences during those early years were instrumental in shaping the audio and visual style of his later work.<ref>[http://www.sachabiyan.com/about Sachabiyan.com]</ref>

After a somewhat itinerant adolescence, Bïyan trained as an [[engineer]], earning a [[Bachelor’s degree]] in [[Robotics]] and a [[Master of Science]] in [[Aeronautical Engineering]]. He worked as an [[industrial designer]] in the [[aerospace industry]] for several years, designing interiors of private and commercial jets, before becoming a professional photographer at age thirty four.<ref>[http://www.sachabiyan.com/about Sachabiyan.com]</ref>

Bïyan began experimenting with [[cameras]], [[photographic film]] and [[darkroom]] techniques at an early age. While he had no formal training in photography, he has said that "I got my schooling on the streets, photographing just about anything and anyone, and learning from my mistakes... Those experiences taught me more about photography than any classroom ever could."<ref name="Instagram">[https://www.instagram.com/p/CA-bpbrl1r6/?igshid=l06ctxa7khrb Instagram]</ref> Bïyan initially worked in [[commercial photography]] before veering more towards [[photojournalism]] and [[filmmaking]].

== Work ==

Bïyan has shot [[advertising campaigns]], [[music videos]] and [[documentaries]] for clients such as [[Sony Music]], [[Adidas]], [[The Gap, Inc.|GAP]], [[Lexus]], [[PBS]] and the [[Discovery Channel]]; and his editorial images have appeared in [[GQ]], [[Maxim magazine|Maxim]], [[Vogue (magazine)|Vogue]] and [[Marie Claire]].<ref>[http://www.sachabiyan.com/about Sachabiyan.com]</ref> He has held solo [[exhibitions]] of his works in [[São Paulo]],<ref>[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nmLKSU7fa9U Sao Paulo, Memorial da America Latina Museum Exhibition video footage]</ref> [[Florence]], [[Barcelona]], [[Paris]] and [[Los Angeles]]<ref>[https://books.google.co.jp/books?id=420zAQAAMAAJ&pg=PA105&lpg=PA105&dq=sacha+biyan+%22american%22+photo&source=bl&ots=OCS4o37SQU&sig=ACfU3U2IY_PKP4tX1HZd5g5MZrGhNCuBIw&hl=en&sa=X&ved=2ahUKEwig8cqBj7_kAhULat4KHaPzDwoQ6AEwDXoECAgQAQ#v=onepage&q=sacha%20biyan%20%22american%22%20photo&f=false American Photo]</ref> — the latter as a benefit for [[Amnesty International]]. In April, 2022, a selection of his work was chosen to be exhibited at the 59th [[Venice Biennale]]’s inaugural [[NFT]] art exhibition at the Decentral Art Pavilion <ref>[https://decentralartpavilion.io/ Decentral Art Pavillion]</ref>.

Bïyan is the author of two fine art books: ''Spiritus Mundi'' published in 2005, and ''Eccentris'' published in 2012. Spiritus Mundi took nine years to complete, and documents his encounters with remote [[indigenous cultures]] in [[Brazil]], [[Ecuador]], [[Bolivia]], [[Peru]], [[Venezuela]], [[Colombia]], the [[Philippines]], [[India]], [[Bhutan]], [[Nepal]], [[Burma]], [[China]], [[Mongolia]], [[Papua New Guinea]], [[Indonesia]] and [[Micronesia]].<ref>[http://www.dbaeditora.com.br/index.php?route=product/product&path=62&product_id=75 DBA Editora]</ref> His second book, Eccentris, is a retrospective of his work in fashion and advertising from 1998 to 2006.

Bïyan's images also served as the inspiration for the music CD ''Dessous Presents Eccentris: Skin Is In'',<ref>[https://web.archive.org/web/20160304102145/http://www.dessous-recordings.com/releases/skin Skin is in], Dessous Recordings.</ref> released in 2006 by German [[house music]] label Dessous Recordings. Dessous subsequently released the iTunes album ''Eccentris Vibes'',<ref>[https://itunes.apple.com/ca/album/dessous-presents-eccentris/id420461559 Eccentris Vibes on iTunes]</ref> compiled and mixed by Bïyan. Both albums were spawned by the popularity of his fashion photography website, Eccentris.com, which was considered groundbreaking during the Flash era.<ref>[https://www.sachabiyan.com Bïyan‘s website]</ref>

== Eccentris ==

Eccentris was an [[interactive]] [[brand]]ing concept developed and produced by New York design agency Firstborn Multimedia. Bïyan engaged Firstborn in early 2000 to build an online identity for his edgy (hence eccentric) style of [[fashion photography]]. The intent was to develop an equally cutting edge [[website]] that combined static images with [[high-definition audio]] and [[high-definition video|video]], [[motion graphics]], and a dynamic [[user interface]]. However, due to [[bandwidth (computing)|bandwidth]] and computer [[CPU]] limitations at the time, many technical hurdles were encountered, and the ambitious scope had to be scaled back significantly to make the site work.

''Eccentris.com'' was finally launched in 2002 to critical acclaim. It still featured ample amounts of imagery, music and motion, and was described by Rob Ford of ''Favourite Website Awards'' as "a unique sensory experience with truly awe-inspiring photography that exudes nothing but innovation and class."<ref>Ford, Rob, [https://thefwa.com/article/fwa-review-2002 "FWA Review, Best of 2002"].</ref>{{Better source needed|reason=thefwa.com is not an independent source. (See the talk page.)|date=April 2019}}  In 2002, ''[[Communication Arts]]'' named Eccentris one of its Interactive Annual 9 winners,<ref>[http://www.commarts.com/CA/interactive/cai03/ Communication Arts Interactive Annual 9 Winners]</ref> and it was subsequently featured in the September / October 2003 issue of ''Communication Arts''.<ref>[http://www.commarts.com/CA/interactive/cai03/ Interactive Annual 9: Eccentris]</ref> In 2004, it was recipient of the FITC award for best navigation.<ref>[http://www.fitc.ca/awards/2004/ FITC 2004 Winners]</ref>

Bïyan's two websites, Eccentris.com and Sachabiyan.com (also designed by Firstborn Multimedia),<ref group="n">The Firstborn Project Archive is [https://work.firstborn.com/work/106/sachabiyan-com here].</ref> have been showcased in numerous other print and online publications, including ''Taschen's 1,000 Favorite Websites''<ref>''Taschen's 1,000 Favorite Websites'', {{ISBN|3-8228-2586-7}}</ref> and ''Taschen's Web Design Portfolios''.<ref>''Taschen's Web Design Portfolios'', {{ISBN|3-8228-4041-6}}</ref> Eccentris is also exhibited in the [[Web Design Museum]], a website that preserves the most influential web designs from the dawn of the millennium.<ref>[https://www.webdesignmuseum.org/gallery/eccentris-2002 Web Design Museum]</ref>

== Personal life ==

Bïyan has been called a “citizen of the world” <ref>[https://blackbookmag.com/arts-culture/loupes-colors-of-pride-art-channel-is-a-vivid-celebration-of-lgbtq-creativity/ Blackbook]</ref> as has traveled to over 80 countries for his photographic projects. He is fluent in six languages, and has lived in [[North America]], [[South America]], [[Europe]] and [[Asia]]. He calls [[New York City]] his spiritual home, having spent what he said were some of his "most formative years" there.<ref>[https://www.instagram.com/p/CA-bpbrl1r6/?utm_source=ig_web_copy_link Instagram]</ref>

== Bibliography ==

* 2005 : ''Spiritus Mundi''. Editora DBA. Hardcover {{ISBN|978-8-5723432-5-1}}. Portuguese/English.
* 2007 : ''Spiritus Mundi''. Great Circle Books. Paperbound {{ISBN|978-0-9798631-0-3}}. English.
* 2012 : ''Eccentris''. Editions Lumiere. Hardcover {{ISBN|978-0-578-10981-7}}. English.

==Notes==
<references group="n" />

== References ==
{{Reflist}}

==External links==
* [https://www.instagram.com/sachabiyan/ @sachabiyan] - Bïyan's Instagram page.
* [http://www.sachabiyan.com Sacha Dean Biyan] - Bïyan's official website, featuring his fine art, ethnographic, reportage and fashion work.
* [http://www.eccentris.com Eccentris] - Now defunct Flash website. Redirects to Bïyan's official site.

{{Authority control}}

{{DEFAULTSORT:Biyan, Sacha Dean}}
[[Category:1968 births]]
[[Category:Fashion photographers]]
[[Category:Living people]]
[[Category:American photographers]]
[[Category:Anglophone Quebec people]]
[[Category:Artists from Montreal]]