THE LAST PEOPLE – LAYLA MOTTA


Ever since we began back in 2008, we have worked with photographer David Mushegain every issue to bring you a collection of some of the raddest people from all around the world. David shoots and gets to know the young kids he meets on his travels, through his friends, or just walking down the street, and we are always happy to share his discoveries with you. This is our final post of David’s Last People from our Spring 2012 issue.

Layla Motta is a surfer, an artist, and a good soul. And I should mention she is super beautiful too. But I am sure you already figured that out. “My father and three brothers are surfers, so since my first memories, the surf is on!” said Layla. I love that. The surf is on. Cool. Yeah she lives with her family in the city of São Paulo in an awesome house full of art and surfboards. She grew up mostly spending time in Camburi which is on the coast of São Paulo. This is where she picked up her surfing. I spent a lot of time there when I was a bit younger too and I can say the waves there are so fun. A lot of good surrounding breaks. Layla is focused now on her artwork. “I love doing three-dimensional art work, to mix materials such as wood and iron,” she told me. “I like the differences when you put something opposite side-by-side.” She continued. “That’s the résumé of my life, these two sides I’m trying to put together, the dynamic chaos of the city and the calm of nature. I love both and can’t live without one of them. And in art I’m trying to put that together.” I hear her. Living in the city really is such the opposite of living on the beach. I guess though that depends where you are hanging out and surfing. The waves were firing the other day at my home break of Newport Beach and being out there surfing was no different than being in really hostile traffic on the 405. There were so many surfers and just those few perfect waves. So I would call that a city wave. But then I remember surfing in the Caribbean a week earlier and being completely alone in shallow, clear, and warm water surfing perfect waves with not a single person around. That feeling of floating in the blue totally alone is so beautiful. Your thoughts disappear into the sunny glare reflecting off the water. Drifting. I love it. Layla is a cool girl. She’s about to move to NY to study a bit and get a little surf in. She seems stoked on Long Beach. I wanted to tell her, “DONT LEAVE YOUR WARM WATER!!!!” but all good. It’s cool to explore. She’s also getting into photography so she can probably have some fun with her camera in NY. For me though NY is a bit of a relic that needs some new love and life back in it. In my head that city is too expensive and too protected. Too many cameras and undercover police telling you that you can’t paint here or play your music there. And greedy, greedy landlords robbing you for every penny. Is that really a place for artists? Ummmmm…I don’t think so. Sorry got lost on that tangent. Layla is rad and cool and hot and she can rip at surfing and she’s smart. Wow. I’m in love. We shot this photo in the backyard of her family’s home in São Paulo.

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