Morgaine Fehlauer is a print maker, a sex educator and the owner of GraveNoise Press, which is the only privately owned stone lithography press in the western U.S. Their photo book, Rituals, features a collection of intimate portraits shot on film and digital, and an exhibition of the images opens on April 20 at God Hates Robots.
Every month, SLUG Style features a distinct and unique member of the community and asks them why they do what they do. Exploring more than just clothing, SLUG Style is an attempt to feature the people who give Salt Lake City flavor through personality and panache.
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“My great-grandfather came from Denmark and he was a blacksmith. And then my grandfather was a machinist,” says Fehlauer. “So, we had a farm up in Logan and I was always sitting in his machine shop. He basically ran the farm and then he would repair everyone’s machinery for miles around.” Fehlauer believes that this contributed to their path to becoming a printmaker.
Photo: @clancycoop
“I got this fur coat in Prague. It’s a fake fur coat,” says Fehlauer. “I would never buy that before, but my partner was like, ‘No! Whatever! You look awesome!’ And so I think I’m a lot more accepting of being like, ‘Okay! Yeah!'” in respect to style. Photo: @clancycoop
“I bought this press in Solita, Colorado,” says Fehlauer. “I just drove out there with a truck and brought it home, and I did not know that I would have to be restoring it. I thought it was in working order. It wasn’t. So, I basically got to learn.” Photo: @clancycoop
“My style was a lot more androgynous in the past, and I know that it’s confusing for people that I still identify as genderqueer and I look like this,” says Fehlauer. “I understand that that’s tough for people sometimes, but I have found that navigating the world and running my business, like especially as a ‘business bitch,’ looking very feminine and intimidating is the most successful way for me to go about it.” Photo: @clancycoop
“I honestly asked a lot of my friends what they thought of my style before this, and one of them said, ‘I’m not bad. I’m just drawn that way.’ You know, from Roger Rabbit. And so we came up with some phrases I could work off of and pick outfits based on that,” says Fehlauer. Photo: @clancycoop
Regarding their use of what some would call antiquated technology, Fehlauer says, “I see mine as a conservatorial role in a lot of ways. I think that regardless of how technology changes, there’s something to be said for what it means to preserve these things and also that they don’t have to be left in the past. If we keep using them, you can keep using them in a way that is interdisciplinary with contemporary sciences.” Photo: @clancycoop
“I identify as genderqueer, but I present really feminine, largely, honestly for my convenience and personal safety,” says Fehlauer. “I have presented much more butch at different points of my life. This is the longest my hair has ever been. I kind of learned how to be a girl this year and so it’s … Anyway, it’s really tough.” Photo: @clancycoop
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