Kyle has worked with brands including Condé Nast, Coach, J.Crew, and Saks Fifth Avenue, among others. His personal work explores themes of memory, preservation, and visual documentation. He is also an avid photographer, often shooting street photography on his Mamiya 645 Pro.
Site updated April 2026
Jamais vu (French for “never seen”) is a psychological phenomenon often described as the opposite of déjà vu. It occurs when something that should feel familiar instead feels unfamiliar, creating a sense of confusion or unease.
Researchers have found that repetition can trigger jamais vu. In one experiment, participants repeatedly wrote the same simple words on a sheet of paper. As the exercise continued, more than half began to question whether the words were real or had any meaning at all, illustrating how familiarity can unexpectedly transform into something strange.
Our team drew inspiration from the concept of jamais vu, creating images that feel familiar yet subtly unsettling. Layered imagery, distorted takes on recognizable clothing and styling, and settings that appear both known and unfamiliar work together to evoke the disorienting sensation of seeing something familiar as if for the first time. The images were also shot on Super 8 film, whose nostalgic texture and imperfections reinforce a sense of familiarity while deepening the project's dreamlike, uncanny atmosphere.
Year: 2026
Photography: Cynthia Villamil
Art Direction, Styling, Image Creation: Kyle Tranquilli
Talent: Junnan Wu, Ali Shaaban
Additional Crew: Zo Fielder, Justin Riviera