Exploring the Intersection of Photography, the Human Body, and Nightlife
Working under the artistic name Tinkerbelle, Angélique Stehli explores the intricate links between visual storytelling, the physical body, and the nocturnal world. Through her immersive project Honeybush, she builds spaces that elevate sensuality not as a commodity, but as a medium for connection, care, and meaningful presence. This vision comes to life at the Honeybush New Year’s Eve 2025 event—an intentional and embodied celebration redefining what it means to gather and rejoice.
Using Photography to Channel Emotional Intensity
From an early age, Angélique experienced the world with overwhelming sensitivity. “I was always too much,” she reflects—too tall, too expressive, too emotionally intense. To manage this inner overflow, she turned to photography. At eleven, her father gifted her a camera, which quickly evolved into her emotional vocabulary—an essential tool for expressing what spoken language could not.
Photography as a Tool for Holding on to Loss
After moving to Europe in the early 2000s, Angélique faced multiple personal losses—many of which lacked formal grieving spaces. In response, she turned to photography as a way to preserve memory. “It felt like life was slipping away, so I captured it,” she recalls. Her imagery served not only as a memory aid but also as an emotional anchor. “I was the pen, and the images were the words,” she has often said—a mantra that continues to define her creative ethos.
Celebrating Authentic Femininity Through Portraiture
Portrait work soon became central to her practice. Through deeply collaborative sessions with cherished women in her life, Stehli creates photographs that challenge narrow representations of femininity. Her camera acts as both participant and witness, honoring vulnerability while establishing a creative space that’s rooted in trust, mutual respect, and sensual freedom.
Formative Roots in San Francisco’s Vibrant Culture
Angélique’s upbringing in San Francisco remains a powerful source of inspiration. The city’s colorful intersections—punk culture, vibrant murals, queer pride celebrations, and the Latinx community—cultivated her sense of artistic freedom. “Everything had flavor,” she remembers, deeply contrasting with the confines of her Catholic school experience. These early memories endure as a creative refuge and a reminder that other realities are possible.
From Aesthetic Object to Lived Experience
As her work matured, Angélique’s focus shifted from visual aesthetics toward embodied experiences. She began asking: “What remains after grief? How can sadness become fuel for transformation?” Artistic output became less about the final product and more about the shared journey, guiding her toward performative and immersive practices rooted in presence and relationality.
The Body as Active Participant
This artistic evolution led her to embrace the body—not just as a subject to be captured, but as an expressive, dynamic entity. “I needed bodies to breathe, move, sweat, and tremble,” she explains. Through inviting diverse, real bodies into her work, she began to redefine her own connection to embodiment, using physical expression as a path toward personal healing and communal restoration.
Designing Spaces That Prioritize Rest and Belonging
With this shift came a focus on space as a vessel for care. Angélique realized that true nurturing demands dedicated environments—especially for those often sidelined by dominant culture. Her work now centers around creating inclusive, welcoming spaces for queer, marginalized, and exhausted bodies. “Lack isn’t individual—it’s systemic,” she states. By designing these restorative spaces, she transforms personal intention into shared well-being.
Challenging Mainstream Nightlife with Honeybush
Honeybush was born from a desire to break away from patriarchal nightlife and post-pandemic exhaustion. After years of working in hospitality and club culture, Stehli sought something more grounded and inclusive. “I’m done watching everything be built by and for men,” she says. Honeybush emerged as a new nightlife vision—one that doesn’t compromise joy, but roots it in ethics and mutual respect.
Redefining Pleasure Through Consent and Boundaries
For Angélique, pleasure doesn’t thrive in chaos—it flourishes in environments rich with consent, boundaries, and fairness. “True pleasure only exists where there’s respect, clarity, and equity,” she believes. Within Honeybush, the body is not objectified—it’s honored, invited, and encountered with intention. Honeybush stands as an ethical alternative to conventional nightlife models.
Choosing Her Own Path, Intentionally
At the core of Honeybush is Angélique’s personal journey of empowerment. “I became a woman who chooses herself,” she shares. This project represents more than an artistic endeavor—it’s a lived expression of her values. “I’m not trying to be perfect, but I do aim for coherence,” she says, grounding her ideals in real-world structures and intentional design.
A Collective, Evolving, and Embodied Project
Honeybush isn’t about utopian ideals. It’s a living, evolving space—unpolished, communal, but always deliberate. It asks people to show up fully, treat the space and each other with care, and engage with presence. Above all, it proposes a new way of being together—body-centered, collective, and real.
Honeybush New Year’s Eve: A Sensual and Healing Gathering
Set to debut on Wednesday, December 31 in Lausanne, the Honeybush New Year’s Eve celebration invites you to welcome 2026 with intention, warmth, and embodied joy. This curated event blends healing, sensuality, and the joy of collective experience.
📍 Event Venue
Espace Amaretto
Rue de Genève 97B, 1004 Lausanne
🕘 Event Schedule
Doors open: 8:45 PM
Performances start: 10:00 PM
💃 Performances & DJ Lineup
Featuring a powerful lineup of queer and international artists, the night will celebrate diverse expressions of desire and embodiment. Expect performances from: Izzie Pop (Los Angeles), Lalla Morte (Paris), Aurélie Martinez (Pole Flow Bienne), Jay Moves (Paris), Miss Activ (Zurich), 24am, Spaece Moon, Kimya, Mira (Lausanne), Vond Katrina (Zurich), and Fenixxx (Geneva). Performances will include pole dance, burlesque, striptease, and other sensual art forms.
The celebration continues into the early hours with DJ sets by Britney C’est Moi, Glitter B!tch, and Road Rage.
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