Gorgeously composed, Willy Vanderperre captures the essence of Jil Sander‘s design aesthetic in their new SS17 advertising campaign. Featuring a cast of Natalie Westling and Tillmann, the photographs are perfect style inspiration for the new year.
Willy Vanderperre Captures Jil Sander Spring/Summer 2017
Ben Rayner’s Stolen Moments
Ben Rayner first made a name for himself photographing artists and musicians for Dazed & Confused and VICE, before transitioning into fashion photography. He has since become a regular fixture of magazines like Wonderland and Vogue. His talents have united him with the likes of Bella Hadid, ASAP Rocky and Alexa Chung, but he has always maintained an interest in producing his own personal work. Ben has published numerous zines and several monographs in the past. His latest project is a book made up of casually shot photographs that realise his aims of producing a photo diary of his day. Aptly named ‘Half Day’, the images have been shot in multiple locations and use an array of different formats, capturing fleeting and intimate snapshots of Ben’s life. Twin spoke to Ben about stealing moments, living in New York and the future.
Tell us about your new book.
The book is a monograph of moments photographed during 2014 and 2015. It’s made up of abstractions, portraits and landscapes. It’s a snapshot of the world as I saw it in those moments. I’m always taking pictures, so after I amass a collection of work I try to put it together in a somewhat coherent way. The book kind of has a fluid narrative of stolen moments in time.
Why did you decide to name the book ‘Half Day’?
I wanted to call the book ‘Half Day’ because it sounded optimistic and is a reminder that you still have half a day left.
A lot of your work has maintained a focus on fashion in the past. How does ‘Half Day’ divert from that?
I shoot a lot of fashion, but have always photographed everything around me. This is my fourth monograph and first hard cover book. I have also published countless zines. To me all my work is a reflection of my view of the world. I think some fashion images could have been dropped into the sequence of this book and still would have made sense. I like to steal moments from people and from the world.
Your photos have been described as ‘stopping time’ as opposed to capturing it. Why do you think that is?
I think sometimes I see things that other people don’t see, like a person’s fleeting expression. My aim is to connect with whoever and whatever I am shooting. I love photographing everyone, from famous models like Alice Dellal and Bella Hadid to actors and chefs.
You made the transition from London to New York. Do you think the change is reflected in your work? If so, how?
I don’t think so really. The images in this book are not very New York heavy. I tend to photograph things more where I don’t live. Although, I have been photographing my personal work in New York a lot more in the last few months.
What’s next for you?
I would like to do some still life photography, and more fashion stories, portraits and personal books. I have lots of ideas. I would also like to do a lot more video work in the future.
Lena C. Emery’s ‘Rie 理絵’ Investigates Feminine Truth
Twin contributor Lena C. Emery’s new monograph Rie 理絵 (pr. Rhea) is a product of an continuing exploration of how women are intimately depicted. Rie, both the title and main subject of the book, literally means ‘truth’, a theme that permeates each image. The book depicts Emery’s poetic renderings of women who repeatedly pose, rest and move while in various states of dress – and undress. Playing with ideas of the female gaze, the women in the photographers are both aware and vulnerable; tangible and mysterious. Of the new launch, Emery explained:
“Within Rie 理絵 I wanted to embark on an inherently female dialogue on the subject of revealing. I was interested in understanding at what point when we reveal our bodies as women to a potential other, does the apparent vulnerability cross over into the appreciation of the powerful notion of being naked and being oneself without an inner or outer surveyor present, without being on display. Watching Rie and the other nine women that I photographed, all of which were strangers to me and each other at the time and who had never been photographed in this way before, come to life as they slowly shed each layer of artifice, felt incredibly reassuring.”
Published by Kominek, Rie 理絵 is available from 16th December and can be bought here.
A little bit of chaos
Meet the latest offering from the Chaos crew: personalisable iPhone cases. Having designed those custom made luxe silk tracksuit bottoms for Cara Delevinge and Margot Robbie, Chaos have nailed personalisation and haven’t looked back.
Founded by fashion editors and stylists Charlotte Stockdale and Katie Lyall, the brand’s line of phone accessories ranges from cases to alphabet charms, emblazoned with statement slogans, to graphic motifs (we love the pills) and initials.
Available from their site: shop.chaos.club, as well as Dover Street Market, Selfridges and matchesfashion.com. Order before the 15th December to receive in time for Christmas.
Charlie Roberts Is Juicy
On the 24th of November, American artist Charlie Roberts will be previewing his highly anticipated solo exhibition Juicy at Marlborough Contemporary in London. Roberts borrows the name Juicy from Notorious B.I.G’s 1994 debut single, merging elements of hip-hop subculture with both classical and contemporary artistic influences – from Byzantine iconography, to comic books and Matisse.
Every facet of the exhibition mirrors Roberts’ playful and innovative artistic approach. He reimagines the gallery as a pop-up shop, hanging approximately 200 paper gouaches salon-style throughout the space. In keeping with his ethos, Roberts invites viewers to purchase the art as they see it. The work is accessible and affordable, and as each piece is removed, it is replaced with another, keeping the exhibition in a continuous state of flux.
Contrasting abstract patterned images with fluid female figures, and bright colours with pastel tones, Charlie Roberts juxtaposes every aspect of his work. His reputation as an innovative and exciting artist is ever expanding, and his work continually incorporates characteristics of both popular culture and highbrow art. Earlier in 2016, Roberts collaborated with Danish menswear brand Soulland, creating a successful limited collection of menswear. In his latest display of work at Marlborough Contemporary, Charlie further asserts himself as an inclusive and progressive contemporary artist.
Charlie Roberts: Juicy will be open to the public from the 25th November 2016 until the 7th January 2017 at Marlborough Contemporary
In the name of (literary) love: immortality auction
Calling all literature lovers: the charity, Freedom from Torture is offering the chance for your name (or that of a loved one) to be immortalised by being named as a character in an upcoming book by a best-selling author.
This year sees literary leaders joining together to raise funds for this worthy cause that is dedicated in helping the treatment and support of torture survivors who seek refuge in the UK. Authors involved include: Michael Morpurgo, Frank Cottrell-Boyce, Tracy Chevalier, Esther Freud, Louis de Bernieres, Rose Tremain, William Boyd, Linda Grant, Chris Cleave, Eleanor Catton, Jonathan Coe, Maggie O’Farrell, Philip Pullman and Booker Prize winner Ian McEwan.
“This auction offers the genuine opportunity of an afterlife. More importantly, bidding in the Freedom from Torture auction will help support a crucial and noble cause. The rehabilitation of torture survivors cannot be accomplished without expertise, compassion, time – and your money.” said author Ian McEwan.
The online auction is running till the 16th November on www.immortalityauction.org. For all of those in London, there is also a live auction taking place on the 17th November at Sixty One Whitehall, hosted by comedian and author Alexei Sayle.
To bid visit: www.immortalityauction.org www.freedomfromtorture.org
Meet The Female Ottolenghi: Bethany Kehdy
Described by Ottolenghi as the next champion of Middle Eastern food, Lebanese chef Bethany Kehdy made waves when she took up a residency at Carousel in Marylebone earlier in 2016. Now she’s back, and ready to serve up fresh flavours in a takeover of one of East London’s trendiest restaurants, Jago.
Born in Houston to a Texan mother and Lebanese father, Kehdy spent much of her childhood in Lebanon where she experienced the atrocities of the civil war. When her father moved her family to safety in the mountains, Kehdy was exposed to nature in its rawest form, and she spent much of her time watering orchards and working on the harvest. It was here that she first developed her culinary abilities, learning to make traditional dishes from her grandmother and aunties.
She has since developed an international following, and has released an award-winning cookbook ‘The Jewelled Kitchen’. In her latest London pop-up, Kehdy will bring a fresh syntax of flavours and spices to guests over five courses. With a menu that includes sour cherry kebab nests, whipped hummus with duck awarma and tamarind & fenugreek mackerel khoresh, this is the must-have ticket for foodies: get them while they’re hot.
Tables available from 6pm until 9.30pm, from November 7th through 11th, book here.
Printed Pages From It’s Nice That
It’s Nice That has released the latest issue of its print magazine Printed Pages. With a cover shot by photographer Jack Davison, the issue welcomes contributions from 30 international creatives, including illustrator Jean Michel Tixier, graphic designers APFEL and artist Noritake.
Highlights also include a tribute to architect Zaha Hadid, an interview with graphic design legend Milton Glaser, illustrator Jean Jullien, photograph’s from Charlie Kwai and and a gallery of the heroes of Rio 2016 sculpted by Wilfrid Wood.
Since launching in 2007, the folks at It’s Nice That have enjoyed a reputation for championing creativity and putting out beautifully formatted, engaging work. Regulars and newbies to the publication can expect a similar creative standard, with a printed edition that you’ll treasure.
Dr. Martens Takes It To The Streets With Stüssy
Famed for their innate understanding and reflection of youth culture, it’s no surprise that Dr. Martens have teamed up with cult streetwear brand Stüssy to release a new capsule collection. Not only are both brands emblematic of rebellion and the underground scene, but they both also emphasise quality and clothes made to last.
Available in stores now, the collaboration sees classic Dr. Martens silhouettes remixed with signature Stussy vibes: think cheetah print panels, pebble grain textured leather uppers and a mega combination of independent spirit. Get ’em while you can.
www.drmartens.com
Say hello to the Ladybeard
Ladybeard is a relatively new independent magazine, and has recently welcomed its second release, ‘The Mind Issue’. For those who haven’t heard of it, Ladybeard is an annual feminist publication, committed to taking the form and format of traditional glossy magazines and subverting the content. The magazine, which spans over 70 contributors, platforms the voices you don’t hear in traditional women’s magazines, those that deviate from being the “straight, white, cis, able-bodied ideal.”
In ‘The Mind Issue’, which follows on from the bold and provocative ‘Sex Issue’, Ladybeard breaks down the strict dividing line drawn between the mad and the sane. It begins with several first person testimonies of losing one’s mind, before drawing on broad social issues, like exploring the use of MDMA and LSD as effective replacements to traditional prescription drugs. Twin spoke to the Ladybeard team to find out more about the magazine.
Andrew Vladimirov photographed by David Vintiner for ‘The Mind Issue’
How would you describe Ladybeard for those who don’t know it?
We’re a feminist take on the glossy magazine. We theme each issue around a topic that we feel is misrepresented in the mainstream media in general, and women’s magazines in particular, and try to open that topic up to fresh, feminist perspectives. We started with sex and our latest issue is on the mind.
What were your intentions when you first started the magazine?
As a team, we grew up reading women’s magazines and hating the way they made us feel about ourselves. You hear the same voices and see the same ‘woman’ over and over again. The kind of definitions of beauty and sex and gender promoted by those magazines are so damaging. It’s impossible to live up to those standards so the magazine makes you feel like shit, but more than anything, it’s actually really boring reading them because nothing on those pages ever feels true to life. But the magazines themselves are so glossy and beautiful and covetable that you keep buying them, even against your better judgement. With Ladybeard, we wanted to platform the kind of voices you don’t hear in women’s magazines. We felt that if we made a space for many different people to speak honestly about subjects like sex and mental health, but that was also covetable and beautiful, then we might produce a magazine that we would have wanted to read.
What do you think sets Ladybeard apart from other magazines?
Ladybeard is very lucky to be part of a wave of independent women’s magazines that are departing from the glossy mag. What sets us apart, if we had to set ourselves apart, is the way we approach themed issues: we combine very bright, playful visuals with often quite serious content. In our ‘Sex Issue’, for example, we ran a series of very colourful, explicit Peter Stemmler illustrations of different sex positions alongside features on subjects like reclaiming sexual pleasure after rape, and a first person testimony of HIV and sex work. Similarly in the ‘Mind Issue’, we juxtapose really bold visuals alongside content that rethinks the preventative attitude to suicide in the UK, or calls out institutional racism in the mental health system. Our content is often serious, but the idea is to take a theme and celebrate it. We want to celebrate the people doing amazing things to challenge prejudices and inequalities around sex and sexuality, and now mental health.
Illustration by Karan Singh for ‘The Mind Issue’
Can you tell us a bit about Issue 2: ‘The Mind Issue’?
‘The Mind Issue’ looks at our minds: the many facets of mental health; the relationship between how we think and how we live; how we express the self and what it means; how we change each other’s minds, and our own. It’s hard to sum it up! Much like ‘the mind’ as a concept, it is sprawling and hard to pin down, but it’s also colourful, playful and, hopefully, full of surprises.
‘The Mind Issue’ contains a huge amount of content, can you describe the process of putting together an issue?
It’s a lot of hard work! We don’t have a pre-existing structure so we can do what we want in terms of what kind of content we want – one of the perks of being an independent mag! Once we’ve decided on a theme, both the arts and editorial teams brainstorm all the different ways that theme could be approached, particularly through a feminist lens. We do a public call out for submissions and pitches while beginning to reach out to writers, artists, illustrators and people we want to interview. Then arts and editorial join up and begin to fit it all together until it takes its final form in layout. As we all work full-time, it’s a lot of evenings and weekends.
How has the magazine evolved since its first issue, and what can we expect next from the Ladybeard team?
In terms of how it’s evolved – it’s hard to say! The theme dictates each issue – ‘The Mind’ meant we could be more abstract and more exploratory and it ended up being much more explicitly political. We’ll see what happens with the next issue. We’re going to be holding an event later in the year so keep your eyes peeled for that. If all goes to plan, we’ll have another issue out in 2017!
‘The Mind Issue’ is out now. You can purchase a copy at Ladybeardmagazine.co.uk
The Ladybeard team is comprised of: Kitty Drake, Madeleine Dunnigan and Sadhbh O’Sullivan (editors); Scarlet Evans and Bronya Meredith (art direction and design); Tyro Heath and Hannah Abel Hirsch (arts editors)
The Art Deco Arts Club
The Bermondsey Arts Club & Cocktail Bar is the epitome of Style Moderne in Southwark, run by art school graduate George Garnier. It may be a former public lavatory but it’s been through some gentrification and is undoubtedly now the most luxe lav in the area, with bespoke brass furniture and a statement marble-topped bar that oozes Art Deco glamour.
Not just a pretty façade though, BAC also offers delicious cocktails and spritzers, from the Eldersour to the Rossini from 6pm till late, Tuesday through to Saturday. Try their infamous jazz nights on Wednesdays to really get the Gatsby-esq party started.
Find it at Former Conveniences, 102 Tower Bridge Road, SE1 4PT. Opening times: Tuesday-Saturday, 6pm-2am.
Afropunk by Kasandra Enid Torres
For 27-year-old photographer Kasandra Enid Torres, community is at the heart of the arresting and wholly joyous work she produces. Originally from South Florida, by way of Puerto Rico, Torres now resides in New York’s Washington Heights, and regularly shoots the kids in her neighbourhood.
This latest project, the ‘Afropunk Brooklyn’ series, is a collection of special moments brought to life in vivid colour. When Twin caught up with Torres, she described the atmosphere of the festival in which the images were created as “amazing”, with the crowd being “super chill and open”. She continued: “One of the days in the festival there was this DJ mixing some beats and everyone just really got in it. There was this amazing energy of everyone going with the beats and a sense of acceptance and joy. One of the shots is from this moment – it’s of a girl dancing.”
When asked what she believes the project portrays, Torres was thoughtful in her response, “I think it conveys feelings of power, pride and beauty.” And when further questioned about the resulting images, in comparision with her initial expectation of them, she replied: “Somewhat, if anything it showed me more about people.” Take a look for yourself below.
Björk in London this September
This September in London is about one thing only: Björk. Riding high off the success of her critically-acclaimed album ‘Vulnicura’ she is set to play a number of London shows, as well as hold her own exhibition – ‘Björk : Digital’ – at London’s Somerset House.
For years Björk’s music and visual genius has proved to be both pioneering and iconic in equal measure, and now, the British capital is set to feast on her creative fruits in a variety of mediums. Following the high demand, and subsequent selling out, of her Royal Albert Hall performance on 21st September, an additional show has been announced at the Hammersmith Eventim Apollo on the 24th, with tickets going on sale on Wednesday 17th August. These will be the artist’s first performances in London since the release of her latest album.
Meanwhile, the exhibition at Somerset House is due to feature a number of her digital works, such as virtual reality videos, interactive apps and archive music videos that were created in unison with some of the most spectacular talents from the worlds of visual artistry and programming. Booking is strongly advised.
‘Björk : Digital’ will be on from 1st September – 23rd October 2016. Click HERE for tickets.
Fornasetti’s Playthings
Fornasetti has done it again. A mainstay in combining home décor with surrealism and the absurd, the brand has a reputation for delighting and enticing with its witty designs. From drunken monkeys causing chaos at a dinner party, to the face of house muse Lina Cavalieri cross-eyed, staring at a bee on her nose, Fornasetti’s objets d’art and furniture are some of the most prolific of the 20th century.
Fornasetti Profumi ‘L’Eclaireuse’ scented candle
And it’s a very exciting time for Fornasetti lovers, as this September signals the arrival of a new candle fragrance: ‘Mistero’. With dominant notes of pink pepper and cypress, and an undertone of incense, sandalwood and musk, it is pensive and deeply penetrating. If you could smell the colour grey, this would be it.
And the jar design that accompanies this new, mysterious scent? ‘L’Eclaireuse,’ which bares the signature Fornasetti face of Lina Cavalieri. On one side, we see her resplendent as a gypsy princess, complete with intricate facial piercings. But spin the jar around and we have the same face, this time with a golden eye patch, like a pirate. This is just another example of Fornasetti’s charming subtlety, which consistently alludes to a story hiding within each piece.
Fornasetti Profumi ‘Armatura’ scented candle
Thankfully Fornasetti was a creator of more than 11,000 artworks, another of which appears in an additional new design for the house: ‘Armatura’. Once again, it features his muse – Lina Cavalieri – but this time instead of peering out through a crown of flowers or a toying playfully with a cigarette dangling from her mouth, she has a sword right through her head.
Encased within this new design is wax laden with the fragrance ‘Otto’ – the signature scent of the Fornasetti Profumi collection. Packed with Mediterranean herbs like lavender and thyme, it also features addition of dreamy, ethereal infusions of labdanum and incense.
Poem Baker’s Hymns From The Bedroom
“Most of the kids I photograph all know each other, either from the clubs or are personal friends, or have been partners at one point… They’re all intertwined in one way or another. If you look at the portraits, you see some of the same faces again and again, connecting everyone together.”
Photographer Poem Baker‘s Hymns From The Bedroom is a series of portraits featuring a selection of friends and acquaintances, who exist on the brink of creative success and in a haze of twenty-something wonder. Raw, real and refreshingly diverse in its content, here Poem exclusively tells Twin how some of her favourite shots came about, and who the subjects are.
Stef & Jacq, 2011 (main)
“This was taken in a hotel room in San Francisco. Stef is a waitress from Sydney and Jacq a stripper from Brooklyn. I’ve known Stef for some time, and we all ended up going on a road trip together in the USA. I think they were going through quite a difficult time when I made this portrait, they had been together for about a year and were having to split up because of visa issues… They were hanging out in their hotel room and they called me to come around with my camera, they wanted an intimate portrait… This was a very candid shot: no set-ups. I walked in, had a glass of wine with them, and got this in about four or five frames!”
Daniel, 2012
“This was taken in Hackney. Daniel and I met while wandering the streets at London Gay Pride in 2012. I recall seeing him walk down the street and I was immediately struck by his uninhibited persona. He’s a performance artist. We began to collaborate on portraits that explore an alternative concept of gender… I’ve been shooting with Daniel for about five years now. This portrait was set up, more so than usual, he had a clear idea of how he wanted to be photographed and I just tweaked it a little. But no big set-ups… Just me, him and my flash gun!”
After party – Harry and friends, 2015
“This was taken at an after party in east London. I got called by Harry, who is in this particular picture, to come and photograph him and his friends. I turned up at about 5am, when everyone was chilling, smoking and playing music. Again it’s another candid shot. In situations like these you really don’t want to set stuff up, I just like people to do their own thing… The photographs are there, you just have to blend in and get everyone relaxed around your camera.”
James, 2011
“I met James at a friend’s 21st birthday, my eye caught his tattoo on his chest that read ‘Sunday Morning’. Being a huge fan of Lou Reed and Andy Warhol we struck up conversations and met the next day. At the time he was living in Walthamstow. We walked around his neighbourhood as it was a lovely sunny day and somehow ended up in the graveyard! That’s where we took this picture!”
Vera , Sam & Elise, 2014
“Sam is a hairdresser, and this is a candid moment of him hanging out with his friends doing their hair before a big night out clubbing in London! I’ve been photographing Sam since the start of this project, he was living at home with his parents and dating James (who is in the previous picture) when I first met with him.”
Sarah Louise Stedeford’s Suburban Youth
Sarah Louise Stedeford, 25, currently lives in north London – but she hasn’t always done. The photographer – who’s currently splitting her time between casting for a zine and shooting fashion editorial and commercial – has produced a haunting personal project called Suburban Youth, which brings to mind heady memories of running for the last train while high, Tommy Girl eau de toilette and White Lightening.
Here, in a short essay, Sarah explains her own relationship with one of the most important – yet overlooked – cornerstones of British adolescence:
“I spent my teenage years between west London and the south west suburbs. I think this demonstrated the differences between the two from quite early on. Home kind of became both or neither places. I guess this allowed me to see the suburbs from both an insider’s and an outsider’s perspective.
“Travelling on the long suburban trains every day, I would always sit near the window and watch the suburban towns pass by. I shot most of the landscapes in this series from the window of the train, it felt quite true to the subject. Anyone from these areas will be very familiar with the train journeys. The train was moving too quickly for me to have much time to compose or focus on something specifically. This was quite interesting to me, to see what I had captured and that when editing, one of the images would speak to me in some way, reminding me of something, even though I couldn’t really put my finger on what it was.”
Hounslow
“The project as a whole does feel like a series of blurred memories to me, and I feel like this when I visit these areas. It’s not something specific that I remember…it’s a feeling. Lots of memories all tied together and kind of blurred.
“I think this is true for the suburbs itself. There is a different feeling in this area. But I don’t think it has a very clear identity.
“Whenever I would say where I was from, to someone who didn’t know the area, the only way to explain was to say where it was between. These areas feel busy, with trains, planes and cars running through, round and over, all leaving a sheet of grey dust behind them. But there is also a feeling of calm, like the dust has settled. This feels quite surreal too. Its not busy on the streets, but there is a sense of movement. Its like a pit stop place, only used in order to get to somewhere else. I guess this is its strange identity in a way.”
Olly @ Milk
Poppy @ Select
Main: Sophia Skoss @ Premier
Mark Steinmetz: An Unforced Narrative
His subject is one that has been much documented across the arts, but photographer Mark Steinmetz lends a unique eye to the chronicles of contemporary American life. Whether capturing everyday happenings within a Cleveland school or the natural environment of Sandy Creek, the photographer’s ability to imbue images with unforced narrative consistently delights.
This capacity to scrutinise the idiosyncrasies of daily life whilst remaining aloof from the frame allows Mark Steinmetz’s photographs to both transcend and embody their moments in time, rendering his images powerful historical documents as well as works of art. With a ninth monograph, Angel City West out on Nazraeli Press, we asked the photographer to lend insight into his work, inspiration and future projects.
When did you first start photographing?
I started very early on. My parents gave me my first camera around the age of six. I have many clear memories of photographing when I was a child. I remember that framing a scene was always a pleasure for me; I liked making the decision of whether I needed to stay standing up or whether I should scrunch down or move in closer in order to make the best picture. I had set up my first darkroom in my home at the age of 12.
Ancient Tigers, 2007
Can you talk a little about the Angel City West series as a whole – how did they come about, what camera were you working with and what were you looking for when taking these pictures?
I was 22 and restless. I had moved to Los Angeles after having left the Yale School of Art after my first semester. In LA, I met the great photographer Garry Winogrand and was able to photograph with him on several occasions. I used a Leica primarily but also dragged around with me a twin lens reflex. My impulse was just to make interesting pictures that were realistic but still had an independence from (and weren’t exactly responsible to) anything that might really be going on. I was exploring the fictional strangeness that’s intrinsic to photography when you extract an image from the flow of life and I was trying in my youthful way to match or supersede what photographers such as Winogrand or Robert Frank had done.
What is it about black and white that you’re drawn to?
Black and white is what I was looking at when I started to photograph and it’s the medium of the great masters I admire most. There’s a removal from the world with black and white; it strips away one of the levels of illusion from the world. It seems to concern itself more purely and strictly with structure and light. Colour photography needs to be primarily about colour, and to me it seems rare that it can be controlled in any coherent way since the relationships between the colours take over and can too easily overwhelm what’s really of interest and importance. But then again we see in colour and that’s what most everyone in photography has been up to lately.
Atlanta Airport, 2015
How important is a sense of place to your portraits of people?
I tend not to have less interest in photographs of people where they are placed against a neutral background. The subjects then seem like butterflies pinned in a collection. Richard Avedon’s group of portraits in the American West are strong but it makes little sense to me that he puts the people he’s photographing against a white backdrop instead of leaving the gas station or the road behind them as background. I much prefer placing subjects within a context. The scenes are less sterile that way and more convincing. That’s how life is.
You often photograph people in motion, or seemingly unaware. How did you develop this style?
I prefer photographs where it feels like something is happening or about to happen, where a moment is suggested. Walker Evans photographed people surreptitiously in his series of subway photographs for the reason that “the mask is down” when people don’t think anyone is watching them. I’ve always been a quiet person. I don’t make waves and I don’t startle people. Many of my portraits seem natural as if they are not aware of being photographed, but I’ve had to talk to them and gain their permission in order to position my fairly large camera exactly where I want it to be in order to make the picture I want.
Berlin, 2014
In general do you see the role of a photographer as a watcher as opposed to someone that is present in the picture?
Koudelka is a great photographer but in his book, The Gypsies, the subjects are looking at him and responding to his presence. It’s up to each photographer to define photography on his/her own terms. In my case, my mother was French and I’ve spent a lot of time in France where people sit in cafés a lot and people watch. That’s how I photograph for the most part. I don’t intervene.
The Angel City West series was taken in the ’80s, are you still interested in the city and the people when you look around at Los Angeles today?
Yes, very much so. I’d like to spend more time there to photograph. Los Angeles remains a very interesting and unique place. Like Paris, it is a terrain that has been explored a good deal in cinema, photography, and literature, so there’s an audience that already has an understanding of the place. That means you can plunge right in. You don’t have to start at zero to establish a context for your body of work as a context already exists.
Knoxville, 1991
I love your Sandy Creek series, did you find it challenging to capture the natural world in the same spontaneous way?
Thank you for loving the series. Like most people I need a break from time to time and photographing in nature allows me to unwind and to photograph without any of the stress of photographing in the cities. The trees don’t talk back to you. It’s a very different problem. I think nature has a lot to teach us and particularly anyone interested in the design fields needs to take a serious look at what nature has come up with. Robert Adams and Atget have been helpful to look at.
Generally speaking, what are your influences?
Anything in life can be an influence. Some things stick to you, some things don’t. In photography, Atget, Evans, and Winogrand are the great influences but there are so many.
What are your projects for 2016 / 2017?
Right now I’m working on a commission from the High Museum in Atlanta to photograph at the Atlanta airport – that will be a show in 2017. I’ve also been photographing in Europe a good deal and in particular in busy public areas in Paris, Berlin, and Milan. I should have a book on summer camps come out next year and possibly one later this year of unpublished photographs from the American South (no titles for the books yet).
Knoxville, 1993
Los Angeles, 1983
Los Angeles, 1983
Paris, 2014
Sandy Creek
Sandy Creek
Summer Camp, 1997
Summer Camp, 1997
Summer’s Coming: Rooftop Bars & Open Air Cinema
If you head to Peckham’s Bussey Building and Stratford’s Roof East you’ll sure be in for a treat. Open now and running throughout the summer, the Rooftop Film Club and the Spirited Mixers will be keeping us entertained during the warmer months, all whilst taking in the panoramic views of London.
The Rooftop Film Club will be showing a mix of new and cult classic movies from Purple Rain to The Danish Girl and cocktails are courtesy of mixology masters, the Spirited Mixers. If that isn’t enough expect DJ sessions and a spot of crazy golf at the Stratford venue, with all this happening we’re looking forward to summer.
Bussey Building, 133 Rye Lane, London, SE15 4ST
Roof East, Stratford Multi Storey Car Park, Great Eastern Way, London, E15 1XE
Tickets priced at £16.50.
Yoshiyuki Matsumura’s America
Photographer Yoshiyuki Matsumura may have grown up in Osaka, Japan, but his lens if firmly trained on the people and landscapes of deepest America.
With his American Samples project “strongly influenced” by the work of Robert Frank (The Americans), Stephen Shore (American Surfaces and Uncommon Places) and Joel Sternfeld (American Prospects), his nostalgic portrayals of different towns and their inhabitants are both striking yet familiar.
“It was shot in many different places in the States because I wanted to capture the whole of America,” Yoshiyuki told us, “I crossed America six times by train from New York to LA, stopping along the way.”
Using kit like a Pentax 67, Ricoh GR1v and Konica Big Mini, and having “endurance in the dark room” all contribute towards the resulting hazy finish of Yoshiyuki’s style. A self-declared fondness for the film Stand By Me as a child also may have played a part.
South Carolina
Despite having met and photographed a multitude of characters throughout his travels, there are some that stick with Yoshiyuki: such as the kids seen here in South Carolina. “The young boy and girl are meeting at the corner on the street,” he told us. “She lives in the house near the corner. She is not wearing any shoes. I think they will go out soon. I love their distance.”
Someone once told Yoshiyuki: “You know more about America than Americans.” And by the looks of these images, we think they may just be right. Take a trip with us now.
Oregon
West Virginia
Iowa
Alabama
New Mexico
Missisippi
Yokiyushi Matsumura is represented by Quadriga; quadriga.fr
Dakota Ditcheva by Tom Sloan
Northern Soul, The Smiths, Joy Division, acid house…Manchester’s cultural (and subcultural) legacy is legendary. Today tells a somewhat different story. The Hacienda’s been bulldozed and turned into flats, and the proudly-Labour city has felt the fog of Tory austerity descend. As the hangover of Manchester’s past lingers, London-based photographer Tom Sloan believes that it’s youth culture is deep rooted and immovable.
In his second online story for Twin, Sloan meets and photographs Dakota Ditcheva—a 17-year old World Champion Thai Boxer from Sale, Manchester. In line with the rest of his work Sloan hopes to shed light on the importance of youth:
“One of the great things about boxing is how it works – perhaps more so than other sports does – as a platform (quite literally) for these kids to perform, and that’s what I try to do, to give British youth an opportunity to showcase what they do best at a stage in life when they are often wrestling with burgeoning notions of selfhood.”
What are the ideas or questions that ignited this project?
So much of my work examines those few years that sit between late adolescence and adulthood. For most, this is a time when the novelty of independence first comes in to play. It’s a universal feeling, but the way young people choose to use it is not. I had a pretty eventful teenage period in Southhampton, hung out with the type of kids I photograph, took drugs, went to parties – the usual stuff. But for Dakota these years were spent in the gyms and boxing rings of Manchester. At 17 she’s at the cusp of ‘adulthood’ and the forefront of women’s boxing – which was included in the Olympic Games for the first time in 2012. In line with the rest of my photography I wanted to show Dakota at home in Manchester, doing what she does best – boxing.
Much of your work depicts youth, and young people—is there a reason for that?
When you are younger you haven’t picked up as much baggage—as tired and overused as that phrase is. You are easily excited, open to opportunity and less conscious. In a round-about way, this brings about two things, first a more honest connection and second a sense of confidence which I look for in youth. That confidence might manifest itself in one kid as he skins up a fat joint on the local rec, or like Dakota through an activity or sport. I ask questions in an attempt to connect with the young people I photograph: what do they like? What don’t like like? Who are they listening to? It’s easy with Dakota she has an clear interest – and I was interested in that.
You shot this story in Manchester. Was it important to give the city a sense of place?
Absolutely. I shot Dakota in her house and around her estate in Sale, often against the backdrop of those brown-brick terrace houses that are so synonymous with the North West. I wanted to evoke a strong sense of identity and give insight into where Dakota and her family are from.
Boxing is a recurring theme in your work. What is it about boxing that inspires you?
The energy, that sense and feel of the unexpected – that’s why I’m drawn to it. I don’t box – I like it – but I don’t box, it’s an observational relationship but immersive in so far as pulling out Dakota’s clear interest in it. But, it’s not just boxing. I have shot motocross riders, gravel pit shooters, activities or interests that toy with a sense of danger. As much as I am on the look out for new faces, I’m as much on the look-out for new activities – different ways to showcase the diversity that is so relatable to British youth culture.
What is it that you’re trying to do with your work?
My future work – I guess – will be an extension of what I am doing now. I try to make sure there is a level of linearity running throughout my work, each project tells a different story but the aesthetic joins them. I shoot ‘real’ people, people not models. I like to work with people who haven’t been shot and that is a practice I want to continue.
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