Mar 13, 2019
Jesse's Visual Interviews: Vien Tran In this week's edition of Jesse's Visual Interview, y'all are treated to the subtly playful and just straight up cool
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Jesse's Visual Interviews: Vien Tran In this week's edition of Jesse's Visual Interview, y'all are treated to the subtly playful and just straight up cool
NAME: Matthew Schiavello LOCATION: I live in Thornbury IN A SENTENCE EXPLAIN YOUR CRAFT: I am a photographer (specialising in abstract and conceptual), and
So... I was interviewed for this local publication. Very excited about it.
The interview is online... If you spot the typo, you owe me $5!
The Geese Are Gone • Alex de Bruycker
read the interview.
Jesse's Visual Interviews: Gretchen Grace Meet Gretchen Grace through her idiosyncratic responses in this week's edition of Jesse's Visual Interview. Q1:
I did a (not so short) interview w Riposte Magazine. Big fan of this mag and how they’re promoting talented bold women. See the interview here.
David Billet
David Billet is a photographer who is currently a student at the Maryland Institute College of Art.
What is your sense of masculinity? How is it present in the work?
According to Dictionary.com the definition of masculinity is "having qualities traditionally ascribed to men, as strength and boldness." My perception of masculinity right now is a hard working male, who is driven by sex and a will to succeed. As I get older my definition of the word changes. In the beginning my idea of the word was more simple and broad similar to the one found on dictionary.com. As I get older, I find myself still searching for my own sense of masculinity more than I have before.The presence of masculinity in my work is dark, but there is a lot of comedy in it as well. I think of it similar to that of a angsty teen, there is a lot of confusion, is always changing and doesn't want to be what everyone else thinks it should be.
IMAGE REMOVED
What do you think about before you go to sleep?
I usually end up listening to jazz thinking about if I am just like a car on the high way on this path from A to B, not willing to stop on the side of the road or take the wrong exit. If having that last beer was a good idea, what I have to do tomorrow and contemplating if I should get up a grab a glass of water.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qglV31eNz9I
What kind of world do you think you live in? How do your photographs interrogate that world? I feel that we are currently living in a world that is driven by sex and wealth. Tinder is a popular app, Donald Trump is running for president and I was just looking at a billboard of a half naked guy while swiping on tinder. My photographs are my own experience in this sex driven world questioning what this conquest for sex and power really is. Do we really have emotions for more than a day anymore? Someone new or something good can come into our life, we will like it and it will be swiped out in less then a week, being replaced by the newest thing.
Why shoot in black and white? What difference does it make? Porta 400 was back-ordered. For me black and white becomes more ambiguous and allows for a world of its own to be created, where as color relates to the world that we are currently living in or world we use to.
Do you think photographs are more interesting when the subject is shot to look "bad"? Do you think there is a rise of this behavior in photography?
It depends on what you mean by bad. If it is referencing a less graceful and more awkward composition and movement of the subject then yes. I think there is a rise in this type of photography, we are still referencing Henri Cartier-Bresson with the decisive moment, however the moment is more of an in-between. Its not the poetic flowing movement that most desire. Its more of a movement that starts to take us out of reality. I feel as this relates to where we are with photography in this weird in-between awkward stage. Finally being more accepted in the "Art" world in a age where everyone can make a great photograph with their iPhone. Forcing us to look for these moments that are not normal and become less the ideal beauty and more about awkward beauty.
Are you photographing spiritual moments? If not, what types of moments? At first I didn't think I was photographing spiritual moments, the more I thought about it and wrote about it, I realized I was. These moments for me are about familiar feelings I have either actually had or a way of photographing and being a part of intangible dreams I have had.
Ask yourself a question and respond. Rearrange the last Five songs I have listened to in order by ranking, 1 being the best and 5 being the worst.
1. Justin Timberlake - Rock Your Body https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TSVHoHyErBQ
2. Robin S - Show Me Lovehttps://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ps2Jc28tQrw 3. D.R.A.M - Broccoli ft. Lil Yachtyhttps://www.youtube.com/watch?v=j4L2vmBC3xA 4. Kanye West - Wolves https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=puP-lmvCcH0 5. Madonna - Hung Up https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EDwb9jOVRtU
http://cargocollective.com/DavidBillet
Jacob Haupt
Jacob Haupt is an artist based in Utah. He recently worked alongside Noah Jackson to create a book titled Infinity Gate.
Do you consider it imperative to photograph in a studio setting?
It depends on the image I am making. Some images require going out and shooting a night sky, setting a prop on fire on my grill, or going to a building that is painted to look like a castle. I’m not sure whether or not a studio is necessary but I do think that the use of costumes, items, and artificial light help provide the best solutions for my current ideas. The place where I watch films, play RPGs, and research is also where I make photographs. My living room is my studio.
Do your images rely on the viewer’s fantasy or your own?
I hope my images function like a magic mirror or a crystal ball, where the viewers can look into the fantasies that I create. I think my photographs require a viewer to make a decision as to what amount of fantasy to embrace. At the same time, the images preserve holes and flaws in the fantasy they attempt to create.
What drives your need to create the work?
I used to think art was therapeutic, like it did something for me, or made life a little more liveable. Maybe that’s cheesy. I don’t think I’ve really grown out of that completely, but I don’t really think the making of my art is a stress reliever or always fun. Sometimes I have a really hard time making all of the necessary elements for a photograph, but I do it because I feel the need to do it. On the other hand, the images that I do create give me a sense of wonder and surprise that I enjoy. Even when I was making stop motion Dragonball Z action figure movies, I felt that I was doing something that I needed to do. I feel the same way now when I make photographs, but I don’t really understand why it feels more necessary and fulfilling than playing Elder Scrolls, and it is usually less fun and more stressful.
It seems like you rely on other fictions (fantasy novels, films, etc) for inspiration. Can you tell us what your influences are and how they drive the work?
Yeah. The current stuff that I’m looking to for inspiration include: First Edition Advanced Dungeons & Dragons Dungeon Master’s Guide by Gary Gygax, Photography Methods for the UFO Hunter by J. Chisholm, X-Files, first hand accounts of UFO and extraterrestrial sightings, Elder Scrolls, Legend of Zelda, Castlevania, Doom, Magic the Gathering, Conan the Barbarian, and other sword and sorcery movies.
The Dungeon Master’s guide sets out to outline nearly every possible situation that can occur in an imaginary world. I’m both inspired and overwhelmed by this poetic attempt. I see the Dungeon Master’s guide as a handbook on how to be a god. One similarity between a supreme being that creates worlds and a dungeon master is that they both create worlds that neither can experience first hand, they both bar themselves from the experience of the player or native. I like to think of it as the curse of the dungeon master, that no matter how rich a world is created the dungeon master will never be able to experience the full magic of it.
When I set out to make a photograph I’m usually bouncing off of an experience with one of these sources and the resulting ideas, but I don’t necessarily try to translate the ideas into a work. I believe that by thinking about the associated ideas while I make a work that the ideas will come through in a more subconscious way. I guess I’m trying to create work that works like the Dungeon Master’s Guide, where the work depicts straightforward moments in a fantasy world but naturally includes these connotational philosophies.
What do you think artwork can do at its very best?
When an artwork does nothing but becomes unforgettable to an individual is where I think the artwork is most magical. The worst recurring nightmares are the ones where you don’t understand why you are afraid. but you can’t help feeling completely terrified.
Tell us about your process, both for getting ideas and working in the studio.
I think the beginning of a work starts when I become obsessed with something. Whether it is Godfrey Ho ninja movies or playing Magic the Gathering, that is where the process begins. After that I try to research and indulge in the obsession as much as I can. While I engage with the obsession I try to pay attention to what I am thinking about and write things down at a later time. When I am writing things down I will attempt to process things visually by making drawings. These drawings become the source for most of the photographs. After I gather materials and begin shooting I am either able to stick to the drawing or I need to change things completely. My favorite moment is seeing a finalized image that references my drawing, but looks and feels like a complete stranger.
Ask yourself a question and respond.
What does your current Magic deck look like?
Creatures
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Abhorrent Overlord x 1
Abyssal Persecutor x 1
Demon of Death’s Gate x 1
Desecration Demon x 3
Griselbrand x 1
Ob Nixilis, Unshackled x 1
Typhoid Rats x 4
Vampire Nighthawk x 4
Sorcery
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Corrupt x 2
Duress x 2
Languish x 3
Ruinous Path x 1
Instant
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Dark Ritual x 4
Doom Blade x 4
Grip of Desolation x 1
Murder x 3
Lands
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Swamp x 24
www.jacobhaupt.com
Mikey Gower
Mikey Gower is a photographer who recently received his BFA from Massachusetts College of Art and Design.
There seems to be a decided disconnect from photograph to photograph, more of a blur of images and timelines, can you talk about why that is?
I imagine this work to be a part of a larger, fictional archive. What is seen by the viewer is only a fragmented version of it. I wanted to build up the history of a narrator, as if we were catching only glimpses of their personal history, leaving the rest to be decided upon the viewer’s own history.
Time is a crucial factor when it comes to thinking about the pictures because I leave out crucial information that would allude to any specific time frame. It is a lot about looking back, but while simultaneously thinking about the future.
Do you think making artwork helps people deal with their mortality? What about your own?
Everyone has a different relationship with making art, and for me to say that I can speak for a larger population about something almost impossible to understand would be wrong. But yes, I do think that is part of it. A lust for immortality has been a reoccurring theme within my work, and by obsessing over the desire to be invincible, I have actually come closer to accepting the impossibility of it. Which has been extremely liberating as an artist.
For me, the symbolism of the rose accepts this. Often times a rose is a promise of love, but by taking the rose out of its root you are actually bringing the thing closer to its death. This brought me to the repetition of the text ‘forever & always.’ When used in general dialogue it is almost always genuine, but nothing lasts forever.
How does attraction to people factor in to your photographic choices?
My decisions in people are always based on attraction, but that doesn’t always mean a physical or sexual attraction, but just a natural pull towards someone. Generally, the people I photograph are friends, or lovers, or people I have only met briefly, but regardless, I have formed some sort of relationship with them outside of the photograph. So their identities for me exist in two realms: a real one and a photographic one. Lust is huge part about being young, and embracing it without letting it control you is important. Photography has allowed me to understand my sexuality without out it being too aggressive visually.
Have you ever been in love?
Maybe not in the most obvious way of understanding this question, but I think I fall in love with something new every day.
What can photography do that makes you the most excited?
I'm becoming more and more jaded with the medium, and finding myself feeling more restricted because of it. Our world is so over populated with the consumption of images in the media that it has broken down the value of the photograph. People lack the ability or the will to read into an image. Photographs have the power to be extremely specific, but everyone always needs an explanation. I admire when an artist allows me, as a viewer, to draw my own conclusions. So, to answer the question, I am excited to see how photography will change.
Do you think we can get a sense of who you are by looking at your photographs? Or are they unrelated to you personally?
I feel strangely disconnected with the imagined world that is created through my pictures, despite how closely connected it is to my own. I made the images on the principal that the maker of the pictures were some imagined fictional narrator that I made up. As if it were a fictional-memoir. That doesn’t mean you can’t get an idea about my own desires, morals, or interests, but it is easy to make assumptions. Those that know me personally see my pictures differently than those that don’t.
Ask yourself a question and respond.
Where can I find paradise?
im still looking
http://www.mikeygower.com/