Mitra Tabrizian Interview

From the series Leicestershire, 2012 by Mitra Tabrizian.

Mitra Tabrizian is an Iranian born photographer based in London.  Her work has been exhibited and published widely in international museums and galleries including the V&A and a recent solo exhibition at Tate Britain in 2008.  She is also a Professor of Photography at University of Westminster where I was fortunate enough to have her as a tutor.

Mitra’s photographs cover big topics.  Corporate culture, displacement, and loneliness are a few of the themes that are raised in her work.  He most recent series Leicestershire looks at unemployment and the impact of financial collapse, like factories being shut down, while Lost Time is focused on individual stories of people caught up in the economic struggle.

Considering Mitra’s ability to discuss and engage with complex issues and theoretical frameworks (as seen in her writing) her practical work is not one to suffer from ‘over-thinking’.  Quite the opposite.  Somehow the ideas embed themselves in an eloquent and visually elegant manner, making the work often more accessible than the theory behind it.  This, for me, is photography at it’s best.  Not shirking the theory off as esoteric and pretentious, as some might and do, but understanding it and putting it to good use.  She manages to do this whilst retaining that photographer’s instinct; creating a space to transform the ideas into a visual language, and in doing so, communicating to our senses in a powerful way.

You may be able to catch the end of her exhibition Another Country at The Wapping Project Bankside if you hurry.  Failing that, she published the book Another Country this year which assembles her most recent works, available here and published by Hatje Cantz.

Sharon Boothroyd: Your work incorporates elements of fictional narrative (to a greater or lesser degree) to portray hugely real and universal themes such as the lure of capitalism, estrangement, exile and displacement.  What is gained by using fiction to discuss these big themes?

Mitra Tabrizian: This is a big and complex question, a short answer would be, at one level, (some of) my work could be read as an ongoing commentary on corporate culture and where it is taking us.  I don’t think you could really ‘discuss’ these big themes within an art /photographic context.   So the work is more of an allusion to aspects of what we might call the ‘crisis of contemporary culture’, from a critical perspective.

If you mean ‘Why use ‘fiction’ rather than ‘documentary’, if I understood your question correctly?  Brecht’s critique of traditional approach to ‘documentary’ photography may still be useful here. Brecht proffered the way forward in a quotation that both questions the assumed transparency of the photograph to what it represents whilst suggesting the more radical potential of the medium. ‘Less than at any other time, he said, ‘does a simple reproduction of reality tell us anything about reality…. Therefore something has actually to be constructed, something artificial, something set up.’

In short, I have always been interested in ‘documentary’ photography, even though at times I produced  ‘stylised’ or constructed images. According to film theorist Paul Rotha, ‘Documentary defines not subject or style but approach. It justifies the use of every known technical artifice to gain its effect on the spectator.’

What enhancement does using real people enacting their stories (like in Lost Time) bring to the work as opposed to hiring professional actors?

In the past, I sometimes used actors or non actors/ friends  to stand in for the subject in a particular scenario, as the main ethos then (following yet again Brecht’s ideas) was, you don’t necessarily have to use the real workers, for instance, to say something about working condition in a factory.  I now think its important for the actual people to participate; to ‘play’ themselves in the image which, in one way or another, reflects  their lives. As something else happens in that process of reconstruction!

For instance, I produced the series ‘Lost Time’ in 2002 when the companies ‘restructuring’ plan forced many to take an early retirement. Focusing on business men and women in their 40’s & 50’s, the project addressed the concept of ageism by portraying the individual’s sense of (premature) inactivity, unwantedness and ultimately ‘failure’ in a society where, more than ever, the young are fetishised.

From the series Lost Time by Mitra Tabrizian.

Amongst the participants was a BBC producer in his 50s who was asked to reapply for his job, which was producing a program that he had created himself! He was gutted and resigned. After hearing the story, I had this image of a man in a suit, curled up on the floor.  But I felt very uncomfortable asking him to do this, when eventually it came up in the conversation, he really liked the idea.  ‘You hit the nail on the head!’ he said.  For me, this is the most powerful image in the series,  mainly because  its a more ‘genuine’ , if you like, portrayal of pain and disappointment at the most private  moment, of someone who has gone through a particular experience.

As a practitioner of both the moving image and still photography can you briefly mention what you consider to be the benefits of each medium and how they complement each other? 

I see photography and film as two separate entities. And I’m referring to narrative films here and Not video arts.  Especially when it comes to making a film as you need to employ a different strategy of working altogether.  I have made three short films.  All are narrative based and you realize how difficult it is to tell a story successfully.  And that’s a big challenge, as you have to be able to see the bigger picture from the outset, at least for me (as different directors work differently), whereas in photography you can afford to experiment more (i.e. you don’t necessarily have to plan it all in advance).

What hopes and fears do you have for the future of photography?

Victor Burgin, in a recent interview entitled ‘Art and politics: A reappraisal’ expressed concern about the ‘mediatization of the art’:

I see the critical task of art today as that of offering an alternative to the media. I am opposed to any form of conformity to the contents and codes of the doxa … even when these are deployed with a ‘Left’ agenda, as I believe that in this particular case  ‘one cannot dismantle the master’s house with the master’s tools’.

Victor Burgin

So Burgin warns us against what he calls the ‘progressive colonization of the terrain of languages, beliefs and values by mainstream media contents and forms -imposing an industrial uniformity upon what may be imagined and said’ and the art world is no exception to this process.

So ‘conformity’ is something we may fear, as for the ‘hope’, I have no idea!

What piece of advice would you pass on to younger artists?

Take risks.

Deadly Affair, from the series Border by Mitra Tabrizian.

Rena Effendi Interview

From the series Chernobyl: Still Life in the Zone, by Rena Effendi.

The nuclear accident of Chernobyl occurred in 1986.  Although most of the 30km area remains restricted, about 230 people still live there in what was, and to some extent still is, a devastation.  This area is known as The Zone of Alienation.  Most of the inhabitants are elderly women who have lived a lifetime witnessing horror, including Nazi occupation and The Great Famine during Stalin’s rule.  However this is their home and that is where they choose to remain.

No matter how damaged the land is and how harsh the experience, they still call it and make it home.

Excerpt from Institute for Artist Management.

Rena Effendi visited these inhabitants and witnessed their lives for us.  As in all her work, the human essence of survival and the fragility of life are interwoven in a narrative that is as engrossing as it is empowering.

Recently shortlisted for the Prix Pictet Photography prize for sustainability, currently on show at the Saatchi Gallery, Rena Effendi is showing her true colours to a wider audience.  Though she is not new to prestigious awards having won the Prince Claus Fund Award for Culture and Development in 2011, National Geographic  ’All Roads’ award in 2008 and Getty Images Editorial Grant in 2006. Effendi has exhibited worldwide and is a key figure in documentary photography.

SB: Gender, identity, vulnerable people and those at risk are prominent subjects of your work yet dealt with in a very empathetic manner.  What is it about these nuanced issues of humanity that interests you, as well perhaps as the more obvious photojournalistic themes of war and conflict?

RE: I think that when the work is socially engaged, it becomes more compelling and therefore lives longer in the minds of the people, makes a stronger impact. I am fascinated with the human power of survival, our adaptability and our will to persevere in spite of difficult conditions and challenges that life puts in front of us. The prevalence of human spirit over any hardship brought about by war, natural disaster, nuclear catastrophe, social discrimination, rejection or loss is the major theme of my work.

Your work seems to portray tenderly the clash between delicacy and brutality. Do you think being a woman has influenced how you take pictures? 

I think that the world we live in is very fragile and this fragility makes each individual experience unpredictable. When things are going well I can’t stop thinking — but what if it’s only now and what happens next? Sometimes I think that I am in full control, but it’s only an illusion. It’s like I am walking on this very thin thread, swaying left and right, trying to balance. I think that acknowledging the fact that you are not in control is very humbling both for men and for women. Some people call it “finding God”. For me, it’s simply a fact of life. All I can do is make the best possible effort to retain my humanity. I have found that what interests me most is these tender human moments in the face of disaster or brutal life experience.  I am not the only one referencing it in my work – humanity is almost every one’s subject.

What makes you decide to pursue a project?

A theme that intrigues me, consumes me, gives me a feeling of restlessness, it has to be something that literally kicks me out of the house. Self-motivation is a difficult exercise for everyone, this is why it’s important to be truly interested in the project you are embarking on, this is why they call them – “personal”, as the work has to resonate with you first of all and then with others.

How much research do you do before you go on assignment?  How do the aspects of research and responding to the situation you are in complement together?

Each story is different, but usually it is a little bit of both. For some stories it’s necessary to do research beforehand. However, I very much like to keep it fresh and open. Sometimes it’s good to go in without any knowledge whatsoever, almost blind-folded, because then when you open your eyes the scene is more vivid. I rely a lot on intuition and serendipity. Coming in with this ‘virgin’ perspective helps you to be sensitive and have a more nuanced view of the place, notice details that you could omit or render unimportant if you overdo on your research. Not knowing also gives you a sense of courage, you dare to do more, go further, you are willing to experiment, whereas when you read and see too much about the place before you go in, you impose the invisible barriers of knowledge that may stop you from exploring the story from a fresh angle.

How do you think women can make the best of a career as a photographer if they also want to have a family and might need to stay at home more?

Tough question. It’s hard work. It’s been very difficult for me to balance my professional life with family. I am blessed with a very supportive family, but being away from my daughter as she grows up is extremely difficult. I just hope that she will understand one day that her mom has a very cool job.

What is it about your job that you love most?

Aside from the act of taking pictures, my favorite part is to look over the results and build a visual narrative. I get excited when I see good photographs and relive the moments from the story. These moments stay with me forever, they enrich my life.

Jim Naughten Interview

From the series Re-enactors.  www.jimnaughten.com

Every summer thousands of people from all over the world
gather in a Kentish field and leave the present firmly behind.
They step out of their routine daily lives and transform in to
historical characters from the First and Second World Wars,
often with such vigour and obsessive attention to detail that
its hard to imagine them in contemporary settings. Taking
on a different name, identity and sometimes even a different
tongue, the role players re-enact battles and drills from an
imagined past. It is something more than acting, a collective
fantasy played out on a massive scale.

Jim Naughten

I thought these images were about the typology of war, before I read the background. They feel like stereotypes, made to inform a contemporary audience about wartime, with the agenda of a museum or war charity behind them.  Perhaps educational, perhaps amiss.  Then I read about this surreal recreation of war that happens every year and I began to wonder what this work was really about.  They have a visual pull which I don’t normally equate with reality.

Jim Naughten refers to this series as documentary portraiture.  At first, when I just saw the pictures and the description I thought he must be mistaken. Documentary connotes, classically speaking at least, of being in the moment, the decisive moment, being at the right place at the right time with the right equipment; on-the-hoof type imagery.  It certainly doesn’t look like classic documentary.  Portraiture on the other hand, yes; sitters aware of the camera, posing for the purpose of leaving a semi-delible image, still, composed, proof of their existence for generations to come.

As is stands however, the description makes complete sense.  A document of a recreation.  ’Re-enactments’ as they are aptly named.  In treating the characters a little like types, stereotypes of their own making, and removing the background (picturesque hills and sky in rural England) the sparse image allows for the more subtle details to gain prominence.  They come to life of their own accord without obvious elements like landscape and artillery to dwarf them.

Looking at this image of the nurse raises multiple scenarios in my mind. First, as I instinctively go to her face, what is she thinking about and what is she looking at, over there, beyond where I can go?  Her face looks ruddy, a hard working nurse (or perhaps a farmer’s wife.)  The veins in her hands are prominent.  She must have been using them usefully to help save the troops, or in making that new smoothie recipe she is perfecting for her grandchildren.  Why didn’t she iron her apron properly with starch?  She may have been in a rush this morning, needing to nip out for milk before getting there on time.  You see the brain flickering between the two realities?

Suddenly I’m confused about what is real.  The image is telling me one thing I know it can’t be.  I know the war is over and the fashion has changed (although didn’t I see that top in TOAST?)  This woman cannot know first-hand what it is like to be a war nurse on that scale yet she is doing a pretty convincing job.  Just as the actors, the image is also playing a convincing part. It is acting as a document of a reality that is acted.  But still, a document it is, of that reality.

SB: How did the project Re-enactors come about?

JN:  Having worked commercially for several years I was aching to shoot for myself again,  and specifically to create physical prints for the wall or a gallery. It was partly a reaction to the escalating world of on line imagery, just the need to have something solid and printed. I was looking for a portrait project, and saw some snap shots of the Nazi re-enactors in a magazine. I knew I had my project.

What interested you most when you first saw the event and all these people dressed up and performing?

Having spent many of my childhood years building second world war tanks, soldiers and dioramas, it was quite thrilling to see everything in 1 : 1 scale, especially all the details, axels and gas mask canisters, for example. All the tiny fiddly bits that always got lost or drowned in glue! Then of course the Nazis were immediately quite scary as the uniforms still resonate a kind of terror, and as the Re-enactors are immersed in a fantasy world it was a strange, slightly unsettling experience approaching them.

In the portraits there seems to be a ‘knowing’ that goes beyond that of playing a part.  Something about their eyes.  In taking individual portraits, separating them from their tribe, do you feel like you enabled them to really connect with what they were doing?  What did you observe?

I was very clear that I wasn’t making a documentary and therefore did not spend too long talking to the Re enactors about what they do or talking to them about what I was doing. I knew it was just going to be about the photographs, preferably with as little text as possible. I kept in contact with two of the Nazi Re-enactors who appreciated my efforts but thought the pictures would be better taken in a battlefield or a dilapidated house, so I’m not sure how much they liked them.

There is a transformation that occurs when they are in uniform or in character which is strange to witness, but quite exhilarating to photograph, as its not simply someone looking extraordinary, they are also being extraordinary.  I think I’ve tried to demonstrate this by isolating them, capturing them in a certain pose or state, and by adding a treatment in post production. The ‘knowing’ or that something in their eyes, may or may not be there, its an odd thing with photography but you tend to notice it later on in the editing. There may be ten images of the same person, but for some reason just one works and its hard to say why. I asked them to go back to the war, if they were not already, and at the very least this was in their heads – it looks like it in the picture but it may well be an illusion. There has to be some mystery in the work for me too – I can’t explain it all, thank goodness!

In no. 2 from Battles I can’t help but think of Jeff Wall’s ‘Dead Troops Talk’. Is this something you intended and now that thy both exist how do you see your work in relation to this?

I’m now looking at the Jeff Wall image along side mine and there are some striking similarities, but I think only visual, in all probability. In fact this is the first time I’ve read about the work and its called ‘Dead Troops Talk’ where soldiers come back to life and continue their conversations.  There are actually two dead Re-enactors in my image who have come back to life and are having a good laugh together. I was only dimly aware of his image at the time but really just photographed what was in front of me.  Although after that I have developed and constructed the images in a similar way to building my childhood dioramas, in a kind of instinctive and playful way. I think it echos the Re-enactors response in as much as its not real war, or anything to do with actual war, real blood or death, but just what looks ‘good’ to them.

How did you transition from this series to your new work, Hereroes?   

I had travelled in Namibia after college, and actually photographed the Hereros back then. I was obsessed with the strange otherworldliness of the country, with its ghost towns, endless deserts, skeleton coast, wild west feel and its malleable, often brutal history.  Its one of the least populated places on earth, and very little has been written about it. The Herero story is odd because it points to a particular point in history where  they met the Germans (resulting in the Hereros Victorian era dresses) and eventually went to war with them (resulting in the Paramilitary costumes). There are some obvious connections to the two projects, but most of all its making connections with the past, or attempting to ‘explore’ history or someone’s idea of history, at least. Both armies are not ‘real’, and both operate in similar ways, rising through the ranks by how good you look and how much time you spend drilling or marching.

I like the phrase you use ‘allowing the past to speak’.  What role do you think photography plays in allowing the past to speak?

That’s a hard question to answer. It does feel like I’m photographing the past, particularly with the Herero project as their clothing comes directly from this short period in history where the two cultures clashed. In that sense they ‘allow the past to speak.’ It feels like a portrait of that period, and I would include the Germans in that portrait. It’s still early days with this project (the book comes out next year with Merrell) and as with the Re enactors project a lot of questions are raised, and are sometimes answered or debated by viewers, reviewers or journalists. Sometimes questions remain unanswered, which is my preferred outcome. I am a photographer, after all.

Laura Pannack Interview

www.laurapannack.com

Laura Pannack is gaining exposure all over the place and has a number of interesting projects under her belt already.  With a first place for Portraits at World Press Awards and a finalist at Taylor Wessing among others, she is making her presence known.  She seems passionate about people.   In her work a tenderness and rapport with her subjects shines through, suggesting she has earnt the trust and respect of her subjects.  She understands young people in a way that society often doesn’t.  She takes them seriously and doesn’t play to the stereotype of a misunderstood generation.  Young Love, for example demonstrates how she can take a topic often diminished in stature (even ridiculed) and give it prominence.  Her recent series Young British Naturists highlights all these skills and more.  The above image from this series caught my attention as the naked young boxer holds the camera’s gaze with a contradictory blend of strength and vulnerability.  Plus the colour palette is lush.

If you haven’t seen the Hotshoe interview with Laura on her series Young British Naturists I’d have a look.  Such an honest and open depiction of her experience with these fascinating young people and her integrity as a photographer is undeniable (not least because she tried it first hand – getting naked, that is).  There are many other places where you can read about Laura’s series and other images, but for the sake of this post I wanted to find out about her general experience as a photographer and you can google the rest.

SB: Working commercially and for yourself, how do you find balancing commissions with personal projects?  

LP: I try to see commissions as a partner to my personal projects. They allow me to pursue personal work both financially, helping develop my practice and occasionally opening doors to new ideas. I enjoy both.

Do you find specific briefs help or hinder your inspiration?

It depends on the situation. At times a brief can help give you structure and boundaries to then develop your approach and give the concept ownership but it can also be limiting. It all depends on the subject and context of the work. When time is limited it is helpful to know what your client wants with the freedom to introduce your ideas.

I read recently that you assist and are mentored by Simon Roberts.  Could you elaborate a little on how this works and what specifically you have gained from these experiences?

So much! Simon is an incredible photographer and mentor.   He has guided me (and still continues to) both as a professional mentor and a supportive friend. Working for him has taught me so much but what has helped me beyond words is having the support of a photographer I respect. I know he will help critique work and guide me on how to deal with professional situations. He’s also a bloody good laugh and it’s a joy when we get to catch up. I am very grateful to him.  He resonates the supportive photographic community and continues to inspire me greatly.

It appears that your educational background includes editorial and art based photography.   How have these different approaches influenced your practice? 

I think courses can be misleading and I just really followed my interests. I have always been interested in the art world and studied painting prior to photography and the editorial teachings mostly came through actual assisting and experience rather than formal education.

Bert Teunissen Interview

www.bertteunissen.com

Bert Teunissen is a photographer from the Netherlands whose fascinating work I came across a number of years ago at The Photographers’ Gallery, London.  His extended archive of European living is a life’s work named Domestic Landscapes.

For the last thirteen years I have been working on a photography project called Domestic Landscapes. This project is about light – natural daylight. The photos show how daylight illuminates the domestic interior, and how it dictated the way the interior was built, used and decorated. This specific light and the atmosphere it creates have their origins in the architecture of the pre-electricity era, when daylight was the main source of light. This kind of light started to disappear from European homes after World War II when the old way of building was abandoned. At this moment few of these homes remain.

Domestic Landscapes is also about identity and diversity. Every country, every region has its own distinctive culture that can be recognized in its homes, customs, cuisine and traditions.

He has recently returned from shooting in The Ukraine for this ongoing project and has kindly answered my questions about how he views the art vs documentary debate.

SB: How would you define documentary photography?

BT: I would define a documentary as an objective and factual way of bringing an historical, social or political story. It therefore has a beginning and an end and there is an obvious reason why the documentary was made. The reason can be and almost always is a personal motivation to want to make it.

How would you define art photography?

I don’t know what art photography is. Is that photography made to be considered as art? For me photography is art. It is always a personal interpretation and expression of a situation, an object, a person or an idea.

Do you see your work as one or the other or a blurring of the two?

I consider my work to be a very personal piece of work with historical and social aspects. I call it an archive rather than a documentary because what I do is: I collect information in photographic, narrative, vocal, filmic and physical way of an era that has been around for centuries and that started to disappear after the introduction of artificial light.

I do not consider my work as a documentary because it has no beginning and no end. An archive is always open for new information that can be added even years from its origin. I have been working on this archive for 15 years now and it is ongoing. 

What do you think of the term ‘Conceptual Documentary’?*

I think it is just a way to give certain work a name so it can be classified. I give no further value to this description

Do you think an art gallery is a good venue for displaying documentary work?  Why or why not? 

Any work can be displayed in an art gallery as long as the gallery, the story of the work and of the one who made it is in harmony.

* Conceptual Documentary is a term used by Martin Parr to describe the blurring of the two genres of art photography and photo-journalism to create a more concept driven documentary rather than an assignment / editorial project.

Anastasia Taylor-Lind Interview

I met Anastasia at the BJP Vision Festival where we were presenting our work for the Royal Photographic Society. Anastasia’s classic documentary style and her natural flair for story telling made for an engaging seminar.  When thinking about documentary photography I thought of her work.  As she has exhibited in galleries notable for their art collections (Saatchi, National Portrait Gallery) I asked her a few questions about how she views documentary and art.

SB:  How would you describe documentary photography?

ATL:  The definition of documentary photography for me is that the images/story is seated in reality and things that are real. I believe documentary photography should investigate and reflect in some way the political, social and cultural landscape that we live in, an approach that was defined for me on the BA Documentary Photography course at Newport University.

Do you think an art gallery is a good context for viewing documentary work?

Yes.  Certainly a gallery setting hugely effects the way the work is presented and the audience it reaches, compared to say an editorial feature.

Do you see your work as strongly one or the other (documentary or art) or are the lines blurred for you?

No, it is just documentary photography but can be seen/labeled as art or journalism or both.

http://www.anastasiataylorlind.com/