When we were admiring the Eastern State Penitentiary photoshoot
we just knew that it was great to know more about the work and the
artist. We hope you enjoy the interview as much as we've enjoyed.
Tops.
Nuno Soares/
Cristina Correia
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- One of reason that I choose a
Holga for most of my work, is that the resulting images have a certain
unpredictability that cannot come from digital manipulation. I also
buy bulk lots of old, expired film- so colors will vary, the contrast
will change, light will leak through and alter the color of the
image.. I try to limit any post production or Photoshop work to
as little as possible. I firmly believe that if you need to add
gimmicks or filters to your work, then your work wasn’t that
good to begin with. My image creation happens in the camera; from
the light leaks or tired old film, and sometimes from cross-processing
techniques as well- to get the desired response out of the image.
I like the raw, gritty, visceral feel of the work I create. I think
it reflects the simple sentiment that is inherent in the things
I document through my photography.
- I wrote a paper while at Rhode
Island School of Design about the manner in which each person finds
order in chaos. It explained that in my mind, I saw all things as
shapes and colors, my mind broke everything down to the basic elements.
Try as I could, my mind, and therefore my eye, would always group
these elements in patterns. Every person, whether they realize it
or not, will make order from chaos- arranging your desk, the way
you fold your laundry- even the way you put your groceries away.
There are patterns to everything, and I cannot escape them in my
work. Weight, color, shape, size, all things balance themselves
when I look through the viewfinder- a blessing or a curse,
I think it creates a common balance throughout my work.
- When Eastern State Penitentiary
was abandoned in 1971, a gentleman named Dan McClould came several
times a week to care for the 40 or so stray cats that had made the
complex their home. Linda Brenner, a sculptor, made 39 cement cats,
and placed them around the prison to represent both the animals
and their caregiver. While documenting the Prison, they seemed to
follow me everywhere that I went, and when I put my bag on the ground
to change film, it was almost as if they came up to watch me…
I took a few photographs, and that image resulted is one of personal
favorites. It represents the survivors, and those who cared for
them.
- While driving through rural Maryland,
I came across a teddy bear nailed to a tree by the side of the road.
When I looked closer, there were several more in the trees nearby,
the fur and stuffing decaying slowly over time. I climbed through
the brush, and photographed for a while with my Holga and Mamiya
6mf. The images were both haunting and puzzling- why were there
bears and other stuffed animals there? On return trips, there were
even more, and the first bear had now almost completely decayed.
The real story however, unfolded a few months after I posted the
images online. Mr. Flick, the owner of the farm, had found a teddy
bear on his property, and thinking that a child must have lost it,
he placed it on the tree by the road. Apparently, a stuffed animal
by the side of the road is also a sign that a child was killed at
that location, so others continued to place various stuffed animals
there in effigy. Nobody ever came back for the first bear, so in
a way the forest became an effigy to it, a lost bear alone in the
forest.
- I want to document the world.
Every last bit of it. Not just the good times, not just the beautiful
places, but the real, true world. Is that a farm in middle America?
Is it the view from the Empire State Building? Or is it a family
simply enjoying a meal together. It’s all part of our life.
Everyday, I see things completely unexpected that inspire me, that
might be overlooked or ignored by most. I’ve developed a deep
appreciation for the deconstructed world and the interesting and
colorful characters that occupy it.
Certain days I will just load the car up with equipment and drive.
My fiancé Kristen Hudson is an amazing location scout, and
is always coming up with new locations. Somedays I have a location
already decided, and prepare just for that. Spending months at Eastern
State Penitentiary helped me realize that there thousands of buildings
with rich histories that I have yet to come across, and I hope that
when I get there I can capture some part of the essence of the site.
As for the future, I go where the camera takes me. The holga is
always loaded, there is always film in the fridge. We have plans
to travel around Europe again later this year. We have discovered
several other abandoned prisons, insane asylums, old civil war forts..
its going to be a great year. And as long as I can continue documenting
my travels, its going to be a great life.
RELATED LINKS
images used with the author's permission* |
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NIC
NICHOLS