BY MARCO RISTUCCIA
1. First of all, some words about your introduction into photography. What’s behind your choice of this means of expression? How did you get started?
«People, the world and the environments we live in have always fascinated me. For me photography has always been my favourite way to express my reactions or point of view to them. I cant really remember wanting to do anything else. My dad used to always take pictures when I was young so I suppose that got me in to it. One of the best things about photography for me is being able to immerse myself in my subject and to put myself into situations and environments that I would otherwise not be in. I think that photography is definitely a language that you develop and can become more effective at expressing your self through as you continue».
2. In all the projects your pictures look very meditative. You seem to have a slow and introspective attitude. What is your methodological approach and what are the artists who inspired you?
«I often think of something or a theme I want to photograph, but more often than not this will change over time as I develop it. The way I like to work most is to just go somewhere and explore for me this is one of the best things about photography, the places and situations you get in and the people you meet. You can plan things as much as you like, but its not until you get to a location that you see things, or discover things that you wouldn’t have imagined. For me it is definitely as much about the process as the final image. I am very influenced by early British photographers such as Daniel Meadows, Keith Arnett, and Chris Killip; whose beautiful touching portraits I find very inspiring. Other influences are Joel Sternfeld, Paul Graham, Taryn Simon and David Goldblatt, for their extensive and compelling bodies of work. Another photographer who I have recently found very inspiring is Lars Tunbjork. Although his style is quite different to mine, he has a very unique way of looking at things, that to me is like he is seeing something for the first time. This is something I always try to take on when I’m photographing».
3. Talking about your work “Show”. Today we observe more and more often physical relationships between people and lifeless things. Smartphones, PDAs and mp3 players are the things we relate to, even love, and always keep in our hands all day long. The relationship with pets, by very keeping them between arms, seems to pull out a different mood from people. By looking at your photos though I can see something perturbing. Can you comment on this?
«I have always been interested in people’s relationships with animals. I believe that there is definitely a growing detachment from nature and animals in our society. As this detachment grows animals are seem more and more like objects. This project came about from a series of trips to animal shows. From these early visits, I became fascinated by the Rabbit Shows. There is a strict judging process looking at ear length, fur size, weight etc. Rabbits are bred to fit into a set of pre ordained requirements of what the perfect rabbit should look like. As I started to photograph them, I realised that there is more to them than pets, people live through these animals and express themselves though them. I don’t doubt that these animals are loved by their owners but there is definitely as you say a perturbing feel to them, in the way they are handled and presented. It is almost as if they become inanimate objects».
4. “Allaleigh” seems a journey of memory, almost dreamlike. A place where time seems to slow down and finally give an advantage to space, whether physical or introspective. Do you have a special relationship with that place? What are the reasons that motivated you to tell us about it?
«Yes, Allaleigh is a very special place to me. I used to work there as a farm hand and spent a lot of time on my own cutting wood, feeding the animals and working in the gardens etc. During this time I became very fond of the place and the people there and started to photograph it, so the project evolved naturally out of that. I initially had Ideas of depicting the change and decline of small scale farming in a photo document style. As the project developed though it became more personal to me as I got to know the place and people more. So yes in the end the project did become very personal to me».
5. In the project “Divided” you seem to talk about barriers, at least physical ones. The green nature seems to overfill the world and our eyes. What’s the concept behind it?
«In these photographs I am using the physical divides as a metaphor for the separation and seclusion in our society. This project is work in progress and has evolved naturally. Whilst photographing I often find myself drawn to a housing or residential area and have been struck by the lack of community in our society. Our lives now seem to revolve so much around television and computers, that these areas are like ghosts towns, the only sign of life being the TV ariel’s or a car driving past. We seem to be becoming more and more introvert in our society and through this work I am trying to depict this».
6. “The Road Between” talks about a road that surely will be very busy during the holidays. But you chose to document it outside of this hot period. In fact it seems an almost desolate place. Even the weather, the overcast sky and mist help to make it a nonplace-place. Why did you choose to represent it this way?
«Apart from a small period in the summer Cornwall is a quiet place. I used to travel this section of road quite regularly when I lived in Cornwall. It lies between Bodmin and Newquay and isn’t really a place where anybody would stop. So I suppose that is what drew me to it a kind of mystery. It is as you say a kind of nonplace-place but at the same time it has a kind of realness. It has managed to escape the corporate ubiquitous features of the shops and road side services that shape the face of our landscape. In doing this it has its own kind of interest and beauty to me. There is definitely a conscious decision to photograph in overcast light, for me it creates a cohesion to the work that links the story together. There is also a realness to overcast light that doesn’t romanticise the subject but it for what it is».
7. Now let’s talk about the exhibition time. How important is the printing phase for your works? How much time and care do you invest on this? Do you prefer small or large print sizes for your photos?
«I spend a lot of time working on stuff digitally for my site or for jobs etc. but when I do make a print for exhibition, I realise what it’s all about. When I have the chance I like to hand print, there is something very satisfying when the colours come together on a print and every thing looks just right. I generally shoot medium or large format so like to print large but it all depends on the images».