We are now featuring these wonderful new releases by UK artist Tracey Fahy on the site. Tracey and I have been working on these releases for a while now and I must say it's been a pleasure working with her. Please read on for my interview with her.
TELL US THE STORY BEHIND EACH OF THE IMAGES?
Both of these images were taken at the same location early in the morning around 5/6am on my first trip to the Mojave Desert in California. The scene - the surreal desert landscape with the Joshua trees and the abandoned signs and fridge totally captivated me. The photographs remind me of a quote from ‘On Photography’ by Susan Sontag: ‘America, that surreal country, is full of found objects. Our junk has become art. Our junk has become history’
THERE IS A LARGE EXPANSIVE FEEL TO THESE IMAGES. WAS THIS THE EFFECT YOU WERE GOING FOR?
As I stumbled on the location by accident I photographed the scene in a spontaneous manner but I think the feel you refer to is an inherent sensibility.
DO YOU PREFER TO SHOOT ANALOG OR DIGITAL? WHY?
Both these images were shot on film, I prefer to shoot on film as digital (in my opinion) doesn’t have the same feel as film although the quality of digital is pretty good these days - it just lacks something special, unless you do a lot of post production work. Plus, there’s nothing quite like watching the image appear in front of you in the darkroom. Having said that, most of my current work is shot on digital as that’s what clients want but I still shoot lots of pinhole images using 120mm film and I am thinking about using either a large or medium format camera to develop a current project I am working on.
CAN YOU DESCRIBE WHAT YOUR CREATIVE PROCESS IS? HOW DO YOU COME UP WITH THE CONCEPT FOR AN IMAGE OR SERIES?
I carry a camera with me at all times; if something captures my attention I take a photo. Certain photos will trigger an idea for a larger project/body of work. I also travel as much as I possibly can – removing myself from normal day-to-day activities helps stimulate the creative process.
HOW MUCH OF YOUR WORK IS SPONTANEOUS AS OPPOSED TO CAREFULLY PLANNED OUT SHOTS?
Up until quite recently most of my personal work was quite spontaneous sometimes I have an image in my head and I go chase that visual but on the whole I like to see what happens and not plan too much. The exception, of course, is professional jobs, which need to be planned, but I do try to go with the flow as much as I possibly can although I am trying to discipline myself to plan personal projects much more meticulously to see how this effects or changes my work.
HOW DO YOU DECIDE ON LOCATIONS OR SUBJECT MATTER?
I like photos that are surreal, bizarre or humorous in some way so I seek out places where I might find these elements from attending bizarre events or traveling to unusual places. I went to Iceland last year as I’ve always been fascinated by surreal volcanic landscapes - the extremes of geological action have left their mark on the surface of the landscape. I’d love to go back and spend a substantial amount of time there, discovering more remote places in the country. Look at all those sublime photos of the eruptions of Eyjafjallajökull. I’m also hoping to go to Argentina at some point in the near future - Patagonia in particular…I image the landscape to be pretty surreal there.
WHAT DO YOU HOPE PEOPLE TAKE AWAY FROM YOUR ART?
When I shoot personal projects I don’t usually give a thought to what people take away from the end result. It’s more an organic response to a situation or subject matter. There’s a chance that if a subject has caught my attention then it might resonate with others – I hope this is the case.
WHAT ARE YOU WORKING ON RIGHT NOW? TELL US A LITTLE BIT ABOUT WHAT CAN WE LOOK FORWARD TO NEXT?
I’m working on 3 projects at the moment one is a project called What is England? This is a nationwide project curated by Stuart Pilkington. He’s selected 50 photographers to photograph a particular county in England. I am representing Bedfordshire, which is the county I spent my formative years in; there are 6 assignments to complete by Jan 2011. What is England? is a sister project with 50 States Project which some people might be familiar with. You can read more about the project here http://www.whatisengland.co.uk/
The other 2 projects I’m working on, I won’t say too much about yet other than, one is a landscape project about green spaces and the other is a portrait project; particularly a study on age which I hope to complete by the end of next year.
