YOU SEEM TO WORK STRICTLY IN LANDSCAPES, CAPTURING THE DENSITY OF NEW YORK CITY TO THE VASTNESS OF SCOTLAND. WHAT DRAWS YOU TO LANDSCAPES AS OPPOSED TO, FOR EXAMPLE, PEOPLE?
I don’t necessarily think of myself as a landscape photographer. I am not trying to capture landscapes per se. I think what I am mainly looking for or what seems to catch my attention is composition. I find myself continually drawn to simple bold shapes and often look for repetition and visual movement within those shapes. My photographs are not about the subject or scene. I never look for those things. What I see in the photographs is more graphic form. If at some point that graphic form happens to be human, I’ll probably start photographing people.
YOU PHOTOGRAPH ALL OVER THE WORLD. DO YOU TRAVEL TO PHOTOGRAPH OR DO YOU PHOTOGRAPH WHILE YOU TRAVEL?
I travel to photograph. I have tried to combine vacation travel with photographic travel, but my wife gets very bored standing around for a few hours while I wait for the sky to get interesting or a shadow to emerge. I also find that I need to turn my eye on so to speak. And vacation travel is about shutting off rather than turning on. For me making a really successful photo takes a lot of time and concentration. It means walking through fields or climbing into a ditch, or standing in the rain for hours. My process is not most people’s idea of fun.
YOUR WORK IS QUITE HAUNTING AND YOU HAVE STATED THAT YOU PREFER SHOOTING IN PLACES THAT ARE COLD AND UNINVITING. ARE THE TWO CONNECTED AND INTENTIONAL?
My life is so filled with the hustle bustle of city living, noise and visual pollution that I think I am continually looking to simplify. Or find some sense of calm or serenity. I don’t know if I am looking for haunted spaces in particular. I think what attracts me are spaces devoid of visual clutter and distraction. I gravitate to places that people have naturally stayed clear of, and because of their sparse surroundings, compositions within that type of space just seem to reveal themselves more plainly.
WHAT BRINGS YOU JOY?
A old friend and the conversation that ensues just into the 3rd pint of Guinness.
COMB OR BRUSH?
Brush.
DO YOU LIKE YOUR NAME?
I was born Antony Kevin Bennett in Southern England in 1967. And was never called Antony, only Tony. Tony Bennett was just another name to my parents who were both from New Zealand. But I think I started noticing people making a fuss about it when we moved to the U.S. in the early 70s. Once I realized I shared my name with the singer Tony Bennett, I started to look for alternatives. Maybe I would go by Kevin Bennett, my middle name. But I think ultimately it just seemed like too much work to try to change it or correct people, so Tony Bennett is what people call me. AK Bennett is for the art (more not to be confused with the singer than anything else.) But to answer your question, I would say no. To me Tony always sounded like I made pizza.
FINISH THIS SENTENCE. MY AGE IS…………….
an odd way to measure my life, I prefer to say I have been around the sun 45 times.
WHAT’S FOR DINNER TONIGHT?
I have no idea. Hopefully not asparagus.
www.akbennett.com
We have just returned from Sarasota where we had the very good fortune of seeing Herb Ritts: L.A. Style at the John and Mable Ringling Museum of Art, its final destination after shows last year at the J. Paul Getty Museum and the Cincinnati Art Museum. The exhibition focuses on Ritts’ work in fashion, celebrity and nude portraiture and also includes iconic music videos he directed such as Madonna’s “Cherish” from 1989. Supermodels, gorgeous bodies, beautiful clothing, popular culture. His photographs are remarkably powerful in person — so much about form and light and very uniquely California. We are convinced that the ONLY way to revisit the 1980s and 90s is through the lens of the great Herb Ritts, lost far too soon to AIDS at age 50 in 2002.
Herb Ritts: L.A. Style is on view through May 19. www.ringling.org
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Photograph by Thérèse Bonney circa 1930.
Copyright Bancroft Library, University of California, Berkeley.
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I am always reminded of Gertrude Stein during this first week of February as she and I share a birthday — February 3. I love this photograph taken by Thérèse Bonney of Stein and Virgil Thomson reviewing the score for the opera he composed to her libretto, Four Saints in Three Acts. Conceived and written in Paris over several years beginning in the late 1920s, the opera premiered in Hartford, Connecticut in 1934 with fantastical sets and costumes designed by the American artist Florine Stettheimer. The photograph was shot at Stein’s much revered rue de Fleurus home and salon.
Take a look at this second video from the Canon Campaign that Christian Oth shot of our Central Park Zoo wedding. A rare glimpse into how the end photos come to be. You can read more about this on Christian‘s website, www.christianothstudio.com.
as interviewed by Angie Nevarez, co-author of THE BATON:
YOU ARE AN AUTHOR, WRITER, RESEARCHER, MOTHER, SISTER, DAUGHTER, ALUMNA, DEDICATED COMMUNITY MEMBER AND SEEKER OF THINGS THAT DELIGHT — HOW DO YOU INTRODUCE YOURSELF?
I love to introduce myself as Ella and Grace’s mother — it’s my favorite position in life and the one I find most inspiring.
HOW HAS YOUR FIRST MAJOR PUBLICATION, THE INVENTION OF CHIC: THÉRÈSE BONNEY AND PARIS MODERNE, INFLUENCED YOUR LIFE AND WORK?
In the most tangible sense, I discovered new subject matter while I was researching and writing this book. It pretty much set my course for the next several years and very much continues to do so. In a less tangible but certainly more profound sense, I met a lot of fascinating and generous people here and in Europe during the preparation of The Invention of Chic — many of whom I remain close friends with. I am still in awe of all of the doors that were opened to me during that process and all of the information very willingly exchanged. This generous and open spirit has definitely influenced my professional life resulting in a number of great collaborations and connections with other scholars and writers.
WHAT PROJECTS ARE YOU WORKING ON NOW?
Two books, two articles and this blog!
WHAT BRINGS YOU JOY?
My family first and foremost. And second, travel — with my family, of course.
COMB OR BRUSH?
A large wooden paddle brush — it’s the only thing that can get through this head of hair.
DO YOU LIKE YOUR NAME?
I do, although its a bit of a mouthful — Lisa Pilar Schlansker Kolosek. I especially enjoyed growing up with the middle name Pilar — its so beautiful and strong and I was named after a family friend in Spain which I find quite endearing. In fact, I think it’s such a good name that I passed it on to my daughter Grace as her middle name. She really likes it too.
FINISH THIS SENTENCE: MY AGE IS…………….
something I hope makes me more interesting and something I know makes me more confident. I don’t worry about the small things like I used to and I know myself so much better now which is really quite liberating.
WHAT’S FOR DINNER TONIGHT?
Lovely organic blueberry pancakes. Its been a crazy day……….
We are excited to share more about the Canon Campaign that the talented Christian Oth shot of our wedding at the Central Park Zoo. This video offers a sneek peak of all that happened behind the scenes to create and capture the incredible shots. You can read more about this on Christian’s blog.
This past summer we had the pleasure of planning an incredible wedding that began with getting ready at The Pierre, a ceremony at St. Bart’s, followed by a black tie reception at the Central Park Zoo. During the planning Christian Oth was asked by Canon to capture a wedding using their newly launched EOS-1D X and EOS 5D Mark III cameras and their Speedlite system. We were thrilled that our wedding was chosen for this national and international ad campaign!
“The photos were shot in real time and truly represented the honest moments of the day and made the final campaign a joy to be a part of.” -Christian Oth
I think you will agree that the results are incredible!
www.christianothstudio.com
YOU ARE A VIDEO ARTIST AND PHOTOGRAPHER, DO YOU FEEL EQUALLY DRAWN TO BOTH MEDIUMS OR MORE INHERENTLY DRAWN TO ONE OVER THE OTHER?
I began as a video artist. I enjoy the process of shooting and editing material. Language and movement are important for me. What people choose to say and how they say it. I am able to see things develop in real time. My photography work became more important once I had my kids. It was then that I became more interested in stopping time.
WHAT ARE YOU WORKING ON TODAY?
Oh, it is always a bit of everything and nothing. Small feats. I’m learning how to use my time wisely while juggling my family. Among other things, I have a short documentary film in the works about a Londoner who corresponds long distance with his brother in Australia. It is a love letter and a mixed tape about the highs and lows in our lives and our need to express them.
YOU DESCRIBE YOUR WORK AS EXPLORING “CONCEPTS OF SELF AND SOCIAL IDENTITY; NOTIONS OF SPACE AND PLACE.” THESE IDEAS ARE PARTICULARLY RESONANT IN YOUR HOMESTEAD SERIES. CAN YOU TALK ABOUT THIS SERIES OF PHOTOGRAPHS AND YOUR IMPETUS FOR CREATING THEM?
The series of photographs juxtaposes contemporary color photos of historical homes in Saratoga Springs, NY with historical photos of my relatives. The work was inspired by my move from Brooklyn to this small upstate town. I like the series as it plays with people’s concepts of place and identity. To me they speak to questions of ownership and belonging. And, they’ve been a cure for homesickness.
WHAT BRINGS YOU JOY?
Seeing an idea executed, collaboration. A glass of red wine. Having a laugh with someone. It can get lonely sometimes working by yourself.
COMB OR BRUSH?
Comb, a large comb, have you seen this head of hair?
DO YOU LIKE YOUR NAME?
Yes, I do. Yuko is Japanese. It can throw people off because I’m a black American girl, but it has served as an icebreaker to help me cross bridges and certain cultural divides. The story behind my name is also one of friendship. I’ve always embraced it.
FINISH THIS SENTENCE: MY AGE IS…………….
starting to show.
WHAT’S FOR DINNER TONIGHT?
