Photography / Poppy de Villeneuve
Having recently hosted a successful solo exhibition, UK photographer Poppy de Villeneuve takes time to reflect on everything from murderers to roller-discos. How did the concept behind The Strangers exhibition come about? ‘It’s a project I’ve been doing for the last three years. I visited the Louisiana State Penitentiary and was struck by the place. It’s unlike anywhere else. I talked to the men held in the prison and although most were murderers or robbers, they showed me everything but. I think photography is one of the best mediums to reveal things about people and the way we are’. What initially inspired you to pick up a camera and what continues to motivate you? ‘I originally picked up a camera at Chelsea Art School. I’ve never been academic but have always had a strong sense of things visually and being dyslexic, I always struggled at school to output the mad-shuffle of ideas and thoughts in my mind. I live in New York now and that’s created another shift in ideas. At the moment New York is inspiring. I walked through Central Park yesterday and went to the roller-disco, and everyone there was being themselves, totally involved in the moment. They didn’t seem worried about what anybody else thought, they were just skating. It’s very inspiring when people are totally at ease with being themselves, whoever they may be’.
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Also by NATALIE LIECHTI
Current UK beat-boxing champ, Beardyman, recently kept impatient crowds entertained between sets at London’s Lovebox Weekender. We spoke to the Brighton resident about his offbeat style: ‘I’ve been doing it since I was a baby, but I never knew it was called beat-boxing. I thought it was just a habit, like biting your nails, and people were always telling me to stop. Being a good beat-boxer is a mixture between being a good DJ, a cheesy street magician and a vocal athlete’.
Sydney-based artist, James Jirat Patradoon on his career defining moment: ‘If I could trace my artistic inspiration back to one event, it would have to be the Neo Tokyo exhibition at the Museum of Contemporary Art in 2001. I had never seen art like that before; I didn’t know you could be so playful with it. I vividly remember the Yoshitomo Nara sculptures made out of bandages, and Kenji Yanobe’s atom suit and Godzilla/Astro Boy sculptures that blew bubbles. It was just so fun. I think because a lot of Japanese art contains references to pop culture, it’s more accessible for audiences. They aren’t so intimidated by it because it can be quite light-hearted but still have a serious undertone to it’.
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