From the success of Another Man’s autumn/winter 2010 issue in which he decided to take self-portraits for the fashion pages – using himself and stylist Will Westall as the models with no hair or make-up – photographer Brett Lloyd has gone from
From the success of Another Man’s autumn/winter 2010 issue in which he decided to take self-portraits for the fashion pages – using himself and stylist Will Westall as the models with no hair or make-up – photographer Brett Lloyd has gone from strength to strength. He has since created a self-published book The Quieter Poster Boys – which chronicles 13 boys he met couch-surfing across Europe one summer, many of which he only knew via Myspace beforehand. Communicating only through facebook and Skype, Lloyd’s latest photographic project, Seldom Seen, takes the form of a visual conversation between himself and photographer Felix Werbowy. Working as a very organic process – one takes a photograph posts it onto their tumblr website and then waits for the other to respond with a photograph – so far they have created 63 pairs, which primarily deal with shape, form, light, flashes of ex-lovers and strangers they encounter. Using the medium they feel most comfortable communicating in, AnOther took time out with the two over iChat to discuss their collaborative project.
16:40: Felix Werbowy added Lucia Davies to this conversation
16:41: Felix Werbowy added Lloyd to this conversation
Lucia Davies 16:42: Felix, are you in the States at the moment, where are you based?
Felix Werbowy 16:43: I am. Right now I am in NYC, but I live in Massachusetts, near Boston.
Lucia Davies 16:43: And you Brett?
Lloyd 16:44: I’ve been in London, for five years. I moved down from Doncaster, Yorkshire when I was 22, but travel a lot with work a lot.
Lucia Davies 16:44: So how did you both meet?
Lloyd 16:45: I was introduced to Felix’s blog in 2008, by a friend. I fell in love. It wasn’t until half year or so later that we really started communicating properly. We have never met in person.
Lucia Davies 16:47: Did you start by emailing Felix after becoming a fan of his work?
Lloyd 16:48: I think so. Was it Myspace where we were first friends? or Facebook? It was a mutual appreciation. From his work I could tell he was sensitive creature so I think one of the first “conversations” we ever had was when I was super depressed about a recent breakup. We iChatted about heartbreak. It was nice.
Lucia Davies 16:50: How did the idea for collaborating on this Seldom Seen project come about?
Lloyd 16:52: I approached Felix to do something collaborative. Photographers don’t really do that – come together and work on something. I wanted to. I loved his aesthetic so much, it really inspired me, and I knew together we could compliment each others work. We started at the beginning of this year. The main theme with the project is creating images focused around light and shape and creating narratives through the pairing of one of my images to one of Felix’s. Little stories within two images, abstract. Most of the images are difficult to see or to understand exactly what’s happening. I can’t remember who went first but the very first one we did, the pictures are both of our ex boyfriends.
Lucia Davies 16:55: A kind of running theme from your first conversation?
Lloyd 16:58: Because I come from fashion photography I was drawn to creating narrative, an emotion/feeling without necessarily using humans, face etc. We are both inspired by the male form that’s for sure and get a lot of inspiration from lovers I think. They are dotted through out the Seldom Seen project
Lucia Davies 17:02: Is this all done via email? Do you leave a message or just leave it?
Felix Werbowy 17:03: We make a post (either one of us) and it then sits alone on the page until the other sees it and comes up with a response. The viewer doesn’t know whose photo it is – only we do. I think what makes the project special for us is the fact that we are telling each other what is happening in our lives through the project itself. I am a very shy person, so it is easier to communicate in this from for me and a lot more fun. No nerves involved.
Lucia Davies 17:07: And Brett, the last time I interviewed you it was for the Quieter Poster Boys, all of whom you found through Myspace and via the internet, similarly to this project. Would you say the internet is an important tool to your practice?
Lloyd 17:10: The internet is so great. Getting recognition. No politics. Complete access to everyone. The Seldom project was initially something for me and felix, just to entertain us both but later as we were progressing we thought why not promote it, share it, and its so easy to do online. The project is speeding, it rarely stops, and that’s an element that suits the online platform so well. I can even update the Seldom project on my iphone.
Lucia Davies 17:20: Do you both find it weird people being able to voyeur into your emotions through your Seldom site?
Lloyd 17:22: In this day and age it's the norm?
Felix Werbowy 17:23: I never think about the people looking at Seldom. All I am worried about is Brett.
Lucia Davies 17:32: What have you wanted to achieve through Seldom? And what have viewer's responses been like?
Felix Werbowy 17:33: I think the main thing was to get to know Brett better and that he got to know me as well. The project is beiong shared with the world, but it remains a private conversation. Everyone has been very supportive of us. Friends on Facebook and Tumblr followers alike
Lloyd 17:37: I personally want to achieve a new way of seeing. Looking at compositions centered around light and shape, which I hope could influence my portraiture work. I want to tell stories, surveillance, looking and not touching or interacting. Not creating a shot but capturing what’s there. Discovery.
Lucia Davies 17:40: And lastly, do you feel you are pioneering a new visual way of communicating via online?
Lloyd 17:41: I think so, why not. I don’t think there’s anything online that I know of that’s like this
Felix Werbowy 17:42: The online world is not very personal. I think in a way we are it's like we are pen pals. Camera pals more like.
Text by Lucia Davies