You set yourself a pretty tall order by trying to show the intangible in your photographs. Why did you decide to do this?

‘Intangible’ is a synonym of immateriality, used to describe things that are recognized but difficult to quantify and qualify. The evocation or the perception of the inner world that comes to us is intangible, because it is personal. But images can depict these immaterial symptoms, designating them as a “pre-perception”, an impression or a sensation recorded by the artist. My aim is to represent states of being that are intangible in this world, which we see as a transient and uncertain place.

What’s the main stimulus behind your collection?

In my point of view, feelings and perceptions are developing into a more fluid, less concrete state, made of blurred realities. It seems that there is a growing sense of doubt about how to live in this era of uncertainty.

You take photos of people on the street, then alter the final images to get your signature blur. How do you find your subjects?

What I’m trying to depict is not only the human presence, but inscriptions (on people’s faces or bodies) that may have an immaterial quality, while symptomatic enough and able to reveal or suggest something. I’m not photographing the individuals in action but the diffuse impressions of their inner world. These images aren’t portraits but images of people with themselves in their own unguarded moments.

What do you think the lack of focus in your images bring to the atmosphere of the photograph?

I’m doing experiments with focus in order to explore the immateriality of light, appearances and disappearances, as well as liquid colours. The use of blur intends to simulate the representativity of the invisible – it creates an interplay between what is visible and what can not be shown.

Why did you choose to shoot in black and white in your ‘Blurred Times’collection?

My concern is that the viewer focuses their attention on emotional aspects of the figure and in the subtle transition of the matter to light. Therefore I explore the soft tonal contrast of the grey. In this case, colours could be a distraction for the eye.

You tend to choose a city as the basis of each collection. Which has been your favourite location?

I don’t have a specific favourite. Usually in my work I intent to explore ideas and perceptions that reflect what I feel in a specific time and space. I like to shoot in cities, because of the possibility that these environments offer me in terms of diversity and multiplicity of encounters.

Who has been your favourite subject and what was their story?

People fascinate me and what emanates from them, such as behaviours, emotional expressions and gestures, cultural codes and the spiritual quality of being. There are people that attract me and make me stop, regardless of photographing these individuals or not. In general I spend a lot of time watching the other and myself.

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Your images are pretty decadent. What’s your inspiration behind the elaborate staging and set-ups?

Getting that initial inspiration is definitely the difficult bit. Sometimes I only need to stumble across a single image or a certain object to spark a whole plan. I get a lot of inspiration from found photography, but also from looking at other artists who work in a similar way to myself. I recently came across the work of video artist Julian Rosefeldt, and seeing the work he puts into staging his videos was astounding.

Why do you prefer large format photography?

I’m definitely not a film elitist – but for this project large format feels very necessary. I want people to feel as though they could step right inside the image. It’s a very exciting feeling once you’ve spent hours enveloped in a set to then step back and view it magnified through ground glass – it’s like peeping into a dolls house.

How did it feel to win First Prize at the 2012 Hotshoe Award as well as the Michael Wilson award?

Overwhelming. Both prizes were announced hours before our degree show opened, we were all exhausted and the whole event was very surreal. The judges were the very first people outside of our course to see our finished work – before that you were just locked in this academic bubble and had no inkling as to whether your work was credible. I completely secluded myself during my final year and put everything into the work, and so for a stranger to come in and choose me as a winner, especially out of the wealth of talent in our year, it was a huge compliment.

You’ve got an imaginary alter-ego Joyce, who comes out to play in your images. How did you come up with her?

I was halfway through my degree and had started a project where I’d been planning to dress my friends up in different uniforms and take photographs of them looking moody and seductive. Up until this point my main interest was to create images of women looking hyper-alluring and flawlessly beautiful. One night I used myself as a test model, just so I had something to show in class the next day. This transient moment of clowning around by myself ended up becoming a performance, the reaction from my class was completely new, people laughed, and a character was born.

Are you seduced by artificiality in the same way that Joyce is?

Completely. I may poke fun at it but there’s no denying that I’m wrapped up in it myself. In my late teens I used to have the full works – clip in hair extensions, acrylic nails, fake tan, fake eyelashes. I still enjoy dolling myself up to that level from time to time but after spending 10 hours in heavy, sticky plastic eyelashes on set I never want to wear them in my spare time ever again.

Where do you source your props or find inspiration for your images?

eBay is a goldmine. Sometimes when I’m not exactly sure what I’m looking for I’ll just search things like ‘beauty face’ or ‘sexy’ and the things that come up are so unimaginable that they’ll end up inspiring a whole project. Pak’s in Dalston is the best place to find unknown beauty products and other cosmetic oddities.

The post Catlin Guide: Juno Calypso’s hyper-artificial La La Land photography appeared first on Wonderland.

You spend a lot of time with Hasidic Jewish men for your work. How did this all start off?

I’m fascinated with really tight knit communities, especially ones that appear displaced. For me just walking around in North London and seeing Hasidic Jewish men was intriguing; maybe it was to do with their clothing or the fact that it feels like they are living in a different time, a time that’s fixed at a certain point in the past.

How did you convince them to let you film them and hang out with them?

I approached them as a person that was intrigued and keen to learn. I was open and spoke about my personal background and my cultural heritage and why it meant a lot to me; when somebody comes to you and they say that they want to learn from you, not only is it flattering but it’s something that they didn’t turn their back against.

Experience from Lydia Brain on Vimeo.

What is it about dance that makes it the basis for quite a few of your works?

Dance is something integral and often at the centre of many Jewish festivals and celebrations. For me, it’s something that I see as a method of homogenization; for a short segment of time you could be the Prince of Azerbaijan dancing with Mick Hucknall (crazy example I know) but for that particular period of time they would be on the same platform, dancing at the same time to the same music, removing all social and cultural barriers.

Your art tackles pretty serious subjects, but it manages to be pretty funny at the same time. What’s the importance of humor for you?

As a viewer, if you were to find something funny it’s an instant response, so it’s common you would question why: “Why do I find this dancing Jewish man funny? Should I find him funny or is it wrong that I find him funny?” Humor can evoke questions and that’s what I want from my artwork, I want it to create questions and dialogue. Not everything has to be serious.

In “A day with a Hasidic Jew”, you document your subject going around London but he insists on keeping a three-step distance from you. Are there certain restraints that come up whilst working with religious subjects?

In a word – YES. I have to accept I create artwork with people, I create socially engaged artwork and this throws up questions and issues of ethics. My priority for when I’ve been making the artwork, when I’ve been asking these men to do certain things for me is that they’re happy and that they’re comfortable; maybe I am pushing them to do something that is out of their comfort zone, but it’s not something that can damage them or damage what is important to them such as their reputation with in the Jewish community. It is important for me to constantly ask permission to show works and to be aware consent can be taken away at any point.

What does 2013 hold for you?

I aim to create a closer dialogue with Orthodox Jewish life situated here in England and in Israel. I have been shortlisted for 2013’s Catlin Art Prize.… And of course some more Hasidic men dancing to pop.

The Catlin Guide 2013: New Artists in the UK is launched at the London Art Fair 2013, 16 – 20 January. It will also be available from Amazon, Culture Label and selected book sellers (£12.99).

Words: Ellie Sigman

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