An Interview with Tim Walker
Posted in at jen bekman on July 2nd, 2009 by Kika Gilbert
SHOWstudio.com has released a very special interview with photographer and upcoming Summer Reading artist, Tim Walker.
In a recent conversation with Ms. Jen Bekman, we were marveling at the magical playfulness of Tim’s photographs, an aspect that we both agreed made us giddy with joy when we observed his work. So, it comes as no surprise that in Tim’s own mind, play is an essential part of his work. Indeed he compares his work to a playful recipe saying:
The way I work, I have to have a mood in my head, I have to have a feeling for something…a sense of something. It’s like a smell and then you get all the ingredients together.
It Rained so We Camped Inside, 2002 by Tim Walker
Jeffrey Teuton, Associate Director of JBG, says of the photographs:
Taking the prints out of the box upon arrival was similar to opening a box of candy. Tim’s prints are exquisite and luscious. You are pulled in to his fantasy world from the second you lay eyes on the prints that appear to be almost dripping, and you are left no choice but to surrender to the worlds that Tim has created.
Let’s consider the two images being featured in Summer Reading: It Rained so We Camped Inside, 2002 and Boat in Library.
In looking at the former, I am reminded of my girl scout sleepover in the Science Museum in London, staying up all night and imagining with my fellow scouts that we were flying in rocket ships reaching outer space. Thinking back to this occasion, I can recall the joys of childhood of being able to have an exhilarating amount of fun with compatriots, no matter what the obstacle.
In the photograph, the light illuminating the tents makes me think of storytelling and midnight snacks, the rush of joy that comes with creating a secret universe of which only youths are the rulers of. The absurdity of play and in Tim’s work, what he calls, “fantasy environments that don’t exist,” creates an emotion, that is so hard to put in words and often hard to replicate in adulthood. Creating this adaptive situation is what makes these photographs so intriguingly delightful to view.
While observing the work, I was also reminded of an article I read just over a year ago in the The New York Times Magazine, titled Taking Play Seriously. It detailed the importance of play, mostly in reference to child development but one comment came to mind as I watched Tim’s interview. Brian Sutton-Smith, an eminent scholar on the topic said:
The adaptive advantage has often gone to those who ventured upon their possibility with cries of exultant commitment. What is adaptive about play, therefore, may be not only the skills that are a part of it but also the willful belief in acting out one’s own capacity for the future.
Tim imagines these scenes with such “exultant commitment” that we, the viewers, are transported to another place, a world of infinite possibilities. This “willful belief” empowers us and fuels us with energy towards the unknown future.
In Boat in Library, seeing an object so out of place fuels my brain with excitement. It cries out that there is no photographic obstacle that cannot be overcome, creating a sense of optimism and putting faith in what the future might hold. How wonderful to be able to imagine alternate realities such as these.
Boat in Library by Tim Walker
Tim offers photographic advice, which he has taken to heart in creating his own work. He says:
only photograph what you love and always be true to that. I only photograph what I love…I will only do something that I fall absolutely in love with. That has always been the way for me and I think just follow that…and you never get lost.
This love shines through in Tim’s work as does his genuine passion for creating many versions of a unique and “dangerous beauty”.
Photographs from two of Tim’s inspirations: John Deakin (left) and Cecil Beaton (right)
Be sure to watch the whole interview with Tim on SHOWstudio.com and come see his work in person at the gallery when Summer Reading opens on July 15th.
