Collage in Photography: London Eye for Tribute Magazine
February 2023: Jack Eames looks at collage in photography and shares his favourites in film, TV and music for Tribute Magazine
Welcome back for my second edition of London Eye for Tribute Magazine - a regular piece where I share my insights and interests in the contemporary cultural landscape. In this issue I divulge my new found love for all things collage and how I am exploring collage in photography. The piece below was originally published in February 2023.
1/ Music: Brian Jones Town Massacre
The grungy late 90’s sound of The BJTM is still beautiful to my ears. Since Lockdown I went to a concert with my friend Gareth, a brilliant photographer and animator. The gig was at the O2 in London’s Kentish Town, so we went for a few drinks around the various pubs and bars. BJTM’s Joel Gion is still alive, despite the copious amount of drink and drugs consumed. Check the documentary film DIG showing BJTM’s amazing tours and recording sessions, where they were clearly enjoying themselves…
2/ Film: Aftersun
I haven’t lost a parent, yet. I’ve three, two mothers and a dad. After seeing Aftersun I called my dad, I needed to speak to him, hear his voice. The film's about the relationship between father (Paul Mescal/Calum) and daughter (Frankie Corio/Sophie), and set during a holiday spent together. The story is a beautifully understated ode to this parent-child relationship, clouded by questions and heartbreak, and shared through Sophie’s memories of the holiday. There are filming techniques I have never seen before, and it's based on the director/writer's own childhood which makes the film even more poignant.
3/ TV: White Lotus
On shoots I hear about the latest boxset. I wasn’t too bothered with White Lotus at the start, but the production design kept me involved. There are two series, the first set in Hawaii, the second in Sicily/Taormina where I’ve holidayed quite a few times, so it was fun to see the places I hung out. The darkness and laugh-out-loud moments make a bitter-sweet combination, and actress Jennifer Coolidge is just brilliant.
4/ Collage: Hannah Höch
I’m seeing more collage being used by advertisers and in editorials, and is inspiring me to incorporate more collage in photography! My studio manager Mary got me a book of Hannah Höch for Christmas, which was also the compendium to the Höch show at the Whitechapel gallery eight years ago that I visited. It is going to take a while, but at the studio we’re slowly building a folio around this kind of work. I invite you to get involved, using scissors, scalpel, scanner, Sellotape – let’s have a jam at our studio in Shoreditch. Good coffee here too…
5/ Musician: Pete Jobson
Not many people can claim to have Cate Blanchett play their music before “having sex”! Pete Jobson was the bassist in I am Kloot and what a beautiful human being he is. Mary and I are doing the artwork for his solo album, Burn The Ration Books Of Love in a new approach to our stills and video. Pete is the creative director, and it’s been a massive joy to learn from his ideas and vision. He shines with an experience he’s had from his rich tapestry of life. There’s always a message in these stories that I’ll keep with me forever. Thank you, Pete.
6/ Online learning: Collage in Photography
As a studio we use the Adobe Suite all the time for our work and personal projects. YouTube is a phenomenal resource for ‘how to’ advice. For Christmas my girlfriend got me a short course: artistic mixed-media collages with the online school Domestika. Of many courses I’ve completed for video, portfolio or music editing, this is one of the better ones. All the files are available to download for the tutorials and the courses seem to average about £10. Amazing, and a great start to my journey on collage in photography!
7/ Hairstylist: Tracey Cahoon
People come into your life for a reason, a season or a lifetime. Tracey Cahoon is one of these people, and I’m hoping it’s for a lifetime. As an artist, she’s teaching me a lot about process, journey, and time. We’re working on a couple of personal projects, focussing on women with long hair who want their head shaved. Tracey has worked with some amazing magazines, artists and created and still owns Amy Winehouse’s beehive, which is something we are hoping to create a project around soon.
8/ Podcast: A.I. art
www.thecollectivepodcast.com/episodes/235-stevenzapata
Podcasts take you to places in your head very quickly and are readily available. I’m listening to one about Artificial Intelligence art, and wonder how will come into the hair and beauty industry? Will it be producing imagery and content of future ingredients, campaigns, editorials? There are issues around copyright, as the A.I. softwares being built and developed are taking images and videos from the internet. I just needed to get a current handle on where things are right now, and found the Ash Thorp podcast very helpful in episode 235.
