SPECTRUM – reflections on the abstract body

With SPECTRUM, Belgian photography and video talent Pierre Debusschere has continued his photographic experiments on the abstract body, searching for representation and identity through colours. The exhibition marks a new stage in Debusschere’s artistic process. At once insightful, inclusive and generous, the SPECTRUM provides an intimate encounter with the artist and a simultaneous invitation into today’s world.

What makes good photography for you?

I don’t think I have the perfect answer to this question, as it is a constant process. In relationship to the work I am making today, I would say: photography with a message, that aims at universal reflection. Before, I probably would have said photography that makes you drift, that provokes a feeling.

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What makes your work such a good match with the fashion industry?

I think this connection lies in the fact that I am able to switch my photographic language and creative universes quite easily. I’m always interested in the now, in what it is that makes an image ‘today’. I guess it is important in fashion to be able to translate our world and to always look for the new.

You make music videos and films as well. What is it that attracts you in film?

When I was in art school, I started with video works before even getting into photography. I have always been especially interested in the link that film and music have: a moving image combined with music is a great way to convey emotions and allow you to drift. Music has always been my main inspiration. I have always linked it to moving images, to film and music videos. 

Lately, music has even become a language on its own for me. It gives me the chance to translate my feelings about certain things in a more verbal and direct way. I’m thinking I might create something musical in the near future.

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 What are your favourite subjects to photograph?

This again is a constant evolution and a matter of reflection to me. I think one of the most important things is to always think and rethink everything, to see all things as in constant movement. Right now, the question of identity is very important to me: the body and its features are at the centre of my research. 

Where did the idea for the work you show in the SPECTRUM exhibition come from? I can imagine your work as a fashion photographer made you think further on themes like body and identity.

I started this body of work two years ago, right after my previous exhibition. I believe that the research I am showing here is more universal, even though it started from personal questions. What you can see in the exhibition is a very small part of the research I have been doing, but it makes a good entry into it. The Room, the project space of 254Forest, is a good first location for this work as well: it is my work space and I have access to it all the time, which made it possible to develop the space around my work. I see it as a sort of laboratory where I can further develop my language.

I think indeed that fashion has drawn my attention to the body on itself, allowing me to understand its sculptural lines and shapes through the camera. Yet, SPECTRUM goes further than archetypal fashion norms and bodies. Instead, the work focuses on all bodies and genders, shapes, skin tones and elements that can define it. 

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What makes the (abstract) body such an interesting subject for you? 

What I like about the body – and the colours an abstractions I show in the exhibition – is that it can be a vessel for reflection on a personal as well as on a universal level. 

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SPECTRUM

254FOREST

Chaussée de Forest 254 1060 Saint Gilles Brussels

Opening night on Wednesday 2 Septembre.

End of the exhibition on Saturday 26 Septembre.

Open to the public on Thursday, Friday and Saturday from 2p.m to 6p.m and on

private visit.

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Interview by Laura Bonne

APERTURE OF LOVE

TWO HEARTS, TWO LENSES, ONE LOVE

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From first glance to unbridled passion, from last night to first morning together, falling in love is an adventure that many can vividly see in their mind’s eye. But for photographers Luke Abby and Carlos Darder, who became an item the moment they met one hot summer night of 2019 in Mallorca, that initial spark bloomed into a project, which they have now unveiled in the shape of a book.

 In Falling in Love, lo-fi photography and unposed snapshots capture what it means to for love to blossom and for a creative mind to open up to another. Abby’s intimate portraits of sensuality and tenderness mesh with Darder’s frank, uncut captures of daily routines blend together for a thoughtful chronicle of the small gestures and caring glances that cost nothing that amount to grand sentiment and genuine feelings. 

What was the first thing you thought when you saw each other?


Luke: From the moment we met we were both instantly attracted to each other and I ended up making the move a few moments later. I thought he was super duper cute!



You decided to document your relationship practically from the first instant – why?



Carlos: Documenting everything is part of my daily life. I capture it at any moment: happiness, sadness, craziness, every person I meet that I think I’m really interested in that I wanna have a pic of them forever. With Luke, it started out just documenting our love and how it was progressing. We basically started falling in love the first time we met. I actually moved from my house to his apartment in Majorca the second night he was on the island. It was crazy and beautiful.

You are often traveling for work, so you’re perhaps used to being separated for weeks at a time. How do you stay connected?



Carlos: We are constantly communicating. Texts, sending pictures, selfies, what we see. We do a lot of sexting.



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 How is your photographic practice interwoven with your relationship at this point? 

Luke: My individual work still remains separate but this book was a collaboration. It was nice to do it together and feed off each other’s thoughts and ideas. Carlos only really shoots on film whereas I jump between that and digital. For this we agreed we would keep it all analog.

No words among the images, credits are at the end: Why did you make the choice of letting the images speak exclusively for themselves, and for you? 



Carlos: We did that just so the viewer can take what they like from the images. Also since the format is quite small, l we wanted the photos to breathe a bit more so having the captions at the back made sense.



What have been the reactions of those you have shown the book to so far?



Carlos: It’s been pretty good. Our friends are really happy about it, there is a moment after working on it for half a year where you stop really seeing it from a real view of point. You just see work and it kind of loses that little bit of the first impression, the first time we saw the first copy we cried.



Luke: Some were concerned it would effect my other work with commercial clients, but the thought of that was a little sad. Some told me to go for it. I’m glad I did–it feels liberating.



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 And then James Bidgood, a photographer who is quite the camp legend, calls your book “tawdry” and that’s the review quote you chose. What about that word resonated with you?



Luke: James has been a friend of mine for the last few years and I asked if he would do a piece of writing as a review on the book. I showed him the very first layout back in January by emailing him a PDF file and I thought his response was just very him and funny. Tawdry is such a great word. It means “showy but cheap and of poor quality.”



To borrow the name of the relationships section of the New York Times, how do you define “modern love”?



Luke: Teamwork! To be with someone and create with them is a challenge but very rewarding. For our relationship, art, patience, balance, communication and all of that is definitely magic ingredients. It’s also important for me to feel inspired by my partner.

What has confinement brought to your level of intimacy?

Carlos: I think it just helped us to learn more about each other, much better. Sometimes we want to kill each other, though.

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falling in love

a book by

Luke Abby and Carlos Darder

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All images are from “Falling in love” book

Interview by Lily Templeton

#IBLAMEJORDAN

Eyes as mesmerizingly green as the sunlight glinting off the waters of Australian’s East Coach beaches, where he's from. In the space of a few years, Jordan Barrett has become a household name in the fashion industry. He became the face for the perfume 1; one of his first ever campaigns was for Tom Ford; and he has designed his own eyewear line in collaboration with Chrome Hearts. Jordan has contributed to defining what a male supermodel is today. 

 But behind his other worldly good looks, a scouting story that’s the stuff legends are made of (aged 14, in a convenience store), and that meteoric rise, the 23-year old, now signed to Kate Moss Agency & CAA, is exploring the facets of his creative identity. Will it be photography, film or something else entirely? Who knows, but Barrett is giving himself the space to grow, on his own schedule.

 People have stuck labels on you like "Baby Kate". So how do you define yourself here and now? 

 That came from Edward Enninful, I think, the very first time I went to meet him at his office, just after arriving in New York – I was 17. We also shared the same agent that I had just met then, Jen Ramey. And she also started pointing out similarities. Our lust for life, the same broken finger. Both blonde and always laughing. I don’t know, it’s the weird little things that kept clicking like never wanting things to end. 

 Coming from a small town in Australia and starting to work in New York as a model at 17 opened my mind. I got to see what’s going on in the industry with a 360 degrees perspective. We were with the stylist, the photographer, the makeup artist, the lighting tech… At the end of the day, all those collaborations had an effect on me. 

 Provided that you’re paying attention, what you are exposed to – or what you pick out of it – shapes who you are.  What I want to do next is what I’m currently doing now.

 Tell us something about yourself that isn't on your resume.

 I would love to tell you a story from the time I spent in Tokyo. That’s worth writing about. But I don’t want it ending up on another outlet, taken out of context and some stupid “journalist” writing about it, so you can ask me yourself after this. 

 Otherwise, I don’t know… I’ve never once paid for a subway ride. I kinda adore the thrill of getting caught. I have to find ways to amuse myself in this tedious world. 

Why are you attracted to the icons of the Nineties? 

 Because of their effortless style. This was a time before stylists contrived the way celebrities looked, and where they expressed themselves through their personal aesthetics.

 Speaking of now, what's behind the @sedated.ltd Instagram account you launched?

 It started as a way of separating my personal account into an account of things that interested me, featuring work of some my favourite artists, filmmakers, photographers, musicians and moments in time. And it just kept going. It’s something I really enjoy working on and it's sweet, because a lot of the people featured on there are engaging with the page. I have so many plans for Sedated and a few really interesting people Im excited to start collaborating with. 

 Right now, I want to get ‘Sedated.ltd Radio’ live because I think music is something we all need in the times we are all in now. There is so much out there and I want to try and curate what I want and I like. And also come together with others to collaborate on playlists etc. & share it with you all on these platforms. 

 I’ve just gotten off FaceTime with @42n0ah. This guy is a wizard. We are about to release a little feature through @sedated.ltd in the next couple of days for everyone to play with.

 There’s hardware and merchandise. I’ve got a few things I can’t wait to drop.

So keep please checking it out. It’s all coming. I would love to hear what you guys want from Sedated.

Name an artist that changed your vision of the world.

 It’s impossible for me to name everyone. 

Mario Sorrenti has inspired me for as long as I can remember. I would obsess over his images. I really want him to make films. Also Lou Reed – watch his interview with a bunch of obnoxious Australian journalists from 1974, it’s on Sedated. I really appreciate Collier Schorr’s work, I got the opportunity to work with her early on & she did a book with me over the space of a year or two. Peter Beard is everything to me. 

Currently I’m really into Gaspar Noé, everything. His storylines can be so dark and disturbing but visually beautiful. 

What’s the best lesson you’ve learned in the industry?

 That it’s about more than just your looks, it’s about personality. You have to convey that because ultimately that’s something no one else can sell.

Your style in three key words:

 I can’t define it in three words because I know my likes and dislikes instantly and those change a lot. 

 Right now, I’m in a place that’s a jungle down to the ocean. I’m wearing nothing most of the time, especially on my feet. I hate wearing shoes. And that is how I feel most comfortable. 

 That being said, I'll wear anything stylist George Cortina ever puts me in or that I take from his closet uptown. I like being put head to toe into an outfit on set, it makes for a great image.

 Lazy days, you may or may not have noticed, I live in a Rick Owens blue knit and the comfiest pants I can find.  

Forget dream dinner parties... who is on your dream confinement crew?

 Mick Jagger, Bianca Jagger AND Jerry Hall, because I love to stir the pot. Add Andy Warhol, Peter Beard, Iman, David Bowie, Keith Richards… It’s starting to sound like one fantastic orgy, isn’t it? Oh and Grace Jones… 90’s Patti Smith, River Phoenix, Kate, Heath Ledger. Ohhhh, and Courtney Love, Kurt [Cobain], Iggy Pop, Penelope Cruz...

If you were going off to a desert island, what would you bring? 

 A bottle of rum, my best friends, the Criterion Collection [of important classic and contemporary cinema], some ciggies, and a camera so we can capture what would essentially be “Lord of the Flies” transpire. 

What is the first thing you do in the morning?

 Contemplate my existence. Shake around in bed. Practise breathing exercises. I find it really helps with my anxiety. 

What can't you live without? 

 My dignity, although I’ve clearly been managing to do well without it so far.

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Discover the full story in our Issue 8 Self SS20

Jordan Barrett is captured in Los Angeles by Alex La Cruz

& styled by Simon Robins

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Grooming by Fitch Lunar

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