ALTER EGO EMPIRE

I was recently contacted by Joanna Portelli, an undergraduate arts student from Malta, who wanted to interview me about my misadventures within photography for her dissertation. Naturally, I obliged. 

The result came out rather satisfactory, and since I’ve never talked about this part of my practice publicly before, I asked her if I could reproduce it here, to which she kindly agreed.

What inspired you to take up photography?

Amor fati, the lingering sense of impending doom. The impermanence of things. My first love was photography of subcultures from the 60s and 70s - being transported into earlier times, the perspective of time enchanted me. Feeling nostalgia for times I didn't even experience helped expand my world. Then one day, I decided to give it a go, and have been photographing my way through the world ever since. 99.999% of the photographs I take are for myself only.

How long have you been experimenting, and a practitioner, in the field?

In a way I would consider "serious" about 5-6 years. That's when I had a broad enough view of the history of photography to see the gaps, and figure out where I could contribute to the conversation.

Do you feel there are any limitations with the medium that you use?

My approach is multidisciplinary and range from painting to photography, digital work, video and installation. I always try to use the appropriate medium for what I'm trying to express, and generally (for my own satisfaction) try to push the mediums to their utmost capabilities. Since I spend most of my time engaging, thinking about, looking at, and working with art, I have a pretty good sense of the strengths and weaknesses of each medium.

Do you ever want, or feel the need to overcome these limitations?

I think the only way to figure out where the limits are, is by testing them. That being said, I think work should evolve naturally over long periods of time. I never try to "force" conceptions upon a medium. I'm not into forced postmodern "deconstructions", if I deconstruct something, it's always with the purpose of reconstructing it again in a better, more coherent way, true to the project.

Have you ever worked with other mediums? What are they?

You can see some of my other work here: http://mortenrockfordravn.com/portfolio/

I think there's osmosis between all of my practices. My painting helps my photography and vice versa. It's impossible to quantify the effects, because they might be subtle and subconscious.

When taking a photograph or working on a project, do you think of a message or an idea that you would like to convey?

I always work from intuition, and let the project reflect my subconscious. I might have a concept I start out with, but that's only the first stage. As I work on the project, it evolves, it becomes more than I could ever conjure up conceptually. As the body of work takes form, certain patterns present themselves, and that's when I remove about 90% to boil it down to the essence. In this process a narrative present itself.

Do you start-off with an idea in your head that you somehow try to articulate through imagery?

Yes, I almost always have an idea, and that's where it starts. The ideas are generally based on something I think is missing, or a philosophical problem I'm dealing with. The abstract photography came about because I found it strange that almost nobody was doing it, except László Moholy-Nagy and some experiments by Man Ray back in the day. Today more than a billion photographs are uploaded online daily, and the only abstract ones are pretty much landscapes or unintentional ones. In other words, I saw an infinite potential for exploring it purposefully, and have been doing so for the past 5 years, while developing my style, which now lays in the intersection between sculpture, painting and photography.

What are the dynamics of the relationship between you and your work in process?

I immerse myself in my process like a deep sea diver immerses himself in the water. The conscious part of the brain is the surface, and the subconscious is what's below the surface. Everything we experience is stored in the subconscious. I try to go as deep as possible to uncover the mysteries. There's no distinction. I'm not a scientist, so I don't distance myself and aim for detached objectivity.

What are the dynamics of the relationship between you and your work once you have completed it, or once it has reached the public?

There comes a point where I have to shift gears, and be the ambassador for the work. That's when I have to figure out the best ways of intermediating the work to the audiences, sometimes it's the press, sometimes it's an exhibition. It's a crucial part of the practice, because I believe value is primarily created by sharing. I do my best to make sure the work is presented in the right way, in the right context. I try to communicate the core ideas, without bending them in neon, as I want the audience to make their own connections, but also have some concept of how to approach the work without feeling alienated by it.

How do you feel about the relationship between your work and your audience once it has been shown, or displayed?

I love it, even though it's always extremely arbitrary. Like our fingerprints, we all have different perceptions. What I love about it, is the dialog between the audience and the work. I always learn something, and do my best to listen and absorb the different inputs. It's very interesting to see how different people, perceive the work in different ways. In a way, it's also crucial feedback, where I get a chance to expand my understanding of how to present my work coherently.