Burning Moon

RENDEZVOUS WITH BURNING MOON

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The elusive Belgian photographer breaks silence for his first interview, sharing an exquisite collection of his favorite images.

By Billy Goate

For many years now, I’ve been an avid follower of Burning Moon, aka Nicolas Winand, who has been working his magic with the camera for quite some time now. I’ve been hounding him off and on for an interview and we finally were able to make it happen. Get to know the man I call The Mysterious Maestro of Musical Metaphor and delve into choice visuals from his collection in the pages ahead.

How would you describe your art?

Burning Moon is an evolution of a true passion, love, and fascination for rock ‘n’ roll. The project is rooted in the early-2000s. Back then, Zoé (my partner in crime at the time) and I were craving for real rock action. We were looking for something wild – an in-your-face music scene that was not really alive at the time.

We dug deep and learned from what the past had taught us. We spent hours listening and reading, fantasizing that 1969 could be right around the corner again. Then we started looking at what the underground music scene was offering. We attended lots of gigs, just having fun. As the old Stones song says, “It’s only rock ‘n’ roll, but I like it.“

We were kids looking for something that seems to be missing. Grunge was in the rear view mirror and symphonic metal was, well, so-so. Fortunately enough, bands like Sonic Youth, Mudhoney, The Melvins, Sunn O))), Disappears, and Suma were nailing it and at some point along the road, we started to take pictures at shows because the music was meaningful. Something was happening and we wanted to document it, giving our own impression of what we were witnessing, because damn it those gigs were good!

Blood Ceremony

That’s the spirit of this project, to produce photographs and artwork that embodies the music and the artists making it. We wanted to capture what you’d be witnessing at a show, the link between the band and the public, how you groove and trip, how the music makes you feel inside – whether high, up in space, or six feet under, it’s time to die.

This is why it’s also challenging doing Burning Moon, because it’s not just about taking concert pictures; it’s about hinting how the music makes you feel or, when it’s come to artwork, how you feel about yourself and others. It’s about being able to produce images that lean towards something transcendental, to express the feelings – positive or not – that move you deep down inside.

Church of Misery

What inspired you to hone in on musical figures as your subjects?

I’ve been a music and photography addict from my youngest age. Thanks to my Dad, I was drowned very early in a sea of prog, psychedelic, and early hard rock vinyl. I was very receptive to music, as it was a good way to escape everyday life. Even though I was a kid, I was already strong minded and I knew that something was missing. I was looking for something more, a spark, a touch of fun, as I guess we all do.

Beyond the music, I was fascinated by all those incredible album covers created by Hipgnosis, a London design group, for Pink Floyd, Led Zeppelin, Uriah Heep, Colosseum, and many others. I was also taken by the album art of Keef, the guy who did Black Sabbath’s first LP.

I quickly discovered I was no musician, but putting imagery together to create a personal universe using photography, well that I was good at. My Dad was a photographer himself, so I was able to quickly learn how to work with cameras. I had the inspiration (music) and the tools (cameras) and it was only a matter of time until I jumped in with both feet and tried to make something more out of it.

Suma

You seem to have an affinity for doom metal and stoner rock, as do I. What attracts you to the particular bands you photograph?

If the band sounds good and they make the audience groove, that’s a keeper. Do I like what I’m hearing? Does the band’s attitude make me feel something? Come on, blow my mind with another killer guitar solo or grooving bass line! Anyone can tell when going to a gig that sometimes a band, a venue, an era, has something more to give. When something different is happening, you can feel it, you want to live it – whether it’s one song, a whole gig, or a record you spin over and over again.

Elder

In early 2010, all those retro ‘70s occult bands started to pop up. They had something different in their approach – it was truer, lighter. It was about making rock live again. The scene was about just being yourself and making things happening. A true underground movement, not just about the money – well, some obnoxious dicks were here for the money, but they don’t render well in pictures.

It felt different, fresh – at fucking last! – and the need to archive what was happening was tickling. From archiving the coolness that was going on, came our own unique approach in creating imaginary that seemed to catch the vibe of the moment. Things were connecting.

Uncle Acid & the deadbeats

Much of your work focuses on occult imagery. What fascinates you most about the occult?

The occult is a very large concept. What’s interesting me, and may be seen in my pictures, are hidden messages. What lies beneath? Ancient philosophies, insights, and tools that may tell us about ourselves, our behavior, and past societies.

I strongly believe that some knowledge, such as Astrology and Tarot, behind the common shenanigans you can find here and there, have something to teach us. There are things to learn from past discoveries. Something that sciences and modern philosophies are missing.

Wolvennest

More important, if you pay close attention, this knowledge was at some point cast as dubious, witchy, superstitious, you name it, in the name of "rationalism.” It seems to me that if something is really of no help at all, it’ll disappear on its own. That has not been the case with the occult arts. At some point, we were told to become “modern people,” to forget about all the nonsense. This knowledge was occulted so it was easier for the ones at the top to shape the herd as they wished, something that’s still true to this day.

Death

Occultism reveals things to us that we are not aware of about ourselves – why we feel this way or that, why we act the way we do. I believe it helps us to deal with emotions and better understand others. You are not born with the ability to comprehend Picasso’s Cubism era. You study and learn how to get sensitive to it and then have your own opinion. The same goes for the occult, at least for me. I see it as a way to study, learn, and understand things that may be valuable on the quest to become a wiser person. Knowledge is power!

Bathsheba

A lot of your photographs have a very far-out look and feel to them, much like an acid trip. What connects you to that visual style? Is it personal experience taking the psychonaut’s journey through inner space?

Well, obviously, drug experiences had their fair share in the process. Not so much in the way it shaped the imagery, surprisingly, but more in the way it pushes you to go beyond your personal fears and boundaries.

Bell Witch

You live it, not just as a trip, but as a journey through your inner self, a journey that’s not always that pleasant. You gain a willingness to look into what you don’t want to be confronted with; looking for Scorpio’s deep and naked truth.

Apart from that, the very trippy, acid-like imagery is kind of natural to me. I was attracted at an early age to the album covers of records by bands such as Jefferson Airplane and The Grateful Dead. They all had this trippy, out of this realty vibe about them. I guess, in a way, with or without drugs, I’m a born stoner head. I see things others don’t.

Boris

What kind vision do you want to impart through your work?

It’s all about transcendence, about being able to express the greatness of what’s going on, whether witness in music or in everyday life. Mine is a work that empowers.

Creating something is really about searching within yourself to discover what you are truly made of. Why do I feel what I feel in the moment? What do I have to give to others? How do I interpret what’s going on around me and how come I’m reacting this way to it?

It’s also important to me to have the documentary notion, capturing what’s happening at the moment with the notion it’ll be looked at later as something from the past. With this in mind, I try to render what it is to capture the feeling of what it was like to be right there right now.

Yob

What is your camera and editing equipment of choice?

Well, any cameras I can get my hands on, I’m good to go. Experimenting with different gear always keeps you on your heels, forcing you to be creative and reevaluate yourself all of the time. “No rest for the wicked, no sleep 'til Hammersmith,” if you get the feeling. Regarding the programs I’m using, it’s like everybody else: Photoshop, Lightroom, and an awful lot of work.

Lucifer

Looking back at everything you’ve photographed, what moments stand out most strongly to you?

There have been lots of crazy, cool moments, from taking pictures at an unexpectedly awesome Vintage Caravan gig on a Sunday morning (when you’re totally wasted at Roadburn, but know you’ve got to be there and nail it no matter what); to that week in Berlin I worked with Johanna Sadonis from Lucifer, Possession, and All the Ghosts; to covering Uncle Acid and Purson’s very first gig in London, while being caught up with a bunch of Germans on acid – sweating all you’ve got!

There were difficult times that come to mind, too, like working hard to finish Wucan’s second album cover and trying to handle a crazy manager. Then there was the break-up with my partner, not being able to put our shit together to do the front cover of Wolvennest’s Void, though we were able to at least do the inner gatefold.

Seeing Kadavar a lot at their finest hour, especially during their Trix gigs in Antwerp, was also incredible. I miss the good ol’ days of Kadavar!

Kadavar

We look forward to following your work closely in years ahead. Burning Moon is always such a mesmerizing affair!

On and on, these last three-and-a-half years have had their fair share of spectacular moments. Let’s work to keep it coming! Many thanks to you Billy and to Doomed & Stoned for reaching out and giving me an opportunity to talk about what I love to do.

Voyager of Mysteries – A Dream Within A Dream