#madeleinewaller

Our upcoming exhibition hosts the works of Madeleine Waller, if you’re interested in her work then why not take a look at her photo book too.  East London Swimmers, by Madeleine Waller. 

Quitea few years ago now, I did a one year post graduate course in photo-journalismat the London College of Printing which helped me build a decent portfolio andgave me the confidence to take my work around to newspapers and magazines. Most of my commissions were portraits, I tended to be sent on jobs thatrequired a certain amount of sensitivity and I guess I was inadvertently drawn intoportraiture and found I really enjoyed it.   [Q] What made you choose this subject inyour photographs? [A] Asa regular swimmer at London Fields Lido I was struck by howdifferent fellow swimmers can seem in the water to the way they appear once outof the pool and dressed. It’s almost as though the pool is a space wherewe can express an alternative identity. It was an idea that came to me while swimmingone day and I decided to do it for fun. Choosingeach subject was really a matter of waiting for people to finish a lap and stopat the end of the pool long enough for me to ask them. I particularly lookedout for people with goggles and caps as the project was about thetransformation from amphibian to human. [Q] Please tell me a little bit about theproject, the subject and the characters in it. How long did it take you tocomplete it, who did you have to liaise with, how hard was it all, and otherrelevant aspects of it. What does it mean to you? [A] Initially I approached the manager atthe Lido who was very supportive. I alsohad to get permission from the local authority. After that I visited the Lido over a period of months, whenever I hadsome spare time. I stood by the pool waiting for people to finish theirlaps. I would approach them, explainwhat I was doing and ask if they would like to take part. Nearly every person agreed, though somepeople didn’t come back after they had changed into their clothes. The mornings were cold so I didn’t have muchtime once people were out of the pool, dripping wet in their swimming costume.Most of the portraits were just one or two frames.Thephotographs were all taken on my Hasselblad using film, I really enjoy theprocess of making contact sheets, scanning the negatives and making prints,although it is very time consuming. Q]In one phrase, what are you trying to say with this photographic series? [A] I’m really interested in groups of people whohave a common interest something that tells us about human nature. I wanted to explore the way we perceive others depending on the waythey present themselves in different environments. [Q] What is the most important element inthis particular photographic series? [A] The people. [Q] Tell me a little bit about the peoplephotographed. How did you find it working with them? [A] Everyone was very enthusiastic about the project. Sometimes they had time to chat but a lot ofthem were on their way to work so were in a bit of a rush.  I took their contact details to let them knowwhat was happening with the pictures. It wasn’t really until after Hoxton Mini Pressapproached me to do the book that we contacted everyone again and interviewedthem about the reasons they swim.  It wasreally interesting and almost everyone has some kind of story or a therapeuticelement to their swimming, myself included. [Q] What comes to mind when thinking aboutleaving a legacy behind? What does the word mean to you? [A] I think all photographers are documenting a moment in history.