"I have begun to stray away from the still image as a representational form. Ethically I am curious to question the prevalence of a hierarchical power structure existing between photographer and sitter/participant/subject... I feel a need to represent the voice of the photographic participant in a form that is collaborative, as portraits tend to oppress the opinions of the individuals depicted in the frame." - Nicole Westman
THIS is just one of the many eloquently stated answers that Nicole Westman expresses in the following interview and it actually makes me think about a problem I have a lot as someone who asks people questions in the context of Hook and Line.
I often wonder how much about a person any interview can reveal and what it means to ask one question and not another. I've come to the conclusion that every question I come up with totally dictates how a reader will interpret the person being interviewed.
ME asking Westman what she thinks about Instagram has absolutely nothing to do with how Westman might want to present herself to the world. It has everything to do with my own curiosity and my own interest in creating an interview that contributes to the construction of how I would like Hook and Line to echo through cyberspace. I suppose documentation of any kind is an extraction and by nature the only truth it will ever tell is the truth of the documenter's agenda.
MY agenda right now is to let you know that this interview will only show you the figurines that are visible on the window sill of the only illuminated room in a house at midnight. The rest of the house, well, I didn't ask those questions.
YOU can see what Westman thinks about Instagram below as well as thoughts about memories, Vancouver,the labor of love that is film photography, what she's currently listening to and more!
DO LOOK FURTHER AND CHECK OUT HER SITE
- Keba Robinson
At this time, I am currently residing in Vancouver. It is a place nestled between ocean beaches and towering mountains most of the days are bathed in flattering overcast light. Near dusk, the horizon dissipates into muted pallets of grey except in the summer when lush vegetation is abundant.
-Do you travel a lot?
I have just completed an artist residency at the Banff Centre, which was an enlightening experience. While there, I was confined within a national park alongside many other inspirational artists for seven weeks just contemplating, conversing, and creating. I opted to drive from Vancouver to Banff and ventured along the routes of the Coquihalla highway and the Trans Canada highway and several other secondary highways. As awful as it is on the environment, I often feel overcome by the urge to abandon the urban, venture on decrepit highways and conceal myself in a desolate terrain, in an attempt succumb to my tangents of thought.
Memories are complicated in form as they are porous and susceptible to nostalgic projection. I doubt this is an accurate account of my first experience with a camera still I am confident it is my fondest encounter. In my youth I fanaticized about the bond of sisterhood and while engulfed in a state of longing I would construct ‘Penny Sisters.’ Aligning the contents of my piggybank to form a sculptural line drawing, afterwards my mother would photograph the object and my proud self lying beside it.
-Do you do any other form of art?
After graduating, I have begun to stray away from the still image as a representational form. Ethically I am curious to question the prevalence of a hierarchical power structure existing between photographer and sitter/participant/subject. At this time, I am working with written forms and installation to explore the problematic aspects of portraiture. I feel a need to represent the voice of the photographic participant in a form that is collaborative, as portraits tend to oppress the opinions of the individuals depicted in the frame.
-What are some of your thoughts on photography in the age of technology?
I recently had a studio visit with a group of elementary students, I had my view camera accessible for them to explore, and I inserted a roll of 120 film in my Mamiya 7 II then taught them how to focus a range finder. At the end of the visit, the teacher asked the students to speak about what they thought of these traditional processes. The cheekiest little boy in the group chimed up, “I think it’s a stupid waste of time.” I felt as though I could relate to his simplistic interpretation. Still I adhere to the idealization of photography as a labour of love. What is love without labor, I think it is just lust.
-What do you think of Instagram?
I do not have an Instagram account and I do not see much point in one. I suppose I feel perplexed by the need to apply these faux filters onto images in order to produce an aesthetic that is “artsy”. I must admit I have seen photographic projects that use cellphone image capturing technology in a useful form though the images are often low grade and from flip phones.
-What sort of subject matter are you most attracted to for your photos?
I have been contemplating a means to facilitate a photographic exhibition that would contain no images but only recorded or written documentation pertaining to the photographs. The documentation would contain both my perspective, as a photographer, and the perspective of the participants collaborating in the image making process. I am interested in removing the act of gawking inherently accessible for the viewer in attendance of a portrait exhibition.
-What are you listening to these days?
Naomi punk, Mac Demarco, Dead Ghosts, Beat Happening, The Cramps, The Modern Lovers, The Shangri Las, Leonard Cohen, Bobby Bland
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