You are here

PLAYING WITH PERSPECTIVES & PRECARIOUS SITUATIONS, BEN ZANK TAKES US THROUGH HIS BOLD PHOTOGRAPHY


‘VTL’ - digital photograph, 2015

Okay, before we discuss anything else - moving images! We've watched them hundred of times and can't figure it out, how did you make them? 

The secret is that it's all video. Other than that, I do simple and tricky things to mess with them like reversing the video, inquiring with the illuminati, slowing it down by 10-20%, etc. It's pretty cool how just reversing the flow of water can create an entirely different atmosphere.


‘Untitled’ - digital photograph, 2016

Was the progression into making them quite natural for you? 

It actually started while I was bored on a subway ride home and decided to go through my archive of images. It was there that I had rediscovered the video from a shoot I did where a girl was buried in stand–exposing only half of her head. I had originally written it off because she was humming in it and it sounded funny. However, I didn't have my sound up when I viewed it and I thought to myself, "oh, that is pretty cool.”


‘fall’ - digital photograph, 2016

 

The suits black and white series is another we're big fans of. They're so suave and really evocative of smooth talking mid 20th century business man. Talk us through your concept behind the series, and how you went about capturing the images? 

The entire series is about my longing to live in 1930 and have a brother. Just kidding. Most the images were shot while I was working on my 365 project back in 2013. I was really inspired by artists like Rene Magritte and Rodney Smith and wanted to try my hand at that kind of aesthetic. The cool thing about them is that they are all self-portraits and I had a lot of fun dressing up and putting myself in precarious situations.


‘metamorphosis’ - digital photograph, 2015

 

The way some of your images are shot are mesmerising - but the aspect and aerial is something else, some of it must be edited post shoot?

I do a lot of (sometimes) crazy things to get the right perspective in my images. I've used 100 foot towers and bridges as tripods. Other than that, I also do a lot of little things in post that may lead to the mindfuck phenomenon.


‘road service’ - digital photograph, 2015

 

Conceptually you have developed quite a distinctive style with the colour palette and aesthetics of your photography; but what would you say is the main driving force behind your practise, what are the main questions driving you when you start a series?

An important thing to understand about my thought process is that I don't think in series. I just shoot and try things that are interesting to me. I do this until images start to clump together in their sameness... and thus a new series is born. If I had to think about a series, I would feel too trapped about my creative freedom.


‘surface tension’ - digital photograph, 2016

 

Who has been the biggest influence on your work? And if you could show them one image which one would it be?

I've been influenced by hundreds of people throughout my growth as a photographer, but if I had to name one artist who has influenced me the most it would have to be Andy Goldsworthy. His work has taught me that you can still make something mind-bending with the bare minimum. I'd probably show him my photograph 'Black Crater'. It's a bit of an older one and maybe not as refined as my current work, but the process for creating it took a total of 7 hours. So I really felt like Mr. Goldsworthy during it.


‘alter-ego’ - digital photograph, 2015

INTERVIEW by HANNAH SMITH ( Art Jobs ), TO SEE MORE OF BEN’S WORK VISIT www.benzank.com