Thursday, November 30, 2006

My best shot / Martine Franck / The bird on the monk's head

The bird on the monk's head
Nepal, 1996
Photo by Martine Franck

Martine Franck's best shot



'I never imagined for a second that the bird would perch on the monk's head'. Belgian photographer Martine talks about one of her favourite shots.

Leo Benedictus
Thursday 30 November 2006 16.26 GMT


I don't look at my photographs very often, but this picture always makes me happy. It was just such a perfect moment.
I was in a Buddhist monastery in Nepal in 1996, photographing these reincarnated children, each of whom gets an education from one main teacher. The master usually knew the person the child is supposed to have been reincarnated from - often it was his own master - so they have very close, almost motherly relationships.
The children have to work very hard, because they will one day be passing on the Buddhist teachings themselves. The little boy was having slight problems reciting all the mantras he had to remember. The pigeon was already in the room, just sort of flitting around. Buddhists love animals, so they were all over the monastery.
I was there for an hour, just sitting quietly in a corner, observing. I never imagined for a second that the bird would perch on the monk's head. That's the wonder of photography - you try and capture the surprises.

 I was in the right place at the right time, with the right lens on. If I'd had a zoom lens on, I wouldn't have had time to set it at the correct distance. In fact, I had two Leicas, a 35mm and a 50mm, both already adjusted for the light, and the 35mm did the job.

The picture is somehow a symbol of peace, and of young people getting on with old people. Although I certainly didn't think that at the time - in the moment, it's just instinctive. Afterwards, maybe, you realise what the photograph means.
When I came back, I showed it to a very close friend of mine, the photographer Josef Koudelka, and he said: "Martine, if you brought only this one picture back from India your trip was worthwhile."

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Tuesday, November 28, 2006

Portrait of the artist / Marin Alsop / It's still unusual to see a woman conducting an orchestra



Portrait of the artist

Marin Alsop

Conductor


'Classical music is pretty hip right now - young people have much more eclectic taste'
'It's still unusual to see a woman conducting an orchestra.'


 Interview by Natalie Hanman

Tuesday 28 November 2006 00.03 GMT



What got you started?
The first piece of music I remember feeling moved by was a string sextet in B flat major by Brahms. I was about 11.
Who or what have you sacrificed for your art?
Not being able to be at home that much, because I travel six months of the year. One has to make compromises in terms of personal life.
Is your work fashionable?
It can be. Classical music goes from being seen as elitist and stuffy to being hip and happening. It's pretty hip right now - there are a lot of exciting things happening in terms of digital music.
Is the internet good for art?
Fantastic, especially for classical music. Young people today are "echo boomers" rather than baby boomers. They have a much more eclectic taste in art, and that translates into classical music being part of their menu.
If someone saw one of your performances in 1,000 years' time, what would it tell them about the year 2006?
It's still unusual to see a woman conducting an orchestra. I hope in 1,000 years it won't seem that unusual - and hopefully it won't take that long.
Vinyl or MP3?
MP3, although I seem unable to get rid of my vinyl.
Classical or contemporary?

It's 50/50 for me. I love to look at the masterpieces juxtaposed with contemporary art, because one informs the other.
What one song would work as the soundtrack to your life?
My Way by Frank Sinatra.
Favourite film?
Witness for the Prosecution, with Charles Laughton. It's an old-style thriller with great acting and intrigue.
Favourite museum?
The Rodin museum in Paris. I love sculpture and three-dimensional art.


What's the greatest threat to art today?
The greatest threat to the world today, and this translates to art, is fanatical monotheism. And maybe that also translates into extreme conservatism.
What work of art would you most like to own?
My favourite painter is Kandinsky, but I couldn't pick from among his work. The way he uses colour is so inspiring.
Complete this sentence: At heart I'm just a frustrated ...
Carpenter and cook.
What do you know that no one else does?
That the only person who can really affect who I am and what I achieve is myself. You can choose to be your own best friend or your own worst enemy - that was a hard lesson to learn for me.
In the film of your life, who plays you?
A cross between Meryl Streep and Hilary Swank.

What's the best advice anyone ever gave you?
Leonard Bernstein said to me, in essence: "Don't try to be anyone else except yourself."
In short
Born: New York City, 1956.
Lives: Denver, Colorado.
Career: Became principal conductor of the Bournemouth Symphony Orchestra in 2002. Recently appointed music director of the Baltimore Symphony, starting in 2007.
High point: "At the Tanglewood Music Center, in Massachusetts, when I conducted a concert with Leonard Bernstein."
Low point: "Getting started. You can't even practice - you have to have 40 people come round to your apartment."

THE GUARDIAN








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Tuesday, November 21, 2006

Portrait of the artist / Thea Sharrock / 'Bureaucracy is the greatest threat to art today'




Portrait of the artist

Thea Sharrock

Director




'Bureaucracy is the greatest threat to art today - we're such a box-ticking society'

Interview by Natalie Hanman

Tuesday 21 November 2006 00.09 GMT




What got you started?
A play called The Suit, directed by Barney Simon.
What was your first big breakthrough?
Winning the James Menzies-Kitchin award for young directors in 2000, which enabled me to direct Top Girls by Caryl Churchill.
Who or what have you sacrificed for your art?
Holidays.
What one song would you choose as the soundtrack to your life?
Ain't Nobody by Chaka Khan.
What's your favourite film and why?
Fletch with Chevy Chase, because the Moon River part still makes me laugh.
What cultural tip would you give a tourist about Britain's arts scene?
Save up.
Vinyl or MP3?
Vinyl, every time. Some bits of history are worth preserving, and vinyl is going to be wiped out pretty soon - so someone's got to stand up for it.
What's the greatest threat to art today?
Bureaucracy. It's an extension of political correctness - the world we now live in is such a box-ticking society. Surely the arts should be the most important thing.



What work of art would you most like to own?
Any late Matisse.
Best thing on TV at the moment?
The Sopranos.
Complete this sentence: At heart I'm just a frustrated ...
Midfield playmaker.
What do you know that no one else does?
How much I love my husband.
In the movie of your life, who plays you?
Natalie Portman.
Who do you envy?
People who work nine till five.
Who would you most like to work with?
Paul Newman. He's one of the greatest actors we've ever been lucky enough to have, and to work with him on stage would be amazing.
What's the best advice anyone ever gave you?
When I was assisting, the director Dominic Cooke told me: "Always try to work with people who are better than you." I will always remember that.
In short
Born London, 1976
Lives London
Career Directed Top Girls at the Battersea Arts Centre in 2000. Artistic director of the Southwark Playhouse, 2001-2004; artistic director of the Gate Theatre, London. Currently directing Eugene Ionesco's The Chairs at the Gate until December 16.
High point "I hope I haven't had it yet"
Low point "Fringe theatre wages"
THE GUARDIAN







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Friday, November 17, 2006

Scarlett Johansson and Dita von Teese



Scarlett Johansson 
and Dita von Teese 
Flaunt magazine October 2006
Fotos by James White.










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Thursday, November 16, 2006

My best shot / Mario Testino / Eva Herzigova



Mario Testino's best shot



Interview by Leo Benedictus
Thursday 16 November 2006 12.01 GMT

A
t the time, Eva Herzigova represented Wonderbra, which stood for exuberance, glamour, excess. But just because she could do glamour well didn't mean she couldn't do anything else. My reaction was: let's make her look the extreme opposite of what she is meant to look like. People were also seeing me as the person who had done Gucci, which is sexy, and this picture is completely the opposite. So it's saying: don't limit me.




The shoot took place one day at a studio in Paris. We bought a lot of blood from the butcher down the road - and we kept on bringing more. It was a disgusting experience, because of the stench, but Eva was a total sport. Blood also goes brown pretty quickly, so we had to work quite fast. We did eight pages with Eva as a butcher, but this image always grabbed my attention - I don't know why.


It's a daylight picture, with all natural light. I used a Pentax 67. I can't remember the film - probably a Kodak 400 ASA colour negative. In this case, the picture had to be as raw as possible, so it probably had no retouching.
The photograph represents a period in my fashion work I am very attached to. It was one of a series of pictures I did in 1997 with Carine Roitfeld, now editor-in-chief of French Vogue, which wasn't about the photography itself, so much as the content.


There are never any absolutes in the fashion business: one day you may like black and the next day you like colour. I think it's a good lesson that we should never believe too much in any one thing - because the next day it's out, and if we're stuck to it, we're out, too.
2007
005 My best shot / Anne Hardy / Untitled VI
006 My best shot / Rankin / Beautyfull
007 Margaret Salmon's best shot / María
008 Hannah Starkey's best shot / Two Girls
009 Gered Mankowitz's best shot / The Rolling Stones
010 Don McCullin's best shot
011 Chuck Close's best shot / A Couple of Ways of Doing Something

Jurgen Schadeberg's best shot / Nelson Mandela  XLINK 2007
2017

2018
My best shot / Peter Dench's best photograph / Drunks kiss and throw up at the Epsom Derby
Nino Migliori's best photograph / A gravity-defying Italian diver
My best photograph / Mars rover Curiosity's shot of the hill she'll never climb

2019


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Tuesday, November 14, 2006

'Portrait of the artist / Rankin / I wouldn't want there to be another me'

Rankin

Portrait of the artist

Rankin

Photographer


'I wouldn't want there to be another me. I've been a bit of a nightmare in my life'
My best shot / Rankin / Beautyfull


Interview by Natalie Hanman

Tuesday 14 November 2006 00.18 GMT
Self-Portrait
Rankin


What got you started?
I saw W Eugene Smith's work at the Barbican art gallery a long time ago. I was completely inspired to be that kind of photographer.
What was your big break?
Photographing Björk for Dazed and Confused in the early 1990s. It was the first time I earned a substantial fee for doing something that I loved.
If someone saw one of your photographs in 1,000 years' time, what would it tell them about the year 2006?
Digital retouching has a massive influence on photography now. People looking back at this period in time will see that everything is enhanced - from TV programmes to people. Some of my photographs try to reject that.
Is your work fashionable?
No - I think the most important thing in photography is that your work survives the test of time.
Who or what have you sacrificed for your art?
My personal life, until recently.
What's the greatest threat to art today?
Commerce. We all earn far too much money.
Does an artist need to suffer to create?
It certainly helps if you're going through a difficult time, whether it's financial or personal.

Vinyl or MP3?
Vinyl because the sound quality is better. MP3s because I'm as lazy as every other person in the world.
What one song would you choose as the soundtrack to your life?
The one song I always go back to is I See a Darkness by Will Oldham. Johnny Cash does a version that I particularly like.
What's your favourite film?
Cinema Paradiso - emotionally it takes me on a journey each time. It makes me cry, and I do like a cry. I'm a bit of a baby, really.
What cultural tip would you give a tourist about Britain's arts scene?
Don't believe the hype.
What work of art would you most like to own?
Pretty much anything by Damien Hirst.
Best thing you've seen on TV recently?
Prime Suspect.
Who's the next you?
I would never want there to be another me. I wouldn't want to inflict that on the world. I've been a bit of a nightmare in my life.
In the movie of your life, who plays you?
Marc Warren. He would play me very well - a skinnier and better-looking me.
What would you do if your eyes failed?

 Blag it and buy an auto-focus camera.

 Who do you envy?
My son. He's got his whole life ahead of him. I envy that innocence and potential.
Who would you most like to work with?
Sean Penn. I'm trying to direct films at the moment and I'm very attracted to him creatively.
In brief
Born Glasgow, 1966
Lives London
Career In 1991, he co-founded Dazed and Confused magazine. A book of photographs of his favourite model, Tuulitastic: A Photographic Love Letter, is published this month
High point 'My first exhibition, Female Nudes'
Low point 'I don't have any - it's been pretty much up all the way






2013
Philip Glass / Nobody makes you choose the life of an artist
Colm Tóibín / I work very deliberately, with a plan
Kristin Scott Thomas / The English Patient or Four Weddings
Margaret Drabble / "I think about Shakespeare every day"
Cornelia Parker / "I didn't make any money out of my art until I was in my 40s"

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