RUSSELL TOVEY - No.411

Fold Gallery London

September's photography show is going to be amazing! A collaboration between photographer Kuba Wieczorek and TV/Film Director Colin Teague (Director of Being Human). Check out the website www.foldgallery.com for info.

Above:

Sample photo of Russell Tovey

Kuba Wieczorek is a photographer specialising in advertising and fashion – having started his career assisting the British photographer Red Saunders in the late ‘90’s. His trademark is his use of the 5 x 4 plate camera – using it for portraiture rather than architectural photography (which is the traditional use of the 5 x 4 system). Kuba’s work has been described as “disturbingly beautiful – capturing a world caught somewhere between reality and dreams”.

Kuba’s influences: August Sander, Philip Lorca di’Corcia, film noir (creating theatre through use of light).

Colin Teague is a Director and Producer. He has directed episodes of three different series in the "Doctor Who" fictional universe Doctor Who (2005),Torchwood (2006) ,The Sarah Jane Adventures(2007) as well as Holby City to name a few. He is currently one of the Directors of “Being Human’’

Kuba and Colin decided to team up to shoot the theatre project. Colin’s directing background would add a new twist to the stillness of Kuba’s photography – and create an interesting dynamic between subject (actor) photographer and director.

The theatre project is an experiment in controlled reportage. Kuba and Colin wanted to occupy the actor’s most private space and record the moment of ‘character change’, whilst controlling the lighting in the scene. In effect, they created a stage onto which the actors could prepare, each in their own individual way.

There are 2 heroes of each scene – the actors themselves and the dressing room they occupy. The method of each work is consistent across the project: the scene is lit, the plate camera is set up in the dressing room and the actors then enter the scene and prepare as they normally would. The plate camera forces a detached sense of reality – inverting each scene on its ground glass screen.