Beyond the Single Image - Angus Stewart ARPS

Angus Stewart ARPS, ‘Double Bass’ December 2019

This shot is from an ongoing project on cabaret and burlesque in London and was taken at a charity show raising money for Cabaret vs Cancer. The performers worked with the band to create original acts for the show, and in this case the performer’s costume was a ‘big bass’. I particularly liked the shot because the cabaret performer is mirrored with the musician behind. The band gave the whole show a speakeasy feel - it was a great evening for a great cause.

Double Bass

Angus Stewart ARPS

How did the project originate?

About eight years ago, a friend who had bought a couple of my circus prints asked if I would photograph a charity burlesque show that she was appearing in, and I have continued to work with her and others since.

I am interested in documentary or environmental portraiture - backstage, the community, friendships. Though the project is ostensibly about burlesque, it’s not about nudity or undressing, it’s a documentary project about a community and fun, and laughter. It’s really important that this work is not seen as prurient.

It was never conceived as a project, just something that I was doing on the side with friends. Through lockdown I have been pulling it together as a book of images and interviews with people like the performers, producers, and teachers.

How did you manage to secure such close access and relationships with the performers?

In this type of photography, access and permission are key, particularly when working with performers who are off stage and off guard or may be semi clothed. It’s key that candid photography, as well as being real, has to be respectful. This is a complex area and trust is built over time. I always ask the stage manager or producer to introduce me on arrival and give anybody free rein to ask me to leave the changing room or not photograph them. The images I take are always sent to the producer and onto the performers, and I ask permission before posting them online.

The environment you were working in is not ideal for photography – how did you approach it?

The thing with turning up at an event in a pub or small theatre is that you are not going to have ideal conditions. Changing rooms are cramped, lighting is poor, the best place to shoot show shots is in the premium seats, which are sold. I always arrive early and talk to the performers and crew, so they understand who I am and what I am doing. I take several cameras, a medium format for the rare occasion there is excellent light, a rangefinder with two lenses, a Leica Q2 and I have an old Fuji X100S which I keep in a side pocket of my bag - it still produces amazing images in a tight spot.

What are your photographic influences?

Susan Meiselas – brilliant documentary photographer, her use of text along with images really helped me understand how I could combine both to tell stories.

Bruce Davidson’s ability to work with a group or community over time and produce a set of images that really show the personal connections and interactions is inspirational.

Dayanita Singh produces amazing work, but it is not simply the images. The display of the images such as her book objects, small museums, home galleries is key to her work. She is really important as an artist to me as I feel that a digital image is always secondary to a printed image or book. My studio is full of prints, booklets, books; physical ideas of how the work could be expressed. If I do a studio shoot part of the output is always a mounted print.

Roy DeCarava’s The Sweet Flypaper of Life is one of my favourite books – a wonderful collaboration between a poet and a photographer about life and relationships and dancing and community - important things.

Could you talk me through a few of your images?

Dixie and Proud

Angus Stewart ARPS

‘Dixie at Proud’ – burlesque photography is not about nudity, and, for me, this image demonstrates how that can work. We are told so often to be quieter, be smaller, not shout about our achievements. This is Dixie on stage, taking up space and having a moment of calm as the audience cheer her on, she is powerful, and proud. I love this image.

Three Queens

Angus Stewart ARPS

‘Three Queens’ – taken during a moment of down time on a shoot, three friends sharing a joke. Sometimes you know you have a great picture the moment it happens. This was the image that proved to me that I could produce work about burlesque that would be about community not nudity.

Backstage at Bush Hall

Angus Stewart ARPS

‘Backstage at Bush Hall’ – this was taken before a show while the performers were getting ready. I think the image really captures the excitement and fun backstage – not enough space for everyone to sit down, but room enough for everyone to be welcome.

A Fair and Equal Society

Angus Stewart ARPS

Sadie Sinner

Angus Stewart ARPS

Undress Rehearsal

Angus Stewart ARPS

Rara Laughing

Angus Stewart ARPS

Ringmaster at the Show

Angus Stewart ARPS

Roxy Van Plume

Angus Stewart ARPS

Emerald Ellie Heads to the Stage

Angus Stewart ARPS

Velvet Practicing Backstage

Angus Stewart ARPS

Lyn Ruth Miller

Angus Stewart ARPS

Vixen Victoire

Angus Stewart ARPS

Angus Stewart: Biographical details

I am a self-taught professional photographer based in London, with a focus on Social Documentary photography and portraiture. Current and recent projects include:

Photographing grass roots activists in London and Salvador in conjunction with UCL and UFBA, ‘Rights To The City’ project – this was published as an academic text book in March 2020.

Currently working on a commission from Lambeth Council and Photofusion on Leadership in the Borough. It started pre-Covid and has been expanded to include ‘Leadership during Lockdown’, and this collection of portraits of hospital workers, public health teams etc. will be exhibited from May 2021 until later in the year.

‘The Family Album’ a collection of photographs and interviews of the burlesque and cabaret community in London which will be published 2021.

Personal project, ‘With Love Jeannette’ this is a project that addresses the fragmentary nature of history and knowledge and the continuity of human experience. It is a collection of found documents and photographs with new images showing ‘then and now’ related to events from the early 20th century.

Engaged with The Global Disability Innovation Hub (GDI Hub) a global charity working on participatory projects in informal settlements.

Exhibitions: Federal University of Bahia (UFBA) Rights To The City – 2019; Conway Hall, London, Rights To The City – March 2020; Photofusion, Salon - December 2018 and December 2019; PH21 Gallery, Budapest, Masculine/Feminine – March 2021; Contemporary Portraiture – April 2021 Lambeth Town Hall; Leadership in Lambeth – runs until later this year. www.photofusion.org