LFI Magazine 4/2019 E

4 198801 308909

D 19088 F

4 . 2 0 1 9 M aY | J u n E

D 8,90 € NL B L 10,10 € I 10,20 € UK 8,20 £

04

José Luis Carrillo Xiomara Bender Nicoló Lanfranchi Robin Maddock

L e i c a F o t o g r a f i e I n t e r n at i o n a l E n g l i s h E d i t i o n

Lenny Kravitz

Repeat Winner of the TIPA Award – 2013/2017

‘ Best Photo Lab Worldwide’

All rights reserved. We reserve the right to change prices and correct errors. Avenso Photo Art Inc. © Photo by Luke Stackpoole

Awarded by the Editors of 29 International Photography Magazines

YOUR PHOTO IN A GALLERY FRAME From

Transform treasured memories into memorable wall art.

Your photos printed, mounted, and framed in the exact format you want.

Upload and turn your pictures into custom works of art – even from your smartphone.

WhiteWall.com

$49.90

L fi 4 . 2 0 1 9

p o rt f o l i o l i g h t b ox

F / s to p

1 0 2 | L f i . Gallery

86 |“DRIFTER” SET

More than 25000 photographers present over half a million images in the LFI Gallery. In this issue: a rainy night, a star with legs, and a headless pedestrian

Sepia brown paint and faux python leather: The “Drifter” set created by Lenny Kravitz combines the technical specifications of the Leica M Monochrom with an unusually extravagant design

P h oto

9 4 | C L “ B AU H AU S ”

1 1 2 | B o o ks

No-frills aesthetics in silver and black: The special-edition Leica CL marks the centenary of the Bauhaus movement, and pays tribute to a shared ethos

New publications by Alec Soth, Evelyn Hofer and Guy Tillim; and, on the occasion of the 100 year jubilee of its founding, the photo book Bauhaus­mädels

Nicoló Lanfranchi: from his project about the Macuxi

1 1 4 | e x hibiti o ns

9 8 | Q 2 & B luet o o th What are the benefits of dual connectivity? The Leica Q2 enables wireless data transfer both via Wi-Fi and Bluetooth LE

Xiomara Bender 8 | T he P o w er o f D rea m s

Formation, community and perfect performance: How the Democratic People’s Republic of Korea celebrates its 70th birthday

Nicoló Lanfranchi 2 2 | Macu x i stru g g les Dangerously beautiful: Lenny Kravitz’s “Drifter“ with synthetic, faux python-skin trim

They are proud and they are many: in northern Brazil the indigenous Macuxi people fight against assaults on their land

Robin Maddock

Anthony Hernandez, Kansas City; Alex Prager, Amsterdam; Seaside Photographed in Kent; The Body Observed, Norwich; and Erwin Olaf, Paris 1 1 6 | L eica Galleries The programme of Leica Galleries around the world, including Yashuhisa Ishii in Tokyo, Anatol Kotte in Constance and Ralph Gibson in London 1 1 8 | I nter v ie w Photographer Sirkka-Liisa Konttinen, co-founder of the film and photo collective Amber, speaks about their archives as the source of inspiration

3 8 | W H I T E , W H I T E A N D AWAY

What do a ping-pong ball, spilled milk and white paper have in common? A photo essay on the fugacity of the moment

José Luis Carrillo 4 8 | S MO K E A N D S H A D OW S

Welcome to the fairytale world of Cannabis Social Clubs: a rather surreal series about people and their love of weed

1 2 2 | m y picture Whoever believes that selfies are a phenomenon of the 21st century will learn differently from Jean Pigozzi 1 2 2 | i m print

Lenny Kravitz 5 8 | D rifter

Portraits and street scenes, staged and situational: exciting glimpses into the life of the musician, designer and photographer

Cover: Lenny Kravitz, photographed by Mark Seliger

lFI

| 3

LEica Event

L e n n y K rav i tz Drifter

When asked in early 2019, what he would take on a journey if allowed only five items in his bag, Lenny Kravitz replied: “My guitar, my Leica camera, some jeans, a T-shirt and a jacket. I am straight.” The question came from Mark Seliger, the great New York photographer who, from 1992 to 2002, was chief photographer for Rolling Stone magazine and the creator of more than 150 of its covers. After leaving the magazine he received commissions from Vanity Fair and GQ, and Netflix, to name just a few. Seliger has 4 |

lFi

won numerous awards, his work is exhibited in major museums and galleries. Every person of distinction in the entertainment business has stood in front of his camera, including the multitalented Kravitz who, in addition to being a rock musician, has made a name for himself as a producer, designer and photographer. Their encounter resulted in a video and portraits of Kravitz with “Drifter”, his new special edition Leica – an M Monochrom with synthetic leather covering in imitation python (page 86).

Kravitz has been taking photographs for many years and has now put together a selection that will be presented for the first time in an exhibition at the Leica Gallery Wetzlar: Drifter will be on display as of 24 May 2019 (page 58). Kravitz reveals his life as a drifter, moving between shows and hotel rooms, in loud city streets and in quiet moments. When he picked up photography again, Lenny explains, he dove into it the same way he dove into music because, “it’s added so much joy and art to my life. It’s quite fulfilling”.

Photo: © Mark Seliger

Lenny Kravitz with the Leica M Monochrom ‘Drifter’. Photographed

by Mark Seliger in the streets of New York, 2019

DAS WESENTLICHE.

DETAILs Matter

NEw: APO-Summicron-SL 35 f/2 ASPH. The details are what make pictures truly fascinating. Street photography is a particularly challenging genre for photographers. And for their tools. With its exceptional image performance, fast autofocus, and robust construction, the new APO-Summicron-SL 35 f/2 ASPH. is not only the perfect choice for street photography, but also impresses with the highest resolution in architecture, landscape and portrait photography.

Discover more at leicasl.com

Leica Camera AG I Am Leitz-Park 5 I 35578 Wetzlar I GERMANY I www.leica-camera.com

L F I M agaz i n e

N e w s u b s c r i p t i o n F o r m at N o w a l s o p u r e ly d i g i ta l

L E I C A F O T O G R A F I E I N T E R N AT I O N A L

L E I C A F O T O G R A F I E I N T E R N AT I O N A L

René & Radka

Josef Koudelka Francesco Anselmi Cris Toala Olivares

ENGLISH EDITION

ENGLISH EDITION L E IC A F OTO G R A F I E I N T E R N AT I O N A L

01

J U LY

4 198801 1 1 307506 3 6

ENGLISH EDITION

D 7,50 € NL B L 8,70 € I 8,80 € SEK 96,00

JA N UA RY

5. 2 0 1 7

ENGLISH EDITION

AB170847_E_LFI_05_2017_Umschlag_9mm_RZ.indd 1

5. 2 0 1 7

1. 2 0 1 8

D 7,50 € NL B L 8,70 € I 8,80 € SEK 96,00

1. 2 0 1 8

D 19088 F

D 19088 F

05

L E IC A F OTO G R A F I E I N T E R N AT I O N A L

D

Fred Herzog Tomaso Baldessarini Danny Wilcox Frazier

4 198801 1 1 307506 3 6

DY

70 Years Magnum Photos

20.11.17 10:12

01.06.17 13:44

For subscribers: a flat rate for all digital issues of LFI

A new, slick and reader-friendly subscription offer with unlimited access to LFI’s digital archives awaits you during this, LFI’s 70th Jubilee year. There are now two new ways to subscribe to the magazine: a standard subscription that includes the printed and digital issues of LFI, and a purely digital subscription available via the LFI App. As a subscriber – regardless of whether print or digital – you not only continue to have immediate free access to the latest issue, but also to all available digital issues of LFI: a flat rate for what is currently a collection of over 300 magazines, beginning with the very first issue from 1949. It is only the special editions, such as the yearly Leica Oskar Barnack Award issues, that still have to be paid for as they are not part of the subscription. In addition to the standard and digital subscriptions, gift and mini subscriptions for three issues of LFI remain in place. You can find further information of all our subscription options at: bit.ly/LFI-subscription

Contributors

The Italian photographer spent a number of weeks in the northern part of Brazil taking portraits of the indigenous Macuxi people. The respect he received there as a result, opened doors that enabled him to work further in the area: “There is an incredible amount going on right now in the remote areas bordering Venezuela and Guyana – and it won’t be changing any time soon,” he reports. That is why Lanfranchi is happy to have created a network in the region, thanks to the project with the Macuxi.

6 |

lFi

X i o m a ra B e n d e r The photographer has frequently travelled to North Korea. On one occasion, she had the chance to photograph alone. “The Helmut Sacher Café with fine coffee has been located at Kim-Il-sung Square for a few years.

My group had already returned there and I made use of the situation to take pictures. One guide remained with me. After ten minutes, he became restless and asked me to come along later, as he also wanted a cappuccino.

That was pretty unusual and had never happened before.”

Robin Maddock

Packing a Leica R6.2, a ping-pong ball, a blank sheet of paper and some milk he could spill, Maddock headed out to New York, Los Angeles and San Francisco, where he completed his III series. “The main reason I bought the camera was because the salesperson told me that Salgado had used one. I learned photography with my father’s old SLR camera – I like the fact that what you see is exactly what you get. I also like the sound of the release – really loud! I listen to the click of all my cameras!”

Photos (from the left): © Carlo Bevilacqua, © Artjom Gilz

N i c o ló L a nf ra n c h i

HALF CASES FOR ALL LEICA M CAMERAS, MONOCHROM, Q, CL, S AND SL

50 € DISCOUNT ON ALL LEICA HALF CASES USING THE VOUCHER “LFI50”

ANGELOPELLE.COM

LeicA SL

Xiomara Bender t h e p ow e r o f d r ea m s

In 2018, photographer Xiomara Bender travelled to North Korea to cover the 70th anniversary of the founding of the Democratic People’s Republic. Welcome to the land of perfect unison.

In 2018, Berlin-based photographer Xiomara Bender travelled to North Korea’s capital of Pyongyang, where the streets became the stage for an enormous military parade to celebrate the nation’s 70th founding anniversary

12 |

lFi

lFI

| 13

The celebrations continued inside the May Day Stadium on Rungra Island, Pyongyang – currently the largest stadium in the world. The venue seats up to 150 000 people; some 100 000 performers delivered a meticulously choreographed show

16 |

lFi

lFI

| 17

When I think of North Korea, my first reaction is a feeling of tenderness.

Even more surprisingly, the time I found myself swept up in this emotion was during a military parade. This was not exactly what I had anticipated when preparing for my trip to the Korean Peninsula: given the occasion, I had expected an imposing showcase of heavy artillery, steel tanks and rockets – a hostile, blatantly aggrandising assertion of power, infused with frenzied propaganda. I had felt sure there would be both hysteria and hatred – directed against America, imperialism and the Western world at large. Consciously and purposefully, I had braced myself for an uncomfortable, intimidating experience. How else would you picture the 70th Anniversary celebrations of the world’s last remaining Stalinist dictatorship?

For decades, North Korea has been firmly anchored in our minds as a global, potentially even nuclear, threat.

It is a country we primarily associate with denunciations, oppression and fear, whose population – we imagine – must radiate a noticeable sense of anguish and unease.

And so I stood, curious and mesmerised, on one of Pyongyang’s vast and endlessly straight boulevards, while convoys of army trucks rolled past either side of me. Their open-topped loading decks carried the slender figures of young men and women soldiers, holding balloons instead of guns – cheering, waving and laughing with almost childlike ease. It was extraordinary to see these Soviet-era trucks drive towards me, delivering merriment rather than animosity. I found myself amidst a crowd in the middle of the boulevard – none of the many policemen, nor our two obligatory minders, had prevented me from stepping right out into the road. The soldiers were reaching out their hands towards the spectators, to high five one outstretched palm after another.

20 |

lFi

Sometimes I maintained our fleeting contact for a few seconds by keeping my eyes trained on the passing soldier’s face; this way, we ended up looking at each other, almost wistfully, as they slowly moved away.

Out of all my impressions of North Korea, what remains most prevalent is the omnipresence of mass formations in all areas of life. From harvesting sweetcorn to practising Tai-Chi on the banks of the Taedong, from gymnastics to dance performances: no-one ever seems to do anything on their own, or show any signs of the kind of individuality we consider such a key element of a fulfilling life. We witnessed the ultimate manifestation of these regimented group dynamics when we attended the Arirang Festival, also known as the Mass Games, at the May Day Stadium in Pyongyang. The vastscale spectacle consisted of meticulously choreographed reenactments of North Korea’s 70-year history – involving thousands of acrobats, dancers, athletes, musicians and children’s groups. North Korea’s ability to organise the masses seems entirely unparalleled. I am still amazed at the sheer perfection of these performances – made possible, no doubt, by the discipline that has been drilled into the country’s subjects by the Kim dynasty’s ideology.

North Korea is the last country of its kind. It essentially represents the direct opposite of the freedom and abundance that form the basis of our lives. I had the privilege of accompanying photographer Xiomara Bender to this ‘world unto itself’. As her companion, I also benefitted from her ten-year relationship with the governmental body responsible for foreign visitors, so that I was allowed to move more freely than I could have imagined. Much of what I witnessed seemed strange and alien to my Western eyes. However, beyond the uniformity and homogenous collectivity, I detected something else: a sense of dignity, which Bender’s images manage to transport into our very different world. marc oliver rühle

Xiomara Bender Born in Basel, Switzerland, in 1987, she spent some time in India before finishing her high school education, then studying at the University of Art and Design in Berlin. She has worked as a freelance photographer ever since. Her volume North Korea. The Power of Dreams (released by Kehrer Publishing in 2016) was selected for the 2018 Hochschule der Medien Photo Book Award.

The series was exhibited in numerous galleries and featured in major magazines. xiomara-be n de r.com LFI -On lin e .DE /B log: North Korea — Behind the Scenes

Equipment: Leica SL with Apo-Vario-

Elmarit-SL 90–280 f/1:2.8–4

» LEICA – THE ELIXIR OF LIFE « Our Leica Boutique Hamm offers the full assortment of Leica products, as well as a comprehensive range of accessories for the ultimate photography experience. We take the necessary time to give our customers individual and competent advice. In addition, our services include purchasing, exchanges and trade-ins. People from 89 countries have been our faithful customers for decades.

Manuel Machado, owner

FOTO MACHADO Leica Boutique Hamm, Bahnhofstraße 9, 59065 Hamm, Phone: +49 (0)2381 92 72 10, www.fotomachado.de

LeicA CL

Nicolรณ Lanfranchi

M Ac ux i

22 |

lFi

STRUGGLES

lFI

| 23

In the indigenous territories on Brazil’s northern border there is a fight brewing over raw materials, land and influence. Together with journalist Dom Phillips, the photographer Nicoló Lanfranchi headed to the centre of an age-old conflict that risks spiralling out of control due to the policies of the new Brazilian president. The Macuxi are ready to respond to current political changes in their country.

The indigenous people of Romaina are politically very involved. During hour-long meetings, they put together plans to put an end to the advances of the far right

24 |

lFi

A vulture silently circles over the Roraima steppe. It smells of cleared land but you can still search in vain for any large populated cities. Traces of civilisation survive here and there, and relics from the colonial past dot the expansive landscape. Roraima is the most northern and least populated state in Brazil, and its 600 000 residents make up less than 5 percent of the entire population. Of these, half lead lives far removed from the lasciviousness of industrialised countries. Here in the Uiramutã community, people care about preserving their indigenous culture. The Raposa Serra do Sol Reservation extends for roughly 170 000 square kilometres and is home to around 20 000 native people who are primarily Macuxi. They earn their livelihood through a combination of agriculture and animal husbandry.

Daily life is far from idyllic and this struggle has roots reaching back to the 18th century, when missionary villages were set up in Macuxi territory by the first Portuguese colonialists.

During the rubber boom decades that followed, many indigenous people were forced to scratch together an existence as waged slaves. When rich sources of gold, copper, bauxite and diamonds were discovered on the reservation in the 20th century, the Macuxi suffered increasing attacks where the plundering and pillage of their communities became a part of daily life that continues even to this day. It has taken many years for the protection of their rights and territories to be enshrined in the Constitution, yet even so, the precept that developed in 1988 forbidding commercial mining of natural resources in their territory has only been half-heartedly respected. The election of Jair Bolsonaro to Brazil’s Presidency on 1 January 2019 tightens the noose around the throats of indigenous people even further. Bolsonaro is an ultraconservative, whose racist, misogynist and homophobic comments have already put him in the spotlight on the world stage.

His goal is to boost the country’s economy by whatever means available and he has big plans for this region rich in raw materials.

He talks about making environmental stipulations more flexible and modernising the working environment, but the Macuxi fear for their security because the reservation agreed upon by the government in 2009 is coming under threat. Shortly after assuming power, Bolsonaro passed a decree disallowing the National Indian Foundation’s (FUNAI) responsibility for the determination of indigenous land districts. It is now the Ministry of Agriculture, closely tied to the powerful commercial agricultural sector, that decides on questions of land distribution. This change intrudes deeply on the rights of those living on the reservation and represents considerable dangers for the region’s already fragile biodiversity. The move is packaged as an integration of the indigenous people into western society: that the Macuxi themselves are not in the slightest bit interested is treated as irrelevant. So, over the years they have learned to unite and to stand together as the Conselho Indigena de Roraima (CIR), a council determined to fight for the freedom from oppression of indigenous peoples.

The CIR meets regularly with local native peoples to discuss solutions for their problems.

As it happened on this particular day, the gathering included an Italian and a Brit. We refer of course, to the photographer Nicoló Lanfranchi and journalist Dom Phillips, who were following and documenting the daily life of the Macuxi. →

lFI

| 25

It was important for Lanfranchi that the Macuxi portraits present their struggle for societal emancipation in a dignified manner.

26 |

lFi

Even though the preservation of their cultures and the recognition of their territories is firmly anchored in the Brazilian Constitution of 1988, the rights of indigenous people have been massively curtailed for years. Commercial interests such as the multi-party large property owners front in the Brazilian Congress gain increasing influence over the use of reservations. As a result, the Macuxi have learned to organise themselves: regular meetings have the aim of participating actively in the political process in order to strengthen their rights. These meetings host hundreds, at times thousands, of participants

lFI

| 27

28 |

lFi

Dionito Jose de Souza (51, left) and Keila Pereira Alexandre (15, above) of the Macuxi tribe in Uiramutã.

Lanfranchi: “The only things I needed for the portraits were my Leica CL, a black cloth and a place with good lighting.” During the photo shoots, there was virtually no communication between the photographer and his subjects. Their self-confidence is particularly strong in these portraits

lFI

| 29

Western or festive? “The Macuxi only wear their traditional clothing, their headdresses and body paint for special occasions, like this important political meeting. They represent power and respect,” Lanfranchi explains. Above: Estenio da Silva (24) is the son of the tribal chief of the indigenous people of Uiramutã.

Right: Doani (5) and Yamili (7) are the grandchildren of the shaman Mariana (see page 36)

30 |

lFi

lFI

| 31

T h e M acux i are a p eace-lov ing pe opl e , but th e ir daily life is defined by oppression. Politics is the only w eap o n t hey hav e to de fe nd th e ms e lv e s.

32 |

lFi

This youngster at the left has the sentence ‘I am an Indian, I am a warrior’ on his back. Pride defines the life of the Macuxi. This is not only noticeable in the way they deal among themselves and with strangers, but also through their clothing.

Impressed by their attitude to life, Lanfranchi decided to take portraits of the Macuxi. The indigenous people know about the wealth of natural resources available in their reservations and, in addition to displacement and forced settlements, fear for the uncontrolled mining of raw materials in their territories. They are doing everything in their power to oppose the process

Roughly 900 000 indigenous people live in 300 tribes across Brazil. The Fundação Nacional do Índio looks after their protection and the preservation of their cultures. Since the ultra-conservative President Jair Bolsonaro began his term in 2019, he has increasingly reduced their executive power. Following page: Mariana Tobias (71), comes from the Barro community in Pacaraima, the region neighbouring Uiramutã. She is a Pajé – a person who has learnt to deal with traditional healing remedies since she was a child. She is passing this ability on to her granddaughters Doani and Yamili (see page 31)

34 |

lFi

President Bolsonaro is only concentrating on e c o n o m i c d e v e lo pm e nt. T h e c o u r s e h e i s fo llowin g co u ld d e stroy indige nous culture s.

lFI

| 35

36 |

lFi

N i c o l Ó L an f ran c h i In addition to his work as a fashion, commercial and portrait photographer, the Italian is passionate about narrative, documentary photography. Among other things, he is already doing research into the environmental catastrophe at the Rio Doce in Brazil, for Amnesty International and Greenpeace. His photographic and audio-visual work tells stories centred around people. Lanfranchi’s work is published by the likes of Der Spiegel, The Guardian and Internazionale, and he teaches storytelling at the Istituto Europeo di Design in Milan.

n i co lan f ran c h i.co m L FI-Onl i ne .D E / B lo g : Slideshow — NicolÓ Lanfranchi on Board the MV Aquarius

Eqipment: Leica CL

with Elmarit-TL 18 f/2.8 Asph

Lanfranchi has been extremely interested in indigenous issues for a long time, and until recently covered indigenous groups on the Rio Doce. The photographer believes it is precisely at times when a political situation reaches a peak that it is important to publish stories like this. During their various weeks in Brazil, Lanfranchi and Phillips took part in the discourses of the Macuxi, where a few hundred, or at times a few thousand, people from the whole reservation come together. “The Macuxi are very active, well organised and are constantly developing plans,” Lanfranchi explains, obviously impressed by the structured approach to the meetings. “Everything happens at eye level: each person is included in the community in equal measure.” Fortunately, there was not too much of a language barrier. For sure, the Macuxi have their own language, but the two Europeans were able to communicate with them in Portuguese. During long meetings, the community discusses what they are dealing with at any given time: some issues are age-old problems that have become more relevant and pressing because of the Bolsonaro government. A culture of debate as well as the need to be actively involved in political developments, are behaviours the Macuxi have been forced to adopt. They have been oppressed, attacked and exploited too often and now they want to be able to act, to deal, to be heard. For this purpose, politics is the most powerful weapon at their disposal.

Lanfranchi decided to use his times with the Macuxi taking portraits that give expression to their pride. “I like to portray people, and wanted to develop a kind of catalogue of faces and characters – whether young or old, men or women.” Equipped with his Leica CL and a black cloth for a backdrop, he went looking for a spot with good lighting and invited the Macuxi to find their way into his improvised studio. At first, they did not have much trust in the effort, but their doubts about the power of the impact of Lanfranchi’s pictures soon disappeared: “People who minutes earlier hadn’t wanted to stand in front of the camera, now wanted to have prints of their pictures. That was a great gift for me,” he remembers. It was important for the photographer to stage their struggle for societal emancipation in a dignified manner. In complete silence and photographing with great seriousness, the communication between the photographer and his protagonists was mostly non-verbal.

The shoot marks the first time that Lanfranchi took portraits in this manner – and it will not be the last. “This effort was a key experience, because the Macuxi like my work and, consequently, came to accept me. They normally don’t want any reporters around them when their get-togethers take place. That opened further doors for me and allowed me to build up a whole network,” he explains. Well aware of his responsibility, he is continuing his project by photographing the fleeing indigenous people on the Brazilian border – also Macuxi. It is one of many, so far untold, stories they hope will bring their struggle for independence out into the world. “There’s an extreme action going on right now in the north of Brazil,” Lanfranchi confirms. However, the outcome of all these stories is still in the stars. “When I think about it, many of my stories are really pessimistic,” Lanfranchi admits.

“Even so, it’s important to me that these people have a chance to be heard.” He is right, of course. DANILO RÖssGER

lFI

| 37

LeicA R

Robin Maddock w h i t e , w h i t e a n d away

A ping-pong ball, a blank sheet of paper and some spilled milk: in his III series, Robin Maddock photographs three things that share the themes of movement and fleetingness in common. The items pause their journey briefly in his pictures – before light-footed and sinuously bouncing, flying or flowing on their way.

The start of the series: “I can remember the bench I was sitting on when I started throwing the ping-pong ball about ...”

38 |

lFi

lFI

| 39

40 |

lFi

Using an analogue camera made working on the III series a show piece for perfect timing: where does the shadow fall?

And, above all, where does the paper fly to, in which direction does the ball bounce, where does the milk flow? Quick movements and burning sunshine were the challenges that Robin Maddock had to deal with

lFI

| 41

42 |

lFi

Concrete jungles as far as the eye can see, interrupted but also structured by the interplay of shadow: this is how cityscapes are turned into stages. Maddock dedicated different objects to different cities: paper in New York and San Francisco, milk in San Francisco, and the ping-pong ball in Los Angeles

44 |

lFi

lFI

| 45

A blank sheet of paper – the starting point for any piece of conceptual work. In Maddock’s case it began with photo paper. Once he had the first successful picture, he could see the finished book in his mind’s eye

Robin Maddock Born in England in 1972, Maddock studied archaeology in Wales before doing a Master’s in Photographic Studies at the University in Westminster. His first photo book, Our Kids Are Going to Hell, appeared in 2009, followed by God Forgotten Face in 2011 (both from Trolley Books). The series presented here appeared in 2014 under the title III, also published by Trolley Books.

46 |

lFi

LFI: A ping pong ball, a blank sheet of paper and spilled milk – at a first glance three very different objects.

How did the idea to combine them into a series come about?

Robin Maddock: It all started with a ping-pong ball. I can remember the bench I was sitting on when I started throwing it about. I was thinking about the episode in Tin Tin, The Calculus Affair, where a little square piece of sticky tape travels around the world – an object on a journey. Equally important was the story Rupert the Bear and the Runaway Ball.

And why milk and paper?

I wanted to convey the feeling that form could seem to shift. I used different white objects, mostly when I was in different cities; paper in New York and San Francisco, milk in San Francisco, a ping-pong ball in Los Angeles.

It was good to know the one thing I was working with at any given time, so the mind could drift off.

Flying, floating, bouncing: is it movement that connects the objects?

Yes, levity and brevity, then making something stop in the camera, then on paper. There are moments when I turn the page in the book of the III series, when the categories suddenly blend into one another; those are the moments when I’m happiest. This conscious interplay, when the pictures slip onto the book pages, reflects both the pleasure and pains of editing. It was made even more complex by the fact that there was no story. But people have told me that they perceive a sense of levitation, floating or weightlessness in the pictures. That’s a nice idea, as the pictures are shot in these cities, which, in many ways, are the heaviest things we have ever created.

Did you always have the book in mind while photographing?

Yes. Once the first picture comes out really well, I always think books.

The project is totally different to your former documentary work.

I had been working on God Forgotten Face in Plymouth and needed to work on something completely different. I’m always trying to move forward. The work in III definitely informs other social documentary work I’m doing now, as I knew it would: nothing is stand alone. At the same time, this book was more about the pleasure of exploring a deeply historic landscape in fine weather.

Why did you choose California for your starting point?

There is so much going on right now, and California is the source of it all: our distorted relationship to technology and nature, the fear of death and ageing, vanity, lack of empathy.

The world has changed. I went there for the first time in 2000, and it felt like all the excitement was leaving.

My favourite 50s diner has been destroyed. In fact, last year when I revisited many of the places where I shot III, most were gone! I could never live with the rate at which America is trying to forget its more glorious past: I see too much greed and ignorance in that. But it’s a keen marker of where the rest of the world is going. So that’s why I shoot there.

Before this series you photographed in colour. Why did you now opt for black and white?

It becomes more abstract. Plus I was making it harder for myself; I mean, Los Angeles is all about the light and colour, and I’m principally a colour photographer. I also wanted to make something timeless which referenced the times of some of my favourite American heroes: Bukowski, Fante, Chandler, Evans, and so on. Shooting on film also has a different physical aspect: the timing of a shot at high speed in great light; making something sculptural from basic materials was wonderfully freeing. I had in mind arte povera, which came to us through artists like José Clemente Orozco and Francis Alÿs, who have both had a big influence on my work.

Present yet transient – is the ball a synonym for the photo itself ?

I think of the ball as a blind spot in the image rather than a comment on photography itself. Generally, I try to use photography to see more, to make something happen, and not to obscure.

I don’t do commercial photography or pictures for Instagram. Those are things that are about bending truth in a specific direction, to produce specific outcomes – in other words, to sell something. I look at this work and feel that I have created something that has an odd scent, that seems to have another logic.

What are your current projects?

I’m working on a three-year project about England since the EU referendum. It will include a lot of my and other people’s writing, as well as some older images from my archives going back twenty years. That will come out this Autumn. In addition, I have a big one in play about France, due to be finished next year. Then there’s also a finished book about my time in Nigeria. I’m just waiting for the green light to be able to use some archive images from the National Museum.

Do you have a motto that relates to your kind of photography?

Shoot first, ask questions later. I’m first led by the visual in the world, not by a text or a conceptual idea.

What advice would you have to offer young photographers?

Believe in your early ideas, but devote yourself to learning how to make them original! It doesn’t just happen, unless you are a genius, which is unlikely.

Interview: katrin iwanczuk

rob in maddoc k.com LF I-On lin e .DE /Blog: One Photo — One story Equipment: Leica R 6.2 with SummicronR 50 f/1:2 (Ernst Leitz Canada)

lFI

| 47

L e ic A M

JosĂŠ Luis Carrillo S m o k e a n d S h a d ows

In order to legally consume weed in Spain, Cannabis Social Clubs have been sprouting up like mushrooms in the past couple of years. Carrillo photographs members intoxicated by their favourite drug.

48 |

lFi

lFI

| 51

52 |

lFi

54 |

lFi

lFI

| 55

Myths and legends have long surrounded the marijuana plant, and the diversity of effects for those who partake is a guaranteed topic of conversation. Who grows the best weed?

What are the variants of experiences from which type of plant? And which missteps are transformed into the most entertaining carnivalesque anecdotes? The online databank, cannabis. info, lists no less than 1500 different strains and each one produces different effects when inhaled. Both the consumption of and communication about, cannabis have a bonding effect on users. Worldwide, it is estimated that 181.8 million people between the ages of 15 and 64 consume cannabis for non-medical reasons. According to a 2014 study on cannabis consumption carried out by the World Health Organisation, 13.1 million people are considered addicted.

In Spain, smoking hashish is also wide-spread and, just like in many European countries, cannabis users are in a legal grey zone: possession of up to five grams for personal use is allowed; but trafficking to any degree is forbidden. Consuming in a private setting is permitted, but against the law in public places. On the Iberian Peninsula, imaginative activists and sympathisers from the judiciary fought for permission to consume cannabis legally in public. The solution was to form Cannabis Social Clubs, where you can comfortably partake within the legal grey zone. With a yearly membership fee of 20–30 euros – but only with a recommendation – interested locals, and also tourists, get access to sitting-room-like clubs, which explicitly are not bars but rather cannabis consumption parlours.

The Cannabis Social Clubs also function as supply cooperatives, where one or two plants per member are grown in the back-garden, eliminating the need for a dealer. The first Cannabis Social Club in Spain was established in the year 2010, and by 2018

there were more than 800. There is even a Weedmaps app to reliably reveal their locations.

Josè Luis Carrillo has dealt with the subject of cannabis for a long time.

“I have photographed a reality I’ve belonged to since adolescence. I was always interested in the world of cannabis and the culture, literature and music that operate in this underworld, so it is a reality that I already know very well,” he explains. In 2018, equipped with an M240 with ApoSummicron-M 1:2/50, Carillo explored the Cannabis Social Clubs phenomenon in his home town of Alicante, where there are currently twelve clubs; though he was only allowed to take pictures in four of them. “I want to show a group of people who are lost in this society and who use cannabis as a means to re-connect with themselves, or to evade a reality in which they are not comfortable,” Carillo says, clarifying his intention. In his series he aims, “first of all, to break down false stereotypes articulated around cannabis users. And secondly, to show the reality of addiction, which is hidden behind the façade of fun”.

To achieve this, the photographer opted for a particular visual concept.

He photographs his subjects in a Cannabis Social Club setting, though it is not recognisable. No one is smoking and no joint is in sight. Even so, varying amounts of smoke soften faces surrounded by warm colours. The photographer translates the act of smoking weed into abstracted images of dreamy and strangely fey figures enjoying themselves. Within Carillo’s aesthetic framework, they speak of their relationship to cannabis.

As the photographer reveals, “the smoke and the red, green and yellow colours are unmistakable symbols of the cannabis world. I stretch, deform and alter that symbolism by filling the whole frame with smoke and generating an atmosphere of fanciful cannabis colour, separating the character from reality and taking the subjects to their inner world, the place from which I want them to express themselves.”

Carla Susanne Erdmann

56 |

lFi

J o s é L u i s C a r r i ll o Born in Alicante, Spain in 1977.

It was pictures in his grandmother’s old biscuit tin that awoke Carillo’s interest in photography. He is self-taught and has been Director of the Escuela de Fotografía Mistos (Alicante) since 2012, and Codirector of Máster PhotoAlicante en Fotografía Contemporánea since 2014. If asked how he best trained his eye, he quotes Henri Cartier-Bresson: “If this was just a matter of rules, all photography would already be done.”

jose lu isc arrillo.com LF I-On lin e .DE /B log: One Photo — One Story

Equipment: Leica M240 with ApoSummicron-M 50 f/2 Asph

PASSION FOR LEICA SINCE 1949

C O L O G N E

LeicA M

Lenny Kravitz

Drifter

58 |

lFi

lFI

| 59

Musician, actor, producer, designer – and photographer. In his new exhibition, Drifter, Lenny Kravitz once again shows that he knows his way around a camera. Intimate portraits and laconic snapshots, precisely observed scenes on the street and well-composed moments in a hotel room, Kravitz takes us on a journey and shows us his life.

Photo: Š Mark Seliger

62 |

lFi

lFI

| 63

64 |

lFi

lFI

| 65

66 |

lFi

lFI

| 67

68 |

lFi

lFI

| 69

70 |

lFi

lFI

| 71

72 |

lFi

lFI

| 73

74 |

lFi

lFI

| 75

76 |

lFi

lFI

| 77

78 |

lFi

lFI

| 79

80 |

lFi

lFI

| 81

82 |

lFi

lFI

| 83

He was introduced to photography as a baby, so to speak: Lenny Kravitz’s father worked as a photojournalist for NBC News, reporting from the Vietnam War. Kravitz started playing around with his father’s Leicaflex when he was still a child. “I was attracted to this instrument. It just looked like something that I wanted to know.” In 2015 he then developed his first camera for Leica – the “Correspondent” – in honour of his father. The same year also saw the appearance of his first photo book, Flash.

Now Kravitz is introducing his latest design object – the “Drifter” set, a special edition based on the Leica M Monochrom (see page 86). In parallel, the Leica Gallery in Wetzlar is presenting an exhibition from the Drifter series. “I am a drifter. I mean, that has been my life since I was 15 years old and left home. I’ve lived this lifestyle, I’m always on the road.” Kravitz takes us along for the ride, shows us intimate portraits and laconic snapshots, carefully observed scenes on the street and well-composed moments in hotel rooms. Another great photographer – Mark Seliger – joined Kravitz to edit the selection of pictures for the exhibition, and had a chance to talk with him about cameras, photography and the special inspiration.

Mark Seliger: I know you record as a poet, as a singer, but what does it mean to you through photography?

Lenny Kravitz: Well it’s interesting, because both mediums really are doing the same thing. You’re capturing a moment, the moment: one is with sound and one is with photography.

And it’s beautiful; because once that moment has been lived, it’s gone.

You can never recreate it. I don’t care how many times you record something, you say: Well, let’s do it again.

It’s never the same. A moment is a moment. So photography is magic, it’s a time capsule. It’s something that keeps that moment alive.

84 |

lFi

Is there one particular thing that inspires you?

Absolutely – life. Life inspires me every day – and that’s a beautiful thing. I’m always into capturing new moments. Therefore, photography never gets old to me. It’s always fresh.

Every day when I go out to shoot, it’s a new day, it’s a new experience; and knowing that you may come back with something very special is what keeps you doing it.

We’re about, you know, storytelling… ... yes, music and film, taking pictures, are both about storytelling. And for me, one doesn’t live without the other.

Music enhances photography and inspires photography. And... photography inspires music. They do the same.

I mean I’m constantly being inspired by each medium. It’s always been that way. Music and visuals, rock ’n’ roll and photography: that’s the story right there. You see it. You can smell it.

The clothing, the concerts, the backstage, whatever. The life.

What attracted you to the idea of black-and-white photography?

I love photography in general, blackand-white and colour. But for me, black-and-white has a soul that... that touches me. I tend to see in blackand-white. It looks more real to me, and more timeless. When I’m composing a photograph, for instance, I like to view it in black-and-white as well, because I feel that I compose differently and better.

Do you have a strategy or method to make your dreams a reality?

That’s not a bad question. I got into photography because pictures were being taken of me all the time.

I was blessed to be... you know, shot by all of these photographers. And I was more interested in what was going on behind the camera than me being shot at. I got to see these great artists at work; so when I started shooting again, I really jumped in with the same sort of energy as I do with music. I opened my heart, I opened my eyes, and I went for it.

L e n n y K r av i t z was born in Brooklyn, New York City, in 1964. The multiinstrumentalist wanted to be a musician since he was a child. Nowadays, his creativity reaches well beyond music.

Thanks to his father, he has also been connected to photography since childhood.

With Drifter, he is presenting his second large exhibition – starting out at the Leica Gallery in Wetzlar, and then going on tour to other locations around the world. le n n y kravitz.com Equipment: Leica M8, M9 and M Monochrom with Summilux-M 50 f/1.4 Asph and Noctilux-M 50 f/0.95 Asph; Leica Q

f/ s top

– L e i c a M M o n o c h r o m “ D r i f t e r ” – Q 2 & B l u e t o o t h – L e i c a c l “ B au h au s ” –

L e n n y K rav i tz ’ S “ D r i f t e r ” S e t: L e i c a M M o n o c h r o m , T wo s u mm i c ro n L e n s e s, a n d “ W e e k e n d e r B ag ”

lFI

| 85

I wa n t to G e t away M Monochrom “Drifter”

The Leica M Monochrom “Drifter” designed by Lenny Kravitz is not only distinguished by its extravagant exterior: the camera also comes with two lenses, storage pouches and quivers, along with “The Drifter Traveler” bag.

Go on, admit it: a Leica M in brown, with snake-leather trim? “Unthinkable!” might well have been the first thought that popped into your mind at the sight of the Leica M Monochrom “Drifter”. As for the author of these lines, that was exactly his reaction. After all, should a high-value camera such as the Leica M not be expected to emanate a degree of sobriety? It was not long, however, before these reflections turned into excitement. Because, in truth, there is no reason why a camera you carry with you all the time should not exude a bit of character – and perhaps even serve as an expression of its owner’s attitude and personality.

The personality behind the “Drifter” is none other than Lenny Kravitz (born 1964), world-famous rock 86 |

lFi

Perfect combination.

Lenny Kravitz not only achieved world-wide fame as a musician, but has also established himself as a designer and photographer

musician, producer, actor, designer and, last but not least, photographer. The “Drifter” marks the second time the artist has designed a special edition variant of the Leica M. His first offering, released in 2015, was the extremely well received “Correspondent” based on the Leica M-P240.

The “Drifter” is accompanied by two Summicron lenses along with a specially designed hold-all and a selection of accessories.

As both Leica and Kravitz have emphasised, this carefully thought-out assembly is, in part, what makes the “Drifter” so extraordinary: the set has been purposely compiled as an essential kit for a spontaneous trip into the unknown. Aside from the camera and lenses, it includes “The Drifter Traveler” bag, which is intended to hold not just your photography equipment, but anything else you may need for a few days away.

Two faux-leather quivers protect the lenses, while two pouches can be used to store the camera, charger, spare battery, or any other small effects. To Kravitz,

the “Drifter” is not just a striking camera design, but stands for a way of life – the one that has been shaping his own journey.

Being a rock musician inevitably means to travel, to find yourself in new places almost every day.

The name of this special edition, “Drifter”, was chosen to epitomise this transient style of living.

T h e ravag e s o f ti me .

Choosing the Leica M Monochrom as the basis for this design variant meant committing to an exclusively black and white rendition. At the same time, the omission of a colour filter results in the improved rendering of details and higher image quality. The technical specifications of the “Drifter” are identical to the serially produced →

Beneath the striking, sepia brown finish of the “Drifter� is a Leica M Monochrom with the same technical specifications as the serially produced model. Flash shoe, thumb wheel, shutter release button, as well as the front edges of the lens shades have been left untreated to allow for a natural patina to develop with time

lFI

| 87

88 |

lFi

In addition to the camera and the two SummicronM lenses, the “Drifter” set includes two vintagestyle quivers, two pouches, and the matching multipurpose bag “The Drifter Traveler”. All materials that appear to be leather are, in fact, made of highquality synthetic alternatives – none of them are derived from animals

lFI

| 89

Both “Drifter” lenses are finished in sepia brown, and equipped with built-in lens hoods that are extendable by rotation – setting them apart from their serially produced counterparts

“America’s Premier Leica Specialist”

|

90 |

lFi

M Monochrom; the camera’s transformation only applies to its exterior.

Kravitz decided on two exciting lenses to accompany the camera: the Summicron-M 28 f/2 Asph will probably be the more frequently used option whilst travelling. Extremely compact for a high-speed 28mm lens, it is suitable for almost all photographic applications (both indoors and outdoors) due to its wide-angle characteristics and wide maximum aperture. For occasions when a narrower, more selective angle of view is required (when shooting portraits, for example), the “Drifter” set also includes the Summicron-M 75 f/2 Asph – which is equally distinguished

by high light sensitivity and superior image quality.

As for the camera’s reimagined exterior: instead of the serial model’s black or silver finish, the “Drifter” has been lacquered in sepia brown. The paint is consciously designed to show signs of wear over time – because for a travel camera, a seasoned look is more of a badge of honour than a flaw. The flash shoe, thumb wheel and soft release button are made of brass, and have been deliberately left untreated. This means that they, too, will develop a patina over time – even if they are never used in the field. The most transformative part of the design is, of course, the striking python-look trim – a fea-

ture that will undoubtedly divide opinions: after all, the eye-catching exterior of the “Drifter” is not exactly in line with the famously discrete appearance of traditional Leica cameras. Animal lovers, however, need not be concerned – none of the materials used in the “Drifter” set are derived from animals.

The look of t h e se r p en t. For Kravitz, who

follows a vegan lifestyle, using ethically sound materials was of utmost importance. His close friend, British fashion designer and animal rights activist Stella McCartney, referred him to the production source she frequently uses

for her fashion line’s bags and accessories. The resulting python-skin imitation clearly illustrates that a high-calibre leather look no longer has to be reliant on animal materials.

The two lenses accompanying the “Drifter” have also undergone some exterior adaptations. For one, they feature the same sepia brown finish as the camera.

In addition, the lenses have been coordinated with each other, both in terms of form and function. The “Drifter” variant of the SummicronM 28 f/2 Asph is equipped with a built-in, extendable lens hood (as opposed to the screw-on shade of the serial version) which significantly alters the lens’s appearance.

The Summicron-M 75 f/2

Asph has been adjusted much more subtly: its lens hood now ext ends out by rotation, in contrast to the serial model’s pull-out shade. As a result, both “Drifter” lenses are exactly the same in terms of handling and operation. They also share another, rather unusual design detail: the front edges of the brass lens shades have been purpose-ly distressed to reveal the metal underneath.

As with the unsealed brass elements on the camera, these surfaces will inevitably develop a natural patina.

Internally, both lenses are identical to their serially produced counterparts, and consequently deliver the exact same, outstanding image quality. →

lFI

| 91

“Co r r e sp o nd e nt ” vs. “ Dr i ft e r ” . It stands to rea-

son that comparisons are drawn between the “Drifter” and the “Correspondent” of 2015. Kravitz’s first design for Leica was primarily a homage to his father, a war correspondent who returned from assignment in Vietnam with a battered Leica. Both the camera (technically a Leica M-P240) as well as the two lenses included the set (a Summicron-M 35 f/2 Asph and Summilux-M 50 f/1.4 Asph) were individually hand-treated to achieve

Kravitz created his first specialedition Leica in 2015; the “Correspondent”, which was based on a Leica M-P240, was a homage to his father’s well-used Leica

a distressed look. The special edition, which was limited to 125 units, sold out in a short space of time.

Yet despite their well-worn look, most of these models went straight into the display cases of high-end camera collectors.

Compared to the rather retrospective “Correspondent”, the “Drifter” comes across as far more extroverted and flamboyant. The set itself is much more practice-oriented, encompassing a comprehensive and well-compiled range of accessories. After all, the core idea behind this set is to let you take off right away and start capturing your journey. With Kravitz drawing inspiration from his own rock star lifestyle,

on the way L FI A P P F o r i OS a n d A n d r o i d

Read every issue of the magazine on your tablet or on your smart phone.

In the app you can also find all the best photos from the LFI.Gallery, the latest blogs, and news from the world of photography.

We buy, sell & trade Leica worldwide! We want your used & rare Leica!

TOP $$$ paid for all Leica gear. Ask about our low consignment rate.

Please call Sam Shoshan at 1-888-534-2272 Toll free (US)

C L A S S I C CO N N E C T I O N L LC 2490 Black Rock Turnpike, Suite 420 · Fairfield CT 06825 USA 203-371-2352 | 203-371-2353 Sam@ClassicConnection.com | www.classicconnection.com

Leica USA Authorized Dealer

92 |

lFi

the “Drifter” has turned out to be an unusually eyecatching addition to Leica’s portfolio of cameras; his designs also emphasise that looking slightly worse for wear can simply add to a camera’s unique character – suggesting that he intends for his creations to be out in the field, rather than kept immaculate and safe in a glass cabinet.

Source of insp iration? So it almost seems a

shame that the “Drifter” will once again be a strictly limited edition, manufactured in a one-off, manual production run. Only 125 sets will be made in all, of which only 100 will be offered on the market in the form we have described. The remain-

ing 25 will be kept back for a special event in Wetzlar attended by Lenny Kravitz, and are expected to include an even wider range of accessories . The fact that availability is limited (a decision that also inevitably affects the pricing) seems all the more regrettable when you think of the “Drifter” as simply too original, appealing and well-thought-out to live out its days in collectors’ display cases. Both camera and lenses beg to be used as trusted companions on all manner of adventures – to document experiences, and become part of the story as they bear the marks of handling and time. While only few of these special-edition sets are likely to be destined for practical application,

If you a r e g oi n g to m a k e you r m a r k i n a wor l d of smartphoned o m i n at e d p h o tog ra p hy, w hy not do so in style with a true statem en t p i ec e?

we sincerely hope that Leica might include at least some aspects of the “Drifter” in future serial productions.

The built-in lens hoods, multipurpose bag, as well as the use of high-quality alternatives to animal materials, are certainly concepts that are well worth considering.

All initial scepticism notwithstanding, it did not take the author long to appreciate the ethos and aesthetics of the “Drifter”.

An extroverted M clad in faux python leather is certainly no shrinking violet. But then, if you are going to make your mark in a world of smartphonedo-minated photography, why not do so in style with a true statement piece? holger sparr

for the demanding photography Thomas Biasotto with Leica M and Noctilux 50 mm

CONSULTING/SALES | RENTAL SERVICE | SECOND-HAND | WORKSHOPS | GRAPHICART.CH | ZURICH | ITTIGEN-BERN

lFI

| 93

Less is More L e i c a C L “ B au h au s ”

Leica’s credo has always been a ‘reduction to the essentials’ – the same principle that forms the core of the Bauhaus ethos. With such an affinity of values, what could be more fitting than a special-edition Leica to mark the 100th anniversary of the Bauhaus?

100 years of Bauhaus: Like no other educational institution, the ‘laboratory of modernism’ profoundly shaped the evolution of design, art and architecture in the twentieth century.

Indeed, the movement’s decisive aesthetics have lost none of their impact to this day. This seems even more astounding when we consider that the Bauhaus school itself was only operational for a mere 15 years, from 1919 to 1933.

It was established by amalgamating the Weimar Academy of Fine Arts with the city’s School of Arts and Crafts – thereby offering an unprecedented consolidation of fine-art and craft-based disciplines within one facility. Having laid the foundations for this pioneering concept in Weimar, the Bauhaus school 94 |

lFi

moved to Dessau in the former Free State of Anhalt in 1925, where it went on to experience its great heyday.

However, in 1932 the school had to close down at the instigation of the Nazi party, whose growing political influence had begun to extend to Dessau’s city council. The facility briefly reopened as a private institution in Berlin, operating on derelict factory premises in the city’s Lankwitz district, before once before once again being shut down by the Nazi party in 1933.

Countless Bauhaus teachers, graduates and students were subsequently driven into exile by the Nazi regime.

In a rather ironic twist, this was precisely how the very concepts and ideas the fascists had so vehemently despised were spread far and wide across the world.

L e i ca C L “ Bau h aus” .

To mark the centenary of the Bauhaus movement, Leica have released a special edition of the Leica CL. The “Bauhaus” set, which will be produced in a run of 150 units, comprises the silver-finish variant of the camera, accompanied by an Elmarit-TL 18 f/2.8 Asph (also in silver) and a leather strap. Both camera trim and carrier strap are embossed with the iconic ‘bauhaus’ script, originally designed

by Joost Schmidt in 1929 for the eponymous quarterly journal. The anniversary set is also distinguished by the fact that the customary red Leica dot has been lacquered black. This feature alone makes the “Bauhaus” edition extremely unusual, not least considering that this type of discretion is usually reserved for Profes-

sional variants of the Leica M. With the ‘bauhaus’ imprint on the trim and strap also being very unobtrusive, the set perfectly reflects the movement’s unembellished aesthetics – and its core ethos of ‘form follows function’.

Joost Schmidt (1893– 1948) was among the first students to enrol at the Bauhaus in Weimar. When the facility relocated to Dessau in 1925, he became a ‘young master’ and was put in charge of the school’s sculpture workshop. Two years prior, Schmidt had won a student competition with his promotional poster for the first Bauhaus →

The trim of the CL “Bauhaus” is embossed with the ‘bauhaus’ script conceived by Joost Schmidt, who also won a Bauhaus poster design competition in 1923

lFI

| 95

Photos: © Leica Camera AG; Markus Hawlik © Bauhaus-Archiv Berlin

exhibition – a creation that is now hailed as an iconic example of Bauhaus graphic design. Based on his outstanding abilities in this field, he went on to teach an advertising and typography foundation course from 1925 to 1932; he was also appointed leader of the school’s printing and advertising workshop in 1928, and continued to shape the Bauhaus style of graphic design in an unparalleled and enduring manner.

Bauhaus And photograp hy. What Schmidt

was to Bauhaus graphic design, László Moholy-Nagy was to photography. In 1923, Bauhaus founder Walter Gropius invited the constructivist artist to lead the school’s metal workshop and foundation course, taking over from Johannes Itten.

Moholy-Nagy’s theoretical writings largely revolved 96 |

lFi

Two Bauhaus icons: The Wassily Chair by Marcel Breuer, and a mask from Oskar Schlemmer’s Triadic Ballet

around his experiences with the Leica, which he is believed to have acquired as early as 1925. Contrary to his wife, Lucia Moholy-Nagy – a trained photographer who primarily worked with a plate camera to document Bauhaus architecture and objects – Moholy-Nagy was keen to push the boundaries of the medium by exploring 35mm photography. In his book Painting, Photography, Film (published in 1925), he suggested that the purpose of photography should no longer be limited to a pure reproduction of reality. His reflections paved the way for photography to become a fully fledged form of crea-

tive expression. “This is the century of light,” he wrote.

“Photography is the ultimate form of composing with light. Even though – or perhaps because – it manifests itself in a transposed, almost abstract manner.”

The Bauhaus school only began to offer photography classes in 1929, by which time Moholy-Nagy had already left Dessau. The subject was taught by Walter Peterhans, whose drastically different approach placed a strong focus on craftsmanship, camera technique and precise dark-room work – though students were still given assignments involving experimental subject studies. The Leica, on the other hand, played no part in Peterhans’s lessons.

Students used a variety of camera models, both for fine-art purposes and in their personal lives. These ranged from the Rolleiflex (Irena Blühová) to the Linhof (Ellen Auerbach), and from a 9x12 plate camera (Eugen Batz) to a 6x9 (Gertrud Arndt). Some Bauhaus students did, however, own a Leica – for example, Erich Consemüller, Alfred Ehrhardt, Gotthardt Itting, Kurt Kranz, Hajo Rose and Moï Ver. Bau h aus A nd l e i ca .

Other Bauhaus protagonists whose Leica-connections are worth mentioning include Josef Albers (a teacher at

the Bauhaus from 1925 to 1933), as well as the avantgarde photographer Umbo (Otto Maximilian Umbehr) who, having studied at the Bauhaus from 1921 to 1923, went on to create much of his work with the Leica.

Andreas Feininger and his brother, T(heodore) Lux Feininger, are equally notable; both of them first discovered photography at the Bauhaus school, where their father, Lyonel Feininger, was teaching as a so-called ‘master’. Inspired by his sons’ enthusiasm, Lyonel Feininger also turned to the Leica in 1931. Hungarian photographer Judit Kárász was among those who went on to create remarkable Leica images following their time at the Bauhaus, as was Edith Tudor-Hart (who later became an agent for the Soviet secret service).

Another prominent figure in this context was the artist and fashion designer Ré Soupault who, having left the Bauhaus, successfully added photography to her creative oeuvre. Yet despite the multi-faceted connections between Leica photography and individual Bauhaus protagonists, the essential legacy both the company and the school have in common is that they – each in their own way – have shaped the visual language of an era. bernd luxa / Ulrich Rüter

Leica Akademie As of autumn

2019, several branches of Leica’s Global Academy will be holding workshops at the Bauhaus in Dessau. All dates will be announced in due course at www.leica-akademie.com

Photos: © Leica Camera AG; Oliver Vogler © Leica Akademie

The leather carrier strap included in the set also features the ‘bauhaus’ script designed

by Joost Schmidt

Did you know?

Whether a flash, a second battery or a camera bag – at the LFI Shop you can find a large selection of original Leica accessories.

K n ow- h ow L F I — 5 0 y e a r s ago

B l ac k a n d w h i t e r e v e r s a l f i lm c a n d o s o m u c h m o r e t h a n g e n e r at e t r a n s pa r e n t s l i d e s .

Agfa-Direct Reversal Film – as its name implies – is designed to give direct black-and-white miniature transparencies for projection purposes. The fundamental characteristic of Direct-Dia film – that of furnishing a a direct film positive – at once suggests the possibility of other applications. In a number of cases which otherwise would call for repeated copying, using negative material, the use of Direct-Dia film would enable good results to be obtainded both easily and quickly. White lines on a black ground are frequently called for illustration purposes. This can be a nightmare to the draughtsman. It means blacking in whole areas while leaving the lines fine and white.

Photograph a drawing or printed matter consisting of dark lines on a light background (this applies equally to colored originals) on Dia-Direct film.

Enlarge the resulting positive film transparency on paper, and the result is a perfect original for reproduction showing white lines on a black ground (white lines should not be too fine). Agfa Dia-Direct film is pretty well the ideal medium for the reproduction of line originals. It has a gamma of about 1.5 (negative film can be regarded as having a gamma of 0.7 and process films of 2.0) and a resolution of 175 lines/mm (by way of comparision Isopan-IFF = 185 lines/mm, Isopan-IF = 150 lines/mm).

O rd er n ow:

lfi-online.com/shop L FI 3/ 1 969 : Photography – toy and artistic medium,

“Thinking” Flashguns, Enlarging with Electronic Flash and more for 1.09 euro in the LFI App for Android and iOS

lFI

| 97

Well Connected Leica Q2 And bluetooth

Wi-Fi is one of the most widely used standards for wireless data transfer. In addition, the Leica Q2 also supports Bluetooth – intended not to replace, but simply augment the camera’s Wi-Fi capacity. What are the benefits of dual connectivity?

In October 2018, Leica introduced the Leica Fotos app, which was designed to replace the various applications the company had provided in the past. It is compatible with all Wi-Fi enabled Leica cameras, and is always developed simultaneously for Android and iOS. When LFI first introduced Leica Fotos in issue 7/18 (page 104), we hinted at future expansions of the app’s functionality. Since then, some one-thousand suggestions have been put forward by the app’s user base of over 100 000 photographers. Some of them have been implemented in the current version (1.2), others are still to follow.

One major improvement is the expansion of the app’s wireless connectivity, which now includes not only Wi-Fi but also Bluetooth capa98 |

lFi

bility. Obviously, this additional feature is only useful if the camera in question is Bluetooth enabled.

At the moment, this only applies to the D-Lux 7 and the Q2, but it stands to reason that Bluetooth connectivity will be integrated into other Leica models in due course. For one, Bluetooth makes it easier to establish a wireless connection; also, it seems highly likely that there will eventually be functions that only Bluetooth can facilitate.

W i- F i a n d B lu etoot h .

Wi-Fi capability has become a standard feature in Leica cameras. It enables photographers to wirelessly couple their camera with Android and iOS smartphones or tablets equipped with the Leica Fotos app, either by joining an existing network, or

generating an autonomous one. The Leica Q2 supports the wireless networking standard IEEE 802.11b/g/n/ ac as well as Bluetooth (version 4.2). Wi-Fi and Bluetooth are standardised protocols for the wireless transfer of data; they partly operate on the same frequency bands: Wi-Fi communications run on a 2.4 or 5.0 GHz band, Bluetooth on 2.4 GHz. Which brings us to the question: what are the benefits of this additional Bluetooth module?

Over the past two decades, Wi-Fi has evolved into a fully fledged and far more convenient alternative to cable-based Ethernet as well as USB technologies. It offers sufficient bandwidth for a swift transfer of image files – something that is definitely relevant in the case of a 47.3megapixel camera such as

the Leica Q2, whose DNG file sizes can reach close to 90 megabytes. In addition, a Wi-Fi network can easily cover an entire apartment or studio space, with the potential to expand its signal range by another 150 metres outdoors.

Transmitting files via Bluetooth is significantly slower; in fact, its bandwidth is in the same ballpark as Wi-Fi transfer rates were twenty years ago. Bluetooth also has a much shorter signal range – so much so that the devices that are to be connected ought to be in the same room. The payoff is that Bluetooth uses far less energy, especially the current 4.2 LE (Low Energy) standard supported by the Q2. This means that Bluetooth is able to sustain the connection between camera and smartphone →

IOS devices will ask you to accept the camera joining the Wi-Fi network (2).

Once the connection is established, settings such as drive mode, metering or white balance can be controlled within Fotos (3)

4 First contact: The initial pairing of the Q2 with a respective smartphone begins in the camera’s Bluetooth menu; the next step is to select your camera model in the Leica Fotos app (1)

2

5 Remote control mode gives users access to exposure parameters such as aperture and shutter speed; the focus is set with a simple tap on the display (4). The captured image can subsequently be downloaded (5)

1

3

lFI

| 99

for significantly longer periods of time, without having to worry about running down the battery.

Pai ring up. Bluetooth and Wi-Fi perfectly complement each other to facilitate successful communication between the Q2 and a respective smartphone. Bluetooth is akin to a light-footed messenger between the two devices: it establishes the wireless network connection and maintains it over extended periods of time.

Wi-Fi is responsible for the heavy lifting: streaming live view images from the camera, and downloading files in JPEG or DNG format.

The Q2’s Bluetooth capability makes the process of s etting up a connection

JPEG and DNG format images can be exported directly from the camera into apps such as Lightroom CC

Norbert Rosing

wild Arctic The realm of the Polar Bears 4 maY ­— 14 junE 2019

www.leica-store-nuernberg.de

100 |

lFi

even more straightforward than before. To begin, simply select ‘Pairing’ from the camera menu’s Bluetooth options; in the Leica Fotos app, select ‘Q System’ followed by ‘Q2’ to establish a first-time connection between the two devices – initially via Bluetooth. Next, the Q2 automatically activates the Wi-Fi network, which the smartphone is then able to join (iOS devices will ask for confirmation before logging on). Once camera and phone have been paired, linking them again on subsequent occasions takes no time at all. The connection sequence always remains the same – starting with Bluetooth, followed by Wi-Fi. If the ‘remote wake up’ option has been acti-

vated in the Q2’s Bluetooth menu, the camera even automatically turns on from sleep mode as soon as you initiate the connection in the Leica Fotos app.

L i ne s o f co m m u n i cat i o n. With the combined

Wi-Fi and Bluetooth connection up and running, the communication channels can be used for a range of purposes. Images stored on the camera’s memory card can be viewed on the smartphone screen – whereby the photographer is able to zoom in to a 100% crop to evaluate image noise and sharpness, and check the exposure parameters by swiping upwards from the lower edge of the display. It is also possible to export both

JPEG and DNG files to the connected smartphone. As a convenient memory aid, images stored exclusively on the camera are shown against a black background, while a white background indicates that a picture has already been downloaded to your smartphone.

In either case, images can be uploaded via a ‘Share’ button to file hosting sites such as Dropbox or other cloudbased storage platforms, as well as be exported to a computer or moved to other applications, such as a raw converter. These processes can all be carried out without having to download the image, thereby creating a shorter workflow. Other advantages include the ability to select the digital focal

length (28, 35, 50 or 75 mm) in Lightroom CC; the resulting Raw file can be saved and subsequently accessed within Leica Fotos or other applications of your choice.

Perhaps the app’s most important function is the remote operation of the camera: Leica Fotos lets you adjust aperture, shutter speed, ISO and exposure compensation, select menu settings such as white balance and exposure metering modes, and remotely trigger the shutter release. The electronic viewfinder image is transmitted to the phone’s display with virtually no time lag, even when the camera or subject are in motion.

A simple tap on the main subject is all that is required to set the focus.

lensless photography for leica M

for all cameras with leica-M mount

subjektiv pancake

T he susta in able Bluetooth LE c o n n e c t i o n w it h m in im a l im pac t on batt ery l if e cou l d a l s o b e us ed for t he t ra n s mission of backg rou n d data .

Fo r e cast. Leica will continue to expand the app’s capabilities. Perhaps Bluetooth LE, whose energy efficiency enables a prolonged connection without draining the camera’s battery, could also be employed for the exchange of background data. This would mean that the time displays of both devices could be synchronised, and the phone’s GPS data could geotag all photos – regardless of whether they were captured remotely via the app, or by physically pressing the camera’s shutter button. In any case, future updates of the Leica Fotos app are sure to include plenty of welcome new features – after all, the good times have only just begun. michael j. hussmann

MEISTER CAMERA Le ica Stor e S Hamburg-be r Lin-mÜncHe n

The ColleCTor ITem of The day at meister-camera.com

Each day exclusively at meister-camera.com we offer one special collectors item covering LEICA-cameras and lenses, historical accessories, documents and curiosities. leICa STore hamBUrG / meISTer Camera

www.monochrom.com

Eppendorfer Landstraße 64, 20249 Hamburg, Germany, Phone +49 - (0)40 - 467 777-55 hamburg@meister-camera.com, meister-camera.com

lFI meister_lfi_boerse2017 english Kopie.indd 1

| 101

22.02.2017 12:06:11 Uhr

b e s t o f L F I . G a ll e r y

HA M S a “The Arabic word ‘Hamsa’ stands for the number five. I work in Eminönü, the historic part of Istanbul. One day, when I was on my way home, I saw these five women standing side by side. I made use of the opportunity, as one of them suddenly turned when she realised that I was taking pictures behind the group.”

Mehmet Esen Leica M10 with Summicron-M 35 f/2 Asph

102 |

lFi

l ig h t box

BOY W I TH PARROT “This photo was taken in the island state of São Tomé and Príncipe, around 250 kilometres off the western coast of Africa. The boy had chosen a grey parrot, typical for this region, as a play mate. He presented it to the camera with evident pride and full of respect.”

Pedro Matos Leica M240 with Summilux-M 35 f/1.4 Asph

Butcher’s S ta ll “I like to take pictures at markets, because they reflect the culture and pulse of a city.

While other stalls were using LED lights, in this case it was still old lamps, giving the whole place a completely different atmosphere. I was immediately captivated by the lighting.”

Antonio Leong Leica M10 with Summicron-M 28 f/2 Asph

104 |

lFi

Man Witho u t a Fa c e “Because of a breakdown, I was waiting for the next bus somewhere in Delhi, when I photographed a man who happened to walk by me along this house wall. I like the way this person’s face virtually disappears in front of the window. It seems very mysterious.”

Mehmet Esen Leica M262 with Summicron-M 28 f/2 Asph

lFI

| 105

A S ta r wi t h l e g s “I enjoy taking pictures in cities at night whilst it is raining. This photo was taken in Macao, China. The reflections of artificial light in the wetness create a very unique mood.

The young girl with the light appeared like a star in the middle of nowhere, so that I did not hesitate for long.�

Antonio Leong Leica M10 with Summicron-M 28 f/2 Asph

106 |

lFi

lFI

| 107

108 |

lFi

Looking D ow n

p e n e t r at i n g s ta r e

“I was very lucky with this situation, because the worker only lingered briefly in this position.

Consequently, I was very happy with my reaction.

This is a case where the countless hours practising taking quick vertical photographs has certainly paid off!”

“This picture was taken in Bamako, the capital of the West African Republic of Mali. The man in the photo is the head of one of the city’s districts. After he had invited me to his place, he sat down and stared at me. I just had to capture the penetrating look in his eyes.”

Jonathan Eden-Drummond Leica M-E220 with Summaron-M 35 f/3.5

Jean-Michel Clajot Leica M246 with Summilux-M 50 f/1.4 Asph

lFI

| 109

110 |

lFi

Sm a ll Gifts “In the time leading up to Christmas, I visited a settlement where Sinti and Roma live. The parents of these children have virtually no money; the families fight to survive day by day. I had brought them some sweets and clothes, and was able to take this picture.�

Martin Krystynek Leica Q, Summilux 28 f/1.7

lFI

| 111

pph hoto oto – b o–obkoso–kesx–hei b oin s –lAwa r d sr–d s – xiht i b t iso–nfse–s tfieva s tli va s – Awa

Alec Soth: Bill and Marth’s, St. Louis from I know how furiously your heart is beating

112 |

lFi

G uy T i l l i m

Photos: © Estate of Evelyn Hofer; © Guy Tillim; © Alec Soth, courtesy of the artist and Mack; © Museum Folkwang Essen/Artothek (Walter Peterhans, Woman with Oranges, c. 1930)

M u s e u m o f T h e R e vo lu t i o n

E v e ly n H o f e r EN C OUN T E R S

A stunningly beautiful book which has been perfectly executed in every way – from the selection and chronology to the production and accompanying text. The New York Times once described Hofer (1922–2009) as the “most famous unknown photographer in America”. In recent years, however, the German-American photographer’s work has captured the attention of an increasingly broad audience. The diversity and unique nature of her visual style is vividly illustrated in this volume, which complements a major exhibition spanning five decades of her oeuvre.

Perhaps the most surprising feature of this publication are Hofer’s still lifes – some in classic black and white, others saturated in intense colours. Whether she captured portraits, human interactions or urban scenes, Hofer always favoured meticulous compositions over spontaneous snapshots – frequently working with a large format camera and long exposures. Experiencing the profound impact of these pure and beautiful, camera-based compositions certainly inspires some feelings of nostalgia for the analogue days of photography.

There is a timelessness to Hofer’s images, despite their era-specific details. To quote the introduction of the book: “Perhaps they move us so strongly because they paradoxically stand up to the passing of time while inevitably parading it before our eyes.”

280 pages, 190 b/w and colour illustrations, English/German, 22.7 × 27.3 cm, Steidl

Living museums: From 2014 to 2018, the South-African photographer (born 1962) explored various major cities across the continent to capture the effects of colonialism and de-colonialisation. On closer inspection, Tillim’s seemingly arbitrary street scenes vividly illustrate the broad spectrum of political, economic and social changes that took place in Africa over the past decades.

136 pages, 65 colour illustrations, English, 28.5 × 26.5 cm, Mack Books

Alec Soth

B au h au s M ä d e l s A tr i b u t e t o p i o n e e r i n g w o m e n a rt i s t s

Amidst the plethora of publications released to mark the 100th anniversary of Germany’s legendary art school, the title Bauhausmädels (Bauhaus Girls) might seem a rather backward choice.

However, in the era when this was originally coined, the women it described were progressive: a mere 460 women artists enrolled at the Bauhaus from 1919 to 1933. Author Patrick Rössler introduces

I K n ow H ow F u r i o u s ly Yo u r H e a rt I s B e at i n g

“It’s simply about beholding the fragile, enigmatic beauty of another person’s life,” the American photographer (born 1969) says about his latest series. These portraits were taken in the United States, Great Britain, and other European countries in the past year.

So simple, yet so moving.

84 pages, 38 colour illustrations, English, 30 × 33.5 cm, Mack Books

87 highly diverse biographies of well-known and undiscovered protagonists. The richly illustrated volume is a valuable reminder of the contribution female students, lecturers and artists have made to this movement.

480 pages, numerous illustrations, En/French/Ger, 17 × 24 cm, Taschen

lFI

| 113

S e as i d e P h oto g ra p h e d

A l e x P rag e r Foa m , A m st e r da m

Anything is possible in Prager’s dream factory: suburban drama or film noir, soap opera or murder mystery.

Like the creators of the Truman Show, the Los Angeles based artist presents us with an alternate, hyperrealistic universe in which the viewer is barely able to distinguish between fact and fiction. Both mesmerizing and unsettling, Prager’s work is a medley of fashion, art and popular culture. Her images resemble film stills from the Golden Age of Hollywood – conjuring up visions of both Hitchcock’s classic masterpieces and the enigmatic, dreamlike works of David Lynch. Women tend to play a leading role in the artist’s meticulously stylised photographs. Beautiful and unapproachable, they command the frame in the same way Garbo once inhabited the screen: in glamorous dresses, full makeup and perfectly coiffed hair.

No detail is left to chance in this carefully constructed reality. The retrospective Silver Lake Drive – Prager’s second solo exhibition to be presented at the Foam photography museum – offers a comprehensive overview of the artist’s decade-long career. This marks the first time her most important photography and video projects have been brought together in one showcase. The self-taught photographer, who won the Foam Paul Huf Award in 2012, cites Leica photographer William Eggleston as her main inspiration: in fact, she is said to have bought her first camera within one week of seeing an exhibition of his work – and the rest, as they say, is history, taking us directly to the Foam museum in Amsterdam.

14 June — 4 September 2019; Photo: Alex Prager, Desiree, from the series The Big Valley, 2008

114 |

lFi

This major exhibition explores the relationship between photography and the British coast from 1850 to today.

Works by both unknown and eminent photographers, including Henri Cartier-Bresson, Susan Hiller, Paul Nash and Martin Parr, culminate in a rich picture of seaside holidays in the UK. 25 May — 8 September 2019; Photo: Dafydd Jones, Queue to enter the dining room, Holiday camp 1979

Anthony Hernandez N e l s o n At k i n s M u s e u m , Ka n sas C i t y

For almost half a century, Anthony Hernandez has documented the social landscape in and around Los Angeles.

L.A. Landscapes encompasses a selection of forty images, ranging from black and white photographs from the 70s and 80s to colour works from more recent projects.

19 April — 18 August 2019; Photo: Anthony Hernandez, Automotive Landscapes #41, 1978

The Body Observed: m ag n u m p h oto s Sa i n s b u ry C e n t r e , N o rw i c h

How do we view the human body? Does its observation represent intimacy, sexuality, voyeurism? These questions are explored in a exhibition of over 130 works by Magnum photographers such as Eve Arnold, Werner Bischof, Bieke Depoorter, Bruce Gilden, Susan Meiselas and Alec Soth.

“The camera has been used to examine, categorise, scrutinise and objectify the human form, establishing a new

visual language,” the organizers state. The selection, which spans from the 1930s to today, shows the body in every conceivable form: concealed, naked, abstract – and always innately beautiful.

23 March — 30 June 2019; Photos: Cristina Garcia Rodero, El boteiro.

Vilariño de Conso Spain 1992; Bieke Depoorter, Agata, Paris 2017

Photos: © Alex Prager/courtesy of Alex Prager Studio and Lehmann Maupin New York Hong Kong; © Dafydd Jones; Anthony Hernandez; © Cristina Garcia Rodero/Magnum Photos; © Bieke Depoorter/Magnum Photos

T u r n e r C o n t e m p o r a r y, k e n t

S MAGAZINE ISSUE 9 20 228

PHOTOGRAPHERS PAGES · 9,90

€

L O O K B O O E rw i n O l a f

Photo: © Erwin Olaf/courtesy Galerie Rabouan Moussion

G a l l e r y R a b o u a n M o u s s i o n , Pa r i s

The acclaimed photographer, who was commissioned to create the official portraits for the Dutch royal family, turns 60 this July.

Since the beginning of the year, he has been honoured with numerous exhibitions and book publications. Now the Parisian gallery celebrates the artist’s career with the aptly titled showcase 40 years. Olaf originally studied journalism – however, when one of his professors handed him a Leica, he knew he had found his calling. He went on to produce series on subjects such as separation, ageing and domesticity.

In his studio, he orchestrated his famously elaborate portraits: highly polished, perfectly lit shots distinguished by a painterly appearance. His impeccablystyled protagonists seem like porcelain figures – flawless and fragile in equal measure. “What I want to show most of all is a perfect world with a crack in it,” he once said. His images combine impossible beauty with haunting undercurrents – imbuing each scene with a deeper meaning.

16 May — 6 July 2019 Photo: Erwin Olaf, The Family Visit – The Niece, Palm Springs 2018

K · 2 0

CUTTING-EDGE PHOTOGRAPHY BY

Enrique Badulescu Joachim Baldauf Brix & Maas Bil Brown Arved Colvin-Smith Anna Daki Rui Faria Christian Geisselmann Esther Haase Marie Hochhaus Benjamin Kaufmann James Meakin Monica Menez Hector Perez Elizaveta Porodina René & Radka Christian Rinke Tristan Rösler Takahito Sasaki SPECIAL

GUEST

Ellen von Unwerth

1 7

LFI-ONLINE.COM/SHOP lFI

| 115

The wonderful Geraldine Chaplin, Berlin 2012 (above); actor Moritz Bleibtreu, Hamburg 2009 (left); the in­ comparable Miss Piggy at the Ritz, Berlin 2012 (below).

All photographs taken from the Iconication series

A n ato l Ko t t e : I c o n i c at i o n

In May, the newest Leica Gallery will open in Constance, Southern Germany.

Iconication, an exhibition of works by the great German portrait photographer, Anatol Kotte will inaugurate the new venue. Actors, politicians, musicians and puppets, world-famous stars and interesting celebrities – Kotte has selected the most important pictures taken during his 30-year career. In his portraits, the photographer repeatedly manages to draw very close to the person opposite him and capture some special moments. It is precisely a challenge when working with great 116 |

lFi

celebrities, as they are usually short of time and keep a greater distance.

What exactly does Iconication mean? “The title refers to my way of working. Relatively few exposures and a lot of mental work in advance. And ultimately to the questionable iconization of prominent figures and the role of the photographer as their aid.”

Kotte answers the question posed by Nadine Barth in his book of the same title (published 2015 by Hatje Cantz).

The new Leica Gallery, and the new Leica Store Constance opening at the same time, are in Niederburg, a me-

dieval neighbourhood next to Lake Constance and the Swiss border. The curators, Markus Brenner, Judith Borowski and Barbara Marie Hofmann, plan to use the historic venue to present four internationally renowned photographers per year, who “work at the highest level as artists, craftspeople and documentarists. The criteria for the selection of the works on display is their photographic autonomy: works that capture and hold the eye.”

17 May — 18 Aug. 2019, Leica Gallery Constance, Gerichtsgasse 10, 78462 Constance, Germany

Photos: © Anatol Kotte

l e i c a G a l l e r y C o n s ta n c e

Leica Galleries A r e n b e r g Ca s t l e

Nuremberg

Vincent Lagrange

Norbert Rosing: Wilde Arktis

AUT | 5020 Salzburg, Arenbergstr. 10 25 May — October 2019

GER | 90403 Nuremberg, Obere Wörthstr. 8 4 May — 6 July 2019

Ba n gk o k

Porto

Peerapat Wimolrungkarat: A Sense of Place

5 x 5 – Eduardo Marques, Jaime Sá, Jaime Silva, Luis Mota, Ricardo Marques

THA | 10330 Bangkok, 2nd Floor Gaysorn Village, 999 Ploenchit Road 30 April — 16 June 2019

POR | 4000-427 Porto, Rua d. Sá da Bandeira, 48/52 6 April — 8 June 2019

Boston

Neal Preston: Exhilarated and Exhausted USA | Boston, MA 02116, 74 Arlington St. 25 April — 7 July 2019 F r a n kf u r t

Régis Bossu: More than just a Kiss GER | 60311 Frankfurt am Main, Großer Hirschgraben 15 22 March — 22 June 2019 I s ta n b u l

Student Group Show featured by Dogus Group TUR | 34381 Şişli/İstanbul, Bomontiada – Merkez, A Birahane Sk. No:1 Mid June — August 2019

P r agUE

Ra l p h G i b s o n L e i cA Ga l l e ry Lo n d o n

60 years of photography by Ralph Gibson – the Leica Gallery in London is celebrating this jubilee with Shadow and Light, an exhibition of the American’s work taken between 1970 and 1990. Rich, black and white images, sensitive, often composed with a surreal eye, and perfectly printed.

UK | London, 64–66 Duke Street W1K 6JD 4 May — 29 June 2019

Photos: © Ralph Gibson, from Infanta, 1987; from Quadrants, 1975; © Yasuhisa Ishii

S ão Pau l o

Lenny Kravitz: Flash BRA | 01240–000 São Paulo, Rua Maranhão, 600 Higienópolis 5 April — 8 June 2019 Si n gap o r e

wa r s AW

Thomas Herbrich: The Truth about the Moon Landing

USA | West Hollywood, CA 90048, 8783 Beverly Boulevard 13 June — 31 July 2019

AUS | Melbourne, VIC 3000, Level 1 St Collins Lane, 260 Collins Street 17 May — 31 July 2019

AUT | 5020 Salzburg, Gaisbergstr. 12 12 April — 6 July 2019

TWN | Taiwan, No. 3, Ln. 6, Qingtian St., Da’an Dist., Taipei City 106 End of April — July 2019

Henri Cartier-Bresson: The Eye of the Century

Allan Schaller: Metropolis

Alan Schaller: Metropolis

Wu Bai: It’s Not Far, Actually

Los Angeles

MElbourne

Sa l z b u r g

Taip e I

JPN | Kyoto, 570–120 Gionmachi Minamigawa, Higashiyama-ku 25 May — 22 August 2019

ITA | 20121 Mailand, Via Mengoni 4 27 May — 8 June 2019

26 April — 16 June 2019

SIN | Singapore, Raffles Hotel Arcade, #01-20/21, 328 North Bridge Rd., 188719 16 May — 16 June 2019

Leslie Kee: Bookish

PhotoVogue

TCH | 110 00 Prague 1, Školská 28

Rosalynn Tay: Dream A Little Dream

Kyoto

Milan

Miroslav Hucek: Homes

POL | 00–496 Warsaw, Mysia 3 13 June — 28 July 2019

Ya s u h i sa I s h ii

Wetzlar

L e i c A G a l l e ry To kYo

Lenny Kravitz: Drifter

A Sea of Cells, a Forest of Nerves is reflecting the interwoven fabric of beauty and transience that make up the natural world. The images convey a distinct resilience and just a hint of stillness. Yasuhisa Ishii has a background as a physician, which enables him to accept and react to the essence of nature.

JPN | Tokyo, 6-4-1 Ginza, Chuo-ku 17 May — 18 August 2019

GER | 35578 Wetzlar, Am Leitz-Park 5 24 May — end of August 2019 vienna

Ekaterina Sevrouk: Last Paradise AUT | 1010 Vienna, Walfischgasse 1 5 April — 15 June 2019 Zi n g s t

Ekaterina Sevrouk: Last Paradise GER | 18374 Zingst, Am Bahnhof 1 24 May — 15 October 2019

lFI

| 117

Photo: Š Sirkka-Liisa Konttinen

“A u n i q u e a n d v e ry l i v e ly a r c h i v e .” i n t e rv i e w

The Amber photographers and film makers have been documenting the North East of England for over 50 years.

We spoke with Sirkka-Liisa Konttinen, founding member of the collective committed to humanistic photography.

Photos: © Sirkka-Liisa Konttinen, © Alys Tomlinson

LFI: Your film and photography collective Amber is dedicated to humanistic photography, focused on documenting only certain topics. How did it start and what makes Amber unique?

Sirkka-Liisa Konttinen: We focus on the industrial North East of England, working class and marginalised lives and landscapes. Our core founding group coalesced around our final year student films at the Regent Street Polytechnic Film School in London and on leaving, in 1969, we chose to move to the North East of England, forming our film and photography collective Amber in

Newcastle upon Tyne. Our aim was to live and work creatively in the region’s industrial communities, to engage in an ongoing dialogue with them. The Side Gallery, which we established in 1977, has historically commissioned photographers to work in the North alongside us, enabling them to follow their own interests and stories. The film makers and photographers often work hand in hand sharing their research and locations, there is a back and forth influence and a building of relationships. It’s a very fertile way of working. And we do have a living archive.

LFI: Your archive is mostly accessible online and holds both photographic narratives, and documentary and feature films. The abundance is impressive, very wide ranging.

Konttinen: Unlike many archives, where you may have many different focuses, Amber’s own productions and commissioned work go into the archive as complete bodies of work, films and images. There are more than 20 000 photographs and 100 films. It’s a living archive, a resource for photographers and others to find inspiration for new contemporary work. →

Above: Alys Tomlinson: from her series Ex-Voto, 2018; left: Sirkka-Liisa Konttinen: David and Daughters, from her series Byker Revisited, 2003–2009; left page: SirkkaLiisa Konttinen: Girl on a Spacehopper, from her series Byker, 1971

lFI

| 119

and to evolve as practitioners. Amber began making simple documentaries about disappearing industries and then built feature dramas involving real lives.

Each story generates new methods and experimentation in accordance with the changing society. In my case this has meant a gradual shift from street photography to ‘negotiated’ photography, and latterly to the more ‘collaborative’ photography. Humanism remains at the heart of any Amber approach and this surely means giving a ‘voice’ to the participants themselves.

LFI: It’s great that the Amber Collective

Clockwise from top: Karen Robinson, from her series All Dresses Up, 2005; Izabela Jedrzejczyk, from her series Jungle Portraits, 1981; Mik Critchlow, Mining apprentices, Ashington Colliery, from his series Ashington, 1981; Yan Wang Preston, Frank (2), June, 2013 from her series Forest, 2013

LFI: How did the Amber members

manage to stay together and go on for half a century?

Konttinen: The real key to the continuity has been the relationships built on trust, and the non-hierarcical working environment that has enabled us to give our time to long term projects 120 |

lFi

LFI: How did you all get the idea to initiate a gallery, the Side Gallery, and what is its programme?

Konttinen: There wasn’t a gallery in Newcastle accepting photography in the 1970s. In order to show our own work and to bring in exhibitions we wanted to see, we established the Side Gallery in 1977, dedicating it to the best in the tradition of humanist documentary photography. Starting with Edgar Lee, numerous works of local and international photographers were seen in Newcastle for the first time. Further links to photographers worldwide resulted in exhibitions and commissions by Side Gallery. Henry Cartier-Bresson celebrated his 70th birthday with a major exhibition at Side and came to Amber together with his wife Martine Franck who had a short residency with us. Along with the gallery we also established Side Cinema, which runs film programmes, talks and events related to the gallery shows.

Photos: © Karen Robinson, © Izabela Jedrzejczyk, © Mik Critchlow, © Yan Wang Preston

“ There should be more interest i n s u b s ta n c e . ”

has already existed for 50 years.

How has your work developed, what has changed within this span of time?

Konttinen: We face the same issues as a lot of documentarists: questions of access with accompanying responsibilities. What remains, and keeps updating our perceptions with a flow of ever more stories, are the long-term engagements we have built over 50 years with the people and communities we work with. It is a constant experiment in the relationship between the communities and the artists.

LFI: What would you say is your greatest success with the Amber Collective?

Konttinen: Hopefully surpassing our own longevity as a collective, surely our greatest achievement must be the unique, coherent archive of film and photographic work produced, commissioned and collected over 50 years, and now secured for all time in the region through the recently established AmberSide Collection Trust.

The works are always available for use in new relevant contexts, and are actively used in our own educational programmes for schoolchildren to connect with the region’s past and recently-lived experience, and to learn to create their own lens-based stories.

Among its prints and films, the archive houses my photography and Amber’s films, since 2011 inscribed in the Unesco UK Memory of the World Register as “being of outstanding value and importance to the United Kingdom”.

Peak design everyday sling The camera bag for minimalists, with more than enough room for all kinds of system cameras, accessories and notebook.

LFI: What is your mission with Amber in terms of documentary photography?

Konttinen: A significant development for Amber is the rebirth of media and cultural sector interest in documentary as a distinct art form. It is being rediscovered by museums and major arts funders who once told us documentary photography was “only recording history”. Though never dismissed by the public, many photographers in the North East have had to give up due to lack of funding opportunities.

LFI: What do you wish for the photography scene, nationally and worldwide?

Konttinen: There should be more interest in substance.

Interview: Carla Susanne Erdmann

S i r kka-L i i sa Ko n ttin en Born in Myllykoski, Finland, in 1948. She studied film making at the Regent Street Polytechnic Film School in London in the 1960s. In 1968, she co-founded the Amber Film and Photography Collective.

The AmberSide Collection contains more than 20 000 photographs, 100 films, 10 000 slides – a unique network of 400 stories.

Ex hi b i t i o n s : Yan Wang Preston: Forest and Alys Tomlinson: Ex-Voto, both 6 April to 9 June, 2019; www.amber-online.com

o r d e r n ow:

lfi-online.com/shop

L e i c a F o t o g r a fi e I n t e r n at i o n a l

J e a n P i g oz z i m y Pi c t u r e

Pigozzi took one of his first selfies already in 1974 – with the actress Faye Dunaway. Nowadays the photographer has no need of a selfie stick, as he has long arms.

71st year | Issue 4. 2019

LFI PHOTOGR A PHIE GMBH Springeltwiete 4, 20095 Hamburg, Germany Phone: +49 / 40 / 2 26 21 12 80 Fax: +49 / 40 / 2 26 21 12 70 ISSN: 0937-3977 www.lfi-online.com, mail@lfi-online.com Editor-in-Chief Inas Fayed A rt Direction Brigitte Schaller EDITORIA L OFFICE Michael J. Hußmann, Katrin Iwanczuk, Denise Klink, Bernd Luxa, Danilo Rößger, David Rojkowski picture desk Carol Körting layout Thorsten Kirchhoff Translation, Sub-Editing Robin Appleton, Hope Caton, Anna Sauper, Osanna Vaughn CONTRIBUTORS to this issue Carla Susanne Erdmann, Katja Hübner, Marc Oliver Rühle, Ulrich Rüter, Holger Sparr, Katrin Ullmann M anagement Board Steffen Keil

Faye Dunaway and Jean Pigozzi, 1974

Media SA LES A nd M arketing Kirstin Ahrndt-Buchholz, Samira Holtorf Phone: +49 / 40 / 2 26 21 12 72 Fax: +49 / 40 / 2 26 21 12 70 E-Mail: buchholz@lfi-online.de holtorf@lfi-online.de Valid ad-rate card No. 47, 1 January 2019 REPRODUcTION: Alphabeta, Hamburg Printer: Optimal Media GmbH, Röbel/Müritz PA PER: Igepa Profimatt

The first time I took a selfie it was with some friends of mine while I was studying at Harvard in the early seventies. And the first selfie I took with a celebrity was with Hollywood actress Faye Dunaway – also while I was a student at Harvard. The actress was attending the annual party of the Hasty Puddings Theatricals – an artistic-minded fraternity founded by students in 1795 – where she was to receive the Hasty Puddings ‘Woman of the Year’ award – an award granted every year since 1951. My thinking was that, while an autograph, say of Mick Jagger or Dolly Parton, didn’t actually mean that you had really met the celebrity in question – after all, you could cheat or fix it somehow – you can’t cheat with a selfie. For my selfies – and I’ve taken hundreds of them – I always use a Leica with a 35 or 40mm lens.

Jean Pigozzi, born in Paris 1952, is an entrepreneur, philanthropist and art collector living in Paris, New York and Panama. He has been taking pictures since the early seventies, often in black and white and preferably selfies with his illustrious, celebrity friends.

L F I 5 / 2 0 1 9 w ill a p p e a r o n 2 8 J u n e 2 0 1 9

122 |

lFi

Distribution LFI (USPS no 0017912) is published 8 times per annum.

Subscription price per annum (including shipping) worldwide: 69 € LFI is also available as an app at the Apple iTunes store and at Google Play LFI Subscription Service P. O. Box 13 31, D-53335 Meckenheim Phone: +49 / 22 25 / 70 85-3 70 Fax: +49 / 22 25 / 70 85-3 99 E-Mail: lfi@aboteam.de All articles and illustrations contained in the magazine are subject to the laws of copyright. Any form of utilization beyond the narrow limits imposed by the laws of copyright and without the expressed permission of the publisher is forbidden and will be prosecuted. This applies particularly to reproduction, translation, microfilming or the storage and processing in electronic systems. Enquiries or material for publication are welcome. We accept no responsibility for unsolicited material.

Printed in Germany

* former WestLicht Photographica Auction

WWW.LEITZ-AUCTION.COM

NEW!

LEICA Q2 Accept nothing but perfection.

The new Leica Q2 will expand your creative freedom thanks to its high resolution and best-in-class protection against dust and spray water.

Equipped with a newly developed 47.3 MP full-frame sensor, the fastest lens in its class and a precise autofocus, the camera delivers ultimate image quality and flexibility across a variety of genres. As a professional tool for available light photography in challenging conditions, the Leica Q2 will enable you to go beyond limits to attain the perfect image.

Find more inspiration at www.q2.leica-camera.com Download the Leica FOTOS App

Leica Camera AG I Am Leitz-Park 5 I 35578 WETZLAR I GERMANY I www.leica-camera.com