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THE ETHEREAL LANDSCAPES OF TIM SIMMONS Text and interview by Ben Nicholas 38
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T
im Simmons has crashed our computer again…
made… they both have something to say. I like the
We’ve just received another one of his ultra
purity of the form of landscape. I think the ones
high-resolution photographs and now must act
that have structure point to an inhabitance, and I
upon the harsh realization that our frozen screen
think the ones of pure nature are a little more wide
isn’t showing any signs of reawakening. We force
open, and they allow us to interpret our planet and
quit.
sort out what we are doing here.
A t f i r s t g l a n c e , M r. S i m m o n s ’ p h o t o g r a p h s a p p e a r as crisp, harmless landscapes—the type of beauty
BEN : What sort of environment did you grow up in?
we take for granted. With quick mouse clicks we
Was it uncommonly beautiful and inspiring photo-
skim through his first set of photographs. This sort
graphically?
of photography we recognize and understand: The classic sensibility of early image-makers favoring
TIM : I always viewed landscapes in a different way
replication over impressionism for the purpose of
from people… Twenty years ago with a couple of
preserving one specific moment of exquisiteness.
g u y s w e t o o k a t r i p t o Wa l e s a n d i t w a s t h e f i r s t
Fortunately, we’ve progressed as Internet art
time I lit and shot a landscape… over the years my
browsers and our complacency quickly fades upon
parents moved to Norfolk, and I experimented with
closer inspection of Simmons’ work. The line be-
black and white series. It has been something that
tween natural and super natural blurs. We toss pre-
has always been there but I never had the time.
vious estimations regarding his technical execution
Then in 2002, the thing that propelled me was that
out the window. We’re in the dark about how these
my mother died and I really wanted to do some-
images can exist! Tim Simmons casts a clever shad-
thing that meant a little more, so I could put back
ow across our notion of causality with frame and
into society… then four years later my father died
light, ironically with the exact instruments perform-
and I haven’t really looked back… I just keep try-
ing the opposite function - that of illumination.
ing to find ways for me to express my feelings…
We witness landscapes certainly like we’ve never seen them. Simmons lets us in on a secret, but
BEN
:
They
are
tremendously
beautiful
pictures.
doesn’t divulge the entire truth. Instead, he shows
There is a certain fragility to them that drew my
us the setting where the mystery lives, yet as is the
eye to the man-made elements that often seem to
case with all his photographs, we’ve arrived at the
divide the natural elements… a footpath, a road, a
location either a second too late or too early, the
fence, a rock garden… A narrative exists here.
mystery unveiled solely for his eyes; which may be the reason he is temping us now with such dramati-
T I M : Yo u c a n c o n s t r u e a n a r r a t i v e . I t ’ s b e e n c o m -
cally large files – He’s allowing us to examine the
mented in the past that in the photographs you
details to solve his riddles. Recently, TIm spoke to
arrive somewhere where something happened, but
me about his work from his home in Britain.
you don’t know quite what. I’d like to get across that the idea really is that our lives have become
BEN : Did you see what was going on in Arizona?
very busy and we don’t seem to have time to think about what we are doing or where we are going…
T I M S I M M O N S : Ye a , I d i d s e e s o m e t h i n g , t h e n e w
we are caught up in a consumer cycle… and I know
laws clamping down on immigration, is it?
you can’t preach to people… so if there were a way we could quietly reflect sometimes then maybe our
BEN : Right, looking at your Arizona photographs, I
attitudes would change a little toward the people
noticed a lot of man-made boundaries sort of hint-
around us… there has recently been a series on
ing at the idea of keeping people out.
BBC by Professor Brian Cox about our planet and solar system… the only reason our planet manages
TIM : That’s very interesting actually.
to exist with so many varieties of life is just because of our atmosphere… and when you see how
BEN : Yea, because they were shot before any of
thin and fragile it is and think about how that’s the
that news came out or laws were passed there…
only difference between a barren landscape and
which is sort of strange. The landscape appears to
ours with fertility… it brings home the idea perhaps
speak for itself I suppose.
of some of the things we’re doing to it.
TIM : Well, I think America lends itself to having in-
BEN : Tell me about the projection projects that
teresting infrastructures like that… natural or man-
you’ve completed. I’ve recently been doing some
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Previous page : Iceland Seltun #1
Top : Autumn #2, Bottom : Iceland Myvatn Volcanic Rock #2
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o u r l i v e s h a v e b e c o m e v e r y b u s y. w e d o n ’ t s e e m t o h av e t i m e to t h i n k a b o u t w h at w e a r e
doing or where
we are going. we are caught up in A consumer cycle.
projection myself and I find it fascinating to trans-
your own lights you’re able to bring out textures
plant disparate landscapes on top of one another.
and
details
in
the
foreground
and
undergrowth
that you don’t normally see… T I M : Ye s , l a s t y e a r b e f o r e I w e n t o f f t o I c e l a n d , I was thinking about another show somewhere. When
BEN: They seem too perfect to be real. They look
you start contacting galleries, everyone is booked
like miniatures that a human would craft delicately,
up for years and years. And quite often the people
but really they’re too beautiful for human hands.
who visit galleries to look at your work aren’t necessarily the people you’re trying to reach. I ap-
T I M : Ye s ! T h e y d o t h a t r e a l l y . P e o p l e a s k , “ A r e t h e y
proached two or three festivals and one of them
real?” And they absolutely are, they do exist. And
came off, the Latitude Festival in Suffolk England,
I think the reason they are lulled into that thought
which is an eco-based arts festival… poets, come-
process is because they haven’t seen things lit like
dians, music - all sorts of stuff. There is an arts sec-
that before.
tion in the middle of the woods. I proposed putting a large screen and projecting landscapes… so that
BEN : What kind of lights do you use? I’m not going
happened. What is fantastic is that you are able to
to reveal them in the interview. I’m just interested
reach a broad audience. Whether they walk past
because I make films and light stuff all the time.
and see two or three pictures or stay for the whole show… It’s almost better than being in a gallery.
TIM : Well, I get lots of emails asking me exactly
Not because you are trying to create sales, but just
that and I always decline. I had a guy from Dubai
in terms of trying to communicate… then we had
who asked to pay me for my knowledge. But it’s not
a n o t h e r a t t h e L o n d o n A r t F a i r, w h i c h w a s v e r y s u c -
rocket science really. It’s a variety of lights I pull
c e s s f u l , t h e n a n o t h e r t h r e e t h i s s u m m e r. I t ’ s s o m e -
out from my little bag. It’s not magic.
thing I’d like to try and bring to America… so if you know of anywhere…
BEN
:
How
do
you
discover
the
landscapes
you
shoot? BEN : I’ll get on that as soon as we finish, actually. I think NYC would be the perfect place for the pro-
TIM : I think about a subject matter… and in fact
jections… we rarely see ‘nature’ here, would be a
18 months ago I did a road trip from LA to Denver
beautiful stage I believe.
through Utah. I got a pretty good idea of what was there. I have traveled through America quite a lot.
TIM : Where to start though?
At the minute, I’m shipping my kit to the States where I will leave it for a whole year and I’m plan-
BEN: Drape a giant curtain across a building, proj-
ning to visit different areas and go back and forth.
ect in the middle of skyscrapers.
America does have an incredible variety of landscapes… you can’t get away from that. America is
TIM: Guerilla style.
easy to travel and work in. Recently I saw an amazing place in the middle of Russia. I don’t know if I’ll
BEN: Exactly!
e v e r g e t t h e r e h o w e v e r.
TIM : There are many people who shoot landscapes
BEN: Any plans on coming to NYC? If I set up a show
really, the large format cameramen, and now the
for you here would you come?
breed of people who do ambient lights around cities and motorways… I wanted to try to light it my-
TIM : I’d love to have a show there! My wife is
self. Normally we only ever see daylight, sunlight,
f r o m Ve r m o n t . I w o u l d l o v e t o d o s o m e i n s t a l l a t i o n
overcast, that sort of stuff, but when you put up
there.
Opposite : Torridon Moss Pond, Previous Page : Rockpool #12
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M E D D L E S O M E
M O V E M E N T S
Pa u l A n d r e F o r t i e r ’ s S o l o D a n c e Wo r k i n D o w n t o w n M a n h a t t a n It is the sheer power and courageous spirit of Paul Andre Fort i e r t h a t f o r c e s a b u s t l i n g , N e w Yo r k b u s i n e s s m a n t o h a l t a n d absorb the beauty of dance in its purest form. As part of NYC’s River to River Festival, Fortier is being presented by the Joyce Theater in a thirty minute solo for thirty consecutive days, in a n e f f o r t t o b r i n g a r t t o t h e m a s s e s . F o r t i e r, t h e c h o r e o g r a p h e r a n d p e r f o r m e r, i s o n e o f t h e l e a d i n g f i g u r e s o f C a n a d i a n dance. His work is rooted in the realm of modern dance and his explorations resonate between abstract compositions and narrative dance. Fortier first performed the solo, 30x30, in 2006, a n d N e w Yo r k i s n o w t h e 1 2 t h c i t y t o h o s t t h i s e v e n t . 3 0 x 3 0 i s appropriate for a city viewing, as it concerns a man trying to find his place in the concrete; often with much difficulty. Findi n g a s p a c e o f y o u r o w n w i t h i n a c i t y l i k e N e w Yo r k i s a s u b j e c t in which all onlookers can find relevance. 30x30 is a minimalist dance stripped of the stage’s artifice and grounded in a public setting. The work is a set piece of choreography, but often receives interpretations by Fortier depending on the situation in which he finds himself. Fortier has dealt with the unexpected in his travels from city to city. He has periled on with his solo despite extreme heat, mocking teenagers, and loud observers. Fortier’s city selections are always purposeful; he aims to introduce dance into an unlikely space where an observer will exhibit a sense of surprise to see dance presented. It is the juxtaposition of the performing artist in the heart of Manhattan’s financial district that proves art can unite all, regardless of arena or population. Fortier’s solo draws an audience together from all backgrounds. They stop to observe and appreciate the serenity of dance and its uniting capabilities.
Photographs and text by Lauren Stewart treatment by Thomas Nicholas
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Open: Svalbard, (The Flight of the Eagle, 1982) Duplicate Layer Flip Horizontal Duplicate Layer, Flip Vertical, Duplicate Layer Flip Horizontal, Free Transform Max Von Sydow(1982) Place Layer Style: Screen, Fill Opacity 45%
THE J OURNEY O F S . A . ANDREE In 1897 S.A. Andree set out in a hot air balloon for the North Pole, determined to claim it for his homeland of Sweden. Sixty five days after taking off Andree and his two-man crew were forced to land on the arctic ice flow, hundreds of miles from their anticipated destination. In 1930 Andree’s headless body was found near Svalbard, Norway along with the remains of the explorer’s party. Scientists determined that the cause of death was trichonosis, caused by the consumption of polar bear meat. The discovery of the final camp also yielded diaries and photographs from the crew that revealed that the men had spent almost half a year adrift on the iceflow. These records spawned the 1952 book entitled Dead on the White Island. In 1967 Per Olaf Sundman published a semidocumentary novel The Flight of the Eagle which was adapted for screen in 1982 by director Jan Troell. In tur n this film led to the 1997 documentary A Frozen Dream, which was also directed by Troell and used footage from his earlier movie. As S.A. Andree’s story cycled through this series of mediums it began to generate its own mythology, blurring the lines of fact and fiction. Using original photographs taken on the expedition as well as images from each subsequent rendition of the journey The New Heroes adds a new chapter to the story. Art by Ben and Thomas Nicholas, screenplay by Bryan Scary.
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S.A.
Andree
Balloonist
Party,
(1896)
opacity12%,
copy,
duplicate
layer
color
halftone
opacity:
15%,
copy,
free
transform,
warp
brightness:
-10,
Max
Vo n
Sydow,
(1982)
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ISL AND LIVING MICHAL A J VA Z ’ S TRANSCENDENT NEW NOVEL T H E G O L D E N A G E
It is a special achievement in art when a work manages to transcend the medium in which it is created. Often this feat is accomplished through an inspection of the medium itself and the structure that confines the work. For example, the repetitive, abstract process used by a painter like Jackson Pollack or the “chance operations” of choreographer Merce Cunningham allowed each of these artists to attain a new perspective on the actual work they were completing, while simultaneously creating and remarking on their own work. Art that is created in this way often yields exciting results. It not only presents a new work but also provides an interlaced commentary on its subject matter that comes directly from the source; the artist. Arguably, the most difficult medium to achieve this in is literature. The rigid structure of a novel is possibly the most unyielding of all forms. A novel about a novel is not a special achievement; but in reality a piece of fiction isn’t defined by prose alone. It is also defined by the tangible elements of a book; the pages, the script, the weight, the actual matter of the work itself. So how do you create a novel redefining all of these elements? You create an entirely new substance from which to draw. You create a new cultural language. This is what Michal Ajvaz has done with his novel The Golden Age. Understanding that the established structure of the written novel was too firmly rooted in our contemporary society, Ajvaz did the only logical thing; he created a completely new society. His commentary on literature and language that is the theoretical base for his novel, is created by presenting a completely alien society through the eyes of a Westerner. In short Ajvaz has written a fictional travelogue. An adventure story about a European man who finds himself living on a remote island with a people that have customs unlike any in our world. As Ajvaz’s protagonist explains, nothing much happens on the island. It is a society seemingly devoid of conflict, possession, art and structure. The chief concern of the islanders is watching the linear progression of nature as it’s displayed in all things. The way that the wind sounds in the trees, the movement of water, the natural erosion of a substance. The islanders are especially fascinated by the progression and evolution of stains. They have learned to interpret them into entire mythic stories. In the beginning of the novel, the Westerner is driven to near insanity by the monotony of island life, but as he slowly becomes immersed in the society, he finds that the island culture is not mundane but brilliantly tuned to the harmonics of nature. The foreigner begins to realize how misguided our way of life is. The island language at first seems to be missing many of the words that we find essential to our way of communication, but after some time spent amongst the people the traveler realizes that it is really our language that is superfluous. A phrase such as, “They are coming to meet us”, would seem far too primitive to the islanders. Instead, the focus of their sentence would be on how “they” would be arriving, what mood they would be in, what the nature of their gait would be. The core of the island culture is The Book. The Book represents the entire collective history of the island people. It is an object that they share amongst each other, loaning it to one another so that it can be read and written in. Each islander takes time recording whatever they want in the book. The stories range from the genesis of a stain to sprawling heroic fantasies. Any entry can be amended by anyone else on the island; a process that can be done in several ways. The first is simply through erasure. The second is through the addition of pockets: pouches that contain digressions from the account or descriptive passages about a character, object or circumstance involved in the original story. Due to the islanders’ penchant for descriptions, these excursions from the original narrative can reach dozens of levels, having descriptions describing descriptions, describing descriptions. This also means that when read, an individual can choose how far off on a tangent he or she decides to go. There is an important distinction between Ajvaz’s novel and others that present literature within literature, such as Pale Fire by Vladmir Nabokov. In Pale Fire the fictional work within a work is presented and interpreted according to the rules we already possess for interpreting literature. In The Golden Age Ajvaz is essentially giving us the rules to interpret the stories within the book. Inevitably, The Golden Age becomes a tale of The Book and begins to drift off on wave after wave of storyline. Just as our protagonist slowly assimilates into the island society, so do we, the readers, begin to lose ourselves in each narrative unfolding before us.
Te x t b y T h o m a s N i c h o l a s e d i t e d b y J o h n G l u c k m a n 57