Matt Henry talks about the square peg parts of us with dreams we refuse to give up on – and the lack of a good chippy…
Hi Matt,
Could you tell us about your practice and if you’ve always been drawn to creating work that is described as ‘stills from an imaginary film‘?
‘Stills from an imaginary film’ is not a description I coined, and I don’t think I set out to do this, but I do tend to think in terms of story and sequence and once the comment got made, it did seem to make sense. It’s an unusual approach in the fictional realm of photography to work with large series of images that are connected in a sequential manner, so I think that it’s inevitable that the comparison gets drawn with cinema. But I am a passionate follower of both photography and cinema, and they both influence my work. My practise is certainly similar to cinema in the sense that I cast actors, use costume, sets, lighting, make up and hair, location scouts and small crews of people etc.
What inspires you most?
The outsider in us all who refuses to tow the line. The square peg parts of us with dreams we refuse to give up on.
Tell us about the works that visitors can expect to see at your Open House?
The works on show come predominantly from two series; one shot in the Mojave Desert, California and the other not so far away in Palm Springs, California. They’re both ficitonal stories with a cast of characters and both very different. One focuses on an imaginary psychedelic encounter at a motel/diner/gas station in the desert, and the other is another blackly comedic story about a group of housewives in 1960s suburbia.
This is your first time taking part in Artists Open Houses, what are you most looking forward to?
Meeting new people and having a good old chat about art making.
Is there anything else you would like to tell us?
The Brunswick Town area needs a chippy or a Chinese. It’s all gone too posh.
Visit Matt Henry Photography
Flat 2, 37 Brunswick Place, Hove, BN3 1ND