Brigid Mae Power

Artist Feature: Brigid Mae Power

For our fourth "Artist Feature" we are extremely lucky to be chatting with the immensely talented artist/musician, Brigid Mae Power. She is the first non-photographer that we are featuring here at The Rothschild Photo Collection. Both her art and her music have an emotional intensity that resonates with me. Her music totes the line between experimental folk, country, and ambient. Her voice is equal parts primal and delicate. Meanwhile, her art is extremely visceral and potent. Hard not to be inspired by the lovely Brigid Mae Power.

Your artwork portfolio seems quite varied and extensive, but currently you have only one recorded album. Have you been doing artwork for a longer period of time or has music and art always been an ongoing passion in your life?

BMP: I have actually been writing songs for a good few years now and have three previous releases, but they have all been more or less tiny self-releases and CD's that I have brought with me to gigs. Music and art have always been an ongoing passion, but I think I came around to creating my own music a little later than I did with making my own art.

You have such a wide range of expressive visual works. It's quite impressive. How did you decide on the cover of your album with so many different pieces to choose from?

BMP: It was hard but actually Peter Broderick kept insisting on the fox being the cover.... and being very indecisive by nature, I just went with his opinion and then realized a few weeks later that I was happy with the fox being the cover and that the colors suited the songs.

Do you think you will continue to use your art as album cover material going forward?

BMP: Yes! I think so. Seems like it fits so far. If something doesn't fit, then I'm open to other covers!

Your voice is the most captivating and strongest element in your music, creating an atmosphere, melody, and harmony simultaneously. It's quite mesmerizing. Meanwhile, when looking at a lot of your artwork, it's easy to imagine your voice representing the contours of the various forms. Do you feel there is a relationship between the two?

BMP: Well, I guess there is in a very basic way... When I'm singing I feel like I connect with something, and when I am drawing I feel like I do too. I go to a similar place. So I guess it just comes out in both ways, through the voice or the pen!

A lot of your visual works are very colorful and somewhat complicated, whereas your music seems more minimal in a lot of ways. Is that a conscious decision or just how things have evolved?

BMP: I never have any conscious decisions with music or art, it's a very subconscious thing for me with no plan. So yes, I guess it's just how its evolved. I find it easier to express some intricacies through color and lines, whereas maybe my lyrics are more minimal as I feel there are some things I can't always express verbally. I'm quite interested in communication beyond words, that feeling behind them. Sometimes all those lines and complicated patterns have been sort of unraveling. It can feel like when I'm doing that, I am sorting out some things in my thoughts. 

Besides album cover material, do you see yourself implementing your visual work with your music at any point?

BMP: I'd love to do some sort of animation in the future. So yes, I definitely see it merging.

Since you clearly are a very visual person, has photography at any point influenced your painting and/or music? And do you practice photography yourself as a hobby?

BMP: I have a song called "looking at you in a photo" .

It's something I wrote whilst looking at a photo of me and my son. So yes, photography has been influential to my work. I often might have photos around that seem to seep into the music or keep the flow of playing going if I feel a bit stuck. I generally do like looking at a painting or a photograph when playing. I don't practice photography though, I have never really felt the urge. So I am mostly an admirer. 

It's been super inspiring catching up with Ms Brigid Mae Power. To see and hear more of her work you can find her here: http://brigidmaepower.com/

Dave Rothschild 2016

Sam Prekop

Artist Feature: Sam Prekop

For our third "Artist Feature" we have the pleasure of speaking to Chicago-based musician/photographer, Sam Prekop. Sam is what I would call an urban-based documentary photographer with a particular focus on capturing mundane or intimate city blocks, which are  mostly void of people. And musically he is an electronic/analog synth based producer whose body of work is very abstract. Here is his latest record and our conversation:

As some one who has published photo books do you find there is any similarity in the sequencing process between a photo book and a record? And is your sequencing in both cases concerned more with narrative or with intuition? In other words, are you trying to tell a story or create some thing more abstract and interpretive?

SP: Sequencing is important to both mediums, but I try not to over work it and hope that the "best" sequence arrives somehow, perhaps mysteriously. I am always hoping the sequencing feels somewhat effortless. I'd say I am guided primarily by intuition, and developing or illustrating a narrative is not my interest. However, I am not opposed to someone reading into the work as though there could be a narrative and I feel the best work hints at that possibility. 

Listening to your music and looking at your photographic works it is clear that there is a strong analog presence. Has this always been the case? And what role does that play in both your music and photography?

SP: I am afraid of coming off as some sort of "analog" purist, but in both mediums analog just feels right. However, the modular synthesizer I use involves a fair amount of digital control and sound elements.  For me the most important facet of "analog" is the tactile aspect of the instrument. In my photography I have shot a fair amount digitally and it's excellent in certain situations,  but somehow the digital photos just don't quite look right or natural to me. Color is an important  subject to me and film just seems to expose and organize it more beautifully. 

You seem to have a passion for documenting the neighborhoods and settings in Chicago. With such a documentary style do you find it challenging creating a narrative between images to tell a story?

SP:  I wouldn't say I am a "documentary" photographer in any classic sense. I admit that I treat Chicago more as a framework to focus my ideas and aesthetic. The documentary aspect is more a by-product of the medium and not exactly my goal. However,  I'm also not really interested in transforming what's in front of the camera and appreciate a clear "documentary" style. I am mostly interested in the challenge of organizing and making choices within the frame when considering all the possibilities. I've always thought of myself as an abstract painter who takes photos. It's a matter of developing a specific visual language while having it be expressive. I was raised in Chicago so its visual presence is part of my DNA and I feel I am able to make my best work here. Hopefully I am so familiar with my environment that I'm able to expose aspects of it that no one else would see.  

Has balancing your musical and photographic creations come naturally or do you find you spend part of the year on one medium and the other part on the other?

SP: I naturally move back and forth between the two but there is some overlap. I started making photographs while on tour and of course still do.  Performing live and taking photos on tour is really different from writing and making a record. And the same could be said for working on a concentrated body of photographs. So I'd say it's a lot easier!

What role does the city of Chicago play in both your music and your photography besides setting?

SP: I've been here so long I feel I'm unable to really comprehend what my creative life would be without Chicago. Basically I would make different work if I wasn't here. It's as simple as that.

Do you have any projects that combine your music and photography talents? And if not, any plans to combine the two in some way?

SP: Well my first book came with a CD, but it was somewhat of an afterthought and the two weren't really conceived at the same time. I think it worked out ok but I was worried about diminishing the nuance of the book by attempting to integrate music. However, not too long ago I did a talk and slide show of photos followed by a modular synth performance and I think the the lecture/performance illuminated qualities  of each of my pursuits that wouldn't have been recognized any other way. Perhaps I could further develop a "multi-media" performance some day. 

Thank you Sam for sharing your work with us. It was fascinating to hear some of what your process is like balancing your music and photography. If you want to see more of Sam's photography on his instagram:    @1Sampre

-David Rothschild 2016

Wim Winters

"ARTIST FEATURE" : WIM WINTERS

Welcome to the second edition of the "Artist Feature" here at The Rothschild Photo Collection where we chat with musicians/photographers. This month features a virtuoso on the clavichord who has a strong eye for pattern and the abstract with his camera: Mr. Wim Winters

http://www.authenticsound.be

Has music and photography always been a simultaneous source of expression for you or has photography become something more recent in your life?

 Well, to start with, I would not consider myself a photographer. I am a musician who really likes to take photographs. However, I had a camera in my hand first before a key under my fingers! That has all to do with my father, who passed away only last year, and I still have his beautiful Bronica. He had his own darkroom and ended his career in the mid 90's with nude photography. He had a very good artistic eye, did not hesitate in his photographic work, and what he left on print is still impressive to me. 

 I sat literally hours next to him when he cleaned his equipment (and he was always,  in my memory, cleaning), and on his walks on Sundays I was the one who went with him, often carrying the big bag with lenses and filters and other stuff! 

He was a guitar player too in an earlier life, and when I played a small electrical organ at a friend's birthday party, he jumped on my musical education, which quickly went to quite a high level. One year later, I won an international competition for amateurs in classical organ playing. 

Photography never was at the center of what I did, but it was always very natural for me to talk with people on depth-of field, composition, lenses, etc. It became a stronger part of my life only a few years ago while sitting on an airplane next to the builder of my clavichord, Joris Potvlieghe. He was about to buy a new camera, and one of the reviews he read was about the Fuji X-Pro1. I was sold immediately and am still convinced that camera was the right choice for me. 

I noticed a strong sense of pattern in your photos, which feels very musical in a way. Do you feel there is a relationship between your language of music and how you make photos whether conscious or not?

That is an interesting question, and while making a top 6 list of my work, I noticed this kind of abstract feel in the photographs that appealed to me. When I read Ansel Adams autobiography (Adams was first a pianist), I recognized that his musical education served him well as a photographer. He meant that the mental reflexes of a musician, especially the concentration factor, also transfer to the art of photography. And when I go out for a walk, alone or with a friend, I feel liberated when I find a spot that draws me in with minimalistic views. I feel relaxed in a way afterwards that is hard to describe, happy almost, and since I do consider photography as a hobby, I can deny all reflexes that are automated by my music, telling me constantly what there is to approve or not. I would say, if music has influenced my photography it's in the field of concentration and focus.

Your video recordings of your musical performances are so artfully shot with a strong sense of light, geometry and mood.  Have you ever considered self-portraiture in your photography?

I take that as a real compliment from the pen of a photographer. Two of the big challenges for my YouTube videos is the light and geometry. The clavichord has a horizontal shape: I, with my length, go vertical. That doesn't fit very well in a landscape format. And since we do not have big spotlights on the ceiling, we work with small LED lights that give no heat (important for keeping the instrument stable in tuning). Setting up the lights is a constant challenge, avoiding disturbing shadows, and sometimes we just accept the imperfect result. But a self-portraiture is something I would not consider. Luckily I have a friend who's an excellent photographer, and every time I need photos, I just ask her. Better this way!

Your musical performances seem so precise and virtuosic. Do you feel your photography is a departure from that and more spontaneous?

Oh yes! As said before, one can only reach that level of precision (if I may say so) because of a constant critical reflex, that at times can be rather fatiguing too. One of the great things I feel about photography is that I am very conscious to let that element of self-criticism only rise to a certain standard. It is also a form of self-protection, since it would take me too far from my core activity if I would dive too deep into photography (and I know myself on this!).

Do you have any recordings of your music as part of an album? And if so, would you ever consider your photography as possible album cover material?

We are working hard on our first release of Authentic Sound Records, which will be Bach's famous Partitas. I am about to record these fabulous pieces on tape, for release on Vinyl disc, packed in (what we would like to be) beautiful boxes with CD, HiRes downloads, alternative versions of some movements, behind-the-scenes, a more elaborate version of my series Afterthoughts, and a real old-fashioned big book of about 40 pages with meaningful articles and photographs. I dream of giving the cover as a kind of exhibition piece to photographers. I've talked about this with Ted Forbes of 'The Art Of Photography', about  collaborating on this, and that just might happen. This kind of cross-over collaboration is very appealing to me.

 Your work  has a very abstract quality.  Do you have any photographers who resonate with your vision?

To be honest, not really, and as I said before, the abstract 'quality' (too much honor for me) is partly because of the ease of process. It is extremely difficult to produce stunning landscapes as Adams did or make portraits like Richard Avedon. I've learned many new names through Ted's channel,"The Art of Photography". While I wait for him to make an episode on Stieglitz (of which I have several books), to help me understand his work. One of my all-time favorites certainly is Edward Steichen. His photographs are just unbelievable in every way.

Your YouTube channel looks like it requires immense work and dedication to be able to perform and record the music at the highest level. I am sure it takes up so much time. With that said, do you have any photo projects or ideas that you would like to explore in the future?

I wish I had the time for that. As you say, the channel is literally eating time, and besides the YouTube channel, I work as an organ consultant, an architect for the restoration of historical church organs. I am project leader of quite an important organ project in the famous Belgian university town Leuven. Also, unbeknownst to many. I have been working on a novel for the past 4 years that I hope to finish later this year. So, as we speak, photography is (shame on me!) is a low priority. My father's darkroom chemicals are still waiting on me in the attic. I would love to do some dark room work since it feels so essential. It might take flight sooner or later, I don't know. But what I do know is that it will never disappear!