Jaime Martinez interview: The photographer and visual artist behind M.I.A.’s album ‘’/\/\/\Y/\’’
A entrevista a seguir foi concedida com exclusividade para Matheus Gouthier em Março/2019 e publicada em sua versão traduzida (PT-BR) através do Artikin. Leia aqui.
# INTRO
Back in 2010, pop culture had an epic keychange with the rise of new cultural icons and stars, in this same year M.I.A — whose stardom happened in 2007 — became more than just an eccentric pop star, she became one of the great referential names for the whole music industry when it comes to innovation and artistic rawness, or better; honesty. Her past two albums — Arular and Kala — already had the political tone and a strong artistic identity, but this time the Sri-Lankan artist went beyond, /\/\/\Y/\ (stylized form for Maya) her third studio album designed the imagery and aesthetic that later would be used as a reference for many artists and even movements. The aggressive album predicted part of what the 10s would be known for later with its violent dystopian-web based concept and was a pioneer in the sense that it brought new-media/internet art for the world’s main stage in a time when the prejudice against these techniques was common and so its non-recognition as a genuine art form.
To develop such an artwork, M.I.A collaborated with Jaime Martinez, a Mexican photographer and trailblazer visual artist which developed the vivid GIF-art platform that turned the album not just into an internet sensation but in a remarkable project of artistic experimentation. In 2019, Jaime talked to us about his career and shared his vision on contemporary photography, the image on music and the aforementioned collaboration with M.I.A.
The following interview occurred in March/2019 and was originally published in Artikin on its Portuguese translated version.
# INTERVIEW
1 — The vivid kind of art you’ve developed became almost instantaneously part of the globalized world culture; exploring the possibilities of the GIF format in a truly authentic way. How do you feel being a pioneer of a movement which re-shaped not just the photography world but also new media/internet-art?
It is weird because when I started to experiment and to have fun with adding movement to my photos, I was not aware it was going to became a movement, or to change these worlds you mentioned. It all happened very fast, it was like only one year (2008–2009) that I started to experiment with photographic gifs to the moment I was working with M.I.A. I was learning on the go. It took years but now as you said it is a new media, a new way of communication. Now I feel proud that my photo experiments were going to influence bigger things than I never expected or planned.
2 — In my personal perception, your artworks mashes lifelike content to the imaginary of the urban culture of nowadays and also fashion and music — and in common the GIF factor. And I wonder if the animated pictures are a philosophical effort to portrait and conserve the moments in a lively way? Is there an affective aim behind your work?
Yes. I have always been very nostalgic, I can’t help it! Before fashion and music, my first photographic influence in the early 90s were the photo albums of my family. They were full of photos mainly from the 80s and 70s. When I started to become serious about photography. in the early 2000s. I was looking to emulate that vintage mood in my work. I was experimenting to do that not only with colors or effects but with a mixture of that and candid/amateur-ish style in the composition and direction. Somehow I managed to elaborate a style out of that. For me, adding the movement was also another effort of looking for more nostalgia, more info about the captured moment: when I looked into a vintage photo of my family (for example) I was always wondering what happened little after or little before that moment, the animated photos let you explore a bit more in the dimension of time or depth of those moments, you are able to see a few seconds more of the moment or a few angles. For me, an animated photo (gif) is an extended glimpse of a static photo.
3 — Are there any particular artists, movements or general stuff you take as inspiration?
I love horror movies, in special Italian horror movies from the 70s and 80s. My favorite director is Dario Argento. I also love the work of John Carpenter, David Cronenberg, David Lynch. One of my favorite groups is Sonic Youth, their music influenced my work since the beginning, especially their music videos and album covers. Spike Jonze is also one of my inspirations. I love his music videos. Music videos of the 90s and the Tumblr aesthetics between 2009–2012 also influenced my work in different stages.
4 — As a photographer, how do you feel about image-making nowadays in the Instagram era?
I love that these days almost everybody has a phone with a camera, and everybody is taking pictures and videos of everything every day. I think Instagram is the most important social network these days, and it talks about the importance of photography in everyday life. It is weird, because suddenly we have a lot of documentation of almost anything, and nostalgia is not the same as it was in the 80s or 90s. Now photography is not only about capturing moments for the future, it is a lot less nostalgic, with the success of Instagram and the Stories photography became something like “Hey I’m here now, and I feel this right now, but tomorrow is another day and who knows!”. In general terms, photography is now more like a fast fashion.
5 — M.I.A; how it all happened?
In summer 2009 when I started to do my first stereoscopic gifs, some of them went viral on Tumblr. Then I got interviewed by different magazines and blogs, one of the most important was for Dazed Digital. I’m not sure but I guess M.I.A. saw that article and then she contacted me via mail, in August 2009. She told me she was a fan of my gif work and invited me to a couple of concerts she had in California in that month. After the second show, in San Francisco, we were in backstage talking and she told me we should work together to do more gifs. She invited me to sign a contract and work for her all 2010, that’s how I became his official tour and personal photographer that year. After 2010 we collaborated a few times more. In 2013 she invited me to do the photoshoot in gifs for her Versus Versace collaboration campaign. It was something big because it was probably the first time a really big fashion brand was doing gifs, Later in 2014, she invited me to take gifs during the filming of her self-directed Double Bubble Trouble music video. After that, I also have worked with her a couple of times that she has come to Mexico for music festivals, last time 2 years ago.
6 — We truly know M.I.A as a musician but I’m really curious to know about her while an art director and so about you. Can you tell me more about the work you developed together and how it was for you as a photographer to capture her essence?
I think we made a very good team. She did her part and I did mine in a very fluid way. Before being a musician, Maya is a visual artist. She has very clear her style and what she likes and how to express it. She knows very well how to pose and how to express herself with her body and the way she dresses. I was complimenting that with a bit of direction, choosing the spots and framing the moment. In simpler words, it was as easy as she being her and me being there with my cameras documenting that with my vision. It was a very raw and casual style and it worked, you can see it in the photos and gifs.
7 — Your work shaped great part of what the ‘’/\/\/\Y/\’’ album is known for; your animated pictures totally matched with the violent dystopian-web based aesthetic of the project. Do you think that collabs like yours with MIA represent the general idea of what music is nowadays; essentially audiovisual? I mean, can we longer think of music without the image factor?
Yes. But I think it should be even more visual than it actually is. In my opinion, nowadays a lot of bands and music artists don’t care too much about the visual part of their work. I don’t think they even see it as a part, but as a -sometimes- complement. I feel not everybody sees the potential visuals can add to their music. For example, last night I just saw Aphex Twin live, collaborating with visual artist Weirdcore and it was an amazing experience. Only a few times I have seen that level of communion between music and images, and I think it should be always like that because music doesn’t have to be only an audio experience, especially when the artist performs live. By the way, Weirdcore has been also working a lot with M.I.A. doing her live visuals for years, and editing some of her music videos. I’m a big fan of his work, I feel honored he was a few times mixed some of my gifs and photos for her videos and visuals.
8 — I think that’s just amazing the palpable and layered quality of the images on the Versus Versace campaign, your photography plus Sri-Lankan’s modular emblems of M.I.A. and Versace’s flamboyant prints… it all truly worked together! That’s the kind of collab between different areas that works once in a lifetime. I’d like to know the story of how it all happened?
Thanks a lot, I’m really glad you see it like this. It was a very exciting project, and probably the top project I have ever had. It happened in September 2013, the producers of the campaign contacted me because Maya wanted me to do the gifs. They asked me what I needed to work (cameras, computers, flashes, etc) and they were very concerned that I was going to use only vintage analog cameras and a hot-shoe flash. They were not used to do that in that time, they were expecting me to use full-frame digital cameras (now it became a trend for younger photographers to use smaller analog cameras and it is the normal thing now and big brands and looking for that). I was in Mexico and they flew me to London. We did the shoot in the streets and inside small shops, we were just improvising spots and having fun with the poses and everything as we were used to work since before. It was very fluid, we had a great time. I have to confess I was very nervous at the beginning of the day but quickly it became a very cool photoshoot. Probably the most lovely part of this experience was to get to know Allegra Beck, the niece of Gianni Versace. She is one of the most lovely human beings I’ve ever known, very kind and charming. She told us she really loved the photoshoot and had a great time, that it was something special and different to the shoots she was used to attending. That is my favorite compliment I have ever got of my work.
9 — And to finish with the M.I.A collab topic, tell me more about the conception of Double Bubble Trouble?
Well, I was not involved at all in the conception of the video. It was directed by Maya, it was all her ideas and concept. In this case, they flew me to London and I was just documenting and doing still photography and gifs during the filming. Later I did the animation of the gifs, and Weirdcore mixed and edited them later for the final edition of the video that he also did.
10 - Your thoughts on the future of photography art and what about your next projects?
As I said before, I think in general photography is losing its nostalgic properties. For most of the people, it is more about documenting daily life and sharing it the same day. That's why I believe younger photographers -both commercial and artists- are looking to work more with analog cameras, because they want to differenciate their work from the "everyday photographers" (cellphone and digital photography). The bad part about this trend is that some people believe that only because it is made with film a photo is better than a digital, or more artistic. The kind of camera, quality or technique we use should not be so important anymore, but what we do with the images we take. What to use them for? Where to publish them? I don't think the Instagram dynamics and techniques will last more than 2 years, We need to find a new use for the cameras we already have, besides taking selfies, party pictures, sunsets, etc, find what to do with this documentation of our lives and find a productive way of organize it and share it, as every day we take more and more photos.
About my next projects, I would like to direct more music videos, and later a short movie. To experiment more with video and photos in general, I feel I need to experiment more again. Next year I would like to publish a book with my photos, I think I have enough material to do so.
