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Tuesday, March 14, 2017
Alex Hilbert: PIEL
PIEL, Spanish word for 'skin'
Since first discovering his work with Jonny, (pictured) I have been featuring the work of photographer Alex Hilbert, whenever, and as often as, I get the chance. I loved Alex's images of Jonny so much, I separated the images in series of three posts (check the links below) last spring. Alex is currently working on putting together his new book, PIEL, a sensual photography book showcasing a beautiful collection of images of stunning young men, as seen through the lens of the Northern California photographer.
Alex has started a Kickstarter to help raise money to shoot new models for the book. Check out his Kickstarter HERE: Even if you can't donate, you'll want to check out the page for a great overview of the many incredible men Alex has shot over the last few years!
Alistair Brammer: Last Night of the World
'Why God? Why this face?
Why such beauty in this place?
I liked my mem'ries as they were
But now I'll leave rememb'ring her'
I have loved the music of Miss Saigon for as long as I can remember. I was still a teenager when I first saw a performance on the 1991 Tony's and went right out and bought the soundtrack. Lea Salonga and Jonathan Pryce were incredible, but I was especially taken by the powerful voices of Peter Polycarpou as John and Simon Bowman as Chris. I was especially moved by Bowman's tenor voice that cut right through me when he hit some powerful places with his voice. I never played Chris myself, but I did get the chance to sing a couple of the songs, (as John) while in a 'Salute to Broadway' show while in University.
I replayed the soundtrack over and over and finally saw the show on Broadway in the spring of 2000. Salonga had left, but had returned for the performance that I saw. I am not sure who played Chris in this production as there had been a few replacements since the original run. I have to say that although I loved the show, I loved listening to the soundtrack even more. There were pieces of the story created in my mind, a stage show was not able to replicate. That being said, I would love to hit New York again to see the incredibly hot, and immensely talented Alistair Brammer in the role of Chris.
Alistair certainly isn't new to the role, and has been playing Chris on the London stage for years. Yesterday, he and co-star Eva Maria Noblezada performed 'Last Night of the World' on the today show, and Andrew posted a link to the video from Playbill on his Twitter page.
Alistair's tenor voice cuts right through me, the same way I felt listening to the original soundtrack. After watching the video last night, I immediately headed to Amazon to order the blu-ray of the 20th anniversary performance at London's West End, with Alistair of course, in the role of Chris. Miss Saigon is back on Broadway for a limited run at the Broadway Theatre. Check out the shows official site HERE:
Weaving Through: Joel by Green Carnation Photography
'The poet William Blake dubbed them the Dark Satanic Mills, with their intertwined histories of labour & colonial exploitation.'
I love featuring images of models in long forgotten and abandoned locations. Some of my favorite features have focused on artists who have brought to life previously dead spaces with their images of the male form. There is something especially beautiful about the energy that a young and alive naked body brings to a space with a hardened history. I did a piece in 2013 featuring Tyler, posing in a long closed Colorado mine. (Mine) I couldn't help but think of the locations history, and of all of the miners who descended each day into darkness in order to survive, pay their bills and feed their families.
Last December I had the pleasure of featuring Green Carnation's work with model Joel Nestaras. (A Late Autumn's Day). For that shoot, Joel was captured by a beautiful lake in a green oasis in the otherwise industrialized heartland of England's Black Country, a name believed to come from the soot from the heavy industries that once covered the area. When Green Carnation told me that he was sending on images of Joel shot on location at a former Victorian Cotton Mill, my mind first went to the beauty of all the incredible clothing that must have been created from the yarn and cloth that would have been once woven and spun there. But like that lake in Black country, nature's beauty often masks a locations history.
When we hear the word 'Victorian', we often think of Kings and Queens, mansions and castles, carriages and lavish balls. A simpler time, defined by proper etiquette and class. But class didn't mean 'classy' during the Victoria Era, it meant a label that was almost impossible to escape from. Although the clothing at Lancashire mill may have been lavish and rich, the people who worked there, most certainly were not. The hours were long and work painful. There were also very few labour laws at the time, meaning children were often used to jobs for cheap wages.
'The poet William Blake dubbed these the Dark Satanic Mills (with their intertwined histories of labour & colonial exploitation - & the mechanistic mind-frame they symbolized). Opposing this he celebrated the bodily form alongside freedom & imagination. It seemed fitting then that despite its dark heritage, the light-filled space should instead be employed to invoke a celebration of youthful liberty & beauty in the radiant form of Joel!'
Green Carnation shares that even though the Mill wasn't as colorful and picturesque as the location on the lake, the space was visually interesting with may area's and textures to beautifully contrast with Joel's skin and naked body. GC reports this was short, laid back shoot, following the sun's journey around the building as it created interesting pools of shadow and light. The only note of tension during the peaceful afternoon came when shooting in a public corridor, one in which workmen were wheeling in goods in and out of a nearby service lift. 'We had to snatch pictures in brief moments of privacy whilst they shunted their wares between floors! Joel though seemed to positively feed on the frisson of excitement generated by the threat of impending exposure!'
'The skies are usually a yearlong blanket of grey there, but we enjoyed a rare treat as the clouds parted, & luminous soft sunshine flooded through the immense windows. The warm light played off the cream-white brick walls & wooden flooring, wonderfully complimenting Joel's tanned body. It was quite a heady sensorial experience. I liked the contrast between the patina of time etched over centuries on the buildings solid Victorian surfaces (with its peeling paint and worn textures); against Joel's delightful sylphlike young physique & vivacious spirit.'
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