P1xels
Haunting the dark streets of your city when the sun goes down (well, OK the sun may still shining if it’s daylight savings time) you might be lucky enough to catch a glimpse of the amazing P1xels, photo-ninja’ing their way through the back streets and doing what they do best – using the combination of mirror and lens we know as a camera to capture stunning images of the city’s street artists as they make their mark around town. P1xels has also gone on photographic adventures that I can only dream of, including a visit to the ruins of Chernobyl and the astoundingly beautiful Iceland, which I am of course insanely jealous of! OK, so let’s dive in (see opposite page for pun).
When did you first start taking photos, and what tipped you off that you might be pretty darn good at this?
My dad took heaps of photos of us growing up, so I think as the eldest it was a rite of passage. I was probably eight or nine. My uncle is a well known surf photographer and was supportive during my teen years and buying my first camera. I shot my first paid job when I was seventeen and was paid $200 to photograph a car – I still have that money as a keepsake for the job. Studied at uni straight after school and worked for a few magazines and commercial clients. I kept getting booked and clients were happy with my work so I guess that was the progression. I took photos of everything – all the time, film or digital, it didn’t matter.
I think photography is so subjective – it can mean something different to each viewer so instead of thinking I’m good at it I like to think that the way I shoot resonates with the person viewing.
The P1xels handle connected me with the graffiti community worldwide and I guess the way I shot made an impact. I’ve always tried to shoot the environment where a piece or mural exists. I do this because most people I’ve been on missions with are fully focused on what they have painted and not what they are leaving behind in the space. I got into photographing graffiti back in my teens via my cousin, but it was a whole lot different to how it is now.
I hope to keep shooting and sharing my work, and continuing to make those meaningful connections.
You recently travelled to Iceland – can you tell us about that and how it all came about?
I was invited by KNOCK on behalf of the wonderful people at the Fish Factory to be a part of the final residency for 2022. While my time at the Stöðvarfjörður was short due to exploring the fjords, local towns, meeting reindeers and swimming in hot springs with the occasional Viking bath (jumping into a 4degree lane).
Iceland wasn’t on my travel list at the time but a quick spiral into Google and I was hooked. I reached out to a fellow photographer in Iceland for the run down and to set some key expectations – timing wise it was approaching winter and at best I had 4-6 hours of light to maximise what I could shoot during the day.
The best thing about that is that you are totally awake at 10am when the sun comes up and to watch it set – it’s effortless and helps with the amount of intense darkness. And the best part about the darkness is the Aurora. Spending this time at the edge of the lagoon and at the beach will be a memory I hold forever!
November in Iceland is cold – the coldest it got was -3•c however the wind was manic and makes it feel much colder. I lost feeling for a few months in my fingers as they were always out on the camera. It was totally worth it.
I’m working on my next solo show which I’m very excited to share in the not too distant future where you will be able to see images from this trip.
You also got to take photos in Chernobyl – can you tell us about that and what was the highlight of that trip for you?
I was really fortunate to experience Pripyat on a media tour where it was the driver, guide and my assistant. Exploring an abandoned city was exceptional and the quiet was amazing. No birds only rustling trees and insects filling the space.
On the last day the guide turned their back allowing me to climb to the top of a ten story building to be able to see the city from above (noting that there are military drones flying around) the timing was limited but looking around at each floor really hit home about how quickly the evacuation occurred and how many people left their lives behind.
Another highlight was exploring the police station and the parking lot out the back where it was inside a compound. At one point the guide and I heard wolves to which they freaked out explaining we would have to climb up on top of the bus that was nearby (wolves are very territorial within the exclusion zone) and as we were preparing to get up the driver popped up laughing as he’d played the wolf noises from his phone. I thought it was hilarious but was a little disappointed that I wasn’t going to see a radioactive wolf. I did spot a moose out there who hid from us by putting it’s head behind a tree, that was pretty entertaining.
Ukrainian people are kind and generous with their time and hospitality. I visited before the conflict with Russia escalated but during my time in Kiev one of the writers I spent time with explained that the front line was only a short 40 min drive from the capital.
Creative wise – who do you think is doing amazing things right now?
LING (@lingerid) has some incredible projects on the go – one of which is “The Allure of Gold”, I’ve been documenting this project for years – Ling says “The perception of value is still just that, an illusion. Passers-by will be drawn to a piece and want to take photographs or talk to their friends, the reality remains that they are admiring an item that is worthless. Each piece is still destined for the scrap heap, as it was prior to my intervention and inclusion in “The Allure of Gold”.
AIDA WILDE (@aida_wilde) has been holding down the screen printing game for years and her work with glitter and screen printing on unusual surfaces is just incredible.
KNOCK (@k_n_o_c_k) is on a journey at the moment translating the Earth’s core subterranean levels and structure into paintings. I admire the way he approaches a new landscape and interrogates it in different ways, researching the geological composition and external impacts that the environment undergoes. Currently he is in the depths of the jungle, analysing the very active Mt Yasur volcano on the remote island of Tanna.
What’s coming up next for you – tell us everything!
I’m going to finish studies in data science soon and kick off a side hustle in data visualisation where I’m hoping to bring some of my artist connections into a different world.
The Iceland exhibition and a few group shows are also on the books and releasing images that a couple of artists and I have been working on for their upcoming exhibitions and projects!
@p1xels
www.p1xels.com.au
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