Introducing Walker Photo
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Introducing Walker Photo

Al Taw’am performing at Choreographers' Evening 2018. Photo: Bobby Rogers, Walker Art Center

Photographer Bobby Rogers introduces a new series on The Gradient, Walker Photo, which will share new work by our in-house photo studio, as well as interviews and features on photographic voices and ideas that influence its work.

Several months ago I found myself happily accepting the position as resident photographer at the Walker Art Center. The task, summed up, is to visually capture and archive the contemporary journey of the Walker, taking the helm of previous Walker photographers, from Gene Pittman, Cameron Wittig, and Dan Dennehy to Eric Sutherland and the great John Szarkowski. In addition to my own work, I’m also lucky to be able to work with unique visual storytellers to show the Walker through their lenses, including Galen Fletcher, Malanda Jean-claude, and Carina Lofgren, and expand my understanding of how the voice of the Walker presents itself through a variety of artists. Plenty of opportunities to absorb the spirit of artfulness have fed my love of the craft through collaboration with creators such as Kamasi Washington, Morgan Thorson, and Rabih Mroué. The opportunity has been a privilege and a pleasure.

As with many museums, it is customary to store a majority of the visual documentation in the institution’s archive for consumption by future generations. But I think it would be a lost opportunity to not invite the audience in to view and feel the essence and emotion of the Walker through these photographs as they exist in the moment. Walker Photo will serve as a contemporaneous archive hosting quarterly snapshots that give a glimpse into the world of the Walker, along with ambitious highlights and conversations crossing multiple sections of the interdisciplinary photographic realm. For this inaugural edition, here is a look at several favorite photographs from my first few months at the Walker.

 

Rock the Garden

My first large assignment for the Walker was the task of documenting Rock the Garden. With few preconceived notions about what was needed, my mind was freed to explore the possibilities. I eventually developed a concept that drew from my personal artistic sensibilities. Yes, we documented each band’s set, the crowds, the VIPs, etc., but I also wanted to take a rather unique approach. I considered the theme of Rock the Garden and figured out a way to play with the idea of illusion, metaphors, nature, and layering within the photographs. The result was an arrangement where I gathered several wreaths of flowers and hung each from a light stand several inches in front of the lens, later switching them in between musicians. Then I lit the subject with a strobe on the right, in between the wreath and a piece of white foamcore a few feet back from the wreath which served as the background. A reflector sat below tilted towards the subject and the sunlight beamed down in a heat that felt to be intensified by the glass roof of the Cowles Pavilion above.

Following several trips to and from the studio to haul equipment backstage, my collaborator, Malanda Jean-Claude, and I spent the next few hours waiting for musicians to finish their set and, with the help of Philip Bither, the Walker’s director of Performing Arts, asked them to participate in our photoshoot. The fact that they remained willing and enthusiastic to take part, even after depleting so much energy during their performances, was admirable. By the end of the day, many jokes were made, laughs shared, friendships created, gallons of water consumed, and a spilled cup of coffee covered the entirety of my right pant leg. The experience was one of the most memorable parts of my year.

 

Musician Portraits

 

Rock the Garden Lookbook

 

Editorial Photography

We are in an intriguing era of editorial photography, where the influence of fine art is permeating the practice. Over the months, I’v captured many photographs of performing artists as visual elements to highlight upcoming productions. The natural coexistence of idea and aesthetics to create an intoxicating image that is both excitable enough to capture the viewer and nudge their curiosity becomes effortless when collaborating with masters of the craft. Whether on stage, in nature, or in the studio, their meticulous movement and ability to physically summon and dismiss emotion makes my job behind the lens much easier. Similarly, I’m often tasked with concepting ideas entirely, and still, in these moments, I understand that I am an admiring observer invited to capture their world the way they want it to be seen.

 

Morgan Thorson with Alan Sparhawk, Public Love

 

Performance Documentation

Nora Chipaumire, Portrait of Myself as My Father. Photo: Galen Fletcher
Yuki Tokuda performing at Choreographers’ Evening 2018. Photo: Bobby Rogers, Walker Art Center

 

New Orientation Signage

As part of our broader efforts to make our gallery spaces safer and more accessible, we were asked to create some imagery to illustrate some of the basic rules of conduct.

 

Portraits

Meeting and taking portraits of visiting artists, creators, thinkers, and change-makers has been a highlight of my time with the Walker. Every day is a lesson that requires a nature of intrigue and tenacity that never cease. Certain challenges have arisen, such as having to let go of my traditional method of creating. There is often only a 30-minute window to capture the portrait—which is the same first 30 minutes we are meeting. I don’t get to style the subjects as I would with my personal work. There is no time to discuss a treatment. And the most drastic change of all, I don’t have a team of assistants, stylist, or an MUA to create with. Needless to say, a new appreciation for the art has formed. A love of the minimal has manifested. Understanding who I am photographing, their work, and how to make them look and feel comfortable and iconic is my priority.

US Rep. Ilhan Omar, subject of Norah Shapiro’s documentary, Time For Ilhan. Photo: Bobby Rogers, Walker Art Center

 

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