Mobile Photography and Art ‘Hope in Adversity’ Interview with Rob Pearson-Wright from London, United Kingdom
Today, we are publishing our ninteenth interview in our new series, Hope in Adversity. One that’s based around art, artists and isolation during the midst of Covid-19. This interview is with award winning mobile photographer with Rob Pearson-Wright from London, UK. Pearson-Wright doesn’t mince his words, he tells us like it is and we’re all the better for it. Enjoy!
If you are social distancing or social isolating at this time, are you using any additional time you may have to create mobile digital art or photography?
Yeah! This global pandemic has given us an unprecedented opportunity to chill the hell out for a bit. Those of us with camera rolls full of images to weed out have got a breather to have a look through the wheat and separate the chaff.
I’m going through images earmarked for an edit which were pushed back because of life, the universe and everything. Happy days. Admin being fun?! Who’d have thunk it!
If so, have you noticed the style of art that you’re creating changing from what you would normally create?
As predominantly a street or documentary style photographer I’m pretty limited by lock down. I’ve gotta think a little differently if my usual suspects are people and that there is a bit of a vacuum of them at the moment.
There’s a lot more noticing detail shots and abstracts. Also going back through your camera roll and thinking that might go well with that is a more common inner monologue. Taking a punt on more artistic edits too. Not got a lot else on.
If yes, to the above, can you explain how your art has changed?
I’ve tried a couple of edits to shape in to a kind of film noir / pulp fiction book cover / comic book frame. It seems a cool way of storyboarding stories in my head.
Sometimes I forget the power of editing I’m capable of with a phone in my pocket. I mainly shoot what I see. I see so much in my feed that is so cool and creative and wish that I had the time to experiment and replicate these artists in order to forge an original path in to the ether. Guess I got that now! I’m firing a lot of apps up that I’d not used for a long while.
Have you found additional inspiration to create at this time?
My social media feeds seem rich in new creative content. I’m catching up on things to read and watch. All these things will be tipped in to the mind blender for future creativity. Also reviewing previous images and culling them from the camera roll gives a certain satisfaction. Gives more time to think of how to edit the remaining choices and frees up space. Win win!
Is creating mobile digital art/photography, helping you at this time specially, how and why?
There’s a bit of me that says yes and a bit of me that says that it’s what I try and do daily anyway, regardless of my perceived success rate. As my staple subjects are reduced and the ease of capturing subjects has diminished, I take solace in shooting whatever and trying to make a good fist of it right now. Time to practice, to refine, to reflect and revisit old pics and view them with time on your side.
Do you feel that sharing mobile art/photography at this time is spreading a unity of peace?
Not personally but I see some things that do. More so I see levity and good natured posts that raise a smile. What have we got to fight about. For once we are truly in it together. Human and fellow human. Regardless of politics, race, creed, sex…etc. It’s great to see the creativity of people trying to continue creative life either through blogs, websites and other means.
Anything else you would personally like to add…
Stay safe all. You know the drill by now. Wash thy bits copiously in extremely warm water! Touch nothing!!! Even when you have touched nothing…wash thy bits!!!
Apart from that contact people you’ve meant to contact but haven’t, check in on that relative you’ve meant to for a bit. Yeah…you know. Stay home, Stay Safe, make the most of the lockdowns, we’ll be back to normal sometime. Stay in to make sure we get back to normal. Be creative and share. Peace out. Rob x
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Joanne Carter
Joanne Carter, creator of the world’s most popular mobile photography and art website— TheAppWhisperer.com— TheAppWhisperer platform has been a pivotal cyberspace for mobile artists of all abilities to learn about, to explore, to celebrate and to share mobile artworks. Joanne’s compassion, inclusivity, and humility are hallmarks in all that she does, and is particularly evident in the platform she has built. In her words, “We all have the potential to remove ourselves from the centre of any circle and to expand a sphere of compassion outward; to include everyone interested in mobile art, ensuring every artist is within reach”, she has said. Promotion of mobile artists and the art form as a primary medium in today’s art world, has become her life’s focus. She has presented lectures bolstering mobile artists and their art from as far away as the Museum of Art in Seoul, South Korea to closer to her home in the UK at Focus on Imaging. Her experience as a jurist for mobile art competitions includes: Portugal, Canada, US, S Korea, UK and Italy. And her travels pioneering the breadth of mobile art includes key events in: Frankfurt, Naples, Amalfi Coast, Paris, Brazil, London. Pioneering the world’s first mobile art online gallery - TheAppWhispererPrintSales.com has extended her reach even further, shipping from London, UK to clients in the US, Europe and The Far East to a global group of collectors looking for exclusive art to hang in their homes and offices. The online gallery specialises in prints for discerning collectors of unique, previously unseen signed limited edition art. Her journey towards becoming The App Whisperer, includes (but is not limited to) working for a paparazzi photo agency for several years and as a deputy editor for a photo print magazine. Her own freelance photographic journalistic work is also widely acclaimed. She has been published extensively both within the UK and the US in national and international titles. These include The Times, The Sunday Times, The Guardian, Popular Photography & Imaging, dpreview, NikonPro, Which? and more recently with the BBC as a Contributor, Columnist at Vogue Italia and Contributing Editor at LensCulture. Her professional photography has also been widely exhibited throughout Europe, including Italy, Portugal and the UK. She is currently writing several books, all related to mobile art and is always open to requests for new commissions for either writing or photography projects or a combination of both. Please contact her at: [email protected]
