Ian Markell Interview

Ian Markell wants to blow up his own city. The LA resident has been documenting the wildest and diciest people and things in the sunny City of Angels. He’s currently attending the New School which has cranked out such visionaries as Eleanor Roosevelt, Tennessee Williams, Marlon Brando & Marc Jacobs. This means that Ian Markell will probably add to the list of distinguished graduates, unless his ambitions are lower, which we will get to later. What I can tell you, is that Ian Markell’s style of shoot or be shot turns out quite a variety of interesting subject matter. These are photos of life, not photos of art. “P.S. I live in NY now, didnt know if that was super clear, sorry holmes”. See his blog.

TT: These impersonal interviews really give people a chance to make up whatever they want because there is absolutely no pressure involved. I haven’t yet decided if pressure is a good thing or a bad thing. I take you as an honest person, however, and was hoping you would tell us something worth reading. So what are you doing now?
IM: At the moment I am in school, studying art at Parsons, the New School for Design in New York and making as much art, and having as much fun as possible.

TT: If you attend the New School, what do you like about it? What can’t it teach you?
IM: I am really developing the tools to better refine my craft in my multimedia artwork as well as my photographs. I like the kids at this school, it’s all a very creative environment- everyone really feeds off one another. School really cannot teach you experience, but it teaches you how to identify an experience and how to document it or respond to it. And school cannot tell you how to have fun.

TT: A lot of people hate LA. Do you really want to blow it up? Where did the name of your site come from?
IM: haha, no I definitely don’t hate LA. I want literally want to blow up most of it. But certain parts I want to blow up in the sense that I want to give the LA that I love, recognition and appreciation.

TT: Do you travel much? How do you find your “subject matter”?
IM: Since I go to school on the east coast, right now, I am traveling a lot between Los Angeles and New York but besides that, its just small day trips with friends. My subject matter is really the people who surround me and the interesting characters that I meet. I don’t do castings or anything like that, but I guess I’m lucky enough to have such an eclectic group of friends who keep my interest in photos.

TT: Do you find more of a niche in photography or in real life? What does photography allow you to do that regular living cannot provide?
IM: My niche is in real life. My photos elaborate on a small piece of my life, but I am able to manipulate what is shown to people through photos.

TT: Are these questions too out there?
IM: No.

TT: Do you read Vice? It started out in Canada, but sort of blew up because of the whole Ryan McGinley raw photography approach. Do you take away from this as inspiration or are you mainly uninspired?
IM: My inspirations come from things that aren’t usually art. I feel like our intentions are very similar in getting a raw aspect I guess. But I just try to take the most honest photo possible and that usually works out. I read Vice occasionally, but am not inspired by it usually- because it is such a specific source and I think my work might show some more diversity and can cater to more of an diverse and eccentric eye.

TT: What do you think is real vision?
IM: A bottle of whiskey and a solid point and shoot. My friends will have to come along also.

TT: Ask yourself your own question and answer it, I’m tired.
IM: If you could live in any movie what movie would you live in?
IM: Empire Records!

TT: What have you learned by doing this interview? I mean, I’d like you to take something away as much as I will be learning something from you.
IM: Giving an overview of myself makes me reflect on what I’ve done and what I am doing — whatever that may be.

TT: Leave us with how you capture people looking natural.
IM: I spend a lot of time with my subjects while we aren’t shooting first, and while were shooting its always fun, people should have a better time in general. g

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