Interview with Photographer Stella Kalaw
Photographer Stella Kalaw was introduced to me by chance through another friend. I only connected the dots much later. I get family photos from her sister every year.
What a small world.
I'm glad to have discovered her website at www.kalaw.com
Check out her very interesting work online and also her thoughtful responses to some of my question.
Truly a gifted artist.
TNTD: What prompted you to do the Family Spaces Project?
Stella Kalaw: My family has been apart for about 13 years now and I wanted to focus on a project that speaks of the longing I felt to be together with them. I wanted to communicate this sentiment without having my family in the pictures. It was important to emphasize the absence more than their presence. So I thought of this idea of a floor plan where I would photograph their personal space and when juxtaposed together creates an illusion that they are part of one home.
TNTD: What strikes me about your photography is your very apt and moving descriptions of photographs? Do the words come after the photos or vice versa. I think it's an excellent plus for you. Were you a writer at some point?
Stella Kalaw: The writing always comes after taking the photograph. Writing helps clarify my vision. It gives me the opportunity to share my thoughts about the images and it allows the viewers to understand and appreciate the work.
No, I was never a writer. I wrote essays that were required in school but that's about it. I just started doing it regularly when I launched my blog in April of this year. Thank you for your wonderful comment!
TNTD: Artist like Dorthe Alstrup are experts in "staged reality". I really love this. What can you tell other photographers when they consider doing work like yours? Light is one of the key elements in your work. Most of your images are bright. I think this is great. It creates that "lively" feel. In contrast, the slipper "Tsinelas" was more subdued but equally beautiful. All part of "staged reality" or simply reality?
Stella Kalaw: I want to keep my photographs as real as possible. I capture objects and places as I saw them including its imperfections.
To make a special picture of something familiar and ordinary, I think it takes an informed eye to capture it. By that I mean the photographer should be willing to open her mind to absorb and to appreciate other art forms such as film, painting, sculpture, graphic design and architecture. These influences help formulate a vision of the world that is uniquely their own. I would also encourage photographers to study a wide variety of photographic works in order to discover the visual sensibilities that inspire them.
TNTD: I was reading an article about actor Ben Stiller and his desire to collect photographs of buildings and architecture. His reason for collecting is that these structures/places are constantly changing so at each moment the photograph is a visual representation and memory point. Can you comment on photography and memory and what it means to you?
Stella Kalaw: Memory plays a major role in the construction of my pictures. Objects and places that I photograph are usually drawn from past memories and experiences. When I capture the environment, I am conscious and deliberate in my decisions to frame it not just to have a record per se but for the pictures to be viewed as something that holds meaning. This in turn encourages viewers to actively engage in their own recollections.
TNTD: How did you get into photography also. Think this may be the proper question.
Stella Kalaw: One of the first pictures I have taken with an SLR camera were of volleyball players during the annual sportsfest in school. I was in 7th grade. The camera belonged to my dad and I used to sneak it out during the day and made sure to return it in its proper place before he came home in the evening. From that moment, I began a fascination with photography's power to stop time and having this tangible material that holds memory. It stayed with me and I have never lost this fascination. I was also hungry to learn more. When I was a college student, I interviewed a local photographer for a school assignment who pointed me to three photographers that inspired him: Richard Avedon, Arnold Newman and Irving Penn. This led me to research at the US Embassy's Jefferson Library located close to where I lived in Manila. I used to spend many hours perusing photography books and borrowed the ones I wanted to study closely. That probably sums up my early immersion into the medium. Later on, I also worked at the school's library at Brooks Institute which further exposed me to a wide range of styles and photographic projects.
TNTD: I know you'll have a show in the coming months, an art collector and friend Noey Lopez mentioned this, can you share more about the show and this must be very exciting for you. Believe your whole family will have a home-coming.
Stella Kalaw: The show will be at the Silverlens gallery in Makati, Philippines scheduled for January 2009. I am excited primarily because it is bringing together the passions in my life: family and photography. It was something I envisioned while I was working on the Family Spaces project. I am looking forward to seeing it come together next year.
TNTD: Can you share 3 things you didn't know about STELLA KALAW
Stella Kalaw:
a. I only have one good eye. My right eye was injured when I was a child and it never regained full strength.
b. I appeared as an extra in the film, Shake, Rattle & Roll 2. My first job out of college was a production assistant for Peque Gallaga's group.
c. I composed a song in my senior year in high school and won the songfest.
What a small world.
I'm glad to have discovered her website at www.kalaw.com
Check out her very interesting work online and also her thoughtful responses to some of my question.
Truly a gifted artist.
TNTD: What prompted you to do the Family Spaces Project?
Stella Kalaw: My family has been apart for about 13 years now and I wanted to focus on a project that speaks of the longing I felt to be together with them. I wanted to communicate this sentiment without having my family in the pictures. It was important to emphasize the absence more than their presence. So I thought of this idea of a floor plan where I would photograph their personal space and when juxtaposed together creates an illusion that they are part of one home.
TNTD: What strikes me about your photography is your very apt and moving descriptions of photographs? Do the words come after the photos or vice versa. I think it's an excellent plus for you. Were you a writer at some point?
Stella Kalaw: The writing always comes after taking the photograph. Writing helps clarify my vision. It gives me the opportunity to share my thoughts about the images and it allows the viewers to understand and appreciate the work.
No, I was never a writer. I wrote essays that were required in school but that's about it. I just started doing it regularly when I launched my blog in April of this year. Thank you for your wonderful comment!
TNTD: Artist like Dorthe Alstrup are experts in "staged reality". I really love this. What can you tell other photographers when they consider doing work like yours? Light is one of the key elements in your work. Most of your images are bright. I think this is great. It creates that "lively" feel. In contrast, the slipper "Tsinelas" was more subdued but equally beautiful. All part of "staged reality" or simply reality?
Stella Kalaw: I want to keep my photographs as real as possible. I capture objects and places as I saw them including its imperfections.
To make a special picture of something familiar and ordinary, I think it takes an informed eye to capture it. By that I mean the photographer should be willing to open her mind to absorb and to appreciate other art forms such as film, painting, sculpture, graphic design and architecture. These influences help formulate a vision of the world that is uniquely their own. I would also encourage photographers to study a wide variety of photographic works in order to discover the visual sensibilities that inspire them.
TNTD: I was reading an article about actor Ben Stiller and his desire to collect photographs of buildings and architecture. His reason for collecting is that these structures/places are constantly changing so at each moment the photograph is a visual representation and memory point. Can you comment on photography and memory and what it means to you?
Stella Kalaw: Memory plays a major role in the construction of my pictures. Objects and places that I photograph are usually drawn from past memories and experiences. When I capture the environment, I am conscious and deliberate in my decisions to frame it not just to have a record per se but for the pictures to be viewed as something that holds meaning. This in turn encourages viewers to actively engage in their own recollections.
TNTD: How did you get into photography also. Think this may be the proper question.
Stella Kalaw: One of the first pictures I have taken with an SLR camera were of volleyball players during the annual sportsfest in school. I was in 7th grade. The camera belonged to my dad and I used to sneak it out during the day and made sure to return it in its proper place before he came home in the evening. From that moment, I began a fascination with photography's power to stop time and having this tangible material that holds memory. It stayed with me and I have never lost this fascination. I was also hungry to learn more. When I was a college student, I interviewed a local photographer for a school assignment who pointed me to three photographers that inspired him: Richard Avedon, Arnold Newman and Irving Penn. This led me to research at the US Embassy's Jefferson Library located close to where I lived in Manila. I used to spend many hours perusing photography books and borrowed the ones I wanted to study closely. That probably sums up my early immersion into the medium. Later on, I also worked at the school's library at Brooks Institute which further exposed me to a wide range of styles and photographic projects.
TNTD: I know you'll have a show in the coming months, an art collector and friend Noey Lopez mentioned this, can you share more about the show and this must be very exciting for you. Believe your whole family will have a home-coming.
Stella Kalaw: The show will be at the Silverlens gallery in Makati, Philippines scheduled for January 2009. I am excited primarily because it is bringing together the passions in my life: family and photography. It was something I envisioned while I was working on the Family Spaces project. I am looking forward to seeing it come together next year.
TNTD: Can you share 3 things you didn't know about STELLA KALAW
Stella Kalaw:
a. I only have one good eye. My right eye was injured when I was a child and it never regained full strength.
b. I appeared as an extra in the film, Shake, Rattle & Roll 2. My first job out of college was a production assistant for Peque Gallaga's group.
c. I composed a song in my senior year in high school and won the songfest.
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