Poetry and Space

Hello there! Welcome to Kanto!

Good day. Please, call me Timothy.

What sparked your interest in the photography of architecture? When, and how did this fascination start?

I’ve been fascinated with architecture from a young age. It embraces the utopian, and allows for people to be idealists. It takes an architect’s dreams, manifesting them in the real world with great honesty and truth. Rem Koolhaas, in his manifesto on Manhattanism, said it beautifully. “To exist in a world totally fabricated by man, i.e. to live inside fantasy…”

Your photos have a very calming, introspective quality to them, with soothing colors, beautiful lighting, and an abundance of space. What inspired you to pursue such an aesthetic?

Thank you. All these elements are very important to me. It comes from Respect. There’s a lot of work and beauty that can go overlooked. All these elements are the work of the architect. We as consumers of architecture need to make sure we don’t see ourselves as the artist. These wonderful spaces have been built for us to interact with, and I think it’s valuable to pay homage to the work on display.

You write poetry as well. How does being a poet influence and inspire the creation of the images in your photography?

It’s an interesting union. It has helped me appreciate the symbolic, even in something we hold to be so tangible, so literal. Architecture manifests itself in such a solid form, that it’s sometimes difficult to see the ideas and concepts underpinning it.

Shadows play a prominent role in your photography. What is it about them that fascinates you?

Emergence plays a strong part in my fascination with architecture. The idea that from a simple design, complexities can develop. Shadows, reflections, juxtapositions; Light ultimately becomes an inseparable component of the architecture.

What grabs you first before you push the shutter? Beauty? Or story?

It will always stem from Beauty. Though when one peers through the viewfinder, one first glimpses Honesty. Is what I’ve witnessed being communicated accurately onto the film? This can be exceptionally difficult to achieve without ambiguity so maybe that’s why I’m still working with quite simple ideas.

What is your imaging device of choice, and why do you prefer using it?

Though I’m primarily a film photographer, for architecture, I like to use the iPhone. It’s a great tool for sketching, for exploring ideas, and getting to understand the intricacies of a space. I’ve always felt we need to be careful with high-spec cameras so that we don’t fall into their delusion; we need to be careful not to start believing that a photograph, however accurate, is the thing itself.

Your shots are often minimalist in aesthetic but with a lot of story to tell. How does showing less actually say more to viewers?

It’s about trying to communicate a single idea, a single aesthetic, but done with such focus that it leaves little ambiguity. There are of course, many layers to every photograph, so it’s about making sure that they all point to the same message, and that they’re all working in unison.

You currently live in London. How does living in one of the most beautiful cities in the world fuel your creative pursuits?

I’ve found London very supportive. There’s an interesting balance present in the city. Vanity, arrogance, and ego, versus a truly dignified pride. I feel we’ll forever be exploiting this city, photographically, architecturally… but in the end, London will remain standing.

Ultimately, what message do you wish to share with your brand of photography?

I’m a strong believer that utopias are achievable. Architects demonstrate this every day. They build models, in their heads, in their studios, then they offer them to us full scale. It’s only ever a simulation, but we find it beautiful. Elsewhere we strive so fiercely for authenticity that we forget to consider whether it’s beautiful regardless. •

You can find snippets of Timothy’s work on his Instagram account @percivalpercival

Originally published in Kanto No. 3, 2016. Edits were made to update the article.