FINAL Out-Of-The-Box 4 Edwinlow Article.Pdf

Profile 01 PROFILE Michael Klim, Swimmer, Australia Edwin Low (1975 – 1977 Guardian) Photographic Artist alaysian born Edwin is one half of the highly Pinewood studios, UK, the project focused on successful international fine art photography the extraordinary, gargantuan and detailed sets M partnership of Anderson & Low, created for the film. Their portrait of Bond director collaborating with Jonathan Anderson since 1990. Sam Mendes is now in the permanent collection They were the first photographic artists ever to of the National Portrait Gallery. Later that year the exhibit at the Royal Academy’s Summer Exhibition in pair were also commissioned to create images for 2001 and were presented with an Honorary Star Wars: The Force Awakens, this commission Fellowship of the Royal Photographic Society in 2015. resulting from their project Manga Dreams. Their work includes portraiture, architectural Their works reside in some of the world’s most studies, abstract images, reportage, nudes, prestigious museums and art galleries and and landscapes and is noted for its attention in March of this year, their highly successful to concept, form, lighting and printing. exhibition 'Voyages', was premiered at the The pair are recognised for their studies of Science Museum, London. To create this project, athletes and for projects about costume and Anderson & Low created painting-like images identity, which have been exhibited worldwide. of the museum's historic collection of model Their exhibitions include:- Road to 2012, as official ships, making the models resemble real ships artists for the London Olympic and Paralympic at sea. “Photographed through their protective Games, with a specially commissioned exhibition sheeting, the models take on a Turner-esque at the National Portrait Gallery, Athletes, Circus, narrative, evoking epic seascapes as the pictures Gymnasts/NDGT, Athlete/Warrior, Endure play with scale and context” Evening Standard. - and they are the only artists ever to be given We were delighted that Edwin took time out of his unrestricted access to depict how the Chinese busy schedule to meet with us at his and Jonathan’s elite gymnasts train for the Olympics. exhibition ‘Voyages’ at the Science Museum to talk In 2015 Anderson & Low were invited to create about his Box Hill School days and his journey to a special art project around the creation of the becoming an internationally acclaimed artist. James Bond movie, Spectre. Shot entirely at Continued over page... 02 Out of The Box | Issue 04 PROFILE Edwin Low continued from the front page... First impressions Artistic life at Box of Box Hill School Hill School My parents chose Box Hill School The art and drama that was for me with the help of the British available at Box Hill School soon Council. As my sisters were based appealed to me, I had always in London at the time, it made loved art and my parents were particularly supportive of my sense for me to be at school in talent in that area. I was not the vicinity. So I was 17 years Shooting Gallery, Old MI6 Building from very good at sport and lacked On the Set of James Bond's Spectre old when I made the journey confidence and some would from Malaysia over to the UK say skill in music! However, Mrs and to Mickleham. Although I McComish encouraged me struggled emotionally with being to take music lessons which I away from home, it’s also true thoroughly enjoyed and in drama that as the second youngest of Mrs Radford inspired me to take a family of 13 children I revelled part in the famous Box Hill School in the feeling of freedom. Drama productions including directing me in the ‘King and I’. “ “ Coming to a boarding I will always cherish the school in a foreign Box Hill School mindset, country was to teach and particularly the me how to stand on influence of Mrs my own two feet Radford and Mr Reed, and to make my own instilling in me the Hannah Whelan, Beth Tweddle, Jenni Pinches & Rebecca decisions without my idea of having a liberal Tunley, Gymnasts from The Road to 2012 older siblings telling outlook in the sense me what to do. that there are very few absolutes in life, that I immediately fell in love with the very little is "black or architecture of Box Hill School white", and there may and the whole ‘Englishness’ of the school although it was so alien be great merit in many to me. Cheese, for example, was different approaches a food I have never encountered and ideas, coupled with before at home and, although the self-belief that if I have grown to love it as an you want something adult, it smelt like ‘smelly feet’ you go out and get it. to me as a teenager. However being told that it would fill me Teachers such as Mr Cameron up for the early morning runs who taught me art, Mr Perfect encouraged me to eat it! for photography and Mr Aaron Jackson, Gymnast, USAFA from the project Athlete-Warrior Profile 03 Reed who was my housemaster in always been very important to us and Ralph gave me a lot of good advice allows us to build strong relationships when I was at school, advice that has with our subjects. This was particularly stayed with me into adulthood. noted when we were given unrestricted access to the Chinese gymnastics in We produced our art work in a cold and their training run up to the 2008 Beijing miserable building at Box Hill School but Olympics - a privilege that had not been it didn’t matter. We were encouraged granted to anyone before, not Chinese to aspire and were given the freedom nationals nor foreigners. Since our work and, most importantly, the luxury of in Malaysia we have been invited to being able to discover things slowly. America to photograph the USA Olympic At that time Box Hill School allowed me to athletes and were chosen as one of the experiment with a lot of different artistic London 2012 Olympic official artists. All media, photography and fine art. This of these are huge honours and privileges, was and is so important. I hear a lot of and we are very mindful of the trust children today say they “cannot draw” but bestowed on us in giving us this access. encouragement and freedom is all that Following on from our work with they need, confidence can then flow. iconic sports images we then became Shooting Gallery, Old MI6 Building from On the Set of James Bond's Spectre interested in the idea of hero. What Life after Box Hill is the image of a hero and what is our idea of a hero? This gave rise to our School – icons & heroes project Athlete/Warrior as follows: When I finished my Guardian year at Box During our exploration of this theme Hill School I moved to London, to join my we were invited to photograph the US older sister, and went on to study Art and cadets from West Point Military Academy, Architecture. However, it was not until my Annapolis Naval Academy and The US Air first collaboration with Jonathan in 1990 Force Academy. We were fascinated by that my work came to public recognition how their character, identity and personae when we were the first photographers changed depending on whether they were to be invited to exhibit at the prestigious wearing their military uniforms or their 1991 “Royal Academy Summer Exhibition” sporting uniforms. And one thing that, with ‘Victorian Mannequins’ a work was particularly poignant about this work using the gelatine silver process. made in early 1991 is that these cadets were part of the last intake that thought Our work was launched onto the they would never go to war, modern day international art world when we were heroes. Many of those subjects, our friends, invited by the National Art Gallery of served in war zones. Some never made Malaysia to create a new project for it back from their deployment and we the 1998 Commonwealth Games. We found ourselves writing many war letters. Hannah Whelan, Beth Tweddle, Jenni Pinches & Rebecca decided to create iconic images of sport, Tunley, Gymnasts from The Road to 2012 primarily portraying Commonwealth athletes, showing the very hard process Film stars, dreams and of preparation, photographing them in training halls, gymnasia, etc. the future You need to remember that now ‘portraits’ More recently we have been invited to of athletes and sportsmen and women work on film projects which has been are commonplace but back in 1998 this both stimulating and interesting. The was ground-breaking work. I have always Star Wars team approached us to take been very interested in human nature publicity photos for the film ‘The Force and our intimate photographs of athletes Awakens’ having seen our work with the in training not only capture their journey Chinese gymnasts and our project Manga and their story but mark how human Dreams – the latter work that drew heavily limitations are tested and exceeded. on youth culture, cyber culture, and costume. They wanted us to re-create our We have been humbled by the access mythical and heroic look for them, and that we have been given to our subjects importantly they could also see that we training schedules. Trust between the Aaron Jackson, Gymnast, USAFA from the project Athlete-Warrior photographer and the subject has Continued over page... 04 Out of The Box | Issue 04 REUNIOPROFILE Palazzo, Rome from the set of James Bond's Spectre Edwin Low continued from page 3 could be trusted with the secrecy that surrounds the Star Wars brand, so I cannot speak any more about that project, except to say it was very hard work, tremendous fun, and truly we are really proud of the results that we created for them, including the ones that were used on the film poster.

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