In the Studio with Stephen Attong

INTERVIEWER:

What drew you to working with photography?

STEPHEN ATTONG:

When I was a teenager I really wanted to be a video editor. I would make compilations on YouTube and stuff. My initial camera research was to find a camera that could take video, so I saved up for like a Canon T3I - a Canon Rebel – and what I wanted to do with it was take videos, so I carried the camera with me to the University of Toronto. I started taking photos to put on Facebook to show my friends back home, which kind of kick started me using the camera for photos instead of videos. From then on, I would like to recreate stuff on Tumblr all the time. I felt like all the cool kids had a DSLR so that's another reason I wanted to get one. But it was initially for video editing and then I just slowly got into photography.

INTERVIEWER:

Are you usually drawn to photographing subjects that you already know well?

ATTONG:

Before the pandemic I used to frequent certain areas. I used to walk down Jameson to the lake and then walk back home, kind of in a loop, and I would do that like three times a week. At the time, I wasn't thinking of it as any sort of artistic activity, I just liked that route. Through that, I have a lot of images. I find comfort in doing that. But I also do feel like when I put myself in different neighbourhoods in Toronto I kind of go into overdrive, because everything's new. The amount that I create is exponential, but then there will only be one usable image. But that's fine, I think you need to shoot a bunch of crap to get one good thing.

I do think it’s half and half; when I have familiarity I do enjoy it, and then there’s less pressure on myself to actually take a photo. I could just walk around, which I find useful. I think the cool thing with Toronto is that so many neighbourhoods have such a different distinct energy within them that I could find ways to keep the city interesting. In parts of the East End I have no idea what's happening. The other day I went on a run and I ended up at the Danforth and Carlaw and saw such nice houses, but in daily life I just can't get up there because I live in High Park. I think familiarity is good to an extent, and then once you feel like you're in this cycle of not producing anything new, I go to the East End.

INTERVIEWER:

Do any other disciplines feed into your photography practice?

ATTONG:

I would say the main one is movies. Sometimes if I'm watching a film and visually it was incredible, I will give it an extra star and a rating, just because I liked how it looked instead of what the story gave me. I have a soft spot for movies where the cinematography is incredible, even if the story kind of falls short. After watching movies that do that for me I will research stills. I never try to fully recreate them, but it's in my mind when making images, especially of life in public spaces. Sometimes we look at a movie and someone is doing something as simple as going to a laundromat and it looks cool as a physical activity but when you actually have to do it in real life it sucks. It might be someone I don't know at all who has gone into the laundromat, and then it becomes a cool image just because someone took the time to stop and record it. Which is the same for filmmaking. The only reason you see certain activities as being fun or interesting on screen is because that filmmaker took the time to build it and share it. I think public life deserves the same kind of time.

INTERVIEWER:

Are there any movies in particular that you find inspiring?

ATTONG:

I do have one from recent years that has stuck with me, which is Spencer. The cinematography in that is mind boggling. Like, to see that on the big screen… the costume design, and Kristin Stewart’s performance. That stuck with me for a long while. That’s a recent one. Singing in the Rain, it's wild that it's about 60 years old. One day I want to achieve colours like that.

INTERVIEWER:

You recently described the city as your studio. Can you tell me more about the role that Toronto has played in your work?

ATTONG:

I think that [is influenced by] coming from a place like Trinidad, where photography is seen as taking second place to painting in terms of respected artforms. Wedding photography and events dominate photography back home. When I first moved here for school it was also the early days of Instagram, so I started to see people taking photos of life on the street. This was different from what I thought photography was, and showed me that this was an industry that I could get into.  

I think Toronto is the first place where I got the courage to take my camera into the streets and document. By and large, if you dive into a city, you get back in return; you meet a lot of cool people that are also interested in the same things. But [in Toronto] you do need to actually try, whereas in some other cities it could just fall into your lap, like New York or London. You have to put in time to find connections and it will come back to you in a matter of time. Toronto’s different neighbourhoods are like a studio for me because most of my work happens in the city walking around, whereas if I'm in a traditional photography studio, it's usually a paid job, like a portrait or fashion. Most of my work basically happens walking around taking images, so that is where my idea of the city as my studio came from.

INTERVIEWER:

Do you take photographs when you are in Trinidad?

ATTONG:

I have made work there, but photographing in public spaces is pretty tough because if someone sees a camera they will automatically think that they are under some sort of lens or being photographed for some nefarious reason. I think that's probably the case with most small places, they are not accustomed to cameras being so omnipresent. Whenever I’m home I'm pretty careful with what I'm capturing, so I tend to lean into nature stuff or things that don't involve people.

INTERVIEWER:

Is there anything you’ve been thinking about or researching that is playing a role in your studio practice?

ATTONG:

I am thinking of making a book based on sentimentalism. There was a time in history where people started to switch from rational thinking to sentimental thinking. They basically stopped weighing their options in order to make a decision and went with what their gut said – which I think is a cool way to guide decision making. In general, if your gut has a reaction to something, I think it’s usually right. I want to make a series that tries to represent that feeling; of when you're making a decision based on how you feel versus the potential repercussions of that decision. I think that rationality does prevent us from experiencing certain beautiful things in life, and I'm kind of victim to that. My partner is the more sentimental person and I'm really rational in terms of planning stuff. I want to break out of that wall with myself, and I think this [project] potentially has the power to do that, through the process of doing research and diving into the history of that time period when humans started to let their heart guide their daily life.

INTERVIEWER:

Is there a certain person – personal, parasocial, or fictional – that's been impactful to you in your growth as an artist?

ATTONG:

In terms of making series, in the film Twentieth Century Women, Greta Gerwig’s character is a photographer and she had this series where she was photographing shoes and objects from her room. I remember that I saw that film at the Angelika in New York. I was in New York alone and I

saw that film and I remember thinking that character was the coolest person. That trip was at the beginning of 2017, and I went back to Trinidad and I started to look for things in my room that I could photograph. It was dumb things, like a porcelain doll, but I started to think about photography in that way. That I can make a series and it doesn't need to be a paid thing, I can just have a point of view. That character, specifically, brought that out of me somehow.

INTERVIEWER:

Is there a space in your life where you find art but wouldn’t expect to?

ATTONG:

I am drawn to movements in the sense that I watch a lot of dance videos but I am also a runner. Yesterday I ran a marathon. I think my other personality is running. When I'm running or seeing people moving in another way there's a part of me that enjoys seeing humans live in ways that they don't normally move. We obviously see humans walking around, and in my mind, I wonder why are we the only animal that just walks? Every other animal runs, you know? Obviously, it’s a survival thing, but when I'm running I feel more connected to early humans that were having to run this way. I feel a primal sort of energy. I find seeing movement in public fascinating. I think in general, when I look at dance I enjoy seeing people express themselves. The cool thing with that is that you almost always see it outside of the gallery. No matter what, you go outside and you can see people jogging, riding and moving in different ways. My partner has mentioned to me that I should just sign up for a dance class, which I probably should, because I love seeing people dance.

INTERVIEWER:

Do you collect anything?

ATTONG:

I've tried to cut down, but hats. I have a laundry bin of hats and nowhere to put them. I think the reason I like hats is kind of the same as with tattoos – they can make otherwise boring outfits look cool. I could just wear a white t-shirt and jeans but if I have a cool hat or shoes it just elevates it. But also, when I first moved [from Trinidad] I viewed it as an assimilation thing. I thought I needed to buy a Maple Leafs hat or Raptors hat, I thought I needed to fit in. I think my initial reason for buying them was trying to fit in. Since then I’ve gotten rid of a lot of those and now it's more like if they’re unique or rare.