Resurrection: The art of rebirth in Luke Woodford’s gothic journey through the photographic lens
Written by Monica Camozzi
At first glance, it is the gothic, upright women who imprint the retina when looking at Luke Woodford’s portfolio. The definition Resurrection blends the verb to the image, defining a metaphysical aura that takes the onlooker into a parallel world.
Indeed, his is a transposition that is at times allegorical, at times poetic,
capable of completely renewing the classic matrimonial archetype.
Some snapshots look like daguerreotypes, spread over an indefinite time. Others have the metaphorical lightness of a Chagall painting.
And the landscape, human and urban, becomes osmotic, it breathes with the photographer. Up to becoming pure art, an expressive capacity that transcends the shot to begin a story whose words each one colours.
What was your first shoot? And when did you realize that you were a photographer and not just taking photos?
I actually do remember my first photo, in was in Eastbourne harbour, the town where I reside.
I actually only started photography purely as a business, I didn’t know id fall in love with it, but the second I took my first photo,
photography became one of the loves of my life.
The women of Resurrection are gothic, evanescent: what message do you want to give with these metaphysical entities?
Thats a great question. It’s just the way my art unfolds. My soul is light, but also dark at the same time. This conveys in every aspect of my art, including the women.
Before your photographic phase did you have a stable expressive register or did it change with your moods?
never used to be creative at all. My Mum would disagree but I didn’t see it. I gradually became more unwell over the years and as that happened my creativity was unleashed. Every cloud has a sliver lining as they say in England.
Your works seem to blossom from the walls, as if they were part of the living room: are you often included in the projects of interior designers and architects?
Yes they are my best clients. I had great relationships with interior designers with my last series but Resurrection is completely different so Im just entering new relationships which I hope will grow and blossom over the years.
Kate Moss desperately wanted! Why Kate? What’s on your mind?
So after achieving my recent goals with Resurrection, I put it to my community to give me some
new goals, and the biggest they gave me was to photograph Kate Moss.
And it was at that moment, the mission began!
What do you think about the upcoming, or rather, the already present, related to artificial intelligence? Don’t you think that the experience leading up to the shot is perhaps the most beautiful thing to live?
Yeah AI isn’t for me. I respect it as an art form but I think it takes away from the art of pure photography. I don’t think I’ll ever use it in my work. Enhancing something maybe, but not completely taking over an image.
What kind of experience was the exhibition at Brick Lane Gallery, London?
It was fantastic. Organised and conducted very well and I sold off the back of it. Id definitely work with them again in the future.
Would you like to repeat it in other galleries?
I want to work with as many galleries as possible and im open to different interpretations of how they want to work with me.
What projects you have on your mind and what dreams you have?
Resurrection is the only project on my mind and it will be my defining body of work, there is nothing after it.
My dream, to go down as one of the greatest artists of all time.
