LocationLondon, United Kingdom
Member SinceJanuary 24, 2023
Matthew Houston
Matthew Houston was born in London in 1961 and grew up in Norfolk and Suffolk. An interest in photography began early in life, growing out of two childhood obsessions - chemistry and the natural world. He studied printmaking at Central School of Art, London and also earned a honours degree in photography from the London College of Printing.
While running a Cabaret on a sailing ship moored in the London docks he began making portraits using the small stage. First with friends and then actors, models and dancers. Many were made with large format cameras using sheet film and Polaroid. The photographs here include editions made from film negatives and Polaroids as well as some of the original Polaroids themselves.
Excerpt from interview with Sara Gladstone. London 2020
S.G. Did your figure pictures evolve from the portraits? How did that begin?
M.H. Yes the little stage I built for theatre and cabaret events became part of the studio. I had made various flats and backdrops and sometimes made photographs of the stage, empty except for a chair or table or something. And I began to use it to make photographs of performers, friends, actors, models. I set out with no preconceived ideas. I was interested to see what would happen. Working with actors who wanted portraits had proved a good practice ground as we had to work together, on either side of the camera. Pay attention and hone our skills really. It was much the same then working with models. They would bring their own thoughts and ideas. And my job was to find out where our attitudes met. And to get the pictures to work of course. I’ve sometimes used references to paintings and mythological figures. I think this was suggested by some of the first photographs as they already seemed to have something of that quality about them. But I’ve never felt I wanted to push this too much, as a theme or something. It’s enough to have a gentle reference and doesn’t matter whether it’s picked up clearly by the viewer or not.
S.G. Your photographs, especially the Polaroids, are often reminiscent of earlier decades such as the seventies or eighties or earlier. How intentional is that?
M.H. Well it’s certainly something I was open to. But really I think the only intention I’ve had has been to keep the photographs as honest as possible. They are open experiments - two people trying things – and I welcomed anything that might bring something unexpected. I’d worked for a woman photographing her collection of clothes and lingerie and she was happy to lend things. Some underwear was from the twenties and thirties but most things were fifties or later. Mainly I work with what a model brings along but it’s good to have options. Also using Polaroid and sheet film helps in keeping time a bit loose rather than the pictures being fixed too clearly in the present. And Polaroid film gave the material a chance to also be a real part of the picture. Polaroid is known for all kinds of quirks, accidents, colour shifts etc., especially as the last batches age and become more temperamental. And all those things are a reminder of process. As with other photographs I've made I look to find ways where the material and process can be included, can be evident. Using physical material rather than digital sensors means there is a definite surface. Sometimes quite subtle but I find it important. There’s an honesty in that too”
While running a Cabaret on a sailing ship moored in the London docks he began making portraits using the small stage. First with friends and then actors, models and dancers. Many were made with large format cameras using sheet film and Polaroid. The photographs here include editions made from film negatives and Polaroids as well as some of the original Polaroids themselves.
Excerpt from interview with Sara Gladstone. London 2020
S.G. Did your figure pictures evolve from the portraits? How did that begin?
M.H. Yes the little stage I built for theatre and cabaret events became part of the studio. I had made various flats and backdrops and sometimes made photographs of the stage, empty except for a chair or table or something. And I began to use it to make photographs of performers, friends, actors, models. I set out with no preconceived ideas. I was interested to see what would happen. Working with actors who wanted portraits had proved a good practice ground as we had to work together, on either side of the camera. Pay attention and hone our skills really. It was much the same then working with models. They would bring their own thoughts and ideas. And my job was to find out where our attitudes met. And to get the pictures to work of course. I’ve sometimes used references to paintings and mythological figures. I think this was suggested by some of the first photographs as they already seemed to have something of that quality about them. But I’ve never felt I wanted to push this too much, as a theme or something. It’s enough to have a gentle reference and doesn’t matter whether it’s picked up clearly by the viewer or not.
S.G. Your photographs, especially the Polaroids, are often reminiscent of earlier decades such as the seventies or eighties or earlier. How intentional is that?
M.H. Well it’s certainly something I was open to. But really I think the only intention I’ve had has been to keep the photographs as honest as possible. They are open experiments - two people trying things – and I welcomed anything that might bring something unexpected. I’d worked for a woman photographing her collection of clothes and lingerie and she was happy to lend things. Some underwear was from the twenties and thirties but most things were fifties or later. Mainly I work with what a model brings along but it’s good to have options. Also using Polaroid and sheet film helps in keeping time a bit loose rather than the pictures being fixed too clearly in the present. And Polaroid film gave the material a chance to also be a real part of the picture. Polaroid is known for all kinds of quirks, accidents, colour shifts etc., especially as the last batches age and become more temperamental. And all those things are a reminder of process. As with other photographs I've made I look to find ways where the material and process can be included, can be evident. Using physical material rather than digital sensors means there is a definite surface. Sometimes quite subtle but I find it important. There’s an honesty in that too”
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