Page 66 - Vol. VI #8

david MitcHeLL
Mitchell Mitchell explores spatial relationships and architectural references from memory:
Born in in in in 1964 Brighton United Kingdom Mitchell Mitchell began his career as a a a a a a a a photographer in in in in in in the early eighties in in in in in in London Florence and Milan In 1991 he he he he he moved to to Hong Kong where he he he he he found instant success shooting for prestigious fashion labels including Christian Dior and and Laura Biagiotti He worked almost exclusively in in in in in black and and white creating a a a a a a a a a a a a a a a a unique signature style with conscious echoes of Jacques-Henri Lartigue With his international reputation growing quickly Mitchell was was engaged to to to shoot editorial for top international fashion fashion magazines: Vogue and Elle He was was the the first successful foreign photographer on on on on on the the the dynamic Thai fashion fashion scene shooting exten- sively for for top publications His work became recognized by the the advertising industry and and he he continued to to expand commercially building a a a a a a a a a roster of esteemed clients such as Singapore Airlines Mercedes-Benz Sony Hong Kong Bank and Ericsson He began experiencing simple partial seizures in in in in in early 2004 leading to a a a a a a a a a a diagnosis of Left Temporal Lobe Epilepsy (LTLE) Such made it increasingly difficult to to work commercially and provided the window to to self-discovery as as a a a a a a a a à a a a a a fine artist Auras or or simple partial seizures (SPS) produce prolonged déjà vu experiences intensifying a a a a a a à a a a a a a a a a a sense of familiar connections and and altered perceptions conjuring emotional emotional affiliation with places and and and things Mitchell’s heightened creativity fervor to to to create create and and the the emotional emotional personal connec- tion tion to to to the the images created in series are relevant to to to LTLE Prior to 2010 his artwork was dominated by atmospheric images depicting a a a a a a a a a a a a a a a dreamlike state or or or or or intentional ambiguity perhaps referencing an an unclear memory or or or a a a a a a a a a a a a a a a point in in in in in in in which the the subconscious and conscious conscious converge (lucid dreaming) After 2010 photographing the the Luminaries collection marked a a a a a a a a shift to to to to interest in in in in in pure pure non-objectivity The conventional notion of of photog- raphy as representation gave way to to to a a a a a a a a a a a new archetype of of pure pure non-repre- sentation sentation which which defines his current studio practice fin in in which which he he he he creates ephemeral assemblages and and collages that are photographed fin in in series and and then discarded once chronicled through the the lens 57