The Unbalanced Moments
András Ladocsi is a photographer and cinematographer from Hungary who currently resides in New York and studies at the RCA, London. In his work, András focuses on emphasizing the highlight in the moment of observation. The moment comes as a frame from the sequence of movements, the peak of the character’s activity, staged or real. The narrative is intriguing. The connection between the photographer and the subject appears to be unrepresented and is being built in the mind of a viewer.
The main topic is the research of the body, its physicality, and existence in the space it inhabits, which results in a touching portrayal of the person. András refers to the themes he researches and explains, “I want to create situations in which my subjects can practice acts of self-representation or self-expression embedded in the context of body image.” In this intimate conversation, we touch on topics as childhood memories from an emotionally charged angle. We speak about András’ early career as an athletic swimmer and the impact it has on photography. The interview won’t leave you without an emotional uplift due to its warm and personal notes.
‘I have a vivid memory of when my parents tried to teach me how to ride a bicycle. It was summertime, and we had a weekend house close to Lake Balaton.’
Hungary
What are the two memories from your childhood, the backyard, the hometown you carry until this day?
I was thinking of this for a few days, which usually comes up first hand. I have a vivid memory of when my parents tried to teach me how to ride a bicycle. It was summertime, and we had a weekend house close to Lake Balaton. We were on a quiet street... no cars at all. I was riding my bike while my father was after me supporting me with a stick (which is a proper teaching method in Hungary).
However, he gave me a chance to ride alone and released the bike. I cycled straight into a group of trash cans next to the street, and I crashed it hard: my knees, elbows, and chin were bleeding. I was crying like hell, and while we were headed back to our house, I was still screamingly crying (as you can imagine). A little girl noticed me from the opposite sidewalk. I clearly remember her and the shock on her face. She was stunned. I would have felt the same if I had seen my bloody face mixed with tears and snot.
After this summer, back in kindergarten, I learned how to cycle by myself in a day.
The other memory is when I saw the clouds in 3D. It was a summer day again. I was lying on my back in the garden, watching the sky, and I simply found the depth between closer and further clouds. It was an unbelievable moment. I jumped up and ran to my mom to tell her.
Short Film
I want to refer this question to the series of short videos you have recently posted on your Instagram channel exploring the movement and the character of the person who performs the moves, from sports to dance to acting. Let’s speak about the project from the perspective of the story you present and the technical aspect of aligning the camera moves with those of the person.
I always wanted to shoot something on 8mm. Once a band approached me saying that they wanted to work with me on a music video. They described the music, and I came up with the idea that we could work with a physical character who doesn’t fit in the environment with her movements. I started to develop the project and asked Sasu (the dancer) what she thought, and if she would work with me on this. She agreed, so we decided on the locations, and built it intuitively.
We were on a low budget, so I rented the cheapest camera, which was reliable, and four rolls of film, which is about eight minutes or something like that. I usually took one or two takes of everything. (Unfortunately, I lost a beautiful take because I ran out of film, but I didn’t hear it, so I made a two minute take without film inside). The process we used was that Sasu performed different things, and I watched her with or without the camera. When I was intrigued by something, I started to roll. It might have been bad but, at that time, I wanted to connect with Sasu through the camera, so we didn’t concretise the camera movements before. It was a dance. At the end of the project, I didn't like the music that the band made, so I used a different one from my personal playlist.
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‘I am sure that swimming and the community influenced my interest in bodies and groups of people. What masculinity meant for me at that time and what I think of it now.’
Athletic Swimming
As an ex-professional swimmer who developed a range of habits necessary for an efficient training routine, which of those habits do you still have?
The most important one is that waking up at 4:30 is still a piece of cake for me, however, seriously, I am not sure... Swimming is a monotonous endurance - sport, which is competitive and has many low and high peaks. It is a long-term project, and I can relate to that through photography.
How do you think swimming affected you as a person or the interests you formed as a photographer?
I am sure that swimming and the community influenced my interest in bodies and groups of people. What masculinity meant for me at that time and what I think of it now. Nakedness is different for us, for our friends in school, or possibly home too. We were constantly bullying each other, which should be absolute nonsense, but it happened, and now I can use and rethink all of these things in my projects.
‘I want to create situations in which my subjects can practice acts of self-representation or self-expression embedded in the context of body image, self-image. I believe that the common thread is a context that is not there at the beginning. I have an idea of why I am interested in my.’
The Body
What have you discovered from the ongoing research of the body and the movement you pursue? What is the common thread you see between the subject you photograph and their relation to or awareness of their body?
It is hard to tell it again. I have a feeling that when I discover what I am looking for, that will be the time when the project will be finished. I am sure that I am searching for unbalanced moments, even in a still image. In my mind, one approach to my ongoing work is marked by the gesture of self-representation too.
I want to create situations in which my subjects can practice acts of self-representation or self-expression embedded in the context of body image, self-image. I believe that the common thread is a context that is not there at the beginning. I have an idea of why I am interested in my subjects, and they have an idea about their relation to their body. I am always curious about how we can develop each other. I can be wrong here, but I could never know.
‘It happened a lot that people who didn’t know me but saw and liked my pictures, they thought I am a female photographer, and when they realized that I am not, they seemed a bit disappointed.’
The Person
In the portraits, the subject appears in an almost ‘raw’ manner that reveals the inner thought processes and emotions. What, in your opinion, is a touching element in portraiture photography, and what is it what you try to expose?
I try to get something which I haven’t had before. At that moment, when I was able to take a picture that I liked, after all, I was there with my camera, but I felt that it could only happen in a personal situation. Which is not true for sure; however, I am looking for something which is not for the public: gestures which wouldn’t be interesting for everyone.
The Undisclosed
What would you like the readers to know about you as a person or a professional, that something you are never asked about?
It happened a lot that people who didn’t know me but saw and liked my pictures, they thought I am a female photographer, and when they realized that I am not, they seemed a bit disappointed. I always think - why is that.
Upcoming Projects
What are your plans for this year? What are you working on right now?
I am studying photography at RCA in London (1st year), so I am writing my dissertation, which will be about communities, society, family, and individuum. Next to this, I am working on a project we discussed above: my diploma project. I intend to finish it somewhere at the end of my 2nd year. However, school is unfortunately closed now, so there is a chance that I will be in NY for the next six months, and I'm looking forward to seeing every opportunity and challenge there.
