There Is No Cmd+Z When Drawing
Marcus Schaefer graduated with a diploma from the Academy of Fashion & Design in Munich. Due to a mere accidental turn of events, Marcus got into the sphere of photography and decided to develop in this path. His visual style was shaped mainly through the exploration of drawing and the interest particularly to charcoal technique, as Marcus puts it, “the drawings more and more became my visual compass.” Marcus’ interpretation finds its way through the unique merge of mediums, distortion of the visual, and alteration of the perspective to enable an unusual angle of view.
Through this approach, Marcus expresses his perception of the atmosphere, the current mood, and narratives in an abstract form, shifting the photographic perception to artistic representation. Monochrome fine art photography, the delicate jet black, and a variety of grey tones link back to charcoal painting, emphasizing the feasible translation of a technique to the unexpected medium.
Marcus Schaefer is a fashion photographer originally from Frankfurt, Germany. He worked with clients like Armani Beauty, Hermès, COS, and more. With a record of worldwide exhibition projects in Paris, Milan, NYC, Oslo, and London, Marcus extends the reach of photography and art to offline events and galleries. In this conversation, we discuss the effect of culture on aesthetics, the beauty of errors, and drawing with charcoal.
Photography
What led you towards photography?
The very beginning of my photographic practices leads all the way back to my time at the Academy of Fashion and Design in Munich in 2010-13. I had been studying Fashion Journalism and Media Communication at the time and coincidentally slid into photography due to a compulsory internship I did with a local photographer. I loved it and knew I wanted to become a photographer straight after.
What did you do before for a living or perhaps during your travel to Australia?
I already started working freelance during my time at the Academy and kept on doing so when I graduated beginning of 2013. I didn‘t do anything else for a living apart from holiday jobs as a student. Australia was before all that, and there was no link to the medium of photography back then.
‘I don‘t necessarily think it‘s the local culture you grow up in that‘s gonna affect your aesthetic preferences, it‘s the culture you admire most that‘s going to have a major impact.’
Frankfurt
You were born in Frankfurt, and currently, you work between Germany and the UK. How do you think the culture a person grows in affects his aesthetic preferences?
In my eyes - I don‘t necessarily think it‘s the local culture you grow up in that‘s gonna affect your aesthetic preferences, it‘s the culture you admire most that‘s going to have a major impact. And frankly, in the digital age, it‘s not even compulsorily the local culture at all anymore - it‘s your very own aesthetical desire & craving that‘ll lead your way.
How does the clash or acquaintance with different cultures affect and shape the new developments in your interests in photography?
These days, we are flooded with content of all sorts, and there is no running away from that no matter in what culture you live. People are addicted to their electronic devices, and I believe it‘s most significantly the input they get from those that‘s gonna influence them. That‘s the new, universal, and worldwide culture we have. After all, it‘s more about filtering what you don‘t want to influence your aesthetic preferences, and this particular filter process can be harder than ever now - the information overload is incredible.
‘There is no Cmd+Z when drawing - it‘s irreversible, and that‘s the beauty of it! Experimenting, exploring, and letting go of control will get you the most interesting, unexpected results - especially errors!’
Error
You refer to error and failure as a part of the process, which oftentimes is erased with digital mastery. Do you have an example of the work you were devastated by the result, which, however, led you to the new understanding of the direction you wanted to take?
I love unique imagery, and I believe errors in photography are a guarantor for exactly that. It‘s the unplanned, accidental outcomes that make a picture truly special. It wasn‘t until I started drawing that I really understood this though.
How does error or failure shape the professional, in your opinion?
There is no Cmd+Z when drawing - it‘s irreversible, and that‘s the beauty of it! Experimenting, exploring, and letting go of control will get you the most interesting, unexpected results - especially errors! That‘s what I have learned from drawing and am applying to my photographic practices. It‘s a process that started only roughly two years ago - ever since the drawings more and more became my visual compass. And going back to your previous question - the drawings are the 'culture' that affect my aesthetic preferences.
‘I‘ve always loved narrators' voices recorded in mono in movies, and this is something that also became a key element in my films. Characters telling their own story are embedded in my aesthetical world.’
Film Direction
Imagine What It Feels Like to Fly, Ms_Dazed Beauty, Beauty Papers - are some of the short films you directed, in which you continue to explore your main themes through the technical elements like black and white footage, carefully crafted scenes, work with light, and a gloomy yet hopeful atmosphere. As a multidisciplinary artist, what do you enjoy the most in the process of film direction?
Correct - producing film doesn‘t change anything about the way I work. However, it‘s a different, way more complex, medium with extended options to explore. One of the things I really enjoy is the possibility of combining imagery with sound and thereby entering a much deeper subconscious state of mind. The world of sounds functions as a universal key to open up hidden chambers in the deep end of your subconsciousness, and it can trigger a release of a whole bunch of beautiful emotional crosslinks.
The other thing I really love about film - especially when working with real characters - is the advanced (compared to still images) spectrum of storytelling through original statements from the featured characters. I‘ve always loved narrators' voices recorded in mono in movies, and this is something that also became a key element in my films. Characters telling their own story are embedded in my aesthetical world.
How do you work with characters on set?
I am about to release a 20 min short-film about a German performance artist which documents her world, thoughts, and the way she interacts with her environment. That particular film is also vocally accompanied by her own words.
Fashion
Studying in the Academy of Fashion and Design in Munich had obviously opened the world of fashion for you from which you have also started your career. Today, after making some pivots developing your unique voice and approach merging the disciples of still-life photography and the aesthetics of painting - what would be a perfect innovative way to interpret fashion (ideally) in your possible personal project (a non-commercial one)?
I think of photography as a great tool to create your very own interpretation of reality - for me, personally, the reality is about beauty, art, and aesthetics and not necessarily technical perfection or realistic reproduction. It doesn‘t excite me very much to shoot the exact likeness of something - I enjoy exploring my very own interpretation of what‘s in front of my camera.
Fashion can be quite 'boring' unless you get a wild card approving to deviate from a realistic interpretation. In my eyes, commercial fashion advertising is way too literal and kills the energy of dreams in visual storytelling. I personally tend to escape the banality in the exact reproduction of something and rather work towards creating photographs that don‘t even look like photographs - more like a hybrid form of a painting.
Similar to my thoughts on your question about 'errors' - for me, a perfect way to interpret fashion is by putting it in a context of 'controlled chaos' and explore by using different techniques to provoke unique, unintended results and capture an unordinary shot with a timeless momentum e.g. by using unconventional lighting techniques, distorting mediums or play with proportions, dimensions, and perspectives... or whatever it is to get something unexpected. It‘s the experimenting and not knowing what you will get that makes it exciting!
‘I can take a look at one of my finished drawings and get a mirror image of my back then mood. It really is a beautiful medium to pour out accumulated creative energy.’
Painting and charcoal
Take us through a day when you decide to paint. How do you prepare the space? When do you choose to paint?
First of all - the most amazing thing about drawing is that I don‘t need anyone else to be drawing. Whenever I feel like drawing, I can just start drawing. I don‘t need to plan anything or prepare much. I simply choose the size of the paper and get going.
What’s magical in drawing with charcoal for you?
Charcoal is a beautiful material: I love the surface feel of it, the porousness, the rawness, the various intensities of black and grey... I guess it really must sound a bit twisted, but for me, it‘s a magical material that evokes an aesthetically pleasing feeling that is hard to explain. It‘s meditative!
What does it let you achieve?
Drawing is a direct outpour of my emotions, thoughts, and most current state of mind. It‘s deeply honest, authentic, and documentary - I can take a look at one of my finished drawings and get a mirror image of my back then mood. It really is a beautiful medium to pour out accumulated creative energy and satisfy the craving for productivity complementary to photography. I consider myself an image-maker, and it decreasingly matters what medium I use as long as I am creating an image. It‘s totally obsessive!
Upcoming Projects
What are your plans for this year? What are you working on right now?
I am currently working on my first photo book showing the close link between my drawings and photographs. It‘s quite a bit of work, and I hope I can get it finished and published by the end of this year. Fingers crossed!
