Privé
Arthur Groeneveld and Bamboo van Kampen form a duo Arturo + Bamboo, currently based between Amsterdam and Berlin. The duo in work and life, Arthur and Bamboo, met 8 years ago on a cold night in Amsterdam, since then they discovered photography as a profession together and formed the duo. We speak about their second publication, Privé, a zine printed in 2018.
Privé is an intimate look into the couple’s relationship and life. The black and white photography, shot on film and printed on a thin newspaper format, emphasizes the small imperfections of the chosen medium. We go into details of printing the zine, the idea behind choosing the specific format, and the symbolism of the printed images as compared to the life of the characters portrayed.
The captivating honesty of the non-staged images, the door wide open into the couple’s life is what Privé comes to offer. Through the blurred images, close-ups of the body curves shown on an oversized paper the viewer is taken to experience some of the emotions present in the photographs: mundane yet captivating. Arthur and Bamboo share that “All the shots were taken during special moments for us, nothing was staged, so it shows real, raw moments.” This year the couple released their 3rd publication, The Red Moon, currently available in a limited edition of 100 copies or as prints upon request.
‘We met 8 years ago on a very cold night in Amsterdam when all the canals were frozen and all over the city people were ice-skating. At that time we both didn’t have any experience with photography yet.’
Hi Arthur and Bamboo, where did you meet, and how did you decide to form a duo?
Arthur + Bamboo: We met 8 years ago on a very cold night in Amsterdam when all the canals were frozen and all over the city people were ice-skating. At that time we both didn’t have any experience with photography yet - this started when we took an old Russian camera on our first trip together. After we developed the first film, we immediately felt the urge to keep on experimenting together with this. Something that started just for fun, later transformed into something more serious.
‘Privé is a very personal and private story that reflects some intimate moments between the both of us. We both function as photographers and, at the same time, as the subjects.’
Who are the main characters in Privé? What are their main daily routine activities that you decided to include in the edition?
Arthur + Bamboo: As the title already hints, Privé is a very personal and private story that reflects some intimate moments between the both of us. We both function as photographers and, at the same time, as the subjects. In that way, Privé is an honest documentation of the deep connection between lovers, showing the individual bond between the two of us, but also the very notion of intimacy itself.
‘The purposeful use of newsprint paper is intended to expand upon this idea: the characteristics of the paper – so thin and delicate, it will crack quickly, the colour will fade – fits in a way to the vulnerability of a human body.’
How did the idea to print the images on newsprint paper came about? Tell about the process of choosing the final photos and printing on this type of paper, this way emphasizing the imperfection of scan of the film.
Arthur + Bamboo: The creation of this series of images took place over a period of three years and came together very naturally as we love to photograph each other. All the shots were taken during special moments for us, nothing was staged, so it shows real, raw moments. The photos are untouched and expose everything reality offers, especially because of the large newspaper format. As the reader goes through the zine they will be able to see close-ups and blurred abstractions. The purposeful use of newsprint paper is intended to expand upon this idea: the characteristics of the paper – so thin and delicate, it will crack quickly, the colour will fade – fits in a way to the vulnerability of a human body.
In what way do you think Privé is different from your other printed projects?
Arthur + Bamboo: After launching our first publication Summer Diary, a colourful travel diary, we feel Privé shows a more sensual and mysterious side of our work and ourselves. Also, the use of black and white in combination with the visible imperfections of the film creates quite an abstract imagery.
Is it still possible to get the printed version of Privé or your other work in print?
Arthur + Bamboo: Yes, we still have a few copies of Privé available and besides that, we’re also running some images as prints.
‘It was really overwhelming to see this huge factory printing your work on such a great scale and being able to be there during this process was great!’
Could you share a memory from working on this edition that stayed with you?
Arthur + Bamboo: One of the funniest memories for us was the day when the zine got printed in a newsprint paper factory just outside of Berlin. It was really overwhelming to see this huge factory printing your work on such a great scale and being able to be there during this process was great!
