This is the second installment of the capital lives artist interview series. capital lives features work by Bo Chen, Sydney Gray, Sarah O’Donoghue, Brea Soul, Christine Stoddard, and Nevada Tyler.
Nevada Tyler | Exhibiting in capital lives from May 30th to July 4th, 2018 at The Stamp Gallery | University of Maryland, College Park | Interview by Kat Mullineaux
KM: Before we start talking about your work in capital lives, I want our readers to learn a little bit about your background. Where are you from and how did you get into art?
NT: I grew up on the border of Frederick and Montgomery County Maryland, so basically farmlands. I guess I have always been interested in art. My mother always provided my sister and me with paper and markers and it was more when I was a kid that I actively explored art. I felt like art maybe wasn’t the most practical route to take in college so I studied political science. Then I realized I really wanted to do art more than politics and there is no use in not doing exactly what you want to do with your life.
KM: What is your connection to D.C.? You’re currently an undergraduate student at George Washington University–what do you study there?
NT: I’m a DMV native. Living in Maryland means visiting Washington D.C. on a regular basis. When you live in a major city or a major city is close to you, do not take that for granted. I currently live in D.C. attending GW and so now I get to explore it as much as I please. I have always loved this city. Maybe that is because I’ve spent so much time here but people think it is all business, but really, we have everything. At GW I study fine arts and communications. With fine arts though, I’ve centered my studies around more technical and new media art mediums rather than the more traditional fine arts mediums.
KM: Your photography in capital lives seems to be centered on candid, un-posed moments. What about photographing people in their everyday existence are you drawn to? Why?
NT: The moments we take for granted are the moments I aim to capture and share. We experience people every day but never take a second to really look and see. I am personally attracted to those who are blind to their own beauty. There is something curious about the oblivion they inhabit that brings them to a place of pure authenticity. The modern world is over-saturated with posed and highly manipulated photographs, creating a societal goal to constantly be poised and perfect. Where that may provide visually pleasing photographs, it is not reality. Because of this, I believe people have forgotten how to enjoy being human. I hope to make photographs that bring back an awareness of what it feels like to live life, to inspire others to stop and relish in the quirks and similarities of themselves and others, and remind everyone just how beautiful the boring parts of the human experience can be.
KM: I love how you have such a appreciation for the reality of moments. In the same vein, there is an intimacy that is tangible in your work. When viewing the photos I feel like I’m there, sitting in the room viewing a private moment–regardless of whether that is watching a man at his desk doing the same work he’s been doing for years or viewing a woman praying in an empty church pew. Is this intimacy important to you? What do you think it does for the viewers of your work?
NT: I want viewers to feel like they just entered the moment, that they just happened upon this scene, just as I did. I want them to feel the, kind of magic, I felt which made me pick up the camera and make the photograph. Intimacy is very important to me. It is difficult to describe. It is a concept I place an enormous amount of weight in my own personal life and I really try and transfer that over to my artwork. I want the viewer to create a relationship with the work. I don’t care if that stems from their personal experiences with religion or family members, whatever, I don’t care if they make up a whole story about the subject for kicks. At least a viewer stopped and thought about it, the scene, the subject, the context, the feeling. That is all I can ask for.
KM: One thing that capital lives is interested in is the identity and lives of people existing in the capital city of the U.S.A. I notice that interestingly enough there is a large amount of anonymity to the figures in your work aside from “He Pretended to be Bitter, but he Wasn’t”, which I will touch on in a moment. Is that anonymity important to you? How do you think it informs the stories you are telling through your images?
NT: Some people are not comfortable being photographed, their demeanor suddenly shifts and the moment no longer feels natural. So in a way, I sometimes need anonymity to make the shots I do. I do not aim to objectify any of these subjects, I only hope to reveal a beauty we often forget is there. Anonymity also helps viewers to create their own stories about the people they see in the photographs. There is little information, but I feel like it always just enough with the given settings the subjects are in and any expressions they may possess. I think that encourages the viewers to let their imagination run a little bit.
KM: On the note of your piece “He Pretended to be Bitter, but he Wasn’t” (and the interview audio paired with it) there is a lack of anonymity. We hear “Capital Jim’s” voice and we are transported into the independent bookshop that he runs. Is this type of work a departure for you and what do you think you got out of the process? Would you like to interview more of your subjects in the future?
NT: Yes and no. I have always been interested in sound design and have worked with various programs to create sound pieces, but I never really thought about conducting interviews before. This is actually the second interview I’ve ever put together and I am really happy about how it turned out. It was a tough process. Sometimes, subjects are difficult to work with, sometimes they’re fantastic. You never know what you’re going to get. For me that is the hardest part, coming up with questions and conducting the interview. The rest is extremely time consuming, but my material is collected and then I just have to buckle down to edit an hour’s worth of material into 3 minutes and edit that to my satisfaction. I definitely would be interested in interviewing more subjects. I have been thinking about it for a while and I think I want to go about conducting interviews just for the fun of it and see where it takes me.
KM: I know you work in the medium of photography, but do you have any other favorite mediums or other artistic passions?
NT: I love writing and music. I am so enamored with the way that words and a melody can convey ideas, stories, and feelings. Writing helps me sort out my thoughts and capture sentiment, it doesn’t always come with a melody but I love it either way.
KM: What do you want to do in the future? Professionally or personally?
NT: I just want to be able to create content of all kinds, professionally and personally. I am open to all art mediums and I do feel they are all intertwined and should be explored together and that is really my plan.
KM: Finally, since it is a theme of capital lives, I wonder–what do you think lies behind an image of power?
NT: An image of power will make you stop. It will emit a weight that draws your attention. An image of power can depict anything from horrors to honorable acts. In terms of street photography, I believe an image of power must be honest. In other mediums, I believe an image of power must hold or reveal a truth. Really any image that makes you stop and stare, I think that is an image of power.
Thank you to Nevada for participating in the capital lives Artist Interview Series.
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