Conor Vella: Clouds
“I’m trying to achieve inflammation of the imagination. That has to start with me. The moments where I get really excited about something I’m making are what I live for.”
ARTIST’S STATEMENT
I’ve recently become enthralled by our obsession with plastics. We use rolls and rolls of sheet plastic in still life photography to keep the studio clean from messy special effects, for example. I keep the plastic we use on big commercial shoots and repurpose as much of it as I can in everyday life. Everything else I use in my work, including this latest project. I use many different kinds of packaging to collage a composition together and then light it, drawing attention to different areas.
I made this series, “Clouds”, at a time when there was only happiness in my life; my commercial projects bring me into daily contact with joyous, creative people with imaginations that run a mile a minute. I shoot alone in the studio but I’m constantly recalling all the fun I’ve just had on another set doing something totally different. Inspiration comes from all sorts of places but I’ve found that the people I surround myself with are the most valuable sources.
What I’m really trying to achieve is inflammation of the imagination. That has to start with me. If a given piece of work doesn’t really make me go “Wow” then I keep working on it until it does or start something else. The moments where I get really excited about something I’m making are what I live for. The joy they bring keeps me motivated to always keep moving forward and always appreciate how lucky I am to be able to make art that I love.
ABOUT CONOR VELLA
I grew up in Dublin but I’ve called Amsterdam my home for the last six years. As a student I went to Ireland's National College of Art and Design because I wanted to make beautiful things. NCAD taught me about materials, processes and creativity and set me on the path towards professional photography. I started to learn the craft after college, through assisting photographers and experimenting in my bedroom with homemade lighting gear. I haven’t looked back since.
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