Surreal
Summer 2022 Competition
For the strange and unusual; visually intriguing; and mentally stimulating
Artist Spotlight Summer 2022 Surreal winner, Robin Crookall, took a few minutes to answer some questions, giving us insight into their unique works
Mobius Photo: How did you discover your process of sculpting and then photographing?
Robin Crookall: I got my BFA in ceramics at the University of Washington. While there I focused on hand built ceramics objects. My second to last quarter of school I spent on a study abroad program in Rome. The Rome center didn’t have ceramic facilities so I started building sculptures out of cardboard, wood and found objects. Once back in Seattle I continued to build sculptures from cardboard, and began focusing on sculptures of rooms, and houses. I photographed these initial works to document them for my portfolio. During this documentation process I realized that something uncanny was unfolding within the photograph itself. I could alter one's perspective and view of reality more successfully through the still images.
Mobius Photo: It looks like you mostly focus on interiors and buildings, do you purposefully exclude humans? And what would a nature-scape look like through your lens?
RC: My photographs converse about architecture and the unique artificial environments humans build. I’m compelled to observe the constant flow of construction, demolition and rebuilding, seeking to reveal the tyranny of the urban enclosure. I examine my subjects through the importance of space and property and the illusion of environmental ownership and permanence. I purposefully exclude humans, in an attempt to anthropomorphize spaces and objects. The rooms, and objects within them become the subjects. I am more interested in what humans leave in their wake, and what that says about them.
Mobius Photo: What artists inspire you?
RC: Rodrigo Valenzuela (Photographer), Julio Torres (Comedian, Writer), Jacques Tati (Film Maker), Gaston Bachelard (Writer)