CONCRETE CADENCE

GUN ROZE

//Gun is based in Toronto. He arrived at photography through his long career as a master analog printer for professional photographers, having studied photography and darkroom techniques in art college. When he rediscovered his archived “Manhattan 1982” series in 2012, he returned to street-based photography while living in New York City. For Spectaculum Magazine, he put together a selection of pictures from series he has been working on with the Canadian dancer Bryony.

Gun´s darkroom expertise and reputation brought him work opportunities in Vancouver, San Francisco and New York. Throughout this period, he continued with his photography and personal projects. “My aim is to photograph the ordinary and transform it into the extraordinary,” he says. As an artist he has had solo exhibitions, participated in group shows and has published photo art books.

What draws you to the arts?

“Art has been food for my soul since childhood. My imagination is triggered in unpredictable ways by a wide variety of art forms. I feel fully alive when I have connected with a certain art piece or experience and I am transformed in a richer way. I especially admire art created in mediums that I am not expressing my own creative work in. Art often shifts my perceptions and even directs my behaviour or actions. My great appreciation for art keeps me present and can transport me into new worlds.”

What do you like best about the Bryony-Dancer series you shared with us?

“It is an honor to work closely with the young, bright, open-minded and multi-talented artist that Bryony is. We have achieved seven, very different, creative collaborations to date. I received her full trust and enthusiasm during our initial photo shoot and I feel this is evident throughout the images. Due to Bryony’s unique sense of fashion style, the photos have an indeterminable time period quality to them. Her physical, mental and emotional strengths are certainly very present as well. In essence, I have captured the power of an evolving woman.”

Gun has been collaborating with Toronto-based dancer Bryony on creative photo shoots since 2017. They discuss everything from conception to their final images choices. Bryony decides her wardrobe based on the chosen location, visual perception and for the comfort of her energetic dance moves. She is a freestyle dancer, combining tai chi, hip hop, ballet and modern dance with her own intuitive expressions. She responds to the environment she is dancing in as Gun is challenged to photograph her in full uninterrupted action.

“Out of respect to Bryony’s rising status as a gifted dancer and choreographer, the final edit is always chosen by her. Our aim is beyond merely capturing great dance images, but to create powerful visual art.”

Gun processes his photos both in colour and in black and white, and we have selected a black and white version. His attraction to strong shapes and textures makes these pictures quite visually arresting.

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Some images may be cropped for layout, clicking on them will show the full image.

ALL PHOTOS © GUN ROZE

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To see more of his photography visit Gun´s Instagram page and his website.