Analogue Rituals: An Interview with Morrison Gong (NSFW)

We discovered the work of Morrison Gong in a unique, and very New York way— by running into each other as neighbors on the 4th floor of Lomography USA's office building.

Naturally, we gave them some LomoChrome Metropolis and Purple film to test out, offering a new backdrop to their work surrounding nude portraiture.

In this interview, we introduce Morrison to our community and chat about their first experimentations with LomoChrome film, the transformations of concept and subject matter in their work, and their introduction into analogue photography.

Hi Morrison, welcome to Lomography Magazine! Can you start off by telling us about yourself and work?

Hi Alexa and Lomography Magazine! I’m a Chinese artist and photographer. I have a background in performance and experimental filmmaking. I specialize in nude portraitures. My work records corporeality in contexts of displacement, animism, healing and personal mythologies. Besides photography, I enjoy writing, horror stories and video games, animals, alternative reggaeton, sculptures, history of objects and artifacts.

How did you get started with analogue photography? What draws you most to the medium?

I took my first photography course at Haverford College, Pennsylvania. We were only allowed to use a black and white film camera in Intro to Photo class. Professor William Williams took me to New Jersey to buy my first film camera. He was a tough teacher and expected us to treat our craft with rigor and dedication. His high standards made me feel like I was full of potential. I would spend every weekend practicing my picture-making skills, and then develop films and make prints during the week. I was obsessed with figuring out what makes a good image.

I’ve always associated analogue photography with solemnity, physicality and fluidity. The sounds of water, developer and fixer running, the safe light in the darkroom, everything about it feels like a romantic ritual. Most of all, I adore the imperfections of analogue. When I shoot, I never see the images, and I must accept that they might not come out as what I imagined. Sometimes I even get a blank roll of film. Analogue photography taught me to be decisive, take risks and let go.

Tell us about what you decided to shoot with this series.

This series represents a transition from my previous focus on nudes in nature to my current exploration of reinterpreting mythologies. With the Metropolis film, my friend Giselle and I were reenacting performance art and choreography. We were paying more attention on formalism and body postures. With the LomoChrome Purple, because our photo shoot was close to the mid-autumn festival, my friend Terry proposed to recreate the myth of Moon Goddess, Hằng Nga / Chang’e. It was more conceptual and experimental.

Was this your first time using color-shifting film stocks? What were your first impressions of films like Purple or Metropolis?

Yes, this was my first time. The darker, cooler tone of Metropolis reminds me of East Germany during WWII. It made my photos look like crime scenes, which aligns with my passion about horror and ghostly matters. I was blown away by the Purple film.

Like we discussed, the purple hue did bring out a witchy, occult dimensions of reality. It was bizarre and mystifying, yet it had a warm and comforting temperature to it. I was very happy with the result.

Did the experimental nature of the films have any impact on the planning and execution of these shoots?

Absolutely. Without knowing what to expect, I was playing it safe when I planned. I used the films at the beginning of my shoots, as I was still testing and getting comfortable with the environments. For me, it is during the later stage of photo shoots when I get into “flow”, and my photographs become gradually closer to God, or universal intelligence. Yet, there’s a part of me that craves the unexpected. In college, I was very into experimental filmmaking. I love the non-linearity and rebelliousness of it. The experimental nature of the films I received from Lomography again brought out my courage to rebel. I introduced many new elements, such as fabric, stuffed animals and a cardboard prop. I felt compelled to embrace a new perspective of my practice.

Most of your work features NSFW imagery of your models. How do you make them feel comfortable to pose for you?

Being queer and AFAB helps. I am very professional when it comes to photography. I always meet up with my models before the photo shoots. I’m eager to know their stories, the way they see themselves and the world, because these things are pivotal to me when it comes to our collaboration. Given the vulnerability of the theme, I hold so much gratefulness and love for my sitters. I do check-ins often during our sessions. Photography is nothing but a portal to your philosophy and inner landscape. What you give is what you receive.

What fascinates you about the human body as a subject in general?

What fascinates me is not just the formal quality of the body, but the body as an expression of the spirit. Unfortunately, we don’t have the technology to capture spirit yet, and I think the naked body is what comes closest to our immaterial essence. You learn so much about a person by looking at their flesh: the wounds, the scars, the texture, the tattoos. I sound like a forensic pathologist. The connotations of the body are quite complex: death, disease, desire, and the suffering of it all. This connects back to my interest in spirituality, and what lies invisible within the visible.

Do you have any exciting projects coming up that you’d like to share with our community?

Yes, I'm developing a body of photo and sculptural work about magick, sacred symbolism as well as myths of death and rebirth. Stay tuned.

Anything else you would like to share?

Follow me on insta! @morrisongong. Be kind to yourself so the world and your camera will be kind to you.

Thank you Morrison for sharing your words and photos with us! If you'd like to stay in touch with their work, you can find them on Instagram or their website.

written by alexa_alexiades on 2024-11-13 #gear #people #interview #experimental #portrait #nude #nsfw #lomochrome-purple #lomochrome-metropolis