RAMON VS ZUEK
/ ZUEK VS RAMON
1 - WHAT COMES UP TO YOU WHEN I SAY PAST - PRESENT - FUTURE?
/R Bond / Transformation / Evolution
/Z PAST = Learning but not drag it behind; PRESENT = Live The Now; FUTURE “it's unwritten”.
2 - ARE YOU MORE DIGITAL OR ANALOG?
/R I approached analog photography in particular, and I approached darkrooms over time while I was attending high school by taking pictures of everything: from skateboarding to portraits, from concerts to trips, basically what was most of my life.
Mainly in regards to work and convenience issues, digital photography now simplifies everything quickly and immediately.
Although I am taking many digital photos nowadays I still maintain
that film embodies my personal vision of what photography is
/Z I’m more attached to analog mediums, even if I’m typing from a laptop while watching Netflix on iPad and phone on the table facing up..
3 - ARE YOUR EYES MORE IN FRONT OF THE SCREEN OR IN FRONT OF A BOOK
/R I’ve been reading a lot in the recent past, books and magazines, and I’m developing a passion for studying not only content, but the different types of layout and their general structure as well. However, most of the time my eyes are set behind a camera or fixed on a screen.
/Z Screens, indeed..
4 - WHAT DOES “A MODERN VIEW OF THE PAST” MEAN IN YOUR OPINION?
/R I would define “a modern vision of the past” as the bond between “different evolving worlds” that continuously condition one another.
The past is the transformation of the near future, and the future is a part of it. In my opinion it is necessary to take the good that the past has brought in avery context and to develop something new on those bases.
/Z It’s an exercise that has always been naturally applied on creative fields. I have never had the expectation to create something necessary NEW or revolutionary and having a knowledge of past aesthetics it’s a good way to create an interesting dialog for images that perhaps would become iconic images of your time.
5 - DO YOU WEAR VINTAGE MILITARY GARMENTS? IF YES WHAT DO YOU LIKE ABOUT IT?
/R I do not wear much military clothing since I don’t have many items, but those that I do have I wear all the time. I like them and they also have a history to which I am tied.
I have an old Swedish military parka, an English army shirt dated back to World War II that belonged to my grandfather and a pair of trousers from the original first MYAR collection.
/Z I’ve tons of jackets and parkas, a “spolverino” of the Italian army of the ‘70s and of course the paired jackets and pants with zippers on the ankles. I love the utilitarian aspect which I found as well on workwear and photography wear gears.
6 - WHAT PIECE OF MILITARY GARMENTS ( JKT, PANTS, SHIRT, ETC) DO YOU PREFORE TO WEAR? AND WHY?
/R I have no particular preferences of specific clothing types, it mostly depends on what I like in a particular moment or what strikes me the most when I see it.
/Z Jackets above all.. below whatever. I still tap into my youth styles I’ve been through so I like to mix but I’m not necessary into the Public Enemies’ camo total look.
7 - NYC, LOVE IT OR HATE IT?
/R I would say love, New York is New York.
/Z Unconditional love.
8 - DO YOU FIND ANY CONNECTION BETWEEN MILITARY STYLE AND NYC?
/R Yes, there is a strong bond that can be traced back to all America and not only New York. Aside from being a very patriotic country where the presence of military services is quite strong, this clothing represented a culture in the past too: from the 70s to the 80s and 90s, from the punk to the hip hop worlds. It is well settled in the current street culture.
/Z I think NYC embraced that since punk era and fall into the hip hop scene, the graffiti writers.. is the comfy utilitarian aspect that shift ironically from the source and became ANTI, a sign of rebellion which NY always had but also good gear no matter what season u have to face here.
9 - WHAT IS THE PATTERN THAT MOST RAPRESENT NYC?
/R MMM… I DON’T KNOW…
/Z The brick walls, you can definitely disappear into the projects if you had a brick wall camo all over!
10 - DESCRIBE A DAY AT HOME IN NYC VS BASSANO
/R - -
/Z No internet at mama’s vs always connected in NYC; 25$ pizza in BK vs. 7 bucks “pizza+coca” combo (and no tips!).. definitely I have a "just fine” path in my hometown.
11 - WHAT’S THE FIRST THING THAT COMES UP TO YOUR HEAD WHEN I SAY NYC?
/R That feeling of freedom and the simpler and more spontaneous way of approaching anything surrounding you, compared to Italy.
/Z Raw beauty
12 - WHAT’S THE FIRST THING THAT COMES UP TO YOUR HEAD WHEN I SAY BASSANO?
/R - -
/Z Beauty
13 -DOES STREET PHOTOGRAPHY HAS A TIME?
/R "The goal to be achieved”, if we may call it so, doesn’t have a set way or time. I believe that it is mainly due to the people behind the camera and the society in which they live in that determine the time in which everything unfolds.
/Z Street photography has the time of the moment framed, and intended to be representation of the past by nature, a PAST machine!
14 - WHEN YOU WALK IN NYC, WHAT ATTRACT YOU THE MOST?
/R A lot of reasons, but mainly for the chance to breath new air, for the inspiration and new ideas that a city like New York can offer.
American culture is very different from ours, and from my point of view being so different can give you something more, both positively and negatively in comparison to the country we come from.
/Z - -
15 - NYC IN THE DAYLIGHT OR NIGHTIME?
/R Both of them have their appeal, we are talking of the same context, but of a context that if taken in separate moments gives back in different ways to the other, and with different shades.
/Z - I gradually upgraded to daylight with age.
16 - DO YOU LIKE CAMOUFLAGE?
/R Yesss!!!!
/Z Yes, I do
17 - WHICH IS YOUR FAVORITE CAMO?
/R I like very much the Canadian Army, not only for an aesthetical reason but for its history too, since it was the first digital pixeled camo used for the official uniform of the Canadian army.
/Z Natural green classic one.. not crazy about desert ones, digital ones..
18 - WHICH CAMO FOR YOU RAPPRESENT BETTER NYC?
/R Maybe battledress of the United States Marine Corps.
/Z - - -
19 - YOU ARE BOTH BASSANESI IN NYC NOW, WHAT BRINGS YOU TOGETHER ?
/R I’ve known Ale for many years, I was a kid back then.
He has always been a friend and a person who has given me inspiration and motivation to continue on my path, and I have received many pieces of advice from him over the years.
Photography then cemented the relationship.
I’ve had a chance to work as his assistant last year, which was not only a great opportunity but it also gave me the possibility to know him under a different, more work related, perspective.
Great Ale! Always number one!!!
This idea of a double interview of making a shooting together was a lot of fun and it was cool to make it here in NYC.
/Z We are friends, and beside the fact Ramon is a generation behind mine, we share; I know his early work and saw taking off from there.
20 - WHAT DO YOU LIKE OF EACH OTHER PHOTOGRAPHY?
/R I like all of ale’s works, he has a style that is recognizable among many by now.
His photography is fascinating and delicate, even though many times he deals with strong issues set in contexts that are far from easy to portray and tell.
He has also managed to hold on to his “street” roots throughout his journey, taking them to higher and more fashionable circles without losing his personality as a photographer.
/Z I believe we had the same kind of introduction to photography, my first images were skaters and graffiti, and if I was going to a concert, no question I was going to take my camera.. is that “FUCK YOU ALL” attitude [referring to his master book but also to the motto of the DIY era] that Glen E. Friedman draw first and his sensibility to move from skaters in LA to CBGB’s lives in NYC, Hip Hop crews and gods of HC a precius candid documentation of a culture subject that I think u can see in Ramon’s work. Kid knows how to build an image!
21 - CAN YOU DESCRIBE EACH OTHER PHOTOGRAPHY STYLE?
/R - -
/Z A non Staged, candid yet approach to a specific niche. I can see the continuation of that line initiated by photographers like Larry Clark, Ari, Templeton, that also were really important for my work as it develop so far.
22 - WHAT IS BROTHERHOOD IN YOUR OPINION?
/R Brotherhood is an important and strong term, so I would tell you friendship: the real one, the healthy and proactive kind.
/Z An old straight edge band and an important value to me.
23 - WHO IS YOUR OWN ARMY?
/R I have no army; perhaps one day, but I don’t think so.
/Z Jules and Cleo. Cleo stays a steps ahead!
24 - HOW DOES MYAR STYLE RAPPRESENT YOU?
/R - -
/Z Is that deeper look on something.. the overall clean shape that reveal a punctum [see Rolan Bath]..
