Photographers We Love: Caroline Mackintosh

INTERVIEWED BY Michaela Stehr IMAGES Caroline Mackintosh

We chat to Cape Town photographer Caroline Mackintosh about her new multifaceted exhibition, curated by Candice Ježek and featuring a sound collaboration with Mark Davis.

How did you get involved in photography?

My family has always been very into their wildlife, so from a young age I would travel with them to the likes of Botswana, Zambia and Namibia. It was only natural for me to pick up my dad’s camera and start taking pictures of our expeditions. From then on, my love for photography has only grown and expanded, mainly towards taking pictures of people and landscapes and creating moments that emanate feelings of wonder, beauty and nostalgia. I see my work as an extension of myself and the way I live my life, always in the moment…

The show does not only consist of photography though. In the last year, I have found myself far more drawn to film and sound, which is the last element of the series.

Describe your work in 4 words.

Transportive, uninhibited, wondrous, alive.

What is the concept behind IN THE MURMUR?

A murmur is a faint vibration, an unusual sound our hearts make. It’s the ever-flowing stream, it’s something we don’t quite always acknowledge, but we feel it’s there.

There are these ‘other worldly’ moments we experience, where we feel we are part of something more, something magical and mysterious. These moments are not always recognisable, but our hearts understand because after we experience them, we are changed and renewed. I refer to these critical transitional instances as murmurs.

So, for me IN THE MURMUR represents a feeling, as well as a place, both fleeting and wondrous. I wanted to create a place that hosts these feelings, an alternative reality that transports you, liberates you and alters the reality you once knew, the space that represents a suspended reality you enter into, like being underwater. You are enveloped in silence and sound, motion and stillness.

How did you come up with the title for your exhibition?

Being IN THE MURMUR can be many things. It can be that special moment where you feel release and feel universally connected. It’s wonder and vibration. It’s that place where you feel, but it can also refer to the actual submerged place of sight and sound I’ve created. This ethereal bubble-like space that feels like suspended reality. Either way, it’s transportive. 

Most of your subjects are your friends. What process do you follow for your shoots?

It began as just friends, but after time I also started to notice how the trips to these magical places affected the girls who took part in the series. The friends that joined me would contact me after, saying that they felt such a release and a new sense of freedom within themselves, which eventually led to women other than my close friends wanting to join in. I feel now like we all became closer in some way after this experience, like a bond was formed.

What draws you to the human form?

I was drawn to the feminine figure as I feel it has such a pure organic feel to it, the feminine that is nature. There is an alluring beauty and mystery to these bodies suspended in motion, an almost fluttering stillness. Their bodies move and are entwined in a moment of transition, almost like a murmuration.

Any exciting plans for the near future?

I really loved making the film and being a part of the soundtrack that Mark Davis produced. These are both new creative avenues I want to explore more and see where they take me.

See more of Caroline’s work at lockofgold.tumblr.com. IN THE MURMUR is now on at the Woodstock Exchange until 31 October 2015.