Sense of Movement

This instalment brings together 11th Hour and Martin Gunchev and is also out on vinyl – you can grab a copy at our online shop.

Martin: Over time, I realized that although no one in my family is involved in the arts, from a very early age I naturally gravitated in that direction – for better or worse. 🙂 My best childhood friend sparked my interest in drawing. In primary school, I was in a choreography class, and later, as a teenager, I got closer to theatre by chance — my hometown has strong traditions in this art form. Throughout the years I wandered through different schools and universities — photography, engineering design, cinematography. Eventually, it turned out that photography is the art form that suits me best and the one through which I can most successfully express myself.

Martin: During the first collaboration you invited me to take part in, I discovered a method for generating ideas that turned out to be quite effective for me — and I’ve been using it ever since. I relied on it for this project as well. I lie comfortably on the bed, put on my headphones, and stay like that for hours, allowing myself to be completely absorbed by the music — a kind of meditation. My wife jokes that it’s just my way of slacking off and being lazy, and maybe it does look that way from the outside. 🙂 But we all know that music is the most powerful art form for the human mind. Even if you don’t understand the lyrics — even if there are no lyrics at all — it still manages to move you. That is the kind of impact I strive for in my photographs. For me, the question “What is the author trying to say?” feels inadequate, because my understanding of art’s effect is not about searching for meaning or deciphering hidden messages.

Martin: The series I’m presenting to you, created for the music of 11th Hour consists of several frames that emerged as spontaneous images while I was listening to the tracks. I wanted to convey a strong sense of movement — motion immersed in a psychedelic and surreal atmosphere.

Some of your favourite techniques to achieve your visual style?

Martin: I love contrasts — color contrasts, conceptual contrasts. I love the absence of logic, contrary to the world we live in, where everything must be explained in a rational way. I always look for something paradoxical to be present in the narratives of my photographs.