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Martín Pels Martín Pels comes from Argentina and for those who didn't know, he's the one responsible for the stunning photographs on raison d'être's The Empty Hollow Unfolds and In Slaughter Natives Recollection and Re-Enter Salvation box etc. Not seldom, these utterly dark and melancholic images display desolate wastelands, deteriorated cathedrals or just plain decay - perfect photographic equivalents to what many of the artists who linger in the Cold Meat Industry roster have produced to date. Martín Pels' portfolio perfectly reflects some of the most encountered ingredients of the Death Industrial and Dark Ambient scenes. Perhaps this is the reason why his work goes so well in unison with that of the musicians he has worked for. Ortus Obscurum is proud to present an interview with this talented photographer, perhaps even the first of its kind. ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- ECTONAUT: Most people who know your name probably associate it with the credits given on various Cold Meat Industry albums for the photography work. But who are you really other than just a name? Could you please give us a short introduction on who you are? MARTÍN: My personal ID says I'm 39 years old, but I'm not so sure about that (I have nightmares of still being at high school). I am married and have an incredible son. I make my living working for TV with outdoor realisation and camera operation. I have also made the realisation of a show for Latin American MTV during a couple of years, as well as directed a couple of video clips for Argentinean rock groups, and so... MARTÍN: I have always felt involved with music and of course; buying records, etc. always searching for special music and loving nice editions. But when I bought my first CMI CD's (Raison D´être's Prospectus I, first edition, and then ISN, Morthond, etc) ten years ago, I was caught not only by the music or the artwork. It was that whole identity it had that represented my feelings and my imagination. It was how I thought music should sound in my mind when I see or imagine scenes of decaying landscapes. So CMI represented a "place" where I could express myself, and I wanted to be part of it. It took me some years to get in touch, probably because of the distance (or probably because of my fears), but then with the developing of Internet and mailing lists, I felt closer. So I decided to send a couple of photographs to Peter Andersson who seemed to like them, and eventually they ended up on The Empty Hollow Unfolds. After that I prepared a special box with several photos and sent them to Roger K. I think that they look upon my work as something that is close to what they are creating. ECTONAUT: You spoke of a certain "syntony" that you are feeling with these guys. Could you develop this further? MARTÍN: As I told you before, I felt that what CMI and the bands were doing when I discovered them, was very close to me, close to my inner self. In those years I knew about 4AD, Soleilmoon, Projekt and many others, but CMI was like a perfect synthesis of my tastes. The aesthetics, the art, music and images, which I feel very comfortable with, and later this was confirmed by the positive answers and the receptive way I got from Peter and Roger. It is that simple, like the idea of "a dream that came true". Other than this, I have always had a special feeling for Sweden. As a curious story, I can tell you that when I was a child at school, I was in love with a Swedish girl. Probably, I never spoke to her, but anyway, I always waited anxiously for the break so that I could go to the playground to see her, and then I felt incredible. Life went on ... and so many years after, approaching CMI was like a culmination of that story, but now from another perspective. ECTONAUT: How long have you been into this form of music? What was it that first fascinated you about the Electronic, Dark Ambient and Industrial rooted genres when you first found them? MARTÍN: Hmm, I think it was after the symphonic & jazz rock years when I discovered Brian Eno in the late 70´s and the ambient series, also his stuff for Sky records, and of course Tangerine Dream, etc. It was always like the soundtrack to my inner images, or to those illustrated books at that time (Dragon Dream, etc). If you are fascinated with space and spaceships or fantastic landscapes, or medieval art, bestiaries, mythological beasts, alchemy, etc, it's so difficult to match it with the sound of Rock & Roll music. ECTONAUT: Indeed. The Martin Pels we have come to know from the images that have ended up on various Cold Meat Industry releases is generally a photographer of darker images. Yet I wonder; is this the whole truth? Is there perhaps a more lucid side of your photographic art that we don't see or are you totally focused on producing images of industrial wastes, deteriorated graves, gothic stuff and such? MARTÍN: I must admit that besides that, there are only snapshots of my little son. ECTONAUT: Why this fascination with darkness and death that your pictures portray? Have you always been drawn towards these themes or did this fascination perhaps come when you developed a taste for darker music? Or was it the other way around? MARTÍN: Probably, it developed simultaneously. While I was in high school I enjoyed taking landscape pictures but I became bored very soon. I felt that they needed something more, some kind of mystic feeling or aesthetic, like when I could catch sunrays through the clouds on a deep orange or even green coloured sky. I don't think I'm fascinated with death. It's true that I never photograph people, and there are cemetery shots, but It's more like I love the textures, the aesthetic they have and to see them like scenic places, more than just associating them with death. ECTONAUT: You told me in an earlier mail that one of your dreams would be to produce documentaries on the geography, folk-tales and folk-beasts of your homeland. Do you think you will ever get an opportunity to realise this dream? MARTÍN: Maybe, but it's very difficult to present such topics on Argentinean television. I mean, working with the incredible landscapes which this country has, mixing them with different folk tales, and visiting some archaeological native sites, would probably become more interesting for an European country than for our own public which is so fascinated with the reality shows from Europe or USA, or shocked by the daily reality on the news. ECTONAUT: Hehe, believe me when I say that there is a market for those over here too but indeed I understand what you mean. How do you experience the "climate" for a photographer like yourself these days? Do you feel that you get much feedback on your art or rather that you are destined to remain in the shadows of the whole art movement? Could you imagine getting big on what you are doing? MARTÍN: I have begun to admit that one must work hard on one's own stuff, and also work hard on trying to show it, no matter what is being done "outside". Of course, I would like to get big on this, but it's more certain to think in closer steps. I mean, I'm trying to make a personal exhibition (I participated in some collective exhibitions, and also on a competition where I won the 2nd prize) but it's very difficult to get into the circuit of the art galleries, where the public relations are more important than your work. Being a person who don't like to confront other people, I need to believe more and more in what I'm doing, my photographs. BTW, related to this question, I must thank you for choosing me for this interview, it helps me a lot. ECTONAUT: No problemo, señor Pels. Anyway, one could argue that an art photographer isn't really creating anything but instead just reproducing scenario that has already been created by nature - and thus is nature the true artist. Where do you stand on this matter? Do you refer to yourself as an artist? What is the artistic essence of photography according to you? MARTÍN: Sometimes I think about it, but to reproduce something that has already been created is not really that easy. It's not just pushing a button. Most of the time, I only have 2 or 3 good shots from a whole roll of film. I can spend several minutes in front of a subject, trying to photograph it in a better way, and sometimes I can't do it. Then I go back to it another day and try again until I feel I get something satisfactory. I think that probably it's a mixture between the sensibility of having a particular vision (even technical matters like using the right type of film, etc.) and the effort you put in for getting a result out of it. I don't refer to myself as an artist, not even my photographs are artistic, but I like to see them as something with a particular style and that they have some ambience. ECTONAUT: Have you ever thought of trying to expand your creativity into other fields, for example music or painting? MARTÍN: I never tried it seriously, I played drums 20 years ago, and once I did some improvisations with my brothers, but I would like to know how to work on and - if it's possible for me - create some Tribal/Dark Ambient. MARTÍN: There are a lot of them, I will give you a couple of names in different fields: Visual arts: From Hyeronimus Bosch, Monsu Desiderio to H.R.Giger or Ian Music: Brian Eno, Harold Budd, Dead Can Dance. Photography: Joseph Sudek, Edward Curtis, Ben & Hilla Becher Cinematography: Andrei Tarkovsky Literature: H.P.Lovecraft, Mervyn Peake ECTONAUT: I understand you want to put out a photography book in the future. Where are these plans heading? Have you found anyone who would be willing to help you realise such a project? MARTÍN: That is a big wish, to have a photography book released, and why not having it edited by CMI? I once told Roger K that this could be a great matter, not only for me, but there are other great works related with Cold Meat, for example the whole CMI art history. But at the moment it is not more than my wish. 4AD released a book some time ago, but it was a very expensive deluxe book, so something smaller and more affordable could be so seductive. ECTONAUT: I imagine there would be a market for posters of your images if you ever decided to print them, at least here in Sweden but probably also in Germany. Have you though about making some? MARTÍN: Well no..., but if someone is interested, have a look at my email: myspels@fibertel.com.ar :-) ECTONAUT: What about a Martin Pels website? Will we ever get the chance to see your portfolio on the Internet? MARTÍN: Nothing sure by now, but I must think about it... ECTONAUT: So what does the future hold for you Martin? Are there any plans made? Are you perhaps working on some new project that you would like to tell us about before we end this? MARTÍN: My mind usually works in terms of dreams more than plans, and this is not so good, but I like the idea of working on images for a whole DVD. I mean, working with a musician, developing some subject together and working on it. Other than this, I try to discover new locations where I can go "hunting" for pictures. I've been on a location that is amazing. It's an old sugar factory and I want to go there for photographs and video shots. It's 2.000 kilometres from here, so I have to arrange some things before. Thank you very much for your attention to my work. |
ECTONAUT: How come the images of a guy from Argentina have ended up on several CD by various Swedish psychos? Or to put this in another way; how did the Cold Meat Industry-Martin Pels collaboration came to existence?
ECTONAUT: Is there any artists, musicians or photographers that you think have inspired you in the past to do what you are doing these days?
