I caught up with Carnival Cinema contributing photographer, friend and excellent human Aaron Walker to talk about his beautiful photographic series Water Body.
Here’s what he had to say for himself;
How did the idea for the ‘Water Body’ series come about? What drew you to Aerials and Water?
I knew it had to be a compelling photography series that put the capabilities of the body front and centre. I was also concerned with being able to successfully demonstrate what my own niche in the photography industry looked like. I was searching for an idea that would bring my skills sets together; capturing the dynamic movement of the body, beautiful lighting, collaborating with other creatives, and drawing upon my circus aerial trainer expertise with the resources that were available to me. On my search, I came across a book of Bill Violas work and I remembered how affecting his video work was from years ago seeing an exhibition in London. I was also in touch with John Paul Zaccarini, his aerial work in Throat has always been a source of inspiration. Both artists used aerials and water as an effective device in their performances, I knew then that I had to create my own version that celebrated both the aerialist and the water using photography as my medium.
I have been fixated on these elements ever since I started performing as an aerialist. My goal with each show was to be able to move as fluidly as water in the air. As a side note – try saying “air and water” fast enough and you might end up saying “Aaron walker”!
Emily Chilvers 
Anna Murray
What were some of the themes you are exploring in the series and why those themes in particular?
Capturing aerial artists in their beautiful physical prime with complete and total engagement with the rope, air and water. For me it became more about conveying the enhanced physical power, glorious strength, and the erotic effect water has on the body. I found with the added component of the water gave a greater sense of danger than what aerials in circus usually represents, which also led to the overall effectiveness of the series.
Can you explain what the studio set up was like for the shoot, rigging, lighting etc and any challenges you had doing the shoot (and how you overcame them)?
The set up, which I could not have done without a team of awesome artists who were so willing and generous to go along with my crazy plan. Plus the top dudes at Bunnings who after some head scratching supplied me with 40 meters of hosing and all kinds of valves, taps and attachments. My set up involved a 3 ply cotton rope, a portable swimming pool that was large enough to house a crash mat inside, some milk crates (secret rigging trick – Ruth knows what I’m talking about), shower heads, tons of hosing, a bilge pump, numerous large bins, cable ties, plenty of gaffer, a cupboard on wheels (well I needed to shoot from an elevated position as ground level was not cutting it), a full arrest harness plus trip barriers, towels, tripod, camera, 2 x lights with modifiers, a heated floor, and a very well received pizza delivery (always, always look after your talent).
The main challenge I had was only having access to a cold water tap in the middle of winter and on the day of the shoot it was one of the coldest days of the year. Thankfully the heated concrete floor thawed out the artists who all took turns doing short and fast takes
Ryan Darwin 
Jon Campos
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How did the shoot itself roll – did the aerialists improvise and you capture them or was it highly directed?
I always leave plenty of room for collaborators in my shoots to contribute, so my only direction was for the artists to be fully engaged with the moment. Yes it was all improvised movements, but if I saw a particulary striking phrase I would ask the artist to repeat until I had captured the physical expression at the best possible angle. It was interesting actually as the more we moved through the shoot with a number of repetitions the more it became apparent that less is so much more, so the aerial phrasing became simplified for the benefit of my camera to capture rather than playing to a live audience that has very different needs in terms of visual engagement.
How did they react to the water? In what way did it affect their movements?
Well I must say the water was f**king freezing! Like catch your breath OMGWTF freezing! I know because I got amongst it all and went up and had a blast on the rope myself with the talented Elke shooting away while I had a taste of what everyone else was putting themselves through, which I thought was only fair. What I realised from this experience and then understood the more I looked at what I had shot so far was how much the artists needed to surrender to the experience. So all movements became more about a reaction to the cold of the water and the fact that no one had ever been totally soaked with water while being airborne, and it gets everywhere as you move underneath it, pouring into your eyes, ears, nose, mouth, running over your hands that are gripping so hard to the rope, making your feet slip and slide, its a totally immersive experience far removed from a regular aerial moment. You really had to simply surrender physically, mentally and emotionally to such an intense experience and work with the water rather than fight against it.
Alyssa Moore 
Josie Wardrope
What do you like about shooting a studio series as opposed to documenting a live show?
When I work on my own projects I do the research, development, test shoots, management. I set up the creative framework with the idea I want to explore at the core of the shoot, where I have most of the control. I always leave part of the project open for the contribution of the subjects and I have plenty of flexibility around what collaborators like to bring to the work. What I really enjoy about shooting a studio series is how I can take an idea through from a vague sketchy concept to a full-blown studio shoot with a large team to a printed public exhibition. It is the process that I gain so much satisfaction from especially when I get the chance to collaborate with amazing people.
When I am documenting a live show I become a recording device, and my main challenge becomes finding my own creative expression within the shoot whilst also capturing every key hero shot the client needs without any “reshoots” available. I know that is part of the thrill of live show shooting – It’s all or nothing really, you have to get the shots so thinking on your feet is so important, searching for and anticipating those sweet angles, being able to keep up with the changing lighting states, stage action and camera settings. Yep, it’s fast and furious and the more you know about the nature of the show the better when it comes down to nailing those split-second moments. It’s more of a fast and hard technical challenge for me rather than the more considered creative challenge of the studio.
Elke Ühd 
Jon Bonaventura
What do you love about working with circus artists as subjects? What does your collaboration process with them look like?
I find working with circus artists as photographic subjects in my projects to be a very natural and enriching creative process. Considering I have been immersed in the international circus industry over the last 20 years as a student, performer, carny, trainer, consultant, designer, and currently as a photographer. There is something deeply familiar to me about how physically self-aware circus artists are in front of the camera. They are similar to working with professional models except for their movements whilst posing have a much greater range and are used as bold broad strokes compared to the more subtle shifts and nuanced expressions of a model.
I find the most rewarding part of a collaboration is the amount of trust, focus and generosity a circus artist will bring to the process every single time. My process starts to involve the artists once I have already researched, developed, and tested the idea to the point where the idea is still malleable and fluid enough to be influenced by the artist’s input. This could change the course of the shoot itself as I believe an idea should be flexible enough to be superseded and strengthened by other relevant ideas to create what becomes a more unique outcome. For example, when John Morgan turned up to the water body shoot still suffering from the flu he tells me he has one take to offer during the shoot. I’m just stoked he had arrived let alone wants to participate by getting under icy water! But not only does he want a run of it he asks if he can perform a full releasing pirouette, which I had not considered anyone would want to attempt since the rope was soaking wet, and water was literally in your face the whole time. He could only attempt one and I captured it. The only one attempted in the entire shoot by an artist who should have been in bed, but that’s what he wanted to give to the shoot and it became the hero image of the project and the exhibition that followed. Carnies are a tenacious bunch and to be up there amongst the best of them you have to be.
Jonathan Morgan 
Jonathan Morgan & Charice Rust
It what ways does your approach differ to working with other clients or subjects?
To be honest I think it is the same approach that I use throughout my work – I need to be able to connect with the personality of the subject first and foremost. This is no less of a challenge when working with physically dynamic artists than it is with a commercial lawyer or an asylum seeker. Circus artists tend to rely heavily on what they are capable of, there is a tendency to demonstrate who they are more than simply being themselves. If you place a circus artist on a bare stage and ask them to be themselves and then give them their equipment and ask them to perform their act which do you think is the more challenging situation? When I am connecting with artists ideally I want to be able to see and capture what both of these situations reveal. Hopefully this is also apparent in their own performance work – an authentic physical expression of their unique personality, without this I find the performance and the photography can become forgettable.
Can you articulate how your background as a circus artist, trainer, choreographer informs your approach during a photoshoot?
As a circus artist I know that the subject is capable of realising the idea, as a trainer I know how to capture the correct body form, and as a choreographer, I can guide the physical phrasing to convey the feeling I want to instil in the final image. Ultimately you can’t beat using the informed, experienced technical vocabulary of circus to communicate and connect with your subject. Without the physical language, it would be like trying to direct a ballet without knowing a single French word, not something I would recommend! Also knowing the subjects physical demands and limitations are crucial to planning a shoot especially as the shoots gets bigger with more at stake, planning around breaks and keeping the energy up is very important. It always pays to look after your team!
Jon Bonaventura & Jon Campos 
Ela Bartilomo
When and where did you exhibit Water Body and what was the reaction like to the images?
Jan 2018 at the Midsumma Festival, Chapel off Chapel Theatre, Melbourne. It was very well received it kicked off with a free bar where everyone took the entire free postcard stack that was meant to be for the whole festival, I think because most visitors wanted to have the whole series. I made some sales which is always a total bonus. The general comments about the series were very positive towards the print quality, size of framing, the visible effect the cold water had on the body, the amount of detail in the image, how the lighting wrapped around the muscle tone, the exquisite bodies … yep plenty of appreciation of the raw strength and beauty of the artists.
What other themes or ideas are in the pipeline for studio shoots?
I have a number of overlapping ideas some of which involve combining a fashion style shoot with an ensemble of circus artists and exploring to what extent I can really push both forms together in the studio. I’m keen to digger deeper with my portrait work and to create more stories with my image making, get more up close and personal with a narrative, editorial style structure. I also want to unpack the clean precise aesthetic I lean on and see how well I can capture the grit and sweat that precedes the perceived beauty. I’m heading over to TAS this week to immerse myself in David Walsh’s heavily themed Sex and Death Dark Mofo Festival so I could return with some dark ideas I would like to develop further during these Winter months. More moving image this year too, it’s about time I started getting my hands dirty with the video stuff!
Thanks for the insight into your process Aaron & your time!
Contributing Photographer Aaron Walker
Aaron is a professional photographer with a fifteen-year career in the arts industry as an international aerial performer, circus trainer and show consultant. Specialising in capturing physical movement, and portraiture. His passion for photography grew once he started capturing artists on stage and behind the scenes. During his extensive touring he has photographed a wide range of cultures, people and places.
Links:
www.aaronwalkerphotography.com
www.facebook.com/aaronwalkerphotography/
www.instagram.com/aawalkerphoto/
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