When it comes to creating immersive environments for expressing the esoteric—Tim Saccenti does it with a modernist pop sensibility, tempered by an occasional ironic dose of humor. And he rocks it like no one else too. His visuals create tension by striking a balance between the otherworldly and the familiar, walking a tightrope between the emotional and the cerebral. Using a palette of exquisite art direction, high production values, unique use of color, and palatial lighting, he paints his subjects (mostly bleeding-edge musicians and artists), as archetypes in their own unique worlds, in a style described recently as “baroque futurism”. Whether in a rough, desolate alleyway or a highly controlled studio environment, Timothy manages to create images that transcend circumstances and respond to the subject in a distinct manner. Recently he has focused his attention from still photography to motion direction, creating promos, which have made waves in the music video world for respected musical artists including Battles, Animal Collective, and most recently Jamie Lidell. We’re honored to have Tim as one of our featured artists at our “End Days” event this Saturday. Make the jump to read our interview…
Introduce yourself to Lost In A Supermarket readers.
Hello, I’m Timothy Saccenti, a director and photographer living in New York City.
What do the words “End Days” mean to you?
End Days: Begin Nights. Being a creature of the night and lunar gazer the primal excitement of nightfall is something I look forward to. Under the veil of darkness introspection and transformation take place. There’s a permission given to do something out of character, out of the ordinary, away from the stark, judging eyes of the sun. There is more possibility to create your own light when you are surrounded by darkness…it becomes an imperative. Most of my work takes place in dark studio, usually late at night. The title “End Days” to me does not represent any final destination, just the end of a cycle, which will continue ad infinitum.
What would you like people to say about you and/or your work when you’re gone?
Do you mean when my body stops functioning I take it? The messages I want to convey in my work aren’t meant to be put into words, words are clumsy and inappropriate and boring, like listening to someone describe their dream, it’s a futile task… so hopefully people will simply experience the work itself and have a quiet, internal dialogue about it. Then hopefully either smile, laugh, cry or all three.
What—outside of other artists or heroes—has influenced your art the most?
I have been lucky to meet some of the most fantastic people on this planet. In my friends I can count doctors, coders, musicians, librarians, chefs, a huge gamut. They influence me more than any art does as they have real human experience and emotion, which I can use as a gauge and inspiration to create more works. Humans are fascinating, so lost but their hope never dies. The audience, in the end is the ultimate influence. Not that they have to like the work, but their response to it drives the direction, depth, and content of what I try to create.
Of all the work you’ve created, can you name a couple that you have a special love for or connection to?
They are all my children and I love them equally for different reasons on different days. And dislike them equally on different days. But I feel when I look at some of the portrait work I emotionally recall how I was lucky to meet these fascinating people, even for a brief moment, and they, at the best of times, exposed an intimate part of themselves to a stranger. For me personally that is very rewarding.
If you were Lost In A Supermarket, what aisle would we find you in?
Does your supermarket have a pharmacy? I’d probably be camped out there.
[…] everything under the moon…we’re rolling out 20+ artists: video installations by Tim Saccenti, Puzzle and Chris May; digital graffiti provided by Todd Moyer; photographers include Paul Sun, […]