Andy Barker
London based photographer Andy Barter is known for his curious still lifes and creative product photography.
His project ‘Pasta props’ (2019) appears to defy gravity. Wheels of cheese and dried tomato sit stacked precariously supported by what appears to be thin sections of pasta. Each arrangement uses a minimalistic stage to sit playfully, creating a tension between fragility and control. He recontextualizes these recognizable items into delicate, performing objects. Foods frozen and undecaying captured in quiet stillness. The work is both humorous and contemplative.
This childlike stacking of objects in a simplistic style is seen throughout his other projects too, his 2019 project ‘Mushrooms’ features several intricate and uncommon mushroom specimens stacked with string used as a support. These images feel childlike in their construction, but the organic forms are contrasted by their more industrial setting. The resulting images feel sculptural, surreal and simply curious.
Barter’s project has inspired my own in the construction of his still lifes. They seem to have this impossibility about them which I would like to emulate. His composition’s hidden complexities make each image captivating, and I hope to follow a similar strategy. I will experiment with ways of making my own structures in interesting and curious ways.
