We can look back and say, you know, for me part of the series was with COVID. And how those opportunities I think are directly related to me just being able to be at home with my family. You know that time together that normally wouldn't happen, you know me kind of made the most of it and I made art.
The pandemic has touched almost every one of our lives. At worst, we have seen illness strike in permanent ways for our loved ones. At best. The efforts to conquer the spread of COVID 19 have provided an opportunity for reassessment of everyday life, work, family, travel, and even art. This is random acts of knowledge presented by Heartland Community College. I'm your host, Steve fast. The art exhibit my COVID year presents creative works inspired by and made during the pandemic. Some artists featured in this exhibit at Heartland Joe McCauley gallery look outward towards the effects the virus has had on our society. Others looked inward or even just across the room for inspiration, one found a new opportunity to think about his work and his family.
My name is Rashad Taylor and grew up born and raised in Bloomington Normal, I predominantly shoot black and white, large format. And I really like large format just because it really helps me slow down, concentrate on composition, lighting, it makes the sitter slow down to now obviously in that series, it's my son who he's now six. So at times, that's challenging, but I think it really adds to the imagery in terms of its contemplative, right, it's making him kind of sit still like and chill and relax as a six year old. I think it lends itself to get some great images, and then I also shoot website. And a lot of that work is really just about getting back to traditional processes and kind of tying the past to the present and then also the future.
Well, for those who are not too familiar with terminology of photography and wet plate, explain a little bit what that process is and what that means.
Yeah, so wet plate collodion is it was the second photographic process behind the Euro types. So essentially, it's taking some type of glass or tin or some type of substrate where you can put that in a camera. So what I do is you coat a plate with collodion, you put it in a bath of silver nitrate for you know, approximately three minutes or so you take it out, you put it in a wet plate holder, then you put it in the camera. Now you're not limited to just using large format camera I've done tintypes and I colegas, or pretty much any type of light type box you can make, then you take exposure, which is typically anywhere from one second to 45 seconds, just kind of depends on the lighting scene because it has an active ISO of less than one. So need a ton of light for the process. And then after that, you develop it in a type of developer which is a seed acidic, and you wash with water to stop the development, then you put it in fixer, just the standard fixer that you use in a normal dark room. Some practitioners like to use potassium cyanide. I've used that on occasion. But I typically go with just the standard rabbit fixer just because of safety reasons at home. And then after that, I dry the plate and then you once the plates dry you varnish it. And that's it. So it's quite a process to get one image. But it's fun. I really enjoy it.
Well, you talk about the long exposure and that process and the fact that you use your six year old son as the subject of some of this photography. How did you get him to sit still for any of this stuff? Did you have to provide any trickery or how did that work? Yeah.
So I mean, yes, at times at times, yes, I do provide some trickery for him. Sometimes it's kind of like, Hey, if you do this, I'll get you ice cream or we'll go to McDonald's. Oh, gosh, she loves McDonald's. Ha, man. Um, but, you know, I'll come up with different things to kind of get him going. But But I would say sometimes He even enjoys it where he'll tell me like, Hey, Daddy, let's make a picture. And I'm like, okay, great. Let's do it. So he is kind of a participant. So it's kind of 5050 If I have to bribe them. And usually if I do, he's like, Well, you know, I'm only you're only gonna take one picture and then I'm done. I'm like, okay, so yeah, he's, he's definitely got his wits about him. So it's definitely been a little bit more of a challenge as he's gotten older, but he's still he still likes the process. So I'm gonna, I'll keep doing it as long as he likes me.
For him. What does he think about I mean, he probably sees a big difference between some pictures somebody might take on their phone And what you're doing, and there is a big difference. But it's interesting to think that no point in his life has photography been as much of a process in general for amateurs for people just trying to capture images that aren't art. So do you ever comment on that? Does he ever say, hey, wait a minute, I had to sit still, I had to do this. When when, you know, grandma just uses their phone or something like,
Yeah, he definitely he understands the difference in digital and immediate photography versus, you know, large format or film. Because so Exactly. So other digital cameras, oh, come in, like, Oh, let me see the back of it. But then he knows when I take out my big camera, that's what, what's the film? I guess? He kind of does appreciate it. He doesn't typically say, Oh, get your iPhone out. He's like, take your big camera that he you know. So yeah, I think he has an appreciation. I think he's still really young. I don't know, if he, you know, I show him the images. I mean, he got a kick out of when, you know, I've been in some publications, and, you know, to see his images and print was a big deal. So he enjoyed that. I think one time he was like, Daddy, I'm famous, I'm gonna be famous. I'm like, Hey, you are famous. Look at this, you're in a magazine. So he does get a kick out of it. But outside of that, when you look at like the context of the imagery, and what it's saying, he's still a little bit aways from kind of really grasping that at six.
You talked about how you had to be careful for safety reasons, when you were doing some of the wet plate work at home, your dark room, I assume is at home. And it's probably where you work. Did any of that change over COVID? Did you not only are you home, where you may work all the time, and do your art all the time, but also everybody else's home? So how did that change how you thought about making art and inspired your art during lockdown during various times where we couldn't go out and be amongst each other?
Yeah, I would say it really gave me an opportunity to make more work. Because my day job is in financial services. So I typically go to the office. So when I'm at home, it does lend me some time in the morning and afternoon and lunchtime, especially to be able to, you know, be here at the house with my son and my my wife. So I will say that with the lockdown and COVID. And he helped me to just have them more accessible just because of my a lot of my work revolves around my family. So it was kind of a blessing in disguise, because I just got more time with them. And I was able to kind of photograph them a little bit more than I normally do, which would be like during the day in times? Because most times it's it's relegated to weekends, for the most part or afterward,
did that change at all the type of photographs you took, since it gave you more opportunities? Did it give you different ways to think about those photographs? And how to stage them? And what they might say?
Yeah, I would say that it did give me more time and more ability to stage them. And I think another thing would be more so as ability to be around and catch moments. Because you know, for instance, there's a shot is a prominent shot called LJ and in sport, so he's laying down, and he has a fort and the American flag is like laying on top of the fort. I think that was actually during the day. And he just came and got me he's like, Daddy, I'm building a fort. And I was like, okay, cool. Let me he's like, go get your camera and take a picture. I'm like, Okay, let's do it. And he was already he has four and it was already put together and we can put the flag on it. And, you know, those opportunities, you know, really wouldn't be there if I was, you know, out, you know, at the job during the day. So I would say for sure, some of the spontaneous things. And then obviously, you know, time to think through setups and just kind of have them there from wanting to try something. So it was I guess I had the ability to make a lot more work than I probably normally would under the under different circumstances.
Did that provide any motivation? Or did just being at home all the time, kind of give you any sort of, I don't know, like Cabin Fever, I've got to be doing something because I'm not expending energy commuting or anything of that sort.
Yeah, for sure. I mean, you're just sitting at home. I mean, there's only so much TV or YouTube videos or Instagram, I can scroll through, right. So it was this kind of like, well, you guys are here and think another factor though, for me was really when I started the series, I don't know I just had a desire to really shoot as much as I can just because, you know, he's he's our only son and you know, kids grow up fast and I don't want to miss too much. So, with the project, I kind of have this urgency of photographing a lot because I mean, even From the last he looks different from six months ago even right? So for me, that is important mean that that kind of drives me with the series to make sure I'm capturing everything. And the other part is, I just don't know, at some point, he's gonna get tired of me, I'm sure. And I may not be able to get the same type of photos I was able to get before or I mean, I just don't, there's so many unknowns that I just want to maximize any extra time I have. So, you know, the pandemic definitely allowed for that, for me to kind of just dive into it and be more present.
Yeah, you know, I was going to ask you, did you see that's the old cliche kids grew up so fast. Did you notice anything more? Since you were taking all these portraits and these pictures over that period of time? Are you kind of surprised? I don't know if you would have been paying any more attention or close attention. But definitely, you were thinking maybe more about time, because that's, that's the year a little over a year, that didn't make you think a little bit more about, you know, how much he might have been growing? Or how things might have been changing in your family?
Yeah, for sure. I think a lot of it was me looking at some of the images I made at the, you know, beginning of the pandemic, or in 2020, or early 2020. Versus now or even at the end of 2020. When I look at the images, even though I see him every day, I look at the images. And that's where it really hits me that wow, he's changed a lot. You know, because sometimes you don't really notice those changes until you go back to the film and prints. And you actually look at it, because day to day is like, oh, it looks the same. He's growing up. I can't tell. But when you look at those images, it's almost like the evidence, right? It's evidence of that time, and what happened and how he looks and, you know, when just like us how much they've changed.
So if somebody were coming to see the photographs in the series, now there's one photograph that's part of the mike COVID year exhibit. But this is of course, a bigger body of work that you're working on. What do you want people to take away from the series that you're working on? Or is that something that you even? You know, I don't know, if you have the audience in mind, when you're doing this? Maybe you're letting the work speak for itself? But But what are the things that you're trying to capture and convey that that you really want people to think about in this set of images?
I mean, I think so the image that went for the show was called Reflections of me. And I would say with that image, in particular, it really speaks to time in aging and legacy. You know, I think, when I look at images, like, yeah, what that image is, it's kind of a lot going on with it. And I think it kind of correlates I mean, I sent that image really, because with COVID, and how everything has transpired, I guess, you really think more about your just mortality, right? And just that, hey, I'm not going to be here forever. And what am I doing for, you know, the next generation or, or, you know, as a father, am I doing what I should be doing to have my son prepared? I mean, you know, you just your mind just automatically goes to that when you see crazy numbers of people passing away, you know, and I guess for me, that's why, you know, had put that image in there, because that's kind of where my head went. With the times. I think, overall with the series, you know, I think that's just one aspect of it, you know, what happened over that one year and COVID, which kind of made a deep impact in my relationships with my family and friends, and just, I feel like I look at life a little bit differently since then. And, you know, I think that image kind of encapsulates those feelings, but it's so it's so hits in the larger form of the series as talking about, you know, childhood and even me being vulnerable adulthood, and, you know, the racial tension, and, and all those things. So,
so you mentioned that you were inspired, and it kept you busy and gave you opportunity to make art during the COVID year, do you think at all about what how would have been if you couldn't have done that, if there would have been something some limitation? You know, I know some people that weren't able to work on some of their art, because the typical supplies they use the things they used to make art weren't available because of like, you know, supply chain problems, things of that nature. Did you think at all about well, what how would it affected you if you couldn't have had that specific creative outlet during that period of time?
Man, that would have been tough. I mean, I think I'm just over I'm blessed that, you know, I had a job that I could work from home and my wife had a shabby chic work for him because I know a lot of people weren't as fortunate as us. So definitely blessed to have that opportunity. I mean, I try not to think I mean, this is the first time I have actually thought about that. Was that your question? I mean, I don't really, I would say I would, I would say I would still be making the work. But I don't know if I could say some of those serendipitous moments would have happened if I'm at work all day, and were relegated to the weekends or right afterward, you know. So, I mean, I think sounds bad. But I mean, I think was COVID. I mean, that really helped my, the series, because I don't think without COVID I think the series probably wouldn't be as far along as it is. Now. I can say that pretty confidently. Because without COVID I mean, that picture I talked about main net may not have happened. I mean, it could have I mean, he's built forts before, but I mean, you know, he had to get to the idea, like, on the specific day, at this time, when I was around the house that, you know, he decided to build a fort, right? So, I mean, you just can't really make that stuff up. It just happened. So those opportunities, I think they're directly related to me just being able to be at home with my family. So I guess going back to your original question, I would say COVID has played a huge part in that. And if I didn't have that, I, I mean, it's hard to say I don't I just don't think the work would be as hard as it is. Now. Without that time. I guess history will mean we can look back and say, you know, for me, part of the series was with COVID and how you know, that time together that normally wouldn't happen. You know, we kind of made the most of it, and I made art that I'm proud of
or shot thanks so much for taking some time to talk to us about your photographs about the exhibit and what you did over the COVID year.
Thank you for having me. I appreciate the opportunity.
Rashad Taylor is an emerging contemporary photographer whose work is a window into the black American experience he's featured in the exhibit my COVID year. If you're interested in other interviews about art, culture, or other topics, subscribe to random acts of knowledge on Apple podcasts, Spotify, or wherever you found this one. Thanks for listening
