Landscapes of Nostalgia, and beyond: Karl Bailey on nostalgia, travel, and the zine.

Andrew D. McClees (ADM): Hi Karl, thanks for doing this interview. For those who aren't familiar with you and your work can you please introduce yourself, and describe your work a little bit?

Karl Bailey (KB): Hi, my name’s Karl Bailey, I'm 28 and live in Portsmouth which is a sea city on the south coast of the UK. 

A lot of my work is about looking backwards. Many of the locations I've shot at have been inspired by or even from, my own childhood. I'm also keen to preserve and document history and the many changes that we observe over our lifetimes. Ultimately I wouldn't say I aim to have a specific style of work or shoot with a style in mind but I'm always told my work evokes nostalgia. 

ADM: I'm curious, when did you pick up photography? Mining a little deeper in, do you think it's linked to your focus on nostalgia? and following that up, what specifically about nostalgia do you find so compelling, both individually, and culturally?

KB: My dad took a lot of photos and video and even had his own darkroom at one point, I was always carrying a little point and shoot on family outings, so I think that's how it was picked up/passed on. I got really into it when I was about 15 and studied Media and Photography in college where I got to use the darkroom and shoot video. From that point on I was part of a local video group that made an amateur sci-fi series for small local TV channels, Then I started picking up photo and video work professionally and ended up shooting all sorts, weddings, corporate, promotional etc but it burned me out and I didn't touch a camera for years. When I finally did in 2018 I realised it was the natural thing that was missing from my life. There is definitely a link somewhere down the line, I love the idea of archiving and not letting any part of history slip away, for no one to remember it; the thought that something or someplace has created so many memories for people and could be knocked down with little thought makes me quite sad even if I'm not personally connected.

ADM: What got you into the zine or photobook format?

KB: I love creating and making things, this stemmed from a diy record label I owned with my friend about 10 years ago. We would release music on CD's, Tapes and Vinyl and I was always pushing myself to create interesting and appealing packaging. It just feels natural to carry on that physical aspect in what I do now. Having something to hold and enjoy is really important even more so for photography, printed work is so much better than looking at it on a screen. 

ADM:  What does a typical shoot day look like for you?

KB: Some days I will carry one camera, and others I will end up carrying too much. Ultimately it's about exploring new places or turning down roads I've never been down before and seeing what will crop up, usually I will walk miles on end as this is the best way to explore. I always carry a camera on me wherever I am so technically everyday could be a shoot day!

ADM: How do you conceptualize your projects, and what's your selection process like?

KB: I've yet to shoot with a project in mind, although this is something I have started exploring just this month. A lot of my projects (then zines) are born from a moment in time that I've been shooting in. Themes and ideas usually come to me once I have the photos and I can tie them in that way. The selection process goes from contact sheets, narrowed down to printed A6 photos and then I lay them out or pin them up, I'll leave them for weeks and slowly look at them every now and then, make notes and finally pick the ones for a project/book... assembly I'll try to find connecting themes and elements depending on how I lay out the book initially. 

ADM: Having read All of a Sudden I Miss Everyone, and also having seen work from Greece and End of Summer on your Instagram, it seems like a lot of your work has to do with both travel, resort towns, and decay. What about those subjects do you find so compelling, or what drives you to make projects with those themes?

KB: To most people these things are just ignored, they see the beauty in the shiniest and newest things and not the character that I see when taking these photos, Again it comes down to history and not wanting these things to just be gone one day and for no one to care or see them. Greece was a nostalgia piece for me, I went there as a child and I remembered so much of what it was once and instantly felt the need to document the remnants that were left. 

ADM: I know you were living/working in China recently -- do you have an upcoming project with work from there?

KB: This has been my biggest project to date, sifting through 1300 photos to try and get a reasonable number of photos for a project was extremely challenging and daunting.

I currently have 300 A6 photos that I will start laying out for the book and I'll probably end up cutting back at the same time. The project will be one-half of China photos and the other half Hong Kong photos, the China half will be titled 'I don't know why the caged bird sings' which is a social commentary piece on the joy and happiness that I experienced from the populace, despite them living a somewhat oppressed lifestyle under the rule of communism without even really knowing about it. The book will be appearing on Kickstarter in the first quarter of the year and I will be holding a gallery show in my hometown in August. 

ADM: Off the some of your other responses you've given, you found your hypothesis for the book after going out and shooting and documenting a lot. Can you speak on what some of the big moments or images you captured were that led you to focus your book on The Joy of the people of Hong Kong and China despite the oppressive nature of their government?

KB: Living in China was such an eye-opener, I strived to understand and talk to as many people as possible about history, culture, family life, politics and the future, I think at the end of it and having experienced some of the more dangerous sides of China It was an almost natural conclusion. Walking around the apartment complexes, going to the food markets and living in the poorer area of the city gave me a real glimpse at the people, sometimes they would come and talk to me, or sometimes we would just communicate solely with body language but most experiences I had were that people seemed happier, more open, more willing to help... it was a lot different to living in England where everyone is so cagey and polite. For Hong Kong it's very different, the city is naturally a mix match of cultures (British/Chinese) and it's totally and utterly unique because of that, it's an amazing and beautiful city with photographic moments to be had around every corner. 

AM: For those considering getting into photography -- film or otherwise -- what would advice would you give?  Also, for those who might be interested in making a zine, but don't know where to start, do you have any tips?

KB: Just go out and do it! Visit galleries, buy books, find photographers you enjoy, expand your knowledge... don't get hung up on buying gear, don't get hung up on Instagram likes/follows... more importantly, just have fun and use it as a creative outlet... something I think has been somewhat lost in this modern generation. I think understanding design/layout is really important, study from the greats, find your subject or theme for your book, be critical and ask for opinions. Be somewhat sure of yourself and your work, make a zine worthy of owning and not just for the sake of making a zine.

AM: Have you found any particular photobooks or photographers that have strongly influenced your work? If so, who, and can you talk a little bit about why, and what books or work of theirs you'd recommend?

KB: So many photographers, I'm always excited to see old or new work and I love collecting books...

Modern Color by Herzog stood out to me a lot this year which I think is apparent in my 'End of Summer' zine I've also been enjoying books by McCullin, Parr, Laura Wilsons 'That Day' and the Magnum Contact Sheets book. I can't stress how valuable these are to a photographer! 

AM: Those are great recommendations. Thanks again for doing this interview! Where can people find and buy your work, either your zines or your prints right now? Do you have any other parting words ? Can we expect you back to talk about "I don't know why the caged bird sings" when it's closer to completion?

KB: www.karlbailey.co.uk for all zines, occasional prints but I tend to put them up as one offs on IG stories (@karlbailey). Thanks for having me on to do this, it's been really fun! I would love to come back when the time comes!