Belgrade 2003

I had a joint exhibition with Saša Markovic at the Remont Gallery, Belgrade 26 February - 14 March 2003.
Saša Markovic Mikrob: Englesko leto 2002
Mixup: Faces, Eyes, Shapes and Colours

Opening night which also included an interview for B92 TV. Below are the texts for my work

FACES, EYES, SHAPES & COLOURS
2003
MIXUP - STEPHEN HOWARD

Sometimes it takes many years for an artist to understand what they are making. I have no particular story to tell. My images have a simple clarity. They are a study of the things which please me most. The face is of paramount importance and equally eyes have always been a dominant feature in my work. Shapes and colours are my tools as well as the effects I use to enhance the image. The formats I like to use to show these ideas are photocopies and photobooth pictures which are both accessible and instant with their own distinct properties. These pictures are taken from the last 2 years. www.mixup.org.uk

SNAP HAPPY DAYS
2003
MIXUP - STEPHEN HOWARD

These images are the most recent I have done. They are a small selection of digital photobooth pictures taken from my residency at the Victoria & Albert museum, 15th - 23rd February 2003. The themes I am working on at the moment are "Beauty, the Beast, Love and Madness". www.mixup.org.uk

My artwork on the front cover of the Gallery magazine. Inside is an interview (see below for translation).

We both found time to visit the photobooth and make a small piece to celebrate.

Interview

How would you describe your work?
My artwork in general is not about anything concrete like politics, social, behavioural, issues of the day, although something from those "real world" issues may occasionally crop up, but more a wacky, psychedelic montage of ideas and "brought to life" worlds that come from my inner self.
Sometimes it's short film or music or images either by collage, photography, paint or with a particular favourite of mine the photobooth machine. It was often used as a place to practice ideas that may later come to fruition with other mediums or in the photobooth itself.
My little worlds have some recurring themes, phrases, characters and images that I have developed over the years. "Shaving Foam Man" is one such character who has appeared on film and in the photobooth.
It's all a natural journey of experimentation and love of the wacky.

What was your first photobooth photo?
For some unknown reason to me now, I didn't use a photobooth machine until the age of 21, missing out on all that teenage face pulling stuff. In fact it was the only time I used a photobooth machine for purely utilitarian purposes - I needed a passport photo. The next time I used a machine was in 1979. I was travelling with a group of friends each week to various destinations to take part in a photographic session that we called the taking of "Mad photos" which generally mean't the wearing of masks. We called ourselves many names but one of the earliest was "Weekend Lunatic". As we met at the railway station and I had no camera (yet) I decided to use the photobooth while we were waiting using some of the masks and props we were taking with us. At that time my interest with the group was using a super 8mm cine camera to record the days events. I had just bought it after reading "The Electric Koolaid Acid Test" by Tom Wolfe. I had been impressed by the idea of Ken Keseys group (the 60's counterculture subject of Tom Wolfes account) filming their own adventures.

What inspires your work? What / who are you main influences?

Generally,
Colour, Popular culture - pop music. The natural world.
The love and warmth of family and friends.
The Wacky, Flippant and Slightly psychedelic.

The photobooth,
It's a half public/half private place so there is an element of performance to their use (in other words it's "live"). I've been inspired by all those who have used photobooth machines to make a worthy addition to what can be described as an artform.

What motivated you to get into photography in the first place? How did you get into this type of work?

First I took everyday snapshot family/holiday photo's. Then there was these "crazy photo's" that I took with my mates. Then it became a way of documentation of the things I did and then the things I made.
Then the photobooth appeared in my life and many different reasons to use it became apparent. Originally it was a place to show my "artwork" (masks) and have fun at the same time. I didn't have many other means of recording my work at that time.
Then I liked using the photobooth just for what it was and started to go each week. So, as the years went by, my work became a record of the art I made and as a documentation of the booth itself. It also became a record of me and the family, friends and acquaintances in my life who I took with me.
It just became a love of using the machine that eventually becomes part of your life. In the beginning I liked using the booth because it had no photographer, I was in total control of the output. The restrictions of the machine made me work harder to achieve good images. It's public setting but half private situation made a strong contrast which added to it's appeal.

How do you see your work progressing?

Down the years a lot of my work has been the wacky worlds I have invented or the trying to disguise the real world with masks, effects and perspective. During that time however, there has always been a dominance in my imagery of eyes and the face.
I never worked directly with self image until relatively recently. One of the uses of masks in my work was to hide the face. Nowadays I am happy to work on my own image (maybe it's the right time in my life) but always have a slight effect to it. Anyway my work is split evenly between all aspects of possible uses.
I use all the different formats that can be got from Photobooths. At the beginning I used only the strip of 4 type (this is the classic booth style and allowed for lots of spontaneity) unless I found a different format machine on my travels. By the early 90's I was happy to use the square format pictures or the 16 small size sort. Now I like to use 1 image digital machines as much the old ones (which are a bit hard to find anyway).

Anything further to add?

Stephen Howard - Mixup - Biography

I am a People lover. Music lover. Happy with my lot. Consistent, Pragmatic. "Feet on the ground". Project planner. Slowly spreading my tentacles. But at the same time Wacky, Flippant and Slightly psychedelic.

Born 14 November 1957 and based in Nottingham, UK Stephen Howard is an independent artist working within the fields of art, music and popular culture. He has become known by his trademark name "Mixup".

His first explorations into art were in the late 1970's when he started documenting with super 8mm cine film the activities of a group of people he was with, who were taking part in Photo sessions each week in a different location around the UK using masks to make what they called "Mad Photo's". He also started using some of his own masks in Photobooth machines which started a lifelong addiction to these cultural icons.

Taking his influence from popular culture and particularly the post war popular music explosion he also made his first experiments with musical compositions. From those early days to the present day he has been described as a "Psychedelic" artist, not so much like the typical 60's imagery but in his love of colour and wacky and sometimes surreal combinations of objects both made and found.

During the 1980's these idea's and practices were refined, used in collaboration and exhibited.

His music developed towards electronic and soundtrack pieces. His use of masks widened into the making of small sculptures later used in animation films and the use of Photobooth pictures became a dominant and recognisable aspect of his persona. His strength of imagery is the most recognisable with the face and eyes being his greatest concern.

It was in the late 1980's that he went to the Nottingham Trent University and in 1991 achieved an honours degree in "Creative Art" later supplementing this in the mid 1990's with a Masters Degree.

In 1990 he worked for the first time with Belgrade artistSasa Markovic in Yugoslavia, his first major collaboration outside the UK. It was from that meeting that he started to build a network of artists who had a common interest in Photobooth art, something which has grown into a substantial archive both in real artefacts and as a internet resource - www.mixup.org.uk Since 1999 Mixup has organised an annual Photobooth Art convention with great success attracting many photobooth artists and enthusiasts alike from places as far of as Germany, France and Yugoslavia and closer to home from Brighton, Birmingham, London and Nottingham.

The refinement of his work has settled into a defined area's - Images and sculpture, Short Film, Music, and Photobooth as his artistic practices. This is balanced with his ability as an organiser and director.
In 2002 he has successfully held the 4th International Photobooth convention, completed a short film "A little adventure in Nottingham", undertaken new commissions for CD artwork and helped numerous people with information from his archive regarding the Photobooth.

Microbe and Mixup

Belgrade 2003 - Breakdown

Tuesday 25th February
Meet Sasha, Vladmir(brother), Divna (Mum), Bora (Dad)

Radio B92 - Sasha's show - Mixup music selection. Meet Sasha's "kids" Sasha, Daniel (in band called Jarboli),
Marrinette. Also met Zoza (gave him 4 Forest Progs).

Remont Gallery - Preparation - Gile (Framer)

Wednesday 26th February
Remont Gallery - Preparation for exhibition - texts.

Football - Rad 5 v 4 Zeleznika - 2,000 - with Sasha and Radovan bensedin@b92.net

Exhibition opening at Remont Gallery - Remont magazine features colour picture front cover and interview inside - TV interview for B92 TV shown later that night - Films also shown - "A little adventure in Nottingham", Sasha's film, Rambo's version of
Guests - Darka, Vasa, Marina, Gordan, Mira, Rambo, Moca. Radovan & girlfriend

Gig - Boris Kovac

Pub crawl with Sasha, Rada (Actor), Cudi (the last hippie in Yugoslavia), Jefta

Gig - Electric Blue in the Dollar Club. Also their Daniela.

Thursday 27th February
Academia Club - Sila promotion. An interview with Saša on this page http://www.wahwah.co.yu/aktuelno/intervju/mikrob.htm (website for general yugo rock scene)

Radio B92 - buy CD's

Kultural Centre (where I had my first exhibition) meet Slavko Timotijevic (who is now the boss), his daughter, Mipi, Ivan (dreads).

Rambo's studio - get CD's

Friday 28th February
Remont Gallery - CD copying

visit Moca and see his sculptures

Gig - Temple Music Bar Jazz Group. with Sasha, Gile (Bookshop Man), Gordan, Mira

Saturday 1st March
Buy CD's

visit Stevan and see his sculptures

Photoboothing at with Sasha, Stevan, Snezana, and an unknown

Gig - Isihija (Bulgarian Ethno)

Sunday 2nd March
Market - Buy CD,s

Comic Shop - buy records and magazines

Talk to students at Rex Cinema - met Nebojsa Milikic (boss) and sister, Marrionette, Girl & mother

Monday 3rd March
Remont Gallery - CD copying

Sasha's performance promoting Chita, and party at Jovica's place (Island on Sava) - Vladmir,Gile,Rada,Jefta,Daniela,Cudi,Russian girl etc etc

Tuesday 4th March
Farewells and go home