This is the first in a series of five blogs that will be devoted to the work of British photographer Ken Reynolds.
Ken Reynolds long ago became a familiar and welcome face among the makers and followers of Russian theater. He began his career as a photographer, however, shooting patterns created by rust. The intricate and suggestive images were so impressive that "Secret Landscapes," an exhibit of the collected photos, was mounted in Scotland in 1989 and travelled to 18 European cities between 1991 and 1995. By then a couple of chance meetings had already changed Ken's life as an artist.
In the late 1980s Ken attended a British performance of the great Rustaveli Theater from Tbilisi, Georgia, that astonished him with its power and unique visual qualities. A few years later, while attending a performance of Lev Dodin's Maly Drama Theater in Glasgow, he had a revelation: In his mind he began seeing the images on stage as if they were black-and-white photos. In short, an important new theater photographer had been born.
Ken commenced by photographing Eastern European shows that toured to England. This was not nearly enough to satisfy his passion, however, and in 1995 he arranged his first trip to Moscow in order to work at the source. This is when I first met Ken and this is probably as good a time as any to reveal the ties that bind me to this exquisite artist. I have written several short articles about Ken's theater photography for publications and exhibits of his work in the United States. Ken's portrait of Kama Ginkas graces the cover of "Provoking Theater: Kama Ginkas Directs," a book I wrote with this unique Russian director. I have employed Ken's photos in countless articles written for various publications, including many in The Moscow Times. If anyone is biased towards Ken Reynolds, I am, and I am happy to proclaim it.
I recently crossed paths with Ken in Wroclaw, Poland, at the "World as a Place of Truth" festival organized by the Jerzy Grotowski Institute and Arden2, an arts organization based in Los Angeles. Ken was there to photograph a show staged by the renowned Polish director Krystian Lupa, but my thoughts rarely stray far from Russian theater. And it occurred to me that, while I had Ken at hand, it was the perfect opportunity to get him to tell in his own voice some of the stories he has accumulated through the years. Over a three-day period, dodging the almost constant rain and frequently seeking shelter from the heat, we walked around Wroclaw and Ken talked to my camera about directors, theaters and productions that have left an indelible mark on his memory.
Throughout the summer I will periodically post Ken's monologues in this blog space. Later entries will include more background and professional information about the photographer, but now it seems proper to move on to the first of his stories: his acquaintance and friendship with Kama Ginkas. This monologue was filmed just outside the Teatr Wspolczesny 15 minutes before Ken entered to watch Peter Brook's production of "Fragments," based on works by Samuel Beckett. It is a fitting coincidence, because Ginkas has declared Brook to be one of his greatest early influences.
Ken describes his initial meeting with Ginkas as a moment "that changes one's life." Indeed, Ken has traveled all over Europe and the United States photographing almost every production that Ginkas and his wife Genrietta Yanovskaya have staged since 1995. The first show he photographed was "K.I. from 'Crime,'" an adaptation of a segment of Fyodor Dostoevsky's novel "Crime and Punishment." In all he has recorded 16 Ginkas productions and six by Yanovskaya. In fact, if you have attended any shows at the Theater Yunogo Zritelya, where Ginkas and Yanovskaya work, you have seen Ken's photos &mdash there is a permanent display of his work on the theater's second and third floors.
As a bonus, I also include Ken's brief recollections of photographing Ginkas's production of "The Polyphony of the World" in 2001. This musical work composed by Alexander Bakshi was an extraordinary piece of theater starring the great violinist Gidon Kremer, the Kremerata Baltica, soloists from the Bolshoi Opera and Ballet, and some 80 other musicians from Siberia to Europe. It was performed just twice because the producer, the Chekhov International Theater Festival, proved unable or unwilling to maintain the show once the festival ended.
Click on the pictures below to hear Ken's stories.
Ken Reynolds long ago became a familiar and welcome face among the makers and followers of Russian theater. He began his career as a photographer, however, shooting patterns created by rust. The intricate and suggestive images were so impressive that "Secret Landscapes," an exhibit of the collected photos, was mounted in Scotland in 1989 and travelled to 18 European cities between 1991 and 1995. By then a couple of chance meetings had already changed Ken's life as an artist.
In the late 1980s Ken attended a British performance of the great Rustaveli Theater from Tbilisi, Georgia, that astonished him with its power and unique visual qualities. A few years later, while attending a performance of Lev Dodin's Maly Drama Theater in Glasgow, he had a revelation: In his mind he began seeing the images on stage as if they were black-and-white photos. In short, an important new theater photographer had been born.
Ken commenced by photographing Eastern European shows that toured to England. This was not nearly enough to satisfy his passion, however, and in 1995 he arranged his first trip to Moscow in order to work at the source. This is when I first met Ken and this is probably as good a time as any to reveal the ties that bind me to this exquisite artist. I have written several short articles about Ken's theater photography for publications and exhibits of his work in the United States. Ken's portrait of Kama Ginkas graces the cover of "Provoking Theater: Kama Ginkas Directs," a book I wrote with this unique Russian director. I have employed Ken's photos in countless articles written for various publications, including many in The Moscow Times. If anyone is biased towards Ken Reynolds, I am, and I am happy to proclaim it.
I recently crossed paths with Ken in Wroclaw, Poland, at the "World as a Place of Truth" festival organized by the Jerzy Grotowski Institute and Arden2, an arts organization based in Los Angeles. Ken was there to photograph a show staged by the renowned Polish director Krystian Lupa, but my thoughts rarely stray far from Russian theater. And it occurred to me that, while I had Ken at hand, it was the perfect opportunity to get him to tell in his own voice some of the stories he has accumulated through the years. Over a three-day period, dodging the almost constant rain and frequently seeking shelter from the heat, we walked around Wroclaw and Ken talked to my camera about directors, theaters and productions that have left an indelible mark on his memory.
Throughout the summer I will periodically post Ken's monologues in this blog space. Later entries will include more background and professional information about the photographer, but now it seems proper to move on to the first of his stories: his acquaintance and friendship with Kama Ginkas. This monologue was filmed just outside the Teatr Wspolczesny 15 minutes before Ken entered to watch Peter Brook's production of "Fragments," based on works by Samuel Beckett. It is a fitting coincidence, because Ginkas has declared Brook to be one of his greatest early influences.
Ken describes his initial meeting with Ginkas as a moment "that changes one's life." Indeed, Ken has traveled all over Europe and the United States photographing almost every production that Ginkas and his wife Genrietta Yanovskaya have staged since 1995. The first show he photographed was "K.I. from 'Crime,'" an adaptation of a segment of Fyodor Dostoevsky's novel "Crime and Punishment." In all he has recorded 16 Ginkas productions and six by Yanovskaya. In fact, if you have attended any shows at the Theater Yunogo Zritelya, where Ginkas and Yanovskaya work, you have seen Ken's photos &mdash there is a permanent display of his work on the theater's second and third floors.
As a bonus, I also include Ken's brief recollections of photographing Ginkas's production of "The Polyphony of the World" in 2001. This musical work composed by Alexander Bakshi was an extraordinary piece of theater starring the great violinist Gidon Kremer, the Kremerata Baltica, soloists from the Bolshoi Opera and Ballet, and some 80 other musicians from Siberia to Europe. It was performed just twice because the producer, the Chekhov International Theater Festival, proved unable or unwilling to maintain the show once the festival ended.
Click on the pictures below to hear Ken's stories.
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