J AC K P I E R S O N n ext to no thi ng
STEVE MILLER: When we had talked last time you
what I saw and this is what came back. These pictures are
said something that had really resonated with me. You
what came back.
said that you thought you wanted your intervention
with this to be ‘next to nothing.’ And…something went
STEVE: Ok, that makes a lot of sense to me. I think the
off in my head when you said that, and it made every-
‘next to nothing’ also is interesting in terms of—you
thing pull into focus for me with that statement. Do you
made another statement about how in some of your other
want to say a little more about your attitude about these
work you were pressing bells and whistles, going from
works or whatever you want to add to that statement? I
maximum chroma, maximum intensity—
love that idea of “next to nothing.”
JACK: Yes, exactly. I feel like these are not driven by any
JACK PIERSON: Ok, I guess…I think what I meant is
need to amp them up. I’m sort of drawn to their quiet
that I’m a beach walker and there’s part of me that needs
qualities. And I kind of think it’s…I hope it’s a slowed
nothing more than that. So on the days when I finally feel
down experience because certainly when you see some-
like, “well, that’s the most important thing to me,” how
thing that’s instantly pleasing and kind of goes big or goes
do I, or do I need to transmit that as an artist. And I think
intense I feel like you can consume it faster. These are the
I do need to transmit it. So, as much experience as I can
first photographs I’ve made for the wall in a while in, you
have unencumbered by that need to communicate—ulti-
know, an Instagram generation. I just feel like the experi-
mately, I need to communicate, so I tried to make them as
ence, hopefully, will be one that slows the viewer down.
light and sort of un-intervened with as possible, mean-
Partially because maybe there’s the head scratching qual-
ing I just took the picture—and of course, I probably knelt
ity about them that’s like, “well what exactly is so great
and edited and tried to compose—but I didn’t do it with
about these? No, I think they’re pretty great.” You know?
any…I don’t know, sort of masked intensity or an espe-
But, I get that they’re not…no, I might not even say that, I
cially difficult camera or looking for anything more than
think they have everything I want them to have.
Portrait by Jason Schmidt. All following images courtesy of Sabine Knust, Munich.
Following spread: Jack Pierson, natural and pertient, 2016.
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