The operating theatre is my preferred environment to take pictures as it is unposed and I can shoot from the background and absorb the magnitude of the work being undertaken around me. I feel privileged I have had access to this world. I am awed and humbled throughout the photographic session, the post-production process and for a long time afterwards in reflection. I find the simultaneous fragility and the resilience of the human body magnificent to witness. The surgical dexterity and the synchronicity of cohesive teamwork is a magnificent ballet of hands and instruments. I want to portray the days in the lives of these people who work in windowless, closed-door rooms of artificial light for several hours on end in heightened concentration.
The grotesques of Oxford are an avocation I never chose. When I relocated to Oxford I was immediately enthralled with them. Optimistically I went to buy a book on them, but there wasn't one. For the last 10 years I have photographed them and will be turning this project into a coffee table book. For me, no two are alike and I have named many and/or paired them with literary quotation. They crowd tall spires and rooftops and therefore only during the editing process can I get close enough to see their charismatic faces in detail, often with the odd surprise not seen from the street. In stark contrast to the surgical setting, the grotesques make me laugh, but in similarity applaud the skill and the ingenuity of the crafter.
I spent a lot of my free time illustrating on an iPad (Procreate) and a virtual reality headset (Tilt Brush on MetaQuest). Ienjoy AI art, starting with Dall-E and now MidJourney and Photoshop Beta’s new AI generative tool which is a game changer :)
I was born in Kwa-Zulu Natal, South Africa, but now live in Oxford, UK.
Lesli Lundgren
2024