The Human Knots

Howard Schatz talks about how he came up with the idea of shooting his muses in such unique and quirky ways. Below are excerpts of his conversation with Chiiz writer, Ankit Tyagi

Q. What is the idea behind Body Knots series?

A. It started when I was doing a large project with dancers and they would work very hard and then we took a break they would just sit together. Sometimes, men and women would just sit down, huddle and hold each other and when I looked at them I saw a sculpture. That is when it occurred to me. I call it the ‘Biological Sculpture’ whose human curves, valleys, bends and twists look like a beautiful sculpture. So, I began to make photographs with a wide angle lens and coming very close to the subject and did everything I could to hide their faces because it wasn’t a portrait, it wasn’t about who they were but rather about what their bodies were doing together as a knot tied and twisted together. Then, when I made the pictures they were pretty nice but I felt like I could go further and so what I did was, I sat down with my computer and tried a lot of things. Art is, after all, all about trial and error. When I came upon the idea of using colors; it really resonated with me and made me feel like this was wonderful. I photograph to surprise and that really caused me great surprise and delight.

Q. From ophthalmology to photography, how did this change take place?