Design Assembly

We all have dreams about what we’d like to be when we grow up but, for the vast majority, it’s rare that those dreams ever come to accurate fruition. Regardless of how happy we are in the vocation we currently employ, it’s more than likely that it wasn’t the first job that popped into our heads once we realised that one day we’d have to work for a living.

When I Am Big is a collaborative personal project devised by Emilie Fjola Sandy, a photographer working across music, publishing, advertising and fashion but specialising in portraiture and Kamilla Weinhardt, a full time designer with a penchant for styling and art direction in her free time.

They’ve clubbed together with various creative friends and colleagues including illustrators Sanna Annukka, Stevie Gee and David Foldvari, up and coming artist Nick Roberts and set designer Alex Breeden to create an ongoing set of images that transform seemingly everyday people into someone they once aspired to be.

The portraits balance a strong element of light hearted fun with an under current of what-might-have-been and how differently we think about things when we are children. Here they talk more about the work.

JT: How did the project come about? What made you decide to focus on professionals working in the arts and creative industries?

EFS: Originally I came up with the idea to photograph my fellow ex students from Central Saint Martins in their working environments.

KW: I started wondering what people wanted to be when they were little so we discussed this and decided it could make an engaging portrait project but that we may limit ourselves by only shooting fellow ex students. We thought it would be interesting to put faces to the names of creative people who would ordinarily stay behind the scenes and reveal unknown aspectsof their personalities.

JT: Which portraits in the series do you feel best communicate the essence of what the project is about?

KW: I like the ones that combine the childhood dream and the chosen profession in an inventive way. Jane the cake maker wanted to be a Blue Peter presenter so naturally we made a Blue Peter cake as a ‘here’s one I made earlier’. Alex the set designer wanted to run a sweet shop so we built an appropriate set for the shoot. I wouldn’t shoe horn the current profession in for the sake of it but with some of them it really works.

EFS: If I had to pick favourites, I’d go for The Farmer and Princess Leia.

JT: Are there any portraits you feel didn’t materialise in the way you had initially expected?

KW: Yes but fortunately only in a positive way – when we photographed Nicolas Roope as a farmer there happened to be a stuffed dog in the building so we borrowed that which made the photos funnier than expected.

EFS: Stevie Gee dressed up as a soldier but we didn’t know that he had a giant lego wall until we got to his house. As soon as he kicked that wall we knew we had a great shot.

JT: Do you treat each contribution as a chance to experiment with different ideas or do you approach each shoot knowing that the work will be part of a series and as such there are themes and ideas that you will aim to keep consistent?

KW: Yes, the theme is obviously consistent but we treat each shoot separately and are totally open to experimentation. We just concentrate on what may work best for the person we’re photographing.

EFS: We also aim to keep obvious things like lighting consistent but it seems that we never know quite what’s going to happen on each shoot so there has been element of spontaneity running throughout the project.

JT: Some portraits speak for themselves in a very graphic, vibrant tone of voice – Sanna Annukka and Stevie Gee for example – whereas others feel as though they might have more of an underlying subtext, for example David Foldvari as the lonely astronaut. Has the aim ever been to tell a story through these unrealised professions or just to treat them as lightheartedexperimentation?

EFS: We want each shot to tell a story but like to leave it up to the viewer as we know some people will see something deeper in a shot when another person might just think it’s a bit of fun. Some people just came to life in front of the lens, and it’s obvious that some people were more comfortable in front of the camera than others. Having said that there was a certain amount of acting and we have been constantly surprised by the shy, retiring types who transformed in front of the lens. Pretending to be someone else definitely helps people to loosen up.

KW: David Foldvari works from home so we just showed a snapshot of his normal life, playing the bass and having a cigarette. A lot of illustrators are quite solitary so we’d hope that other freelance creatives might relate to the images of him. The photos are rather voyeuristic as he is not looking at the camera or even particularly aware of it so it does create an impression of an isolated existence. I think he’s okay with the fact that he’s never going to go into space though.

JT: Do those taking part have much input into the way their shots are styled and set-up or do they just give you the job title and let you run with it?

EFS: We have a strong input but always listen to people’s ideas so we can get as close to their childhood fantasy as possible.

KW: Everyone has been happy for us set up the shots and to style them. We always suggest things they may not have thought of and we’ve found people are very open to that.

JT: The whole concept is rooted in forgotten dreams and career paths that were never realised. Whilst taking these shots, has anyone realised that they might not be happy in their current job?

KW: I don’t think so, most of them were just really excited to dress up for a few hours and quite happy to go back to their normal life!

JT: Some of the shots have a certain makeshift, DIY aesthetic to them as they are set in workspaces that you have been presented with rather than locations of your choice. Does the work essentially become more fulfilling when you create those kind of constraints?

KW: Yes, we purposely shoot people at work or their home (if they work from home). I think this helps to emphasise that they’re doing something completely different now. I think it makes the portraits more intimate and revealing when you see personal belongings and a natural environment, we never really tidy up or make things too neat.

JT: Anyone interested in the project can currently view the complete set of portraits so far at wheniambig.blogspot.com. Are there any plans to lift When I Am Big from our screens and exhibit the shots as prints, as a book project or any other alternative format?

EFS: We are planning to have a show soon, once we have photographed around 20 subjects. A book will hopefully come later and is something we would definitely like to do.

JT: What does the future hold for When I Am Big in terms of people lined up to contribute? Is a natural conclusion in sight or do you see it as an ongoing project that will continue indefinitely?

EFS: It could go on indefinitely but it would be good to shoot between 50 and 70 people. I think 50 subjects would be ideal for a book. There is no need for it to be just London based so if we got the opportunity to shoot elsewhere we’d go for it.

KW: We have around ten more people lined up at the moment and we haven’t had to seek out new people yet as it’s happened very organically. We would like to shoot people we don’t know so I see this as the next step. I’m hoping to do some more bizarre ones - maybe someone wanted to be Michael Jackson or Princess Diana? My friend wanted to be (New Kid On The Block) Joey McIntyre’s wife so that would be fun to do as it’s such an endearing admission. Sometimes people we know are too embarrassed to tell us who or what they really wanted to be so perhaps if we opened it up to the public we’d get some more unusual answers!

Check out the full set of portraits at wheniambig.blogspot.com