A conversation with Todd Hido

The root of my work comes from the aberrations of my childhood and how these become attractions in adulthood.
It is about an attempt to understand how we replay, and recreate our earlier lives over and over again.
To me it all fits into me going back and responding to my history. My memory.
There is that great quote by Milan Kundera—“Memory does not make films, it makes photographs.”
Todd Hido

I mentioned Todd Hido´s eerie night-time scenes of anonymous suburban settings and lonely portraits some time ago here. Reason to do so again is a conversation bettween Todd Hido and Joerg Colberg that gives some insight into the mind of an artist in whose pictures it is forever midnight.

snippet:
JC: I could imagine shooting all those night scenes in neighbourhoods some of which don't look all that appealing at times must have been a bit more exciting than the actual scenery. Did you run into problems with people wondering what you were doing in the dark around their homes?

TH: One time some guy thought I was his girlfriend’s ex-husband. That was scary until he figured out I wasn’t! But I most often go unnoticed even though I am very careful to not look like I am “lurking”. However, I never ask permission as people would mostly say no. I have tried a couple of times when I first started but got rejected right off the bat.

I don’t know about where you live but where I am people don’t take too kindly to strangers knocking on the door either.

It is a very hard process making art to begin with—just finding the right place is hard enough and half the battle. Sometimes I’ll drive around for 5-6 hours to find just the right spot—and then you find it at midnight you can’t knock on the door and ask.

When I find it I just take it. I never ever stand in someone’s yard or on their property. The police have been called several times but after they “run me though the system” and find I am not a criminal they leave. I don’t shoot power plants or airports luckily.

continue a conversation with Todd Hido