Will Robson-Scott

Its one thing having a great eye for photography, being able to shoot immersing short films is a vastly different talent. At least, someone needs to tell that to Will Robson-Scott, the London-born photographer and film-maker who is making waves on both fronts.

His photography at times shines a light on subcultures in a manner that leaves the viewer teetering between the roles of voyeur and accomplice, such is the proximity to his subjects. The two engaging series Ego Bombing and Crack & Shine  Int’l take us, often by night, along with the ‘leading figures’ of the Graffiti scenes in both London and overseas. While this is not a new concept in photography terms by any respect, Robson-Scott must be considered a seriously fine exponent of the concept. His images often capture the act in full flow and are framed wonderfully, when he pairs images they contrast yet somehow compliment each other brilliantly. Through a combination of portraits and action shots we get an eye not only into the worlds of the individuals portrayed but the community they have created and the culture that it inspires.

Its not that Robson-Scott is just a producer of Vice-esque ‘edgy’ street culture work, far from it. Greame is a touching and insightful short film about a passionate skateboarder with Asperger’s syndrome. A man who is known around the London skate scene for his consistent attendance of meets and events along with his encyclopaedic knowledge of the sport, Greame’s tale is a marvellously uplifting one. For 25 years, he has skated for pleasure and still gets the same kick out of it today as he did the first day he got on a board. Robson-Scott conveys this sentiment through an unobtrusive approach which allows the film’s subject to shine as he lets us into his world.

Another of Robson-Scott’s stand out pieces of work is the photo series In Dogs We Trust which subtly investigates the many nuances of owner’s relationships with their canine counterparts. Of the project Robson-Scott states,

“Since dogs were first domesticated, and an affinity has developed between them and their owners; not only do they frequently resemble each other.
They even share personality traits and mirror each other’s behaviour. Dogs can be deliberately used for this purpose of conveying whatever the owner finds desirable. Often the affinity is less conscious, the master is unaware how much he looks like his dog.”

Throughout the series these various similarities are documented as owner and dog are photographed together in a manner that quite brilliantly articulates their owner’s projection of what the animals represent. Compare for example Dietrich and His Mastiffs to Joe and Molly and you see two very different takes on dog ownership, in what is a typically thoughtful project from Robson-Scott.

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Sahar and Baby | Photograph by Will Robson-Scott ©

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Popek | Photograph by Will Robson-Scott ©

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Peg, London 2009 | Photograph by Will Robson-Scott ©

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Los Angeles 2009 | Photograph by Will Robson-Scott ©

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Muggs and Blue & Matty and Sid | Photograph by Will Robson-Scott ©

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NW5 | Photograph by Will Robson-Scott ©

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D Double E, Forest Gate | Photograph by Will Robson-Scott ©

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Joe and Molly | Photograph by Will Robson-Scott ©

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Noxer, New York 2009 | Photograph by Will Robson-Scott ©

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UB8 & E1 | Photograph by Will Robson-Scott ©

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Action Bronson, Queens NYC 2011 | Photograph by Will Robson-Scott ©

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Andre, Paris 2010 | Photograph by Will Robson-Scott ©

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Andre, Paris 2010 | Photograph by Will Robson-Scott ©

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Billy Brown Jr., R.I.P London 2011 | Photograph by Will Robson-Scott ©

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E9 | Photograph by Will Robson-Scott ©

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Espo, NYC, Horfe, Paris 2010 | Photograph by Will Robson-Scott ©

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Dietrich and his Mastiffs | Photograph by Will Robson-Scott ©

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LD Crew, Amsterdam 2010 | Photograph by Will Robson-Scott ©

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Andrew and Olan, Venice LA & Graeme, London | Photograph by Will Robson-Scott ©

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Abno, Los Angeles 2009 | Photograph by Will Robson-Scott ©

Hot off the press this week, comes the latest offering from this precocious talent, a new short documentary entitled Popek. Now fair warning arrives here for the squeamish among you: there are parts of this nine minute film that are going to be difficult to watch. Robson-Scott documents the Polish rapper and mixed martial arts fighter who gets his eyeballs tattooed, a procedure he feels will make him ‘complete’. Its clear from the off that you can only speculate as to the potential long-term effects of such a procedure as it is hardly one that folk are queueing up to have done, but although nervous, Popek is one determined soul. The documentary sees him justify his decision to the camera and Robson-Scott but you get the sense that this has some therapeutic benefits as it also allows him to reassure himself. The camera duly follows Popek to the studio twice and with a disturbingly steady camera, captures the procedure itself on screen (note: these means full on needle to eye footage).

 Shock-value aside, this represents another strong piece of work from an exciting talent, whose Top Deck series is also well worth checking out. Some of his work makes up the Eye in the Sky