Artist Interview: Michael Leonard - repetition and duration

ML: My images are bound by the presence of the two motorbikes shot from above. The scene is animated by the different figures that pass through the frame. This series remains anchored because of the bikes repeating in each shot. This set of work was shot near Place de la Concorde in Paris.

What are your reasons to shot the scene from above?

ML: This perspective was inspired by the work of Rodcenko (see below) and his excitement at the new possibilities presented by the handheld camera to shoot city scenes and subjects from new
angles. Distance creates tension between forms and plays with what the eye can read.




What do you like best about the series?

ML: The last image in the sequence, as the girl exchanges a glance with the camera references my position perched on a level a few metres above, just outside the Musée de Jeu de Paume.