BANG! An Erotic New Publication
Photographer and Director Jonathan Leder is one of the most provocative and visionary artists working today. With an educational background in classical painting and art history from the Florence Academy of Art, and working for famed fashion photographer Steven Klein, Leder has developed a masterful skill set for photographing beauty, art and eroticism. After releasing the stunning black and white manifesto "A Study in Fetishisms", and the seductive meets psychological film "Promiscuities", Leder returns with an all new full color publication called BANG! Amy Hood is also back providing the dazzling art direction and BANG! looks to expand on the already impressive body of work that the two have created. Just in time for the release, Leder was gracious enough to speak with The Brvtalist about the new project and shed some light on his creative process as well:
The Brvtalist: For starters, what is BANG!?
Jonathan Leder: BANG! is a creative collaboration between Amy Hood and myself. We wanted to create something that was a bit more over the top and really over saturated.
BANG! is a dark and saturated, surreal and cinematic visual narrative of sexuality at one of its most pivotal points in history.
BANG! is the fantasy of the female at it's climax.
BANG! includes original writing by Jacq Frances. A woman who traveled the world for two years as a stripper, and lived to write about her fantastic experiences.
TB: How is BANG! different from previous projects like "A Study in Fetishisms" or the more recent film project, "Promiscuities"?
JL: Each of our projects is unique in it’s own way.
For Amy and I, BANG! was a chance to really have some fun creating the images and the design. ‘A Study in Fetishisms’ is amazing, but it is more sober in it’s design and the photographs fit a certain mold. With, BANG! we were able to break out of those molds, both with the design and the images. The images became more heroic and more about fantasy , rather than just about the models.
Also, BANG! is entirely in color. While ‘A Study in Fetishisms’ is entirely in black and white. Technically, the two are very different. Different lighting, lenses, cameras, film, etc. While both are totally analog, they incorporate different approaches to design and photography which yields a different result!
TB: How is it similar or an extension?
JL: There is always the unifying vintage/retro one can find in all of our work, and this booklet , like the others we have made and plan to continue making, are in the same collectible formats.
TB: Your photographs have always had a great cinematic quality. Has working in film changed your approach to your photographs? Did BANG! feel any different than previous photo-based projects?
JL: Thank you! I always shoot with analog cameras for photos. With BANG! I went back to the longer lens, but this time we mixed it up with some interesting colored gels and lighting. It was a fun project to work on. We really thought of the photos before-hand in terms of the layouts and designs that would go with them. They were certainly a bit more staged than the usual photos we shoot for Fetishisms.
Working with motion cameras has not really changed my aesthetic, they are just a bit different. Two different parts of your brain I guess.
TB: I have to ask this one - with fetishism and BDSM culture currently more in the popular conversation, do you think it changes how some people may view your work? Do you think having the subculture more in the public spotlight is a healthy thing or do you still find it maybe a little misunderstood or the conversations misguided?
JL: I really don’t know how to answer that. I live in the mountains with Amy and my family so we are quite cut off from contemporary culture. Most of our references come from the 20th century.
I will say that having the subculture more in the public spotlight is always a healthy thing. Even though culture is so diverse these days, it is still amazing to see how conservative the culture is.
TB: What about BANG! are you most excited about? Why do you think now is a good time to release it?
JL: I love the photos and the design. I think the casting is also great. We featured a lot of plus size models which totally made sense for this publication, and I am happy to feature models that are not size zero.
I don’t know if now is a good time to release it, but it is the right time for us !
TB: How/where can people purchase BANG!?
JL: BANG! is available now at www.imperial-publishing.com
Thank you to Jonathan Leder for taking the time out to speak with us about this incredible new project and for providing previews of the stunning images that appear in BANG! Head to Imperial Publishing and pick up your copy today!
-JRS