George Cassapides
We fell in love with The Shade in Between, an incredible art project by the photographer George Cassapides. We had no choice but to feature this series in our Spectrum Issue 01.
Surreal, sensual yet humours dreamscapes with a pungent sense of cosmic wonderment which evokes an array of emotions…
We spoke with the artist himself to discuss this work further…
Wellcome to Chromatica, thank you for joining us, How are you? How is the situation in Athens?
I am really well, extreemly busy with work as it’s nearing Christmas. The situation in Athens? It depends to what city you compare it with, in terms of Covid, things are under control and we all are quietly waiting until this thing is over.
What was the inspiration or the precise moment you conceived the idea behind The Shade in Between project?
The Shade in Between is a moment. The moment when night and day meet, where a journey ends and another is about to begin. In other word it’s Eos. Eos is the first light of the day, or in Mythology the Dawn goddess. The dawn goddess Eos was almost always described with rosy fingers or rosy forearms as she opened the gates of heaven for the Sun to rise. This Project is the journey until that moment.
The inspiration came from observing nature and more specifically the night sky just before sunrise.
During my summer holidays in Ikaria Island, I spent several nights gazing at the stars and sky until the morning hours. This experience would evoke an array of overwhelming emotions and thoughts. However the idea for this project was conceived accidentally in my studio. I used a red and blue light combination for a commercial shoot and the colours created evoked a similar vibe to that very moment when the night ends and the day is about to begin. This is how it all started…
Looking at the images, specifically the one of Yiakoumi the cat, I can’t but feel like a kid again. The starry sky and the colours and the fluffy tail all evoke a lot of memories from my childhood, which one is your absolute favourite?
I really wanted to have a favourite one, but each picture is a piece of the whole puzzle which I call the trip. So my favourite is when all these pictures- boxes are attached and displayed together.
You described the feeling, the moment when a journey ends and another one begins, is it symbolic of your life perhaps your move from London to Athens? What is the significance of this project on a personal level? Is it a result of a spiritual awakening?
I never thought of this, I mean to combine my personal life with my art. Genuinely I was mesmerised from this colour combination, because it appears at a specific moment during the day. Nonetheless, the subconscious can play many games and we can involuntarily be attracted by circumstances and make choices purely based on our instinct. This happens in art too.
Let’s talk about the technical aspects, you decided to create a specific light box to display them. Talk me through this decision.
It was the only way to create a 3D sensation, which is significant to me because I could successfully recreate not only the emotions, but also the intensity of colours that is so important to the project.
After a long research and many tests, I finally came to the conclusion, that the only way to display The Shade in Between project is onto a backlit frame. This Lightbox is a handmade box made of wood with laquered finish. Each picture has a custom-made three way lighting at the back, that brings the images to life.
Sounds intriguing. Where can we buy them?
exclusively at theshadeinbetween.com.
All the light boxes are approximately 40x50 cm and they all are limited to a certain number of prints.
What are you working on next?
The Shade in Between project, is going to be a long journey which I thoroughly enjoy. I still have a lot of ideas to accomplish on this specific series, so I feel it’s too soon to think of another concept.
Thank you for sharing your work with us.
More more in on George Cassapides visit his official website www.cassapides.com
You can follow George on Instagram @george_cassapides