Ren Brocklehurst – Photography
Ren Brocklehurst is a photographer based in London. His queer interiors first caught our attention when we came to interview AJ the puppeteer on our very first Queer Careers. Ren was the man behind the camera of AJ’s provocative tights photos, which he calls Hosierymen (see below). Ren has a flair for visual storytelling and pours his heart into his work. Feast your eyes upon the cherished selection he’s provided PLANETROMEO below.
In conversation…
Who is Ren Brocklehurst?
“Best guess: some bumbling fool who’s sometimes hypnotized by lines and light and feels a need to record it.”
What would you like to say about your art?
“The less, the better I think. I don’t want to influence the way people see my photos any more than is necessary. The Whatever Happened..? series is something bleak to me, but it’s fun to you: I don’t want to steer people in either of those directions. It is what it is.”
Do you have a favorite piece that you have created?
“I have favorites amongst the work of other artists, but not really amongst my own. I’m enjoying the Whatever Happened..? series because of the story it’s telling, so maybe this is my favorite thing so far.”
Related: We also spoke to photographer Johnny Abbate
Whatever Happened..?
Lots of your pieces use solid colours and evoke a time-gone-by feeling, tell me more about that?
“Most of these photos are taken in my house – the time-gone-by feeling probably comes from the fact that it hasn’t been redecorated since the seventies. Colour is very evocative though. It’s a trick to catch people’s attention, set a mood and then focus them on what’s really going on.”
We have a selection of Ren’s photography below for you to enjoy. For even more of these evocative images follow Ren on Instagram.
Love
Do you believe in love?
“I believe in madness, but that’s about as far as I’ve got researching the subject.”
Queer
The Queer content in your work speaks directly to me, as a queer man, is this intentional? Is it just your own way of looking at the world?
“Just my way of looking at the world. Not intentional, but welcome.”
The Whatever happened..? and Hoiseryman images speak to your sense of humour and fun. Is that something you plan to focus on more in future?
“To me, these are two different things, but both things I plan to develop. Hosieryman is an example of shape and color, standalone, more of an instant hit. Whatever Happened..? is on the storytelling side, using bright and vibrant colors to paint dark and dull pictures.”
The Future
What’s next?
“A return to medium format film for special projects. Maybe that filthy flick-book which has been on my project list for a decade – I just need to find a co-author.”
How can people contact you?
“Through Instagram.”
Suggestions
We value YOU. If you want us to cover anything, send your suggestion to social@planetromeo.com. All ideas considered.
Check out our Toxic Friends and Juggling blog stories too.
We also feature gay people in their jobs, we call it Queer Careers.