Adam Wallacavage’s photos mirror his restless, hobby-laden lifestyle: The Philadelphia based photographer, sculptor, spear-fisher and carpenter catalogs a Dionysian carnival in his photographs, a funhouse mirror of outsiders, dandies, skaters and graffiti artists. At a young age, Wallacavage photographed friends skateboarding in Philadelphia, which got him his start snapping pictures for skate magazines like Thrasher. Currently, he shoots photos for popular art magazines like Juxtapoz and Swindle. He owns a home in South Philadelphia that he has been renovating with a nautical theme–creating plaster Octopus chandeliers and adding in portholes. (The chandeliers were so popular that they later featured in a gallery show at NYC’s Jonathan Levine Gallery) They may seem strange or like novelty items, but to Wallacavage it’s important that the octopi have a function and utility. As with his photos, the bizarre is more fun when it has a basis in reality. He was nice enough to answer some questions for me.
Why did you settle down in Philadelphia?
It’s a great city, close to everything and easy to get around. My family is here as well as so many friends.
You started out photographing skater friends–Do you prefer to photograph people whose interests are extensions of your own, or do you prefer to climb into the worlds of others, as you do while photographing subcultures for Swindle?
I like it all. I shoot photos down the street at FDR skatepark of my friends just for fun for the FDR myspace page and just goof around with it. I love shooting things for magazines as it give me a chance to meet new people and see things that are somewhat exclusive.
Are you still renovating your home? Are there any new additions you plan on making in the future?
It’s a slow process but yes. I usually spend about a year thinking about an idea then just kick it out rather quickly when the inspiration hits.
Do you have dinner parties at your house? If so, what do you serve? Do you have a lot of guests over?
I used to all the time, usually just BBQ’s in my Tikki bamboo backyard. The dining room is close to the back so it’s really nice. I normally just invite about 5 people and let the word spread and the place fills up fast.
You were one of the founders of Space 1026, the collective and art space in Philadelphia. How did that begin, and what is your relationship with the space/collective now?
I was living in Philly waiting for the rest of the founders move back from Providence. Once they found a space and started getting things figured out, I started working on it. It was a struggle at first but a lot happened in a short amount of time. I’m really proud and surprised that it lasted so long. I’m not much involved any more, but try to help out when people need things.
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How did you go about compiling 15 years worth of work for your book, “Monster Size Monster”? As you compiled the book, what threads or recurring motifs in your photographs did you notice that you hadn’t before?
I was simply asked by Roger Gastman if I wanted to do a book, and said yes! It wasn’t all that hard since I just pulled about 300 photos I liked and had Tony Smyrski arrange them in a way he saw fit. He did most of the work. Since the format was super random, it wasn’t hard to do. I liked it because the final result showed me what I was doing with photography for the past 20 years and I didn’t understand what I was doing with it before.
What are some aesthetic touchstones from your childhood in Philly and NJ that persist in your photos?
Philly is mainly art and skateboarding, whereas NJ is Wildwood and the craziness of the architecture and the boardwalk, as well as the friends I had down there who really inspired me at a very young age with music and art.
What do you enjoy about your work for magazines like Swindle and Juxtapoz? Do you choose what assignments you do, or do you generally photograph whoever you are asked to?
I started working for a well paying ad agency about 11 years ago and stopped shooting for magazines for about 4 years which was a major mistake because it killed my creativity in what I was shooting. Magazines are about shooting your own vision over doing a “job” for a client and developing your personal style. Once I started again, I loved it as well as the freedom and the things I saw and people I met. I shoot for whatever I’m asked to do and I also just do whatever I want for whatever, like my blog or for other internet related things. I just like having fun with photography first then seeing what comes of it later.
I like that your photographs are real people and situations, but your subjects exist on the fringe of reality and can seem surreal. What do you think the appeal is of finding things that seem odd and embellished within everyday life, rather than inventing something fictional?
It’s just the things that interest me. I like taking a real situation and making it surreal and blending the two worlds with composition, lighting and lenses.
Thanks to Adam Wallacavage. For more Q&A’s, check out the archive.
