AN INTERVIEW WITH VIVIAN FU

I had recently sent a set of questions to Vivian Fu who is in the process of grad school applications along with current exhibitions that had been thrown these past few months. I was notified by her work from reblogs of her followers who continue to showcase some of her old and new work till this day. Currently living in the Mission District she continues to photograph her surroundings and her ever growing relationship with her Boyfriend Tim.

1. I'm a long time follower and have seen your work progress in terms of your relationships & your environment. What has changed since your inception as a photographer and what has stayed the same?

Since my inception as a photographer! Ahh! Hmmmm. I would say that the things i'm thinking about and the things that i'm inspired by are changing, and that impacts how i make work or how i'm thinking about it. I think that it's stayed the same because it's always had a common thread of myself running through it. I hope that i'm growing and that my work grows with me!

2.Could you identify a certain photograph you've taken that reflected on a dream you had? Have there been any photographs that have that kind of relationships?

When i'm talking to friends about dreams, I feel like my dreams always pale in comparison since mine aren't as strange or fantastical. Even my dreams that take place in fantastic settings, i feel like the focus of the dream is always on the underlying social dynamics at play with the characters within the dreams. In that way, I guess i would say that a lot of my photographs reflect dreams i've had. BUTTT i would say that my life and the things i'm thinking about are projecting into my dreams. So...chicken or the egg, you know?


3.There's one thing I've noticed in your pictures and it is the aspect of melody. Something with the pictures you've synchronized for the "me & tim" series and "going places...." have such a movement I'm still trying to figure out. It's this dance you can see in still pictures. Is there a song that may describe the way you take pictures, see life, relationships and any in between?

I don't know if there's one specific song that describes the way i take pictures or see life or relationships, but rather more like a playlist for different moments. Different songs for different feelings or relationships or people. Since this is such a hard question for me to answer, I just went to my itunes and picked out the top 10 most played songs, which may or may not be totally accurate in answering this question.

1. Mine by Beyonce
2. You and Me by Penny and the Quarters
3. Lover's Carvings by Bibio
4. Dream a Little Dream of Me by Mama Cass
5. Hello Stranger by Barbara Lewis
6. Dramamine by Modest Mouse
7. Our Time by Yeah Yeah Yeahs
8. I'll Be On The Water by Akron/Family
9. Just Like Heaven by The Cure
10. Beautiful by The Smashing Pumpkins

4.Some of your viewers look up to you as not only an inspiring artist, but as a role model in the world. What would you want the audience / fans to understand that you think they're misunderstanding? Is there something we may be missing?

Ahhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhh.

5.What's your relationship like with Cheyenne? She seems to pop up on your feed here & there & it seems like you're pretty tight knit with her.

Cheyenne is a Libra and i'm a Leo!

6. Have there been any reoccurring themes you've noticed on your newest work? Anything that may be potential for future projects?

I think that there's always the underlying theme of the exploration of self, whether it's a performed self portrait or straight documentation. Recently i've been looking through a lot of my photographs and i'm noticing a lot of hands and specifically a lot of touching. I'm not sure if touching in itself is potential for future projects, but certainly something that I am thinking about that i will probably bring into future projects.

7. Not sure if you live around the mission district still, but have there been any changed that's affected you emotionally? The last time I was there I ate late night burritos with Sean Custer, Theo Slavin, & Taylor McElroy.

Yes, I am still living in the Mission. I think that it's really important for me to note that I am not a San Francisco native, so changes occurring in San Francisco, specifically in the Mission are changes that I have just noticed and are an inconvenience instead of something that is literally uprooting me or my family. I may be getting priced out of San Francisco, but i'm not getting booted from where I grew up and i think there's a very important distinction to be made between the two.

8.How much undeveloped do you have right now?

Zero. Working in a photo lab has it's perks, and always being able to process my film quickly is one of them.

9.What r some of the essential things you bring with you daily besides a camera?

Keys, wallet, phone, jacket, water bottle, and a snack.


10.If there's anything in life you would want what would it be?

Idealistically? I would want there to be better understanding between people. Selfishly? I would want a house.

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