It was a summer day in Falmouth when I had a chat with Tom about his recent project - the Modern Man, his processes and plans.
What is the project about, what’s the storyline and how did you come up with it?
I’ve always been interested in masculinity because I’ve always been very conscious of my own. I lived with my mum and my sister for the whole of my teenage years, so I’ve taken on quite a lot of what they taught me, for example, my nails. As my dad hasn’t been that around and I haven’t had that male influence, it was quite different for me. I don’t really get along with guys my age - most of my friends are girls. Not really a lad, you know. And then ‘The Modern Man’ came about - it has been a 3 year on-going project that I started in college looking at masculinity.
How has the project progressed?
Initially, I planned on doing interviews with people on masculinity and take portraits of them, but I realised I needed to find more of a niche. And then I went to see a brilliant exhibition on masculinity at the Barbican and got very interested in the way the art community represents masculinity, as it’s very different, as opposed to the general members of the public.
What about the models and stories that you’ve told - what’s your relationship with your subjects?
The first person, James, I met him on Instagram - we are both artists, and he was up for taking part in the project - he enjoys contextual art and exploring his own identity. It was quite early on in my photography development, and I didn’t really have a good idea of linking a location with the subject, so it was based on the visual aesthetic.
I shot everything on film for this project - I really enjoy working with film.
Is it Kodak?
Yes, it is probably Kodak Porta line shot on a medium format camera.
The next one, Gem, is an old school friend of mine that reached out when I was casting for the project. I got quite a lot of positive feedback for the photo - had it printed in Photofusion in London, and it got put in a little digital exhibition in Amsterdam.
Isaak, whose shot I did this year (I think you can see the progression) is my coursemate. He’s got a really interesting story and a lot to tell. And I’ve got a lot more people in the future as well - I’ve got 4 people waiting in the line now.
So, is the project not done yet?
Oh, it’s nowhere near done. Eventually, it will be a book that I’ve been continuously designing. But it’s going to be a long time before it’s ready. I want to also try and do some stuff in Eastern Europe as well, I’ve got some links with artists in Lithuania; I want to try and do some things over there as well to make it a worldwide thing. But while I’m at university, I’ll just stick to England for now.
You talked about the concept behind the project but why have you decided to do it now and what’s the main objective that you are setting for yourself?
What I’m hopefully trying to do, is to understand masculinity in myself - what it is to be masculine or a man, really. The whole project is about exploring that for me. So, it’s more of a personal project that it is for other people to see it.
Do you have any plans for exhibitions?
Oh, I would absolutely love to do exhibitions. For ‘The Modern Man’, there were stand-alone photos exhibited but not the whole project.
To invite Tom to exhibit his work or other collaborations contact:
Email: redforcontrast@gmail.com
Website: thomashjnorris.com
Instagram: @oblivioushumanz
Interviewed by Liz Allison.
