Lucy Sparks: Elevate the Everyday
March 5th, 2024
I have a friend who once told me that “touching plastic wrap makes [her] teeth hurt”. It sounded odd at first, but looking at Lucy Sparks’ photography I couldn’t help but feel an echo of that sentiment. You can feel the texture she’s photographing - there is a powerful, visceral, physical feeling created in viewing her abstracted imagery. But visceral doesn’t do it justice, these images don’t just create a base reaction, Lucy’s imagery is alluring too. You want to touch, to own, to feel it.
That’s an incredible skill: capturing tactility in a 2d medium.
Public Offerings Ltd: Hi Lucy! First up, can you introduce yourself to our readers and how you would describe your art?
Lucy Sparks: Hi, I’m Lucy. I’m a London-based photographer working both commercially and in my fine art practice.
My work borrows from the conventional and mundane to provide an alternative viewpoint on the world around us. I transform the ordinary, in order to elevate the everyday into fantastical realms.
I incorporate materials such as leather, plastic, food, and household objects. When captured in photographs, these materials take on a visceral, perplexing, and captivating quality, hinting at untold stories. At times intentionally evocative, my work blurs the lines between reality and imagination, exploring themes of distortion and sensuality.
“My work blurs the lines between reality and imagination, exploring themes of distortion and sensuality.”
My fascination with human desire and consumption also profoundly shapes my work. Working in luxury fashion is oddly fitting and provides a canvas for exploring these themes. I don't view my commercial projects and artistic pursuits as separate entities; rather, I see them as complementary forces. By intertwining these two spheres, I find new angles to explore both materialism and excess.
Meara, 2022, & Lena, 2021
POL: Aesthetically your work is really striking. Non-traditional crops, bold colour, and a near obsession with texture all come together to produce unique surreal/documentary photographs. How did you find your aesthetic? Did you always photograph with this eye?
LS: While working on my final series for my Masters at LCC [London College of Communication], I had the privilege of receiving guidance from Peter Fraser, one of my lecturers. Following a summer spent photographing events, people, and spaces in Essex, he suggested that I remove the pictures containing people. This advice proved transformative, as it led to the evolution of my style. What were once supporting images became the focal point of my work, shaping my approach to photography ever since
POL: We’d love to learn more about your relationship with the objects you photograph. How do you decide what you’re photographing? Essexland for example is using the language of objects as cultural signifiers (and responding to cultural cliché) were you approaching the project with a list of objects you wanted to find and photograph, or did you come across items in a more holistic way?
LS: For this project in particular I found myself embracing spontaneity, and discovering objects along the way. I relished stumbling upon chance moments, whether in a nightclub, beauty salon, or furniture shop.
For Essexland I allowed the venues to guide my exploration. What excited me on this journey was the enigmatic relationships that images form with each other. I frequently experimented with diptychs to uncover unexpected pairings.
Tina, 2016, & Endor, 2021
POL: Across all of your work you are unafraid of bold color choices, can you tell us a little bit about your use of colour?
LS: I have always been fascinated by the interplay of colours, pairing them, contrasting them, and experimenting with colour blocking. I go through phases where I focus intensely on a particular colour. However, I constantly find myself drawn back to the pink and red. For me, these colours possess a profound sensuality and add depth and intimacy to my work, inviting viewers to engage on a deeper sometimes erotic level.
“I constantly find myself drawn back to the pink and red.”
POL: You’ve called your shoots and post-production style “minimally invasive” in the past. What does this mean to you?
LS: I consider myself fortunate not to heavily rely on Photoshop in my work. What typically captures my attention is a vibrant color or a luxurious texture. In many instances, it's the objects or surfaces themselves that do the work.
Post-production, for me, involves grouping pictures to see what resonates. For example, during my residency at Villa Lena, I paired images of the female body with those of a tractor. Often, it's a shared color or tone that brings together seemingly disparate subjects.
Evelyn 1 & 2 2021
POL: Your work communicates with a sense of humour and fun. Is humour important to your artistic vision?
LS: Humour isn't something I consciously try to channel; I believe it naturally creeps into my work. I've always been drawn to art that's slightly off-kilter or absurd, and this inclination inevitably influences my own practice. I find myself constantly seeking humour in everyday moments, so in some ways, it's not a surprise this comes through in my images.
POL: You’ve done projects rooted in the visual aesthetic of place, so how does your location and travel impact your work?
LS: The location always plays an important role in my work. I've spent a lot of time in empty hotel rooms and nightclubs, mainly in Essex and Los Angeles, where a lot of my personal work has played out. When I find myself in spaces, I am often alone, absorbing the atmosphere.
My hope is to capture and transmit some of this uncanny ambiance I find. For me, nightclubs hold a particular allure. I love how they can exude both a seedy and opulent feeling simultaneously - something that is a running theme in my work.
‘I find myself constantly seeking humour in everyday moments, so in some ways, it's not a surprise this comes through in my images.’
POL: Do you have any photographers or other pieces of media that you look to for inspiration from?
LS: Over the years, I've drawn inspiration from an array of photographers. William Eggleston in terms of mood and his use of colour. Tayrn Simon's ability to gain access to challenging locations is notably showcased in her book American Index of the Hidden and Unfamiliar. Additionally, I admire John Divola's work for its austere eeriness, particularly his desert landscapes in California, which resonate deeply with me due to the time I’ve spent there.
Smith Rowe, 2023, & Aphrodisiac, 2018
POL: If time and money were not an issue, what photography project would you like to do?
LS: This may come as a surprise, as it’s not something apparent in my current body or work, but I would love to cover a major sports event like the World Cup or the Olympics. I’m a huge sports fan and would love to apply my style to such an event.
I believe capturing images of both the sportsmen and women and the fans would be an incredibly enriching experience. Last year, I had the opportunity to witness the celebrations in Naples as their football team won the Serie A title. What fascinated me most was the entirety of the celebration from football-themed cakes to cocktails that surrounded the event. I found it truly captivating and would love to shoot something like that through my lens.
POL: What are you working on now? What’s Next?
LS: Over the past year, I've noticed a shift in my photography towards capturing more images of people, particularly focusing on the female body. In many ways, my approach to photographing people mirrors that of objects; I seek out intriguing textures in their clothing or interesting curves. I find myself drawn to zooming in on specific body parts, making them appear abstract and ambiguous. I'm really looking forward to carrying on with this way of shooting and showcasing some of the images in a solo show later this year.
Vesuvius, 2023 & Horst, 2022
About Lucy Sparks
Sparks has spent significant time in Essex and California; the mythos and visual language of these places inform many of her commissioned and self-driven projects. She has collaborated with labels such as Chanel, Miu Miu, and Loewe, and has been featured by Wallpaper*, AnOther magazine and The British Journal of Photography. In 2016, she attended the Mountain School of Arts residency in Los Angeles and in 2021 was in residence at Villa Lena, Tuscany.