Madrid's Past and Future Elegant Aesthetics Merge in These Photos Shot on Berlin Kino Film by Daniel Mutt

We got to know Spanish artist Daniel Mutt a couple of years ago, when we featured his medium format photos shot on Lomography Color Negative 800 ISO films. Today he is back with these elegant black and white photos shot on Berlin Kino B&W 120 film.

Hi Daniel, welcome back on our Online Magazine! How has life treated you since we last spoke?

Hi folks! The truth is that many things have changed since the last time we talked. First of all, a global pandemic. It was a turning point for me and an opportunity to take a breath in my career. This circumstance made me wonder about my life perspectives and priorities, which are things that leave a mark in every artists' work.

Did you manage to collaborate with different kinds of artists as you mentioned?

On a personal level I couldn’t finish too many things, only some portraits of friends that I will never stop doing. It’s something that’s inside me and I’ll always do. Professionally speaking I worked in a lot of different projects, music videos with different artists that I admire a lot mainly. I’m very proud of that!

Please tell us more about this photo series shot with our Berlin Kino B&W 120 film.

Firstly, I thought about shooting the film for this collab in Berlin, which is without a doubt one of my favorite European cities. Sadly, I couldn’t get there in time and I changed the direction of the shooting to show the essence and the way of life of the city I live in right now, Madrid. The first thing that came to my mind was the word “pichi”, a local expression from Madrid. The second was my friend Adrian, someone whose classic and elegant aesthetics mixed with his tattooed body represent this city to the fullest. With the past and the future co-existing in the conceptual level, “Pichi” is the story of my friend Adrian and his taste for life, Madrid, and its classic tapas.

Was it your first time trying our Berlin Kino B&W Film? What are the characteristics you like the most?

I was very determined when I was asked to pick one of your catalogue’s films. The Berlin Kino 400 ISO is exactly what I’m looking for when I buy a film. I like to work with it because of its balance between strong and weak lights without forcing the film too much. I had never tried it but it felt good to shoot it even if I didn’t know what the result was going to be. I love its bokeh and its soft and beautiful grain…such a perfect texture. The blacks are strong and I played a little bit with contrast in order to make them even stronger. I needed some hardness for this series.

Which camera did you use to shoot these photos?

I used one of my last purchases: a second-hand Mamiya 645 I found in perfect condition. It’s a very versatile camera despite its big size and weight. It’s easy to handle and very intuitive if you’ve already worked with a similar one.

Do you have any interesting projects or collaborations planned that you would like to share with us?

Nowadays I’m working on my first painting exhibition, an angle of my artist’s career that I hadn’t explored before and that I’ve been developing for the last six months very actively. My artistic name is TODO MAL (All Bad) and it’s a way to express basic creations that are created without any pressure or pretentiousness. I’m sure this side of me will end up meeting my photography some day. In terms of photography, I’m very chill right now but you never know! I’m planning on spending my summer in Galicia and I will photograph its green landscapes using the LomoChrome Purple you sent me to try. As soon as I come back I’ll tell you about my experience with it!

Follow Daniel on his Instagram profile.

written by melissaperitore on 2022-08-05 #gear #spain #madrid #mamiya-645 #lomography-color-negative-800 #berlin-kino-b-w-120-film