Interview with Thorsten Schmidtkord

q)Who are you? Where are you from and where do you live now?

a)Thorsten Schmidtkord. Born in Monheim, Germany, in 1970. I live and work in Düsseldorf, Germany, since 2004.

q)What is it that you do? What media do you use?

a)Advertising photography, corporate communications, my own creative projects.

q)What do you think sets your work apart?

a)I don't go out looking for what's there, but for what's not there. I capture the picture behind the story and not the story behind the picture. I capture the picture others don't see.

q)How long have you been showing your work for? Did you have a “big break?”

a)My new portfolio has been available online since the beginning of June 2010. But only my project "Head on Top" brought me a lot of attention - I have been showcasing this project on my website since November 2010, and have since had 3,000 visitors to my website. Many bloggers have been reporting on this project on their photography and designer blogs.

q)What are some things that have inspired you?

a)My environment. Everyday situations. I often get my inspirations when I'm in the shower or in everyday life when things haben by circumstance.

q)What have you been working on recently?

a)I don't want to say anything about my latest project just yet. But I am very fond of my project "10,000,000" which I have been working on since 2006. Here's a short description:

The biggest invasion we have to fear today will not be the US army or Chinese copyright pirates. It is millions and millions of people who invade a place every year that offers the valuable resources sun and sea: tourists. Tourists like to stay incognito, they don't like to call themselves tourists. Yet, they can be easily identified as such, and tourist has become a swear word.
In Western Europe, Majorca has become synonymous with mass tourism. Majorca is a beautiful island in the Mediterranean, but it has sacrificed its beauty and nature for the sake of infrastructure and amusement opportunities to please the Anglo-German conquerors. Like a drug dealer Majorca lures them with endorphins, pheromones, ethanol and memories to recall back in the grey reality. But what does this temptress look like when she calms down? Reduced, naked, unattractive? Yes, but also natural, relaxed, melancholic....

q)Do you listen to music while you create your work? If so, would you give some examples?

a)No. When I'm outside I focus on my environment.

q)Do you do work in any other media? Other projects not necessarily related to your main body of work?

a)No. I only take photographs.

q)What advice do you have for artists looking to show their work?

a)Go out there and show your work. Blogs are a great medium and will help to spread the word.

q)Do you have any upcoming exhibitions of your work that you can mention?

a)I am currently looking for a gallery to show my work. An exhibition will be the next step.

q)Where can people see more of your work on the internet?

a)I mainly showcase my work on my website, there's a section dedicated to people. Other media might follow.