The iconic red bus is emblematic of London, adorning countless souvenirs and collectibles. There are 675 bus routes in the city, which are traversed by 9,300 vehicles. On average, people make around 5 million journeys every day. Photographer Steve Madden鈥檚 new book, The Grind, captures a small snapshot of these commuters and travellers. Madden created this series after spending mornings on the radio for the BBC; he would then head into Central London whenever it rained. The bad weather would lead to condensation on the windows and create abstract scenes. The resulting images depict an endless stream of unidentifiable people moving past, with flashes of colourful clothes against the harsh lighting of public transport. Now, a selection of these beautiful images is published by GOST Books. 麻豆传媒映画 caught up with the artist to discuss how the project came about; the role of photography in documenting an ever-changing location; and what鈥檚 next for him.聽
A: Tell us about how you got into working behind the lens 鈥 where did it all begin?
SM:聽I started making pictures when I was 9, on holiday in Edinburgh. I think I was born to do this 鈥 it just felt intuitive, even then. My first pictures were terrible, of course, but I learn quickly, so by the time I was 14 or 15, I had my first pictures published with a front-page splash in my local newspaper. Shortly afterwards, I was getting published in transport books and magazines, and more generally too. When I was at Cambridge, I submitted pictures to the university newspaper, Varsity.
A: Your book聽The Grind聽captures the quiet beauty of anonymous commuters behind the misted bus windows of London. How did the idea for this project come to you?
SM:聽The origins of聽The Grind聽go back a long way. I first had the idea in October 2005 when I saw a woman on a bus in Shaftesbury Avenue (London鈥檚 theatreland), trying not to fall asleep. She was perfectly framed by the window. It was an OK picture, but other projects and life got in the way, so it wasn鈥檛 till January 2017 that I came back to it in earnest. I鈥檇 gone to Euston Station on the day of an Underground Strike, to photograph the crowds. As I stood in the rain, I noticed how beautiful people looked through the condensation on the bus windows. I was ecstatic, and knew I鈥檇 have to continue. I was also soaked. My shoes took five days to dry out.
A: What were the biggest challenges of creating a project like this?
厂惭:听The challenges are many. Not photographic ones 鈥 it鈥檚 just a DSLR with a zoom lens. The exposures can be quite long in the near-dark, but I鈥檓 blessed with steady hands. No, the challenge is just the physical discomfort. I was prepared to stand in puddles in the rain, or extreme cold, for a few hours at a time, and it can be grim. There was a particularly smelly doorway in Waterloo, for instance. Once you鈥檝e found the right spot and pictures are flowing, you forget the challenging surroundings.聽
A: You鈥檝e said that there were certain bus stops 鈥 Finsbury Park, Hounslow, Islington, Waterloo, Whitechapel 鈥 you were repeatedly drawn to. What were you looking for when you set out to take these photographs, and what was it about these locations that fit that idea?
SM: Honestly, I was merely drawn to where I thought I鈥檇 get the best shots. Once I got started, I wanted to capture the diverse demographic of Londoners. It鈥檚 not meant purely as social commentary, but I hope the variation in social class, wealth, lifestyle and fashion is there in the book. It鈥檚 easy for me to see it, because I was there. I travelled all over London, and I found about eight locations that gave me something special. It helps to know London and its buses, but much of it is common sense.
A: The misted windows in your photographs create a unique abstraction, often obscuring faces and creating a dreamlike quality. How important is the element of mystery in your work?
SM: The mystery element is so important. The dream-like quality, if you like. The project evolved over three winters, so, when I started, the pictures were much more like portraits, easy to read. But it grew into something much more abstract. Stuart Smith at GOST Books helped convince me that the puzzling ones work best, and other photographers felt that too. You have to listen to what the pictures are telling you. And what your friends say. At least one of the Grind images has no people in it at all.
A: In your photos, there’s an evident emotional complexity in the commuters you photograph 鈥 moments of introspection, joy, sadness and connection. Were you looking to offer a different perspective on a city that can often be perceived as anonymous and disconnected?
厂惭:听I just wanted to capture the huge range of emotions. I don鈥檛 think it鈥檚 a comment on London as a city, but I think people could work out from the images which city it is. It would be interesting to show people the images with no introduction and get them to work out 鈥渨here we are.鈥 But you鈥檙e right, so much of human experience is there on the faces 鈥 there鈥檚 boredom, exhaustion, laughter, bewilderment, anxiety, sadness, blank stares and joy, for instance. Even hunger! There鈥檚 much more variety in the ones we didn鈥檛 use 鈥 it鈥檚 agony to leave out some of your favourites, some of which tell yet other stories.
A: Do you have a personal favourite image from the series?
SM:聽There鈥檚 one I鈥檝e always called 鈥測ellow head.鈥 The Strand, 27 November 2018. I saw a guy on the upper deck, before the bus had even stopped. I was muttering 鈥淒on鈥檛 turn your head. Look straight ahead, like that鈥, and it fell into my lap. I got three shots, then the bus was gone. The first shot was the best, as so often. Mr Yellowhead is the final picture in the book.
A: London is always changing and moving, and some of the location or routes you鈥檝e captured are no longer there. How do you feel about the role of photography of documenting and pausing a particular moment in time?
厂惭:听Photography is about so many things, but it鈥檚 probably more about history than anything. When you press that shutter, you create a historical document. Every time. The significance can take years, or even decades, to emerge. But it鈥檚 there in every shot. We photographers are the luckiest artists of all 鈥 we get to nail that thousandth-of-a-second, what Joel Meyerowitz calls 鈥渢earing a moment out of the fabric of life鈥 鈥 and it will always be there. What a gift! Think of your school photograph. We don鈥檛 know it at the time, but we鈥檙e capturing something that may be history tomorrow. All these pictures were made pre-Covid. Nobody saw that coming. And it鈥檚 changed so much about humanity.聽The Grind聽pictures look contemporary, but they won鈥檛 always.
A: Who, or what, are you biggest creative inspirations?聽
厂惭:听Specifically, for this project? Nobody. Maybe Michael Wolf was at the back of my subconscious. But more generally? I鈥檓 convinced we are affected by everything we鈥檝e ever seen, so who knows? I鈥檝e long admired so many photographers 鈥 the French humanists, so Henri Cartier-Bresson, Robert Doisneau, Marc Riboud, and especially Willy Ronis. Then in 1984, I stumbled on William Klein, and my life was never quite the same. Klein broke every rule and created some of my favourite images ever. Half a dozen of his pictures, I carry round in my head. As for colour, I love Saul Leiter, Ernst Haas, as well as Bruce Davidson and Harry Gruyaert.
A: What are you working on right now? Anything we can look forward to?
厂惭:听There鈥檚 more to come. I have two projects finished that I鈥檇 like to get published really soon 鈥 one is about a London place, the other about an international event. I鈥檓 always working on two or three projects at a time, so right now I have three projects on the go, one of which is very abstract.
The Grind is published by GOST Books:
Words: Emma Jacob & Steve Madden
Image credits:
Strand, November 2018 漏 Steve Madden.
Waterloo, January 2020 漏 Steve Madden.
Whitechapel, November 2018 漏 Steve Madden.
Hounslow, December 2018 漏 Steve Madden.
Strand, November 2018 漏 Steve Madden.
