Fluid & Form is a photographic collection by Copenhagen-based visual artist Marius Budu. He explores the female form using different themes in his work. This series sparked the entire Human Canvas section of his work in which he applies foreign textures and colours to the subject and records the resulting visual relationship.
We asked Budu about the origin of Fluid & Form and how the concept behind it came about.
“When I started working with the human figure as a medium, I also wanted to use the form as a separate 'canvas'. The model, Erin Elizabeth, is a painter herself so I thought she would be the perfect person to collaborate with as the concept was fitting – it would be portraits of herself as an artist. I spoke to her about the idea and she loved it so we set up the shoot,” Budu said.
While the use of vivid liquid resulted in interesting imagery, the fluid gelatin proved to be an understandably challenging material to work with, as the photographer explains.
“The project was shot over two days – the first day was a 10-hour session and the second was a 12-hour session. With the help of my assistant, we used over 100 litres of gelatin in various states of congealment to create these images.
Aside from the very long days, working with a material that is extremely volatile and slippery was quite difficult. I had to get the shots in very quickly as soon as my assistant poured the gelatin. It ran down the body very fast and I had limited time for composing and shooting the images because of that.
After each set, we had to clean the studio floor while the model showered and start again. At the very end, we used four buckets of red gelatin which were thrown in the air towards Erin to create these beautiful liquid sculptures travelling towards the model.”
Marius Budu has been expressing creativity, in one form or another, from an early age. As a kid, he was an avid painter, sculptor and illustrator. During his teens, he started to write poetry with accompanying digital collages. Eventually, this visual communication evolved into original photography and his focus moved to the human body.
Thinking of the young creative minds who have not yet gathered the courage to pick up their own camera to start a career behind the lens, Budu says, “Experiment a lot, shoot what you love and engage with your subject matter as often as you can. Ask for advice from other photographers in your niche but don't get too influenced by their work.
There is enough plagiarism out here. The world needs new talent with their own ideas and visual styles. Seek inspiration from books, films, nature, conversations and other sources outside of photography. This will help you keep things fresh and evolve your work faster.”
Looking to the future, Budu aims to expand the Dreamworld section of his photographic portfolio, in which he navigates more ethereal topics through the female form. The photographer also aims to branch out to motion picture, as he commences work on an art film that will explore the relationship we have with ourselves as the author, protagonist and observer of our own dreams.
