Inside The Tent by Vincent Tullo
“After finding out that the Big Apple Circus would be force to close due to funding issues I felt even more connected to this work. I was beyond saddened to hear this and find another part of amazing NY culture dying out. I wanted to pay homage to the circus and not just let these images sit on a hard drive. So i decided to make a book. I find photo books to be very special, almost a way of immortalizing the work. Having an exhibition the work will eventually come down, and online people will just flip through it, but as a book the work forever exists as its own object. I couldn’t think of a more perfect way to show this work.”
“‘Inside The Tent’ is a body of work covering the Big Apple Circus’s traveling performance this year, which sadly turned out to be their last show before going out of business. These images aim to capture the spectacular feeling of going to the circus. As children my mom always used to take my siblings and I to the circus. I always remember it being the most magical experience almost mimicking something out of a fictional movie. Bodies soar through the air, horses gallop in synchronized formations, and clowns frolic around toying with the audience. All of this and more under a small tent. No matter your age, it will leave you in awe.”
“Last year I had the oppertunity to photograph the Big Apple Circus once, so I was vaguely familiar with what I was getting into. However, this time I wanted the work to have a different, more thorough approach. I went in with two cameras, one with a normal lens and one with a telephoto and sat at the first show awaiting for the start. The first time shooting with the most hectic. I had no idea what to expect. Performers came from the ceiling, the left, the right, and any way you could imagine running, flipping, and spinning. It was fun but extremely hectic. When I decided that I was ready to make a full body of work on this I reached out to some people at the circus and was able to get almost full access for a few days. It was then I decided to photograph some practices, more shows, and even some portraits. I always feel its best to get as much as possible.”
“This body of work was one of the most fun things I have ever photographed. The performers and all of the staff were a complete joy to work with and some of the nicest people I will ever meet. After a few shoots I really got to know some of them and I am even still in touch now. Having such immense talent to work with really does make everything easier. Its not every day you get to spend a whole day with a 24 year girl who can hula hoop 40 hoops at a time without breaking a sweat. The best part is that you can ask “Can you do that again?” and know its not a problem, so photographing the practice/portrait sessions was really a lot of fun.”
“It’s really funny to see how over time your influences and direction of your work naturally take a path of their own. I find that any artist is drawn to certain scenes subconsciously. After shooting this body of work I started laying tons of my images out on my wall from various projects and started to realize that a lot of my work revolves around the human spectacle and what we do for fun in our free time. The circus is something that we retreat to in order to feel joy, wonder, and a sense of departure from the responsibilities we have in life. To me there is something so thrilling being able to capture these situations.”
The book ‘Inside The Tent’ with this work is scheduled to release at this years upcoming NYABF through the publisher A Love Token.
Thanks for reading this interview with New York-based photographer Vincent Tullo.
To see more of Vincent’s work visit his Instagram or Website.
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Originally published on Art Narratives
