Marco Galloway
Episode 01
Marco Galloway is a photographer and designer from Glasgow, Scotland working in Brooklyn, New York. His photographs transform every day observations into cinematic moments. His furniture inspires a call back to a simple, refined natural world. He is a dear friend of the studio and our first conversation for Time Project.
TS
Great to have you here, Marco. We’ve been looking forward to doing this for quite some time. Let’s start by talking about your process as a photographer-designer-maker, and how that has evolved over the years.
MG
I’m a restless person, I like to do lots of different things, and that reflects into what I put out into the world - I never saw my output as a singular expression or practice.
When I was in art school, instead of regular printed or digital deliverables I would make books out of wood. The pages would be bits of ply riveted to hinges that would fold out into these massive books. That multidisciplinary process started a long time ago but it’s all a part of the same conversation.
For Instance, the first thing that got me into doing furniture was wanting to build a plinth for a plant in my apartment, that progressed into building most of the furniture in my apartment. I wanted my surroundings to look a certain way that pleased me, and if they didn’t, I could hold myself responsible and learn some lessons along the way.
TS
How did your process of documenting through photography develop?
MG
The photographic aspect started long before the making, I just taught myself when I was a teenager and bought a secondhand camera. It was a way for me to dream and if I was to wish for a function from this output, I would hope that my photographs have the possibility to take someone somewhere other than where they currently are. If they can go somewhere calm that lets them dream, even for a little moment, I think that’s a nice engagement of a part of your brain we can forget to exercise.
TS
What have you learned on your journey that has really made the biggest difference in turning your passions into your career?
MG
Though it’s a very recent lesson after years of putting my head down and plugging away myself, generally when you ask for help, people are mostly willing to give it. That's a nice lesson to learn. For me, when I started doing that, that’s when I noticed a shift in in the way I looked at my own work.
TS
What is the best measure of success?
MG
Happiness is the best measure of success. And stepping outside of yourself to think about how your work contributes to the happiness of others.
TS
Do you have any advice for aspiring creative professionals?
MG
Sooner or later, you need to take a risk and believe that you’re capable. Our responsibility is to show people that anyone can do it. If you have a job that you love, if you're able to make a living doing something that you're enthusiastic about, the most empowering byproduct of that is being able to show others that it’s possible.
TS
What have you seen recently that inspired you?
MG
The last thing I saw that genuinely inspired me was Max Lamb at Salon 94, mainly the wooden chairs and stools that were a part of a new collection of his. They were gorgeous. Somehow so original and so new. And to achieve that in a single material in the present, saturated day, it felt unique.
TS
Is there a person that has guided you in defining principles for your work?
MG
Probably Enzo Mari, for his extremely egalitarian outlook and output. He was an industrial designer and while many of his objects were beautiful, a totem of his was that he wanted whoever made the objects to gain some enjoyment from the process. That feels slightly lost in the modern day, perhaps we can get it back.