november-2010

15 YEARS | MARY MCCARTNEY
includes images of Brit-artists Sam Taylor-
Wood and Tracey Emin and established
actors with a rebellious streak, like Vanessa
Redgrave, Sir Ian McKellen and Dame
Helen Mirren. Kate Moss is even seen with
Branston pickle to hand. As well as these
portraits, her documentary photos include
beautiful shots taken backstage at the Royal
Ballet, and London street scenes, such as a
pair of pearly kings.
“A sense of Britishness is defi nitely
something that is very present in my work.
I live in England and I’m very proud to be
British. British eccentricity appeals to me.
The shot of Dame Vivienne Westwood
for instance – it wasn’t a commission, I
approached her myself because she’s such a
strong character. I wanted her to look great
in the shot. It’s important to me that people
like the photos that I take of them.”
88 | TRAVELLER | 15 TH BIRTHDAY ISSUE
One of the most striking images is of
the artist Tracey Emin, dressed as the
painter Frida Kahlo. “That came about
because I had an idea to do a series of shots
of people dressed as fi gures who inspired
them. I did a few of them but never quite
fi nished the project. It began when Twiggy
told me she loved Greta Garbo so I shot
her as Garbo, and then I did Gwyneth
Paltrow as Madonna. I knew that Tracey
loved the work of Frida Kahlo and I do too,
so I approached her. I didn’t know her then
and I honestly thought she’d say no…” But
Emin loved the idea. “She got completely
into it. She wasn’t just posing or dressing
up – she really began to embody Kahlo.
She is staring into the distance, thinking
about Kahlo’s experiences and what might
have been on her mind. It was something
very special.”
Ultimately, all of McCartney’s work leads
her back to memories of her mother Linda,
whose own successful photography career
was cut short when she died from breast
cancer in 1997, aged 56.
“I think we’re drawn to some of the same
things and share the same eye. I look at
some photos of mine and they remind me
of photos from her archive. There’s a photo
of the countryside seen from my horse, with
the horse’s ears in the shot; that’s similar
to a photo she might have taken. I used to
sit and help her to edit her contact sheets.
When I became a photographer myself
she was always so supportive of me and
would phone me and ask, ‘So, how did your
shoot go?’”
From Where I Stand by Mary McCartney
is out now, published by Thames ^ Hudson
(£19.95/€25)