Minimalist architecture replicated in paper by photographer Nina Band

Photography student and It’s Nice That Graduate Nina Band caught our eye with her sculptural shots of minimalist architecture – some of which are so subtly lit that they might be mistaken for paintings – and can you blame us for being seduced by them? Over the course of her degree at Falmouth university she’s formed a solid body of work ranging from documentary images to these architectural beauties, and establishing her tastes in between. We caught up with her to find out how she came to fall upon this niche, and why she’d like to show her portfolio to Piet Mondrian.

“I’m one of three siblings who are all interested and involved in the arts, so growing with my brothers’ influences certainly guided me towards an interest in creativity,” Nina explains. “My secondary school specialised in the arts, so from GCSE level upwards there were so many alternative subjects that were available for us to study. That was when I chose to venture down the photographic route.”

She describes her time at university as “a rollercoaster of emotions,” but names her supportive peers and tutors as partially to thank for the achievements she’s had along the way. “I have been able to mature as an individual, to truly understand the way I work and what I am passionate about creating,” she says, “which has thoroughly benefited my photographic style.”

As for her projects, she believes her most recent work, called Pensive Dimensions, has been her most successful. “ Pensive Dimensions is an abstract vision of architecture, which focuses on the way we perceive shapes and forms within complex spaces.

“I have also constructed paper representations that break down the shapes from the original photographs, as an alternative interpretation of the way we see forms,” she continues. “My main intention is to challenge my audiences’ perceptions of angles, shapes and perspectives… I’m specifically drawn towards dated architecture and with my imagery. Another focus is to make my audience see how beautiful these forgotten buildings can be.”

Her least successful project came about when a university brief demanded that she work with digital, having spent two years shooting on film. “Stereotypically I took self-portraits and manipulated my appearance to make me look old and ill, as well as experimenting with the colour channels to bring attention to the melanin levels within the skin.”

The person she’d most like to show her portfolio “all comes down to whether they’re dead or alive,” she says. “Dead, I would have to say Mondrian. The Cubist movement inspired me throughout Pensive Dimensions and Mondrian was the primary influence. Mondrian’s imagery has enabled me to understand the ideology of minimalism with his simplistic, yet beautiful compositions.

“Alive, I would say Matthias Heiderich,” a Hamburg-based photographer whose work deals with architecture and striking shapes. “I’ve followed Heiderich for some time on Instagram and he was a huge inspiration towards the development of my photographic style – specifically due to the genre of architecture that we both photograph.

“The most important lesson I’ve learned so far is to step out of your comfort zone by taking risks,” she says. “My most successful projects were created travelling abroad with nothing but a film camera and praying for results.”

If Nina’s dreams come true in a year’s time we’ll find her “travelling the world as an established, freelance photographer, creating architectural imagery for a magazine or publication.” Watch this space.

Represent

We are very pleased that The It’s Nice That Graduates 2015 will once again be supported by Represent Recruitment. The graphic and digital design recruitment specialists have developed a peerless reputation working with designers of all levels and matching them up with the right positions in some of the top agencies around. Represent’s support has helped us grow the Graduate scheme over recent years and we are thrilled they have partnered with us again in 2015.

www.represent.uk.com