In my ?In The Deep End? series I make use of photography?s ability to at once de-contextualize the familiar and create visual narratives, evoking a fusion of dreamlike memories and sense of childhood regression. The clear, warm water of the swimming pool represents an intersection between the cultural and social pursuit of leisure, the natural element of water and manmade space. The pool provides a place of temporary detachment from life?s everyday routine, people seem liberated and at once removed from any social reference as they float, dive, sink or swim through the water. Not unlike some scene from Cirque du Soleil, these unwitting cast members set the stage for a sort of contemporary choreography - the human body submerged underwater and illuminated by an ever-changing quality of light provide all the elements for a playful ballet seemingly detached from gravity. Working in public swimming pools where photography is of course prohibited, I smuggled in my camera and surreptitiously maneuvered underwater whilst photographing without the knowledge or complicity of my subjects as I inevitably strained to hold my breath. Seeking out public swimming pools on the Cot? D'Azur and elsewhere around the Mediterranean, I was drawn to scenes of the unusual, frequently populated with energetic children less content to wallow on the surface than their more 'mature' parents. The decision to photograph in black & white was a central choice. Without the immediacy of colour and the blue hue of the water to provide context, one's recognition that these pictures are taken underwater is momentarily delayed and underscores the abstract sense of suspension and movement that permeates through the series.
Born in London in 1978, Damion lives and works in New York and France.
Whilst initially pursuing a Business degree at University in France, an offer from Helmut Newton to become his assistant marked a turning point in direction and subsequently led him to New York where he earned a BFA in Photography at Parsons School of Design.
â??Damionâ??s work predominantly revolves around themes of social ritual, exploring the parallel correlation between human interaction and the social context by which itâ??s defined. Working in black & white and often presented in large format, his images appear strikingly fresh. Although his photographs are notably spontaneous they are infused with a classic compositional flair reminiscent of the work of notable masters of the small camera such as Cartier-Bresson and Lartigue.â??
His work has been exhibited in the United States, Canada and Europe and is held in private collections in the United States, Europe, South America and the Far East. He has been featured in Magazines such as PDN, American Photo, Hotshoe, B&W Magazine, Sunday Times Magazines and the British Journal of Photograph and was recently selected for The Magenta Foundationâ??s â??Flash Forward 2008â??, named the winner of the inaugural â??Flash Forward Book Awardâ?? for his project â??In the Deep Endâ?? to be published in 2009. Listed among the â??top 50 Photographersâ?? in Photolucidaâ??s â??Critical Mass 2008â??, his multi-year project â??R.S.V.P.â??, on the milieu of â??old moneyâ?? society in the context of formal, black-tie gatherings around the world, is also due to be published by Mets & Schilt in 2009.
