KT: How did you get into photography? When/what was your first encounter with visual media?
GZ: I am a child of popular culture. I grew up with movies, video games, graphic novels and of course images were omnipresent. It is hard not to absorb them. Once you reach a certain degree of awareness, you ask yourself about the consequences of all this visual input. And as an artist, I love to play around with the sheer endless possibilities visual media give you. To talk about topics that I think should be of interest for us as a society. I do not see myself so much as a photographer although I also work with a camera. But the important part is not the images themselves, the important part to me is always the story, I am trying to tell.
KT: Your self-published photobook ‘The Sentinel Script’ is a mysterious book based around the aftermath of the catastrophic 1986 Chernobyl nuclear accident. What do you like about the medium of photography in book format? Why did you decide to call your book-project ‘The Sentinel Script’?
GZ: A photobook gives the artist the chance to tell a complex story in a compact form. The density compared to the required space opens possibilities you can hardly find in an exhibition space. Also, there is the obvious advantage of accessibility especially if you compare it to an exhibition. Admittedly it is not as accessible as an online project, but then again it comes with other qualities that an online project can hardly offer: you can hold it, you can feel it, you can smell it. And since we are already talking about the aftermath of nuclear catastrophes, I think the chances of survival of a book are far more probable. But well, let us hope we never have to find out.
The Sentinel Script is a name that can be found in psychology as well as in computer language. In the book, the sentinel fulfils a twin assignment. He is the guardian of the zone on one hand and the storyteller on the other. So it is his script, his story to tell. The fact that a script is also something used in computer language makes it all the more fitting since the book combines photography with video game still-images.
KT: What was the collaborative process between you and the Italian collective ‘Discipula’ for the editing of your haunting yet powerful book ‘The Sentinel Script’? What were the difficulties you faced during this project?
GZ: Discipula had a remarkable impact on the book. It was my first major project and they were an incredible help in forming my still raw idea (in the beginning) into something more accessible and defined. Their way of editing also gave me the distance I needed at that time to reassess and to become more precise in my own vision. They had a great understanding of where I wanted to go right from the beginning and I am very thankful I had the chance to work together with them.
To be honest I cannot really think of any major difficulties. At some point, you just have to take a little time to to get a more distant perspective and to get a clearer focus. If you are impatient these might be tricky times, but then they are definitely well spent.
