This 27-year-old Londoner invariably takes a slightly different view of the life that surrounds her. As part of her photography degree, Melinda Gibson honed her exceptional approach and great eye for detail, slicing up photographs with a sure hand and razor-sharp scalpel to lift out individual elements and replace them with her own image fragments. Blessed with a unique vision, she shows places, spaces and scenes in a new light, revealing aspects unnoticed by the photographer or highlighting those that Gibson missed in the original. Her prime source and basis: well-thumbed magazines, old prints or her personal image archive; choice elements that lend photographs by icons like Wolfgang Tillmans an entirely new aesthetic – that certain Gibson flair that reframes what’s obvious, but not always visible.

Exclusively for mb! the artist now takes a new leap of faith and her method one step further. All of the artworks gathered in the exclusive series displayed in the image gallery above do not rely on magazine finds or extended antiquing trips but instead break new ground with their artistic substrate. Together with mb! Gibson embarked on a tour of London to involve us in her creative process of and capture just the right materials for the works she has in mind.

The day kicks off with some bona fide English tea in her London studio tucked away in a small lane south of the river. Equipped with an analogue camera, wellies and another photographer to document the day’s spoils, we take the new A-Class AMG Sport for a spin across London to discover the artist’s inspirational spots and allow the photographer to capture the dilapidated walls, wooden crates and flowers pointed out by Melinda. Not the easiest of tasks for the hired professional who strives to photograph just the right details that draw the artist’s idiosyncratic mind – but a welcome and stimulating challenge for both creatives involved.

Combined fuel consumption: 6,4-3,8 l/100 km, combined CO2-emissionen: 148-98 (g/km)*

First stop on the list: Bermondsey Street with its enchanting flower shop and the culinary delights of nearby Borough Market, which provides a rich fount of motifs for Gibson’s archives when she drops in for her daily shopping. Next up is the Wapping Project and its historic riverside brick buildings, followed by the artist’s favourite source of all things visual, Camden Passage. The street‘s countless tiny antique emporia offer exactly what the artist craves: myriads of prints, books and magazines of times gone by. Finally, and just in time for dusk, we enjoy the fresh air of Hampstead Heath, a gently undulating hillside retreat and welcome oasis for a moment of peace – and a mental dissection of the day’s finds for future use in Melinda‘s collaged creations.

Please click on the image gallery above to view Gibson’s personal view of London and a few impressions of the tour!

More information on the artist and her new publication The Photograph as Contemporary Art: www.melindagibson.blogspot.de

Our special thanks go out to:
Lucid Ly: www.lucid-ly.com
Mercedes-Benz Passenger Cars London: www.mercedes-benz.co.uk