Through a Lens: London Mahogany’s Creative Vision

Photo shoots, short films, new parenthood—there’s a lot on London Mahogany’s plate, but as we sit down inside Houlihan’s in Uptown, he’s calm and composed. Every table in the main dining room as well as the seats at the bar are occupied; the voices merge into one large, indistinct conversation. London and I find a table near the patio. London’s face as we settle in is impassive, and I have a difficult time gauging his enthusiasm. But once we begin to talk about his work, his face transforms immediately: pure joy.

The LocaL: You have been creating so much lately, using many different forms of expression. For the work you have done so far, what has been the one that pleases you most?

London Mahogany: So far it’s been my BLK CAT short film. The idea I had was to show not necessarily “Black Experience” but the beauty of the past. I wanted to take the aesthetic of the Black Panther Party of the civil rights movement as a fashion statement and use local models, local poets, and even other local photographers just to have a collaborative project for black history month. I released it on the final day to close black history month. It isn’t to say one race is better than the other, but more to show the positivity out of all the negativity. The bad news and racial pain we are going through even now; I wanted something to empower, especially people of color who’ve been put down for a while.

TL: Art, like anything else, can take direction from trends. Certain views may not be looked to as wanted or acceptable. In a time when it can seem that some issues you tackle in your short films are irrelevant, why did you decide to go in that direction?

LM: Number one motivation came from my view that a lot of creative black artists in the area seem to not have any type of representation online, they are unheard of, and that pushed me to do it in the beginning. Because of time constraints, I couldn’t include everything I wanted to. I decided to take time during all the chaos surrounding us and say, ‘hey, let’s do something that isn’t directed towards saying people of the black race being greater than any other race, but stating that we have been in this place of pain, crumbling and division before. We filmed in abandoned buildings and areas viewed as ugly to show that we can come together and unify to make beauty from struggle. Unity. A better tomorrow than where we were yesterday. Outside of the aesthetic importance of unity was the focus.

TL: You’re a busy photographer. Of all the shots you’ve taken, what has made you the most proud?

LM: I have a photo entitled “Corporate America.” A man is lying in a pool of water surrounded by dead fish. That shot is saying a dead fish always goes with the flow, a fish that is alive only moves in its own direction, going upstream and downstream. Don’t become stagnant in your current situation—whether it’s a job, your living situation, your passion—don’t become stagnant. When I created the photo it was because I was going through my own issues with my job. My position was getting dissolved. I wasn’t getting fired; it was more so the whole company was going under. Making me come to the realization that I was becoming a dead fish. I felt as if I were in a pond amongst so many other people that all knew what direction they were going; meanwhile, I was just floating. That picture has touched me the most.

TL: How do you approach your work?

LM: I enjoy putting an ordinary person in an extraordinary situation or an extraordinary person in an ordinary situation. I don’t move outside of that thought process. I will put a woman with wings representing her as an angel inside a very domesticated environment. I will put someone inside a world they have never been in. Average Joes. As a kid growing up I was a only child, forcing me to create worlds and tap into something more extraordinary than who I actually was. Imagine powers, strange places, and the ability to fly, I could be watching a movie or a cartoon and see these spectacular adventures I wanted to be a part of. It all spawns from that. When I create, I try not to lose my childhood.

TL: Are you originally from the area?

LM: I was born in Columbus and raised in Phenix City, but you know you can spit from one side to the other with them being so close, so I just claim them both.

TL: In what way do you feel the area has played a role in your work?

LM: It’s played a big role with me being raised here. In Phenix City, there isn’t much to do. I didn’t have many friends so it was just me in the yard, with the trees, sticks, rocks and toys. Once I came to Columbus, I met others like myself. Going from a place where you had to create something to walking into an area where everyone is always creating and going to the beat of their own drum. The mix of environments has developed who I am today. Social connections come from Columbus and my imagination came from Phenix City.

TL: Being around so much creativity, what about yours do you feel stands out?

LM: I’m not focused on what anybody else’s work might look like, or how do I need to one up the next guy. I’m only sticking to my realm. Only consuming what I like and nothing that I consider negative. If I let go of my own realm, I will lose a piece of myself that got me to where I am today. A lot of times people do things for popularity or recognition. I’m not trying to be recognized, I’m just doing what I love. People recognize that I genuinely have fun with my craft. I would rather them continue to see that and know that I appreciate what I do. I don’t think I’m better than anybody else or that nobody else has amazing talent; I just don’t try to get influenced.

TL: You have a piece you did with your talk on Snow White. Do you often get to points where you say “I’m going to take this idea and put a twist on it?”

LM: I think when you take something recognizable to people, they will process it a little better. They will notice the differences. When it came to Snow White, I partnered with a makeup artist named Kristian Ladon. We came up with the idea to take Snow White and make her African American. I’m talking dark chocolate skin, so you have a clear view that she isn’t mixed with anything else; she is blatantly black. If you think of the name Snow White, those words alone. Snow is white and white is white. So I felt if I can take someone of color and put them in a just as famous and recognizable as the original, then I think more people will be open to receiving it in a different way. A lot of times you won’t see anybody of color in these classic roles that have been predominantly portrayed as white. Yes, lately you will start to see more roles of diversity, but when it comes to old fashioned roles, you will usually see them as caucasian. It still feels close to home, but you can see this new take.

TL: What are three things you want people to take away when coming in contact with your work?

LM: First thing is that it’s completely original outside of my spins on other works. I have a signature take on everything I do. You might always grow to see that I enjoy dark tones and vibrant colors in my work. It’s so important for colors to match the emotion. Second is that the experience with me is exactly that. We will communicate as if we have known each other for years. It’s more than just showing up and taking pictures and leaving. Lastly, I would say communication. I always try to communicate that everyone is pleased with the end product, and even just the process of getting to the final product. I get my view across as well as yours.

TL: Whose work do you appreciate at the moment?

LM: A photographer named Paris Nuken, another by the name of Nirav Patel, and then there’s Hans Caspar. Those might not be known, but I never look to the most popular or the most known people for inspiration. When it comes to film, I look up to directors such as M. Night Shyamalan; he is not the most popular, but he is one of my favorites because he always has something you never see coming, and that is something I look to have in my work. Jordan Peele is new, but he’s doing things that are very unique. He creates social thrillers, touching on subjects that are not often mentioned publicly. Christopher Nolan and Guillermo del Toro walk that line between reality and fantasy, which is something I always try to display in my work. One day I hope to have my own niche that people recognize as my own genre of creativity.

TL: Someone hands you a camera; what do you see?

LM: I now possess the eyes of God. That camera, to me, can see through things, see auras, what something could be, should be, what it was. Past, present and future. Creation and what dreams are made of. The extension of my imagination that I had as a child. The lens seeing on a whole new plain of existence.

TL: Can we have any insight into your upcoming work?

LM: Going forward I’m taking a very directorial approach to my work. I have a lot of things I’m
working on from short films, web series, photography projects, and more. I have my
hands in so many different things that I don’t want to create any expectations
prematurely, I’m still in the planning stages with a lot of my projects. I usually like to work on the spur of the moment and that makes it fun for me.

TL: You recently became a father. In what way has that affected you?

LM: Becoming a father has pushed me into another level of motivation. Knowing that I have a young life that’s depending on me to succeed has given me a creative boost. I can now try to magnify another imagination outside of my own. I look forward to watching my son experience life, to give me more ideas and hopefully inspiring him to follow his dreams.

By Jaylan King