Exhibition: Trouble Rides A Fast Horse
Michael Danischewski's latest solo exhibition, Trouble Rides A Fast Horse, kicks up the dust on Victoria's rodeo culture, inviting a dialogue that transcends the eight-second spectacle. It's intimate. It's tenacious. It doesn't let go.
Words: Morgan Rudolph. Photos: Michael Danischewki / IG: @mdanischewski
Following the print edition of the same name, Michael joins this year’s Ballarat International Foto Biennale with a showing that bucks harder than payday at the pub. With seven years boots-on-the-ground, Michael's portraiture lays bare life on the rodeo circuit. We caught up with Michael during install to discuss the journey so far.
Trouble Rides A Fast Horse opens August 23rd–October 19th, Monday–Sunday, 4pm–8pm, at The Mallow Hotel, 18/20 Skipton St, Ballarat VIC 3350. See you there.
Michael, great to catch you. Where are you currently based?
I'm currently in Melbourne. I moved around a lot as a kid, but this has always been home.
How did you get hooked on photography?
I had a few friends in the year above me study it in high school, so I decided to give it a crack. I remember the first class my teacher taught us how to load a roll of black and white film and said, "Over the weekend, shoot the roll. On Monday, I’ll show you how to process it in the darkroom." As soon as I saw the contact sheet develop in front of my eyes in the next class, I knew I didn’t want to do anything else. Instantly hooked.
Cliche’s aside, can you recall your first rodeo? Was it the impetus behind TRAFH?
Yeah absolutely, I was returning from a camping trip and stuck to the side of a pole was a sign that read “Bunyip Rodeo, Australia Day”. Instantly I had the questions pop up in my head “Where is Bunyip?”, “What does a rodeo look like in Australia?” and “On a day like Australia Day?” My curiosity got the better of me, so a week later I packed up my camera and went to find out for myself.
TRAFH captures both the tenacity and vulnerability of the rodeo community. Were there any other themes hiding in plain sight? How did the narrative evolve with time?
I was really curious about the people participating in the rodeo, mainly young men and their search for adrenaline. There is also a pageantry to it, the chaps and the western dress. It's unlike anything else. But as an outsider, I knew I didn’t understand the true depth of the event, how it binds rural communities together, gives them an opportunity to celebrate the ties to the land and the livestock they take care of.
Was it challenging gaining the trust of the community? Did your portraits require much direction? What other challenges occurred?
I think the biggest challenge initially was my own self-doubt of how close I could get to the action without being kicked out of the venue. I slowly crept closer and closer to the chutes, knowing I was in an area that was fraught with danger due to the activities of a rodeo. Most riders didn't care too much to be photographed and gave a simple, stoic thumbs-up once I asked for their portrait. After that formality washed away, I could chat with them and then get to work. Since I kept turning up, they recognised my face and I could show them what I had shot at the previous event, so that made things a lot easier. At the start, many didn't worry too much, but by the end of my time shooting rodeos a few years down the track, they almost all wanted a photo for their social media profiles.
Were there any stories or individuals that particularly moved you or shifted your perspective?
Yeah absolutely, you see all perspectives. I once met a man who only competed in rodeo after only being on a horse once or twice before. He was out to impress his new girlfriend who grew up riding. I also met a guy who got hung up underneath a horse, broke his skull, ribs and could barely walk after the incident, just over a year later got back on to compete. When I met him, he was bleeding from a small nick in the eyebrow. As he put it, “he got off easy” after a horse glanced at him in the face with his hoof after he dismounted a failed ride.
Tell us about your go-to camera, lighting and post-processing for this project.
I shot 95% of it on the Mamiya 7 and the other 5% on a Mamiya RZ67. I wanted the quality to come through, although I'd happily trade it with a faster shooting system if I was to shoot it again. I didn't want to draw too much attention to myself, so I just used available light and left the post really minimal. Just a scan, a bump of colour and contrast, that was it. I'd rather spend my time shooting rather than doing post or sitting by a computer.
Why the title "Trouble Rides A Fast Horse"?
It happened by accident. I was tossing about a few other names for the project and then I saw a custom vinyl sticker, “Trouble Rides A Fast Horse”, adorning a Mac truck parked at a rodeo event. So, safe to say that felt really fitting.
How did you approach the sequencing and curation of the images in the book? Who did you lean on for proofing, printing and publishing?
This was a hard process. Having shot maybe 30–35 rolls of 120, I knew I had to cull it down. It took me at least a year to do and I struggled with it the whole time. I knew what the start and the end would be. I mapped out maybe 3–4 drafts of sequencing, then when I was 80–90% happy, I dove in with the designer Paul Allworthy to edit, adjust and tweak the final sequence. I trusted his vision. We got one mock down and knew that with one or two tweaks and a last-minute addition, we were good to hit print. We both decided that if we were going to do it, we were going to do it right. So we went all out, hardcover, linen-bound and all the trimmings. I didn't want to look back and be like, ah, we should have done this or that, so committed to making it special. The perks of being self-published and working closely with local suppliers is we could own the decision-making process and I'm really happy with how it turned out. I even got to see the books bound and the covers being pressed, which was really special.
Was there an image you hesitated to include? Alternatively, one that became more powerful in context?
It's funny because there are some really strong images that I personally love that didn't make the cut. I'm a big believer in what makes the body of work stronger and should stay, even if a good one here or there gets cut. I really like some of the quieter moments in the book, because a lot of what I was interested in wasn't the crash and action of the rodeo. I think there are a few portraits that will stand the test of time in there, so I'm really happy with those.
What are your sources of inspiration?
I do look at a lot of photobook publishers and photographers but a lot of what I get truly inspired by happens when I'm out with a camera, I let my curiosity drive a lot of my shooting, I ask a lot of questions and see where it leads. I think sometimes if I'm just looking at other people's work I get bogged down with comparison anxiety or trying to create similar looking work, so I try to just get out and see what catches my eye, engage with the characters I meet along the way and try to present them in a simple yet striking way.
What can the punters expect to take away from TRAFH?
I think it would be an insight into a subculture that exists just outside of our suburban sprawl, that has deep roots and is quite often misunderstood. I tried to document the people over the action and allow viewers to get lost in something that once they have seen in the book they would want to go and see for themselves.
Lastly, is there anybody you’d like to thank?
Everybody that allowed me to photograph or engage with them for the shooting and production of this project, I’m very grateful for their time and patience while I was making the work.
View the Ballarat International Foto Biennale program, HERE.
