When do you know you’ve begun working on a series?
Megan Hershman:For me it’s a bit of a process. I don’t consciously think about working on new or different work. It just happens organically.
TMN:Did you own a Lite-Brite as a child?
Megan Hershman:I did!
TMN:Which branch of science attracts you the most?
Megan Hershman:Astronomy.
TMN:Favorite constellation?
Megan Hershman:Aries.
TMN:Where is the least desirable place to live?
Megan Hershman:Arnhem. It’s in the Netherlands.
TMN:When are you finished with a picture?
Megan Hershman:I photograph with a large-format view camera, which means I always shoot with 4x5 negative sheet film. I never really know what the image is going to look like until I pick it up from the developer. It’s the best part of the process for me. So I suppose it’s finished when I get the negatives back.
TMN:What time of day do you prefer to work?
Megan Hershman:I need complete darkness to photograph so usually I work at night.
TMN:Why photography?
Megan Hershman:I think photography has a way of being incredibly mystical, the way an image is slowly revealed to you in a darkroom is amazing to me. But lately I have been thinking about my work in terms of a built environment, and what it would be like to possibly create actual spaces that mimic the photographs I make in the studio.
TMN:What’s your favorite household appliance?
Megan Hershman:This is a tough one, but I’m going to go with my coffee maker.
TMN:What does “abstract” mean to you?
Megan Hershman:Abstraction is a place or a thought that is not fully understood, an attempt at something new.
TMN:When was your first airplane ride?
Megan Hershman:I was 10 I think. Family trip to New York!
TMN:Does art always contain mystery?
Megan Hershman:No, not always.
TMN:Coffee or tea?
Megan Hershman:Coffee in the morning, tea at night.
TMN:Scotch or nothing?
Megan Hershman:Gin.
