While we burn the midnight oil to design brand-new websites for ADC and Young Guns, our friend – Brooklyn-based photographer and artist Henry Hargreaves – is burning something else. We asked him to create a piece that symbolizes our progress as we build a new Club for you.

If you’re not familiar with Henry’s work, he’s the guy who shot the Deep-Fried Apple Products that have been stirring up a lot of buzz lately.

Here is Henry’s take on the “out with the old, in with the new” mentality. We sat down with him to dive a little deeper into his creative mind.

So, did you enjoy melting this computer for the ADC?

Henry: This was one of my favorite shoots. Thanks for green lighting my crazy concept, Ignacio. I didn’t have the heart to tell the classic computer enthusiast I bought it from on ebay what I was going to do with it when it arrived – I think he thought I was going to try and restore it. I wanted to make a joke about time and ‘new websites’ that never seem to come with a computer that clearly pre-dated the information superhighway. Anyway I feel it’s much better for this thing to live on burning in pictures than collect dust for a few more years before it heads to the landfill.

How did you get into photography? More specifically, the unique type of photography that you do?

Henry: I decided to shoot what I wanted to see instead of waiting for interesting things to fall in my lap. I didn’t see much stuff I responded to out there so I began to conduct my own shooting with the mindset that if I like what I’m doing, some others must.

Having done some time as a fashion model on the other side of the camera, do you feel you have a different appreciation for the craft?

Henry: I worked with some real jerks, divas and prima donnas in full flight. I can certainly appreciate how much more constructive it is to remove those personalities from the set.

What made you want to deep-fry Apple products? Was it like the Fight Club scene: “I felt like destroying something beautiful…”

Henry: With a lot of my work I like to make bizarre cultural mash-ups. I got my hands on a deep fryer and was wondering what would be fun to fry, food was WAY too boring, but that phone everyone was queuing up for could be fun.

All of your work seems to make a bigger statement, about society and culture – on top of just being aesthetically pleasing. How important is this to you when making art?

Henry: Yeah a good picture certainly uses both barrels. But I find that the cultural statement varies from person to person. Was the deep fried shoot about people’s appetite for products being gross or was it saying they are good enough to eat or did I just want to fry a phone? I find that if you give someone something they are familiar with in a different setting they will make their own mind up what the story is.

Banksy – like or dislike?

Henry:

L
I
K
E

Your 3DD book is a compilation of beautifully shot breasts in 3D. Have you been reading my diary?

Henry: Warped minds think alike brother!

What’s the craziest thing you’ve ever done for a shoot?

Henry: I shot a 3DD side project of a bunch women’s boobs with a scanner.

Not to give away any secrets… but what is one dream project you hope to take on in the future?

Henry: Love to do something with a Formula 1 car when I grow up.

Professional photography is becoming more competitive than ever. Do you have any words of wisdom to impart on aspiring photographers out there?

Henry: Do something different!

Just one more question. Will you smash a TV with me? (We can use the Art Director’s “Club.”)

Henry: Go on and twist my limp rubber arm…

To see more of Henry’s work, visit his site: henryhargreaves.com
And stay tuned for our new ADC and Young Guns websites!