Marcia Prentice is the author of the new book How We Live. She is a photographer whose work can be seen in a variety of publications, including CA Home+Design Magazine. She is based in Los Angeles.
Q: How did you come up with the idea for this book, and how
did you choose the locations you photographed?
A: Before the idea for the book, I had photographed close to
100 homes of designers and artists in Los Angeles and had returned from a trip
to Rome, Italy. I had never traveled outside my country and was very curious to
explore more of the world.
When I was photographing the homes of creatives in Los
Angeles I would often hear - “my style is inspired by Danish design or I
am in love with Moroccan patterns, etc.” I wanted to visit the cities that
inspire so many design styles around the world.
My ideal for choosing the cities for the book was to
have a mix between the major design cities such as London, Milan, and New York
City and more unexpected cities such as Mumbai and Beirut.
I wanted to compare the differences between how creative
people live and work in different countries around the world. It was also a bit
of a research project to see how the environment, politics, culture etc.
influences a designer’s work and how he/she interacts with the city.
Q: How did you pick the specific people whose homes you
focused on, and do you see any common themes among them?
A: I was very particular in selecting the designers and
artists for the book. It was a very, very long research phase to find all the
book subjects.
My requirements were that I had to like the designer or
artist’s work and also their home. I wanted designers whose work was
innovative, people who were invested in their city, and their homes reflected
their personality, work and the culture of the city.
The common theme among the artists were their homes are
soulful and their emotions are connected to their city.
Q: How difficult was it to select the images to use in the
book, and what do you hope readers/viewers take away from these images?
A: Yes, of course, it was very difficult to select the
photos for the book. My hope is that readers become captivated and curious for
exploring cultures and countries that they may have not considered in the past.
Also, I hope that readers would really realize how globally connected we
are and how designers and artists are influencing and inspiring each
other.
Q: You write that your “style captures the intersection of
emotion and design in the home.” How do the two meet, and why does that
especially interest you?
I studied interior design in school so I appreciate
great design, but also a home is wildly personal and intimate. We have become
accustomed to seeing people’s homes in design magazines around the world, but
to get invited into someone’s home is a great honor.
Since I was a child I have felt and understood the emotion
that encompasses the home. A home is a very special place and where someone is
most vulnerable.
Q: What are you working on now?
A: I am preparing for another big project (can’t announce
just yet) and also going through the process of obtaining Hungarian
citizenship. I am very much looking forward to hopefully having dual
citizenship and being a European Union citizen soon!
Q: Anything else we should know?
A: My book was especially different than many photography
books. Most famous photography books are a retrospective of the artist’s work.
My book is an introduction to my work and based around a project. I am very
young in my career and also young in age compared to authors of similar art
books.
--Interview with Deborah Kalb
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