Berlin photographer and Grindr collaborate for new photo book ‘Home’
Safe spaces have always been important, but they are now more important than ever following the Pulse massacre and the 2016 presidential election.
In his new book entitled Home, Berlin photographer Matt Lambert explores the idea of safe spaces in collaboration with Grindr.
Home features a series of portraits of young gay men Lambert met through the app, along with other social media sites such as Facebook and Twitter.
In an interview with Dazed, Lambert explains how Grindr’s creative Director contacted him for the photo series.
“It was right around the Pulse nightclub shootings and the conversation was a response to (the) cynical conservatives in America who mocked the idea that people celebrated gay clubs and bars as sacred spaces.”
“But if you’ve never known what it feels like to not feel safe or not feel comfortable to express your love in public, then you’ll never understand the necessity of needing these spaces.”
Lambert also revealed why he named the photo book Home, stating it was inspired by a friend and a tattoo.
“I have a friend called Moonshine and years ago he drew a tattoo on my arm which says, ‘Home is where I lay my head’ and it was this idea for me.”
“It’s an empowering feeling when you realise home is in your head, heart and relationships. Home is the people around you and home is a feeling.”
Landis Smithers, the creative director of Grindr, described the project as one of his favourite collaborations in his career.
He said, “Matt and I were speaking about it and I asked him if he could, on his travels, take time to find the new frontier in safe spaces.”
Lambert is set to work more closely with Grindr as a Global Commissioning Director.
“My role will be to commission LGBTQ+ filmmakers, photographers and artists to tell their stories and create content, ranging from short film, music video, documentary, art photo, etc.”
You can grab yourself a copy of Home here and read the rest of Lambert’s interview over at Dazed.
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