John Noi aka SPEKTACLE
NAME :
John Noi aka SPEKTACLE
OCCUPATION :
Visual Artist.
WHERE WERE YOU BORN :
Denver, Colorado.
WHERE DO YOU LIVE :
Covent Garden, London, UK.
DESCRIBE YOURSELF IN 3 WORDS :
Catalyst, Contrarian, Creator.
WHAT INSPIRES YOUR PHOTOGRAPHY / ARTWORKS :
The dance floor and London nightlife.
WHAT’S THE BEST PART OF YOUR JOB :
Creating ideas that change behaviour.
ARE THERE DAYS YOU DO NOT WANT TO GO TO WORK :
The morning after documenting until 7 am.
AT WHAT AGE DID YOU KNOW YOU WANTED TO BE A CREATIVE / ARTIST :
Teenage years in London – skateboarding and causing trouble.
WHAT ARE THE CHALLENGES OF CREATING YOUR PHOTOGRAPHY / ARTWORKS :
Breaking images without destroying them. Finding that sweet spot between disruption and disaster.
IF YOU COULD SPEND THE DAY SHOOTING ANY MODEL TO CREATE AN IMAGE, WHO WOULD YOU CHOOSE :
Sofia Steinberg.
WHO WOULD BE YOUR PERFECT COLAB :
Yohji Yamamoto.
YOUR TOOLS OF CHOICE :
Fuji X-T5, iPhone, and whatever breaks things properly.
IF YOU COULD SPEND A FEW HOURS WITH ANY PERSON, ALIVE OR DEAD, WHO WOULD YOU CHOOSE :
Jean-Luc Godard.
WHAT IS YOUR EARLIEST MEMORY :
Pushing the alarm button in a lift as a toddler – the panic when it stopped and the alarm screamed. First lesson in cause and effect.
WHAT WERE YOU LIKE AS A KID :
Skateboarding troublemaker with authority issues.
WHAT IS YOUR MOST TREASURED POSSESSION :
Experience and creative capital – the only things you can’t lose.
WHO WOULD PLAY YOU IN A MOVIE :
Henry Golding.
CHOOSE A SUPERPOWER :
Telekinesis – move things without touching them.
WHAT IS YOUR WORST TRAIT :
Chronic night owl. Sleep is for the unambitious.
WHAT KEEPS YOU AWAKE AT NIGHT :
Deadlines I haven’t started. The usual.
WHAT IS YOUR GREATEST ACHIEVEMENT :
Building a life in London that exceeds what I imagined.
DO YOU LISTEN TO PODCASTS :
No time. I read faster than people talk.
WHAT’S YOUR GUILTY PLEASURE :
Dance floors until sunrise with friends behind the decks.
WHAT’S THE BEST THING YOU EVER STOLE :
A baguette. Shared with broke teenage friends. Tasted like rebellion.
YOU ARE HEADING TO THE ISS / INTERNATIONAL SPACE STATION, CHOOSE 4 FELLOW SURFERS TO TAKE ALONG :
People who’ve survived holidays together without homicide by day 3.
WHAT WOULD A PERFECT DAY FOR YOU LOOK LIKE :
Proper coffee, image ideation, evening drinks, midnight DJ sets. Simple.
IF YOU COULD BE FRIENDS WITH A FICTIONAL CHARACTER, WHO WOULD IT BE :
Pierrot Le Fou.
PICK YOUR TOP 5 MAGAZINES :
032c, Perfect, Monocle, Architectural Digest, Harvard Business Review.
WHAT IS THE LAST BOOK YOU READ :
The Experience Economy – Pine & Gilmore.
WHAT WAS THE LAST GIFT YOU GAVE SOMEONE :
Diptyque candle.
WHAT MOTIVATES YOU :
Curiosity and the compulsion to fix broken things.
YOUR FAVOURITE DESTINATION :
Anywhere promising transformation.
YOUR LEAST FAVOURITE DESTINATION :
UK seaside towns – depression with chips.
WHAT’S ON YOUR BUCKET LIST :
Already ticked the big ones. Writing a new list.
DO YOU LIKE BEING INTERVIEWED :
Fine with it, but I prefer asking the questions.
WHAT’S THE CLOSEST YOU HAVE COME TO DEATH :
Gun-toting rednecks by a nuclear missile silo in Colorado. Wrong place, wrong time, right outcome.
IF YOU HAD A BOAT, WHAT WOULD IT BE CALLED :
Anastasia.
WHAT’S A PERSONAL MOTTO OR MESSAGE :
Too many fools following too many rules.
