Very excited to share our latest work with our friends at CP Company to coincide with the new issue of their magazine Archipelago which focuses on collectors.
The film explores a deadstock warehouse I recently discovered that is packed to brim with early 90’s CP Company gold. We’ve been bringing you select pieces from here over the last couple of years with a new selection landing later this week.
Stay tuned for more from this discovery.
Thanks to Enrico Grigoletti, Giovanni Benvenuto, Lorenzo Osti
Film by Marco Proserpio
Matthew Manning aka King Kuza is a Birmingham based photographer who takes raw portraits of friends and family in and around Handsworth. An area that represents the city’s wide diversity and cultural mix, his work showcases the characters and stories that make the city what it is. This is real life.
We went up to visit Matthew and spend a day in his life to get an insight into his working process, Japanese influence and the Russian martial art of Systema.
Where are you from?
England > Birmingham > Handsworth Wood
How does your area inform your photographic work?
I’ve only started to explore my area in photos recently and I’m going to say I find it majestic and ugly at the same time. You make up your own reality, I’ve meditated in the park in my area, I’ve witnessed violence in my area, watched the carnival go past my house, we have a pagoda, there are summer fetes, people selling drugs, bikers. It’s kind of made me embrace whatever aspect and it shows me that it’s not ever simple, things are quite complex and I love it.
What are your aims with your photography?
I don’t really see myself as a a photographer. I used to draw a lot before taking photos but I started to have panic attacks at college and used to get very fidgety when I sat down to draw, so taking pictures was a better outlet because you only have to rely on your eye. I have an aunty that was pretty obsessed with me when i was younger and documented a lot of me growing up, she probably has taken shy of 500+ photos of the family. I went to her house the other day and she gave me all the photos as I want to have a section on my website of me when I was younger. When I was going through the photos of myself it actually made me cry. Then I thought to myself how cool would it be for future generations to dig up my photos and have a more cinematic experience of life through a previous family member’s life. If something happens that I enjoy I always wonder how i can relive it again, so I guess I’m using photography as a medium to crystallise moments of my life.
How do you choose your subjects?
I rarely take pictures of people i don’t know and i don’t try to filter who I take photos of, I asked my nan if i could take her portrait the other day and she replied “cant you just use the old ones that we have, everyone’s ugly now
What makes your work unique?
My decisions. Everyone has a unique perspective but I think in the current generation we don’t champion our differences, instead we try to come together on the common thread. I like to explore the bits of me that are more personal. Also the fact that I used to meditate that’s changed me a lot. I liken meditation to having a new TV, first couple weeks its huge, you love it watching lots of movies on it then couple weeks in you cant feel the hugeness anymore. Meditation has taught me to keep the TV huge so things that may seem small and insignificant and maybe overlooked by someone are sometimes epic to me.
How important is family in your work?
Its important because its as personal as you can get, I used to rack my brains on how I could keep the things that I create original and through buddhism I came across the gem of self inquiry, all the jewels are there, so yeah its quite important.
Do you come from creative family?
Yeah my dad used to collect vinyl and was in a pretty big b-boy group back in the day. I have an uncle that does wood working, the other has a masters in animation and my other uncle works as a graphic designer but he can put his hands to a few things, he used to do some bad boy photorealistic paintings. I also have an aunty who is a textile designer and a cousin that does animation and illustration. I’m like the abomination, Ive actually tried out most of things .
What influence does Japanese culture have on you? Where does that interest come from and what inspires you about it?
My mom’s brothers used to buy a lot of imported things from Japan: books, Games ,toys etc but I wasn’t allowed upstairs at my nana’s when people came round to play games or just in his room in general. I used to spend a lot more time with my father and his side of the family and they are quite religious so going to my nana on my mom’s side getting glimpses of stuff now and again was quite stimulating. At that time my take on Japanese things were quite grungy and dark seeing movies like Ninja Scrolls ,Guyver and even the games, the settings, characters and the contents were quite mature. When I got a bit older and started to collect my own things I started to get interested in the more vacuous stuff, Japanese aesthetics, sensibilities and their affinity which nature. I think i find it inspiring because I have a real fascination with the duality of things so for instance I like dark things and lighter things and how they coexist. An example, a samurai in a flowery shirt chopping another samurai down. I love shit like that.
What is Systema? Where does it come from and what does it give you?
Its a self defence system that originates from Russia and was developed for normal townspeople so they could protect themselves from surrounding countries that were invading. It’s quite interesting to look into, it has ties to the Russian Christian Orthodox Church and was actually banned from being taught in Russia at one point. The best explanation that I’ve heard is if you apply yourself to learning Systema you can obtain the intent of a killer while having the looseness of a cat. It heavily revolves around control your breathing, fluid movements, removing tension from your body in stressful situations and physical confrontation. Its made me quite resilient and has given me a fresh perspective on how fragile the body actually is and why its important to stay on the moral side of things when it comes to dealing with conflict.
What motivates you to create?
My family and my friends! without sounding to cheesy but I’m just an extension of them and feelings that I have that I want to make tangible. Ive always found it magical seeing things created from nothing and the impact that it can have on people.I hope to add to the pool of good creative work.
What does the future hold for you?
I’m programming a startup, working on a leather accessories brand and writing a high fantasy graphic novel. Hopefully something gets traction so I can have my time to create more shit.
Summer Looks video by Josh Simpson showcasing SS19 pieces from Tretorn & Best Company.
Video lookbook showcasing pieces available at our pop up in Harvey Nichols Manchester. Featuring vintage pieces from Stone Island, CP Company, Moncler, Valentino, Armani, Berghaus & Fila.
