In conversation with Julian Gerdes

Julian Gerdes is a befriended photographer/producer and we met a few months ago through a mutual friend. During quarantine we sat down together to browse his infinite archive of photos and I asked him a few questions about scent memories, desires and inspiration.

What’s your strongest scent memory?

My mother's house. Anytime I walk through that front door, it just feels like a home that’s been lived in for years – the home-cooked meals, burned incense, and potpourri give it an aura of permanent warmth.

All the smells of my childhood are trapped in the wood planks of that old antique furniture. I know that I’m safe there. 

This is Julian

What’s your favourite picture and what’s the story behind it? 

In 2018, I was in the Đắk Lắk Province of Vietnam. I was strolling around one night in Buon Ma Thuot when I walked past a tiny house in one of its side streets. Walking by, I could see a man sitting cross-legged on his floor, seemingly making something with his hands.

His back was full of tattoos and the house was ordained with colourful items, furniture, and memorabilia. The TV was on, and there was a heavy glow coming from the door that immediately gave me butterflies in my stomach.

When I first walked past, I didn’t trust myself to stop and take a photo. I kept on walking, but after 20 metres the butterflies still wouldn’t go away. I wanted to know that image forever.

So I paced back slowly and squatted quietly in front of the glowing doorway, fuddling with my camera, trying to make sure that my flash wasn’t on. I have that moment forever now. That feeling, forever. I live for moments like these. 

If you could be anywhere right now, where would it be? Why?

If I could be anywhere right now, it would be Thessaloniki, Greece. There’s a Contemporary Art museum that I would love to visit again.

From there, I would rent a van and go camping around Halkidiki, this region in the north where three peninsulas stretch into the Aegean sea.

Last time I was there, we found some of the most beautiful sandy beaches we’d ever seen in our lives, completely empty and uninhabited by tourists. That’d be nice.

Who inspires you at the moment?

I’m inspired by my friends almost every day. Having a peer group with such diverse histories, interests, and goals inspires me to contemplate the world in ways that I don’t think I could on my own.

Photography-wise, I’m really inspired by the work of Daniel Regan. I admire his sense of empathy, and that really comes through in his visual work. I always have the feeling that he really cares about the people standing in front of his camera. I try to lead with that same sense of love in my own photographic work.

What makes The Door your favorite perfume out of my collection?

That’s a hard question. I just connect with the smell so much. It's strong, yet soft. It's deep. It's like a song that you hear for the first time that instantly moves you. I was instantly touched by it and knew that I wanted to make it a part of me.

Who should I have my next conversation with?

Brogues Cozens-McNeelance, aka @itsbrogues. She’s a dear friend of mine and an incredibly talented all-around creative. Talking about empathy, Brogues is another artist who leads with a human-centric approach.

I have a huge amount of respect for the being that she is, and nothing but admiration for her personal drive and creative ethos. 

Julian loves The Door.