Cormac Hanley: Trump Shouts

Photography: Cormac Hanley
Casting: Olivier Duperrin, Antoine Duhayot
Styling: Emil Kosuge
Hair/MUA: Edoaurd Saussac
Graphic Design: Thierry Fèvre

Who printed it?
This promo was a limited run of A1 size prints on matte stock. The printing was handled by Tirage Grand Format in the Rhone-Alps.

Who designed it?
The graphic design is by Thierry Fèvre. I really appreciate his use of typography and aesthetic sense. His slobbering logo symbol is a reference to Trump’s insistence on using The Stones music during his campaign, despite their objections.

Who edited the images?
I had a clear idea of what I wanted, so when I saw the intensity I was looking for that was pretty much it.  I got together with Thierry and Barbara Soulié, my agent in Paris, to finalize the running order and layouts.

How many did you make?
80 A1 prints in total. I wanted the image size to be large. The layout we settled on was of a mock newspaper style front page alongside one large image. We printed three variations, each with a different image chosen from the series; the bikini, the golden gun, the man wrapped in the American flag. I also ran a number of copies in the format of a 24 page ‘Newspaper’ containing the entire series.

 

How many times a year do you send out promos?
Once or twice a year.

Where did you get your content from?
All the text is courtesy of Mr. Trump. I compiled a collection of his quotes from various media sources and this guided me when I sat to sketch out my shooting plans. The project is not photojournalism. I approached it like movie-making. The content completely choreographed, each scene having a defined and scripted intention. I placed a lot of emphasis on the casting, styling and details. Visually my aim was to present a balanced response to his words with elements of satire contrasting the darker gravity.

Where did you find the subjects, did you have a casting Director?
I worked with Olivier Duperrin for the female casting and Antoine Duhayot on male.

How did you decide which phrases to realize in images? Which came first the images in your mind, or the phrases that disturbed you?
I shot with the general idea of the quotes in mind but without trying to illustrate them directly. The bikini with wig was in fact shot before the pussy-grabbing comments were broadcast.

For the portraits, I wanted to provoke. The flag man; we don’t know his nationality, we don’t know his religion, we don’t know if he is a rapist. What would Trump have us presume?

Why did you choose to photograph SPAM,  assume “pork” was also a slang reference to politics?
Since I wasn’t photographing Trump in person, I shot his Portrait as a still life image. The photo with the hair, the red tie and the Spam. His persona, broken down into component parts. A representation that could not be mistaken for any other person. Right down to the warning “90% Pork – Not for Muslims”.

I see that most of your representation is in Europe, clearly you were moved by US politics which is welcomed. What was the turning point for you to use your craft to send a message?
This project was something I’d been working on since long before the election. It was born out of my bewilderment that a nation of over three hundred million people might actually contemplate replacing Barrack Obama with an individual like Trump. Basing the project on his own quotes was the natural fit as nothing I could write would ever be as damning as his own ugly words. The series was completed before the election. My glimpse at the tip of the iceberg we all now have to face.

Since this project was a real departure for me I decided to place the content on a standalone website: Trump Shouts