Jack Dallas-Chapman Thief of Fire Documentary

Thief of Fire:

We are extremely proud to share the work of Jack Dallas-Chapman, a photographer and film maker based between Bournemouth and London.

‘Thief of Fire’ is a documentary, fashion editorial inspired by the Post Punk, New Wave subculture that became popular in Britain in the years 1977-84. Back in the early 1980s, there was Thatcherism in the U.K. and Reaganomics in the U.S. There was high unemployment, constant nuclear threat and wars being waged around the globe. The youth of both Britain and America were not high on optimism. But it was this environment that gave birth to the post punk, New Wave subculture.

Post Punk/ New Wave is a type of rock music that emerged from the punk movement of the 1970s, in which artists moved from the simplicity and traditionalism of punk rock. Artists were inspired by punk’s energy and DIY attitudes but were determined to break away from clichés. Artists experimented with other sources such as electronic music and black styles like dub, funk, free jazz, and disco, that weren’t entirely known to the public at this stage. This tied over into other areas such as fashion and art also. People started experimenting and expressing themselves in new techniques as a way of escaping from everyday norms and everyday reality’s.

In this editorial, I met, photographed and interviewed Post Punk pioneer Mark Stewart, the lead singer of ‘The Pop Group’. The Pop Group are seen as hugely influential within this musical genre and have been credited as one of the major bands that effected the transition from punk to post-punk. I interviewed, filmed and photographed the artist. Stewart gave me a valuable insight into the creation of the Post Punk genre, how its origins began, the importance of the movement and how it is still relevant in today’s culture.

This series worked simultaneously as a documentary piece and also as a fashion editorial. Alongside the work I did with Mark Stewart, I also photographed a separate model Finlay Burch in a fashion editorial style. Here, I wanted to clearly outline the fashion of the movement, the rebellious nature and the experimentation of the movement that was so significant with the subculture. Whether through the clothing worn, experimentation with hair and make-up or through the type of environment you find the subject in.

I wanted these editorial inspired images to stand side by side with the documentary work of Mark Stewart almost suggesting that the photographs could imply the model was a younger version of Stewart almost bringing to life his words and thoughts from the video that supports the series.

I wanted to explore the importance of the post-punk genre, how it affected and changed a nation. How it allowed a nation to openly express itself and break away from everyday norms, but I also wanted to draw attention to this subculture in today’s day and age, making it relevant once more in modern society.

There is a need for protest, for a fight, and also a need for comfort and for nostalgia. I was hoping to create exactly this throughout the series.

This series is based on the concept of escapism and about my subjects using music and this subculture as an escape from every day, mundane life.

Check out Jacks incredible documentary below.