Julian Lennon’s “Reminiscence”

Summary

Podcast Summary: All Of It – Julian Lennon’s “Reminiscence”

Introduction

In the March 6, 2025 episode of All Of It, hosted by Alison Stewart on WNYC, renowned musician and photographer Julian Lennon joins the show to discuss his latest photography exhibition, “Reminiscence.” The episode delves into Julian’s artistic journey, his motivations behind the exhibition, and his perspectives on culture, humanity, and nature.

Julian's Journey into Photography

Julian Lennon’s passion for photography is deeply intertwined with his philanthropic efforts. He shared that his involvement with the White Feather Foundation ignited his interest in documenting indigenous cultures.

“I used to go on these trips around the world to South America and Ethiopia and Kenya... [and] I decided to take a camera because that way at least I'd know what I did.”
— Julian Lennon [02:12]

Through his lens, Julian aims to preserve and share the stories, histories, and landscapes of these communities, fostering a sense of empathy and connection among viewers who may never traverse these regions themselves.

Overview of “Reminiscence” Exhibition

“Reminiscence” is Julian’s latest exhibition, showcasing a collection of never-before-seen photographs that explore the intricate relationship between humanity and nature. The exhibition, curated by Emmanuel Fremont, is hosted at the Freeman Gallery in Chelsea and runs through April 6.

“Julian’s work transcends the boundaries of traditional art, offering not only visual brilliance but also a profound message about our shared responsibility for the world around us.”
— Emmanuel Fremont [00:35]

The exhibition features diverse locations, including Cuba, Joshua Tree, and Japan, each photograph narrating its unique story and contributing to the overarching theme of interconnectedness.

Discussion of Specific Series: Cuba and Joshua Tree

Julian elaborates on his experiences photographing in Cuba, describing it as a blend of beauty and melancholy. His Cuban series captures everyday moments, such as a vintage car in a bustling square, highlighting the vibrant yet complex essence of the locale.

“It was just so incredible. So beautiful, so sad at the same time. But the people were amazing and, yeah, a great memory for me and a place that I would go back to time and time again.”
— Julian Lennon [05:17]

In the Joshua Tree series, Julian focuses on the stunning landscapes, drawn by their natural beauty and the solitude they offer. He emphasizes capturing the moment as it happens, allowing the environment to speak for itself without imposing a specific focal point.

“I like a landscape, an overview of what you see. They all tell a story. It’s all, you know, different chapters within the frame of it all.”
— Julian Lennon [07:31]

Julian's Photography Philosophy and Techniques

Julian’s approach to photography is holistic, aiming to encapsulate entire scenes rather than isolating individual elements. This method allows viewers to immerse themselves in the moment and interpret the myriad stories within a single frame.

“I generally tend to take a picture of a scene as opposed to a specific focal point... it’s about taking, you know, an overall image of a time and a place.”
— Julian Lennon [06:20]

He also strives to bridge the gap between digital and film photography, seeking to make his digital images emulate the authentic feel of film. This dedication was affirmed when a fine art critic couldn’t distinguish between his digital and film photographs.

“If she can’t tell, then that’s great.”
— Julian Lennon [10:48]

“Life's Fragile Moments” Book Release

In addition to his exhibitions, Julian has released his first photography book, “Life's Fragile Moments,” which compiles his work from the past decade and a half. The book has garnered significant attention, quickly selling out its initial release.

“This was a way of compiling all of my better work, I would say, from all the collections that I've done so that people could see what I get up to in between the music, in between the children's books, in between the documentary work.”
— Julian Lennon [12:14]

Julian expresses immense gratitude towards his supporters and looks forward to making the book available again soon.

Collaboration with Emmanuel Fremont and Curation

Julian credits Emmanuel Fremont for his pivotal role in curating the “Reminiscence” exhibition. Their collaborative history spans over a decade, with Fremont’s expertise in understanding and catering to the audience’s preferences ensuring the exhibition’s success.

“I trust him immensely and I do get to see and sign off on the images that he does choose.”
— Julian Lennon [18:13]

A highlight of the exhibition is the Cuba collection on aluminum, featuring high-contrast black and white photos that exhibit a new dimension of Julian’s work through reflections and larger prints.

“It was impressive. Really, really impressive. Which inspires me, of course, to continue on so many levels.”
— Julian Lennon [18:13]

Musical Endeavors: “New Dream”

Beyond photography, Julian touches upon his musical project, “New Dream,” a collaboration with longtime friend Gregory Darling. The project embodies hope and aspiration, reflecting the current global climate and the collective yearning for a better future.

“New Dream was just, I think, timing, you know, with everything that's going on in the world right now, we're all hoping for something a little better.”
— Julian Lennon [20:14]

Conclusion and Final Thoughts

As the conversation wraps up, Julian extends heartfelt thanks and shares a personal note regarding his esteemed colleagues, Wendy and Lisa, whom he hasn't seen in years.

“I do have a request. Could you pass on a hello to Wendy and Lisa... send my best pass on my love.”
— Julian Lennon [21:06]

Emmanuel Fremont assures that Julian’s sentiments will be conveyed, adding a touch of warmth to the episode’s conclusion.

Final Remarks

Julian Lennon’s “Reminiscence” stands as a testament to his multifaceted talent, bridging the realms of music and visual art to narrate compelling stories of culture, memory, and the delicate balance between humanity and nature. This episode of All Of It provides an insightful glimpse into Julian’s creative process, his dedication to storytelling, and his ongoing journey as an artist committed to capturing the essence of our shared human experience.

Transcript

[Progressive Insurance]

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[WNYC Studios]

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[Alison Stewart]

This is all of it. I'm Alison Stewart. Coming up tomorrow, we're going to continue our Equalizer series with women who produce and engineer music. And we have a special conversation planned. I'll be speaking with Wendy and Lisa, as in Wendy Melvoin and Lisa Coleman. You may know them from their start as part of Prince's band the Revolution. They became the first woman in the history of the Grammys to receive a nomination for Producer of the Year for their work on Purple Rain. Wendy and Lisa will be my guests tomorrow on the show that's in the future. Let's get this hour started with Julian Lennon. Julian Lennon is a musician and a photographer. His latest exhibition in Chelsea is titled Reminiscence. Featuring never before seen photographs, the show builds on Julian's lifelong pursuit to explore humanity, nature and the interconnectedness between the two. The pictures take us to Cuba, Joshua Tree and Japan. While speaking about Julian's work, the gallery's director, Emmanuel Fremont, said his work transcends the boundaries of traditional art, offering not only visual brilliance, but also a profound message about our shared responsibility for the world around us. Reminiscence opens tonight at the Freeman Gallery at 520 W. 23rd St. And Julian Lennon is in studio with me now. Welcome to the show.

[Julian Lennon]

Hello. That was a very nice intro.

[Alison Stewart]

That's for when you were thinking about putting together these images.

[Julian Lennon]

Yeah.

[Alison Stewart]

What sort of images? What kind of story did you want to tell about humans and about nature?

[Julian Lennon]

Well, I mean, the. The real fact of the matter is I've been doing this for a good while now, and my initial interest for photography really came out of. I have a foundation called the White Feather Foundation. We do a lot of work around the world. Initially, it was looking after indigenous cultures, protecting their. Their history, their story, their lands, etc. Etc. And so I used to go on these trips around the world to South America and Ethiopia and Kenya. And I have the worst memory in the world, and I honestly mean that. And so I. I decided to take a camera because that way at least I'd know what I did. And so after going on these journeys and meeting these incredible cultures, you know, I'd look through the photos and see that there was some great stories in there. And I just felt that a lot of people, at least I've had emails and letters come in that a lot of people, you know, whether it's financial or whether they're. They're unable physically to travel around the world, say, you know, this is a way for them to see what people are like on the other side of the world, for them to have empathy with what's going on with these people on the other side of the world and another way for them to travel. So that became a real focus for me on putting my collections together initially, and then slowly but surely, you know, with these travels, landscape pictures and more portraiture came out of that. But, yeah, it's all about telling a story.

[Alison Stewart]

It's sort of like creating a window in for people who can't go to these places.

[Julian Lennon]

Correct, correct. That. That's exactly the. The point. And again, also for me to know where I've been, where I've been and what I've done. Yes, indeed.

[Emmanuel Fremont]

One of the pictures in this show is titled Reminiscence, and it's a picture of the Statue of Liberty far, far.

[Julian Lennon]

In from the Staten Island Island Ferry. The first and last time I've ever on it. Well, not necessarily the last, but, I mean, that was the last time I was on it. Yes, quite a few years.

[Emmanuel Fremont]

Why did you decide to name the show Reminiscence again?

[Julian Lennon]

Most of the work and most of the exhibitions I have done relate to memories. And Reminiscence was just a beautiful word that I found that add added some gravitas, some weight to the visuals that you were seeing. Because I wanted to have, you know, titles that, number one, some you had to look up. I mean, I, you know, I. I found Reminiscence by mistake, and so I tried to find more intriguing titles that broaden my horizon more than anything on language.

[Emmanuel Fremont]

Let's talk about Cuba. Why did you go to Cuba initially?

[Julian Lennon]

Why not?

[Emmanuel Fremont]

It's beautiful.

[Julian Lennon]

Well, yeah, now I had a friend down there and she started a business where she looked after TV and film production teams.

[Progressive Insurance]

Oh, she was a fixer.

[Julian Lennon]

Yes, of. Well, I guess, yes. And. And I'd always been, oh, so curious about it. So I, I had, you know, a little time off and I said, listen, any chance of a week, you know, looking after me for a week and just we'll get. Rent an old car and we'll drive around. And so she set it all up and we went down and I, I just had the. The most amazing time. It was just so incredible. So beautiful, so sad at the same time. But the people were amazing and, yeah, a great memory for me and a place that I would go back to time and time again.

[Emmanuel Fremont]

There's one image, it's a vintage car and it's parked in a square and there's people walking all around. When you choose to make a picture.

[Julian Lennon]

Yeah.

[Emmanuel Fremont]

How do you choose your focal point in a scene like that? Is it the car? Is it the people? How do you. How do you decide what you're going to concentrate on?

[Julian Lennon]

Well, that's funny you say that because in. I'm not. I don't think I'm like a lot of photographers because I generally tend to take a picture of a scene as opposed to a specific focal point, unless it's a portraiture kind of thing. But generally for me, it's about taking, you know, an overall image of. Of a time and a place that I see to so that you can really understand what that felt like, what the scene was about and all the different characters that played in that scene. So, I mean, that's it. Unless I really, really have a focus on one particular character or a particular thing. Generally, I like a landscape, an overview of what you see.

[Emmanuel Fremont]

So, for example, in that the car is important as the lady in the corner who's crossing the street or the kid who's playing a ball.

[Julian Lennon]

Yeah, they all tell a story. It's all, you know, different chapters within the. The frame of it all.

[Emmanuel Fremont]

And if people want to see a picture of that, they should go to our instastory@olive NYC so you can see what we're talking about. You have a series of pictures of Joshua Tree. It's just a beautiful, beautiful landscape. What caught your attention as a photographer about this scene?

[Julian Lennon]

Well, I have to say I'm intrigued by lots of beautiful things that I've seen. And with many of these things, they're all places that I've. I've heard about and, and that it, you know, if I get a. If I get a few days off, I'll rent a car and I'll just go. And that's predominantly how most of these sort of collections come about, is I was in LA working and a friend was there and I said, ever been out there to Joshua? And they said, no. I said, let's go. And literally rented a car that day, drove out there, drove through Joshua, took what I. What I felt were unique and fascinating images and drove back that night, you know, so, you know, these trips are just day trips as well, so. And not specifically for you Know photography and for collections, again, it's all about the places that I've been, you know, and what I felt and some of the emotion therein.

[Emmanuel Fremont]

I was looking at the three of them in a row and I thought to myself, are these meant to be taken as a series? Are they meant to be taken individually or.

[Julian Lennon]

No, they're part of a whole collection. I mean, I have, I don't even know how many collections I have, but yeah, no, there's about 20 or 30 in that collection, something like that.

[Emmanuel Fremont]

And the thing that's very different about each one is the sky, right? Does that happen? Is that you sitting around thinking, like, I'm gonna wait for the sky to change? Or do you capture the moments as they.

[Julian Lennon]

Moments as they happen? That's it. It's that simple. You know, if I wanted to go out of my way for something particular, certainly I would, but generally I let the view speak for itself, you know, I just try again, try and capture that moment that I think that is appealing to me, that that says something to me in some way, shape or form.

[Alison Stewart]

My guest is photographer Julian Lennon. His new exhibition, Reminiscence, explores themes of humanity, nature and interconnectedness. The show, which open tonight, is a display at the Freeman gallery through Sunday, April 6. What first piqued your interest in photography?

[Julian Lennon]

I think again, memory. I, I, you know, I have to say that I was intrigued by actually used to have a high eight video camera and make little films because I'm involved in documentary work too. And I think the thing that most intrigued me was when I was about 11 years old, dad had a camera that was a Polaroid camera called the SX70. And it's, it was a flip up camera. And the thing about it that I loved was that it was, dare I say, instant gratification because you took the picture within a few minutes, you saw.

[Alison Stewart]

The picture, you waved it around, you.

[Julian Lennon]

Waved it around, but that's it. And I had tried on a few occasions with real film and I'd been a bit clumsy and destroyed some potentially nice pictures. And so when digital came along, I kind of fell in love with that. My job, for me at least, I felt that I wanted to try to make digital images look like film. And so that was a challenge to myself. And I, I felt that I managed to do that because I was part of an exhibition called Brit Week in Amsterdam where it was a collection of art come together. And I was cornered by a journalist who was an American fine art critic and she'd had me in the Corner for a while. And I. And she said, so, you know, at the end of the question, she said, well, you know, tell me, is it, you know, can you tell me, is it digital or film? I said, well, you tell me. And because she couldn't tell, that immediately said to me, well, okay, I've done it in my mind. That makes sense to me. If she can't tell, then that's great.

[Alison Stewart]

That's very interesting. There are images of people as well.

[Emmanuel Fremont]

There's a photo of a geisha.

[Julian Lennon]

Yeah.

[Emmanuel Fremont]

Who is the woman in the photograph?

[Julian Lennon]

The geisha? Yeah. She was just a geisha at a restaurant, but she had such an intriguing painted face that I just said, can I please take a picture? You know? And again, all of these images, dare I say a bit of plugging, are in my first ever photography book called Life's Fragile Moments, which I've just released at the end of last year, and we sold out already, so I can't tell you those who have bought it how thankful I am. And hopefully mid to end of this month. This month, excuse me, they'll be available again. So. And it's a collection of all my work over the last 10, 15 years.

[Emmanuel Fremont]

Yeah, that photo booth, Life, Fragile Moments. You said something in a Facebook message to people. You're really moved. You said, you don't know how grateful I am and how special this is. Why do you feel that way?

[Julian Lennon]

Well, because I'd been doing this for so many years, and I'd approached a number of publishers but never got anything back. So I was approached last year by this company could called to Noise out of Germany, out of Berlin. And, you know, they were willing to go along with what I wanted out of a photography book, which was a retrospective of all the work that I've done because many, many people don't know that I am a fine art photographer. And so this was a way of, you know, compiling all of my better work, I would say, from all the collections that I've done so that people could see what I get up to in between the music, in between the children's books, in between the documentary work. So. And in between working on the White Feather Foundation. So there's a lot of. I wear a lot of hats, and it was. This was a great way to be able to share what I did on the photography front.

[Progressive Insurance]

Yeah.

[Emmanuel Fremont]

Some of your images date back to 2010. We're talking 15 years. What has changed about you as a photographer in those 15 years?

[Julian Lennon]

I think, like most photographers, we tend to shoot less and focus on what really catches us catches my eye. I mean, I'm driven by images and I've said it in a number of interviews on film and otherwise, that if I see something and it moves me, I have to take a picture. That's it. There's no choice. And generally it's something that is relatable to other people or that will move other people in some way, shape or form.

[Emmanuel Fremont]

Is there ever a time you won't take a picture?

[Julian Lennon]

Oh, I don't think so. But I have to say that I am quite a shy person, so I. But I do tend to do gorilla photography or street photography, which means that nothing is ever set up. It's always by chance. So I just hope to capture things most of the time. That doesn't always happen, you know, sometimes I can lose out because also, I'm not a technical photographer, just like I'm not a technical musician. I can't read or write music, but I consider myself a writer more than a player. But. And I'm thankful with photography and the cameras these days, that I can capture that moment without fiddling around too much. And, you know, I do a fair amount of post work just making sure that the image I've taken is what I want people to see. But it doesn't mean that I go in and Photoshop everything like that. It's not. It's not about that. But I don't think that there's anything that I wouldn't take a picture of. Whether I would show it, I don't know. It depends on the moment, the politics, the situation, you know. But for the most part, I don't think I've denied anything so far.

[Alison Stewart]

It's interesting, the gentleman who just won the Oscar for the Brutalists. The score doesn't read music, right?

[Julian Lennon]

Right. I did see a little clip of that which I found fascinating, which is great, you know, that just shows you that it comes from deep within, I think.

[Alison Stewart]

You know, my guest is Julian Lennon. We're talking about his new exhibition, Reminiscence. It is at Freeman Gallery. It starts today and it runs through Sunday, April 6th. Do you have any series of pictures in the exhibition which are particular favorites of yours?

[Julian Lennon]

Well, I have to say Emmanuel Freeman curated the show, so because I wanted him. He knows his audience.

[Alison Stewart]

That's interesting.

[Julian Lennon]

Yeah, yeah. So I listen, if he knows his audience and he knows what people would like to see from the artists he works with, then I'm happy to let the gallerist do that. On the rare occasion I've worked with Emmanuel before, Ten years ago we did a show together and he did the same thing with a series from Ethiopia called Horizon from Africa. And he did such an amazing job. You know, I, I can feel comfortable with, with letting gallerists like Emmanuel go for it. And you know, he'll, he'll come from to me for checks and balances just to make sure that I'm, I'm good with everything. But yeah, no, Funnily enough, this is the first time we've printed the Cuba collection on, on, on aluminum. It's called Dibon. The process with no frame, so the light comes back at you from these images and quite harsh, high contrast black and white photos from Cuba and they, it's the first time we've printed them like this and I, I fell in love with them.

[Emmanuel Fremont]

Yeah.

[Alison Stewart]

Tell me, how do you feel about it?

[Julian Lennon]

Yeah, no, I was blown away by them. Absolutely blown away. Yeah. Because I've only printed on paper some of the, some of the Cuba work before, but this on the aluminum with the reflection, high contrast and much bigger pictures, 30 by 40. It was impressive. Really, really impressive. Which inspires me, of course, to continue on so many levels.

[Emmanuel Fremont]

Was it hard to give over the curatorial helm to another. Another being your work, you have to give it over and say, okay, assemble as you like.

[Julian Lennon]

Well, I mean, normally. Listen, normally I would take care of that all myself. I mean, I just finished the biggest exhibition that I've ever done. It was in Venice last year at the International center of Photography, which is a museum. And that too was about being a retrospective, a collection of all the better work. And that was many, many months in the process of putting that together. And funnily enough, I'd just done the book before that and the lifestyle moments, the book became my guide in putting the show together. So I'm quite particular under most circumst, you know, especially if it's a show like that. But again, with the framing gallery, I've, I've worked with him before, I trust him immensely and I do get to see and you know, sign off on the images that he does choose. So it was absolutely fine. It was absolutely fine. Not something I normally do, but on the odd occasion, it's, it's. I feel comfortable.

[Emmanuel Fremont]

I got this great text here that says I miss Julian's music but applaud his talent in direction. This brings me to your musical.

[Julian Lennon]

Yeah. Okay.

[Emmanuel Fremont]

A new dream.

[Julian Lennon]

Oh, new dream.

[Emmanuel Fremont]

New dream. You've worked with Gregory Darling.

[Julian Lennon]

Yeah.

[Emmanuel Fremont]

Tell us a little bit about that.

[Julian Lennon]

He's an old friend of mine. And we get on famously and he's a great singer, songwriter, we love to work together. We've worked on many albums together of my albums and some of his work too and also, you know, toured around the world together. So New Dream was just, I think, timing, you know, with everything that's going on in the world right now, we're all hoping for something a little better. So New Dream was an important one too for, you know, he just felt like it was time to update it and re release it. And I was right behind him on that one.

[Emmanuel Fremont]

Julian Lennon's photographs can be seen at the Freeman gallery until Sunday, April 6th. It's called Reminiscence. That's the name of the exhibition. Julian, thank you for being with us.

[Julian Lennon]

My pleasure. I do have a request. Could you pass on a hello to Wendy and Lisa, whom I've met many, many moons ago but haven't seen in years and years and years. So please send my best pass on my love.

[Emmanuel Fremont]

I will send it on to Wendy and Lisa and we'll go out on a new dream.

[WNYC Studios]

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[Progressive Insurance]

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