FEATURE:
Exploring John Carder Bush’s Kate: Inside the Rainbow
IN THIS PHOTO: Kate Bush in 1989
Yellow, Green, Blue: The Final Albums of the 1980s
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I am covering…
a few colours in this series, as I have spent a lot of time in the ‘red’ portion of the rainbow and sort of run out of room almost, so I am covering there colours here. It is appropriate, as I am going from Hounds of Love through to The Sensual World. There was this evolution and change, so there is a lot to cover. The final part of this series with take us into indigo and violet. Into The Red Shoes, the final notes John Carder Bush includes in his book, Kate: Inside the Rainbow. The penultimate edition takes us from page 169. This is the video for The Big Sky. This was one of Bush’s earliest videos as a director. Imaginative and full of different characters, Carder Bush observes how “The video shoot for ‘The Big Sky’ was lots of fun; a kind of ‘Mary Poppins rooftops of London’ set and that beautiful bird. It was one of those videos that when, during the breaks, you would come across groups of extras in incongruous combinations of characters; an astronaut and a kamikaze, Baron von Richthofen chatting to a bunch of US marines and jet fighter pilots playing electrical guitars next to Superman”. We then see the amazing photos for the cover of Hounds of Love. For the album’s second side, The Ninth Wave. They are some of the most memorable photos John Carder Bush took of his sister. Kate Bush looking amazing. Aside from the colour scheme, which is purple and pink, there is one particular shot, on page 174, of Bush with silver dragon earrings. Even if the shot is romantic and has this sensuality and calm, there is something fierce and proud when it comes to these earrings. Bush showing that she had this strength and fire inside her, I feel. Bush’s make-up is incredible. Purple eyeshadow and pink/red lipstick. Her hair flowing on this purple backdrop, I wonder what the inspiration was for the shot. One of the most enduring images of Kate Bush.
Though, as we know, Hounds of Love’s cover has Bush’s two dogs, Bonnie and Clyde, with her. Before getting to The Sensual World on page 232, we do get this series of photos. Bush behind the camera when she was directing videos. She directed the videos for Hounds of Love and The Big Sky. Lots of really interesting photos from the sets. When she was in the Cloudbusting video. Playing the part of Peter Reich, this is what Kate Bus said of Cloudbusting: “It’s a song with a very American inspiration, which draws its subject from ‘A Book Of Dreams’ by Peter Reich. The book was written as if by a child who was telling of his strange and unique relationship with his father. They lived in a place called Organon, where the father, a respected psycho-analyst, had some very advanced theories on Vital Energy; furthermore, he owned a rain-making machine, the Cloudbuster. His son and he loved to use it to make it rain. Unfortunately, the father was imprisoned because of his ideas. In fact, in America, in that period, it was safer not to stick out. Sadly, the father dies in prison. From that point on, his son becomes unable to put up with an orthodox lifestyle, to adapt himself. The song evokes the days of happiness when the little boy was making it rain with his father - Yves Bigot, ‘Englishwoman Is Crossing The Continents’. Guitares et Claviers (France), February 1986”. It takes us to The Sensual World. I think the cover is the best one from Kate Bush. Many might say Hounds of Love is the very best. Others would say Never for Ever. I do feel that The Sensual World is the standout. In terms of the composition of Bush with a flower covering her mouth. It is such a beautiful and striking image, so I was interesting to hear from John Carder Bush how he came about this concept. He writes how “I had shown Kate the beautiful edition of the book Ordeal by Roses, and she had been drawn immediately to one particular photo, so, yes, the way this shot is printed and lit is inspired by the iconic shot of the Japanese novelist Yukio Mishima by Eikoh Hosoe. Although one eye is in the shadow, it looks lit in the same way as the one not in shadow. But there the resemblance ends; or does it? They are both holding a rose … The rose, the most sensual flower, with its perfume, its elegant beauty, its passionate colour and, of course, its thorns, is like love itself. Whereas Mishima has a challenging flint in his eye, Kate is full of trepidation, yet her posture is very upright and challenging. Mishima wants what he senses; Kate is not so sure, and this is much more interesting. The background was a Spanish shawl of Vivienne’s. However, one of the biggest differences is that the Mishima shot was taken on a small ‘spy cameras’ to be able to harden and contrast the image when printed, and mine was taken with a Hasselblad with the intention of creating subtle skin tones while still retaining the impact of the idea of the two eyes”. I did not know any of this. I assumed that there was a link to Ulysses.
This is the novel that inspired The Sensual World’s title track. Or the soliloquy from Molly Bloom. She could not use the text, so she came up with her own words. I was not aware how John Carder Bush and his sister decided on the photo and its background. We do see the colour version of the album cover, but the black-and-white is better in my view. Like a classic Hollywood actress or an artist’s muse, you feel all this intent and emotion in Kate Bush’s eyes. We also learn about the shoot for This Woman’s Work. A single that was released in 1989, it was first used for John Hughes’s film, She’s Having a Baby, in 1988. It does seem to be one of those shots that had no specific concept or direction. Bush shot in black-and-white with her head in her hands. It is a beautiful shot. The final part of this series is brief. The notes from John Carder Bush about The Red Shoes. He did shoot his sister up to and including her 2011 album, Director’s Cut. There are a couple of shots from 50 Words for Snow. So he has been involved with almost every album. I am not sure why he did not take shots for 2005’s Aerial. Trevor Leighton dealing with those promotional images. No real insight why John Carder Bush was subbed there. However, you feel like he will be behind the camera again when Bush decides to release another album. I love the photos during The Sensual World. Kate Bush looking so happy and relaxed. That move from Hounds of Love to her final album of the 1980s. She was now in her thirties, and her music was exploring new subjects.
Bush more aware of age and ageing. The Sensual World a more feminine album than The Dreaming (1982) or Hounds of Love. I think the photos her brother took in 1989 are some of the very best. She looks amazing and so happy. You can tell that here was someone she was at ease with. Having been his photographic subject for decades, Kate Bush is at her very best. From the iconic shots for the Hounds of Love cover and images captured during her videos, there are also others that many people would not have seen, Guido Harari also photographing her for Hounds of Love and The Sensual World. He would photograph her for The Red Shoes and the short film, The Line, the Cross and the Curve. Both of these incredible photographers bringing layers and different sides from Kate Bush. I love those words about the cover shoot for The Sensual World. What the inspiration was. There are so many connections to literature, art and film throughout Kate Bush’s career. Few artists have that same depth and variety. In terms of the links to various films, T.V. shoes, works of literature and beyond. It is sad to wrap up this series. I realise I have covered a few colours o the rainbow in this feature, but I misjudged thigs at the start, so we get a lot of shades of red and I did need to go through the spectrum. However, even though the final part is brief, there is going to be plenty to say. The Red Shoes the last album John Carder Bush would shoot for until 2011. I do love Kate: Inside the Rainbow, and I would recommend that people buy it. All these incredible photographs that we do need to see in a gallery or exhibition. Some unforgettable images of…
HIS beloved sister.