24 year-old photographer Alex F. Webb shares some background to BLEU, an intriguing self-published photbook – buy your copy here – inspired by an encounter of the third kind reported in the UK in 1980…

Hello Alex, thank you for this interview. What are your main interests as a photographer?

I am largely interested in very specific yet varied perceptions of place and their enduring meanings. My work strives to move beyond static or objective interpretations of the landscape rather than embracing open-ended storytelling.

Please introduce us to your latest photobook BLEU.

Blind Landing Experimental Unit (BLEU) is a collection of imagery presented in book form pertaining to a supposed UFO encounter in a forest in Suffolk, UK during the winter of 1980, that has come to be known as the Rendlesham Forest Incident. The work draws from a wide gamut of image ’types’ querying previously established visual paradigms and cliches associated with science-fiction.

BLEU uses a mix of landscapes and archival photographs. Can you talk a bit about your process in turning the story into a visual essay?

There are probably only four or five archival photographs in the book. The majority were taken by me, with some deliberately constructed to pose as found images. Having published the work of many other artists (under the name Fourteen Nineteen) I am very used to working with the book format.

The process of making the work came about fairly organically. I made two visits to the sight of the supposed UFO landing. The non-landscape pictures were made in the time after these visits. Printing images out and laying them on the floor is usually how I work on a book.

What have been the main influences on your photography?

Working with other photographers.

Who are some of your favorite contemporary photographers?

Recently: Bernard Fuchs, Gerry Johansson, Ron Jude, Grégoire Pujade-Lauraine, Gus Powell.

Choose your #threewordsforphotography.

Track. Contour. Container.