MVTT BLVC

A visual artist.

My name is MVTT BLVC (Pronounced Matte Black), I am a writer and visual artist from Brooklyn, New York.

I spent most of my early life in Trinidad and Tobago, where I was raised by my maternal grandparents. My grandmother was a housewife, and my grandfather a former train operator, till the train system shut down and he became a factory worker at the brewery. The raised me up until my grandfather passed as a result of late stage prostate cancer. After his passing my grandmother raised me till, found a letter I wrote and hid in a cabinet, asking my mother to have me live with her.

My mother; a middle school English teacher, and adjunct psychology/English professor. Would teach drag me to her saturday English class at Brooklyn College.

When I wasn’t sitting in the background, I was usually in my room playing violin, guitar, or gaming on xbox live.

It was an old friend of mine in sixth grade that would eventually get me into graffiti. I didn’t know what graffiti was till I saw him drawing this stylish writing on the wall in the staircase. I asked, “dude, how’d you that.” and her responded, “practice.” Then he pulled out this black book with page full of these stylized writing, with bubble like finish and sharp edges. I saw that and I was like “dam, I gotta try that.”

I started photographing everything, buildings, people, graffiti, cars. And it definitely helped being in New York City. New York is filled with so much beauty and really, some very amazing architecture. You have the modern architecture going in, mixed with that vintage New York/New Amsterdam architecture and I just can’t get enough of it.

I started photographing the corners of these beautiful, beautiful buildings. Being short, it’s often difficult for me to achieve much of the same shots as taller photographers who will shoot the same buildings. So, I always have to find, sort of a unique way to capture what I’m seeing, and for me that was shooting photos from my perceptive, upwards with a prime lens. I’ve always known that my height would be something that got in the way of much of my work, but with photography It’s one of those things where, my height has positive impact on the artistry of the photograph. So, instead of seeing my height as something that would hinder me. I was able to use it to bring my visual perspective to life.

I will always love shooting black and white photography, as its quiet, simple, and allows me the opportunity to define the subject verses the entirety of the shot.

Really, learning to manipulate the shadows to bring the photograph to life, by producing less noise through color. I love the way it especially complement photographs taken in urban, city settings. I just can not get enough of it.

When i’m not taking photos, I’m usually at the gym, filming, studying or taking time to work on my animations. Currently I’ve changed my major from Digital Media to Biology. I chose to change my major to biology, to pursue the biological sciences. So, Biopsychology, Biology, these sciences, which are also something that allows me to bring deeper meaning to my work. As well as deeper connection between mental and visual perception of the world around us. It allows me more of an artistic and intellectual freedom, that I hope I’m able to share with the viewer. I find it allows them to look at the photograph, with curiosity. “What does this, have to do with the photograph?” Possibly after looking at the photo for a bit they’ll understand.