{{Short description|American photographer}} {{Infobox artist | name = Clayton Cubitt | image = Clayton Cubitt 2012.jpg | caption = | birth_name = Clayton James Cubitt | birth_date = {{Birth date and age|1972|03|2}} | birth_place = [[New Orleans, Louisiana]], U.S. | death_date = | death_place = | field = [[Photography]] | training = | movement = | works = | patrons = | influenced = | awards = | signature = }} '''Clayton James Cubitt''' (born March 2, 1972), also known as Siege, is an American [[photographer]], [[filmmaker]] and [[writer]] living in [[Brooklyn]]. He is known for applying an "arrestingly controlled and sleek sense of style"<ref name="whitehot"/> to art, portrait, erotic and fashion photography. He has been described as "one of a new breed of photographers no longer content to draw a distinction between the worlds of fashion, art, and porn."<ref>{{cite web|last1=Artist|first1=Unknown|title=Clayton James Cubitt|url=http://www.higharts.net/photographs/clayton-james-cubitt.html|website=High Arts Photography Archive|publisher=High Arts|access-date=2012-10-08|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120922102940/http://www.higharts.net/photographs/clayton-james-cubitt.html|archive-date=2012-09-22|url-status=dead}}</ref>
==Early life== Cubitt grew up in New Orleans and other parts of the Gulf Coast.<ref name=morningcall>{{cite news|last=Berthold|first=Jessica|title=An intimate look at life after Hurricane Katrina|url=https://www.mcall.com/2005/11/04/an-intimate-look-at-life-after-hurricane-katrina/|newspaper=The Morning Call|access-date=7 October 2012}}</ref> He was inspired to explore photography after seeing the photograph "Susie Smoking," shot by [[Nick Knight (photographer)|Nick Knight]] for a [[Yohji Yamamoto]] ad campaign. Cubitt also cites [[Helmut Newton]]'s photograph "Green Room Murder" as an early inspiration.<ref name=jpg>{{cite journal|title=Interview with Clayton Cubitt |first=Susannah |last=Breslin |date=August 20, 2007 |journal=[[JPG (magazine)|JPG]]|authorlink=Susannah Breslin|url=http://www.jpgmag.com/stories/1343 |issue=12}}</ref> He moved north after high school,<ref name="morningcall"/> eventually settling in Brooklyn in early 2000.<ref>{{cite news|last=Carrington|first=Daisy|title=Countdown to Bliss|url=http://observer.com/2005/12/countdown-to-bliss-52/|newspaper=New York Observer|accessdate=7 October 2012|date=2005-12-26}}</ref>
==Career==
===Blogging for Nerve.com=== From 2004 to 2008, Cubitt published a photography/confessional blog titled "The Daily Siege" at sex/culture online magazine [[Nerve (website)|Nerve]]. It was described by Eyemazing Journal as "one of the best sources of intelligent, open sexuality on the web.”<ref name=eyemazing>{{cite web|last=Maxwell|first=Clayton|title=Interview with Clayton Cubitt|url=https://operationeden.blogspot.com/2007_08_01_archive.html|publisher=Eyemazing Journal, Fall 2007|accessdate=7 October 2012|date=2007-08-29}}</ref> In addition to erotic content, including images and podcasts,<ref>{{cite news|url=https://blog.sfgate.com/culture/2005/06/27/how-to-make-your-ipod-blush-and-squirm/ |title=How to Make Your iPod Blush and Squirm |work=[[SFGate]] |publisher=[[San Francisco Chronicle]] |first=Mark |last=Morford |date=June 27, 2005 }}</ref> the blog featured Cubitt's writing on a variety of topics, including politics<ref name="jpg"/> and his creative process.<ref>{{cite web|last=Jardin|first=Xeni|title=A day in the blog of an erotic photographer. And, China Nympho Cream.|date=26 August 2004|url=http://boingboing.net/2004/08/26/a-day-in-the-blog-of.html|publisher=BoingBoing|accessdate=6 October 2012}}</ref>
===Fashion Photography=== In 2005, Cubitt collaborated on a [[generative art]] fashion series with creative coder Tom Carden. To create the images, Cubitt used software that experimented with particles and attractors. The software was written by Carden using the alpha version of the [[Processing (programming language)|Processing Programming Language]], and the images were published in Metropop Magazine.<ref>{{cite web|title=Metropop Denim: Fashion Photography and Generative Artwork by Clayton Cubitt and Tom Carden|url=http://processing.org/exhibition/works/metropop/|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20051114013500/http://www.processing.org/exhibition/works/metropop/|url-status=dead|archive-date=November 14, 2005|publisher=Processing.org|accessdate=7 October 2012}}</ref> Cubitt is also known for "Lagos Calling", an alternate-reality fashion story that reimagined the [[skinhead#Style|skinhead fashion movement]] as a product of late-1960s [[Lagos|Lagos, Nigeria]], rather than London. The images were presented as a set of resurfaced, damaged, faded anthropological portraits.<ref name=whitehot>{{cite web|last=Ana|first=Finel Honigman|title=Clayton Cubitt Interview|url=http://whitehotmagazine.com/articles/april-2009-clayton-cubitt-interview/1810|publisher=Whitehot Magazine}}</ref> The series was used as stylistic inspiration for the [[Gnarls Barkley]] music video for "[[Going On]]".<ref>{{cite web|last=Jardin|first=Xeni|title=Did Gnarls Barkley's video producers "swipe" a photographer's style?|date=13 May 2008|url=http://boingboing.net/2008/05/13/did-gnarls-barkleys.html|publisher=Boing Boing|accessdate=7 October 2012}}</ref> Websites have mistakenly published the images as historical reference.<ref name="whitehot"/> Cubitt created a series called "Damaged Doll" that featured pornographic actress Justine Joli in a sexual, high-fashion context. Two of the images were included in ''The Playground,'' a collectible boxed set of fashion artwork.<ref name="jpg"/> Two different printers refused to print the pieces due to their explicit nature, so the book publishers printed them manually. However, [[Barneys New York|Barney's New York]] refused to stock the boxed set due to the inclusion of the two pieces.<ref name="whitehot"/>
===Hurricane Katrina Survivor Portraits=== In 2005, Cubitt traveled to [[Pearlington, Mississippi]], ground zero for [[Hurricane Katrina]],<ref>{{cite web|title=South Hancock Elementary: Two Communities, One Recovery|url=http://www.fema.gov/news-release/south-hancock-elementary-two-communities-one-recovery|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150924040006/http://www.fema.gov/news-release/south-hancock-elementary-two-communities-one-recovery|url-status=dead|archive-date=September 24, 2015|publisher=FEMA}}</ref> after hearing that his mother's home there had been destroyed.<ref name="jpg"/> Upon arriving, Cubitt began to document the area's devastation. He set up a photography studio in order to interview and photograph Katrina's survivors and volunteers in Pearlington's former school gymnasium, which was serving as a distribution point for aid in the town. Cubitt published their stories and images on a blog he created, titled "Operation Eden." For a time, the blog became a central hub for volunteers and people seeking to send relief, and citizens who were curious about what the mainstream media wasn't covering.<ref name="eyemazing"/> The blog has been described as "a powerful piece of citizen journalism."<ref name="whitehot"/> It was featured on [[MSNBC]],<ref name="morningcall"/> LIFE Magazine, and [[Rolling Stone]]. Cubitt returned to the area subsequently to photograph survivors in Mississippi and New Orleans. His Katrina portraits were used by ad agency Grey Worldwide, in conjunction with [[Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration|SAMHSA]] and the [[Ad Council]], to create a series of PSAs urging Katrina survivors to reach out for help.<ref>{{cite web|last=Jardin|first=Xeni|title=Katrina: public service announcement|date=30 August 2006|url=http://boingboing.net/2006/08/30/katrina-public-servi.html|publisher=BoingBoing|accessdate=7 October 2012}}</ref>
===Celebrity Portraiture=== Cubitt's celebrity portrait subjects include [[David Byrne]]<ref>{{cite magazine|last=Maloney|first=Devon|title=David Byrne and Will Oldham Pick Extremely Self-Deprecating Band Name|url=https://www.spin.com/2012/04/david-byrne-and-will-oldham-pick-extremely-self-deprecating-band-name/|magazine=SPIN Magazine|accessdate=7 October 2012|date=2012-04-03}}</ref> , [[Peter Murphy (musician)|Peter Murphy]], [[Xeni Jardin]],<ref>{{cite web|title=THE WIRE 50: The Most Influential People In Media This Year|url=http://www.businessinsider.com/thewire50/2011?op=1|website=Business Insider|accessdate=7 October 2012}}</ref> [[Levon Helm]],<ref>{{cite magazine|title=Levon Helm Has His Day in Woodstock|url=https://www.rollingstone.com/music/pictures/levon-helm-has-his-day-in-woodstock-20060524|archive-url=https://archive.today/20130202114040/http://www.rollingstone.com/music/pictures/levon-helm-has-his-day-in-woodstock-20060524|url-status=dead|archive-date=February 2, 2013|magazine=Rolling Stone|accessdate=7 October 2012}}</ref> [[Shaun Ross (model)|Shaun Ross]], [[Big Freedia]], Justine Joli,<ref name="jpg"/> and [[Molly Crabapple]].<ref>{{cite web|last=Vandervliet|first=David|title=A Week in Hell with Molly Crabapple|url=http://www.comicbooked.com/a-week-in-hell-with-molly-crabapple/|publisher=Comic Booked|accessdate=7 October 2012|archive-url=https://archive.today/20130120044705/http://www.comicbooked.com/a-week-in-hell-with-molly-crabapple/|archive-date=20 January 2013|url-status=dead}}</ref> Cubitt is credited for initially discovering underground South African rap-rave group [[Die Antwoord]],<ref>{{cite web|last=Griffin|title=Interview: Clayton Cubitt|url=http://www.watkykjy.co.za/2010/09/interview-clayton-cubitt/|publisher=Wat Kyk Jy?|accessdate=7 October 2012}}</ref> and subsequently shot their portrait<ref>{{cite web|title=A photo of Die Antwoord by Clayton Cuitt|url=http://www.mtv.com/artists/die-antwoord/photos/p75669hhv7k/|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20141128121736/http://www.mtv.com/artists/die-antwoord/photos/p75669hhv7k/|url-status=dead|archive-date=November 28, 2014|publisher=MTV.com|accessdate=7 October 2012}}</ref> and album cover for the band's debut$, O$.<ref>{{cite web|last=Bonner|first=Sean|title=Die Antwoord $O$ album cover revealed|date=10 September 2010|url=http://boingboing.net/2010/09/10/die-antwoord-o-cover.html|publisher=BoingBoing|accessdate=7 October 2012}}</ref>
===Video Art=== In 2008–2009, Cubitt created a video series of Long Portraits, in which subjects were filmed sitting still for five minutes or more.<ref name=salon>{{cite news|last=Clark-Flory|first=Tracy|title=Turning orgasm into art|url=http://www.salon.com/2012/08/24/turning_orgasm_into_art/|work=Salon.com|accessdate=7 October 2012|date=2012-08-24}}</ref> The Long Portrait format became popular on [[Vimeo]], inspiring many other photographers to create their own versions.<ref>{{cite web|last=Stephen|first=Niebauer|title=Staff Blog / Weekend Project: The Long Portrait|url=http://vimeo.com/blog/post:222|publisher=Vimeo|access-date=2012-10-07|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140224113211/http://vimeo.com/blog/post:222|archive-date=2014-02-24|url-status=dead}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|last=Damian|first=Rosellen|title=The Children of Clayton Cubitt|url=http://www.damianrosellen.com/2009/08/children-of-clayton-james-cubitt.html|website=damianrosellen.com|access-date=2012-10-07|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20091021213332/http://www.damianrosellen.com/2009/08/children-of-clayton-james-cubitt.html|archive-date=2009-10-21|url-status=dead}}</ref>
In 2012, Cubitt created a video series entitled ''Hysterical Literature''. Shot clinically in black and white, each film shows a fully dressed woman reading a passage from a book of her choice while supposedly being brought to orgasm by an unseen assistant.<ref>{{cite news|title=Hysterical Literature: Behind Clayton Cubitt’s Erotic Series|url=http://www.dailydot.com/society/hysterical-literature-clayton-cubitt-interview/|work=Daily Dot|accessdate=7 October 2012|date=2012-08-27}}</ref> The first installment in the video series featured adult performer [[Stoya]] reading ''Necrophilia Variations'' by [[Supervert]], and has received over thirty-one million views on YouTube as of August 2025.<ref>{{cite web|title=Hysterical Literature: Stoya|url=https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PQuT-Xfyk3o|accessdate=27 June 2013}}</ref> Subsequent videos feature "friends and industry comrades" like [[Margaret Cho]], [[Toni Bentley]] and others <ref>{{cite magazine|last=Galperina|first=Marina|title=A Short Survey of Sexy Contemporary Photographers|url=http://www.flavorwire.com/326526/a-short-survey-of-sexy-contemporary-photographers-nsfw?all=1|magazine=Flavorwire|date=2012-09-12}}</ref> reading passages from books including [[Bret Easton Ellis]]' ''[[American Psycho]]''<ref>{{cite news|title=Hysterical Literature, Clayton Cubitt's erotic YouTube series, hits a new peak|url=http://www.dailydot.com/culture/hysterical-literature-stormy-american-psycho/|work=Daily Dot|accessdate=7 October 2012|date=2012-09-27}}</ref> and [[Walt Whitman]]'s ''Leaves of Grass''.<ref name="salon"/>
=== Veterans for Bernie Sanders === In 2016, Cubitt became a vocal supporter of senator [[Bernie Sanders]]' presidential campaign.<ref>{{Cite web|url=http://boingboing.net/2016/04/19/powerful-photographic-portrait.html|title=Powerful photographic portraits of Veterans For Bernie Sanders|date=2016-04-19|website=Boing Boing|access-date=2017-02-10}}</ref> Cubitt photographed war veterans and interviewed them about what Sanders' candidacy means to them. The images were used by the official Bernie Sanders campaign.<ref>{{Cite news|url=https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/gallery/2016/apr/19/bernie-sanders-military-veterans-voters-clayton-cubitt-photographs-gallery|title=#Vets4Bernie: veterans speak out in support of Bernie Sanders – in pictures|last=Cubitt|first=Clayton|date=2016-04-19|journal=The Guardian|access-date=2017-02-10}}</ref>
==Exhibitions== Group Shows *2003 SENT: America's First Phonecam Art Show, Los Angeles, CA *2008 Anonymous, New York, NY *2008 (Untitled) u = ____, New York, NY *2009 Talk Dirty to Me, New York, NY *2011 Fashioning Photography, Essex Junction, VT *2012 LEWD, New York, NY
== References == {{Reflist|30em}}
== External links == *[http://claytoncubitt.com/ Cubitt's site] *[https://operationeden.blogspot.com/ Operation Eden] *[http://claytoncubitt.tumblr.com/ Clayton Cubitt Every Day], Cubitt's [[tumblelog]]
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{{DEFAULTSORT:Cubitt, Clayton James}} [[Category:Living people]] [[Category:American photographers]] [[Category:1972 births]]