Perou

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'''Ralph John Perou''' (born May 1970),<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.freebmd.org.uk/cgi/information.pl?r=243419784:7068&d=bmd_1610362594|title = FreeBMD Entry Info}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web|url=https://companycheck.co.uk/director/911383783/MR-RALPH-JOHN-PEROU/summary|title = MR RALPH JOHN PEROU director information. Free director information. Director id 911383783}}</ref> known professionally as '''Perou''', is a British fashion, portrait and music photographer who has also appeared as a judge on ''Make Me a Supermodel UK'' and on season 2 of Bravo TV's American ''Make Me a Supermodel''.

==Early life== Perou was born in Newick, a small village in East Sussex, England. Perou has stated that he "had a very happy, carefree childhood growing up in the countryside. It's where I discovered my love of English cider".<ref>{{Cite web |url=http://www.perou.co.uk/diary/?date=2008-06-01 |title=Unknown |access-date=19 February 2009 |archive-date=20 February 2012 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120220121320/http://www.perou.co.uk/diary/?date=2008-06-01 |url-status=dead }}</ref> He went to primary school at Newick Church of England school and completed secondary school at Chailey and Haywards Heath Sixth form. When Perou finished his Religious Studies and Design A levels he considered a career as a long-distance lorry driver or as a missionary. But Perou states that he "saw the dark" and after a short stint as a butler he completed a BTEC OND in Design Photography at North East Surrey College of Technology.<ref name="auto">{{cite web |url=http://www.perou.co.uk/forum/viewtopic.php?t=35 |title=Perou Community :: View topic - Perou history? |accessdate=2009-02-19 |url-status=dead |archiveurl=https://web.archive.org/web/20110807192047/http://www.perou.co.uk/forum/viewtopic.php?t=35 |archivedate=2011-08-07 }}</ref>

Between 1991 and 1994 Perou studied for a BA Hons degree in Photography, Film and Video Arts at the University of Westminster.<ref name="auto"/>

==Professional career== {{BLP sources section|date=February 2009}} After graduating in 1994 Perou worked at Click Studios in London as a studio manager.

It was during his time at Click Studios that Perou learned photography professionally. He started shooting for editorial clients like ''Time Out'', ''Skin Two'' and ''Dazed & Confused'' magazines. He also started shooting bands, following work that he did with his friends who were in the band Elcka.

In 1995, Perou moved to the first floor of a converted fire station in Old Street, London. Shortly after, ''Dazed & Confused'' relocated to the ground floor of the same building and Perou started working on the picture desk with the photographic director, Phil Poynter. Perou continued to shoot for magazines and record companies and left ''Dazed & Confused'' around 1997. One of his musician shoots was with British singer/songwriter Gary Numan for his 1997 album ''Exile'' alongside Joseph Cultice.

Perou was initially known as a 'fetish photographer' through his early work for ''Skin Two'' magazine and after being featured in the book ''Fetish: Masters of Erotic Fantasy Photography''.

In 2000, Perou opened the photographic studio, the Perou Factory in Hackney Wick (an industrial estate in the east of London). In 2006 the London Development Agency compulsorily purchased the Perou Factory as part of redevelopments for the 2012 Olympics. Perou and his family relocated to the East Kent coast.

In 2012, Perou with a team of supportive volunteers, started renovating a dilapidated warehouse in Bow, East London. In 2013 it was launched as 'The Bow Bunker', which is a flexible place for photography, film and very special events.

In May 2014 issue one of ''EDICT'' magazine was released. Perou is the Editor in Chief of ''EDICT'', the premise of which is: "There's too much of everything. Here's some more." Each issue features one artist recommending one piece of art or other artist; one musician recommending one other band or piece of music etc. ''EDICT'' is a free publication that is distributed mainly in the UK and Tokyo, Japan.

Issue 2 of ''EDICT'' magazine was released in January 2015; issue 3 was released in September 2016.

On Friday 13th November 2015, Perou's first book ''Coulrophobia'' was released, which features self portraits of him made up like a clown. It was made in collaboration with nineteen of the world's best makeup artists and Marilyn Manson. ''Coulrophobia'' (which means the fear of clowns) was designed by Peter & Paul and supported by MAC Cosmetics.

In 2020, Perou released '21 Years in Hell: Marilyn Manson by Perou' published by ReelArt Press: a collection of photographs from the 21 years that Perou had been photographing Marilyn Manson and text from a long conversation remembering stories from the times the pictures were taken.<ref>https://www.reelartpress.com/catalog/edition/145/marilyn-manson-by-perou</ref>

==Exhibitions== *1991 BTEC graduate show in St Martins in the Lane Crypt. London *1993 ''A Private View by Pike and Perou'' video screening in Milk Bar, Soho *1994 PCL graduate show. Riding House Street. London *2000 ''Bosozoku'', Tomato. Lexington street, London *2000 ''Bosozoku'', Rapid Eye, London *2002 ''Perou Show'', at Blink Gallery. London *2004 ''125 Magazine'' 'Smell Issue' (group show). London *2005 ''Torture Garden'', Great Eastern hotel. London. *2005 ''Torture Garden'', Galerie Bertin-Toublanc. Paris *2006 ''Bosozoku'', Studio Apart. Amsterdam. *2006 ''Dita Von Teese'', Parco buildings. Tokyo. Japan *2007 BT Essence of the Entrepreneur. Oxo tower Gallery. London *2008 BT Essence of the Entrepreneur. Oxo tower Gallery. London *2008 Pet Shop Boys in National Portrait Gallery. London *2008 Camera Press Anniversary (group show) National Portrait Gallery. London *2008 ''125 Magazine'' 'Future Issue' (group show) AOP gallery. London *2010 The Front Room. Whitstable *2010 Perou x mr.Miller& co. ''125 Magazine'' live art event. The Russian Club,. London *2015 ''Coulrophobia'', MAC Cosmetics pro store Carnaby Street. London *2015 ''Coulrophobia'', MAC Cosmetics Paris *2015 ''Coulrophobia'', MAC Cosmetics pro store Berlin *2015 ''Coulrophobia'', MAC Cosmetics pro store New York. NY *2019 ''Big Cats'', London Bridge Station. London <ref>https://www.presson.co.uk/case-studies/presson-perou-big-cats/</ref> *2020 [https://www.latermicamalaga.com/actividades/exposicion-marilyn-manson-21-years-in-hell-de-perou/ ''Marilyn Manson by Perou: 21 Years in Hell''], La Termica. Malaga. Spain *2022 Perou's low-fi Laser Show. Haywards Heath Arts Festival *2023 [https://kentcreative.org/group-shows/storytellers-2023 ''Storytellers''] group show by Kent Creative at The Beaney, Canterbury UK

==Modelling== *1995 Catwalk Comme des Garçons. Paris *1996 Catwalk Sonja Nuttall. London *1999 Cyclefly album cover ''Generation Sap'' *2000 Catwalk Evisu. London *2005 Vivenne Westwood Tie campaign s/s 2005.

==TV== *2003 Season 5 ''Absolutely Fabulous'' (cameo) in episode 'Exploiting' with Jean-Paul Gaultier *2004 BBC ''Picture of Africa''. *2005 Channel 5 ''Make Me A Super Model'' UK Season 1 judge. *2006 Channel 5 ''Make Me A Super Model'' UK Season 2 judge and mentor. *2008 ''Celebrity Weakest Link'' 'Body Beautiful' episode. **(Perou would have been first out had he not intimidated Gok Wan into changing his vote). *2008 Bravo TV (America) ''Make Me A Super Model'' Season 2 judge. *2011 Channel 4 ''Dirty Sexy Things''

==Directing== *1999 Marilyn Manson rockumentary ''God is in the TV''. *2001 Co-director with Chris Turner for Black Box Recorder *2004 Co-director with Bill Yukich for Eighties Matchbox B-Line Disaster ''Mister Mental'' *2007 KT Tunstall

==Published books== *2015 ''Coulrophobia'' *2020 ''Marilyn Manson by Perou: 21 Years in Hell'' *2022 ''Tunnel Vision''

==Album photography== *1997 ''Exile'' by Gary Numan *2016 ''Can't Touch Us Now'' by Madness

==References== {{reflist}} *March 2005 ''British Journal of Photography'': cover story and interview *March 2009 ''Professional Photographer'': cover story and interview

==External links== *{{IMDb name|id=1667738|name=Perou}} *[http://www.realityblurred.com/realitytv/archives/make_me_a_supermodel/2009_Jan_07_cast_changes Nikki Taylor, Judges Dropped from Season 2 of MMAS] Realityblurred.com, January 7, 2009 *[https://www.creativereview.co.uk/photographer-perou-process] Creative Review, April 4, 2018 *[https://www.itsnicethat.com/articles/perou] Is Nice That, July 1st, 2015 *[https://cenemagazine.co.uk/features/2020/10/21/perou-marilyn-manson-21-years-in-hell] Cene Magazine, October 28th, 2020 *[https://www.theguardian.com/music/gallery/2020/may/22/perou-on-two-decades-photographing-marilyn-manson-in-pictures] Guardian May 22nd, 2020 *[https://latermicamalaga.com/exposicion-marilyn-manson-21-years-in-hell-de-perou/] La Termica Marilyn Manson exhibition

Category:Alumni of the University of Westminster Category:Photographers from Sussex Category:Living people Category:People from Newick Category:1970 births Category:English album-cover and concert-poster artists Category:British photographers