Marc Aitken had the kind of bohemian childhood most of us only read about in books. The son of fashion model Pamela Portman, he was raised in a world of artists and musicians – an upbringing that paved the way for his thriving career as a photographer and sound engineer. Now living on the Royal Crescent, he continues to channel his creative instincts into new ventures (most recently putting on the Robbie Williams show). He tells us about his artistic journey and his favourite spots in the city he now calls home…
What first brought you to Bath, and what has kept you here?
My wife and I had decided to leave Brighton where we first met and were looking for somewhere that had a similar atmosphere and sense of uniqueness. My physical surroundings have always been really important to me and I have a keen sense of history and culture, so obviously Bath has that in abundance.
Your mum was fashion model Pamela Portman. What are the earliest memories you have of being around her?
My early memories are of this glamorous woman who looked like a film star, always immaculately turned out dashing from one event to the next and often returning with a group of larger than life characters.
You grew up surrounded by the 1960s fashion elite, including figures such as Brian Epstein, fashion photographer Norman Parkinson and Andrew Loog Oldham, manager of the Rolling Stones. How has that shaped the way you experience the world today?
I feel lucky to have grown up in an era that created characters like that who literally shaped popular culture for decades. It made me aware that you really could change the world with a thought, a picture or a song.
You’ve had an extraordinary career in fashion, theatre and music – when did you realise that was where you were heading?
I was probably about 8 when I fell totally in love with the pop music of the era, especially the whole Glam scene! As kids we used to have a kind of home-made Glitter Band tribute act which probably drove people round the bend but we loved it and were always trying to make equipment if we didn’t have the money to buy it. Once I managed to get a job at a newly built venue near me I knew that’s what I wanted to do.
How do you think your background in lighting and set design influences your visual storytelling today?
I’ve always been totally in love with film, my favourite directors are people like Ridley Scott and Stanley Kubrick, so I’ve always been interested in inventing worlds and people who do that really effectively.
You’ve worked with so many iconic figures – do you have any stand out memories of some of these liaisons that you could share with us?
I remember the first time I ever met and saw Kate Bush perform like it was yesterday. I was only 16 and I managed to talk my way onto working on a bunch of the shows after being involved in the very first one she did. It can sound a little corny to say that something like that changed your life, but in my case it absolutely did. It’s always a bit odd when you meet somebody really famous for the first time because you’re only used to seeing them on film or in photographs or on TV and they look, move and sound differently, but then all that subsides because you just want to get on with the business of making whatever they’re doing as good as it possibly can be in terms of your involvement.
What’s your favourite thing to do in Bath when you’re not working, somewhere you go to reset or get inspired?
A few years ago I finally discovered Rainbow Woods and now I’m addicted to the place, I just love walking up there. The fact that you can cross the road from the Uni and within a couple of minutes be right in the middle of the countryside surrounded by cows and sheep, where cars are a distant memory is incredible.
Do you have a go-to café or pub where you’re most likely to be found decompressing or people-watching?
Well I’ve frequented most of them in my time! But currently I’d have to give a shout out to Society Café in Kingsmead Square for the whole coffee and cake thing or Dough next door as if you’re gluten-free like me it’s life changing and delicious!
If you had to capture ‘your Bath’ in one photograph, where would you take it and what would it show?
Well it might seem obvious but I think I’d have to choose the Royal Crescent having lived there for 10 years. I’ve just been part of the team that put on Robbie Williams last month after two years work and to see that come to life with my teenage son was a bit of a magic moment.
If you could photograph anyone in the world – past or present – who would it be, and why?
From the past, it would have to be Marilyn Monroe. Apart from being a ridiculously beautiful and photogenic subject, she was someone I don’t think people really understood and she had a real inner magic. If it’s from the present it would have to be Liam Gallagher. truly being yourself and not being bothered by other people’s opinions is something most people never really achieve and, love him or loath him, I honestly think he’s been himself right from the get-go.
Marc Aitken Multimedia; 07866 546410
fabulatorfilms@me.com;
www.marcaitken.com