LPA / 5 Minutes With... / Victoria Tunstall / Set Designer and Art Director

This Autumn we spent 5 minutes with Set Designer and Art Director Victoria Tunstall who has worked with the likes of Wallpaper, IKEA and photographers Aaron Tilley, Louise Hagger and LPA’s very own Wilma amongst others!

Can you tell us a bit about yourself Victoria?

I'm a stylist, Set Designer and Art Director, my background is interiors but recently I've been collaborating with still life and food art photographers.

How did you get into being a set designer and art director?

Fresh from university, some twenty years ago, I did an internship at Wallpaper, then assisted some interior stylists. I got a job at IKEA Room magazine, then went freelance in 2002. I've always loved graphic design and the natural progression for me as a stylist was to take a few courses in graphic design and the Adobe packages, so I can now art direct on shoots. Recently my career has moved towards set design for still life and food art. I love developing concepts and creating installations and sculptures.

Who was your first shoot for?

The first shoot I ever went on was for Wallpaper. It was a big lifestyle shoot with models, interiors sets, food stylists, the works. I thought it was Christmas, opening up all the boxes & bags, it never occurred to me to remember what came from where!

What’s your favourite part of the job?

Can I have two? I adored developing concepts; I get such a rush from creating unique ideas and imaginative solutions to briefs. There is enormous scope in still life to very creative with concepts and sets which is why the genre appeals to me.

My art degree was in Decorative Arts and making and creating and installations is so integral to the work I do. I think that's why I love food art so much as food is so malleable.

What do you find the most challenging part of set design?

I struggle with using 3D rendering software, but I've learnt to out source what I can't do myself.

What’s the most unusual shoot you’ve been on? Any crazy sets or unusual subjects?

The crazy and the ethereal are my two brand words! Creating mince plates and vases in a studio, surrounded by vegans stands out, as do pasta wigs and vegetable stain glass windows.

You have worked with one of our photography duos Wilma; did you design that set and is still life your favourite genre of photography?

It was great fun working with Wilma and interesting watching the two work together, I had never worked with a duo before. It would be wonderful to work with them again.

I do not have a preferred genre of photography, that's not how I work, I love them all and it gives me the freedom to work with photographers and clients from all disciplines.

How has your work developed over your career?

I think my work has developed over the course of my career. I still love the ethereal, the quirky but now its more refined and more confident. I feel that this year I have made another big break through with the direction I want to go, so watch this space!

And lastly, tell us something about yourself that people might not know?

I've got a very famous singer/song-writer sister-in-law and I have a phobia of frogs!

Thank you so much for sharing your insight into the world of set design and art direction Victoria - it has been fascinating!