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Home > Desert Oracle Radio > Art show featuring photography of Orian Williams tonight (12/5) at the Firehouse JT
Podcast: Desert Oracle Radio
Episode:

Art show featuring photography of Orian Williams tonight (12/5) at the Firehouse JT
Category: Society & Culture
Duration: 00:00:00
Publish Date: 2025-12-05 15:10:00
Description:

Tonight, the Firehouse in Joshua Tree will host a free exhibition titled B-Sides: The Photography of Orian Williams. The art show will feature Williams’ collection of black and white photographs, many of which reflect intimate moments taken behind the scenes through his work as a film producer. Organized by Pioneertown local Patricia Vernhes, the event is put on in collaboration with Hat & Beard Press, an independent publisher and print production house in Los Angeles, which published Williams’ 2023 book B-Sides. A pop-up shop featuring signed copies of the book and other titles will be on site, and music will be provided by local musician Nicolas Vernhes.

Based in Jackson, Mississippi, Williams has worked in the film industry for the past several decades. His productions include Control (2007), a biopic about Ian Curtis of Joy Division, Eno (2024), about musician Brian Eno, Shadow of a Vampire (2000), Big Sur (2013), and more. Williams explained his interest in photography precluded his work in film; the former was inspired by his late stepfather, who would take photographs in the countryside and develop them in a family darkroom. 

“He would come back and develop these photos, and I found it fascinating. That got me appreciating the art, the image, and just looking at things differently. I started realizing that a lot of bands would have these really cool images, and I became fascinated with how a band could interpret their music through image or music video.”

Following his education and entrance into the film industry, Williams continued using photography as an art form to capture unique moments. Of course, being in the world of film and music lends to interesting and exclusive moments rarely seen by others. Among Williams’ photography subjects are figures such as Pete Townshend, The Cure, Fred Roos, Udo Kier, and Billy Idol, whose image graces the cover of B-Sides.

“I never considered myself a photographer. I started having access to moments and events and things that just not everyone was invited to. And I learned pretty early on that a great image is basically accessibility to that moment. I was in wonderful situations where I was able to capture these great moments. And of course, I always had a camera with me.”

Williams collaborated with friend J.C. Gabel of Hat & Beard Press to publish B-Sides in 2023. Since then, B-Sides has been featured in exhibitions in Mill City and Los Angeles; Joshua Tree marks the third, with a fourth in the works in Beijing. Both the book and the photography exhibition highlight how unplanned, subtle, and behind-the-scenes moments can lend to inspiring art.

“B-Sides is a product of years of capturing these great moments that ended up in a collective. That name came to me because I felt like it wasn’t the A-list; it was the B-list. Sometimes the B-sides on records are the coolest.”

B-SIDES: The Photography of Orian Williams One-Night Exhibition will be held tonight from 6 p.m. to 9 p.m. at the Firehouse, located at 65430 Winters Road in Joshua Tree

The post Art show featuring photography of Orian Williams tonight (12/5) at the Firehouse JT appeared first on Z107.7 FM Joshua Tree.
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