Undine Markus: How old were you when you first picked up photography?
Vinca Petersen: About seven, I think. I have a pack of my photos in my archive and on the envelope, it says “My ferst photos,” so I photographed before I could spell.

Undine: How has modelling informed your photography?
Vinca: I know that women are never happy with the image they have of themselves. I also learnt how aware people are of the camera and how uncomfortable it is to have a camera pointed at you. Only professionals learn how to hold the gaze of a camera well. So, I always tried to find ways of photographing those around me without making them feel awkward, but also not photographing them in a detached documentary way. I prefer the idea of taking them on a journey with me, collaborating with them.

Undine: Future Fantasy reflects on your teenage years in London. Could you tell us more about your lifestyle back then? What do you view as some of the defining features of that era?
Vinca: I left home when my parents separated. I was the youngest of six and, in the end, I was the only child at home. I was lonely and bored. At sixteen, I met my first boyfriend who had dreadlocks and I decided to leave school to live with him in a squat. London was much more accessible to young people then, the squatting network meant that you could find a home and a community in the city even if you didn’t have much money. The squats were full of people making music and art and partying. We were able to be creative because we did not have the constraints of having to earn hideous amounts of money for rent. I went to lots of gigs, raves, parties, whilst always working freelance as a model. One could balance earning money with having fun. Of course, there were some people that sat around all day doing nothing in the squats, but most people were active, either with their own projects or with a job. I remember leaving the squat thinking I was dressed quite smartly to go to modelling castings or go-sees and walking in and looking down to see dirt on my tights and dog hairs all over my coat. These days that might not matter, but then it was unusual to see a model in scruffy clothes.

Undine: A portion of the book looks at nightlife in London in the early and mid-90s. Tell us more about the rave culture, and what was it like going out in London back then.
Vinca: Answering this question deserves an essay! What can I say, the raves were fresh. Really full of happiness, friendliness and positivity. It sounds cheesy, but it really was. The raves were a fascinating combination of hardcore and seriously fluffy. I mean, the process of putting on raves, especially illegal ones is hardcore. Fealing with the venues, the law, the police and some rough elements in the crowds but the overall the vibe was fluffy – people having the best time of their lives in a very communal way. You can dance all night to music anywhere and have a good time. When you are dancing and moving through a crowd of hundreds of people, they are all engaging with you with a smile, a comment, a hug, that really is a unique experience to raving. Britain has lost so many of its communal gatherings as ancient festivals are policed and hemmed in, free parties are illegalised, nightclubs are over scrutinised… what do we have left? Where can you go and be in a crowd and have lots of fun without having to pay an arm and a leg for it? I think young people today have to accept that paid festivals are the only place left for them to have real, muddy, silly fun. But for thousands of years that wasn’t the case, we used to be able to do that more freely.

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