SPLICED LIFE /
INTERVIEW / STEPHEN HAYFORD
ISSUE 05
art. I often make statements in my images about
superficial behaviour which we often refer to
as “being plastic.” And there is a great line from
the film The Graduate in which family friend Mr.
McGuire attempts to steer Ben Braddock’s career
choice with the immortal words “there’s a great
future in plastics.” So, “Life in Plastics” captures
everything I do from Star Wars to Florida images,
from drama to satire.
SM: What inspired you to begin creating
these dioramas?
SH: In photojournalism I was covering a lot of
horrible situations: Murder scenes, fatal accidents,
devastating fires, families spending their last
moments with terminally ill children. It was a lot
to take home mentally at the end of the day. So, I
needed something to do with my hands.
My childhood love of Star Wars toys lead to
my internet discovery of diorama building. It was
the perfect catharsis. And coincidently, at the
same time of this discovery I had an assignment
to cover a dollhouse building group. The elderly
women of this group taught me the small scale
stucco technique I use for everything from Tatooine
structures to F