The University of Texas (UT) is integral to the lore and image of Texas
and is beloved by its alumni. If Texas was a country, it would now rank
8th in world GDP and if UT was just an athletics institution, it would
also rank high in the global performance charts. This is not a normal
educational establishment. The flagship of the athletics department is,
of course, the Texas Longhorns, whose fan base stretches way beyond the
alumni. To be in Austin for a Saturday game day is a bucket list
sporting occasion, attracting crowds of over 80,000 people, even if the
result is a foregone conclusion long before the tailgating parties
start. My plan was to take a tableau photograph celebrating this
venerable institution, but there was much to plan to ensure my effort as
an outsider would not end up being generic or hackneyed. I needed to
push a few boundaries in my creative processing. Since 1916 a longhorn
steer named Bevo has represented The University of Texas as its famed
mascot. There have, of course, been a few Bevos over the years, with
their orange and white colouring emblematic of the institution. There is
no more revered live mascot in global sport and I recognised that
without Bevo, any picture celebrating the Longhorns would be very lame. I
want to thank Ben Barnes - the former Lieutenant Governor of Texas -
for helping facilitate this shoot. My idea was to photograph Bevo in
front of the UT tower which is the storied epicentre of the campus and
Ben, who bizarrely knew my late father in the UK, made the necessary
calls. The grass lawn between 21st Street and the Tower suited the
steer, but my leaning was always to add both dynamism and symbolism by
using the same smoke effects that accompany Bevo when he triumphantly
enters the Darrell K Royal Memorial Stadium on game day. Smoke adds
drama and focuses the eye. No wonder it is so often used in the creative
entertainment industry. I want to thank Ricky Brown Ricky Breenes, and
Craig Westemeier of The University of Texas Athletics, William Reid and,
of course, Governor Barnes. It was a privilege and an honour to be
allowed this level of access. This was an agreed partnership with UT,
who will benefit from any sales of the commemorative photograph.