Caroline You’ve known each other for 14 years. How did a classically trained cellist and photographer become friends? 

Will At Music Camp! I’m not sure if Ash remembers, but we met in fifth grade, on the bus to Cazadero on a Berkeley Unified School District field trip. She talked about Muay Thai. We didn’t meet again until we were in Berkeley High’s CAS program as freshmen.  

Ash I would have definitely said we met in our high school program. I took my first darkroom class our freshman year. Even though I was often carrying around a camera in those days, it took me a while to readily own the title “photographer.” Will and I would sometimes partner up on video projects. Since it was a new medium for both of us, we got to explore that together and became closer friends in the process.

Caroline Can you both speak on the ways the image of the butterfly grounds you to your collective histories? What draws you to butterflies? In particular, I’d love if you could expand upon the inspiration for photographing Will against the Migration is Beautiful mural by Oakland artist Favianna Rodriguez in the first set of pictures, as well as navigating your shared identities and roots in Southeast Asia, with Will’s family being from the Philippines and Ash’s in Thailand.

Will To be very honest, I am scared of butterflies. But It’s not always my role to be brave (in the face of butterflies) or for me to resonate with one hundred percent of the material, it’s about breathing life into the image or the music so that it hits you right where it needs to, uplift you because you deserve it. As a subject in those photos and on stage, I am helping to tell a story, to help bring something to your imagination. People I love love butterflies and I think the symmetry of the photos that Ash ended up taking almost 10 years apart is beautiful.

Ash Will, you’re hilarious. I didn’t know about your fear of butterflies, but this makes it all the better to me. The use of butterflies in this series was serendipitous. Whether you’re on stage breathing life into music that is hundreds of years old, or creating images in front of a team and clients, performing can be as terrifying as it is exhilarating. 

The Migration is Beautiful mural by Favianna Rodriguez was another chance element. Celebrating individuality felt like a quintessential part of growing up in the Bay Area. Even though it took me a while to feel comfortable with my multicultural background, it never felt like anyone else judged me for it. Fast forward to 2023, I ended up at the same small dinner party as Favianna at Sundance, many miles from home and surrounded by snowy mountain peaks. It never ceases to amaze me how everything comes full circle!

Caroline That’s amazing, and I think this circularity is also prominent when we consider the photos in direct conversation with each other. The most recent pictures you took of Will, for instance, have a different intensity to me than those from high school. There’s also a greater emphasis on the instrument. What inspired this development?

Ash As a kid I was immediately drawn to the connection that emerges when photographing people. Over the years, I’ve come to really enjoy making photos of places and things which similarly carry their own story. Every time I return home to Thailand, for example, I gravitate toward taking photos of my home and neighborhood and reacquaint myself with the changes that have occurred in my absence. Documenting them makes me feel like a humble participant in their unfolding lives. In Will’s case, I see his cello as his partner, and I wanted to capture that relationship. Visually, there is an unmistakable intensity.

Caroline Will, in what ways does this interpretation of your performance and synthesis with the cello reflect your approach to music?

Will Music is the lens through which I view the world. It is my primary language, both an ancient art which I feel grateful to be a disciple of, and also a great, transcendental freedom that can be shared with so many people. I think Ash’s series serves as a reminder to let expressivity be fluid and flexible, as long as those channels lead you towards your goal. As Ash said, my cello is my number one partner and together, we’re constantly reacting to the acoustics of the space. Flexibility helps me to find the current among the shifting sonic tides. Working with Ash is similar in that I can’t think of a time in our work together when one of us said “no” to an idea, no matter how spontaneous. When Ash wants to try something or gives me direction, she’s always made it easy to trust that she’s going to tell a thoughtful and engaging story. It’s very freeing and exciting in that way.

Caroline I’m curious about how the passage of time has affected your portrayal of Will, as well as your practice, Ash. What do you seek to capture of your shared story, and why this medium?

Ash These photos were taken more than a decade apart, which is a bit wild to reflect on. I was new to my craft, and, I’m sure, more tentative with my subjects. I think there is an innate intimacy of the recent portraits because my camera and I were physically much closer to Will. In some shots, the lens was inches from his face. I wanted to capture his intensity, passion, and dedication to craft, and how present and engaged he is when he plays. His relationship with his instrument is palpable. 

Caroline The love and respect you have for each other is evident. In your opinion, what has made the celebration of your friendship so successful across distance and time?

Will We were friends before we ever worked together in any artistic capacity. I think that we’re people who value making the people around us comfortable, so we’ve always been able to be ourselves together. Nothing is too corny or superficial or too deep or too heavy for us to chop up. Honestly, we don’t get to see each other often, but when we get together, there’s a feeling of ease that transcends the distance or time: simply put, we’re homies and I think that bond lasts forever.

Ash Thanks for all these kind words, fam! I couldn’t be prouder to be your friend. Will said it. The foundation of our friendship was built long ago and never broken, and I’m sure he has seen me along all points of the emotional spectrum. If you treat these relationships kindly, the important things won’t change.