Hard Work...

The past few weeks have been busy. Two photographic holidays, processing the results then selecting and entering competitions really starts to draw the creative juices out you. Well it does me anyway.

The relentless pace is keeping up. I have finally selected my photographs for the projected image exhibition submission. These need to be sent off and then the next submission - Portfolio 2 and then the Garden photography competition and then a breather. My hopes are always high but I am also realistic - these competitions are always a lottery and you have no idea whether what you have submitted is what the judges are looking for. Still this is much better than working for a living....

When is a photograph not a photograph?

New Life - Martin Wilson

Every now and then you come across something really different - something that makes you question what you know. I had that experience today when saw the exhibition of Martin Wilson at theBishop Street Methodist Church in Leicester. So what is all the fuss about?

Martin Wilson uses every day objects and letters he finds around in the streets of London to create messages. Nothing too special about this you might suggest about this and if this were the only thing he does then that would be correct. However, Wilson uses film as his medium to record the letters. He then places the stripes of 35 mm film together to spell out the message. Again on the face of it not too unusual until you start to realise that he must work out what each frame of film must contain before he captures it.

If this was not daunting enough then consider the piece 'New Life' above. Here Wilson has used branches of trees to spell out the saying 'I was naked, you clothed me'. Each letter was made up of at least four frames. Not only that but each branch must be framed in such a way as to ensure that it fits together with the other frames that make up each character. Once you start to get your head around that then you realise what a monumental task it is to create each work. Just to complicate matters ', you clothed me' can only be taken in spring when the new leaves are just coming into bud. Mess that up and you have to wait another twelve months to get it right. To see this in greater detail click here.

Now this would be very easy to do using Photoshop but with film it becomes a monumental effort. You only have to think about the attention to detail that must be applied to the planning of each piece and your head starts to spin.

However, this was not caused the revaluation in me. The question that kept coming back to me was this - is this photography? Now I know that this is one of those questions that you can never answer. It is up there with - is this art? On one level it is photography. All of the pieces exhibited are literally photographs. However, this is like saying a painting is just oil on canvas. It is true but doesn't really mean anything. I think an indication of what Wilson thinks comes from the statement accompanying the exhibition. Here Wilson is described as creating '...photographic artworks...' So Wilson thinks that they are primarily photographs. It is just to me this doesn't really do the work justice - it really seems to have that hybrid nature - perhaps a missing link between the two worlds - this of course assumes that there is any delineation between art and photography.

I don't really have any answer to these questions and in the end I don't think it matters but standing in front of the pieces it just kept recuring in my head and that is surely what good art should do. It should challange you to think again and reexamine your perceptions and provide new inspirations. Martin Wilson's work certainly did this for me.

So if you get the chance to see Martin Wilson's work then it really is worth it.

Emergence Photography Exhibition

Another day another exhibition - well that is how it seems at the moment. Actually this is a very exciting time of the year - you get to see some really interesting photography in such a short amount of time - and the Emergence Photography exhibition doesn't let you down.

The exhibition is the final work of the BTEC, HND and HNC students from Sandwell College in the West Midlands and is at the Custard factory gallery in Digbeth, Birmingham. The space itself lends for a much more enjoyable experience than the Leicester College exhibition I went to earlier this week. Instead of being crammed in there was space to be able to stand back and examine and enjoy the work presented. Whilst I was there the students were undertaking their final assessments which, in itself must be unnerving without members of the public wondering around. Glad I am past such matters.

So the photography -what was it like? Again, as I have mentioned before these type of exhibition are always a bit of a hotch potch of work - after all the goal of the exhibitors is to impress their assessors rather than the passing public i.e. me. This being said I thought the overall standard was very good. The photography was on the whole engaging and worth taking the time to study. As ever, personal choice comes into this so some of the pieces I just didn't get, some were okay in parts and some where just very good. Out of all the photographers exhibiting the following caught my eye:

Ben Turner - Heros. This was a set of photographs that were meant to be a fashion shoot from different angles but I must admit I saw as a 'Free Running' documentary. It was inspired by the tv series Heros. Now I am not really inspired by 'fashion shoots' but this was a strong set of photographs. They captured the energy and freedom of Free Running. You could feel the exhilaration of the gravity defying movements - for a split second you know what a bird feels like. Now I know this was not what Turner was trying to do but I felt they worked much better like this than a fashion shoot;

Susannah Conway - Mirror Image. Susannah's piece explored the similarities and differences of brothers and sisters. It was a series of quite simple portraits of young boys and girls, perhaps no older than mid teens. (Indeed if you visit Conway's website you will get a feel for the work she displayed - infact some of the children are actually on the website) The photographs were arranged in two rows; the top row had 9 photographs and the bottom row 8. This initially threw me for two reasons. Firstly which were the siblings and secondly why a row of 9 and a row of 8? However, it added to the enjoyment of the piece to work out the answers and once you did the whole work made me smile. The simple truth was that the brothers and sisters did look the same and yet you could see they were different. This difference was helped by the simple portraiture style;

Victoria Landon - Cathartic Confessions. This was the most powerful piece in the exhibition. It consisted of a number of photographs based on anonymous online confessions taken from a web site that Victoria had set up. She then used these confessions as inspiration for the photographs. However, her style and control of the photographic medium was such that you didn't really need to understand the motivation for the photographs. They were strong and thoughtful on their own. Out of all the work displayed this was the most coherent and powerful piece;

Maria Reaney - Recycled - This was a series of photographs of models wearing cloths made out of recycled materials. The shots were also supposed to be recycled ideas inspired by other photographers. They were a strong set of photographs, however the one that really stood out for me was what I came to call Eartha Kitt in a new paper (See Below). What really inspired me about this its simplicity and yet complexity of tone and light. It was helped by the beauty of the model whose wonderful skin tones have been picked out again the dark background. Again the choice of the hair band and the news print adds to the understated, yet over powering, tonal range. A simply stunning photograph

There were other individual photographs that were strong in themselves but they didn't form a coherent and strong series as those I have chosen to mention.

One final thing. Photographer's Statements. These are always very tricky but in my view should be about the work being exhibited rather than a short biography of the photographer. I am sure it is important to someone who the photographer became inspired to take up photography but it doesn't really explain the motivation or message that the photographer is trying to communicate. The most successful statements in the exhibition didn't touch on this at all but addressed the photographs - and where much the better for it.

I understand that the MA exhibition at the DMU is going to be this gallery. This will provide an interesting compare and contrast with the work displayed here. Will it be that much better - I hope so.

Incite - Photography exhibition

Another day another exhibition - well it is that time of year. Actually I have a connection with this exhibition as it is the final year exhibition of the HNC course at Leicester College that I started but didn't complete - a bit of a pattern forming here I think!

So what was it like? The exhibition itself was at the West End Gallery in Leicester. The room itself was really quite small for the amount of work on display but this was probably the only space available for the price/money available. It became even smaller once all the people turned up and people eventually spilled out into the courtyard next to the gallery.

As usual with these types of exhibitions the work was very variable. This is not a criticism of the work but rather a construct of the programme. There was no one theme, such as say 'Landscape Photography', and so the subject matter was varied. Out of the all the work on display Emma Gould's ' a day at Dingley Races ' was, for me, head and shoulders above anything else exhibited. The piece consisted of a number of photographs mounted in black frames. They were then brought together to form a 1.5 x 1.5 metre square. They were candid black and white portraits of the people and horse racing. The neat arrangement complimented the first rate photographs and you were left with the feeling that you were there.

So an interesting evening and I am sure that all the pepoloe exhibiting would feel proud of the work on display. I know I would have.

York

York, York, York...so good they named it once.   Not quite sure why I wrote that but in seemed a good way to start.  Anyway, I spent the day in York and a mixed experience it was too.  For anyone who has never been to York it is a really strange place.  It is a small provincial town with a huge Minster in the middle.   Beyond the city walls there are the usual urban sprawl but within the walls it a very cramped a claustrophobic place.

The reason for the visit was to take in the York coeliac food fair.   This was a bizarre experience.  There was a huge scrum of people trying to get free samples.   I have to say that most of the food was excellent and the producers seemed to be mainly local to Yorkshire.   You can go overboard at these place and many people appeared to be doing just that.  They were coming away with bags bulging with produce.   

By the time we had got to the food fair we felt quite hungry.  However, by the time we had left that hunger had subsided.   But there still was the problem was where to eat?   After much frustrating searching we found a wonderful christian charity restaurant.  It was fancy and I felt like I was back at school queuing for the food.   However, the food was excellent and the service first rate.  It was situated in one of the many churches right in the centre of York.  Compared to the usual corporate/chain feeding places you get in most town/city centre this was a refreshing change.  Well worth another visit.

So why mixed experience? Well the Minster was stunning as ever and the streets were packed.  However, the real low point of the day was the National Railways Museum.   Perhaps I was feeling tired but the place seemed so boring.   This was captured by the 3:30pm demonstration of the huge locomotive turntable in the centre of the museum.   Now I couldn't understand what would be so exciting about this so I didn't know what to expect.   My underwhelming sense of dread was not disappointed.   After about a 10 minute talk from one of the staff, which no one could hear,  they started the demonstration.   Guess what turntables go round.  That was it the turntable went round once.   I felt my life draining away.

The offending turntable

The one and only reason why anyone should go to museum would be to view the outstanding exhibition about the Indian railway system called 'India on the Move'.  This comprised of a series of portraits of the people who live on, under next to the railway and the numerous people who work on the railway.   This really gave me a sense of the magic of the human spirit.  Here was a series of people whose whole life revolved around the railway.   They sold/hawked all manner of things.  The employees also seemed to have a huge sense of pride in what they were doing.   This is a well worth the visit even if the rest of the museum will live you cold.

After the Railway museum we walked back into York and guess what - it rained.   To be fair this is what the weather forecast had predicted so no real complaints there.  I do love making photographs in the rain everything gets a rich colour do to the wet.   Had a great time getting some street candid shots.  Not sure my wife was too happy about this - still it did give her time to look around the shops.

We eventually made our way home on the train.   Whilst this seemed to dawdled across Yorkshire until it got to Sheffield where it remembered it was an express where upon we rattled along at reasonable speed.   This was a York special and so it stopped at numerous small stations.

So overall a good day, I just wish the National Railway museum could put some life into their exhibitions.

Obama's People

Young fresh and alive is the lasting impression I got from the portraits of the transitional Barack Obama team at the exhibition 'Obama's People' at the Birmingham City Museum and Art Gallery.   The portraits were taken for a special edition of the New York Times  by London based photographer Nadav Kandar.

The exhibition is in one room.  The walls are painted white and there is a good deal of natural light which enhances the feeling of fresh and new.   Most of the portraits at hung on the four walls of the room.   Towards the rear of the room there is a tunnel construction that is painted black and very dimly lit - but more of this in a moment.

Now for any one who is a West Wing fan there is a wonderful game to play as you examine the photographs - which one is Josh, which one is Tobby, Leo etc?   This is not as silly as it sounds as the producers of the West Wing are claiming that the character of Matt Santos is loosely inspired by the Obama and there are some other neat fits - Rahm Emanual is also very similar to Josh, who was also Santos' chief of staff.   I could go on but I won't.

As you enter the gallery there is one portrait that catches your eye straight away - Hillary Clinton.   She is undoubtedly the second most famous person in the room, although whether she is the second most powerful is another matter.   You eyes are drawn immediately to her and you can tell that she has done this sort of thing before.   She looks relax and yet formal - well aware of the power of her image.  Compare this to the portrait of Reggie Love, Obama's body man (next to Clinton in the collection above).  Here we have a young man who is full of the life that Obama has brought to the Presidency,   he has none of the years of Washington in fighting that has clearly formed and bruised Hillary Clinton

As you walk around the gallery you quickly realise that someone is missing.    Where is Banquo?  This is a feast in his honour and yet he is nowhere to be seen.   This being said his personality can be felt throughout the room - yet where is Obama?   To find Obama you have to enter the tunnel structure towards the rear of the room.   Here, opposite some very ordinary night shots of Washington DC land marks is a very small portrait of Obama.   It is a black and white photograph, see above, and illuminated by a small spot in the ceiling of the structure.   This might be the smallest photograph in the exhibition yet it still holds your attention.

The inner circle of George Bush's first administration

Annie Leibovitz ~ Nov 2001

As I walked around the gallery I kept thinking back to the Leibovitz portrait of the Bush inner circle from his first administration.   This is a rather formal affair of very serious looking people.   It has a sinister feel to it.  Now it is too easy to draw any conclusions from this comparison but it was something I kept coming back to again and again.   The Obama people really do represent the audacity of hope compared to the tired, discredited people they replaced. 

Annie Leibovitz

Patti Smith and Family

Annie Leibovitz

As promised my thoughts on the Annie Leibovitz exhibition at the National Portrait Gallery.  The overall impression was one of amazement.  Amazement not at the glossy Vanity Fair front covers but rather amazement at the images of her family and her long time relationship with Susan Sontag.  I really cannot say that I would have, haven't, taken images at such a distressing time.  And then to publish them for all to see.   Amazing!

As for the glossy end of the work well they are just that Glossy.   I am sure they pay the bills but they are not her best work.   To illustrate this there were two images of Demi Moore when she was pregnant.  The first was the famous one that appeared on the front cover of Vanity Fair.   The second was a much more personal shot of demi Moore and her then husband Bruce Willis.  This image was black and white of Demi's bump with Willis's hands around it.  This, to me, was more intimate   and loving whereas the Vanity Fair shot was just a publicity shot for a movie that Demi was involved in.   Interesting, the Vanity Fair shot was supposed to be private shot which Leiborvitz thought would have made a great front cover.  She was right, of course, but it still has none of the power of the more intimate shot.

Annie Leibovitz has always claimed that she prefers the images on the inside of the magazine, especially when at the Rolling Stone magazine, than the glossy front cover.  Her exhibition confirms this.   

The best display of the whole exhibition was the two walls which were like huge contact sheets.  They were made up of numerous prints which were probably no bigger than A4.    They were organised in some form of timeline and many were smaller copies of the large prints seen throughout the exhibition.   The small scale and relative relationship to time added to the effect of a great photographer working through her life.

One final question.   Why did Annie Leibovitz's mother insist on showing how flexible she was in many of the family shots?  The captions only explained so much but image after image there she was with one leg cocked up in the air.

Anyway, a very impressive exhibition and one that I was able to get a reduced rate as I am a student.   Now I knew there was a reason I am studying for an MA!

Walking Walking Walking and Titian

Diana and Actaeon - Titian 

- by the way I wasn't allowed to take any pictures - only the media were - there's encouraging the ordinary punter!

What an exhausting day!   I have just got back from London having spent most of the day walking around central London.   Oh I managed to see three exhibitions that I planned and two that I didn't.   More on the exhibitions I planned to see another day but as for now the exhibitions I didn't plan.

First Titian.   You maybe away that a very wealthy man who inherited some old masters has decided that he wants cash in on the paintings.   Now I have read an account of why he has to do this and I remember thinking the reasons appeared to be genuine.  However I can't remember what they are.    Anyway, we are in the current situation that he wants some money - £100 million to be precise or else he'll sell the paintings and we'll never see them again.   I am sure that this is being uncharitable but having been in the presence of two of the paints this morning I was underwhelmed.   

Perhaps it was because the National Gallery stuffed them into some dreary room.   Or perhaps when I went there it was full of artistic mafia and media types - apparently the big wigs of the National Gallery had decided that today was the day for a big media push.  Well, unfortunately I got into the room at the same time as these other people and looked and looked at the painting...I just couldn't find it in my heart to like painting.

I know that is some sort of mother load for western painting but I am sorry I didn't find it rewarding.    It should be noted that the lighting in the room was appalling.    You couldn't see the colours properly and the spots they were using kept highlighting the canvass pattern whilst at the same time obliterating  the paint that covered it.   Nonetheless, I can't say I think it is worth spending/giving £100 million pounds to a rich man for the privilege of viewing the paintings.   As my son has pointed out £100 million is the underspend on sciences and I feel that is were the money should go.   

On the train home I read that the Lottery heritage fund has decided to spend one year's budget on this painting.   I just wonder what is going to be lost to save the painting.   However, the Evening Standard did make a very interesting  point.   Over the past 12 months many of the leading lights of the art world have made a fortune from selling their back catalogue.   Perhaps they would like to donate this money to help keep this painting?

There that is better.  What I say won't in anyway change anything but it makes me feel better.

As for the other unintended exhibition I went to well I am sorry to say by the time I got to see it I was exhausted - all that walking you see.   Still it was interesting all the same.  The exhibition was the British sculptors’ drawings: Moore to Gormley at the British Museum.   I didn't stay too long but some of the drawings were breath taking.   They were just that drawings but they show why their creators are considered some of the best artists around.  I particularly liked the Anthony Gormley sketch of the angel of the north.   

Exhibitions

World Press Photo Exhibition

South Bank Centre

Well tomorrow I'm off to London for my six monthly fix of exhibitions.   This time I am hoping to visit the following:

Annie Leibovitz at the National Portrait Gallery

Taylor Wessing Portrait Photographer of the Year - also at the NPG

Landscape Photographer of the Year - National Theatre

World Press Photos - South bank Centre

Babylon - British Museum

If I manage to get around 3 of these I will be happy.

I would love to get out to the Wildlife photographer of the year but this is out at the Natural History museum - I don't think I'll have time or energy to get out there!   

I hope the weather is fine tomorrow as I prefer to walk around central London rather than take the tube.  I always take the train on these days as this also allows me to relax going to and from London.   

Newtwork Count:

Newtwork:   368k

Newtworks: 471k