Photomonth

Just to quick note to say I am excited to be participating in the Photomonth Photofair 2011 at Spitalfields Market in London Town this coming Saturday:

Saturday, 8th October
Photomonth Photofair @
Spitalfields Market, London E1 6AA
Open to public: 10am – 6pm

I am sharing a stall with fellow photographer Rob MacDonald and if you are in the area, it would be good to see you there (whether you are looking to buy, browse or just chat!)

The fair has 100 stalls and stands with photographers selling prints, galleries representing photographers, books, magazines, products, services, talks and walks. It’s an ideal opportunity to see new work, buy prints, commission photographers and select images for exhibition.

As for me – I will be selling a range of my block mounted Lomo prints, hand printed digital and darkroom photographs, cards, badges and maybe a few new surprises!

Photomonth is an international photography festival focused on East London. Founded in 2001 and taking place in October & November each year the festival aims to demonstrate the diversity of contemporary photography and reach the widest possible audience.

As regular readers may know, I am rather interested in societies and cultures – particularly how they can be represented visually and then subverted.  I find it interesting what people choose to photograph or make art about when looking at representing their country or local area and how their chosen subjects are riddled with the visual language of that culture.

Sometimes these signs and messages are really obvious and it is impossible to miss their reference, but when it gets really interesting for me is when their references are subverted in someway or the history of a culture is used within an image to suggest all manner of message and meaning.

PERFECT ENGLISH SUMMER (2010)

CREAM TEAS & THE ENGLISH COUNTRY GARDEN

Behold example number 1 – a normal photograph of a normal holiday scene.  You know the situation – you are camping in the country and venture forth on a walk along the river.  You happen across a cafe selling  cake and it would be rude and impertinent not to enter the establishment and partake in the fine English tradition of afternoon tea.  To commemorate the occasion, you take a quick snap of the wares you are soon to enjoy.

Take this image outside of the personal context and display it to others, however, and meanings come forward to them too. The classic tea pot reflecting the fine summers sky, a plate of scones and Jam can mean but one thing – cream tea.  Behind the table is a hint of a traditional cottage garden.

The photograph screams of everything that we associate with an English summers day and it takes on the meaning of representing summertime as well as the traditions and history of our tea drinking heritage! Give this image to a critic and no doubt they could bring into it colonisation, slavery (thinking tea plantations here!), Indian rule, Gandhi, perhaps the potteries and so on. Of course, you are probably thinking I am being excessive – but these meanings are what you would get taught on an art degree! Whilst we may then be quick to dismiss such readings into a photograph or any piece of art – there is always a truth in these signifiers and always a value in at least acknowledging them.

THE PHONEBOX (2011)

DESIGN CLASSICS – THE RED TELEPHONE BOX

Now please cast your eyes onto example number two, which should be situated to my right >

A phone box – the humble red, classic phone box. Again an everyday sight – perhaps not so much these days since they have been replaced by more modern booths and generally superseded by the mass ownership of the mobile phone, but what greater sign of British design is there than the red phone box?

Alongside the London Bus or black cab, it is probably one of the first things many people around the world might identify as being British and is still a predominant sight in the capital. This in itself is interesting, the decision by the London councils to keep the traditional boxes because they have become something that visiting tourists might expect and look for.  Growing up in this country, no doubt we are desensitised to the image of the phone box because we have seen it so much – but go to London and you will see countless visitors photographing themselves in front of them.

Objects like the red phone box feature on many toursit souveniers and it is the branding of a place in this manner which can be really interesting to explore. The photogaph here can again be looked at in a different way.  The phone box is shabby and unclean – the door missing and the floor piled with litter. It looks dirty and tired and run down.

Presenting an image like this can then start to take on a wider meaning about the state of British society – broken Britain as illustrated through a shabby version of one of the iconic symbols of the country. You can tell the photo is taken in London from the stone work and hints of the architecture in the background and a phone box in poor condition sitting in the streets of London becomes a sign of the current economic and political climate.

READ MORE INTO THINGS!

Whilst these two examples are exaggerated and I have picked two photographs and run away with the potential meanings they might contain, it is an interesting illustration into how the visual symbols of a place can be used and then exploited to create a metaphor or illustration of another point.  Whilst I think analysis and critique of art can be taken to far – it is also this deep analysis of imagery and culture done by critics which is a valuable part of the art making process and enables us to reflect upon our surroundings in a more interesting and informed way.

Some months back I was at a party and chatting to my good friend Dave Yates who is embarking on a PHD in Anthropology.  We were chatting about his research project and field studies and how Photography could play a role in the process.  The idea was muted that I could explore the areas he was investigating, take some photographs and see how this could feed into his research.

You can read about Dave’s studies on his blog ‘All Comments Appreciated’ and follow him on Twitter @DrEd101.

Following numerous emails and much reading of some rather heavy academic essays on how people view their local space and society, we finally settled on a date for me to travel up to London Town and shoot some pictures. The idea being it would start a potential collaborative process between us that would assist his research as well as produce a stand alone photographic project in its own right.

AYLESBURY & HEYGATE ESTATES

The area he is looking at is the Aylesbury Estate and Heygate Estates in Elephant and Castle, London. For those who are not aware, the Aylesbury Estate is one of the largest housing estates in Europe – it is vast with a population of over 10,000.  It is also one of the most notorious estates in Britain – a classic ‘sink’ estate which was designed and built to house some of the poorest families in London.  It was also the setting for Tony Blair’s 1997 Election Campaign and how New Labour would tackle poverty.

Alongside Aylesbury sits the Heygate Estate – which also enjoys a reputation as one of the roughest estates in the country – with high crime rates and urban decay.  The whole area has been earmarked for regeneration and the Heygate residents have been moved on and the building has started to be pulled down.

I won’t go into too much detail about the area as it has been written about numerous times and there is much information available – for those interested in learning more, here are some useful links:

Aylesbury Estate Wikipedia page

Aylesbury Estate regeneration news

Heygate Estate Wikipedia page

The Death of a Housing Ideal (Guardian Article)

These are just a few key pieces of information – a google search will bring up numerous sites and reports about the area, its history and regeneration.

My task, however, was to spend a day in this region photographing it in whatever way I saw fit.  As such, my chosen method was to go in fairly blind.  Apart from a small amount of investigation, I did not know much about these places prior to visiting and felt this would produce more interesting and balanced shots.

Below you will find my initial edit of the photographs I took.  I shot several hundred and below is quite a big edit, but I felt they are all quite interesting photographs and worth sharing. Rather than say any more, I will let the images speak for themselves, however, I will share with you my journal notes written whilst on the train up.

JOURNAL ENTRY – JOURNEY UP TO LONDON

On a crowded train to London to Photograph the Aylesbury Estate with/for/because of Dave.
The idea was muted some time ago during a conversation at a party & following much procrastination – it is now happening.
Aylesbury Estate, The Heygate & surrounding areas are the subject of his studies towards an MA/Phd in Anthropology.  What exactly he is looking at…I don’t know!  From what I have read & various conversations, I think it is identity of place and how those identities change over time & with regeneration etc.
I was keen to enter the process ‘blind’ to an extent.  Explore the area, shoot it and then review the images with him to (hopefully) in some way accompany or assist his investigations & studies.
What do I know of the area? Very little. I know it is a key sink estate and one Blair visited as part of his election campaign in the 90′s.
I started to research a bit about the estate, but all I saw was negative news – including muggings, gangs & poverty. I quickly stopped reading not wanting to 1) influence my choice of shot before seeing the place & 2) so I didn’t think myself into a state of anxiety over what could happen!
In reality, you have to experience things for yourself & go on your own instincts.  So, besides minimising what I have on me – an expensive camera is enough to make me stand out – I am entering this assignment blind & ignorant as to what to expect and very much as myself.
I hope it is as photographically interesting as I hope.

INITIAL EDIT OF IMAGES

Below is my first real edit of the images I took on the day.

NOTES – there are 28 images here, so I suggest you let the page load the click on the first image to view as a slide-show.  The titles given to the images are just my initial ‘note titles’ which act as a reminder to me of what the photographs are of.

JOURNAL ENTRY – JOURNEY BACK TO BRIGHTON

A day without notable incident other than enjoyment and inspiration! Took about 200 images in & around the area that DY is studying and really enjoyed it.
Despite the brief research I did in advance throwing up horror stories about crime, muggings, council workers refusing to go there etc – I felt quite safe on the whole!
Either naivety of proof that media soundbites only focus on the most sensationalist and newsworthy topics.  I admit to being a bit apprehensive before going because of these stories – I even wondered if I should dress a certain way etc, but decided it was unnecessary. It is funny how you can get sucked into a stereotype even when trying to keep a clear mind.
The area is photographically very rich – the Aylesbury Estate fascinating in a modernist architectural way and socially interesting too. Heygate is just great and the highlight was certainly venturing into this abandoned edifice of social housing.
I am pleased it went well and pleased I felt comfortable there as this will drive my confidence and images on the next visit.
Mostly it seemed like an estate like any other – just massive and with a good sense of community!
A very rewarding day.

My thanks for Dave for his initial suggestion at my involvement – I am looking forward to a second visit and will keep posting up my results as they come!

FENCE SITTERS (2010)

Is it just me, or are you frequently baffled by why benches are put in certain places?

Sometimes I see a bench in a public space or park area and wonder who made the decision to site it and why.  What could their motivation possibly have been.

I then wonder who sits there and why.  For me a bench is not simply a convenience but must have an interesting outlook – whether a nice view of a perfect people watching spot.  If no such suitable bench is available to me…I perch.

Yet I frequently happen upon a cluster of benches that just do not compute with my brain.

Perhaps I should be a town planner.

Other times…I enter a public space and wonder who uses it, why and for what.  Sometimes these places seem to have little appeal as a place to spend time in and I wonder what sort of people frequent them and what their motives are.

Sometimes I see people using these spaces and get to give myself an answer by looking at them in situe and making a judgement based on the few facts I have.  Judging by the suitcases I like to think the bench sitters in the image below are one of three things:

A) Just flown into London and are fresh from the airport
B) On their way to travel somewhere and killing time before their train/plane
C) Just moved to London and looking for a place to live

Perhaps I should be a detective.

BENCH SITTERS (2010)

Fuck Barclays (Dave House 2010)

Brother and general fellow man who likes to spot things of social interest took this great photo today.

Spotted outside where he is freelancing as a Graphic Designer, he noticed this amazing bit of Street Art come Graffiti Tagging come Public Art come Social Commentary come vandalism.  The victim of which was Barclays Cycle Hire.

Whoever is responsible – I shake thee by the hand and doff my hat to you – Fine work Sir/Madam.  Please do more similar acts of genius vandalism and post the images on this blog!

And hats off to you Dave for your fine eye (although your eye your world is not as good as ourworldmyeye).

Check out Dave House’s Design company, Carbonbased Design at www.carbonbaseddesign.co.uk.  Better still, also check out his alter ego as musical Creator The Reverse Engineer: www.thereverseengineer.co.uk

Its brilliantly refreshing to see film being used so much again and a real love of the aesthetic for a very basic technology!  Enough mega-pixels, HDI and all that guff – bring on out of date, cross processed slide film!

As I get the films back, I have been picking out the images that are most interesting to me and slowly putting them into loose thematic sets.  You probably have already realised that, should you be a regular reader!  But, sometimes I feel the need to write something in these posts, even if it is essentially pointless!!!

On with the show.  My latest set is cunningly entitled…

LOMOFILE – THE URBAN DAYS OUT

Want to see more? Check out all the Lomofiles here.

FREE DOWNLOAD – following a request in the comments below, I have made a copy of the Spongebob Squarepants image available for download for desktops and the like.  To get it, follow the instructions below:

1) Enter the code OWMEBOBL into the box below
2) Press submit – this page will then reload
3) you will then see a downloadable link to get your file

Good luck and enjoy!

As I mentioned in my previous post FIELD TEST – WHAT HAPPENS IF YOU GIVE A VERY SMALL CHILD A CAMERA TO PLAY WITH? I mentioned that I batch processed about a years worth of films after having delayed so for lack-of-financial reasons!  On one of the 35mm films, I found some shots taken when being a “responsible adult” on a school trip to London.  First stop was the Victoria & Albert Museum for a general peruse, followed by a visit to the Design Museum to see Super Contemporary alongside a Javier Mariscal retrospective.

As always, I have little or nothing to say about the exhibitions – if you were interested in that, you should have gone yourselves

But I did take a lot of photographs that day, which is much more interesting.  isn’t it?

SCHOOL TRIPS TO LONDON AND THE PAIN OF COACH TRAVEL

Coach Window (2010)

Taking a coach to London is generally a rubbish idea.  Nobody does it, apart from 1) old people on a day out, 2) broke people who are using Megabus and of course 3) school trips.

It is slow, uncomfortable and ultimately frustrating.  Why anyone would choose it as a method of transport is beyond me – when there is another means, take it!  That’s what I reckon.

Anyway, as I was on a school trip, there was little choice – but at least I had a camera for company and being one of the “responsible adults” I got to sit at the front under the watchful gaze of the vast windscreen, which provided almost constant entertainment from its reflection.

If it wasn’t for putting the bus driver off, who probably thought I was some kind of coach spotter, I would have taken many photographs of it.

Desgner Curtain (2010)

Floor // Foot // Shadow (2010)

THE DESIGN MUSEUM, LONDON

To be honest, I wasn’t that interested in visiting the design museum!  I went on the trip as it was a day out, generally speaking – I find graphic design a bit of a dull thing to view in a museum or gallery environment.

Ignorant I am sure – but I see design around me every minute of every day and it does little for me in this setting.  I am sure it is because I am missing something and I get why good design is artistic, important and clever – but it usually leaves me a little dry.

But, where there is dullness – there is always interest.  The eye wanders and spots a line, shape, shadow or colour and the whole trip has been made worth it.  Luckily, photography means the whole world is your museum and anywhere you find yourself, something interesting will find you.

JAVIER MARISCAL & SUPER CONTEMPORARY

Jazzy Paintings (2010)

Come on then – lets mention something about the exhibits on display.  First up, I can remember little or nothing about the Super Contemporary show!  I seem to remember there was a few interesting pieces of design in there, but generally – I wasn’t that bothered by it (see above!).

BUT – Javier Mariscal, yeah that was actually rather brilliant.  Whilst I was aware of Mariscal’s work, I had no idea what his name was or who he was!  I had simple absorbed his illustrations in various guises and various mediums.

Perhaps one thing most people might know his work from is Cobi - a cubist dog that was adopted as the mascot for the 1992 Barcelona Olympic Games.  Reports have it that Cobi soon became the most profitable mascot the games has ever seen.  Cobi went on to have his own cartoon!

All in all, Mariscal’s work was playful, colourful, highly diverse and highly prolific!  It was a joy to see and a bit like stepping into the mind of a slightly deranged child!  Brilliant.

Check out his work (http://www.mariscal.com/) as it really is worth some investigation and is colourful in a way only the Spanish seem to be able to pull off.

SKY V (2010)

Nice!  I love school trips.  Not only do I get to see art and get paid for it, it is also a great chance to go to our fair capital city and take photographs…and get paid for it!  Long live the rule of the technician.

Disco Is Dead (2010)

POST LONDON CLUB NIGHT BLUES

Went to Fabric in London at the weekend to celebrate my brothers birthday.

I used to go to Fabric a lot when I was younger, it was far and away my favourite venue.

This time round – I was shocked by the sheer number of people meandering through the corridors. It was packed, too packed.

Perhaps I am finally too old to appreciate such nights and should stick to smaller more descrete parties!

It was a good 3 hour journey back to Brighton, after having left the club some ungodly hour in the morning.  When I finally stepped back through my door at half 9 on Sunday morning, the first thing that occurred to me was to deface the DISCO stamp on my hand – as seen in this image.  I then took a bad photograph as evidence of my thoughts.

IN HINDSIGHT, I APOLOGISE – DISCO IS STILL A LIVING BEAST

Of course, in my decrepit state at that time of the morning, extremely sleep deprived and hang over kicking in – I did not consider the impact of my actions.

I would like to publicly state that Disco is not dead – it still lives and breathes with unfathomable soul and gusto.  It is simply insane missions to massive London super clubs that are dead!

GOD BLESS YOU BOO WILLIAMS – YOU ARE A DISCO KING

As way of proof, and to apologies to my peers, I would like to present you with a truly amazing Disco mix – courtesy of the truly amazing Boo Williams.  Needless to say, I love this mix more than my own mother (sorry Mum) and would happily stab a man to get a copy of each record Boo plays.

Come back on Boo and carry on playing!

P.S – if you don’t like this mix, then there is something wrong with you

LONDON FROM THE FRONT (2010)

Sometimes I like to look at whats in front of me and take photos of what everyone else is taking photos of.

LONDON FROM THE BACK (2010)

But often I prefer what is behind me and prefer to take a photo of that.

The moral of this story…

Sometimes I like what’s in front of me – but often I prefer whats behind.

P.S – Here is a quick joke for you: The photo above shows Our World My (London) Eye!  HA HA HA!

Show Studio 1 (2009)

SHOWSTUDIO – FASHION REVOLUTION – REVIEW

I made a posting on this before ‘SHOWSTUDIO – FASHION REVOLUTION – COMEDY CASTING’ – a brief one of me doing a video casting at the exhibition.  Thought this should be followed up by a more in-depth look at this show.

I must confess to not being the biggest knowledge on fashion photography.  I love some of it, but in the past have found a lot of the images out there quite bland, obvious and purely about commercial selling without having much creative flair to boot.  In recent years, I have tried to look at it with more open eyes and analyse exactly what is going on in this very creative side of Photography.  I do like fashion and when a photographer applies an original mind to this genre – the results are amazing.

Nick Knight is one of those fashion photographers that I guess everyone has heard of and quite rightly so.  He is no doubt a genius at what he does – his images are punchy, original and beautiful.  What is more, he actually manages to capture the essence of fashion and the clothing yet retain a creative approach to his images.  (And, incidentally, his non-fashion personal work is lovely – check out his work ‘Flora’).

Show Studio 2 (2009)

Not surprising then, when his SHOWstudio project took over the bottom floor of Somerset House for the Fashion Revolution show – it was an amazing and interactive place to visit.  Described by themselves as:

…a retrospective of nine years of online innovation, invention and creation.

This seems to give a good account of what you could see.  Following in the footsteps of the SHOWstudio website, the exhibition attempted to throw the usual expectations of fashion, art, photography and video on its head.  More like a full on assault of the senses with images, video, instillations and a whole host of interactive elements.

A BRIEF HISTORY OF SHOWSTUDIO

Established by Nick Knight in 2000, SHOWstudio was created as an online organisation, aimed at pushing the boundaries of how fashion is communicated.  It has pioneered fashion film and is one of the leading lights in this new medium and collaborates with some of the most influential and acclaimed figures of contemporary fashion, including John Galliano, Kate Moss, Maison Martin Margiela, Comme des Garçons and Alexander McQueen.  It has blurred the lines between fashion, photography, film and art.

For a full idea of what they do, check out the site at: www.showstudio.com

FASHION REVOLUTION

For me, there were a few stand out elements to the show which, for me, were the clear highlights and made this exhibition so unique…

NAOMI

Show Studio 3

As you first entered the exhibition, you were confronted by three huge monolithic sculptures of supermodel Naomi Campbell, created from a 3-D rendered image captured during Nick Knight’s Spring 2007 Naomi shoot.  A touch sensitive computer panel let you graffiti over these white body casts, creating anything from clothing to abstract shapes.  Naturally a high percentage of the contributions seemed to involve rude dawbings!!!  The figures could also be drawn onto via an online interface, so anyone in the world, provided they had internet connection, could graffiti Naomi and the results appear ont he figures in real time.

Check it here: http://www.showstudio.com/project/fashionrevolutionnaomi/

Show Studio 3 (2009)

CASTINGS

Show Studio 6 (2009)

You may have already seen my comedy casting in the previous post, before that, I recorded a “normal” one, before realising exactly what the casting was:

A small room contained a video camera where visitors were encouraged to do a casting to appear in one of Nick Knight’s photoshoots.  The set up was simple, with a computer asking basic questions and the sitter answering to camera.  These films were then captured and put onto the website for the world to view.  Obviously the results depend on the sitter and they range from interesting to dull and funny to shit!  I suspect my own effort is both dull and shit!  It’s worth looking through the films on the site, if for nothing else, just to see how people react in front of a camera in this situation.

Check it here: http://www.showstudio.com/project/fashionrevolutioncasting/

PERFORMANCE

Show Studio 7 (2009)

Perhaps the most inspiring and revolutionary piece at the exhibition was the opportunity to watch fashion shoots live.  The basic set up was a medium sized studio space, kitted out with all the expected equipment and at one end, floor to ceiling – wall to wall,  one way glass.  This meant you could see the photo shoot happening but they could not see you.  I was lucky enough to go near the end of the exhibition and see Nick Knight himself doing 100 portraits for ID magazine.  It was addictive viewing – like Big Brother but with substance!  Getting to see Knight’s working method, how his assistants worked with him and the general set up and feel of a top level photo shoot was amazing.

I was particularly suprised to see how calm the whole thing was.  From film and media – I kind of expected to see an Austin Powers type shoot, or like a scene from Blow up.  I guess the media stereoptype wins through as we are so unused to seeing fashion shoots live.  That’s where this part of the show really wins through and fills the brief of SHOWStudio so well.  It allows viewers to witness a true behind the scenes aspect of the world of fashion photography  readdress their stereotypes and perhaps start looking at this genre as a genuine form of art in its own right.

Show Studio 8 (2009)

All to often fashion photography is written off (as is fashion itself) as a true form of artistic expression.  For me, the live studio totally cemented my view that fashion photography is increadibly diverse, sersious and creative and deserves upmost respect.  Knight was a pleasure to watch work and a great inspiration I’m sure for anyone interested in getting into this field.

FURTHER READING

Sadly, this show has now stopped.  I kind of wish they could find a permanant venue and always offer people the opportunity to see the full range of SHOWstudio’s creations, as well as benefit from aspects like the ‘Performance’ Live Studio.

In the meantime, however, I urge you to check their website and see the full range of joy that is on there:

http://www.showstudio.com/project/fashionrevolution/ – Fashion Revolution site

http://www.showstudio.com/ – Show Studio site

Show Studio 10 (2009)

Show Studio 9 (2009)