The Journal of MA Photography (online) Falmouth University
MA Photography (online)
Falmouth University
MA Photography (online)
PHOTOGRAPHERS
4
Photographers
JUSTIN CAREY ROSIE DAY MATUS DUDA JEDD MARK GRIFFIN ANTHONY PROTHERO JOSIE PURCELL PHILIP SINGLETON JO SUTHERST ASHLEY TRUCKEY
5
MA Photography (online)
INTRODUCTION JESSE ALEXANDER
6
Introduction Image came out of the need to help answer the question the course is often posed with: what sort of work do our MA Photography students make? This isn’t easy to answer, not least because of the online delivery of the course. Our students don’t have a physical workshop or studio space that someone might be able to wander around to get a ‘feel’ of our students and their work. There aren’t the corridors you might find in a ‘bricks and mortar’ department with students’ work-in-progress pinned up on, inviting feedback. Moreover, the huge diversity of what our students photograph — and perhaps more significantly, how they go about representing them — makes defining common styles, genres, or methodologies impossible. Whilst a summary of typical work that comes out of a programme of study may well be helpful for those interested in knowing more about it, this can be reductive, and there is a danger of doing a disservice to the countless collective hours of students’ effort and energy. There is also a risk that superficial definitions set up distorted expectations for prospective MA students of the kinds of projects that they might considering working on — the sorts of projects that the course staff want to hear about from a committed candidate.
critical contexts, students all consider how their practice relates to other disciplines, institutions, and industries. Students are encouraged to continually reflect critically on their own practice, and to embrace their unique subjectivity in the process of taking and making their images. This introspection however, does not come at the expense of keeping in clear sight the markets and audiences that the work is being made for. Where the work will end up, and for whom, is as vital a question throughout the course as how students’ work is being made. Whether using photography as a form of social advocacy or using photographic or lens-based processes to examine and challenge the medium itself, all of these projects are being made to be seen and will find their right place in the world. Jesse Alexander Course Coordinator, MA Photography
What we hope to give a sense of in this small sample of some of our students’ practice-based research projects is something of the course’s ethos, as well as the course expectations. From the outset, students are encouraged to consider their practice in relation to the global nature of the medium. This is reflected in the diverse locations of our students, based around the world, and this is also the case for some of the course staff. Whether informed by philosophy, sociology, aesthetics, or myriad other 7
MA Photography (online)
REACHING OUT INTO THE DARK
8
Justin Carey
JUSTIN CAREY
9
MA Photography (online)
10
Justin Carey
11
MA Photography (online)
WITNESS MARKS
12
Rosie Day
ROSIE DAY
13
MA Photography (online)
14
Rosie Day
15
MA Photography (online)
16
Rosie Day
17
MA Photography (online)
18
Rosie Day
19
MA Photography (online)
IRAQI KURDISTAN
20
Matus Duda
MATUS DUDA
21
MA Photography (online)
22
Matus Duda
23
MA Photography (online)
#NEONO
24
Jedd Mark Griffin
JEDD MARK GRIFFIN
25
MA Photography (online)
26
Jedd Mark Griffin
27
MA Photography (online)
A COLLABORATION: ON MEMORY, IMAGINATION & THE FAMILY ALBUM
28
Anthony Prothero
ANTHONY PROTHERO
29
MA Photography (online)
30
Anthony Prothero
31
MA Photography (online)
32
Anthony Prothero
33
MA Photography (online)
HARENA NOW
34
Josie Purcell
JOSIE PURCELL
35
MA Photography (online)
36
37
MA Photography (online)
THE PAUSE: A VISUAL METHODOLOGY
38
Philip Singleton
PHILIP SINGLETON
39
MA Photography (online)
40
Philip Singleton
41
MA Photography (online)
FRACTURED IDENTITIES
42
Jo Sutherst
JO SUTHERST
43
MA Photography (online)
44
45
MA Photography (online)
46
Jo Sutherst
47
MA Photography (online)
FATHERSCAPES
48
Ashley Truckey
ASHLEY TRUCKEY
49
MA Photography (online)
50
Ashley Truckey
51
MA Photography (online)
52
Ashley Truckey
53
MA Photography (online)
REACHING OUT INTO THE DARK
WITNESS MARKS Rosie Day
Justin Carey
rosiealexandraday@gmail.com rosieday.com
drjustincarey@gmail.com justincarey.com/reachingout “My project explores the experience of solitude in the urban environment. In the developed world in particular, a significant proportion of people live isolated lives, disconnected from the vast numbers of people who live alongside them in close physical proximity. I aim to examine how this disconnected state affects our perception of our environment and what the emotional sequelae of this isolation might be.”
“My experience so far has been very positive. I have been endlessly challenged and required to examine and justify my own practice right from the beginning, whilst the coursework has pushed me to develop in numerous ways. Reviewing my work at this halfway stage, I can say I have made incredible progress. My work is now more confident, more informed and more coherent. I have a much clearer understanding of my own practice as it stands, as well as what’s required to move forward both in the coming year and in the longer term on completion of the MA course.”
“Witness Marks is an in-depth photographic exploration of rural communities in Oregon. At the core of this project is the remote town of Antelope, a tiny community with a population of less than 50. Despite its ‘living ghost town’ status today, Antelope became the center of national attention in the 1980’s, when it was overrun with an influx of residents from a nearby cult commune. As I continue to create work in Antelope, I have also begun investigating other communities in this part of Oregon. My aim is to uncover the history and stories behind these places, and also to learn more about the lives of those who continue to reside there today.” “I have found the ability to work towards my Masters degree from anywhere in the world to be hugely advantageous to my photographic practice. I am currently working on a project in the US, and it is incredibly beneficial to have the guidance of the Falmouth staff, and the framework 54
Texts of the MA curriculum whilst developing this series. The distance learning element requires me to submit all my work digitally – from maintaining a blog and website, to web conferencing, to creating video presentations. It ensures that I am prepared for an industry that now operates almost entirely digitally or online.”
to understand a photograph, and what responsibility and obligations you have as a photographer. Falmouth’s Flexible MA Photography course developed my critical thinking and made me contextualise and compare my work with other practitioners in the field. MA studies keep me motivated to produce new work, but also continuously explore new territories in a photography.”
IRAQI KURDISTAN Matus Duda
#NEONO
Jedd Mark Griffin
matusduda@gmail.com matusduda.com
jeddgriffin@hotmail.co.uk jeddgriffinphotography.com
“Iraqi Kurdistan is a work-in-progress project that observes and documents people and the activities of non-profit organisation STEP-IN, which provides health care for refugees and internally displaced people in Iraq. The main purpose of the imagery is to show the life of aid workers operating in war affected areas, defining their challenges, struggles and importance of their work.”
“There are many photography tutorials or short-term courses online, where you can learn new photography techniques and improve the quality of your photographs. But there are not that many courses that will show you how
“I have been working on a project that can show the declination of the bee species within the UK specifically due to pesticide abuse, with a direct focus on the neonicotinoid stand. I have been focusing my attention on the interaction of bee, flora and fauna samples and the way they interplay when they are mixed together. I created photograms using pesticides which create a very beautiful quality to the images. But as my images draw you in with their beauty their unnerving properties become more visual, showing that everything isn’t as prepossessing as it can be made to appear.” 55
MA Photography (online) “I chose a distance learning course with Falmouth due to having a long term health condition, so I am unable to commit to the usual working environment of a university. The way you can shape the course to fit around your everyday life has been invaluable to me, allowing me to create work to the best of my ability and that I am proud of. Alongside, the amazing support of the staff has allowed me to develop myself as a professional photographer and given me hope for a future career I had lost before starting the course.”
conversations on objects of memory and what it means to have a family album. The aim of this work was to both develop my own portrait photography, as well as to investigate the ideas surrounding the personal archive made public.” “At the moment I’m a corporate photographer, and I wanted to go back to education to understand the theory behind photography better, and to learn how to talk about my work with more confidence. As a working photographer it’s difficult to dedicate a year or two years to doing a course so I needed to do something that was flexible; that I could do around my own work.
A COLLABORATION: ON MEMORY, IMAGINATION & THE FAMILY ALBUM
The Flexible Photography MA at Falmouth was the perfect choice. I did my BA there, and I know that the university has a lot of great resources and really, really good staff.
Anthony Prothero
info@anthonyprothero.co.uk anthonyprothero.co.uk
It’s exciting working with the other people I’ve met, because everyone’s from diverse backgrounds with different skills and experiences, and I’ve learnt a lot from being around them.”
HARENA NOW Josie Purcell
josie@shutterpod.co.uk josiepurcellphotography.com “This work is an investigation into both the personal archive and portrait photography. I photographed a series of friends and family and then positioned their images along with ones from their personal archives. This pairing of images was made during
“Harena Now is my visual response to the global sand crisis. I use alternative and historic photo processes, often combined with post-process digital manipulation techniques, to create camera-less images with sand, sunlight and water. 56
Texts Through my work I aim to challenge notions of how we receive, decipher and act on environmental, political, social and economic issues through less than obvious photographic imagery. And by doing so, Harena Now will become part of wider conversations that seek to address, and find solutions for this particular topic.”
– without this it’s unlikely I could have returned to education; and knowing how much I have got out of the course so far that would have been a missed opportunity. I’m even thinking of a PhD (something I would have never entertained before) as the learning experience has been so rewarding.”
THE PAUSE: A VISUAL METHODOLOGY Philip Singleton facilitate@me.com philipsingleton.art
“Joining Falmouth Flexible’s MA Photography course has been a joy, and given I’m now in my late 40s has, and is providing me with fabulous opportunities to reconnect with my passion for the subject.
“My practice resolves to question and explore the concept of pause. Pause is the interruption of the natural or imposed flow of time and life. An adjournment. A metaphor of the slowing of the heart-beat, a hesitation, a drawing of breath. A discontinuance.
Having worked in a variety of photographic roles in my 20s, retraining and qualifying as a journalist in my 30s and setting up a very part-time participatory photographic workshop company a few years ago, the course has given me the confidence to find my own visual voice, and the determination to succeed on my own terms.
The interregnum preceded by the specifics of history and holding time before the future existence or execution.
Its flexible basis has enabled me to hold down my full-time day job while studying
The research is based on the uncovering of places that are in the solemnity of 57
MA Photography (online) the pause state, gaining access and understanding the prologue.” “There were two primary reasons for my choosing to embark on the Masters in Photography at Falmouth University; its status as a long-established arts university of repute, and its innovation in launching a complex level of learning via a virtual environment. Defining, contextualising and developing my practice has been a joy as I look to the final episode of the course. The exposure to highly regarded tutors and practitioners enables an awareness of both the business and creative potential of photography and one’s presence within that realm.”
FRACTURED IDENTITIES Jo Sutherst
narratives are an important and necessary part of constructing our identity. Whether these narratives are internal or external, they allow us to define how we see ourselves, other people, and how they see us. Fractured Identities will focus on the narrative as a means of understanding the multiple parts to our identities.” “I can honestly say that choosing the MA Photography with Falmouth Flexible was the best thing I have done in a long time. Returning to education after a long break has been empowering. Not only have I been able to contextualise and develop my practice throughout the course, but I have been able to do this without having to relocate or give up work. Working with experienced photographers and other professionals during the course has enabled me to understand where I fit in the industry. I now feel confident about my ability to succeed in a competitive market”
jo.sutherst@googlemail.com josutherstphotography.com
FATHERSCAPES Ashley Truckey
ashley@kangamail.net transparentlifephotos.com/fatherscapes
“This photographic body of work explores issues surrounding self and identity in an online image-conscious world. Image
“My project Fatherscapes is based on the narrative of how American fathers connect with their children in foreign cultures. Combining re-enacted scenes of father-child interactions and interviews about fatherhood, the goal is to show these moments of connection and the challenges of fatherhood that aren’t normally articulated or put together. Looking at themes of expatriate life, finding familiarity in unfamiliar territory, and relational bonds between fathers and kids, these stories will uncover a 58
Texts meaningful aspect of humanity that isn’t often inspected. At completion, the project will be a resource for dads, offering comradery and hope to dads who need it.”
“Over the last 18+ months, my photographic practice has drastically transformed as I’ve been challenged by Falmouth staff and other cohort members. I began this course because I wanted to grow in my abilities as a photographer. Little did I know that I’d walk away from this MA able to critically look at photographic work, to describe my choices informed by other photographers in my specific field, and to utilise social media for my practice specifically. This degree for me personally is one of the wisest choices I’ve made in my career as a photographer and I have no regrets whatsoever.”
59
MA Photography (online)
60
Colophon Published in 2018 by Falmouth University Institute of Photography Falmouth University Penryn Campus Treliever Road Penryn, TR10 9FE United Kingdom Design by Two Typeset in Scala Sans and Libre Baskerville Edited by Jesse Alexander Š Falmouth University and the respective copyright holders All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system, or transmitted, in any form or by any means, electronic, mechanical, photocopying, recording, or otherwise, without prior permission of the publishers.
View more work on our Instagram account @falmouthflexiblephoto 61
MA Photography (online)
JUSTIN CAREY ROSIE DAY MATUS DUDA JEDD MARK GRIFFIN ANTHONY PROTHERO JOSIE PURCELL PHILIP SINGLETON JO SUTHERST ASHLEY TRUCKEY
flexible.falmouth.ac.uk