EDITION FINE ART PHOTOGRAPHY ISSUE#005
EDITION FINE ART PHOTOGRAPHY ISSUE#005
Editorial team Hannah Booth Rebecca Whitcombe Nat Wilkins Techincal team Michael Daglish Web Creator Natasha Wood Special thanks to University of Sunderland, Photography, Video and Digitial Imaging students for their submissions.
EDITION Edition is a fine art photography magazine from students at Northern Centre of Photography, University of Sunderland, Photography, Video and Digital Imaging BA (Hons). This magazine acts as a platform for our students to get their work out to a wider audience. In this issue we showcase a range of students’ work across all three years working in a variety of different mediums; ranging from traditional chemical and digital through to alternative processes. This issue marks another end of a phenonmenal year for our course. Unfortunately it also marks Rebecca moving onto her MA degree and leaving the team and we wish her the best of luck. We look forward to carrying on all the hard work that she has done. Thanks to everyone who has submitted their outstanding work to make this the biggest and most vibrant issue yet. Good luck to the graduating class of 2015! Edition editorial team
LYDIA WAKELAM
SOLAR/ASTRAL/PLANET
Solar/Astral/Planet On top of Bridges shopping centre sits Solar, Astral & Planet Houses, opened to their first residents in 1969. In the same year, Apollo 11 was launched, and the first human footsteps were made on the Moon's surface. These two events document journeys into uncharted territory, virgin terrain, but on completely different scales. I want this project to be a marriage of the two and to celebrate how both marked the start of a new era: the renovation of Sunderland City Centre, and "one giant leap" in space exploration. Akin to how a small population once came to the flats to build new lives inside their walls, there is speculation of a future where the human race will be spread across the stars, finding habitable spaces and creating homes inside them. In both instances, these groups live among each other in a single dwelling but remain isolated from the rest of us. I want to give a glimpse into their strange and unknown worlds.
LYDIA WAKELAM
SOLAR/ASTRAL/PLANET
REBECCA WHITCOMBE
GOODBYE TO ALL THAT
Goodbye To All That Photo albums traditionally comprise of personal snapshots to be shared with visiting relatives and close friends. The albums Chief Petty Officer Wilf Chapman created were perhaps not for anyone else’s consumption but his own. These albums were his attempt to give meaning and order to a chaotic disorder. The events that unfolded during 1941 to 1945 changed the structure of his family’s life indefinitely. Wilf was precariously forced between two lives and two different worlds, never being fully immersed in the life he truly desired. Thousands of endless miles separated not only his family but countless others. He became merely an outsider, living family life vicariously through airmailed photographs. During his service aboard HMS Indomitable, an Illustrious class aircraft carrier, Chief Petty Officer Wilf Chapman endured things that a generation bore witness to, things that no generation could ever erase from memory. On returning home, photographs from his time away found their place in the photo albums, nestled between the familial faces. That chapter of his life was finally over, and that was that. Stripped bare of his personal annotations within the albums, Goodbye To All That is a postmemory exploration of the photographs that Wilf preserved, creating a new understanding of the separation that this generation and my family suffered.
REBECCA WHITCOMBE
GOODBYE TO ALL THAT
VIKKI SCOTT
CORRESPONDENCE
Correspondence Handwritten interaction assumes the level of significance and warmth that electronic communication has seemingly lost. As each word becomes as tangible as the stories they are describing, it evokes the imagination to vividly picture the life on the recipient’s side of the letter. This body of work is based around the lives of two women who have only ever communicated through handwritten letters, an archaic form of interaction which is now only commonly seen in cards of celebration and condolences. It is a journey in which one attempts to understand another; deciphering poignant pieces of text and visualizing the life behind the letters, by reflecting it upon ones own understanding. It is a piece of romanticism, anticipation and apprehensiveness, in which the contact from pen to paper resonates the distant lives of two strangers.
VIKKI SCOTT
CORRESPONDENCE
Tribe British Historians have kept records of kings and queens, war, religion and more. However, there are no records of an isolated race, the ‘Nagrin’. In 2015, the anthropologist Michele Forbes discovered the Nagrin tribe located on the east coast of Ireland (59°07’18.9”N 5°49’33.8”W). The tribe believe the land on which they walk harvests the souls of their ancestors. They see the nature around them as being part of their family history. They live, work and eat to protect these treasured grounds. Forbes believes this is one of the many unconventional traditions of the Nagrin that have kept them from venturing across to England. The Nagrin are a matriarchal society. Men generally have the responsibility of cooking, household chores, collecting berries and drinking water, whilst also taking care of the children. The women are relied upon to hunt. As part of the preparations for their nightly feast the Nagrin’s perform a strict ritual. They start with a prayer ‘a chur ar an anam a ithir teaghlaigh’ (take the soul to the family soil) to their God ‘Anam’ (soul), who they believe cleanses the food they eat, releasing the soul of the berries or animal to the family soil. The children closest to puberty then tap and drain the sap from the Seanathair (grandfather) tree located in the centre of the island using a hand-made ‘carving tool’. In order to complete the ritual the sap gathered is drunk by ‘Ciallmhar’ (wise one), the eldest woman within the Nagrin people. She does this in order to test its purity before the rest of the tribe participate. ‘Ciallmhar’ is said to have the strongest connection to their god ‘Anam’. Upon entering adulthood, Ciallmhar blesses the adolescent with her ‘spirit animal’. This spirit animal is given to Ciallmhar through ‘Anam’ and is believed to be the animal that they reincarnate into once they pass away. This animal then inhabits the land, providing the strong link that ties the family land with the Nagrin people. It is this process that is believed to be key in regards to our understanding of why the Nagrin people are so protective of the island. Although not far from England in miles, the language spoken between the Nagrin people is far from recognisable to the English norm. They speak in the form of tone and vibrations, which is more typical amongst the animal kingdom. This made Forbes’ investigation solely based on observation, leaving some questions unanswered.
MICHELE FORBES
TRIBE
MICHELE FORBES
TRIBE
CHARLEE DRAPER
BE YOURSELF, EVERYONE ELSE IS TAKEN
Be Yourself, Everyone Else Is Taken The measure of our self worth is often a reflection of the ways in which others treat us, sometimes consequently eliciting low confidence. Lack of confidence can gradually destroy the demeanour and self-value of a person; which in turn, can create different mixtures of anxiety and depression. This series of photographs uses exposed negatives that are then destroyed during the process of development. This process shares a similarity with the loss of control and unpredictability of self worth. Undertaking this approach created a parallel feeling of anxiety of destroying images before seeing them.
CHARLEE DRAPER
BE YOURSELF, EVERYONE ELSE IS TAKEN
CHARLEE DRAPER
BE YOURSELF, EVERYONE ELSE IS TAKEN
ALICE GIBSON
BECOMING EXTINCT?
Becoming Extinct? Museums have collections of all sorts that we don’t know about. I went to photograph the insect collection at the Great North Museum in Newcastle which surprised me as there were thousands of insects. They were stored in a room where chemicals were involved to maintain them. At some point all of these insects may become extinct so it is quite interesting that there are collections of all these different species. I am recreating images of the photographs I took of the insects into a collection of my own prints and making them appear to be more 19th century photography.
KAROLINA MACIAGOWSKA
I STOP WHILE OTHERS RUN AHEAD
I Stop While Others Run Ahead It’s beautiful the way the water drops hang so thick and dripping on the garden plants after a night of rain in the ninth month, when the morning sun shines fresh and dazzling on them. Where the rain clings in the spider webs that hang in the open weave of a screening fence or draped on the eaves, it forms most moving and beautiful strings of white pearly drops. I also love the way, when the sun has risen higher, the bush clover, all bowed down beneath the weight of the drops, will shed its dew, and a branch will suddenly spring up though no hand has touched it. And I also fnd it fascinating that things like this can utterly fail to delight others.
Sei Shōnagon, Makura no Sōshi (The Pillow Book)
KAROLINA MACIAGOWSKA
I STOP WHILE OTHERS RUN AHEAD
KAROLINA MACIAGOWSKA
I STOP WHILE OTHERS RUN AHEAD
SEAN GREEN
VOLUNTEERS
Volunteers We may think of volunteering happening in just a charity shop, but there are many more undiscovered small charities and non-profit organisations, which need the help of these individuals. Giving our time up to help others becomes a way of keeping a small organisation alive and to promote more awareness of what they do. The portraits series shows a variety of individuals that have given their time responding to different opportunities. Their donated time brings in the positive outlook of the role of volunteers. The portraits show a range of ages from the young to the old, and each from different professional backgrounds. It shows that almost anyone from any background can become a volunteer and donate their time in helping a valuable organisation.
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SEAN GREEN
VOLUNTEERS
BEN ASHWORTH
TYNE AND WEAR
Tyne and Wear The first ship built in Sunderland in the early 1300’s was the beginning of what was to become one of the most important industries in the North East region. Throughout the coming centuries, Newcastle and Sunderland became a major supplier of ships. Sunderland then became the largest shipbuilding town in the world, earning the area its fame. This project looks into documenting the location of several large shipbuilding and engineering companies founded in Tyne and Wear. Since the shipbuilding industry collapsed in the mid-20th Century these once busy industrial landscapes have been altered dramatically, becoming shadows of their former selves.
BEN ASHWORTH
TYNE AND WEAR
ADAM TAYLOR
PATRIOT (A PRECURSOR)
Patriot (A Precursor) If love is blind, patriotism has lost all five senses. William Blum Patriot (A Precursor) is inspired directly from the corruption observed in a week long venture to New York City. Although I enjoyed working on this, all I can say it has opened my eyes to something a lot bigger and a lot closer to home.
ADAM TAYLOR
PATRIOT (A PRECURSOR)
ADAM TAYLOR
PATRIOT (A PRECURSOR)
BEN HEWARD
THE CAPITAL OF THE WORLD
The Capital of the World The aim of my work really is to portray how I felt walking around New York for the first time and to show a variation of situations you can easily find yourself in. When walking around the city I found it hard not to be fascinated by everything and these images show how it felt to me to be stood in that spot looking around and taking in the city.
BEN HEWARD
THE CAPITAL OF THE WORLD
“It feels like I'm cut off from everyone else and no matter how hard I try I can’t be comfortable like them. Like, I want to want to go out and make friends and be sociable but I just can’t.” Janet, aged 24.
LAURA-ELIZABETH HOWES
WHAT IT FEELS LIKE FOR US
What It Feels Like For Us Social anxiety disorder is the most common type of anxiety disorder in the UK, yet it still goes unrecognised and untreated by millions. As a sufferer myself, I know what it feels like to have an overwhelming compulsion to avoid all social situations. I know what it feels like to open up to people about having the disorder and to be told to ‘stop being stupid’ or to ‘grow up and get a life’ and a whole host of other negative, unsympathetic comments. It is impossible to understand the emotional turmoil felt by millions of sufferers each day, so in ‘What It Feels Like For Us’ I am giving a voice to those who don’t feel like they have one. I have spoken to sufferers in depth about their social anxiety and the implications it has on their lives. Then translated their thoughts and feelings visually through the use of a metaphor written by the sufferers themselves. My aim is to raise awareness and educate people about social anxiety disorder to, hopefully, change any negative perceptions that people may already have.
“I feel like I just need the world to just stop so I can catch up. Like, I always feel like I’m lagging behind and people are always doing things before me.” Aaron, aged 22.
LAURA-ELIZABETH HOWES
“It feels like I'm being physically held or pulled back.”
WHAT IT FEELS LIKE FOR US
Bianca, aged 16.
SHELBY LONG
KEY INGREDIENTS
Key Ingredients What is the strangest thing you’ve found in food? A strand of hair? A fingernail? Well what about a mouse? This series depicts genuine news stories about undesirable elements that have been mixed into the ingredients during the processing line.
SHELBY LONG
KEY INGREDIENTS
SHELBY LONG
KEY INGREDIENTS
CHANTELLE WRIGHT
CONNECTED
Connected In our technology saturated world people are more interested in online worlds, ignoring the ‘real world’ and the people around them. We isolate ourselves from social interactions and situations by being constantly connected to our phone. This series of images are self portraits exploring the theme of detachment from the real world and social relationships. My work ultimately looks at the influence the internet and mobile phones have had on the way we communicate with people.
CHANTELLE WRIGHT
CONNECTED
JADE MANGLES
CALM WATERS
Calm Waters Fire, along with the other natural elements, has been found at the center of religion, science and philosophy for centuries. It has a primal and almost mystical quality to it that calls to a forgotten recess deep within the soul. It can neither be defined as a natural nor man-made phenomenon. It represents the magic of mythology and the harsh reality of scientific fact, the light of heaven and the burning flames of hell. It holds the power of creation as well as the power of destruction; the universal symbol for life and death. Calm Waters explores the spiritual, religious and supernatural symbolism that surrounds fire, and ultimately questions what it is to be human. The images themselves become a metaphor for humanity itself, referencing the fragility of life and the spiritual journey that we take throughout our lives and into death.
JADE MANGLES
CALM WATERS
KATHRYN MILLER
WEALTH AND DEATH
Wealth and Death Influenced by old masters paintings I used onions as a symbol of layers and new life. They also could highlight onions as peasant food, common to get hold of for the poor. The sheep skull as a symbol of death and referring to live stock. The empty wine goblet representing an emptiness of the essence of life. I chose to use a glass goblet as a more wealthy material against the onions and skull. The goblet also worked well in reflecting the light much like seen in old masters paintings. The surrounding material creates a contrast against the texture of the other objects and also represents wealth of a luxurious cloth. The tone adds contrast and thus drawing the eye all over the composition of the image.
LAUREN MARSDEN
LAUGHTER ATTRACTIVELY UNMASKS GENUINE HAPPINESS
Laughter Attractively Unmasks Genuine Happiness The emotion of happiness is transformed into raw bodily expressions that can’t be controlled once engaged; this instinctive reaction is called laughter. This work uses the moving image as a tool of enquiry to explore people’s characteristics through the process of laughter. This includes the person letting down their guard and the emotion becomes uncontrolled, while not having the ability to try and modify the genuine expression within laughter. This experience forces the person to live in the present moment. This raw expression reveals the pure state of emotion and this is what makes laughter attractive.
MOLLY ALLAN
THE DANCE
The Dance This series of work was photographed whilst the dancer moved to a piece of music called Sleep Away by Bob Acri. The piece shows movement which is obviously so vital within dance. The use of slow shutter speed is done in order to show off the fluidity and elegance of movement within dance.
Strangers In The Night Strangers In The Night is a documentary project adopting notions and strategies of constructed image photography in order to portray a disingenuous narrative.
NAT WILKINS
STRANGERS IN THE NIGHT
NAT WILKINS
STRANGERS IN THE NIGHT
TORI BEST
AFTER COAL
After Coal When Wearmouth and Easington collieries closed in 1993, it brought over 800 years of coal mining in the North East region to an abrupt end. For the towns and communities that were dependent on the collieries, the demise of the mining and supporting heavy industries heralded a series of acutely localised economic catastrophes. After Coal explores the sites of former coal mines in North East England, specifically focusing on sites that have undergone extensive redevelopment in the intervening decades since the closures. The new infrastructures that were constructed on these sites were conceived as catalysts for much needed renewal. This work not only documents how the landscapes have physically changed but how they have also been transformative on a social and economic level. With this in mind, the work aims to question the long-term cultural and economic impact of such schemes, whilst seeking to offer an alternative to the stereotypical representation of the post industrial north.
TORI BEST
AFTER COAL
KIRSTY SHEK
CONCEALMENT
Concealment The existence of seeds has been of importance to how we obtain our crops for food. They are the start of how we have developed agriculture over the years and have led us to a vast array of crops. But with the issues of climate change, this has affected their growing process and has led to a shortage of crops over the years, leading to issues such as food shortage. Genetically modified crops are the main controversial issue in the food industry. They were created and designed to combat food shortage, but have since been under scrutiny with how they have been developed by biotechnology companies, using chemicals to manipulate seeds to change their genetic structure. But these chemicals have been doing damage rather than solving the issues. Concealment looks into the surrounding issues of genetic modification and the implications it has on crops. The implications of these chemicals making their way into our food will have changes not only to our health, but the impact it will have on our environment. Also bringing awareness to how our food is treated prior to being harvested.
KIRSTY SHEK
CONCEALMENT
DANNI HARPER
PLANTAE ET FLORES
Plantae Et Flores Over many years, plants and flowers have been sold commercially, mass-produced and grown, to the point that some species are unable to reproduce without the input of man. Throughout these images, I explore the structural elements of these plants, that are almost forgotten due to their beauty being sought after.
DANNI HARPER
PLANTAE ET FLORES
ZOE CUSKER
UNSUNG
Unsung The de-industrialisation of Britain has left many communities struggling to find purpose. Their once proud industrial heritage has abandoned them, leaving communities in a shared state of disillusionment. Successive generations have been promised a brighter future, only to have been left out in the cold, vulnerable and defensive. It seems that these once thriving lands have been cast adrift to the wind, and the promised anchors of stability keep edging further away. The industrial machine dismantled, leaving behind nothing but a scarred landscape and fractures in society. The remains of past pride are now overgrown and bear little resemblance to their original function. The young, like the old, are frozen in a timeless melancholy. They are the unsung people, from a place that lost its purpose.
War Paint My dad used to say makeup was a shallow girl’s sport, but it’s not. It’s armor. Courtney Summers, All the Rage Everyday all over the world people wake up and apply their face for the day ahead. This body of work questions the ways we distort and misshape our face daily to create a wall of perceived confidence. It asks why we perform this ritual and questions if it is true that we are doing only what society expects of us. When we reach our teenage years beginning to wear makeup has become like a right of passage, those who don’t take part can sometimes be viewed as the odd ones out. Both males and females in the eighteen to twenty five age brackets were approached about the ways they use makeup to create confidence and even a form of alter ego, their better self. These images document the processes we go through to create the mask. These faces are the manifestations of how we feel whilst applying the makeup, seeing the less loved face disappear.
EMMA WEARDEN
WAR PAINT
NATALIE LAYDON
BODY IMAGE
Body Image The idea behind these images was to explore anthropological photography and percieved body image through the use of an exaggerated height chart to create a link between the two. By using the height chart it adds a anthropological approach and yet it shows that each person is trying to achieve the idea of ‘perfect’. I wanted it to have scientific characteristics to make it feel more legitimate, thus including the whole border of the 6x7” negative.
Cosmos These images explore ideas of pollution and social exclusion. The project also looks at the way images could be misrepresented depending on which way they are viewed.
CHRIS SYKES
COSMOS
CHRIS SYKES
COSMOS
GIULIETTA ELLMAN
THE EPIDEMIC OF NOSTALGIA
The Epidemic of Nostalgia The fantasies of the past, determined by the needs of the present, have a direct impact on the realities of the future. The consideration of the future makes us take responsibility for our nostalgic tales Svetlana Boym (Nostalgia and Its Discontents) The Epidemic of Nostalgia is a psychological projection, which brings to light the idyllic delusions surrounding the bittersweet nature of hope and hopelessness. Romanticised desolation draws upon a dream like state, losing touch with present reality; the subject appears as though evoked by a subconscious struggle to fulfill a sense of incompleteness. Despite the realms of the imagination, the longing for that which no longer exists or which has never existed, creates the prospect of being lost to hopeless nostalgia, the paralysing affliction of the human condition. However, hope still offers a glimmer of possibility in unlikely places, encouraging a reach for the future.
JOE SHERIDEN
REPEATING HISTORY
Repeating History Repeating history was produced to show that in modern times, recreations of the past could give us an insight into the day-to-day lives of the subjects portrayed in the re-enactments of a time gone by. Unlike our normal everyday work scenarios the staff at Beamish Open Air Museum immerse themselves into historical characters by dressing, talking and even acting in the manner of someone living in the time period. When staff interact with members of the public they are transported back in time by the language and dialect of that period. Like most artists over the centuries who have created masterpieces, whether it be a painting, drawing or even a sculpture, the viewer has time to stand and admire the work but they are unable to interact with it, whereas within Beamish museum’s confines they not only get to see the exhibit but they can also witness a recreation of the past and in some circumstances the public can actually be part of the recreation by participating in the many events throughout the year, thus bringing history itself to life for the viewer. The images have all been taken in the kitchen area of Pockerley Hall, which was the heart of the house in that period. Beamish museum have utilised this room to great benefit by playing out scenes using different staff on different days and carrying out different tasks, which include, lighting fires, cooking meals, handicrafts and even bookkeeping using the large kitchen table as desk. By using the kitchen of Pockerley Hall as a backdrop, the staff are literally repeating history on a daily basis holding time back for everyone to see. At first glance looking into the images they appear to be from the time period depicted but on closer inspection we can see hidden within the pictures, small hints that something is not quite right, from the Intruder alarm detectors in the corner of the room, modern spectacles, jewellery and to the shoes worn by the staff for health and safety reasons, each small item is a tell tale sign that all is not as it seems.
JOE SHERIDEN
REPEATING HISTORY
STEFFI KAMMEIER
OBJECTIVE
Objective The 19th Century saw a demand for a more efficient way to make detailed reproductions of plants for scientific study and thus, photography was discovered. Since then, the ties between photography and botany have been closely interlinked. The British inventor and pioneer of photography, William Henry Fox Talbot, described the photographic process as being “Impressed by Nature’s Hand”. As his words suggest, photography was thought to provide an unbiased observation of nature, satisfying the human desire to record the world around us. With the turn of the digital age, the physical, chemical relationship that photographs once had with the objects that they were made to represent has disappeared. Now, images consist only of pixels; digital photographs are intangible, visual representations of computational algorithms that have a vague and implicit existence. As we are increasingly immersed in screen-based experiences and surrounded by virtual realities, the traditional processes underlying the crafted photographic object have once more become precious.
STEFFI KAMMEIER
OBJECTIVE
STEFFI KAMMEIER
OBJECTIVE
Lydia Wakelam Solar/Astral/Planet www.lydiawakelam.com lydiawakelam@yahoo.co.uk
Rebecca Whitcombe Goodbye To All That rebeccajwhitcombe@gmail.com rebeccawhitcombe.com
Vikki Scott Correspondence xvikkiscott@hotmail.co.uk vikkiscott.tumblr.com
Michelle Forbes Tribe micheleforbes@outlook.com www.tumblr.com/blog/shellforbes
Charlee Draper Be Yourself, Everyone Else Is Taken charlottedraper@live.co.uk www.charlotte-draper.co.uk
CONTRIBUTORS Alice Gibson Becoming Exctinct?
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alice.gibson@hotmail.co.uk
Karolina Maciagowska I Stop While Others Run Ahead k.m.maciagowska@gmail.com karolinamaciagowska.com
Sean Green A Valued Heart seangr1993@yahoo.co.uk www.seangreen.photography
Ben Ashworth Tyne & Wear ben.ashworth@hotmail.co.uk ben-ashworth.tumblr.com
Adam Taylor Patriot (A Precursor) 1994ataylor@gmail.com www.taystrippedbear.com
Ben Heward Capital of the World benrheward@gmail.com
Laura-Elizabeth Howes What It Feels Like For Us laura-elizabeth--x@live.co.uk
Shelby Long Key Ingredients bg31yx@student.sunderland.ac.uk
Chantelle Wright Connected chantellewright94@hotmail.co.uk
Jade Mangles Calm Waters jade.mangles@googlemail.com www.jademanglesphotography.com
CONTRIBUTORS Kathryn Miller Wealth and Death
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kathmi123@live.com
Lauren Marsden Laughter Attractively Unmasks Genuine Happiness laurensadiemarsden@outlook.com laurensadie.wix.com/lsadie
Molly Allan The Dance molly.allan@hotmail.co.uk
Nat Wilkins Oystermen nat@natwilkins.co.uk www.natwilkins.com
Tori Best After Coal tori.best@hotmail.co.uk toribes8.wix.com/toribest
Kirsty Shek Concealment kirstyshek@yahoo.co.uk kirstys50.wix.com/k-shekphotography
Danni Harper Plantae Et Flores danni.harper@hotmail.co.uk
Zoe Cusker Unsung zoe.cusker@gmail.com www.zoecusker.co.uk
Emma Wearden War Paint emma.wearden3@gmail.com
Natalie Laydon Body Image natalie.laydon@hotmail.com
CONTRIBUTORS Chris Sykes Cosmos
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chrsyk@hotmail.com
Giulietta Ellman The Epidemic of Nostalgia giulietta-e@hotmail.com giulietta.co.uk
Joe Sheridan Repeating History joe@joesheridan.co.uk www.joesheridan.co.uk
Steffi Kammeier Objective steffi.kammeier@hotmail.co.uk www.steffikammeier.com
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editionmagazine@hotmail.com www.edition-Magazine.co.uk
CONTEMPORARY FINE ART PHOTOGRAPHY BY STUDENTS AT UNIVERSITY OF SUNDERLAND