INSPIRING INTERNATIONAL IMAGERY
FREE PHOTOGRAPHIC MAGAZINE
ISSUE 6
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Editor - Philip Searle Design - Alec Jackson Features Editor - Luke Archer Listings Editor - Iris Veysey The Contributors Danny Griffin Sean McGowan
Cover by Simon Annand full story page 22
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FOCUS The London Olympics were a success beyond the wildest dreams of Sebastian Coe and his team; a great bit of PR for the United Kingdom and an opportunity for austerity hit Britain to think about something else for a few weeks. The games also provided an amazing photographic opportunity and a quick search online gives us access to some breathtaking images. These are not only of the athletes themselves achieving greatness, but of the surrounding events, buildings and the spectacle that was the opening ceremony. A great place to see some of the best is The Huffington Post’s website. It has an amazing slide show of 100 “iconic images from the best games ever”. A number of photographers used the opportunity to produce bodies of work about or influenced by the Olympics. Among these we have chosen one of Tom Groves’ images (right) from his series Olympic Queues. This interesting series of images, captured on a Mamiya 7, shows a very British sport at the Olympics, queueing! This issue of Vignette is packed full of photography covering a wide range of genres. Our Features Editor interviewed Tate’s Curator of Photography Simon Baker and we have all enjoyed visiting the newly reopened The Photographers’ Gallery and other inspiring exhibitions throughout the summer. We have also been developing a number of exciting projects to fund Vignette and keep it free. Thanks to Waterstones for once again stocking this issue of the magazine. Enjoy!
Archery. Lords Cricket Ground. London. 2012. ©Tom Groves
Philip Searle
Page 3 Portrait
‘Maxime’ by Julie Van Der Vaart ‘Maxime’ is taken from the series ‘A Stranger To Myself ’. These staged portraits were inspired by depersonalisation, an uncommon psychology disorder. Often triggered by a traumatic event, sufferers are left feeling as though their life has become a dream, in which they constantly question reality and their existence.
Julie describes the work as an attempt to find the balance between ‘being here’ and ‘being absent’. Maxime’s vacant stare, although placid, creates a distance between the subject and viewer. The sparse room mirrors the enormity of the sitters worry, as though they cannot be distracted from their all-consuming thoughts.
Julie Van Der Vaart is a Dutch photographer currently studying for her MA in Belgium. www.julievandervaart.tumblr.com Page 3 Portrait Submission: Please email one photographic portrait to contact@vignettemagazine.com
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A EULOGY TO THE HIGH STREET? In June this year 75 year old photographic retailer Jacobs Photo and Video closed it’s 20 UK stores. Former Jacobs employee and Vignette writer Danny Griffin gives us his take on the latest retail casualty.
So, many traditionalists would fret, is there a gap left for the lowly high street camera store? I would argue yes. Many stores are already trying to reorient back to the second hand market as a way to insulate themselves from some of the more cut throat price competition. Essentially, if you sell the same things as everyone else, then you are in direct competition with everyone else. Buying in used gear gives you more unique stock, and more flexibility to haggle when necessary- a difficult task with the tiny margins on new equipment.
Of course, the closure was just the latest chapter in the sad narrative that is emerging for the UK’s high street as the country struggles to shed it’s prevailing economic malaise. Unfortunately for photographers, a number of factors have conspired to create an ominous outlook for many camera retailers. Principally, for the majority of non-professional photographers, camera equipment is considered exactly the type of luxury spending that gets abandoned when budgets are stretched. Camera stores could once count on bulk sales of consumer point & shoots to support the more modest trade in specialist SLR equipment, but this is exactly the type of gear that has now been usurped by the smart phone market. Indeed, when dpreview. com- arguably the industry’s most respected
authority on digital equipment- has awarded a rare ‘gold award’ to Nokia’s Pureview 808 handset, it may seem hard for many to justify the purchase of a dedicated point & shoot for casual snaps. Ultimately, like so many other bricks and mortar industries, the biggest struggle has been coping with the tectonic shift towards online shopping. Not only can customers instantly access a raft of price comparison tools (often whilst the hapless salesperson twiddles his thumbs by the till), there is now such a proliferation of forums, reviews and advice online that many customers no longer feel the need for technical advice. Opinions on the quality of online discussion aside, this was essentially the main card many retail stores were playing to get people through the door.
Another possibility can be found elsewhere in the consumer electronics market. One of the only chains to positively thrive in the current climate is the Apple store. Their wildly successful modelexclusively promoting their own goods, with an emphasis on the hands on experience- works like a showroom, rather than a traditional shop. For Apple, it doesn’t really matter if you buy the goods from them or from online, as they get the sale either way. All the store really does is act as a promotional tool for the product, and provides customers with a hands-on experience before they commit to a purchase. This has seen Apple- once the modest ‘also-rans’ of the computer industryrise to the top of their field. It’s no surprise then that the concept has crept into the camera world, with niche manual focus stalwarts Leica aggressively opening several similar flagship stores across Europe, America and Asia. One could even interpret Canon’s recent large investment in high street behemoths Jessops as having similar aims. Ultimately, photographers are currently living through strange times. Camera technology has never allowed the average photographer so much creativity, and advice on technique has never been so easy to find. It remains to be seen what role the high street will play in this new landscape…
Words and pictures, Danny Griffin
4 A Eulogy to the High Street?
Simon Baker courtesy of Tate Modern
Simon Baker The UK’s increased interest in photography shows no sign of waning: more and more specialist courses are being run by colleges and universities and a whole of host of galleries are now dedicated to the medium. Initially, many national institutions were criticised for being slow on the uptake, especially when compared to their American counterparts. Tate’s appointment of a Curator of Photography in 2010 signalled a true shift for the UK’s most populist gallery. Two years into the job, Vignette caught up with Simon Baker at Tate Britain’s most recent photographic offering: Another London.
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What is your role at Tate? I’m the Curator of Photography for Tate as an organization. I work for both Tate Modern and Tate Britain. Essentially I work with colleagues on acquisitions of works for the collection: that covers all of the sites, the display of photography at Tate Modern and Tate Britain, and then exhibitions, such as Another London. Those are the three key things.
How has your appointment impacted on Tate?
Speaking of Another London, how much impact did the Olympics have on your decision to do a London based exhibition with the Franck Collection? The Olympics was an influence just for the theme, the collection itself we were working on anyway—the idea of bringing this great collection into the Tate. We were looking at a way of making a selection of 180 from over 1,400 works. We thought the idea of just selecting foreign photographers really helped. And also at a time when London would be full of visitors, it would nice to do a show around the idea of visiting.
There wasn’t a photography curator before. All of those things had been being done; acquisitions were being worked on by other curators before I was here. But the idea was to start to expand the amount of photography we acquire and show, and also to broaden the kinds of photography we show to more mainstream photography. Before, they were showing conceptual artists who use cameras— people like Richard Long or Hamish Fulton—and we are trying to show more of the Don McCullin kind, and the kind of work in Another London.
Felix Man 10 years ago, Victory Day, The lights go up in London 1945 © Felix Man
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Were you tempted to supplement it with other work, for example by adding colour work, or by securing loans? We only have enough room in this gallery for 180, so we didn’t see the need [for loans]. The only thing we made loans for were the books. The books were needed to show how some of these works were published, and so we borrowed those. There’s a lot of colour work within the collection, but we made the dates 1930 -1980. There were some colour works from before 1980, [but] it seemed good to stop with the great documentary black-and-white moment of the late ‘70s. I think it also reminds people that photography has a strong history and its own aesthetic […] and to show a lot of black-and-white photography together you get a really good sense of how that works, how great photographers like Bruce Davidson or Bill Brandt use shadow and light and dark— having that to compare is really important.
Girl with kitten 1960 © Bruce Davidson / Magnum Photos
With Lobster by Olivier Richon, courtesy of Olivier Richon
Why do you think London has enjoyed such an explosion of photography in galleries in recent years? I would love to say it’s because Tate has taken photography seriously and therefore it’s filtered down to everybody else, but I’m sure that’s not the reason! I think photography in general has had a very interesting relation to the contemporary art market; contemporary art galleries are showing more photography and collectors are buying more photography. I think there’s a general sense that photography is being taken more seriously within the broader contemporary art world, but also I think on a more populist level everybody has a camera now, everybody has a phone with a camera, and the activity of photography has gone from being a relatively specialized one that only enthusiasts would engage in to something everyone engages in. It’s possible, although I have no objective evidence for this, that because there is a lot of complex conceptual art around, with photography, even if it’s about very complicated issues, it’s at least more immediately obvious that it’s connected to the real world. If [you] see the poster for Another London on the Tube you know if you go to that show it’s going to be something you’re going to understand and identify with. I think as conceptual art gets more and more complex and difficult to engage with, photography is maybe assuming a position of being slightly friendly to the viewer.
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Do you think the quality of photography coming out of the UK is matching this surge in popularity? It’s difficult to generalize by geography; the work that’s shown in this country is of very high quality, but it’s very international. [In] the best places where people are studying photography, for example the Royal College, many of the students are not British born. It’s photography that is happening in Britain, the teaching is happening here, but Olivier Richon, the head of the [RCA] Photography Department, is Swiss. So the level in Britain is rising - Richon has great students and he’s doing a great job - but I’m not sure the extent to which we can identify that nationally. But certainly as a place London has an incredibly strong history and relationship to photography and there’ve been some great photographers coming here to work and great artists coming here to work, so I think that’s something that is continuing and strengthening. It’s a national thing, but it’s more to do with London as an international place.
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What is your favourite photograph? One of my favourite photographic images is a vernacular press image of a house fire, from the 1950s. It’s very, very beautiful and very abstract, the way the flames work in silver gelatin. This image always reminds me that photography is very, very special in that the camera can transform something very mundane and ordinary into something amazing, but it also reminds me that you don’t have to be Cartier-Bresson or Bruce Davidson to make a great picture—although those are great names.
What is your favourite body of work in the Tate’s collection? In terms of the work we have at Tate, I was happiest to work on Boris Mikhailov, who we showed at the Tate Modern last year. Having Boris’s work in the Tate collection, for me, is very special. He is an incredible photographer; he is very much a street photographer but he makes these incredible installations and thinks very carefully about the gallery space [...]. It was a very special opportunity. It’s so important for photographers that their work is collected properly, looked after, and displayed. We want somebody like Don McCullin to think, ‘Tate is where my work should be’.
Recently you said your first camera was a iPhone and your second a Fuji Instax. Both are instant, both produce psychically small images, perhaps strange for someone who works in such a large gallery space? No, I love small pictures. It’s one of the interesting things about the last twenty years of photography— large format has become so dominant within the contemporary art world. For me, almost always, my favourite things are tiny. Some of my favourite photographs of all time are Lewis Baltz Prototypes, and we have a group of them on display at the Tate Modern at the moment. They are of large objects, they are not photographs of tiny things, they are of the world and buildings, urban spaces, but they are little tiny prints. You go in close to them and look at them carefully, they actually attract you across room. If a picture is good, whatever size it is, it will pull you across the room, and you will want to go and look at it. To me, that is very, very important.
Photobooks are such a huge part of photographic history and practice, yet previously difficult to display. As a lot of publishing goes digital is Tate looking to increase their role within exhibitions? We are committed to photobooks as works of art […] We are exploring now, with partners in technology companies and software companies, what it will be like in the future. Perhaps a table, like a large iPad that you can stand around and turn the pages, that’s the future. Right now we are still at the end of the old way of showing photobooks: having them open at one page encased in glass. The idea of showing books is something I have done straight away; in every display I’ve worked on we’ve had publications to show that they are valuable. The big show in October, William Klein/ Dadio Moriyama, is really about photobooks, again signalling this interest. In the future hopefully we will have this amazing technology enabling more people to enjoy these things
Lewis Baltz, Houston B, 1972 From the series the Prototype Works, Gelatin silver print , 8 x 10 inch
Boris Mikhailov, From the ‘Red Series’, 1968-75 colour photograph 25 x 16.5 cm, courtesy of the artist and of Sprovieri Gallery, London
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Do you have any advice for someone wanting to be a curator? To be honest with you, I didn’t plan to be a curator. I was an academic and came from academia into working in a museum. My reason for coming to the museum was that I found working on exhibitions, relatively speaking, more rewarding because it reaches a larger audience—not because I thought my ideas should be reaching a larger audience, but because I think art is very important for everybody, and photography in particular has great reach and a great relevance to everybody’s lives. So my reasons for coming to work in a museum were really about connecting two things I really cared about. In terms of advice on how to become a curator, it’s very tricky—everyone has a different story! I went to university and did a PhD, and then worked on several exhibitions as an external advisor and then gradually ended up here. One thing I would say is that younger people who are getting into doing curating now, one of the things that seems really important now, is to be really self-motivated and to do things yourself, and not to wait for someone to ask you to do something. So many of the really interesting things we see these days are people who have come with a brilliant idea and somehow made it happen, rather than the Tate inviting them to do something! Also, being very interested in the subject and really getting into it.
William Klein, Piazza di Spagna, Rome 1960 © William Klein
Daido Moriyama, Stray Dog, Misawa 1971 Tokyo Polytechnic University © Daido Moriyama
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READ We all love our photography books, so our friends at Waterstones have picked out four of the best for you.
Cecil Beaton: Theatre of War Sir Cecil Beaton, diarist, painter, interior designer, awardwinning stage and costume designer and photographer. Beaton is perhaps most widely recognised for his fashion and portrait work with Vogue, Vanity Fair and LIFE. In Cecil Beaton: Theatre of War, his lesser-known work documenting the landscape of war is brought into sharp focus, exhibiting an elegance and style that is an unmistakable characteristic in all his work. Commissioned by the Ministry of Information at the outbreak of the Second World War, on the advice of Kenneth Clark, initially Cecil Beaton photographed the home front; from the destruction of some of our most beautiful churches in the City of London to the heroism of Londoners under attack. Whilst undertaking this work he took one of the most enduring photographs of war showing its effects on real people. Pictured with her beloved Teddy Bear was threeyear-old blitz victim Eileen Dunne shown recovering in hospital, this image was to become an icon of its time. When it was published in newspapers and magazines around the world America had not yet officially joined the war, but as it appeared on newsstands across the US, this and other similarly evocative pictures helped push the American public to put pressure on their government to help Britain in her hour of need. Beaton, the longest serving high-profile photographer to cover the Second World War, travelled throughout the country as well as the Middle East, India, China and Burma, capturing a world about to change for ever. The work Beaton carried out for the Ministry of Information during this period amounted to seven thousand photographs, which are now housed with their negatives at the Imperial War Museums. In later years, he attributed these war photographs as his single most important body of photographic work. This important collection will help it achieve the recognition it deserves through compelling and comprehensive supporting analysis. Publisher - Jonathan Cape 9780224096300 rrp £35.00
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Magnum Revolution: 65 Years of Fighting for Freedom The history of revolution is as old as humanity’s desire for greater things, but since the establishment of Magnum it is often their photographers that have created the most powerful and significant visual record of events that have changed the world. Established in 1947 by founding members Robert Capa, David “Chim” Seymour, Henri Cartier-Bresson, George Rodger and William Vandivert, Magnum created a revolution in photojournalism – a cooperative of great diversity and powerful individual visions that has continued to chronicle the very best, and very worst, the world has to offer. Beautiful, iconic, heartfelt; these diverse images give a unique insight into revolution and the changing face of the globe. Covering insurrections as diverse as those in Prague, Nicaragua, Tiananmen Square, Romania, Serbia, Ukraine, Lebanon, Tunisia, Egypt and Libya, this book features images from Magnum photographers such as Raymond Depardon, Burt Glinn, Rene Burri, Josef Koudelka and Susan Meiselas to name just a few. With an introduction by New Yorker journalist Jon Lee Anderson, and interviews by Paul Watson, this uplifting and dynamic book offers a collective understanding of the universal dream of freedom and the inevitability of change through the eyes of some of the world’s greatest and most significant photographers – the true chroniclers of our times. These pictures really do say more than a thousand words. By Jon Lee Anderson and Paul Watson Publisher - Prestel 9783791346441 rrp £35.00
London Hidden Interiors philip davies Photography by
Derek kendall
e n g l i sh h e r i tag e
London. Portrait of a City
London Hidden Interiors
“You find no man, at all intellectual, who is willing to leave London. No, Sir, when a man is tired of London, he is tired of life; for there is in London all that life can afford”, said Samuel Johnson of the greatest city of them all. From Eve Arnold to David Bailey, Henri Cartier-Bresson to Cecil Beaton, in London. Portrait of a City the highs, the lows and the everyday are pictured in all their glory. Vast and sprawling, always evolving and growing, London is never dull, London never stands still. This book pays homage to the architecture and the history, from the world famous streets and the alleyways that no tourist will ever see, to the true spirit of London through good times and bad. A city, its people and history are all here with many of the images previously unpublished: from north to south; from royal weddings to punks; from Victorian London to the swinging 60s; from private drinking clubs to fog-filled streets; from Chelsea girls to Hoxton boys; from sadness to joy. With page after page of stunning photographs this is a fitting tribute to London, exhibiting a sense of drama evocative of the city itself.
With Lost London Philip Davies showed a hauntingly familiar capital city but one that most of us have never seen. Offering memories of a lost age where many of the photographs were taken as a last record of buildings already condemned to die, a memories that otherwise would have been lost in time.
Publisher Taschen 9783836528771 rrp £44.99
One might be forgiven for thinking that much of London’s architectural heritage had been obliterated during the ravages of the Second World War, and that whatever did survive had been bulldozed in what is now often seen as insensitive post-war planning and architecture. However a wealth of treasures, many little-know to the public, can still be found hidden behind often anonymous facades. Davies takes 180 of London’s best and most beautifully preserved, but least known, interiors and reveals them to a wider public to spectacular effect. From the splendour of institutions, clubs and private houses that so many pass every day, to the discreet grandeur of Whitehall and St James’s and the fascinating subterranean spaces that lie beneath the city’s streets. The beautiful compositions and exquisite use of light not only help to capture the sense of these unique spaces, but also reveals the important architectural detail. Derek Kendall’s perfectly reproduced photographs make this book not only a visual delight but also a major contribution to the rich architectural history of London. By Philip Davies Publisher Transatlantic Press 9780956864246 rrp £40
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Best Single Image – Gareth Iwan Jones www.garethiwanjones.com
RGB Awards In November 2011 the RGB Awards were launched, supported by Vignette. The Finalists Exhibition was held in May this year during Bristol Festival of Photography. This is the first year the Awards have been held, and the standard and volume of submissions was incredibly high. More than 1000 entries were received from both local and international photographers, working in all genres and disciplines. Of these, 50 finalists were shortlisted, and their work exhibited at Bristol’s Grant Bradley Gallery.
The judges chose six winners in the following categories: Best Single Image, Best Set of Images, Best Fine Art, Best Commercial, Best Portrait and Best Landscape. The winning photographs form a diverse group: Paola Leonardi captures a wreck in the Icelandic landscape; a Venetian aerialist whirls in Francesco LaPorta’s Ballerina al Goldoni; toys sit submerged in gelatine in Niki Hare’s Jello. RGB 2011 found an interesting and engaging range of work, from a group of talented photographers. It promises to be an exciting new annual event.
www.rgbawards.com
12 RGB Awards
Best Landscape – Paola Leonardi www.leonardiphoto.com
Best Portrait – Jordi Ruiz Cirera www.jordiruizcirera.com
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Best Documentary – Luke Thornton www.lukethorntonphotography.co.uk
Best Fine Art – Francesco La Porta www.lukethorntonphotography.co.uk
Best Commercial Image – Alice Hendy
14 RGB Awards
Best Set – Niki Hare www.behance.net/nikihare
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Christoffer Relander Finnish photographer Christoffer Relander explores the world of multiple exposure in his series We Are Nature. Multiple exposure photography is nothing new; be it accidental or deliberate, many photographers have experimented with it at some time. Most associate the multiple exposure technique with film photography but, with the advent of computer based editing software, photographers are creating and manipulating multiple exposure images out-of-camera. When questioned about digital manipulation in his images, Relander’s response is definitive. He states: ‘I’ve never manipulated anything on my multiple exposures, not even in my assignment work, which can be difficult. Some of my clients have, for example, asked me if I could add a little more nature in a certain image. I’ve always said no, I don’t manipulate my work’ When asked about his photographic experience, Relander reveals the first time he took a serious interest was in 2009. Apart from shooting a little 35mm film, he has only really worked with digital, but admits that the possibility of introducing medium format film into his work, and the challenges it would present, interest him greatly. We Are Nature was not inspired by one particular thing or photographer, but Relander states ‘there are a lot of photographers that I really look up to but many of them don’t shoot multiple exposures. Annie Leibowitz is one of my favorite photographers. As a modern photographer I really like Jonas Peterson—his way of telling a story really fascinates me. Besides that I’ve seen multiple exposures by other photographers, some of their work has, of course, inspired the technique I’m using’. It is clear that Relander’s interest in other art forms, such as illustration and painting, as well as his employment in graphic design, have influenced the series.
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18  Christoffer Relander
Relander relies on his full frame Nikon digital SLR which allows him to combine up to nine exposures in one single image. The process begins with shooting the model, then moves onto the nature element, both including areas of over exposure. Only minor adjustments are made post-shoot: conversion to black-andwhite, basic contrast adjustment and highlight checks. The result is a haunting yet beautiful amalgamation of mankind and nature, conflicting with the negative and confrontational relationship more commonly portrayed between the two. We Are Nature is an ongoing project and Relander is currently working on a third album in the series.
www.christoferrelander.com
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Andrea Risborough. The Pain and the Itch by Bruce Norris Royal Court Theatre, 2007
Simon annand Photography’s relationship with actors is often troubled. Commissioned portraits for magazines and Sunday supplements may reveal more about the photographer’s talent than the skill or personality of the subject. Paparazzi images may claim to show the real person, yet the routine with which actors are ‘papped’ simply creates another stage for which they must perform. By focusing on their working environment, Simon Annand’s The Half redefines how we view our most famous actors.
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Rachel Weisz. A Streetcar Named Desire by Tennessee Williams Donmar Warehouse, 2009
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Kelly Brook. Calendar Girls by Tim Firth Noel Coward Theatre, 2009
Sir Ian McKellen and Patrick Stewart. Waiting For Godot by Samuel Beckett Theatre Royal Haymarket, 2009
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The Half refers to the thirty minutes before an actor goes on stage. In this time they physically and psychologically transform into the character they will play. It is a period of individual rituals and traditions: some may withdraw deep into contemplation whilst others may explode with nervous energy. The concentration and discipline required means that the actor’s are often unaware of Annand’s presence, allowing him to create stunning, unguarded portraits. These images often reveal a vulnerability, for this is truly a personal moment.
Although Annand states that dressing room ephemera is not important to him, the rooms cannot help but influence his photography. The bare bulbs and mirrors create both lighting and compositional devices, which we see throughout his work. The cramped conditions give Annand a physical proximity to his subject, adding to the intensity of the portraits. All the images are taken in the ‘half’, but show different stages of the transformation. Some are just starting to apply their makeup, or doing vocal warms up. Many are in costume, savouring one last cigarette, and others are ready in character, about to take to the stage in a matter of minutes.
Jim Broadbent. A Flea in her Ear by Georges Feydeau, in a translation by John Mortimer Old Vic, 1989
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Joanna Lumley. Blithe Spirit by Noël Coward Vaudeville Theatre, 1986
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David Walliams. No Man’s Land by Harold Pinter Duke of York’s, 2008
Tilda Swinton. Mozart and Salieri by Aleksandr Pushkin Almeida, 1989
It is the process, the profession of the actor, not their celebrity status that drives Annand:
“ I’m interested in their relationship to themselves and not their relationship to the camera”
With a career lasting thirty years, Annand has documented the UK theatre scene from the fringe to the West End. With the success of the first ‘Half’ book, he is now gearing up to publish the second edition, which will feature more colour imagery. In years to come the millions of images showing actors getting in and out of taxis will be forgotten. Annand’s images will remain, not as a document of how the greats of our time lived, but how every night they gave it their all.
This sensibility and understanding of theatre has cemented Annand’s reputation, granting him access to the dressing rooms of actors who would never normally allow a photographer to enter. If you are quick you can see The Half in exhibition at North Wall Centre Oxford and at Photo 12 Paris. The Half Vol 2 will be published in around 2 years time. www.simonannand.com
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Elliot Wilcox Sport has always been a perfect muse for photographers, with dramatic action shots amongst the defining images of the medium ever since cameras were small enough to handhold. However, it is an easy trap for such images to become formulaic, with the emergence of repeated patterns of pose and composition. With his two most recent series, London based award winning photographer Elliott Wilcox brilliantly subverts such imagery.
26  Elliot Wilcox
A graduate from the University of Westminster’s MA program, Wilcox received international acclaim for his 2009 series Courts, depicting the vivid, scarred walls of sports courts divorced from the human interaction they are designed for. His new series, Walls, shifts its focus to artificial climbing & bouldering walls, meticulously presenting them in an almost abstract manner on large format film. Whilst the previous series highlighted the lines and borders that define the highly traditional sports, the vibrant colours and jutting angles in Walls leave a distinctly futuristic impression.
I spoke to Wilcox about the series, and how it developed from his previous work.
First of all, can you give us a quick overview of the Walls series- how was it first conceived? ‘Walls’ explores the complex relationship between interior and exterior space. I am intrigued by the spaces that people choose to inhabit and why people surround themselves in these environments for leisure. Walls developed from my first series Courts.
In regards to the practical aspect of the work, did you have to travel far to collect the images, or did you have to spend a lot of time rejecting locations if they weren’t visually interesting? Both. I travelled to a lot of walls exploring with indoor and outdoor locations as well as the different types of climbing disciplines. Speaking to the people who use these spaces was useful in gathering information and ideas. I shoot as much as I feel necessary for each environment sometimes coming back a second or third time. The editing process is normally done in stages until I have a concise series that represents my exploration.
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The photographs are all taken using large format equipment- how does this dictate your working method, both conceptually and practically? The slow and deliberate process of large format photography allows me the time to think about the environment I am working in and construct an image accordingly. This method of working allows me the time to think about the surrounding environment and be submersed by it.
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A strong theme within your photography is traces of human movement, for example the hand grips depicted in Walls and the scarred & marked surfaces in your previous series, Courts. Was this an idea you were interested in exploring? The more you visit the spaces the more you can envision the human presence through marks, scuffs and even the chalk left on the walls. You begin to see the intrinsic details that you hope the camera will take further. I love the idea that the images I create are in many ways one of a kind and a singular moment in time, much like the photograph itself.
Does that unique nature of the images also influence the equipment you use? Would the images still have the same power/interest if they were shot on digital, for example? Large format photography excited me when I first started shooting which in turn led me to explore avenues in the way I have done. I love shooting with my large format camera and with digital but I do not think I would of ever taken any of the images I have done if it weren’t for film. So in answer to your question the images would not have existed in digital. I am sure you could replicate them in digital but the power and interest would have to come from the viewer in this case.
Another parallel with Courts is the depiction of spaces created for sports. Was it a conscious decision to depict them in a way so far removed from the ‘sports photography’ vernacular? Yes, in photographing the empty sports spaces, minus the fast-paced action we are used to seeing the spaces become estranged. The vivid stains, marks and scratches force the viewer to focus on these details rather than the sports.
What are some of the inspirations for your practice? Are there any photographers whose work you are currently enjoying? I loved the Ori Gersht show at the Imperial War museum, This Storm is What We Call Progress. I am also inspired by anyone who isn’t afraid of pushing the boundaries of their medium. All images copyright of Elliot Wilcox.
www.elliottwilcox.co.uk
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SilverPrint Pinhole Competition To Celebrate this year’s World Pinhole Day Silverprint organised a Pinhole Workshop, enabling participants to take black and white images using cameras made out of coke cans. The event was such a success we decided to hold the inaugural Silverprint Pinhole Competition, this generated huge interest with an overwhelming amount of top quality entries.
1st PRIZE WINNER Anthony Carr – A New Horizon (wk 47-70 of 110, Camera 61) A New Horizon (2011) documents the construction of a new UCLH Cancer Centre in London. Installed during week 47 of the build, the camera stayed ‘open’ continuously exposing until week 70, some 23 weeks later.
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2nd PRIZE WINNER Victor Senkov – Metamorphosis 2 Image taken on a hand made pinhole plate based on Lubitel 166B.
3rd PRIZE WINNER Niko – Battlefield Image shot with a 6x6 Zero Image pinhole camera.
www.silverprint.co.uk
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Hackneyed JAMIE ASHMAN
No one can question the success of the Olympics: the athletes and London performed sensationally. With the flame on its way to Rio, talk has inevitably returned to the Olympic legacy; a deal clincher in London’s successful bid. Much of this legacy was based upon the promised rejuvenation of the borough of Hackney. The real test is whether the investment and infrastructure will make a lasting, positive impact.
to feature the work of a younger local photographer, who is just starting their photographic career.
to venture into another area, even if relatively local, may risk confrontation with rival gangs.
Dedicated to the memory of a friend murdered in a revenge attack, Jamie Ashman’s Hackneyed documents friends and acquaintances all living in the borough. The project focuses on the young male inhabitants, who may face limited opportunities and, in some cases, the lure of gang culture
Hackneyed adjective: Made commonplace, used so often as to be trite, dull, and stereotyped.
In the run up to the Olympics, Hackney had been documented by several photographers. As part of this summer’s Bristol Festival of Photography, Vignette exhibited A Tale of Two Cites by Hackney local Zed Nelson. Nelson took a sweeping look at the borough, observing it as a trendy up-andcoming area, whilst suggesting the high levels of poverty and crime. In response to this we decided
Whilst Nelson’s project was an overview, taking in the canal and the marshes as well as the streets, Ashman’s imagery rarely leaves the estates, portraying a Hackney divided into small high-rise settlements. These colour-coded areas represent boundaries; these are places the inhabitants may struggle to leave. This is often due to lack of work, or even personal choice:
32 Jamie Ashman
Perhaps this dictionary definition best describes the situation. The youth unable to escape the estate are part of a predictable cycle, one ‘commonplace’ to cities the world over. But perhaps it also reflects the ‘trite’ opinions held by the viewer, our own stereotyping when confronted with of images of bull terriers, tower blocks and hooded youths. For the first time Jamie Ashman describes some of the project’s images.
‘Rian’ This was one of the first medium format images from my Hackneyed project and it shows Rian (23) walking his dog, Miller, around the block late one winter night. Rian lives with his mum and sister despite the council moving them into a smaller flat, however he is now on the Hackney housing list and has begun bidding for his own flat.
‘Demetris’ This portrait is of Demetris (17) and was taken at a youth centre on the Shakespeare Estate. Demetris has managed not to be too influenced by the gang presence amongst his peers at the youth centre and he is currently completing a BTEC in Sport at Hackney Community College.
‘Real Goal ’ A make shift goal on the Kings Crescent Estate.
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‘SOS’ This group portrait of boys from the SOS gang was also shot at their hangout on a nearby estate. Shortly after this image was taken, Sammy (top right, swearing at the camera) was arrested by undercover police when they did a swoop on the playground.
‘Flats’ This photograph shows boys from the SOS gang (shoot on sight/soldiers of Shakespeare) killing time at a playground on a nearby estate. The majority of them live on the Shakespeare Estate but said they preferred hanging out at this estate, across the border in Islington, as there was less risk from police or rival gangs.
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‘Kwame’ This photograph shows Kwame (18) standing on the rubble of his old block of flats on the Kings Crescent Estate. The block in which he used to live was demolished as part a long term regeneration project on the estate. Kwame’s family were temporarily relocated within the estate whilst the new blocks were being built. Kwame is now in his second year of a Media BAHons at Sussex University.
‘Smalley’ Inner city environments provide strong lines and compositions for photographers to shoot, as this photograph, taken on the Smalley Close Estate, demonstrates. One of the things that became a point of interest for me whilst shooting for this project, was how each estate had its own colour scheme, which often breaks the aesthetics of the image down to just a couple of main tones and colours.
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‘Will’s Wall ’ Posters on the wall in Will’s bedroom.
‘ Will ’ Portrait of Will (21) in his room with his dog Bruno at his side. Will dropped out at the end of his first year studying Criminology at Leeds University and is now back at home doing odd jobs and selling weed.
‘Smudge’ Portrait of Smudge, a Staffordshire terrier, at his owner’s house. This has become by far the most popular breed of dog amongst Hackney’s residents and is the only type of dog that features in this project. Staffs have a very negative stereotype in British society, which comes from a tiny percentage of owners using them to intimidate, but in my experience they are the same as any other dog.
36 Jamie Ashman
‘Rooftop’ Kids playing on top of one of the council blocks on the De Beauvoir Estate during the Easter holidays. I had only met these kids earlier that day, after I asked to photograph one of them. I asked Chad (climbing in this picture) where he wanted to be photographed and he took us up onto the roof. Almost directly after being introduced to his friends we had to run away from a group of boys, from another estate, who I was told had recently stabbed one of their mates.
‘Harry’ This portrait of Harry (21) was taken at dusk on the 7th floor of the tower block where he lives, at Lister Court, Stoke Newington. Harry has worked at his brother’s scaffold business for the last 4 years and is now finalising plans to start up his own.
The project is currently showing as part of the Museum of Hackney’s Mapping the Change exhibition and will also be on display at Stour Space in Hackney Wick later in the year as part of Photo Month East. In addition to being a freelance photographer, Ashman is director of photography at FlipBox Creative www.flipboxcreative.co.uk www.cotton89.wix.com/jamieashmanphotography
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Brilliantly Despairing
PORTFOLIO REVIEW Born in rural North Carolina, Neil Craver started out as an abstract painter and figurative sculptor before becoming interested in photography and eventually studying at the Randolph Community College. Craver splits his time between fashion and fine art photography, with the latter taking him to France, Italy and Japan. For this issue’s Portfolio Review, Craver submitted part of his extensive Omni-Phantasmic series of water-based nudes. Craver provided a lengthy, if cryptic, supporting statement, including his own musings on the images and water. www.PhotonOrganon.com
To have your work reviewed by our panel of experts, send 4 images by email along with a brief personal biography.
38 Portfolio Review
Tamany Baker is an artist and university lecturer in photography, and has shown work worldwide, winning a Sony World Photography Award in 2009 for her series Living with Wolfie. www.tamany.net I find Neil’s images lyrical, ethereal and unsettling. Unsettling in different ways: the first being that they invite me to question the nature of solidity and substance. The suggestion of immersion (not only in water but nature) with its possible threat of drowning and loss of self, also offers a wonderful release from our land based existence, human frailty and normal reality. The second way that these images unsettle me concerns the use of the female nude. Without wanting to assume a damming feminist stance, the nude is a tricky subject matter, laden with issues of voyeurism, aesthetics and gendered power (see the well-trodden debates about the male gaze by John Berger and Laura Mulvey for instance). Having said that, the images still work to connect emotionally, reminding me of Francesca Woodman’s search for solidity and meaning and the work of Wynn
“ Water can be any form, but at the same time it’s formless. Like our soul, it can purify and the same time it can contaminate”
Bathing Deactivations
Bullock in its dark edge (though they lack Bullock’s intensity). Technically, the photographs work really well—anyone who has shot underwater will know how hard this is. The use of black-and-white and colour in the portfolio keeps the work contemporary. I wonder if Neil might avoid some of the pitfalls associated with aesthetics and gender by exploring the use of different models - male models and older, less nubile bodies perhaps. The work of Jenny Saville and John Coplans also make us question the nature of frailty and otherworldliness, but in a more direct way. I feel we can lose ourselves in the beautiful image and the beautiful girl, which may distance us from the hard uncertainties of human experience. This might work against what Neil wants us to take from these images.
Martin Edwards has fingers in a number of photographic pies: he was until recently a lecturer in photography at City of Bristol College, a freelance photographer, regular exhibitor and is involved in community arts and photography projects. www.martinedwardsphotography.co.uk. I have to confess that although this style of photography is not normally my cup of tea, I do rather like these images. The water, the ‘suspended motion’ of the figure and the little patches of flared light, give them a dreamlike quality which takes them beyond the subject and into a more dreamlike realm. The entwined roots (or branches) of Bathing Deactivations and Brilliantly Despairing could suggest entrapment, and certainly the set as a whole could be seen as having a corpselike motif running through them, but instead I see them with more a sense of freedom and empowerment, and at the same time vulnerabilty.
The ‘horizon’ in three of the images is formed by the surface of the water, emphasising the figure being in a world apart, a more hidden or intimate space. Forever Vision, the only one not made underwater, is reminiscent of Millais’ Pre-Raphaelite Ophelia, and Tom Hunter’s more contemporary photographic version of the same. Although this image is visually very different from the other three, the water surface and lighting give it a much more richly textured look than them and in fact it is my personal favourite. The visual language of the set as a whole suggests layers of meaning below the surface, and I do feel that different viewers will be able to read these photographs in very different ways. This, to me, is a strength, though the somewhat impenetrable words accompanying the images (not reproduced here) do seem to expect the viewer to make a highly specific and complex reading which I think asks too much of both the reader and the photographs. Overall, a beautiful and thoughtful set of images, which lead the viewer outside of the content and along other paths.
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Fractured Atlas
Forever Vision
Alex Gregory is a freelance professional photographer available for international commissions. He predominantly shoots music, fashion and colourful portraiture, as well as directing music videos. www.alexgregory.net My initial reaction to Neil Craver’s series ‘OmniPhantasmic’ was that it bore some immediate aesthetic similarities to Bill Henson’s ‘Untitled’ (2002). In this series we see young women of a similar age to Craver’s subjects, also suspended weightlessly and illuminated in the murky glow of available light, yet despite the near identical working processes, it is clear their meanings are almost entirely opposite. Henson is interested in the girls as both individuals and as representatives for their age and gender. He is concerned with their place in society and their journey into womanhood, while Craver finds their individual identity comparatively irrelevant. He is not interested so much in the plight of their gender, their demographic or their position in society; he views them simply as a metaphor for the human condition and subsequently ensures that their faces are almost always at
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least partially obscured. This decision is further supplemented by his insistence that his subjects should swim nude, for without clothing or a distinguishable facial features he can ensure that the viewer is unable to form any sort of personal connection with the girls. Craver seeks to represent the intrinsic, life-giving relationship between water and the human body while simultaneously exploring the idea that the water could act as a metaphor for the human psyche. Within this series it appears to be his intention that the process of floating weightlessly - albeit temporarily - should be viewed as an allegory for subconscious thought. In his personal statement, Craver references his interest in the ‘Contingents of drowning and floating, falling and flying’. Photography is the perfect medium to dissect this dichotomy, as a single still image doesn’t allow us to easily determine the difference between the two. For example, whether the model in ‘Brilliantly Despairing’ is rising to the surface or sinking further under is unclear, while in ‘Bathing Deactivations’ we question whether the subject has just returned to the surface for breath or is taking a last gasp of air before being dragged back under the water.
A lot of thorough theoretical and philosophical thought has gone into this work, and Craver could clearly talk for hours about what it represents. In fact he actually provided us with a small essay alongside this work, in which Craver describes his own philosophies. I often find myself concerned when a photographer feels it is essential to rely on prose to convey his own thoughts to such an extent. Partly because I believe that on first viewing, a photograph should be allowed to speak for itself and the viewer is better able to connect to the work if they are allowed to apply their own meaning; and partly, because extensive theoretical backbone can sometimes be a veil for poor, uninspired image-making. It is therefore, extremely refreshing to see that alongside all this theorising, he’s actually made a set of aesthetically pleasing, vibrant images, which have been executed with real technical proficiency. Whether or not the viewer can relate to all his complex exposition, the images are undoubtedly truly engaging on a purely aesthetic level.
Film developing, printing and quirky cameras photographique.co.uk twitter: @photosuk
Opening Hours: Monday - Saturday  10-6pm 27 Clare Street, Bristol, BS1 1XA
EXPOSED The Photographer’s Gallery
Contemporary Japanese Photobooks Books are personal objects. They are designed to be touched. We carry them about, treasure them, and pore over them in solitary moments; a glass box display just doesn’t do them justice. So when I first heard that The Photographer’s Gallery would be opening a show of photobooks, my immediate thought was to the question of display: how could the intimacy of a photobook translate in an exhibition space? Whilst TPG couldn’t hope to recreate the experience of private contemplation, it has produced a pleasingly tactile, informal display. In a relatively small gallery, the books are casually laid out on shelves and trestle tables. On arrival, visitors are presented with a pair of white gloves and, thus equipped, are free to browse at their leisure. Since its flowering in the post-war era, the photobook has become a lynchpin of the Japanese photography scene. Photobooks are seen not just as collections of reproductions, but as art objects in their own right. The form of each book—its design, paper, print quality, and the story it tells (or doesn’t tell)—is a part of the artwork. Such is the dominance of the photobook in Japan, that co-curator Ivan Vartanian suggests ‘the nature of Japanese photography requires a different way of viewing photography: not as isolated images mounted on a wall but as a sequence of images that are bound together’. In Photobooks vistors have the opportunity to do just this: in each book there is an entire series in sequence, laid out as the artist intended. There are several books from Daido Moriyama, co-founder of seminal ‘60s magazine Provoke, and books from other established artists like Sakiko Nomura. Yet the show really excels as an opportunity to discover something new. Photobooks is full of artists who are less wellknown (that is, less well-known in Europe) and I came away with a list of photographers of whom I had heard either very little or nothing at all.
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Contemporary Japanese Photobooks courtesy of The Photographers’ Gallery
Personal favourites included Nao Tsuda’s Storm Last Night (2010) and Eye Ohashi’s Unchained (2008). Tsuda’s book is a collection of long, narrow landscapes, taken on the Irish coast. Alive with the textures of the sand and the grasses, the cliffs and the water, it ripples with blues, greys, and glowing whites. Unchained also focuses on nature, picturing woodlands and meadows. In scenes awash with dots of light, soap bubbles float in front of the lense, forming transluscent circles of sky blue, green and lavender. For pure joy though, the winner is Kotori Kawashima’s Mirai Chan (2011). A bestseller in Japan, the book is a frankly adorable study of a little girl. With the informality of family snapshots, the pictures see ‘Mirai’ in everyday situations,
whether happy and rosy-cheeked or snotty and stroppy. Keeping the right side of saccharine, it is a simply executed and genuinely endearing book. This is a dense show and encompasses over 200 volumes, many of which are unavailable in the UK. Yet the volume of books is a frustration as much as a pleasure. The scope is at once exciting and overwhelming, and one doesn’t quite know where to begin (or end for that matter). This isn’t really a criticism: too many may be overwhelming, but too few would be disappointing. It does mean, however, that the exhibition works best for those who can revisit. If you can only visit once though, do: Photobooks is a unique and unusual show, unconventionally displayed and refreshingly informal.
Proud Chelsea, London
All About Bond: Photographs by Terry O’ Neill 13. September – 4. November 2012 It has been 50 years since James Bond first hit our screens in Dr. No. Since then, the franchise has amassed an impressive 21 films and no less than seven 007’s. To celebrate the legacy of the enterprise Proud Chelsea presents a collection of photographs by Terry O’Neill. O’Neill has photographed 6 of the official Bonds, as well as the unofficial Bonds of Casino Royale (1967), David Niven and Peter Sellers. His Bond collection includes glamorous images of Bond Girls such as Honor Blackman and Ursula Andress, but also candids of cast and crew on set, many previously unpublished. www.proudonline.co.uk
‘Ministry of information Second World War official collection’ A sailor on board HMS ALCANTARA uses a portable sewing machine to repair a signal flag during a voyage to Sierra Leone. Crown © IWM.
Imperial War Museum, London
Cecil Beaton: Theatre of War Until 1. November 2012
Cecil Beaton is perhaps most famous for his society portraiture and fashion photography. His work during World War Two is less wellknown, though Beaton took some 7000 photographs between 1940 and 1945. The scale of Beaton’s war project, which he considered his most important body of work, is astonishing. Commissioned by the Ministry of Information, Beaton travelled throughout Britian, India, the Middle East, Burma and China, and visited Europe, Africa and America. Rejecting the reportage style, Beaton carefully designed each frame, approaching the war with a keen eye for composition and staging. The first exhibition to explore the full range of Beaton’s wartime photography, Cecil Beaton: Theatre of War examines both the development of Beaton’s photographic style and the lasting impact of the war on Beaton himself. www.iwm.org.uk
Sean Connery reflection, ‘Diamonds are Forever’, Las Vegas, 1971 © Terry O’Neill
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EXPOSED
Henri Cartier-Bresson. Harlem, New York, 1947 Gelatin silver print / printed 1970s, Image: 29.1 x 19.6 cm / Paper: 30.4 x 25.4 cm © Henri Cartier-Bresson/Magnum Photos, Courtesy Fondation Henri Cartier-Bresson
Somerset House, London Wallflowers #3 Blackberry Pie © Rachel Bee Porter
Brancolini Grimaldi, London
There’s Something Happening Here 14. September – 10. November 2012 Brancolini Grimaldi presents There’s Something Happening Here, a group exhibition showcasing a new generation of photographers. Curators James Reid and Tom Watt have selected a diverse group of artists, who have worked in a range of styles and formats, including fashion, still-life and conceptual art. Collectively, their work pushes the boundaries of photography, exploring the medium in new and unconventional ways. From Clare Strand’s macabre take on the fashion shoot, to the foodsplattered walls of Rachel Bee Porter or the manipulated bodies of Asger Carlsen, these are twisted and experimental works, reflecting the uncertain and uneasy times in which we live. www.brancolinigrimaldi.com
Cartier-Bresson: A Question of Colour 8. November 2012 – 27. January 2013 Henri Cartier-Bresson was famously scathing about colour photography. Finding colour both technically and aesthetically inferior, his ‘decisive moment’ was predominantly monochrome. Yet Cartier-Bresson: A Question of Colour seeks to demonstrate the ways in which ‘the decisive moment’ has since been adopted by colour photographers. Curator William E. Ewing suggests that Cartier-Bresson’s criticisms acted as a challenge for a new generation, who were determined to prove colour’s merits. Committed to colour, these photographers nonetheless drew on Cartier-Bresson’s loyalty to the balance of form and style. The show collects 10 of Cartier-Bresson’s photographs, and 75 works by international contemporary artists, including Saul Leiter, Ernst Haas, Carolyn Drake and Fred Herzog. Celebrating Cartier-Bresson, but finding his stamp in the medium he so disparaged, Cartier-Bresson: A Question of Colour is a new look at the legacy of an old master. www.somersethouse.org.uk
Open Eye, Liverpool
Kohei Yoshiyuki Until 25. November 2012 For the 2012 Liverpool Biennial, Open Eye presents the first UK solo show of work by Japanese photographer Kohei Yoshiyuki. Yoshiyuki’s twin projects The Park and Love Hotel made a controversial debut in 1979, sparking debate on the relationship of photography to voyeurism and surveillance. The Park is a grainy, black-and-white tour of Tokyo parks at night. Using infrared flashbulbs and film, Yoshiyuki photographed the couples who met there to have sex and the peeping toms who watched them. In Love Hotel, he took photographs from a series of sex tapes, made by the clients of an infamous book-by-the-hour hotel. More than 30 years on, Yoshiyuki’s work remains graphic, eerie, and nothing if not challenging. www.openeye.org.uk
Kohei Yoshiyuki, From the series The Park, Untitled, 1971 Gelatin Silver Print © Kohei Yoshiyuki, Courtesy Yossi Milo Gallery, New York 44 Exposed
Towner, Eastbourne
Collective Observations: Folklore & Photography from Benjamin Stone to Flickr 13. October 2012 – 6. January 2013 Since the new Towner art gallery opened in 2009 it has hosted an impressive range of photography, including work by Robert Mapplethorpe and Willie Doherty. The Towner’s new show, Collective Observations, is curated by the Museum of British Folkore, and finds a common ground between photography and the traditions of folklore. Through the work of contemporary photographers, the show suggests that both photography and folk traditions centre on the ephemeral moment, each constituting an act of remembrance. www.townereastbourne.org.uk
Barbican, London
Everything was Moving: Photography from the 60s and 70s 13. September 2012- 13. January 2013 In the early 1960s photography was still regarded by many as an inferior art form to painting and sculpture. Seen as mechanical and functional, it had yet to be widely accepted as a valid means of artistic expression. Over the next twenty years, this began to change. With the emergence of photographers such as Bruce Davidson, William Eggleston, David Goldblatt and Boris Mikhailov, the medium enjoyed a new acceptance, in what is now seen as something of a golden age. This coincided with the great political upheaval of the ‘60s and ‘70s, decades indelibly marked by the forces of post-colonialism and Cold War neocolonialism. Everything was Moving is a collection of over 350 works from this period. From Li Zhensheng’s work in the Cultural Revolution, to Shomei Tomatsu’s studies of post-war Japan, it illustrates the ways in which international photographers responded to the shifting world around them.
Richard Learoyd, Jasmijn in Mary Quant, 2008 © Richard Learoyd, courtesy of McKee Gallery, New York
The National Gallery, London
Seduced by Art: Photography Past & Present 31. October 2012 – January 2013 The National Gallery’s autumn exhibition Seduced by Art: Photography Past & Present traces the relationship between photography and historical painting. Presenting paintings and photographs alongside each other, it highlights the shared themes and interests across the works. Divided into the traditional genres of portraiture, nudes, still life and landscape, Seduced by Art illustrates the profound influence of painting traditions on photographers. Major works from the permanent collection, including paintings by Degas, Constable and Ingres, will be shown alongside photographers such as Craigie Horsfield, Sam Taylor-Wood, Martin Parr, Julia Margaret Cameron and Gustave Le Gray. The show also includes new photography and video works especially commisioned for the exhibition.
www.barbican.org.uk www.nationalgallery.org.uk
Iris Veysey studied Art history at University of Sussex and now enjoys nothing more than wandering around exhibitions and meeting people as Vignette’s resident art critic and listings editor. If you are holding an exhibition, festival or competition, and are interested in having it listed in Vignette, please contact Iris at iris@vignettemagazine.com Boris Mikhailov - Yesterday’s Sandwich / Superimpositions, Late 1960s – late 1970s, Courtesy Galerie Barbara Weiss, Berlin © Boris Mikhailov, DACS 2012 VIGNETTE
EXPOSED Foam, Amsterdam Erek Kessels – Album Beauty www.foam.org Until 14.Oct.2012 – €8. 50 / Adult
National Portrait Gallery, London First Exposure: Photographs 1961-2010 www.npg.org.uk Until 18. November 2012 – Free
National Portrait Gallery, London The Queen: Art & Image www.npg.org.uk Until 21. Oct 2012 – £6.60 / Adult
Helmut Newton Foundation, Berlin Helmut Newton: White Women / Sleepless Nights / Big Nudes www.helmut-newton-foundation.org Until 18. November 2012 – €8/ Adult
American Museum in Britain, Bath By Way of These Eyes: The Hyland Collection of American Photography www.americanmuseum.org Until 28. Oct 2012 – £8 / Adult Windsor Castle, Windsor The Queen: Sixty Photographs for Sixty Years www.windsor.gov.uk Until 28. Oct 2012 – £17 / Adult
Huw Bancroft
Vignette Gallery, Photographique, Bristol
Severn Beach 01. September – 30. October 2012 Photographique relocated to new premises in Bristol earlier this year and invited Vignette to curate exhibitions in a small gallery space they created. With just 13m of wall space, this intimate space has hosted 3 exhibitions since opening in June. The first 2 exhibitions featured the work of photographers who have appeared in Vignette. Alec Jackson (Issue 1) filled the space with a series of light paintings and introduced us to some of his more recent works. Peter Brisley (Issue 4) showed off his latest iPad edited images created from photographs from a recent trip to South America. Both artists also gave talks on their work. The current exhibition, Severn Beach, opened on 1st September and includes the work of our Portfolio Reviewer Martin Edwards, alongside Huw Bancroft. Severn Beach is a coastal village a few miles from Bristol. The 2 photographers images capture the inhabitants and their surroundings almost 20 years apart.
World Museum, Liverpool Wild Planet www.liverpoolmuseums.org.uk Until 28. Oct 2012 – Free Linlithgow Burgh Halls, Linlithgow ARTIST ROOMS: Robert Mapplethorpe www.tate.org.uk Until 28. Oct 2012 – Free Michael Hoppen Contemporary, London Daido Moriyama: Tights and Lips www.michaelhoppengallery.com 7. Sept – 20. Oct 2012 – Free The Little Black Gallery, London Vee Speers: The Birthday Party www.thelittleblackgallery.com 4. Sept – 20. Oct 2012 – Free Atlas Gallery, London Steve McQueen: King of Cool www.atlasgallery.com 20. Sept – 27. Oct 2012 – Free
Huw Bancroft This photo story documents Severn Beach and its surrounding areas in 2012. It now serves as a ‘commuter town’ with modern new housing dominating the area. Only a few traces of the old resort remain. This leaves a striking juxtaposition of the past and the present, raising questions about modern Britain. Most importantly, this collection of photos aims to help the viewer see the subtle and often overlooked magic of this eccentric old village.
Open Eye Gallery, Liverpool Mark Morrisroe: Liverpool Biennial 2012 www.openeye.org.uk 15. Sept – 25. Nov 2012 – Free Huis Marseille Museum for Photography, Amsterdam VIEWPOINT, A closer look at showing www.huismarseille.nl 14. Sept – 9. Dec 2012 – 5 / Adult Ffoto Gallery, Penarth Jo Longhurst www.ffotogallery.org 20. Oct 2012 – 26. Jan 2013 – Free Museum of London, London LomoWall www.museumoflondon.org.uk Until 6. Jan 2013 – Free New Walk Museum and Art Gallery, Leicester ARTIST ROOMS: August Sander www.tate.org.uk 29. Sept 2012 - 6. Jan 2013 – Free Foam, Amsterdam Diane Arbus www.foam.org 26. 2012 – 13. Jan 2013 – 8. 50 Tate Modern, London William Klein / Daido Moriyama www.tate.org.uk 10. October 2012 – 27. January 2013 – Admission fee TBC. National Portrait Gallery, London The Taylor Wessing Photographic Portrait Prize www.npg.org 8. Nov 2012 – 17. Feb 2013 – Admission fee TBC.
www.huwbancroft.co.uk Martin Edwards My black & white photographs from 1994 have a more downbeat feel than Huw’s optimistic and forward-looking ones; at the time the village seemed under a terminal threat and I am pleased that Severn Beach has survived this and has once again caught the imagination of young photographers like Huw.
The Basement Gallery( Lomography store), East London Malarky: Deadbeat Summer www.lomography.com 5. Oct – 15. Nov 2012 – Free
Victoria and Albert Museum, London Light from the Middle East: New Photography www.vam.ac.uk 13. Nov 2012 – 7. Apr 2013 – Free
I always go there by train, on the wonderful Severn Beach Line which runs close to my house as it winds its way through Bristol and along the Avon. This line has survived the threat of cuts and now seems to carry more passengers than ever - take a trip to Severn Beach and enjoy the ride...
Deadbeat Summer documents the work of renowned street artist Malarky over the summer months of 2012. Following his exploits around London, Malarky has been photographed creating his vibrant characters from concept to finished piece. Shot entirely on analogue film, the exhibition evokes the nostalgia of hazy and fun filled summers.
Perth Museum and Art Gallery, Perth ARTIST ROOMS: Robert Mapplethorpe www.tate.org.uk 10. November 2012 - 30. April 2013 Free
www.martinedwardsphotography.co.uk
46 Exposed
OPPORTUNITIES The Terry O’Neill Award Entry Fee: £7 for each image submitted (£5 for students) Closing date: 22. November 2012 www.oneillaward.com The Terry O’Neill Awards welcome submissions of 3 – 6 images as an exhibition series. The images must fall into one of the following categories: reportage, fashion, documentary, landscape, wildlife, portraiture, and fine art photography. Prizes: 1st Prize: £3000, 2nd Prize: £1000, 3rd Prize: £500 A selection of the top 10 photographers will also be published in a special feature in The Sunday Times Magazine. The shortlisted 10 photographers will be exhibited at The Strand Gallery, London, in January 2013, and will be sponsored by Martel Colour Print with printing and mounting for the exhibition.
7th Arte Laguna Prize 2013 Entry Fee: €50 for 1 image / €90 for 2 images. Students pay €45 for 1 image/ €80 for 2 images. Closing date: 8. November 2012 for main prizes / 23. October 2012 for Special Prizes Artist in Residence www.artelagunaprize.com Art Laguna is an international art prize based in Venice, Italy. As well as categories in Painting, Sculpture & Installation, Virtual Art, Video Art and Performance, submissions are accepted for Photographic Art. Prizes: The winner in each category receives €7000 (before tax). In addition, several artist residencies will be awarded, as well as exhibition opportunities, and other funding initiatives.
ONLINE
FESTIVALS
American Suburb X American Suburb X is an ever-growing archive of material from photography’s past and present. Founded by photographer Doug Rickard, it is a carefully edited wealth of interviews, articles, essays and galleries. www.americansuburbx.com Thomson and Craighead
Japan Exposures Billed as ‘a personal introduction to Japanese photography’, Japan Exposures is run by photographers, and has the simple aim of increasing exposure to Japanese photography. Interviews, galleries and features abound. www.japanexposures.com
photo-eye The online photography bookstore has an impressive range of wares to sell, but photo-eye also offers articles, features, and sneak peeks of the photobooks themselves. www.photoeye.com
Self Publish, Be Happy Founded in 2010 by Bruno Ceschel, Self Publish, Be Happy is an organisation dedicated to the celebration and promotion of self-published photobooks. www.selfpublishbehappy.com
Brighton Brighton Photo Biennial 6. Oct - 4. Nov 2012 www.bpb.org.uk Brighton Brighton Photo Fringe 6. Oct - 18. Nov 2012 www.photofringe.org Paris Paris Photo 15. - 18. Nov 2012 www.parisphoto.fr Derby FORMAT International Photography Festival 8. March – 7. April 2013 www.formatfestival.com
Sony World Photography Awards 2013 – Student Focus Award Entry Fee: Free Closing date: 30. November 2012 www.worldphoto.org This year, to celebrate the Olympics and the Queen’s Jubilee, Sony World Photo are asking higher education students to submit one image which captures the spirit of an occasion in their country. Students must be aged between 18 and 28 years of age. To enter, their institution must be registered with the World Photography Organisation. Images must be uploaded by the student’s tutor. Prizes: The winning university receives €45, 000 worth of Sony photography equipment. The 10 finalists will each be given a professional camera. Finalists will be exhibitied in the World Photo London Festival. They will be flown to London in April 2013, along with each of their tutors representing their institution. Their images will also be published in the 2013 annual World Photography Awards book.
Min Chin with a camera
Visualising China Visualising China is a digital archive of more than 8, 000 historical photographs of China, taken between 1850 and 1950. A unique resource, it is based on ongoing research at the University of Bristol. www.visualisingchina.net
Keep up to date: follow us on Twitter @vignettemag, Like us on Facebook and visit www.vignettemagazine.com VIGNETTE
COMING SOON
Vignette Awards 2013 Our very own open submission photography competition. Finalist exhibition in London Substantial cash prize
For more details go to www.vignettemagazine.com 48