14 Months of Solitude.

14 Months of Solitude Photographs as Conversation

Lauris Morgan-Griffiths John Cole Alexander Brattell James Robertshaw

14 Months of Solitude

Our Photographic Conversation began in April 2020, during the early days of the Lockdown. The aim of the project was to create something positive out of Lockdown. We thought, why not make the best of difficult times, and keep our creative juices flowing by taking our photography into a fresh direction.

There were four of us - John Cole, Lauris Morgan-Griffiths, Alex Brattell and James Robertshaw - and one of us would take a photograph, send it to the next person, who would then respond to that image in their own way: in colour, shape, feel, or texture. There were no rules, no brief or theme; the images could be literal, abstract or reportage. This continued in a circular way for two and a half rounds, making 40 images.

Occasionally the recipient would have no idea what it was they were looking at, or indeed, how to answer but then we reminded ourselves that conversations meander, change, hiccup and peter out, and so it was with our photographic conversation.

The result is an extraordinary silent pictorial chat, skidding around subjects and genres. With a touch of serendipity thrown in when the creator seemed to respond to earlier ‘comments’ although no one knew what earlier participants had posted.

Lauris Morgan-Griffiths: “This was a refreshing project during Lockdown. It was fun and also challenging. You never knew when or what would pop into your email and, in many cases, how the devil to respond to it. I think the result is an eclectic collection of images - with its own bizarre logic.”

John Cole: “This was a wonderful way to shake off the Lockdown Blues. Initially, I struggled to turn off my reportage mind-set and think laterally but the longer the project went on, the more I enjoyed pushing my own photographic boundaries.”

Alexander Brattell: “I loved the more contemplative ways of thinking that could come to the fore for those of us fortunate to be unaffected by the calamities that abounded during that period. To carefully consider the pictures my friends sent me, free from the usual contingencies of purpose, deadlines, layouts and budgets, to ponder them until a response presented itself, was fruitful and luxurious.”

James Robertshaw: “The creativity, lack of pressure and positive collaboration of this experience both starkly contrasted and unintentionally documented a period of tremendous change in my life. The process facilitated freedom of thought and communication without judgement - it was a huge pleasure to be involved.”

Picture credits: Lauris Morgan-Griffiths. 1, 5, 9, 13, 20, 24, 28, 32, 34, 38 John Cole. 2, 6, 10, 14, 18, 22, 26, 30, 33, 37 Alexander Brattell. 3, 7, 11, 15, 17, 21, 25, 29, 36, 40 James Robertshaw. 4, 8, 12, 16, 19, 23, 27, 31, 35, 39

14 Months of Solitude April 2020 - June 2021 Electro Studios Project Space, St Leonards On Sea 5-7 November 2021 Zetetic Press 2021 ISBN: 978-0-9569773-6-6