British Art Show 7

Peninsula Gallery at the University of Plymouth

I visited the Peninsula Gallery this week to view the work on show there. As I walked in there were three printed screens placed on the left of me showing a Corporate Management Team predictably dressed in their black suits. No doublt they were meant to be depicted in a meeting discussing the Brand that is Vidal Sasson. Ahead of you as you walk in is a tall, very relaxed and soft portrait of Vidal Sasson dressed casually. Other portraits sit either side of him that are  painted by Michael Fullerton  in the style of Joshua Reynolds.  I liked the subdued and calming colours of these portraits.
The different styles of the photographs and the paintings relate to the conceptual subject, the lives of Vidal Sassoon. They make comparisons between the creative  hairdresser that is Vidal Sassoon, and the commercialism of the Brand Vidal Sassoon we all know.

I found this work interesting as Michael Fullerton explores the political nuances of art and the aesthetics of persuasion (quote from the notes on the artists work). The artist is highlighting the different aspects of Vidal Sassoons life and work .. that of hairdresser and businessman.

Another work at the Peninsula is a collage by David Noonan. I particularly liked this as I enjoy making collages myself. The artist takes images from different origins and time periods and brings them together to create new narratives. (quote by the artist taken from notes on the artist work). I like this idea as the figures in the collage sway between reality and illusion. The peacocks in the picture stare defiantly from the picture challenging the viewer's gaze. I am going to explore more of his work as I think it may give me some inspiration for my own work at the college this year.

Image Courtesy of British Art Show 7

My reasons for visiting the Peninsula Gallery first, was that I wanted to see Wolfgang Tillmans work. I had done a little research on this artist for one of our projects at college last year which looked at how artists depict our environment and how the earth's resources are depleting.

This work explores the way photography is made and presented. There is a huge print called Freischwimmer 155 (2010) which has been created without the use of a camera. Tillmans has exposed a piece of paper to points of light creating textures and colour directly on to the surface. The longer you look at it, the more detail and texture can be seen. It is full of interesting shapes, and ghostly figures. It left a lasting impression on me. I found it quite hypnotic.

I am hoping to visit the works at the Royal William Yard at the weekend. I've heard a lot about the "Clock" film, which I have also seen being reviewed on the Culture Show.

An Afternoon at the West End Gallery

On Tuesday and Wednesday afternoons, I invigilated the West End Gallery with Celine Smith. I hadn't met Celine before. She had been working with the residents at Morely Court, and she wanted to shoot some portraits at the Gallery to add to her Exhibition next week.

Celine completed her BA at Falmouth, and is now starting out her career as a Self Employed Freelance Photographer.

It was a great experience working with her. She has a very calm and relaxed approach to photographing her sitters. I learned a lot about how to talk to the sitter, how to make them feel at ease and also special, thereby getting the best of them. Celine also has so much patience. I could see that I am not as tolerant or patient as her and I can learn a lot from her approach.

I'm looking forward to seeing her Exhibition next week.



Mt Batten

This morning I  walked to the Barbican, stopped at the cafe for a strong coffee and headed off to catch the Water Taxi over to Mount Batten. The weather was unpredictable .... showers, bracing winds and bright sunshine ....the clouds were different shades of grey looming in the sky. I had an exhilarating walk

I had taken this journey to join Blue Sound at their Event Day cleaning up the beaches and searching for marine life. Sadly I didn't have the energy to walk any further than the surrounding area of Mount Batten and I couldn't find the Blue Sound Event. But I enjoyed the walk along the pier and the Taxi ride over the water. Even though I missed the event, it had been worth the effort.

 

Twelve Months at the Allotment

A period of twelve months has come to its end. The Allotment has been a wonderful space to explore through the four seasons, but I  knew the visit in September would be the last, not only because the year had come to an end, but also because it felt like the end of the project that I had given myself.

My intention when I began to document the Allotment, was to explore the many aspects of the space from the vegetation to the use of re-cycle household wares used by the Allotment holders. However, as time passed, I realised that this journey photographically documenting the Allotment, was to honour the memory of my Dad. My personal memories of the time I "helped" my Dad in the garden at home in Wales, were happy memories. The Allotment reminded me of him and the times we had shared together.

I have thoroughly enjoyed visiting the Allotment to see the changes taking place over the year, walking there each month and relishing in the wonder of nature, and the hard work put in by the people there. I didn't see much evidence of physical presence when I was there, but a variety of tasks, movement and growth had occurred in my absence, indicating that indeed much activity had taken place.

So now the actual physical act of photography has come to an end and I have hundreds of images to look at and sort out. I have tried to capture the same views at different times of the year, and I'm hoping to find images that will compare and contrast the differences of the four seasons.

I need to mind map other ideas of how to create a series of images that I may be able to exhibit. There is a Gallery at the Barbican that we have been emailed about through the College; when I have chosen the images then I will visit the Gallery and speak to Rachel Edwardes who runs it.

Thinking ...

I wanted to spend time thinking about what I have done during this summer break,.in relation to the work I have produced, and the opportunity I have been given to exhibit my work in the Gallery.

I  knew that I needed to take a pro active role in something; I  find it very easy to sit in the background and let others take centre stage. This is the way I prefer to be. But I knew that if I wanted to meet interesting people, make new friends and contacts, I had to step outside my comfort zone.

It is an experience that I have thoroughly enjoyed and I have met some great people. I've relished being part of something. A community project was an ideal space for me to open up and be involved in a worthwhile project.

I have been studying some of the street scene photographs that I have produced. I'm not inclined towards portrait photography, but much prefer to shoot in a more candid style. I like capturing people going about their day to day lives, lost in thought. I've noticed how people walk, how they look, how they stand, how they interact. But one of the main things I've noticed, is that most people have very poor posture. Does this relate to a low self esteem? It is laziness? Habit? Too many hours working/sitting at a computer? The answer is that there are probably many reasons why posture in general, is poor.

Contextually I think these photos are an extension of my intention to walk into the world, the first steps if you like. As a photographer, or maybe just as a human being, I am fascinated by how people portray themselves, and how, when they believe that no one is watching, that that is the only time when they are completely themselves. As a photographer I  search for characters. Old people with character written all over their faces, their experience of life, their journeys through life, enriched by the lines on their faces. The face, the posture, the walks ... they all tell a story.

Other characteristics in people that I enjoy seeing in our city environment, are the quirky , the unusual and the bizarre. A photograph I didn't manage to capture while I invigilated at the Gallery, was a well proportioned, mature woman, walking down the street in her bathing costume, carrying her shopping in one arm and a coat in the other. There are so many unusual characters around the city, it would be wonderful to shoot portraits of them.

I think this work highlights that I do want to shoot portraits, at some point in the future. This feels like the beginning of a project, that I could perhaps develop.

It is not only the quirkiness of a person that attracts me, it is the true identity of a person. A photograph does give some clues to the person even if the pose is staged. But the true identity of a person,  to my mind,  can only be done when the sitter is completely unaware that a photograph is being taken.

Harry Potter

I've watched the films, and now I've read the books. I've been hooked. The adventures of Harry Potter and his friends Ron and Hermione have become familiar characters with whom I have fought the Dark Lord Voldermort.

Its just amazing how a writer can conjure up such detailed stories, a magnificent new vocabulary and  wonderful characters whom most of us, I think. adore. Each part of the story links with another, each minor detail aiding the journey from start to finish.

My favourite character Dobby, a house-elf, a CGI character, so real and so endearing. When he was killed by the evil Bellatrix, I cried and mourned his passing.

Dumbledore, the wise old wizard adored by all, Draco Malfoy whose character I pitied, Hagrid, the kind giant, and the three main characters, all consistently true to their characters and whom I never got tired of following.

It has been a real treat to read the series, all seven books digested one after the other. I am half way through the final book, "Harry Potter and the Deathly Hollows" and I'm reading it slower than he rest, only because I don't want the story to end.

It has been a bridge to gap the teenage and the middle aged, my daughter and I having long discussions about the story, the characters and the philosophy of the tale.

What better tale is there than that of Good versus Evil. A time honoured tradition of a good story.

Wonderful stuff. Thank you JK Rowling. Thank you film makers and studio.

I forgot to mention Snape, never knowing whether he was good or evil but wanting to believe and trust in him as much as Dumbldore had done. His dry wit making him one of my favourite characters.

A wonderful story.  

Its a few days since I wrote the above .... I have now finished reading the final book and I am not as enamoured with Dumbledore, although like Harry Potter, I have forgiven him! But I feel that Snape unreservedly deserves my empathy. His life was a tortured one and he, unlike Dumbldore, put himself in a dangerous position. Rock On Snape!

A Day at the Gallery

I worked at the Gallery all day but I didn't want to persuade the public to have portraits done as although this is fun to do, I don't feel that portraits are my forte. So throughout the day I randomly shot images of the market, outside the Gallery and also I found a prop to work with. A postcard holder stood at the rear of the Gallery and I experimented with shooting through it. I'm actually really pleased with these. I wanted to find some aspect of the space that I hadn't seen previously.

Lisa came and spent a couple of hours with me this afternoon which I enjoyed, and as a street cleaner walked by the Gallery I said that I like to photograph people in uniform. It fits in with the Community spirit of the project. Lisa rushed out and asked him if he would mind having a photo taken. He agreed and I shot a few images of him. 

Images from the Fruit and Veg Stall next to the Gallery

Upstairs at the Gallery there are several Cafes and wonderful windows

An abstract image

 

Fingle Bridge