The last few weeks have been hectic since we got back from our Northumberland jaunt. I had to get started on preparing my presentation for the Swaffham Visual Arts Festival, shoot the Agile Business Conference and Mrs O had to put the final pieces in place for her mother’s affairs. The sunny week we had seems a distant past.
After two very long days on my feet shooting the Agile Business Conference there followed 6 hours of processing then I was on my way back into London for the RPS 158 International Print exhibition at the Truman Brewery in Spitalfields. I had to make this mission as one contemporary photographer chum from my degree course was in the show and so was a current third year student chum in the show. I think it is an incredible achievement to have three people from UCS BA(Hons) Photography have work selected in the last 12 months for their prestigious shows. Given the heritage of the RPS and some of the exalted company that went before us I think that this ought to be a big selling point for the course in Suffolk. Obviously there has to be a will in the individual photographers to make work of the quality required to pass through the selection process but there must be an element of the teaching involved also, and a bit of luck. I’d like to see this success trumpeted from the rooftops of the University. Success off campus has to be lauded. Hats off to Alastair Bartlett and Chris Mapey for getting into the final 100 from over 5000 submissions.
On the same night Alastair had the same image in the AOP awards in the same building. Sadly the way the work was presented in this zoo of an event was not a patch on the daylight lighting and presentation in the RPS room. I left Spitalfileds buzzing that night. Photography, especially large format landscape based work is a rather solitary experience, which I happen to enjoy, but when like minded artists get together there is a surge in energy.
That energy drove me to the northernmost borders of Suffolk on Wednesday to see the East Anglian RPS exhibition at Wingfield Barns. I packed my medium format gear on the off-chance and there were plenty of new locations spotted on the drive North with rather good if not too bright light but massive skies of the type Constable would have relished in. Sadly by the time I came out of the show it was rather grim. An opportunity lost. Talking of Constable, I saw some of his oil on paper sketches in the V&A yesterday. There was one piece of the bark of an Elm that at first glance looked like a photograph. Absolutely stunning.
I had ventured into the smoke to see Alec Soth and Julia Margaret Cameron at the Science Museum. I studied Soth for my degree project and I have his book ‘From Here to There’. ‘Sleeping by the Mississippi’ was a book that I researched as I began making ‘Edgelands’ but it was not until yesterday that the penny dropped whilst looking at ‘Niagara’ that he had made repeated visits to the same location to make that series, seven visits according to the information panel. Repeated visits are a big parameter in making my work.
Looking at a book is a marvellous experience, being able to turn the pages and mull over favourite images at will, but there is nothing like seeing the prints on the wall in the size that the artist wanted to present them. Seeing original artefacts and the process for making some of his books was equally as good.
I just had to buy the boxed book of four mini books ‘Gathered Leaves’. A delight, almost as delightful as looking at daguerreotypes given their miniature presentation.
Julia Margaret Cameron’s show just outside the Soth room was also a delight. Both these shows ought to be on every photography student’s list of events to attend.
Now this might sound pretentious but I could not help but wonder why this man had never had a solo exhibition in the UK before this one. I feel in exalted company to have my first solo exhibition on at the same time as his given my research into his work for ‘Edgelands’. Quite whether anyone can see any aspect of his influence is another thing though. If anything it was the bleak mid-winter imagery that cemented it for me, that and the submerged mattress. Try going to both exhibitions and see if you agree with me. Edgelands is free though there are concessions at the Science Museum.
http://eastanglianlife.org.uk/whats-on/2015/07/18/edgelands-photographic-exhibition.html
I shall be at the Museum of East Anglian Life from 1100 on 17th October to talk to visitors about the work in Edgelands. This show has now been running for 3 months. There are another 5 to run so plenty of time to see it.