‘Answers on the front of a postcard ’is the latest exhibition at Opus Gallery in Newcastle, which coincides with Kim Baker’s‘Memento Mori solo exhibition and it features some of my work from ‘Only Connect’. The exhibition runs from the 2^nd December until the 27^th January, viewing at the gallery is by appointment only from Monday till Friday 10am – 5pm.

As New Year is nearly upon us I thought I would share some resolutions. I’m not a fan of resolutions, perhaps because I see it as something people start out in January and end in February (if they even make it that far), yet I don’t think that this can merely be summarized as a  to do list.  Having looked through my blog of the past year I realised that there are about 8, which is shocking considering how much work I’ve done this year. So resolution one for the New Year is to blog more.

Resolution number two is to do some videos. Over the past year I’ve been watching a lot of Chase Jarvis’s videos about his work, equipment, commissions etc. and realised that not a lot of artists do that, at least not to my knowledge, which is a shame really. On this point I must admit that I did take video when I was down in Luton installing my work, in fact I still have it on my computer, the only problem I have with it is that I don’t like being in front of the camera. However, I endeavor to get over this fear in 2012 and to make some videos; in fact I already have the first 2 in my head and ready to shoot!

As some of you may know I started an online magazine this year with my brother Andrew, called Entitle Magazine. Issue one is currently out and we’ve already started on the second issue. You might be wondering why this is in amongst resolutions, well, we both have full time jobs, and on top of that we have second jobs (photography for me, and teaching music for Andrew), so Entitle has somewhat ended up on the bottom of the pile. There are loads of ideas I have for the magazine, and many things that I think could be improved upon, it’s just finding the time to do it, so resolution number three is to make sufficient time to improve and promote the magazine.

I’m now writing the text to accompany the photographs. It’s been a while since I’ve written any pieces of fiction so it’s taking me a while to get back into it. But I spent most of yesterday afternoon going through some of my favourite books which usually spark off some inspiration. For those of you interested these include – Howards End, A Room with a View and Rebecca. I’m quite limited in what I can write for the simple reason that I don’t have a lot of space to exhibit the text. The writing will be quite fragmented – in fact I’ll post some snippets up when I get the chance.

For now I will leave you with a couple of the images taken the last time I was down at Luton.

                                                     

Its been about a month since I was last down in Luton, and I realised that I haven’t done a blog about it!  The visit was in some ways disappointing, I was hoping to get into the archives this time and unfortunately I couldn’t, it’s meant I haven’t been able to get on much with the writing side of the piece as I would have hoped. Still, I managed to get some ideas down for the photographs.

I have a rough idea of the final images now, which is great, so when I go down in July I should get that finished. The top image is one of the photographs I shot in May, the model is another artist Abi Spendlove who was helping me out.  I think this is perhaps the first series of work that I’ve decided to use square format, which has changed the way I’m looking quite dramatically. I’ve also been thinking about how the final images will be printed. I really like high contrast images, but I don’t think it will work for this. I’m always conscious when I’m photographing what the final photograph is going to look like, especially when shooting on film. I think it comes from reading Ansel Adams books when I first started getting into photography – crop in the camera, know how you’re going to print the image, and definitely learn the zone system. Lots to think about in terms of photographs, but I think I have it pretty much sorted in my head, I just want to get shooting now.

I didn’t manage to make it down to Luton this month, but I did start reading Veronika’s blog about her time in residency, it’s called the Pushkin Project . Reading through Veronika’s blog – which I appear to be in, as do the bunnies ….. I also started thinking about what I’m going to write for the final photographs. I had an idea that I would write a diary from the Head Gardener during the time of Madame de Falbe, and also of my time in the garden. In a way contrasting the way the garden was when it was in full use and the way it is today. This could change over to a diary of de Falbe instead depending upon what I find in the archives, which I will hopefully be able to get into next time I go down.

The final photograph is of me trying to work out an idea, which is not very easy when you have to set the camera on timer and then run in front of it

I keep meaning to update my blog, and somehow always seem to forget. Few things have happened over the last few weeks, firstly my work 'Uncommon Ground' is now available to buy from Opus arts. Completely stoked about this, I got to go into their new gallery in Newcastle an see some of Carne Griffiths pieces. Charlotte Bracegirdle's work was also up, which are famous photographs but with the people removed, difficult to explain guess you have to see the work to get what I mean. And of course Hector de Gregorio's work was there, I can't begin to tell you how much I love his work. I wrote my dissertation at Uni on Joel-Peter Witkin and I always think of de Gregorio as being a modern day Witkin - he's really taken the ideas and pushed them - I could gush about his work all day!

I also have an exhibition at Woodhorn which is only a few miles away from where I took the photographs for 'Uncommon Ground' in the Summer. This is a little different for me as its going to be a projection of the photographs rather than actual prints. Sounds easier than framing and putting up but I get the feeling it won't be - technology an all.

Since my last blog post I've been down to Luton now, meet all the other artists that are involved, and got to hear what their ideas are. I've been sitting tonight going through some of the photographs and video that I took when I was down there, just to get the ideas flowing, and push the work along. Below are a few of the images I took, their just rough images that I took to remind me of something to come back to, but I thought I would share them. The hexagonal shape is somewhat of a theme that seems to run through the garden, not quite sure why, but hopefully I shall find out on my next visit. I will be editing some more photos this week, so I will put them up either on here or on Twitter.

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I made a list at the beginning of the year of things that I would like to achieve photography wise. The list consists of easy little projects, to producing an entire body of work, to something I didn't think I as going to achieve but I wanted to - a residency.

A few days ago I got accepted onto a residency that I applied for in February. It starts at the beginning of April in a walled garden which is part of the Luton Hoo Estate. It is for 6 months, at the end of which there will be a two week exhibition to show the work produced. Here's a snippet from my proposal, outlining what I intend to look at whilst I'm there:

Whilst researching Luton Hoo, and in particular Madame de Falbe, I began to wonder if this walled garden can be interpreted by our 21st Century thoughts and feelings. In other words, does the garden have a finite longevity, or does the recent restoration process bring it back cyclically to its original state?
      The issues raised by my thoughts are that our roles as spectators of the rural have altered over the last century or so. It is no coincidence that the further industrialisation of Britain post-World War Two came about at the time that this garden began to fall into disrepair.
Now, the government enforces carbon footprint limits, there are catalytic converters on cars, there is recycling of waste… The perception of ‘the garden’ has changed considerably. Despite being walled, Luton Hoo has not been able to escape the socio-cultural ravages of the great industrial changes.
Through my photography I wish to explore the connection between Madame de Falbe and her expectations and interpretation of the walled garden and our expectations of it as a garden today. Have we improved ourselves socially and culturally since this time, or have, as E. M. Forster feared, we lost our spiritual connection with the land, with the earthy Britain we took ourselves from.
      Is Luton Hoo an elegy for times gone, or, through the restorative process, will it be once again the vision that Madame de Falbe anticipated – even if it is renovated to its previous state, will our history prevent us from seeing it in the same way? What is our connection with the garden, with rurality; with the post-Victorian artistic unease associated with mass mechanisation?
      I wish to explore Luton Hoo’s disjointedness from time – will it be reincarnated, fully restored: or will it be a technological interpretation of a ruralist’s dream? Have we moved on from pre-industrialisation outlooks and are we better for it: have we become what Forster describes as ‘greater souls for new conditions,’ or have we lost something thought previously irredeemable from our social selves?

I'll be updating my blog regularly with updates of how the work is going, with updates on my ideas including photos and text that will accompany the final work.

I came across this at the back end of last year and its still in my head. Aside from being beautifully shot, the monologue running alongside it is inspiring. Two quotes stand out for me in this video

"I never set out to become anything in particular, only to live creatively and push the scope of my experience through adventure and through passion."

“I never want to take this for granted, so I try to keep motivation simple, real and positive.”

The video was made as part of the Relentless short stories competition. The guy who directed the story is photographer Mickey Smith, he also write the words and the music to accompany the video.

I came across Mark Tipple's work whilst researching for the Switch-Foot series, and I instantly fell in love with it. I started going surfing last year, and probably spent more time being pulled under than actually surfing. I think these images are so powerful because they dare to go beneath the surface of the issue, exploring new angles of the sport. 

"I’ve always been intrigued by what happens below the surface, like what’s happening where we can’t see. Coming from a surfing background I used to wonder what happens when we’re duck-diving, like, what it looks like from a different angle…I used to surf with a small video camera and housing attached to my helmet…but that sucked. I looked for a new approach to capture what I was seeking, which basically meant getting off the surfboard."

Mark Tipple

Its been just over a year since I posted an update about my work, so I thought I would have a quick run through some of the things I did in 2010, with the intentions of keeping this blog going in 2011. Although I have to admit I'm not very good at blogging, I keep forgetting.

For the first time I managed to make it to the North East Open surf competition in Tynemouth. As I remember it was a really windy day, I missed the first half of the competition because I wasn't feeling well, I must have had on a million layers. I thought this would be a great opportunity to add to the Switch-Foot series, and I wasn't wrong. After taking some of the surfers during the competition, I also managed to snag a couple of them as they where heading back up the beach.

In October I had an exhibition at the Viewfinder Gallery with the series The Romance of Strangers, as well as attending Photomonth in London. There was a huge mix of people at the festival, from individuals to galleries, with a large array of work on show. I had a great time having a look around other peoples work, but I don't think this is something I will   go to this year.

I keep thinking that there is something I'm missing out, I'm sure I've done more than this last year! Ah, yes, I had a photo book in the Piccadilly Self publishing exhibition in Manchester with the work Lost in Taboo. I suppose the biggest achievement for me in 2010 was completing the work Uncommon Ground, this is the first major piece of work that I have done since University. I completed two pieces of work on the same coal-fired power station when I was there, both on 35mm black and white film, so this final piece has been waiting a long time to be fully completed. Hopefully next week I will have a 30 x 20 inch print of one of the photographs, which I will be sure to post up on here.....promise
 

I came across an opportunity to do some writing for a project by Luke McGrath called 'Project Fifty'. The idea of the project is to have a collection of stories which can be downloaded and listened to as you walk around  Newcastle. Below is what I submitted for the project.

There are forty different writers who have written prose, poetry and scripts. All in effort of getting new audiences into literature and a chance for them all to come together to display their work

You can download the podcasts on iTunes by searching for 'Project Fifty Walks'

The rain comes down, soft at first, then harder. So hard that it makes the neon street signs at one end of the alley erupt and shimmy. I see the nearby light of a café and seek refuge.

Head down, eyes towards the ground, I stumble in my hurry, occasionally glancing up to see the direction in which I am heading. My vision blurs with the water passing over my face, like tears which I try to brush away. Stubbornly, they continue to flow. Eventually reaching the café I push open the door. They all sit by themselves, the clientele, sipping their lattes and cappuccinos, fingers poised over their iphones and laptops; the art of conversation lost in the presence of technology.  

I head towards the counter, aware of the rain falling from my coat. I glance around to see if anyone has noticed, but no one has moved. Engrossed in their thoughts the atmosphere becomes broken down and isolated; uncomfortable. Seating myself at the counter I drape my coat over it to dry. Smoothing creases from Gucci trousers I hook my heels over the rung of the stool. The guy serving walks over and I order a mocha frappuccino. I put my Gucci handbag on the counter, pull my compact out of the interior pocket, and click it open. Bright red lip stick is smeared across the glass, tainting the reflective surface, reminding me of the previous drunken night out. I reapply some lipstick, and then use the mirror to survey the room whilst pretending to sort out my makeup.

The first guy, over my shoulder on the right, sits with the Financial Times strewn across the table, his black coffee resting on the black lines. He takes a sip, puts it back on the table and instead decides to sit with it in his hands. The cup leaves crescent coffee rings on the paper, smudging the words. The ‘m’s become blurred, the ‘i’s become ‘L’s, the‘t’s become crosses.

From the corner of my eye I catch a woman sitting at the opposite end of the counter, watching me. I close the clasp on the compact and put it back in my handbag. Pulling the frappuccino towards my chest I draw the straw out, and watch the dark icy liquid fall onto the white whipped cream. I hear the buzz of my Blackberry, and rummage through the contents of my handbag, find the soft leather holder and slide out the phone. The screen innocently declares Steve. I press the green phone button.

“Hi Steve … No, I’m sitting in a café…… Yes I got the flowers, and the note…... The theatre? I don’t know what the girls are doing yet, no…… Can I call you tomorrow?... Sorry what...? Oh, yes, um, I suppose we could go out for a meal before the show if I’m not doing something with the girls…… Yes you have a good night to…… Bye…… Bye.”

I press the red button, cutting the connection.

“Sounds like a nice gentleman.”

The woman from the other end of the counter. For the first I take the time to notice her appearance. She sports a black beret, white hair frizzing out from underneath. She wears red lipstick, similar to that smudged on my mirror. Her face is white with foundation, slim cracks unveil the pink flesh underneath.

“Yes, I suppose he is.”

I smile, turning back to my drink, letting the straw play idly between my fingers and hoping she’ll go back to eating.

“I came in just as the rain started, we single girls have to have a port in the storm, am I right? I’m right. I live in the neighbourhood, come in here all the time, I like to watch the street traffic.”

I watch as she lifts her ice cream glass off the saucer, reaches into her bag, and pulls out a small brown medicine bottle. She tips a single white pill onto the plate, and with a bright silver spoon sets about crushing it. Lifting up the saucer, she sprinkles the white fragments onto the chocolate ice cream.

“Lithium. I like it on my ice cream. What kind of mood elevator do you take?”

I raise my eyebrows, my body moves back slightly, shocked by such openness.

“I haven’t . I’m not. I don’t take any.”

She smiles, and as she does the cracks in her make-up all line up, completing the mask of foundation. She points her spoon at me.

“I used to be like you. I was with this guy, thought somebody better would come along, you know, waiting for my Cary Grant. Never happened. That was in ’79. I underestimated the power of romance in a relationship, thought a good job, good pay and a car were important.”

She pops another spoonful of lithium-laced ice cream into her mouth. Sheer delight comes over her face. Her voice becomes exaggerated, high pitched.

“I love this!”

I turn back to my drink. White cream lines the inside of the glass, forming two opposing crescents, each one slightly discoloured by the mocha liquid. All that’s left at the bottom is the remnants of the bitter-sweet frappuccino, coffee and chocolate separating. 

Behind the counter there’s a large coffee machine. I see two people reflected in its polished surface on the path outside. They smudge their way across the stainless steel until they reach the café door. He pushes down on the handle and the door rattles. The glass flexes, and the bell ‘tings’. He tries again, this time pushing down harder. It resists. He places his shoulder on the window and nudges it, falling into the café. Looking back at the woman he smiles nervously.

The atmosphere in the room changes. Hot air pours out through the door way and cold runs uninvited into our warm haven. He closes the door and the bell jerks on its holder, slicing through the quiet hum of the café.

They go to order, shoes clicking on the wooden floor. Everyone turns to watch them. They order two coffees to go. She cups the hot little container in her hands, drawing it to her lips. Wisps of steam curl up about her face, as she breathes in the scent of the coffee. He picks up his cup, and they head towards the door.

I notice the way he looks at her, the way she reacts to his gaze. It touches something raw inside. I glance around the room and wonder how I ended up here. The old lady is scraping the side of her ice cream bowl and the sound of the spoon on the porcelain makes the hairs on the back of my neck stick up.

I pick up my coat, sling my bag over my shoulder, click my heels across the floor and head out after the couple.

Half-way down the street I glance back and see that the light that shone so brightly before, so invitingly, has ebbed. Up ahead of me the bright white lights of apartment windows hover in the sky, shining down onto the streets below, and for the first time I look up, up through the windows, and imagine the lives playing out there.