My pre-work on the Informing Contexts Module began over Christmas 2020. This blog includes the background to my practice, my thoughts on ‘The Social Photo’ and the discussion forum ‘Human Choices’, which is also covered in more detail in my next blog (see week 1).
As I began writing this the country went into another Lockdown. Due to the nature of my photography my plans for this project are in some temporary jeopardy. My work in progress involves the Creative Arts, where my practice has sat comfortably nourished for many years. The level of access and opportunity I would have normally been easily afforded has now been withdrawn from me. However shortly after Xmas I was presented with another opportunity to work alongside a charity called the PAIGNTON PICTURE HOUSE TRUST. They are an organisation who are renovating an old cinema with strong links to Agatha Christie, and her family who support the cause. I will be the official photographer over the coming years to document this rebirth which is a very exciting proposition and my task begins early in February with the interior.
To just backtrack slightly and by way of introduction to readers who are not aware of my CRJ or Research Work I will briefly recap what my plans were, and where I planned to position my Photography for this MA.
In the previous module Positions & Practices I had worked specifically with film on a Street Photography project which aimed to captured a theme of social distancing, solitude, and space. Very of the moment as the country came out of one lockdown, before limping inevitably closer to the next one.
I was pleased with this work, however for me it was just a ‘test exercise’ to really challenging my analogue photography skills, and focus on some social commentary which when contextualised positioned me in new areas of criticality and ability. I did enjoy this work but as a project it always had a limited lifespan to me, not something I felt comfortable progressing for the next 2 years. I always had a feeling I would return in some way or another to explore my work in ‘live performance’ capture, something I had been doing professionally for many years. After some research I decided Theatres would be a great location to document life on (and behind) stage. I was heavily influenced with the books by Simon Annand (TIME TO ACT) published by TERRA, and also TWELTH NIGHT by Mary McCartney published by HENI. In these hefty coffee table hardbacks the photographers were given free reign to follow actors through their routines before, during, and after a performance. Both books offer a fascinating and often unseen insight to the Theatre world and a new angle on portraiture.
Fig: 1 A TIME TO ACT, Annand, Terra Publishing 2020 and TWELTH NIGHT, McCartney, HENI Publishing 2013
I wanted my project however to be more than just about the actors, it had to be all encompassing to document architecture, production values, backstage activity, front of house, literally the whole operation. My plan is also to adopt various photography techniques during the project. I will predominantly work in digital for performances, but have already used 35mm film and may even dip into wet plate at 4x5 if the project allows in the latter stages. My ideas are very much inspired by the approach taken by Mary McCartney during her work in New York with actor Mark Rylance. Her images are very much of the moment, sometimes blurred and over/under exposed, but always honest and intimate.
What I like about this project by McCartney is the simplicity of the images, and the fact their quality is not important. The book itself is beautifully produced, but my main criticism is it offers absolutely no text or comment from McCartney herself about the pictures, or technique. The only narrative in the text is that of Mark Rylance himself. This I was disappointed in as I’m really only interested in the Photography/Photographer, and not the actor. Perhaps McCartney uses her envious heritage and blood line to defer attention and focus from her, to the subject of her photograph which although admirable does little to inspire or help photographers interested in how she works. Looking through the images it did bring to mind the quote by SCHOPENHAUER.
“That the outer man is a picture of the inner, and the face an expression and revelation of the whole character, it is presumption likely enough in itself, and therefore a safe one to go on, borne out as it is by the fact that people are always anxious to see anyone who has made himself famous…. Photography….offers the most complete satisfaction of our curiosity”.
SONTAG, On Photography, pp198, 1979.
“In Twelfth Night, McCartney documents the intimate and intense pre-performance experience of some of the worlds most fascinating and powerful actors. Her compositions capture the captivating variations of the entire performance arc - the meticulous rituals of costume and makeup: a table tennis match in full Elizabethan dress; the ethereal tension of the stage wings. Shakespearean Queens transfixed upon a backstage television where a European Cup match blares and the euphoria following the curtain call”.
Source: https://www.henipublishing.com/books/twelfth-night-mary-mccartney
Fig: 2-4 https://www.henipublishing.com/books/twelfth-night-mary-mccartney
In 2016 McCartney gave a rare interview at PHOTO LONDON in which she discussed her life, and approach to photography. It was a very honest and open account of her influences and style, drawing particularly on the work of her mother Linda McCartney and the other pioneers of the late 60’s and 70’s such as Diane Arbus. I was pleased to see how introvert and shy she could be, and fully acknowledging the difficulty of shooting people in intimate situations, despite the exposure she has received through the celebrity status of her family. The one comment I really like from McCartney was that as advice she recommended people shoot the things they love, and try not to feel obliged to adapt and excel in areas of photography that doesn’t inspire them. When I started the course I had good intentions of trying different styles or genres of Photography, but I still feel compelled to return to performance art where I am most comfortable. Ultimately with any experimentation I may undertake this is undoubtably where I will finish with my FMP.
The full interview with McCartney can be viewed here.
https://photolondon.org/video/mary-mccartney-in-conversation-with-philippe-garner/
Having being inspired by the work of Simon Annand I decided to contact him. I wanted to get an interview to discuss his work, which to my surprise he agreed to. This zoom discussion can be seen in my week 3 CRJ. It was a fascinating insight into one of the worlds leading actor/theatre photographers..
I also approached up and coming Photographer Gavin Smart, specifically because of his astonishing work with The Royal Opera House, and in particular the Royal Ballet performances which were live streamed during the Pandemic. Gavin was very much up for a chat about this and all things Photography so we scheduled a ZOOM call. This can be seen here:
As part of my startup process before Xmas 2020 I approached one of the South West’s finest Theatre’s The ‘Northcott’ in Devon with my documentary ideas, and they were very enthusiastic to bring me on board. The idea I pitched was to visually record their activity in 2021 from a locked down Theatre to a thriving creative centre by the end of the year. This began well back in November 2020 with some initial images and a plan to revisit them on a regular monthly basis for shows and performances. As news of the Pandemic worsened, the totally expected conclusion that the Theatre would shut down again was announced, thus putting my project on hiatus for months. What I will be unable to do is capture any in-house live performances, so my options to keep this project afloat are somewhat limited. As the year rolls forward and we hopefully return to some level of normality, I am confident the work will be abundant.
I am quite pleased with the results of these first interior Theatre shots. The emptiness of areas like the auditorium, the foyer and backstage area really do convey a Theatre out of operation and dormant during a crisis. I also think B/W helps convey that cold space where there are no people, no sound, no atmosphere. Unfortunately the architecture of the Theatre is quite modern, almost quite Brutalist in design, mainly because of its origins in the 60’s. it is in fact exactly the same age as me which also adds another nice connection to the project. Neither of us designed for beauty, just to be functional I guess. It was interesting to see that Mary McCartney’s project has very little reference to the building itself, just the players, an angle I won’t be following.
I have also made good connections with two amateur theatre groups who will also allow me access to their productions. In addition to this there is the possibility of working again with a major recording artist in September both in London and Paris for two 5 night residential shows.
Fig: 5-12 Images of The Northcott Theatre taken in Nov 2020 by Myself.
During the Xmas break, I decided to use the time wisely and shoot some exterior shots of another Theatre in Devon, The BARNFIELD. This Theatre has an even longer history than it’s associate The NORTHCOTT, and the architecture is quite beautiful on the outside. I had been promised access to the inside in the new year, but of course that also has now been shelved temporarily. I have also been in touch with the Theatres Trust who are a charity raising awareness of Theatres ‘at risk’ through lack of funding, dilapidation, or subject to redevelopment. They have also offered me access to some of these Theatres on their register, when government restrictions allow.
Fig: 13 - 20 Images of The Barnfield Theatre taken in Jan 2021 by myself.
Another project before starting the new module was to read THE SOCIAL PHOTO: On Photography by Nathan Jurgenson and to make a smartphone image which visually responds to the points that Jurgenson makes about the photograph today. Quite a few years ago I was fortunate enough to be a presenter of the Social Media Stage at the Photography Show in Birmingham. This was a vehicle for me to show my work on smartphone photography, principally based upon an article/interview I did for Black & White Photography magazine. They were one of the earliest supporters and advocates of the medium, showcasing every month images taken on phones, as well as regular articles. It was on the back of this exposure though them I spent some time promoting the genre.
With this in my history/bio I was pleased to read Nathan’s book and provide some feedback and analysis on how he interprets the visual medium. There is a quote on digital photography which interests and stimulates a response in me.
“digital photography and sites like Facebook have brought us to an age of memory abundance. The paradoxical consequence of this development will be the progressive devaluing of such memories and severing of the past’s hold on the present. Gigabytes and terabytes of digital memories will not make us care more about those memories, they will us care less”.
Michael Sacasas, “From Memory to Scarcity to Memory Abundance”, The Frailest Thing, 2013.
Personally I disagree with this statement. The medium of the photograph does not by its composition and technology inform the valuation of the inherent captured image. Digitisation may be responsible for the excessive quantity of memories that we choose to capture, but how they are shared does not devalue their importance or scarcity. This informs really my question to Nathan, and I would be curious to know what he thinks of it.
Another task we had was to take a smartphone photograph which visually responds to the points that Jurgenson makes about the photograph today.
The image below titled ‘The Pixie Door’ was taken on a country walk I took with friends on Boxing Day in Devon. It is a tradition for locals to create miniature doors and place them randomly in the country for ramblers and walkers to find.
Having taken this image, I proceeded to use the APP Snapseed on my phone to create a faux aesthetic. This was intended to give the image a dated look, with a somewhat more surreal and fantastical composition using a number of filters. The idea was to make a modern-day image look scarce and from an analogue past (Jurgenson, Social Photo, p51). This isn’t the kind of photography I normally pursue, but the editing process for this task was actually enjoyable. The final image was shared on social media (not to much interest) but I have subsequently looked back fondly on it, purely as a reminder of a nice walk, rather than an image of importance or creativity.
Jurgenson raises some very interesting points in his book about the ‘fakeness’ and ‘nostalgic’ nature of modern social photography. I think we should consider the manipulation of images an important facet in digital photography entertainment. We may strive in life not for perfection but for relatability and reassurance. We also sometimes look to the past as an antidote for mortality, and by dating photos we are perhaps taking ourselves back to an era where we can rewind the clock, through our ability to change the course of time even if that is in a photograph.
Fig 21: Tipping, The Pixie Door, 2020
BIBLIOGRAPHY
ANNAND, Simon. 2020. A Time To Act: Terra.
McCARTNEY, Mary. 2016. Twelfth Night: Heni.
JURGENSON, Nathan. 2019. The Social Photo: On Photography And Social Media: Verso
Interview 1: Mary McCartney in conversation with Philippe Garner, available at https://photolondon.org/video/mary-mccartney-in-conversation-with-philippe-garner/ (online)
Interview 2: Gavin Smart in conversation with Mark Tipping, available in this post.
Figure 1: Tipping 2020. Book Inspirations
Figure 2-4: McCartney 2016, Twelfth Night, available at: https://www.henipublishing.com/books/twelfth-night-mary-mccartney (online)
Figure 5-12: Tipping 2020. The Northcott Theatre, Exeter
Figure 13-20: Tipping 2020. the Barnfield Theatre, Exeter
Figure 21: Tipping 2020. The Social Photo Experiment