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Thanks

Kinoulton

Been off the blogging circle for awhile, been doing some offline research. Anyway, Im back home in the countryside. Its lovely, and the weather just makes everything better. So i'm not one for using digital that much, but using my digital camera to take some photos of my village back home (as i cant afford film) but this is a starter point for a new project Im thinking of doing, a sort of documentation of the an english village in the 21st century, and a recapturing of my childhood memories of growing up here.

 

'In your soft talk'

'In your soft talk'

Dating back in Western Culture to the books ‘The Illiad’ and the ‘Anied’ which told stories of epic journeys across vast oceans. We, as humans, have always attached a mythical and symbolic importance to it. The sea is seen as a body of ceaseless movement and formlessness, of introspection and depth. Juan Eduardo Cirlot writes “it is a symbol, therefore, of dynamic forces and of transitional states between the stable and the formless.” Leo Frobenius sees it as a representation of our “collective unconscious” where “the sun of the spirit rises”.

It is of no wonder then, even in this day and age, that people are still drawn to the coast to sit and watch and wonder, to enter into a state of contemplation and stillness at its perennial surface. It is these people I have chosen to represent the often overlooked, romantic, introspective people that draw my attention, but pose only questions to me.

These photographs are my interpretations of such persons. Due to the problematic nature of the power struggle that is inherent in the photograph between the subject – photographer – viewer I have chosen to stage these episodes, in an attempt to allow the viewer to use the image as an object, to emancipate the spectator “to deny the corporeal energy that is meant to convey the here and now and transfer it into a mere image, by linking it with something she has read in a book or dreamed about, that she has lived or imagined” (Ranciere) The image then becomes a tool for contemplation, for personal interpretation, for meditation.

The title is a nod to Jack Kerouac’s poem ‘Sea – Sound of the Pacific Ocean at Big Sur’ and also to the quiet voices of the characters to be interpreted by the viewer.

Images of the zine that goes alongside coming up soon

quick screen grab/workspace

Here's a screen grab of some images that I got back last week. Still part of the same project, here's the twist... These are people that I know, yet for me they represent people I meet alone on brighton beach. Intially being denied by people on the beach to talk to them and photograph them aswell, and due to the time frame I had to work in, I decided to stage, no not stage thats not the right word... I decided to interpret, and create these characters from observation I had carried out on the beach.

I dont think that this detracts from the intial documentary aspect of my project. There is the false belief that photographic documentary must follow the discourse of truth, in order to convey its message to the viewer. Yet I feel the real strength in these images, is that even though they are anchored in the real, they are still disconected from the original subject. And allow the viewer not to feel intrusive, or implicit in the photographic exploitative nature, towards the subject.

These then, are objects of scrutiny, observation, meditation, discourse on the subject matter.

David Severn - Thanks Maggie

I have decided to try and start doing some features of photographers I like, and up and coming photographers I think you should keep an eye on. 

So here is my first feature, David Severn - a guy I used to be on A level photography with, if very briefly. Anyway so he has just finished a project entitled 'Thanks Maggie' which is now showing at the Mansfield Museum in Nottinghamshire, so if you're up that way, you should check it out. Here's a brief introduction to his work:

"This series of photographs explores the reinvented uses of ex colliery sites in and around the former coal mining stronghold of Mansfield, Nottinghamshire. The project also seeks to examine the current milieu of the area, particularly in relation to its post-industrial recovery. I myself grew up in the town and like so many from Mansfield, come from a mining family - my Father working at the pits all his life and my Grandfather a Deputy at nearby Sutton Colliery during his time." - David Severn

You can find his work up here

http://cargocollective.com/davidsevern

and his blog

http://davidsevern.tumblr.com/ 

 

Look at me, Don't Stare (1)

Part of my 'Look at me, Don't stare' project. 

I have been very interested by people that I see sitting alone on the beach, for whatever reason. I wanna know why they are there, who they are and what they are doing there. I think I feel an afinity with these people, because it is a thing I have found myself doing alot. For me, the beach is a quiet completative place, even when the weather is awful, i feel comforted by the constant roaring of the waves, or when it is still, just awed by its vastness. All these cliched things I guess. So, I want to understand why other people go here, is it the same reason as me? or something completely different?

Stories stories stories, I love stories. 

What I love about how these portraits have turned out, are the awkwardness that they present. That comes with being photographed by someone that you don't quite know.

Tom - Brighton beach

Realised I haven't posted in awhile, so here's a quick photo that I took the other day. It's of a fisherman called Tom that I met on Brighton beach, we chatted for awhile, he had alot to talk about; cameras/cars/fish/taking the mick out of stupid people, you know the usual...

Stewart Weir

 

As I was walking along the Brighton beach this week, looking for inspiration for my new project. I met photographer Stewart Weir underneath the pier, taking a pinhole photograph. I stopped and we chatted for awhile, he told me about his project Brighton Beach Lovers

A beautiful spread of images spanning 8 years, my person favourite being the one of a couple kissing in what appears to be a very cold, rainy sea! Absolutely stunninggg and defiantly worth a look.

Also look at his amazing little pinhole camera he has there. So lush.

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Friston Forest

Drove out to Seven Sisters on tuesday with Tom and James, found this lovely little forest there. Didnt venture too far in, as it was pretty kinda cold, and I had the sniffles. But here are two pictures from our trip. Need to do it again sometime soon, its lovely round there especially the coastline, and you can walk there from Brighton. So that could be a plan! any takers? 
Still have no real ideas for my new project, and it doesnt help that we haven't seen our tutor this week. Kinda want to carry on with my previous project, but then I want to try something new, it's just down to finding something interesting to get involved in. Will keep you updated, in the meantime enjoy these images.
Peace

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Cuckmere estuary

Went on a day trup to Cuckmere Estuary today, and I was using my digital camera as a light meter for my blad,, and i shot this - very overexposed picture of Tom. I atcually quite like the ephemeral quality, the way its neither here nor there and the anonymity of the subject. Tweet Follow @joedixey

Untitled for now

Modern man tighten

His grip - I write a statement

To describe

Slipped up on grammar

I howl howl howl

As water flows down

The pipes, In my front room

Noise of the continent

Off screen – Of static

Off white, the walls

My modern bottle

At my lips, Lethargic stimulation

The filament burns

Out – My modern house

On the street

Beat beat beat

Generations of games

And picking my dirty

Nails - My modern mind

Groping for the

Punchline

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Another picture of Matt, that was part of my vulnerable males project I was doing with Lisa Barnard. Apologies for the awful scan, i realised I haven't blogged in awhile, so I wanted to put something up. This is going to be one of the images I enter into my 2nd year exhibition. All I have to do now is to write up a coherent proposal, and think of a title and I should be all set. 
Scanned in a film i took in Paris, should be up in a little while.
Peace
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Starting a new project next week...

...with Denis Doran (you can also see his video work here). The project is called 'Look at me don't stare' and the only information we have had so far is this;

The object of your gaze, gazes back, has a voice, should be heard.

What shape would the ensuing dialogue take?  What would it reveal?

What would remain silent, beyond reach?

What would the outcome be?

You are asked to consider the power relations inherent in the picture-making process, to acknowledge this and open up a dialogue.

 Interesting huh? Yuhhh... As you probably know, i do love portraits. And in portraits, the issues of 'the gaze' and the relationship between viewer/subject/photographer is what really intrigues me (as well as content, of course!). Also, i hope i can tie in my last project into this, as it was just starting to come together at the end, and it really need to be developed further.

Anyway, gonna do some research. If knows of a photographer or a writer that deals with these issues (or if you do!) let me know and leave a comment!

Peace

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Matt and the Meadow

Two photographs of a shoot I did with my friend Matt over the winter break. In an old childhood haunt we used to call 'The Meadow' (which was just a strip of grass and hedges that ran behind a bunch of houses) We both lamented on how much it had changed, and reminisced over memories we shared. I've been thinking about these images recently, and that place. It was strange, when we were younger there was always children there, climbing the trees and making dens. Well just being children I guess. All that energy put into exploration, imagination... Yet when we were there, it was so quiet. Almost deserted, neglected. Where were all the children? I bet they were all glued to their video game screens...

My Latest (not nearly finished) Project

 Here are two images from a project at university that I have recently finished. I dont have a title for it at the moment, so lets call it 'untitled' at the moment. So yeh 'untitled' is a project I have worked on under the tutorledge of Lisa Barnard. Looking at the ability of the photographic portrait to elicit action. My overall aim was to find a way to express the vulnerability in young males, my peers at university. I think it is important to note that these images arent documentary (this doesnt mean that they arent truthful.) They are my own representations of those quite, introspective moments which we find ourselves in sometimes, meant to allow the viewer a chance to study, linger over and meditate on.

 

First Blogspot Entry

Ok, so I've had blogs before, mainly tumblr and wordpress. I try to keep them current and up-to-date, and most of the time fail. This is a new blog that i hope to keep updated and regularly post on.
This is going to be a blog about my photography, and all stuff relatable and relevant. Sorry, no furry animals. I've got another blog for that! So, guess the next step is to post some images, and tell you guys abit about what im working on!
Peace.