The Photographers Polaroids (not a great technology) and back to Jaspers

At The Photographers' Gallery again

Not everything can be good

It's some time since I've visited the Photographers Gallery and as they've got new exhibitions thought it was worth checking out - in truth a little disappointed -  Wim Wenders (Instant Stories) was a reminder for me how bad Polaroids were as a format and the trouble that had gone into displaying, mounting and framing made me think of  'polishing a turd' - I think better work could have been on show in this space.

Interesting from a sociological aspect 

Well staged but not sure about the quality

Likewise I felt that '4 Saints in 3 Acts' was interesting as history but not necessarily great photographs and was a bit surprised that Lee Miller was part of it. 

More RA

So as well as seeing Matisse I took another look at Jasper John's retrospective it really is pretty amazing - work stretches over his whole career and it's clear that his work is distinctive, has a style of its own but also experimental and challenging with some intellectual rigour.

More Cultural Outings - Photographers' Gallery

A good place for Photographers to meet

It's sometime since I've visited The Photographers' Gallery (just of Oxford Street in the hear of London's West End), as a new exhibition is now on and as both John and I enjoy photography  it seemed a very good place to meet  ahead of a walk down to John Soane's House (near Holborn).


 The Photographers' Gallery is spread over quite a few floors (four plus basement) and the current works to be seen are dominated by  work of Gregory Crewdson 'Cathedral of the Pines' - both John and I were new to his 'oeuvre' so found it all rather intriguing.


What Crewdson (A former Punk rock group member who is now a Professor at Yale) does is work of a 'film-ic' nature - with dark images (in terms of the character of the subjects) looking to be connected serious events - the work is seen to connect to diverse influences including the artist Edward Hopper and Film director Alfred Hitchcock.


Also on show was an 'interactive' area  where visitors are invited to consider food photography -nice idea but  I'm not sure how well it works - it's an area of photography that is significant but the elements to use suggested the Japanese restaurants that use 3D plastic models.

#foodforbeinglookedat 

It's a real challenge 

At The Photographers Gallery and (75)

A gallery with a nice vibe 

After the Exhibiting Photography class at City Lit I took a walk to The Photographer's Gallery - it was a little surprising to find that it was in area of town that I know quite well (pretty much adjacent to M&S near Oxford Circus).


As a result of voluntary work that I undertake I'm luck enough to be able to access this gallery (and many other museums) for free, having said that it's not outrageously expensive at £4 on the door (free before 12:00) or you can book at just £2.50 online.


As well as some nice photographs to see there's a really nice shop - if  you are a picture take or you've got a photographer in your life it's a great place to get gifts.


This time of year the big event at the gallery is the shortlist for the  Deutsche Börse prize - it's pretty difficult to decide which of the four photographers on show is the best but the one I really related to was the work of Sophie Calle (she focuses on losses of  her family members particularly her mother).

Interesting too was documentary work that took a long (in time and depth) look at a US housing project associated with the Rodney King uprising/riots (by Dana Lixenberg) and the near abstract pictures of .Awoiska Van Der Molen.

Part of Sophie's exhibited work

Work by Awoiska Van Der Molen 

Martin Parr was due at the gallery to sign books later in the day and the gallery had a buzzy feel.

There was an rather extensive display of work by Roger Mayne - great to see the letters he submitted and how he got work (like book covers) - most of the work was black and white edging towards 'social commentary'  in a side room there was a number of projected images (colour) which quite irritated me as a demonstration of how curation can fail - very difficult to consider the pictures and it felt like a form of torture.

Roger's pictures document an age now past

A way to get a 'gig'

And here's a book that I like the look of..

A book you could 'gift' perhaps

Now at £96 20p

Doors

So while I was in the area, and near where I worked when I was a young enthusiastic Broadcast engineer a number of front doors..

And I worked there too

Still rag trade connections