100

2012 has been a big year for Britain for many reasons. The Olympics, Queen's Jubilee and now we can acknowledge and celebrate 100 years of photography studies at Newport University (yeah, it's a big deal). 

Anastasia Taylor-Lind

Simon Norfolk

Paul Lowe

Toril Brancher

Nicholas Hughes

Lorna O'Brien

The University of Wales, Newport, is one of the leading providers of photographic education in the UK and the photography department enjoys an excellent reputation both nationally and internationally. Proud of it's past, present and future, it has held a number of events and projects this year to acknowledge this big landmark, very worthy of celebration. Today is the first of a two-day symposium, where the likes of Ken Grant, Anastasia Taylor-Lind and David Bate will all speak on their approach to photography, and the effect Newport has had in the world through this medium. 

The University of Wales, Newport Alumni Exhibition takes place at the City Campus' Wall Gallery in the heart of Newport until 11th January 2013 - definitely worth a visit!

For more information, click here.

Raphael Dallaporta's 'Domestic Slavery'

This is an extract from an essay I wrote earlier this year to accompany a project I was involved in, where I combined text and imagery to give more of an insight into the story I was trying to tell.

Documentary photographer, Raphael Dallaporta’s work shows he is concerned with public issues, addressing human rights as well as symbolic subjects such as the fragility of life. His long-term projects that combine text and image are a product of his collaborations with professionals from a wide range of fields. In his series Domestic Slavery, Dallaporta worked with Ordine Millot, a reporter who covers social work as it intersects with the law. Together, they address an often-ignored issue related to human trafficking: modern slavery.

Dallaporta manipulates the element of surprise is his favour, catching his viewer unaware. The image (above) shows a home, that looks cold and stark, photographed with natural light (as are all of his images in this collection) from Paris. The photos aren’t eye-catching or unusual. To an audience, this photo on its own would hold no purpose, and encourage no response, but when twinned with the story, the photo is given a new haunted feeling, a ‘chilling portrait of hidden agony’. Dallaporta cleverly uses a wide range of buildings and places, as well as what else he decides to include in the frame, to make this as relatable as possible to the public. For example, in the image above, Dallaporta chooses to feature a car, and some of the flowers blooming on the building, within the frame. These, combined with the absence of people in the image, make the photo seem isolated and eerie. As a viewer, the stories of cruelty are so shocking on their own, but when also tied with a picture of a home that could easily be somewhere familiar to the audience, it makes the photo even more chilling, and then leaves the spectator with a lasting impression.

Not only does Dallaporta combine text and image in this collection, he has done it in other collections, such as ’ANTIPERSONNNEL’ (below) where he beautifully frames and photographs landmines. At first glance you admire their beauty, then you realise they are items of cruelty, and the picture has a whole new meaning to you.  

"Which of my photographs is my favorite? The one I’m going to take tomorrow."

    - Imogen Cunningham

Towards A Promised Land

Helping children express themselves through photography for more than 30 years, Wendy Ewald is a storyteller. She encourages her students to create individual self-portraits and to represent their dreams and nightmares through imagery, teaching them the ins and outs of cameras and film techniques.

In ‘Towards A Promised Land’, Ewald documents 22 immigrant children new to the seaside town of Margate, England. They are all from different backgrounds and moved to the area for different reasons. “Although the coast of Kent has been the gateway to the U.K. for asylum seekers over many years, I didn't want to limit my attention to foreign immigrants…” says Ewald. “…It was obvious that the 'flood' of asylum seekers was something of a cliché.”

The subjects then mark or wrote on Ewald’s own negatives, almost challenging the concept of who makes the image, and blurs the lines between who is the documenter, and who is the subject.  These comments give the audience a brief glimpse into the child’s story and gives each child a personality previously ignored, encouraging the viewer to care about their past. When exhibited, Ewald’s images were enlarged and hung along Margate’s Sea Wall (and later, exhibited around Margate town itself). Nicci Gerrard (of The Observer) described the Sea Wall exhibit as ‘a photogenic Mount Rushmore’, and they certainly have a similar impact. The faces of the children looking out towards the places they have come from, and the problems they’ve fled from. The faces of the traumatised, with a new glimmer of hope and determination in their eyes.

Ewald explained her exhibiting technique – “this… strategy could be interesting for Margate, where people coming to a new place were invisible to the residents of that place. To make them visible in a monumental way around a town would be interesting and provocative.” And provocative it was, resulting with the images being egged and petrol bombed after the London bombings.

When you hear the word ‘immigrant’ you immediately jump to the stereotype, and you forget about the children that are uprooted and come too. Ewald has given a very honest, very human, view on a current major issue in the UK, one that had yet to be photographed in a way that holds as much meaning as this project does. It gives the audience a chance to look past the stereotype, and maybe find something they can relate too. It gives the chance for a change in opinions an encouraging nudge in the right direction (even if initially rejected).

You can read an conversation between Wendy Ewald and Michael Morris here.

Order Wendy Ewald's 'Towards A Promised Land' here.

Community

“Today, in 2012 Post Industrial Britain, if we believe all that we read in the newspapers, we would be forgiven for thinking the rise in the culture of “Individualism”, the decline in “Family Values” and the dominance of the Internet in all our lives has resulted in the concept of “community” being lost forever. Whilst some of this may be true it is also true to say that the notion of “community”, whilst more diffused now than ever, is still very much part of our daily lives.”

The above quote is taken from the introduction to our current project, written by my lecturers. Since the introduction of my course in 1973, Documentary Photography at UWN has always had a strong connection to the community, and with Britain proclaiming the ‘death of community’ in 2012, it seems appropriate to focus our attention on exploring, not only if this accusation is true, but also why, when and how?

In groups of 6 (or so), we discussed the big question – What is a Community?

The dictionary defines it:

noun, plural com·mu·ni·ties.

1. a social group of any size whose members reside in a specific locality, share government, and often have a common cultural and historical heritage.

2. a locality inhabited by such a group.

3. a social, religious, occupational, or other group sharing common characteristics or interests and perceived or perceiving itself as distinct in some respect from the larger society within which it exists (usually preceded by the ): the business community; the community of scholars.

4. a group of men or women leading a common life according to a rule.

For me, 'Community' holds a more personal meaning. It's a source of support, of love, of friendship. It can branch gaps unseen, and can help a group of people unify with one voice. It is the feeling of belonging, of safety and of home. 

For others, it's family, it's neighbours, it's your social circle or it's simply 'a group of individuals that happen to be in the same place at one time'.

What does “Community” mean to you?

You'll hear more about this project over the next couple of months, it's taking up such a large amount of my time right now, it would be silly not to mention it! Also, whilst researching around this theme, I have discovered a fair few interesting photographers who I will definitely write about. Their work is inspiring, I'm sure you'll love it. In the meantime, here's a sneak peak...

Taken from Wendy Ewald's 'Towards A Promised Land'

The first of many...

Hopefully!

Photography is in a exciting phase right now, and I am finding new and thought-provoking inspiration every week. This blog is a place to share what I discover with you all, to inspire, generate discussion, and encourage. I may also delve into my work and life every now and again...

Sound good?

Sitting comfortably? Now let me begin...

Hey, my name's Hannah (You can find out more about me here). At this present moment in time, I am working on a group project for my second year at university (post to follow) and trying to fit in work experience all while attempting to find time to socialise! 

I got into photography out of sheer curiosity, never knowing it would turn into such a big part of my life. I want to tell people's stories, to photograph my surroundings and what I feel is important to document. 

So here we go! Hope you find some interest in what I write on here, let me know what you think, and I'm excited to go on this journey with you!