9.2.10

POWER TO THE PEOPLE.

Its been a while since I posted anything on Mark Powers project DESTROYING THE LABORATORY FOR THE SAKE OF THE EXPERIMENT, but there's been a fair bit added so its more than worth checking out here.
This is in my opinion one of the best British projects done since Paul Reas' documentary work in the 80's and perhaps Martin Parr's Think Of England.

I have mentioned before the current trend of 'England Photography' with every Tom, Dick and Harry creating their own interpretations of what living in England is all about. Some are good, some are great and some are among the worst images I have ever witnessed. I think the only other project along the lines of 'This is England and what a joy to behold' that could possibly match Mark Powers work is the mighty WHAT IS ENGLAND with its 46 photographers interpreting a particular county organised by Stuart Pilkington which I will write about soon once I have made my submission..

I think its fair to say that a lot of these photographers (including myself, although I started doing this some time ago) have chosen, or may have even been forced, to make the most of the UK in their work. Gone (at least at the moment) are the huge budgets for shooting on location with photographers finding some spare time to go off and spend time in some exotic landscape. But I really dont think this is a bad thing, in fact I think its great that we are turning to the UK shores and producing oodles of fine work.
I have written many times that us British Photographers are not like the Americans with a four by five feet camera that can only be used in perfect weather all funded by their countless grants to produce mediocre work, or the Germans with there clinical view of the Landscape which bores us all to death with their Düsseldorf Doo-Daa and claims of being the greatest photographers on the planet.
We Brits are resilient and can shoot anywhere including our own country, and of course better than anyone else.

1 comment:

mark page said...

Here Here old chap!