Doyles View..

I was glad to see that someone with a bit of weight came forward and let rip regarding the Photographers Gallery (see quoted post below). I totally respect Chris Steele Perkins, his work and his opinions on such matters as galleries.
There's not a lot I could add that C.S.P hasn't already mentioned here, but I've never thought the Photographers Gallery was ever any good, even when it was considered good. So now I think its totally crap instead of just crap and its just as well that its hidden down that dirty backstreet.
Shame really. It has all the potential to be something great like the ICP in New York, but I have my resources and believe you and me, it will only get worse...

Well said that man (Chris Steele Perkins)

"I am delighted my comments, made in passing, have evoked a lively response. I stand by my remarks of course, but for the sake of clarity I outline my position in a bit more detail.
I was around when the Photographers’ Gallery was started by Sue Davies, and it was exciting and showed, mainly, great shows and inspired people. It had a buzz!
A lot has changed. When I talk to people, from photographers to others in the arts I never, really, never find one who has a good thing to say about the Photographers. Gallery. The response is from a disdainful shrug – that’s what we are stuck with, to an explosion of anger that the promise and hope that Sue Davies brought to the place has been so profoundly betrayed.
I care about photography, in its richness and complexity and I am angry at the way the possibility of the Photographers’ Gallery has been strangled over the years leaving a limp corpse requiring vast funding from the public purse to maintain its mediocrity.
I am angry that there are many more exciting, relevant galleries that are starved of funding because the money goes into maintaining this vegetative-state-gallery. Places like Side, Host, Open-Eye to name but a few.
I am angry that Photographers’ Gallery has become a misnomer. It is not about photography or photographers, it is about a narrow thread of photographic curation that is frequently dull, and/or poorly conceived. I also admit they do have a few good shows, but far too few, and across far too narrow a spectrum of the medium
On the web-site it states “we are the place to see photography in all its forms.” This is a grotesque claim and so patently untrue. Why lie? If it indeed was fulfilling that claim, with the caveat – at its best – then it could claim the name Photographers’ Gallery, and it would not be betraying the initial ambitions of the project.
I am angry it makes no attempt to support or promote British photography
Someday I will write more about this, but I am sorry that the quality and relevance of the PG is not publicly debated in forums like the BJP and RPS Journal, and the Guardian Arts Page and the national media. This is a publicly funded institution (40%) and should be a beacon, but is an irrelevance; an expensive one.
People seem to be scared to speak out, I am not sure why. One thing is for sure, more money is going into it, and it will get bigger, and a larger corpse does not stop rotting.
I leave you with this from their web-site “the Gallery has developed a reputation as the UK’s primary venue for contemporary photography.” So sad, so untrue."This debate has been going on over on duckrabbit. For what it's worth my view is that The Photographers Gallery is probably no better or worse than most Arts institutes in this land. A lack of imagination, too many self serving individuals connected to said places, too many conditions applied by the funding bodies, community this, and community that, galleries these days are spending more time doing social work and functioning as community centres/creches and not enough exploring new ideas/artists. The same safe bet photographers who the establishment have deemed worthy doing the circuit of galleries. What's the answer? Fuck knows........ there probably isn't one.

A frog and a scorpion met at the bank of a stream. The scorpion, unable to swim, begged the frog to take him across on his back. "How do I know you won't sting me?" asked the frog. "But why would I?" said the scorpion. "We'd both drown!" The frog agreed, but as they were crossing the stream, he suddenly felt the pain of the scorpions sting. "Why did you do that?" asked the frog. "Now you'll die too!" Resigned to his fate, the scorpion replied, "I couldn't help it...it's in my nature."

Number 21.

There are few photography blogs I have any ounce of respect for. This is mainly due to the fact that they take themselves far too seriously and are usually written by people who are the worlds authority on nothing.
Manchester Photography is one of the only few blogs in my very short list that I have any oodle of time for. Well written and not too serious Mark's view always hits the nail on the head and then some, no messing about. His latest post from his Clichés In Photography (see here) got me thinking;

Why, oh why do people still insist on producing large bodies of work on what has gone before, and more so; why oh why do they get such credit for their re-worked achievements.

I was faced with a difficult task last week when I was commissioned to shoot a large warehouse (The Torpedo Factory in my last post). The obvious thing to do in these circumstances is to shoot the interior with everything symmetrical, just like anyone else would. But I really struggled with this and wanted to do something different. I switched my camera to a panoramic format which although against my instincts did give me a different perspective and feel from a large view camera and I think I may have pulled it off. I believe a lot of photographers (myself included) tend to shoot what has gone before in the first instance. Its a security blanket of sorts, you know you have something. Then and only then can the photographer go on and spend the time (if they have it ) to produce a more unique body of work. This is why its so important to sit down on a dusty chair and give yourself time to think allowing the dust to settle before embarking on the shoot which will produce the best images.

Anyhoo, back to Mark's post. I think Detroit (the place in question) is one of those places where photographers cannot help but shoot what has gone before. I have seen countless projects, particular within the once enormous car industry, on Detroit (almost as many as the likes of Chernobyl or the Salton Sea for instance) and to be honest they all look the same. But this will never stop people from re-hashing the work and producing a Cliché.

TORPEDO.

On route to the factory.


Torpedo factory 2010

If you managed to decipher my Croatian clipping from yesterday you will have realised that I am to do an exhibition/workshop/lecture in Rijeka (Croatia) next month. I had gone out to the birth place of the Torpedo in order to take exhibition prints for the wonderful museum there and also to scout for locations and of course, to make some pictures.
I knew nothing about my destination Rijeka before hand and so had taken to the internet to unlock its secrets. I soon found a city full of surprises built on large industry, some of which like the ship yard or 'The Old Paper Mill' being the biggest in the world during their hay day. But I was most interested in the long abandoned Torpedo factory (of course) and wondered if I could get inside....
And so together with my team of Croats (Sabina, Ivo and Big Kruno the sculptor), we headed for the factory located on the shores of Rijeka.
The once Torpedo Factory is enormous and the grounds are now a popular destination for the locals who sunbathe by the rocky shore. Although I had pretty much been given access to most of Rijeka (as all the images will be placed in the museum collection). The factory was still in litigation from a recent new buyer so I am not even sure if I should of been inside, but as there was as there was no one around to ask, that's right, I was in like a cat and quite as a mouse while my team waited for me outside. Actually they had to take Ivo to the hospital who had jammed his finger in a door and had a funny turn..
Few words can describe what I felt upon entering this giant chamber which up to some thirty years ago had been producing shiny large phallic objects. It was like entering that Chocolate Room in Willy Wonka for the first time with warm evening light shinning through the dirty glass roof and bouncing off the emerald green walls. Evidence of a bygone age filled this massive space with mechanical machinery, big chains, and a fascinating amount of random chairs. As the light was fading I had to work quickly and moved through the factory floor like a some kind of hunter armed with a large panoramic camera. The further I entered the factory, the better things seemed to look and it was soon evident that I didn't really bring enough film, but in a way I was glad as it stopped me from shooting way too much. I sat down on a rusty old barrel, reached for a protein bar, and planned my photographic attack knowing that the opportunity, and indeed the factory itself, may not present itself in this way ever again.
And so I spent the next hour ducking, diving, climbing, and even managed a few Rocky pull ups on an old rusty pole before making what I hope will be a wonderful series.

Of course its not haunted!

So it all started about ten days ago when I headed for Berlin armed with my Gaffa-taped 5/4, a bag of film, and little else. The area I had planned to photograph in Germany fell through but I still decided to go for adventure and any chance to cry 'Ick Bin Twit Bitte' to all the locals.

I found Berlin to be a wonderful place with its cafes, mixture of modern, old and odd architecture and of course the laid back Berliners. But rather than spend all my time grazing the city I decided to take a train ride to the old now abandoned military hospital in the Beelitz district. You can probably tell by now that I speak no German whatsoever and so Matha, a keen photographer, was my guide.
Delighted that Matha had brought her Hassleblad, which I insisted she do to relieve the boredom of following the likes of I around all day, we made for the old hospital and soon realised that if I had attempted the journey on my own I would of ended up in Austria.

I had known about the hospital for some time and whilst trolling the internet and although I had seen images of the place, I still wasn't sure what to expect.

Its hard to think of anything more spooky than an old run down abandoned hospital complex last used during WWII and then for a while afterwards by the Russians. But lets not go to deep into the history of things, important as that may be..
So after a 45 minute ride on an enormous triple decker train through lush green forest we stopped in Beelitz and quickly got off before the ticket inspector seen us.. Martha led the way and we soon arrived at what can only be described as; 'If its not haunted, it bloody well should be!' Hospital. These once beautiful buildings lay in a huge state of disrepair, with vines and ivy sprouting up from its mossy foundations. Buildings like these are dotted all over Berlin reminiscent of a different time, laying in limbo like some kind of forgotten gigantic allotment. Safe to say though that we had arrived..
Straight into the first building, power bar in mouth I immediatly knew this was going to be no easy task. There was between 10 and 15 rooms, perhaps 20, and then another 5 buildings like the one we were in. The problem with places like this is that there is simply too much to photograph and like a man lost on a mountain, one needs to sit and think about what they should and shouldn't do.
And so from room to room we went, and my, what photographic gems where to be found. But after about an hour of tripping over chair legs, stepping on broken glass and screaming at the sight of discarded shoes. I knew I faced an impossible task to photograph the hospital in all its entirety. So having decided to look through all of the buildings I thought it best to concentrate on one, rather than the whole place, knowing I could always return at a later date providing I didn't end up in Switzerland.
And that's basically it. There was no getting trapped, or lost, or falling through trap doors, or encounters with one eyed hunchbacks. It was all quite straight forward and we were back in time for sausages and sauerkraut.
Images to follow soon....Of course.

I put this in the translator but it hasn't quite worked. But you get the idea. I think I am telling a joke here, or trying to speak the language...

Photos of the legendary Lee Miller coming to Rijeka

Središnji događaj prvog Foto festivala bit će izložba »Legendary Lee Miller« s retrospektivom od 96 fotografija jedne od najpoznatijih fotografkinja 20. The central event of the first Photo Festival will show "Legendary Lee Miller" with a retrospective of 96 photographs of one of the most famous photographer 20th stoljeća c.

U Malom salonu publika će vidjeti fotografije iz umjetničke kolekcije Marina Cettine i izložbu Marcusa Doylea In Mali salon audience will see photos from the art collection and exhibition Marina Cettina Marcus Doyle

Radionice i edukacija Workshops and training

Marcus Doyle održat će radionicu na temu noćne fotografije za petnaest polaznika 9. Marcus Doyle will hold a workshop on the subject of night photography for fifteen students 9th i 10. and 10 srpnja. July Fotografi zainteresirani za njegovu radionicu moraju, uz kotizaciju u iznosu od 300 kuna, imati i vlastitu opremu. Photographers interested in his workshop must, along with registration fee of 300 kuna, have own equipment.

Kao edukativan dio programa manifestacije 2. As part of the educational event second i 3 srpnja bit će održan i dvodnevni seminar na temu »Fotografija« na kojem će londonski kritičar, kolekcionar i galerist Michael Deimar iz galerije »Deimar/Nobile« održati niz zanimljivih predavanja o povijesti, kao i aktualnim pitanjima suvremene fotografije. and July 3 will be held and a two-day seminar on "Photo" on which the London-based critic, collector and gallery owner Michael Deimar from gallery »Deimar / Nobile," held a series of interesting lectures on history and current issues of contemporary photography. Kotizacija za sudjelovanje na seminaru iznosi 50 kuna, a prijave sudionika primat će se u MMSU od 14. Registration fee for participation in the seminar is 50 kuna, a registration of participants will receive the Celebration of 14 lipnja. June Seminar će se održati u Gradskoj vijećnici, na engleskom jeziku, a kao poseban gost na njemu će s predavanjem o svojoj majci sudjelovati i Antony Penrose, sin legendarne Lee Miller. The seminar will be held at City Hall, in English, as a special guest on it will lecture on his mother to attend and Antony Penrose, son of the legendary Lee Miller.

RIJEKA - Rijeka Foto festival naziv je nove manifestacije koju Muzej moderne i suvremene umjetnosti pokreće u suradnji s Helenom Srakočić Kovač, nekadašnjom londonskom galeristicom, s nakanom da to postane redovno ljetno događanje. RIJEKA - Rijeka Photo Festival is the name of the new events that the Museum of Modern and Contemporary Art runs in collaboration with Helena Srakočić Smith, formerly a London gallery owner, intended to become a regular summer event.

Program prvog izdanja festivala obuhvaća četiri izložbe i prateće edukativne sadržaje, a središnji događaj bit će izložba »Legendary Lee Miller« s retrospektivom od 96 fotografija jedne od najpoznatijih fotografkinja 20. Program of the first edition of the festival includes four exhibition and accompanying educational facilities, a central event will be the exhibition "Legendary Lee Miller" with a retrospective of 96 photographs of one of the most famous photographer 20th stoljeća. century. Kao jedna od najljepših žena svog vremena, Lee Miller se najprije proslavila kao model visoke mode u New Yorku 1920-tih godina, da bi se potom u Parizu uz Mana Raya i sama počela ozbiljno baviti fotografijom, te postala važnim sudionikom naderalističkog pokreta. As one of the most beautiful women of his time, Lee Miller was first celebrated as a model of high fashion in New York, 1920-ies, to be followed in Paris with Man Ray and myself began to seriously engage in photography, and became an important participant naderalističkog movement.

Riječka izložba nudi presjek njezina stvaralaštva u svim fazama, od modne fotografije, preko portreta slavnih prijatelja poput Pabla Picassa, do fotografija nastalih za vrijeme Drugog svjetskog rata što ih je snimila kao ratna reporterka američke vojske i jedna od prvih koja je ušla u koncentracijske logore Buchenwald i Dachau. Rijeka exhibition offers a cross-section of creativity in all its phases, from fashion photography, to portraits of famous friends such as Pablo Picasso, and photographs taken during the Second World War, which he recorded as a war reporter U.S. Army and one of the first state to enter the Buchenwald concentration camp and Dachau.

Riječka će publika izložbu moći pogledati od 1. Rijeka's audience will be able to view the exhibition from 1 srpnja do 14. July 14th kolovoza u MMSU-u, no tome će prethoditi još dva izložbena programa u Malom salonu i Muzeju grada Rijeke – najavljeno je na jučerašnjoj konferenciji za novinare. August in the stereo-in, but it will be preceded by two exhibition program in Mali salon and Museum of the City of Rijeka - was announced at yesterday's press conference.

Kao uvod u cijelo događanje, u Malom salonu će 17. As an introduction to the whole event, in a small salon to 17th lipnja biti otvorena izložba fotografija iz umaške kolekcije Marina Cettine koja obuhvaća značajna imena međunarodne i hrvatske suvremene umjetnosti. June will be an exhibition of photographs from the collection of Umag Marina Cettina, which includes important names of international and Croatian contemporary art. Među njima su autori poput slavnog Andresa Serrana, Zoe Leonarda, Jacka Piersona, uz još dvadesetak domaćih i inozemnih fotografa i likovnih umjetnika, kao što su Ksenija Turčić, Igor Rončević, Ivan Kožarić, Mladen Stilinović i drugi autori iz Hrvatske, Slovenije, SAD-a, Brazila i Italije. Among them are the famous authors such as Andres Serrano, Zoe Leonard, Jack Pierson, along with twenty local and international photographers and artists, such as Ksenija Turcic, Igor Roncevic John Kožarić, Mladen Stilinović and other authors from Croatian, Slovenian, United States a, Brazil and Italy.

Muzej grada Rijeke u manifestaciju se uključuje izložbom »Riječki fotografi 1950-1980« na kojoj će od 30. Museum of Rijeka in the event includes an exhibition of "Rijeka Photographers 1950-1980," which will be from 30 lipnja do konca kolovoza biti prezentiran izbor radova protagonista riječke fotografske scene, od Maksa Peća, Ervina Debeuca, Viktora i Egona Hreljanovića do Ranka Dokmanovića, Rina Gropuzza, Rudolfa Zambelija... June until the end of August will be presented to a selection of work protagonist Riječke photographic scenes, from the maximum Peca Debeuca Ervin, Victor and Egon Hreljanovića to Ranka Dokmanovic, Rina Gropuzza, Rudolf Zambelija ... Zastupljeno je ukupno 16 autora koji su u navedenom razdoblju pretežno istraživali i razvijali crno-bijelu fotografiju, u žanrovskom rasponu od dokumentarne i reportažne, do umjetničke i eksperimentalne. Represented a total of 16 authors who are in this period mainly researched and developed black and white photography, ranging from the genre of documentary and reportage, the artistic and experimental.

Nakon kolekcije Marina Cettine, u Malom salonu će 8. After collection, Marina Cettina, in a small salon will be 8th srpnja biti otvorena i samostalna izložba britanskog fotografa Marcusa Doylea, majstora noćne fotografije. On July opened, and the solo exhibition of British photographer Marcus Doyle, master of night photography. Doyle se petnaest godina bavi fotografijom, a interes mu je usmjeren na urbane pejzaže i okolinu koju čovjek mijenja i eksploatira. Doyle fifteen years now the photograph, and his interest is focused on urban landscapes and the environment by man changes and exploits. Njegovi pejzaži pokazuju mjesta koje su često zanemarena, bez ljudi, ali s ožiljcima koje ostavljaju okolišu, a noćna fotografija otkriva svijet posebne atmosfere gdje se ono obično pretvara u neobično i nestvarno. His landscapes show places that are often ignored, no people, but the scars left by the environment, and night photography reveals a world of special atmosphere where it usually turns into a strange and unreal. To postiže fotografijom velikog formata i dugotrajnim strpljivim čekanjem na onaj pravi trenutak i pravo svjetlo, što katkad traje i danima. To achieve large-format photography and long patient waiting for the right moment and right at the light, which sometimes lasts for days.

Većina Doyleovih fotografija nastala je na području SAD-a iu Velikoj Britaniji, a radi pripreme izložbe ovih je dana posjetio i Rijeku, obišavši neke od napuštenih industrijskih zona koje su ga posebno fascinirale. Most Doyleovih photo was made in the USA and the UK, and for the preparation of the exhibition was visited on the Nile, having sailed some of the abandoned industrial areas that are particularly fascinated him. Ponovni dolazak u Rijeku iskoristit će i za fotografiranje grada, a dio tih radova donirat će MMSU-u. Re coming to Rijeka will use for photographing the city, and some of these works will be donated to stereo-in.