Jem Southam, Hirschl Gallery, London

[Rory_3532]

Did anyone see this show (www.hirschlcontemporary.co.uk/artist_k/#)? If so, impressions? There was an interesting article about Southam just before the show opened in the weekend supplement to the October 12 edition of The Independent.

[Francis Abad]

I did not like the photographs (i.e. subject matter and composition). Apart from their large size I did not feel there was anything special to them. Perhaps shooting 8x10 is enough of a selling point (I wish that this was so because I also shoot 8x10) but I thought the photographs to be less than ordinary (drab even).

[darter]

Rory, I like his work. It offers a change from the standard pastoral scenes or the unsubtle iconicness of much landscape photography. There is something a little edgy about them. England can be very drab, and he turns this into something intersting IMO. I have to admit though, that I was put off by the nauseatingly pretentious prose, citing "geopsychology" and stating that his images "seem the locus of some primal energy." What is an 8x10 plate camera - one that was converted from a plate camera or one that still uses them?

The URL I found to work best is http://www.hirschlcontemporary.co.uk/artist_k/index.htm

[tim atherton]

"Rory, I like his work. It offers a change from the standard pastoral scenes or the unsubtle iconicness of much landscape photography. There is something a little edgy about them. England can be very drab, and he turns this into something intersting IMO. I have to admit though, that I was put off by the nauseatingly pretentious prose, citing "geopsychology" and stating that his images "seem the locus of some primal energy." "

Some of the methodolgy of psycho-geography has been adopted quote strongly by the post-(new)topographic movment, especially in europe. Such social landscape photographers adopting especially the idea or practice of ‘derivé’ - which is central to the practice of pyschogeography. Derivé (to drift) has been described as random, creative but politically motivated strolling through the city. Rather like a contemporary form of flaneurie - the social landscape photogorpaher as flaneur - which hasa lot of validity going back to Atget, through Evans to contemporary photographers such as Basilico or James.

[tim atherton]

"I did not like the photographs (i.e. subject matter and composition). Apart from their large size I did not feel there was anything special to them. Perhaps shooting 8x10 is enough of a selling point (I wish that this was so because I also shoot 8x10) but I thought the photographs to be less than ordinary (drab even)."

Is not this the case for most of our surroundings? Why single out only the extraordinary for our hotogorpahs. Perhaps if you find such scenes merely ordinary or drab it may be you are not looking closely enough or paying enough attention? "Every situation is ordinary and every situation is also unique". The hard thing to do is find it. It's easy to take photogorpahs of dramatic mountains or pictureseque streams or or technicolour sunsets - it is much more of a challenge to photograph the world that the majority of us inhabit most of the time.

[Aaron_3437]

I thought his work is honest and pleasantly framed.

[Jon_2416]

"hotogorpahs"? Easy on the ale, Tim...

I didn't find the hotogorpahs too interesting.

Jon

[Francis Abad]

"Why single out only the extraordinary for our hotogorpahs. Perhaps if you find such scenes merely ordinary or drab it may be you are not looking closely enough or paying enough attention?"

Hi Tim. I do try and pay close attention to everything I do. I just did not like this particular work. I was not looking for drama or sensational, grand landscapes. I just looked at his work and made a comment based solely on that. I am glad you like his work. I did not. Please try not to pyschoanalyse the reasons why I did not like it or my motivations or biases. I have none in relation to the work I observed. It was not to my liking and that is all.

[tim atherton]

Jon - more like the 2/1/2 year old trying to take over the keyboard...

Francis - sorry - I didn't mean that to come over as personally as it sounds - I should really have said "we" and "one".

Personally, I often feel that if someone likes or dislikes a photograph it has worked - and it is often valuable to try and understand why we like or dislike it. But if we are indifferent to a photograph - for me, that is much more of a problem.

"I just did not like this particular work. I was not looking for drama or sensational, grand landscapes." But you did say there was "nothing special to them". What is the "something special" that makes an image interesting for you? Or more specifically, what is it in these iamges that is lacking?

WHat is the opposite of drab and ordinary for you?

[Francis Abad]

Thanks for clarifying Tim. I realise that using the word "special" might imply something akin to AA's Clearing Winter Storm. But that is not my meaning nor did I make a stab at defining it in my comment. Ordinary or drab is not related to subject matter as used in my comment. More like a feeling that the pictures strike me as not well executed (maybe you can say this involves better contrast, or composition, or paper, or whatever other variable EXCEPT subject matter). There are plenty of ordinary, everyday scenes which when executed properly (again, what this means is really a matter of personal preferences - e.g. nice pleasing tones, nice lines, etc.) are extremely beautiful and thought provoking (e.g. "I never noticed that before"). Maybe that is the special attribute I look for in pictures. Grand scenes are just, well, grand and they normally speak for themselves (and the good timing of the photographer to be at the right place and the right time of course). Ordinary scenes (i.e. the everyday undramatic visions we encounter) can be made to sparkle at the hands of someone with a great eye and great technical mastery. In this body of work I did not see that. Others certainly have though and that is good. (In relation to photographs, the opposite of drab and ordinary for me is elegant and well-executed).